Chapter 921 - 922 Lost

Chapter 921: Chapter 922 Lost

"Hello! I’m Lin Dongming, a lecturer in clinical medicine!" A man around thirty-five or thirty-six years old extended his hand toward Song Xiaodong.

"Hello, Song Xiaodong." Song Xiaodong shook his hand briefly, a smile on his face, and said, "Nice to meet everyone."

The others introduced themselves as well; they were all lecturers, all in their thirties.

"Song Xiaodong, I heard Dean Wen mention earlier that you’re a professor?" Lin Dongming asked directly out of curiosity.

Song Xiaodong didn’t conceal anything and replied, "Yes, but I’m just a visiting professor, mainly specializing in Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture."

"Oh, so you’re a visiting professor. You really scared us for a moment; we thought you were a full professor." Lin Dongming spoke quite frankly.

Visiting professors differ greatly from full professors. Generally, universities have some visiting professors—essentially, an honorary title. It’s often granted due to significant contributions to the school or because of special relationships or reasons.

In contrast, a full professor at a university requires layers of evaluation. Some faculty members may work their entire lives in academia and never achieve that rank.

The group immediately lost interest, assuming Song Xiaodong was merely holding a title due to connections. After a few perfunctory words, they swiftly walked away.

"I knew it! No way there’d be such a young professor; really gave me a scare."

"Exactly, there’s definitely no professor this young at our medical college."

"Not just in our school—even nationwide in medical universities, there’s no professor this young. Really startled me."

As they walked off, they muttered among themselves. Though their voices weren’t particularly loud, they weren’t discreet either; clearly not worried about Song Xiaodong overhearing.

Song Xiaodong couldn’t help but find it amusing. These teachers sure were straightforward, but there was a realness to them. Perhaps it was an "academic nature"—less polished and more candid.

No other instructors approached him afterward, leaving him free to explore the campus as he pleased.

In the past, when he visited Feng Kexin and Shen Yue’s school, he was merely a guest. But now, he felt like he was part of the university. It genuinely felt different. His mood seemed lighter, as if he could momentarily leave behind the burdens of his family affairs.

"Maybe this place suits me better," Song Xiaodong thought to himself.

However, he quickly dismissed the notion. At least for now, he couldn’t live such a relaxed, carefree life. He had already taken on his family responsibilities—not something he could easily let go of.

Ningjian Medical University was vast. As he wandered aimlessly, he eventually realized there were only twenty minutes left before class started. Suddenly, he felt a little flustered; he had no idea where he was or how to get to his classroom.

"Oh no! My first class—am I seriously going to miss it?" Song Xiaodong was at his wit’s end. Just then, he saw two female students walking toward him. He quickly stepped forward to meet them.

"Excuse me, you two."

One of the girls was tall, roughly one meter seventy, with an oval-shaped face. Her looks were on par with the women in his household, and her figure was exceptionally striking. She wore a light blue casual outfit that somewhat concealed her figure, yet couldn’t hide her long legs.

The other girl, however, had ordinary features and was slightly overweight. She wore a stern expression and glared at Song Xiaodong, asking, "What’s up?" Her tone was rather unfriendly, but Song Xiaodong didn’t mind and quickly said, "I need to ask for directions."

"Directions?" The chubby girl scoffed and said, "If you’re trying to hit on our Xiao Bing, at least come up with a better excuse. Don’t be so lame."

Song Xiaodong paused for a moment before realizing her misunderstanding. She thought he was a student trying to flirt with her friend. Smiling, he explained, "You’ve got it wrong. I’m new here as a teacher. I have class this afternoon, but I got carried away wandering around and forgot where my classroom is."

"You’re a teacher?" The chubby girl looked at Song Xiaodong with suspicion.

"Sure am." Song Xiaodong nodded and said, "I teach acupuncture in Traditional Chinese Medicine."

"You teach acupuncture?" Both girls looked shocked.

Looking at his watch, Song Xiaodong rushed to say, "Sorry to trouble you, but could you please tell me how to get there? I really can’t be late for my first class."

The beautiful girl, Xiao Bing, nodded and said, "Come with us, we’ll take you there."

"That won’t inconvenience you?"

Xiao Bing replied, "No problem. Our class is in the same building, so it’s on the way."

"Oh, that’s perfect. Thank you so much!" Song Xiaodong felt relieved, thinking that since they could make it to their class on time, he wouldn’t be late either.

"Are you really an acupuncture teacher?" After walking a few steps, the chubby girl tilted her head and asked.

"Can anyone fake something like that? My name is Song Xiaodong."

"Hello, Teacher Song! My name is Lu Yaobing," the tall girl introduced herself.

"Hello, Teacher Song! My name is Wang Xiaoling!" The chubby girl also gave her name.

"Nice to meet you both!" Song Xiaodong felt a little pleased hearing himself addressed as "Teacher."

Walking side by side with him, Lu Yaobing looked curious and asked, "Teacher Song, you don’t look over thirty, do you?"

"You’re right. My nominal age is twenty-six."

Wang Xiaoling, walking on Lu Yaobing’s other side, exclaimed, "Wow, twenty-six years old and already a teacher? I thought you might be a counselor."

Curious, Song Xiaodong asked, "Can’t someone my age be a teacher?"

Wang Xiaoling replied, "You’re too young. College here lasts five years. Even if students start at eighteen, they graduate at twenty-three. At twenty-six, that makes you just twenty-five by actual age—it’s surprising for someone your age to already be teaching, especially since most graduate students haven’t finished their studies yet."

"I see... I wasn’t really aware of that." Song Xiaodong felt a bit embarrassed; he genuinely didn’t know how long medical school lasted.

"Did you return from studying abroad?" Lu Yaobing asked again.

"No, do foreign schools even teach acupuncture?" Song Xiaodong chuckled.

"That’s true. I was just wondering if you graduated from some famous overseas medical school. Honestly, it’s surprising that someone so young can become a teacher..."

Before Song Xiaodong could elaborate, two male students ran up from behind, one of them calling out, "Yaobing!"

The boy who had called Lu Yaobing smiled at her, but his expression instantly turned sour upon seeing Song Xiaodong. He demanded brusquely, "Who are you?"