Daily life in the academy

"To be honest, I was scared at first."

Yan Qingchen put down the book in his hand, turned to look at her, and waited for the rest of the story.

But it looks like...If you don't give him an explanation today, he won't let it go.

But Bai Zhi was not afraid anymore. She sat cross-legged with a casual posture, as if the person sitting opposite her was just an ordinary roommate.

"I'm not Sun Wukong, and I don't have his flaming eyes. How can I tell the real from the fake at a glance? But I know that to judge a person, you have to not only listen, but also look and feel with your heart."

"It's rumored that Prince Yan is hot-tempered and easily angered, and is the bully of Sheng'an. However, based on my first encounter with the prince, the rumor isn't entirely true. I bumped into you at that time, but I didn't get beaten. This is one reason."

"Some also say you're a devil who doesn't care about friendship at all. But Mu Bailian may be a jerk with his words, but his heart is pure. The fact that he loves you so wholeheartedly means there must be something about the prince. And Wenzhe, his dejected aura can radiate within a three-meter radius, yet you've never said anything about it. That's the second reason."

"Last time, because my guess helped you, the Crown Prince, His Highness actually thanked me, a commoner. This is the third."

"These three things are enough to prove that Prince Ning's son, Yan Qingchen, is not a tyrannical, cruel, or ruthless playboy. Quite the opposite. Shouldn't I be genuinely happy that I've become friends with him, Mu Bailian, and Wenzhe by chance?"

The candle flame flickered, and the light and shadows fell on Bai Zhi's face. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether it was reality or illusion. Yan Qingchen's pupils trembled slightly. It was the first time he heard such straightforward words.

The classmate in front of him, no... now his friend, inexplicably made his heart move.

Meeting that pair of pure black and white eyes, Yan Qingchen didn't know why his heart began beating wildly. He looked away as if escaping, pretended to be calm, picked up the book on the table and began to read.

"So, I understand."

Seeing that the man in front of her had a calm expression, Bai Zhi went back to reading. The teacup beside her was empty, so she refilled it for him. She thought that this show of loyalty would probably win him a lot of favor.

But just looking at it... looking at it... I started to become infatuated with him again. The superior jawline and the straight nose bridge were clearly angular under the candlelight. Three words emerged in Bai Zhi's mind: comic book guy.

What a pity, lotus is not to be played with.

Bai Zhi's thoughts were like a roller coaster, ups and downs, and finally returned to calm. She patted her sleeves and stood up, ready to go back to bed and continue watching "The Scholar".

Yan Qingchen stopped her and said, "From now on, you can call me Brother Yan, Qingchen, or Brother Ayao, just like Bai Lian and Wenzhe."

"Ah?" Bai Zhi was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

"What? Don't want to?"

"No, no." Bai Zhi waved her hands repeatedly: "Of course I won't listen to what Brother Yan said."

Yan Qingchen glared at her and said, "No wonder Bai Lian can get along with you."

Bai Zhi: "..." She didn't think it was a nice thing to say.

This time, the "candlelight night talk" was very effective. Mu Bailian and Wenzhe immediately noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere between the two.

Mu Bailian looked Yan Qingchen up and down. "Brother Yan, tell me the truth, have you and Wenzhe told me some unknown secret behind my back?"

"No."

"I don't believe it. Why do I feel like your relationship has improved over the past two days?"

"You think too much."

"..."

On the other side, Wenzhe approached Baizhi and asked quietly, "Did you have a heart-to-heart talk with Qingchen last night?"

Bai Zhi smiled and nodded: "I expressed my loyalty to Brother Yan last night, and he seemed very happy."

"No wonder. I checked the almanac today and it has no taboos. Congratulations, Azhi."

"Thank you, Azhe, but I don't rely on the almanac."

.....

In a blink of an eye, all the students had been living in the academy for ten days. Even their original rest days were cancelled. They could only move freely in the academy, and the expressions on the faces of the teachers became more and more nervous.

Unfortunately, on the eleventh day, a student in the academy suddenly developed a high fever. At first, it was thought to be a simple cold. A special medical officer had already been stationed in the academy. Unexpectedly, after taking several prescriptions, there was no improvement, and the condition became worse.

Afterwards, varying numbers of patients appeared in each of the schools A, B, C, and D.

Fortunately, Baizhi had a special preventive medicine made by Doctor Hu. When the first patient appeared, she took out the medicine patch and asked all three of them to take it. She also told them to cover their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs as masks when going out to prevent the occurrence of diseases.

Bai Zhi tried several times to find Xie Guan to explain the situation, but she always missed him by chance.

On this day, in Room 103, which was Bai Zhi and Yan Qingchen's room, four people sat around a round table.

"I think this is strange. Maybe it's really a waterborne disease, as Doctor Hu said."

"But such an epidemic shouldn't have happened in Sheng'an City. What should we do now?" Wenzhe frowned, and his dejection radiated throughout the room.

Yan Qingchen couldn't help but glance at him and said in a deep voice, "The ministers in the court are not just collecting salaries for nothing. They may have come up with a countermeasure."

It is still unclear which force is behind this. Rash actions may alert the enemy and someone will always be restless.

"I hope so." Bai Zhi didn't hold out much hope, perhaps because she had read the entire article. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she always felt that the whole incident revealed a hint of conspiracy.

Mu Bailian knew that he had no say in this matter, so he obediently held his face with his hands on the table, looking left and right. He was so adorable.

Bai Zhi asked tentatively, "What if, I mean, someone deliberately released the pathogen? What should we do?"

Mu Bailian slammed the table and stood up, scaring everyone.

"Who is so wicked? If someone really did this, they are a bastard and should be killed along with their entire clan."

Killing nine generations of a clan...it's really too cruel.

Yan Qingchen looked at Bai Zhi sharply and asked, "Do you know something?"

"No," Bai Zhi quickly denied. "I just feel uneasy. Doctor Hu said this disease originated from the war-torn border areas. Sheng'an is so prosperous, how could such a harmful disease appear out of nowhere?"

Wenzhe nodded: "Azhi, what you said makes sense."

Yan Qingchen: "Since the epidemic originated from Di Kingdom, perhaps this matter is closely related to the Di Kingdom delegation."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go tell Prince Ning and my father."

After Mu Bailian finished speaking, he was about to turn around and push the door open to leave, but Bai Zhi grabbed him.

"I think you're really stupid. You're acting so arrogantly. Do you think the teachers will let you out? Or are the guards outside letting you out for General Mu's sake?"