I felt relieved seeing Zhang Ting's determined expression, as I also believed Liu Yuning would listen to him.
Exiting Zhang Ting's office, Zhang Keying immediately approached me. "He Sheng Gege, did you arrange everything? Then we'll depart tomorrow. We don't need other team members this time, just the two of us!"
"Alright, this trip is for 5 days. According to the plan, it should be fine."
I had seen some diagrams of the travel destinations, noting there were large hotels, supermarkets, and imposing mountains. I heard there were even ancient ruins on the mountains. It would certainly be more interesting than staying at the provincial hall.
Without contacting anyone else, I returned to the police dormitory. Just then, my phone rang, and a message arrived.
"Are you really that heartless? What do you even consider me to be? Did you and your childhood sweetheart already decide to be together?"
"You're overthinking things. I'm just looking after her as a friend. Didn't Zhang Ting tell you? He's given me a task this time."
"Hmph, you always have so many excuses. I don't even want to talk to you anymore."
"Make sure you rest well lately, and don't overwork yourself. Understand?"
"That's none of your business!"
After Liu Yuning sent those words, she stopped typing. I lay in bed alone, and for some reason, I couldn't sleep. Checking the time, it was already past 2 AM. Liu Yuning was actually next door, yet we needed to communicate via phone. He Xin was still working overtime at the provincial hall, just like before.
I tossed and turned in bed, finally falling asleep past 3 AM. The day had passed.
The next day, as agreed, I arrived at Haodu Pier, the departure point for the graduation trip of Guangming City's First Medical College. As I carried my luggage to the spot, I saw Zhang Keying already waiting at the edge of the pier. Today, she wore a rose-red suit, a round hat on her head, a violet bow tied at her chest, and exquisite, yet noble crystal high heels. She seemed to have matured considerably.
"He Sheng Gege! Over here!" If her voice hadn't been so childish, I might have thought her personality had matured as well.
I approached her. Many students from the Forensic Medicine department were already lining up. An extremely luxurious large ship sailed in. The ship was entirely made of sheet metal, and its cabin area was vast, likely containing many rooms, with a large hall in the center. After disembarking, several teachers addressed the students: "Everyone, board the ship in an orderly fashion, don't rush. Those with family members, please take care of them. During this trip, we will visit several tourist attractions, so everyone be vigilant and don't be careless. Also, after the trip, you must all submit a report."
This teacher was from Zhang Keying's class, reportedly quite accomplished in forensic medicine, but I wasn't very familiar with him. Most of the teachers who taught me in earlier years had retired. Only the elderly Professor Huo Rong, standing next to this teacher, Ms. Huang Pei Ming, was my former instructor.
Seeing me, Professor Huo became very excited. "He Sheng, I didn't expect to see you here."
"Professor Huo, it's been a while, hasn't it? It must be several years. How have you been at the college these past few years?"
"Just the same. However, I'll be retiring after this graduation trip."
"Oh, yes, I remember you telling me a few years ago that you would retire soon. That's good. After working hard for most of your life, you can finally relax."
"Heh, actually, I don't really like this kind of life, but there's nothing I can do. This is a mandatory requirement from the state."
"You can still do your own research at home, write books, and spread your knowledge. That would also be contributing to society!"
Professor Huo felt my suggestion was valid. Indeed, many professors write books after retirement because they want to disseminate their knowledge, thus continuing to contribute to society even after retirement.
Wearing a blue casual outfit, Professor Huo looked less stern, but his aura of forensic expertise still exuded a strong professional presence. His demeanor was elegant and generous, and his every move was like that of a knowledgeable celebrity.
In contrast, Teacher Huang felt more like an ordinary high school chemistry teacher. She wore a professional white shirt, denim pants, silver-rimmed glasses, and had short, dark black hair. However, she looked neat and capable.
After boarding, I saw Professor Huo and Teacher Huang walk to the front of the passenger cabin and instruct the students to sit quietly. Unlike junior or senior high school students, the university students quickly quieted down after being told by the professors.
Everyone placed their luggage on the iron plates above. Once everyone was on board, the enormous cruise ship began to move. Faced with the incredibly luxurious design and dazzling lights all around, some students couldn't help but take pictures and look around. However, this soon drew sarcastic remarks from other students: "As if they've never seen the world! Children from poor families are all like this!"
"What do you mean by that? Acting like your family is wealthy. But what's so great about being rich?"
"What did you say? Be careful, or I'll find someone to beat you up!"
Several students actually started arguing at this moment. Zhang Keying suddenly stood up and went over to them. "You all shut up! How old are you to be arguing about such things? Weren't you fine just now?"
"He started it!"
The two glared at each other. They didn't seem to be from the same class. They cursed angrily and walked away. Zhang Keying returned and sat beside me, saying, "These people are so troublesome!"
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the class monitor, right? They seem to listen to you."
"Haha, other classmates might not listen to the class monitor, but I'm quite well-known in school. They all know me."
"Oh? That impressive?"
"Not as impressive as you, He Sheng Gege. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to study forensic medicine!"
"Don't call me that so loudly. It might be overheard by others."
I had been to this university before. Although I studied at the police academy, it was located not far from this forensic medicine college, and the two institutions often interacted. During my internship, I had spent about six months here. At that time, I had solved several cases, and the reputation of "Detective He" had spread. I wasn't someone who sought fame. Even now, with my reputation, I didn't want to be recognized here, as it would attract the attention of junior students, which would be troublesome.