Chương 8: 7. Professor Yu, who turns pale at the mention of it

Tang Shu found room 1703 in building 2. As soon as she entered, a girl with a round face was waving her chubby arms at her.

"Shushu, over here, over here, I saved you a spot!"

Cheng Ranran was truly round: a round head, round arms and legs exposed, not a single sharp angle to be found, even her large, dark eyes were round.

Paired with her well-proportioned body, she didn't look fat at all but rather gave off a very cute and soft vibe.

Tang Shu walked over, nodded at her, and sat down next to the empty seat. Out of professional habit, she noticed at a glance the dark circles under her eyes.

"Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Mm~~"

Cheng Ranran lay listlessly on the desk, her chin propped on her textbook, as if the person who had just jumped up to greet Tang Shu was not her.

"Shushu, don't care about the comments on Weibo. I've already scolded them on your behalf, don't be upset!"

After just one weekend without seeing her, her Shushu was not only less talkative but her expressions had also become much colder, surely due to the influence of those online comments!

Comments on Weibo?

Tang Shu took another glance at her friend with dark circles, pulled out her phone, opened the Weibo interface to her friends' feed, and after flipping through a few pages, she found the truth.

"So, you were still fighting with netizens at four in the morning?"

Cheng Ranran's Weibo account was easy to recognize, using the same profile picture as her WeChat, and almost every minute her comments appeared, spread out over several hundred messages—it was hard to imagine such a cute-looking girl could be so fierce in battle.

The ones drenched in verbal blood by her were the anti-fans attracted through public recognition by Tang Shu's agent.

Of course, this cute girl also got her fair share of verbal lashings from the anti-fans.

"Of course! Anyone who dares to insult my friend, I won't let them get away with it. They're all just keyboard warriors. wuli Shushu's acting is so good, some people are just blind!"

"..." If I remember correctly, you said yesterday that you were going to blacklist me for the rest of my life.

Such double standards.

Her cool gaze sweeping over a few messages, Tang Shu's lips curled slightly, her delicate face seemed to warm up a bit.

"You've already scolded them back for me, I'm not upset."

"Really?!"

"Really."

The soft, cute girl immediately burst into emotional tears, hugging Tang Shu's arm and shaking it, "Ah, all my efforts this morning weren't in vain, even skipping breakfast! Now, after filling my stomach, I'll fight those bitches another three hundred rounds!"

For Cheng Ranran, the only way to regain her energy was eating, and the next second she deftly took out a packet of biscuits from her bag and furiously got to work crunching them down.

The sound of her biting into the biscuits, not too loud or too soft, was enough for her friend and classmate sitting in front to hear.

"Hey Ran Bao, can you stop eating? The crunching sound is just like a hamster's. Military training finally helped you lose a few pounds, be careful you don't gain it back."

"What do you know, this is baby fat!"

"That's novel! Who still has baby fat at nearly 20? Are you developmentally delayed, or is your head filled with paste?"

"Developmentally delayed? Ouch, ouch, someone as flat as an airport has the nerve to say that?"

"...Damn it, Cheng Ranran, wait for me after school!"

"After all these years, still using the tricks from elementary school, sheesh~~~~"

"You..."

Tang Shu, who was focused on reading, caught every word of their bickering, her lips twitching.

Oh, grand master, warrior lady, your highness, old mother... in less than a day, someone's self-referential terms had changed countless times. If she hadn't made the effort to educate herself about internet culture, she might not have caught the meanings.

This carefree, teasing lifestyle didn't seem too bad, did it?

Out of the corner of her eye, Tang Shu spotted the figure of an old man with white hair at the temples outside the classroom, and she interjected to stop the squabbling.

"The professor's here, silence."

"Ah, it's Professor Yu!"

Cheng Ranran howled, shoving the biscuits back into her bag with record speed and opening her textbook to sit up straight and proper.

Tang Shu was puzzled, "Wasn't this supposed to be our very first class in freshman year?"

Why so nervous?

Nowadays, the relationship between teachers and students was supposed to be quite harmonious, without the threat of "rulers on the palm or being made to stand at the school gate."

At worst... not getting credit?

"Shushu, don't you do any pre-class homework?"

"I've read 'Herbology'."

In fact, Tang Shu, who was proficient in Poison Techniques, had flipped through and thoroughly digested the book in less than two hours. The modern herbology textbook was very similar to the medicinal knowledge passed down through the Tang Sect, some of it even less detailed.

In Tang Shu's eyes, this course wasn't even at an introductory level.

Nevertheless...

"Who told you to read the textbook? As a qualified freshman, you should first find out which professors are easy-going, which subjects are easy to pass, which campus heartthrobs... cough cough, I've said too much."

Cheng Ranran tried to look as if she dearly wished more for her, a tiny bit of biscuit crumbs still clinging to the corner of her mouth, puffing with her cheeks as she moved, adding an extra touch of cuteness to her sincere-looking facade.

As if the words "campus heartthrob" she had just uttered were an illusion.

"..."

After a two-second silence, Tang Shu, whose brain was working fast, decided to follow local customs, "Got it, this Professor Yu is strict with teaching, and the credits are hard to earn."

"It's more than just hard to earn, I heard that over half the students end up failing his class!"

Professor Yu from "Herbal Medicine Class" was known as the most demanding professor at the Medical University on the campus forum, a reputation that rang loudly to the point of "mentioning Yu and turning pale."

Cheng Ranran sat up stiffly, pen in hand, her round eyes fixed on the doorway.

"Tighten up, it's starting, he's coming!"

The next moment, a well-dressed elderly man walked into the classroom.

But when Tang Shu saw the old man, she raised her eyebrow slightly, with a trace of surprise in her eyes.

