From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor-Chapter 314 - 289: Farewell

Xu Jiaxuan said, "Chunliang, you take Miss Su home, I’ll head back first, so your grandpa doesn’t worry." Before leaving, he secretly gave his son a glance, meaning I’ve created an opportunity for you; whether you can seize it is up to you.

Xu Chunliang was at a loss for words, but Su Qing was clearly frightened, and this matter likely started because of him, so he agreed to give her a ride. Xu Chunliang got into Su Qing’s car.

Su Qing took a deep breath before restarting the car.

Xu Chunliang asked, "Did you buy passenger insurance?"

Su Qing was momentarily stunned, then realized he was joking, and finally managed a slight smile on her face. "Don’t worry, my driving skills are fine."

She started the car and drove slowly, partly because of the lingering shadow from earlier and partly because the roads were slippery with snow.

Xu Chunliang asked, "Do you need me to recommend a repair shop?"

Su Qing replied, "I’ll go to the 4S store."

Xu Chunliang nodded, "Weren’t you saying the show has already been canceled? Why are you still going to the TV station so late?"

Su Qing explained to Xu Chunliang that the station was preparing for the New Year’s Eve gala. Although the show "Xiaohui Helps You Ask" was temporarily off the air, it didn’t affect her hosting the New Year program, and she rehearsed almost every night.

Su Qing lived in the New City District, quite far from the old town, which was why she insisted on driving home. The snow was getting heavier, and she worried that Xu Chunliang wouldn’t be able to find a taxi home, so she offered to take him home first and then go herself.

Xu Chunliang said his dad would come to pick him up later, but he was actually just reassuring Su Qing.

Su Qing returned to her home in the New City District after nearly fifty minutes. Xu Chunliang saw her to the gate of her community before getting off the car. While he was waiting for a taxi at the intersection, Su Qing ran over again to give him an umbrella, and she didn’t rush off, standing with Xu Chunliang in the snow.

As she guessed, it was really hard to get a cab in the snow. Su Qing said, "Why don’t I just take you back?"

Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but laugh, "Then what’s the point of that detour?"

Su Qing replied, "I told you not to see me home." Her mood had calmed, but earlier she was truly a bit scared.

Just then, Xu Chunliang’s phone rang; it was his dad calling, asking where he was so he could pick him up.

Xu Chunliang sent his current location to his dad, feeling a touch of warmth. It seemed his unreliable dad still cared about him. Seeing Su Qing wrapped up and hugging herself, Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "Go on home, my dad will be here soon."

Su Qing shook her head, "No rush. Why don’t you come to my house to warm up? We can wait inside for the car."

Xu Chunliang replied that he didn’t want to intrude since it was already ten at night.

Seeing that he didn’t want to go in, Su Qing didn’t insist. However, she also didn’t plan to leave, just standing by Xu Chunliang in the swirling snow.

Xu Chunliang said, "I’m sorry about the trouble caused by the news."

Su Qing blinked her bright eyes, "It’s no problem. Our team decided to broadcast that news from the start. News like this, which speaks for the people, often offends others. Since we decided to air it, we were mentally prepared."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "I used to think medical workers had it tough, but it seems every profession has its risks."

Su Qing said, "That’s why my dad always opposed me going on the ’Xiaohui Helps You Ask’ segment."

Xu Chunliang said, "You should head home; it’s late, don’t make your family worry."

Su Qing said, "I’ve already told my dad, it’s fine."

Xu Chunliang said, "I’ll have my friends investigate tonight’s events to prevent it from happening again in the future."

Su Qing nodded.

At this point, an Audi Q5 drove up. It was Xu Jiawen and Xu Jiaxuan coming to pick him up, using Zheng Peian’s car, which Xu Jiawen had been driving lately.

Su Qing saw Xu Chunliang into the car and waved to him from outside. Xu Chunliang lowered the car window and urged her to go home quickly.

Xu Jiawen praised, "That girl is really pretty."

Xu Jiaxuan said, "Didn’t I say so? Chunliang, she’s a good girl."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Do you have some plan in mind?"

Xu Jiaxuan said, "No, heaven and earth can testify, I sincerely have your best interests at heart."

Xu Jiawen said, "Doesn’t Chunliang have a girlfriend? Don’t follow in your dad’s footsteps."

Xu Jiaxuan said, "Jiawen, what are you saying, ruining my image in front of my son."

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Aunt, was my dad quite a playboy in his youth?"

Xu Jiawen said, "Your dad won’t let me talk about it."

Xu Jiaxuan said helplessly, "That’s because you don’t understand me."

Xu Jiaxuan went to the Capital City early the next morning, where he took a plane back to North America.

Xu Chunliang also returned to Nanjiang as the party school had notified him to return to class. During the study period, personal leave should not exceed three days. Now that the matter with his grandfather was resolved, Xu Chunliang also had to go back. His aunt had taken a half-month leave and would stay longer in Dongzhou, so with her taking care of Elder Xu, there would naturally be no problems.

