Chapter Sixty: Brother Fan, a Beautiful Lady Is Looking for You

After having lunch in the hospital cafeteria at noon, Liu Fan and Zhang Yi returned to school for classes. It was already past 2 p.m. when they reached their dorm, a time when classes were in full swing. So the two parted ways and headed to their respective classrooms.

It didn't take Liu Fan long to find his own classroom. He slipped in quietly while the professor wasn't looking and found an empty seat. Only after sitting down did he realize his desk mate was a girl he knew—his fellow townsman, Wen Wan.

At that moment, Wen Wan was listening intently to the lecture. Suddenly, she noticed a male student slip in through the back door and sit beside her. She was a little annoyed at first, about to ask the newcomer to swap seats, but when she looked up and saw it was Liu Fan, her face instantly blossomed with a smile. She whispered, "Captain, this is the first official class of the term. Where were you this morning? The counselor was looking for you all morning, you know."

"Oh, so it's you, my little hometown friend. I had something urgent this morning, so I couldn't make it to class. But didn't I already ask someone to excuse me? Why was she still looking for me?" Liu Fan was equally pleased to see Wen Wan beside him. He had a deep impression of this gentle yet resilient girl from his hometown.

"Ah! What could be so urgent that you missed class?" Wen Wan asked anxiously.

"Oh, it was nothing much. One of my dorm mates' fathers was critically ill, and the hospital couldn't help, so I lent a hand. But it's all fine now," Liu Fan replied casually.

"Wow! Captain, I didn't know you had medical skills. That's amazing. If I get sick in the future, I won’t need to go to the hospital—I’ll just come to you, hehe!" Wen Wan exclaimed in surprise, then teased him playfully.

"No problem at all. My medical skills are top notch! Let me tell you, I started studying medicine at three, could identify herbs by five, could take pulses at seven, started seeing patients at nine, and by eleven, I was holding consultations in the clinic. I was a famed little miracle doctor in the area! How about that? Pretty impressive, right?" Since they were from the same hometown, Liu Fan was relaxed and started bragging shamelessly, spinning tales without a care, conveniently forgetting how he used to fall asleep over medical books. Now he was boasting unabashedly.

"Really? Captain, your tall tales are quite something!" Wen Wan giggled. She believed Liu Fan had some medical skill, having heard of his grandfather's fame back home, but she'd never heard of the grandson being a miracle doctor, hence her teasing.

"Uh... haha, you saw right through me." With his bluster exposed, Liu Fan was a bit embarrassed and could only laugh it off.

"Brother Fan, there’s a pretty girl looking for you outside," came a mischievous voice from behind. A chubby boy poked Liu Fan in the back, leering. This was none other than Zhao Feizhu—nicknamed Zhao Fat Pig—one of Liu Fan’s dorm mates from military training. Ever since witnessing Liu Fan’s martial prowess, he’d started calling him “brother” like the gangsters in the movies, claiming he wanted to “join the gang,” much to Liu Fan’s exasperation.

"Come on, Fatty, are you messing with me? It's class time—who would be looking for me now?" Clearly, Liu Fan didn't believe him, knowing how much this guy liked to fool people.

"Hey, I’m a civilized man! I don’t mess with people anymore. If you don’t believe me, just look back—see if there’s a pretty girl at the door," Zhao Feizhu said with a sly grin, pointing at the rear entrance.

Liu Fan turned and, sure enough, saw a woman waiting outside. From the shapely silhouette, she seemed familiar. He asked, "You sure you’re not tricking me, you dead pig? Is she really looking for me?"

"Would I lie? Do you doubt my reputation? Just go and see for yourself," Zhao Feizhu insisted, slapping his ample chest.

This time, Liu Fan didn’t suspect anything and sneaked out at the first opportunity, not noticing Zhao Feizhu’s sly grin as he left—a sure sign of mischief.

Wen Wan, who had been following their conversation, couldn’t help her curiosity. "Zhao Feizhu, who’s looking for Captain? And what’s with that wicked grin—you’re definitely up to no good."

"Uh!" Zhao Feizhu was momentarily caught off-guard, then coughed awkwardly, "Ahem, Wen Wan, you’ll scare me to death. I almost choked on my own saliva! What do you mean I’m up to no good? There really is a pretty girl looking for Brother Fan. It’s just the counselor. Isn’t she a beauty?"

