Chapter 108
The next morning, in one of the laboratory building’s classrooms..
Students yawned as they entered the lecture theatre. A few more observant students noticed a mannequin-like object slumped over a desk in the corner.
Curious, they approached the hunched figure, attempting to discern what it was in the dimly lit room. A quick-eyed female student screamed in alarm, hastily covering her eyes, “It’s moving!” Her frantic cry caused a commotion. Even students of the Department of Chinese Medicine, a study of sciences, were superstitious, wary of ghosts and gods.
The students picked up whatever they could find. Brooms, books, chairs and bins were raised to defend themselves.
Qu Xiao had dark circles under her eyes, and her long hair draped over her shoulders in a mess of knots. She got up slowly, using her hands to part the curtain of hair covering her face.
“.. What are you all doing here?”
Her hands were covered in soil. It might have taken a while, but she managed to re-pot all the medicinal herbs in the temperature control display cabinet.
Qu Xiao followed Lei Qiming’s instructions to the letter, using both of her hands to handle each plant one at a time. She meticulously cleaned the roots of each plant, removing the clumped up soil and dirt. It was an important step to prevent cross-contamination. Qu Xiao worked tirelessly through the night and felt her legs turn numb as she tried to stand, almost losing her balance.
She staggered, catching herself against the edge of a long table, and patted some feeling back into her legs.
The female student, who screamed, regained her senses and seemed abashed. “Who gave you the key?” She blurted out.
“This is the teaching building. You are not an official student of this school. You should pay attention to your boundaries.”
“There are many rare medicinal herbs in the laboratory. What if you break them or steal them to sell them? Give us the key!”
Qu Xiao was pretty, and her delicate face held a fatal attraction.
Yesterday, in the lecture hall, Qu Xiao was able to answer Lei Qiming’s tricky questions. All the male students of the Department of Chinese Medicine ogled her with star-struck eyes, inquiring into her identity. Most of them were discussing whether or not she was single.
The female students naturally held a lot of resentment and dissatisfaction in their hearts. Hence, their joint attack against Qu Xiao.
Qu Xiao’s purpose in coming to ‘A’ university was to cooperate with Lei Qiming and develop a treatment plan that would allow Shang Yan to stand up again. She did not intend to argue with anyone, so she bit her tongue and reigned in her temper, looking like a meek lamb, gentle and timid.
The female student arrogantly bumped into her, almost hitting the medicinal herbs kept in the temperature control cabinet.
Qu Xiao’s eyes were sharp as she raised her hand to steady the swaying flowerpots and glared at the female student.
The female student broke out in a cold sweat. Though she was scared, she did not want to look weak, so she puffed up her chest with her head held high and roared, “What are you looking at?”
“As a student of the Department of Chinese Medicine, don’t you know the rules of using the laboratory?”
“Keep quiet, keep calm, don’t push, and don’t argue with your peers. This is to avoid damaging the laboratory equipment and medicinal herbs.”
The female student’s face flushed red. She bit her red lips and muttered, “It’s not your place to tell me what I can or cannot do!”
historical
“Get out. You don’t belong here! We don’t want to see you!”
The tense atmosphere dissipated as soon as Lei Qiming swept into the laboratory, his voice cracking with the sound of thunder, “She may not have the right, but what about me?”
The students watching the show were so scared that they stood rooted to the spot. They all side-stepped in unison, parting to allow Lei Qiming through.
“It seems like you don’t remember the rules of the laboratory. Therefore, you don’t need to take the final exam this semester.”
“Look for your homeroom teacher and inform them that you will be changing majors. I won’t continue to be your tutor.. I don’t need students who can’t distinguish right from wrong and allow their emotions to rule their actions. Just because your grades have been stellar, don’t expect special treatment from me.”
Lei Qiming’s words tolled like the sound of the evening bell, haunting and merciless. The female student trembled from head to toe. In fear, she ran up to the professor and said, “I know I’m wrong! Please give me another chance..”
The female student had already studied Chinese medicine for three years. If she changed majors now, it would affect when she could graduate. Moreover, it would be a stain on her record, potentially affecting her future career and trajectory in life.
Seeing the female student’s plight, Qu Xiao felt bad and meant to plead on the girl’s behalf, but a look from Lei Qiming stifled her words before they could tumble free.
“What are you all standing around for? Begin your experiments!”
“You. Come with me,” Lei Qiming pointed at Qu Xiao and walked to the office in the back of the laboratory. He left the door slightly ajar to avoid suspicion.
Qu Xiao followed him in. When she saw the female student standing in a daze outside, she said sympathetically, “She was just a little excited. Perhaps you might like to reconsider?”
Lei Qiming opened the drawer, withdrawing a leatherbound notebook.
“Do you have a lot of free time on your hands? Are you volunteering to be her knight in shining armour?”
Lei Qiming glanced at the door indifferently, “A doctor’s mentality is quintessential. Even if she possessed superb medical skills, she’d only sow disaster without a good heart. There were once many students who, after graduation, let money and earthly benefits corrupt them. They would do anything; ethics took a back seat. Some of those things they did still chill my heart when I think about them.”
“There are many professions under the sun; it isn’t too late for her to walk another path. With her nature, there are many other paths more suited to her than the study of Chinese medicine.”
Lei Qiming’s words stunned Qu Xiao. She did not expect such a simple action to contain such deep meaning. The old man was not simple!
“I watched you dealing with the medicinal herbs.”
Lei Qiming pointed at the synchronised monitor video on the computer screen. “You did well. Every step was meticulous, following standard procedure. I’m impressed. Therefore, I shall fulfil my end of the bargain. From today onwards, you are an intern on my project team.”