Chapter 12.1 - 白薇 Cynanchum atratum
The next day, He Suye was summoned to the university by his advisor with a phone call. Coincidentally, it was the New Year's Day holiday, and the campus was unusually bustling with activity. The graduate and doctoral students coming and going all wore relaxed expressions, savoring the rare half-day of leisure they had managed to steal.
However, he was not to enjoy such leisure. Professor Gu Ping, his advisor, pointed to a thick stack of exam papers on his desk and said, "Xiao He, if you're not too busy, could you help me grade these exam papers? Those undergraduates, their handwriting is a complete mess."
He had no choice but to take them. Unexpectedly, Professor Gu added, "The Suhexiang Pill contains musk to calm the spirit. What comes next?"
Without hesitation, He Suye recited, "Wood, clove, cinnabar, and milkvetch, with sandalwood as the base. Rhinoceros horn, borneol, atractylodes, and aquilaria, combined with terminalia and cyperus, and finally, use borneol to warm and open the formula."
Professor Gu chuckled a few times, full of approval, "Very good, very good, you haven't forgotten a thing!" Suddenly, his face turned stern, and his tone became severe, "Xiao He, grade these 'well' and 'seriously,' no leniency!"
Instantly, He Suye felt a chill run from his heels to the top of his head. He silently thought to himself, 4.5 credits, it seems someone will have to pay up again. Indeed, the Extermination Taoist, you are still as exterminating as ever.
He packed up the exam papers, slung his bag over his shoulder, and decided to grab some food from the cafeteria to take home, figuring he'd make do with a simple lunch. As he walked past the long Herb Garden Corridor, he noticed a few girls sitting on stone benches practicing with a desktop mercury sphygmomanometer. He didn't pay much attention, just glanced briefly and kept walking.
Suddenly, one of the girls whispered excitedly, "Look, a handsome guy!"
Another chimed in, "I can't believe our school has someone like this. Oh my, I've wasted twenty years of my life!"
Then one girl giggled and complained, "Stop pumping the balloon, my arm is about to burst, ouch!"
He Suye heard them clearly and couldn't help but chuckle. When he looked up, he realized he had walked past his intended path. Just as he was about to turn back, he saw a male student standing by the back wall, proudly showing off to a female student, "This wall is super easy to climb. Back before the new campus was built, we used to climb over it to stay out all night."
Of course, he remembered this wall. Back when the school was under lockdown, he had lost count of how many classmates had climbed over it. But despite how low the wall was, he had never managed to scale it himself. There was always a girl who would threaten him, whether seriously or not, "He Suye, just try climbing over it and see what happens!"
At that time, the school had issued a notice: anyone who left campus without permission during the lockdown would face probation and be disqualified from scholarship evaluations.
He had been desperate back then. No one answered the phone at home, his parents' office lines were perpetually busy, and their cell phones were all disconnected. It felt like he was living in a vacuum, unable to sense any sound, not even the slightest ripple.
The last time, he had truly decided to throw caution to the wind. He didn't care about the punishment or the scholarship anymore. Just as he was about to jump, a familiar voice called out, "He Suye, don't do anything stupid, I beg you, okay?"
The tone wasn't domineering but pleading, almost tearful. He panicked, lost his footing, and tumbled down from the wall. It was undoubtedly the most humiliating and failed moment of his life. Fortunately, he only ended up with a scraped arm.
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