Xu Jiaxuan and Xu Chunliang parted ways at the high-speed rail station, one headed south, and the other went north.

Xu Chunliang checked in first. When he walked into the gate, he turned back to see his dad still standing outside, watching him.

Xu Chunliang waved at him, "Come back often if you can!"

"Don’t worry, son!" Xu Jiaxuan shouted in response. He was hinting at something, expecting something, but Xu Chunliang turned around and walked inside, not hearing the expected "Dad" even as his figure disappeared.

Just after Xu Chunliang arrived in Nanjiang, he received a call from Bai Mushan. Last time at Bai Mushan’s private museum, he didn’t meet Bai Mushan but only encountered Bai Mushan’s disciple Xue Anliang and happened to run into Liang Baxian, who was visiting the museum.

This time on his return to Dongzhou, Xu Chunliang specifically inquired and found out that Liang Baxian had officially retired from Dongzhou Museum and is currently employed by the Nanjiang Longgu Museum. That is to say, when he saw him last time, Liang Baxian wasn’t representing Dongzhou Museum and might have been there to discuss employment matters.

Bai Mushan mentioned in the call that he happened to be in class last time when Xu Chunliang visited the museum. He also said that while organizing materials for the museum’s establishment, he found two photos likely to be from the same batch as the dragon bones Elder Xu donated back then.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chunliang knew he might be dangling a carrot, giving him a reason he couldn’t refuse. Xu Chunliang said he would head over soon.

Bai Mushan arranged to meet him at six in the evening, choosing this time to have dinner with Xu Chunliang.

Returning to the party school, Xu Chunliang first canceled his leave and was still in time for the day’s training session, where he sat with Yan Jingsong in class.

Yan Jingsong whispered to him that Mei Ru Xue had already withdrawn from the training. Hearing this news, Xu Chunliang was a bit surprised. Mei Ru Xue had said her family encountered some issues recently, so she might have to stay in the Capital City for a while, initially stating a week or two, but he hadn’t expected she would withdraw completely.

Due to his grandfather’s issue, he hadn’t kept in touch with Mei Ru Xue recently. It seemed something major had occurred in her family.

Xu Chunliang sent Mei Ru Xue a message asking how things were going at her home.

About an hour later, she replied, telling him not to worry; she would return to work by the end of the month. This reassured Xu Chunliang, indicating that the issue was resolved. By then, the training in Nanjiang would be over, and he could return to Weishan Island to reunite with Mei Ru Xue.

This youth training course was mostly procedural; everyone was there to gain experience under prestigious titles, and attendance wasn’t strict. No one expected to learn much here; rather, they treated it as a social platform, being the young generation in the Pinghai system. It’s foreseeable that in the next decade, many deputy departmental-level, departmental level, and perhaps even a few provincial-level officials would emerge from this youth training course.

A month was enough to establish friendships. The most active among them was Yan Jingsong, who created a group and invited those he deemed promising, including Xu Chunliang. Yan Jingsong asked him to add Mei Ru Xue to the group too.

Xu Chunliang bluntly refused, saying that Mei Ru Xue herself was unwilling. According to the weather forecast, it was supposed to snow in Nanjiang over the next few days. As he was leaving, a few snow crystals did drift down, but they soon stopped. Snow in Jiangnan was shy, unlike the hearty and intense flurries in the north.

Xu Chunliang pondered the purpose behind Bai Mushan’s invitation during his journey. Because of the theft at Huichun Hall, Xu Chunliang successfully redirected the police’s attention to the theft case at Dongzhou Museum back then.

Lu Qi had now received approval from his superiors to review the case files of the museum theft from that year, although a reinvestigation of the case hadn’t been initiated. Logically, this information shouldn’t reach Bai Mushan so quickly.

The person who snuck into Huichun Hall was Han Tianchi, but why was he interested in the dragon bone rubbings? Whenever dragon bones were involved, Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but think of Bai Mushan. Even when he first discovered the rubbing theft at Huichun Hall, his immediate thought was Bai Mushan.

Given Bai Mushan’s current standing in the paleography field, he shouldn’t resort to such petty thefts. Still, nothing is certain; if he had discovered the secret of the dragon bones Huichun Hall donated back then, taking a desperate risk for eternal youth would be understandable.

By the time he arrived at the Longgu Museum, darkness had fallen entirely. A strong north wind was blowing, laden with the thick moisture of the river water.

Because of this, the wind in Nanjiang is even sneakier than in Dongzhou. The cold wind in Dongzhou feels like a knife scraping your exposed skin, but in Nanjiang, the wind finds its way through every opening, mercilessly draining the body’s heat through collars and sleeves.

Many agree that winters in Nanjiang feel colder than in Dongzhou; the humidity is one reason, and another key factor is the lack of centralized heating in this provincial capital.

The front gate of the Longgu Museum wasn’t open. Although the museum routinely closed on Mondays, even on open days, it attracted few visitors.