Him?!

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Chương 9: Campus Forum

The figure arrived in impeccably clean, dark clothing, scrupulously arranged by its wearer.

Thanks to her keen vision from the front row, Tang Shu could see the meticulous stitching in detail.

It was a garment that truly showcased the artisanal craftsmanship of its maker.

Of course, what surprised her the most was not the attire of the newcomer but the face that was elderly yet somewhat familiar.

"Is this the legendary... Professor Yu?" she whispered to Cheng Ranran, nibbling her ear.

"That's right, it's him! There are photos of Professor Yu on the forums."

Tang Shu paused, her thoughts inadvertently drifting back to ten minutes earlier—

In the Medicinal Garden, after a dusty old man carefully uprooted the Snow Soul Grass and transplanted it into a pot, he extended her an invitation.

"Student, I see you're quite familiar with this Snow Soul Grass; why don't you join me for some research after class? By the way, I still don't know its effects."

"Okay," Tang Shu agreed without much thought.

The reason was simple, the roots, leaves, and flowers of the Snow Soul Grass each had very different toxicities, making them applicable to many drugs, and now that she had found it, she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of looking elsewhere.

Moreover, as the old man put it, these few Snow Soul Grass specimens were quite rare.

"I'm Tang Shu, how should I address you?"

The old man glanced at Tang Shu, "My surname is Yu."

The latter caught on, "Master Yu."

"..."

Okay then, Master Yu it is.

—Back in the classroom, Master Yu stepped up to the lectern and glanced around, the first thing he saw was Tang Shu sitting in the front row, and a smile couldn't help but shine through his eyes as he winked at her.

"Class, we are going to start now."

It turned out Professor Yu could be even more devilish, never teaching in the order prescribed by the textbook, and his extracurricular extensions were endless. By the end of class, all the freshmen had eyes like scent hounds—bewildered and oblivious.

Every freshman seated had been forewarned of Yu the Devil's reputation, and they all furiously took notes with an earnestness that mimicked Cheng Ranran's unflagging determination.

Tang Shu felt that even the high school exams in June hadn't elicited such strenuous effort from her.

"Alright, let's stop here for the first lesson. Make sure you review well after class. Herbology is a profound field, and I hope you'll grasp it thoroughly."

Judging from his appearance, Professor Yu, who looked to be around seventy, exuded wisdom from his eyes. He glanced at all the students serenely, calmly picking up his textbook to leave the classroom and leaving behind an incomparable silhouette for the freshmen.

Cheng Ranran set down her pen, exhaling deeply.

"Ahh, I'm exhausted to death!"

"Darn it, Shushu! What's up with you?!"

The cute girl caught a glimpse and noticed that her deskmate's textbook was brand new, without a single word written.

"Have you already given up on treatment? No, no, as your good buddy, everything should be done neatly and in order!"

Tang Shu twitched the corner of her mouth, "You, you can ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

Just because you helped me fight off the trolls.

Cheng Ranran gave an awkward smile, one uglier than crying.

"It's over, it's over, Shushu! Your mind must have been thrown into chaos by Yu the Devil, you even forgot to take notes!"

But... since she's going down the entertainment path anyway, as a good friend, I should help her out more.

"Never mind, when I have time, I'll organize my notes and print out a copy for you to keep."

The cute girl made a grandiose sweeping gesture as if to set her verdict in stone.

Tang Shu: "..."

Okay then.

***

The first-year curriculum was somewhat intensive, particularly for Medical University students.

As soon as the National Day holiday was over, the flood of classes hit them, exhausting the students who'd been having fun for four months straight.

At 5 p.m., as the bell for the last class rang, Cheng Ranran, depleted, thunked her chin on the wooden desk in the lecture hall, feeling utterly defeated.

"Ah~~~~ so tired, I'm dying!"

Tang Shu took a small glass bottle from her backpack and threw it to her, "Apply it to your forehead, it's an Energizing Potion."

"You're the best, Shushu~~~~"

Cheng Ranran maneuvered her plump hand to open the bottle cap, and a pleasing scent wafted out. She felt immediately refreshed.

"Hey? Isn't this Essential Balm? Why does it smell so nice!"

Swirling the green liquid in the small bottle, her large, round eyes brimmed with curiosity.

Tang Shu recalled the uses of "Essential Balm" and, after a moment's thought, said, "Think of it as a revised Essential Balm, the scent is more soothing than the original."

"Let me try, let me try!"

Cheng Ranran couldn't wait, dabbing a drop on her forehead. The fragrance was refreshing, with a pleasant scent that made it very appealing.

As the vibration of a phone broke the silence, Tang Shu glanced at the caller ID and stood up to leave the classroom.

"Hello, Sister Luo."

"Tang Shu, has your school started?"

"Yes, just tell me what you need, Sister Luo."

"Here's the thing, I've gotten you a spot on an outdoor adventure reality show. It's near Yun Province, and with travel and shooting, it will take at least a week. Should I ask for leave from your school?"

"No need, just let me know the dates, and I'll talk to the counselor."

"That works too, contact me if you run into any issues. And about your Weibo... never mind, it's up to you."

On the other end of the line, Sister Luo considered the increasingly positive comments under her Weibo posts and swallowed back her advice.

The mindsets of young people, she was finding them more and more incomprehensible.

Tang Shu uttered an "Mhm," hung up the call, and planned to grab her backpack and head to the cafeteria.

Inside the classroom.

As a gossip aficionado who always followed the drama, Cheng Ranran, reinvigorated by the Energizing Potion, took out her phone and idly scrolled through messages.

But the next second, a cry of surprise echoed in the empty classroom.

"Shushu! You're trending on the campus forums!!!"

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