The heartwarming scene of a teacher encouraging his diligent student played out so convincingly that Luo Zi, sitting nearby, rolled his eyes and smirked inwardly. “Xu Ze is such a good actor. When has he ever seriously studied medical imaging? At most, he flips through the textbook before class. There’s no way he could’ve answered that tuberculosis question unless he happened to see a similar case while working at the clinic. Hah, only a clueless old professor like Li would believe him.”
While Luo Zi silently mocked the situation, the teacher-student duo remained completely unaffected, continuing their heartfelt exchange for over ten minutes. It wasn’t until the second class began that the scene finally came to an end.
Xu Ze, however, felt a bit unsatisfied. He still hadn’t figured out how to warn Professor Li about the issue he had in mind. The professor’s genuine care and appreciation had only strengthened his resolve to find a way to alert him.
For the rest of the class, Professor Li seemed much more energized. Whenever he reached a key point, he would glance at Xu Ze, and upon seeing Xu Ze nod in understanding, he would smile and move on to the next topic.
The professor was delighted, feeling that he had found a worthy successor. Xu Ze, on the other hand, was having a tough time. The two-hour class felt like an eternity. Not only did he have to stay fully focused, but he also had to keep an eye on the professor’s expressions. Whenever Professor Li glanced his way, Xu Ze had to quickly nod as if he understood, lest the professor repeat a simple point three or four times, leaving Xu Ze dizzy and overwhelmed.
When the class finally ended, Xu Ze didn’t dare linger. He grabbed his books and hurried out of the classroom with Luo Zi, fearing that Professor Li might pull him aside for another round of encouragement. That would be torture.
As for warning Professor Li, Xu Ze still hadn’t come up with a plan. He decided to put it aside for now and try to think of something in the next few days. A delay of a day or two shouldn’t make much difference.
After a quick lunch in the cafeteria, Xu Ze retreated to his dorm to pretend to take a nap. He had only completed three of the nine energy cycles he needed to finish, and he had to get the remaining six done as soon as possible. Besides, he had promised Luo Zi they’d play basketball at three. The clinic would be busy in the evening, and he’d likely be there late. He needed to rest up. As long as he showed up for his shift, Dr. Xu wouldn’t say much.
Lying on his bed, Xu Ze closed his eyes and focused on guiding the energy flow through his Ren and Du meridians. It was strenuous, but he managed to push through slowly. Completing six cycles shouldn’t be too difficult.
One cycle, two cycles… three cycles. Gradually, Xu Ze found it increasingly difficult to maintain the energy flow. He felt his strength waning, and it became harder to keep the energy moving.
By the fifth cycle, the flow had slowed to almost half its original speed. When he finally completed it, Xu Ze opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “I thought all nine cycles could be done in four hours, but it looks like it’ll take six or seven hours at this rate.”
He checked his watch—it was already 2:30 PM. There was still hope to finish the last cycle. Taking a deep breath, Xu Ze focused and began the final cycle.