On the edge of the rooftop, Bai Xuanhe stood there. His tall and slender figure stood in the wind, and he seemed to be on the verge of falling at any moment.
Alex's words had indeed had some impact on him.
Don't let himself be consumed by hatred? But what else did he have in this life apart from hatred?
His family had been destroyed 25 years ago. His father had abandoned him and his mother for the so - called career. And he, under the schemes of some people, had been separated from his mother, ending up in a foreign country, trapped in a difficult situation.
By the time he finally grew into someone no one could underestimate and returned to Country C on a mission, all he saw was his mother who had suffered a mental breakdown, become a beggar, and was terminally ill.
As for his father, Bai Shu, or rather Tang Qian, he was living a comfortable life abroad as an ophthalmologist, enjoying all the attention. He even took in a child as his adopted son and lavished all his love on that child. The child's mother even bore a slight resemblance to his own biological mother.
At that moment, he understood that it was he and his mother who had been in that man's way. It turned out that his father had long had someone else in his heart!
What was Chen Mei? And what was he, Bai Xuanhe?
No family, no relatives, no friends. He had nothing. How could he be happy?
Looking down at the bustling and decadent city before him, Bai Xuanhe's sense of world - weariness deepened. The collar of his white shirt flapped violently in the wind, and he seemed as if he would fall the next second, completely leaving this world to follow his mother.
But in the end, he took a step back, grasped the black umbrella, and turned away from the rooftop.
...
The next morning, there was a class on "Cell and Gene Pharmacology" at school, and it was the first class of the day.
When she left home in the morning, little Anning spat up milk. Xu Zixi and Aunt Zhang had been busy for a long time to take care of the baby. As a result, by the time she got to school, the class had already started for five minutes.
Hearing the lecture in the classroom, Xu Zixi planned to sneak in through the back door. However, just as she bent down and entered the classroom, she heard that faint, slightly weary voice calling her.
"Xu Zixi."
Caught red - handed for being late, Xu Zixi had no choice but to straighten up and said apologetically, "Sorry, Professor He. I'm late."
Bai Xuanhe said, "No sense of time. Being late for class. One credit will be deducted. Now, go out and stand there until the end of the class."
Xu Zixi didn't move an inch and said, "Professor He, I admit that being late is my fault. You can deduct my credit, and I have no objection. But making me stand outside until the end of the class is a bit too much, isn't it?"
Bai Xuanhe's face darkened even more. "Daring to talk back to the teacher and disrupting the class order. Another credit will be deducted."
Xu Zixi instead laughed. "Professor He, I'm just reasoning with you. How can this be considered talking back to the teacher? You're so angry. I'll think you're deliberately making things difficult for me. Can I ask, I just enrolled yesterday. What did I do to offend Professor He?"
With a "bang", Bai Xuanhe slammed the book in his hand onto the table. He clenched his fists tightly, but couldn't say a word.
He was indeed taking out his anger on others. By using his identity as a teacher, he tried to vent his inner indignation in this way.
But obviously, the other party was not a weak and delicate young lady. She was not afraid of causing trouble. He had already known this when they met at the beauty salon.
Seeing that he was rendered speechless, Xu Zixi gave him an out. "Professor He, I'll just stand in the classroom and listen to this class. Is that okay?"
Bai Xuanhe gave her a deep look, said nothing more, picked up the book, and continued the lecture.
Xu Zixi thought it was over like this. But next, she clearly felt that she was being targeted. In class, no matter what the question was, she was always the first one to be called on.
"Xu Zixi, tell me your opinion."
Being called on again, Xu Zixi got angry. Was this He Xuan crazy? Was he just going to pick on her?
So she raised her eyebrows. First, she answered the question he raised, then extended it to another aspect, and threw a more profound question back at him.
Bai Xuanhe was not to be outdone. In front of all the students, he had a heated argument with her.
For a moment, the only sound in the classroom was the sound of their academic debate. The topic even became more and more profound, involving areas they had not yet touched. These were problems that one would only encounter after years of working in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Even Bai Xuanhe himself was very surprised. Xu Zixi could discuss these issues with him without any hindrance. Moreover... her views on some problems and her problem - solving ideas were highly consistent with his.
The other party's knowledge reserve was like that of an experienced pharmacist, or even a doctor, rather than a first - year graduate student. This was the second surprise she had brought him after her hacking skills.
This made him inexplicably have an impulse to continue discussing with her in depth.
But at this time, the bell rang suddenly. Bai Xuanhe came back to his senses from their debate and saw Xu Zixi's sly smile:
"Thank you, Professor He, for giving us such a vivid class. I feel that I've benefited a lot. And, next time I'll remember to arrive at the classroom early."
The students in the classroom also suddenly came to their senses. Recalling the debate between the two just now, they immediately understood the meaning of Xu Zixi's words. This was knowledge they couldn't learn from the textbooks!
So, everyone said in unison, "Thank you, Professor He!"
The sound was so loud that the glass of the windows was shaking. Every pair of eyes was so sincere.
For some reason, Bai Xuanhe's heavy mood after seeing Alex slowly cleared up.
He gave Xu Zixi a deep look, said nothing, packed up his teaching materials, and turned to leave the classroom.
After he left, the other girls immediately surrounded Xu Zixi, looking worshipful.
"Student Xu, you're really amazing. You can discuss so many things with Professor He. And once, Professor He was even stumped by you! How did you do it? Is your level really just that of a first - year graduate student?"
"Yes, yes. You're completely qualified to stand on the podium and teach us like Professor He!"
"By the way, Student Xu, when you were debating with Professor He just now, you mentioned the problem of the Ademiro gene sequence. Can you tell us about it? I'm really interested in it!"
Looking at the enthusiastic students asking her questions, Xu Zixi couldn't help but think of the other team members in the research laboratory in her previous life. They were all such lovely people!
She smiled and generously explained it to everyone. Her tone was very gentle, without any sense of arrogance. She was like a teacher and a friend, making everyone feel as if they were bathed in the spring breeze.
Back in the teacher's office, Bai Xuanhe sat on the chair. His mind always involuntarily recalled the scene in the classroom, and her clear and melodious voice seemed to still be echoing in his ears.
"Professor He." Someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.
Bai Xuanhe turned around. It was another teacher talking to him. "What are you thinking about so intently? I've called you several times and you didn't respond."
"What's the matter?" Bai Xuanhe asked.
"I have something at home. I need to take a leave this afternoon and go back. I'll probably be away for about three days. I've told the dean. The dean said I can take the leave, but the classes can't be delayed. He asked me to find someone to substitute for me. Do you have anything to do these three days? If not, can you do me a favor?"
The other teacher asked with a smile, "I've already prepared the teaching plan. This is also your field. It should be no problem for you. When I come back, I'll treat you to dinner. How about it?"
Substitute for classes? For three days? Bai Xuanhe remembered that this teacher's students were the same as his. This meant that he would see her twice as much as before.
For some unknown reason, he heard himself reply, "Okay."