Wen Wan finally understood why Zhao Feizhu was grinning. It was only natural the counselor would come looking for Liu Fan after he was absent all morning. Her mind at ease, she stopped talking to Zhao Feizhu and turned her attention back to the lecture.

Meanwhile, Liu Fan found a beautiful woman waiting in the corridor, her face stern. He approached and asked, "Are you looking for me?"

The woman turned at the sound of his voice. Only then did Liu Fan realize it was his counselor, Liu Ningshuang. He cursed Zhao Feizhu inwardly for tricking him again, and awkwardly asked, "Counselor, is there something you need? If not, I should get back to class."

Liu Ningshuang ignored him, her expression cold. "Come to my office," she said curtly, and turned away.

Liu Fan was baffled, unable to understand why she was so upset. He couldn't recall having offended her, but he followed her anyway.

They walked in silence to the faculty office. As soon as they entered, Liu Ningshuang launched into him, "Explain yourself. Why didn’t you come to class this morning? Not only did you skip class, but you didn’t even ask for leave. As class monitor, you should set an example, but instead you’re leading the way in truancy. Do you even care about your counselor? Your parents worked so hard to send you to university, and this is how you repay them? Aren’t you ashamed? I’m furious with you!"

Ever since Liu Fan had embarrassed her at the first class meeting, Liu Ningshuang had been holding a grudge, waiting for a chance to put him in his place. His absence on the very first day of classes made her feel ignored, so she seized the opportunity to give him a stern talking-to, though her words betrayed a certain anxious concern for her student.

Hearing her bring up his parents, Liu Fan’s expression turned cold. His parents were a lifelong wound—he hated when others mentioned them. "Are you finished?" he asked tonelessly.

"You—what’s with that attitude?" Liu Ningshuang was taken aback by his icy response, clenching her fists in frustration.

"If you’re done, let me speak. I don’t know how I’ve offended you—if I have, I’ll apologize. But two things: First, I missed class because a friend’s father was gravely ill and I went to treat him. I also asked a friend to notify the department. Second, I’m an orphan with no parents, so please don’t invoke them again, understood? And next time, don’t jump to conclusions without knowing the facts." With that, Liu Fan slammed the door and walked out, leaving Liu Ningshuang standing there in stunned silence.

"Could I really be wrong?" she murmured, watching Liu Fan’s lonely, sorrowful figure recede. For the first time, she felt a pang of regret.

Liu Fan had always been sensitive about his parents. He had once thought of seeking them out, to ask why they abandoned him, but life forced him to give up on that dream. Now, with the old wound reopened, the thought surged back, leaving his previously calm heart in turmoil.

Back in class, Liu Fan sat quietly, his mood heavy. Wen Wan, having observed everything, asked with concern, "Captain, are you alright? Did the counselor scold you?"

"Of course! You didn’t see her face—it was like thunder. Brother Fan, what’s one scolding to a real man? Back in the day—" Zhao Feizhu began enthusiastically from behind, only to feel a chill that made him swallow his words.

"Hey, Fat Pig, stop making snide remarks. Can’t you see the Captain’s upset?" Wen Wan scolded, unable to bear seeing Liu Fan like this.

"Uh, I’ll stop, I’ll stop! I won’t disturb your little chat—uh, I mean, reunion… yes, reunion." Whether by accident or design, Zhao Feizhu’s words left Wen Wan blushing bright red, her round face like a ripe apple, making her look so adorable that Zhao Feizhu nearly drooled.

"What are you staring at? One more look and I’ll hit you," Wen Wan glared, raising her fist as if to strike. Zhao Feizhu quickly ducked his head, muttering to himself about how even gentle Wen Wan had become fierce—was the world changing too fast?

"Captain, are you really alright? You don’t look well," Wen Wan asked gently, watching Liu Fan’s slightly weathered face with pain in her heart.

"I’m fine, just remembering some things and feeling a bit down. Don’t worry about me." Seeing his caring hometown friend, Liu Fan managed a smile.

"Okay," Wen Wan replied, her face reddening as she lowered her head, barely making a sound.

"Brother Fan, there’s another pretty girl looking for you outside," Zhao Feizhu called out again, his grin even more mischievous this time.