A single lunch was enough for both parties to gain a certain understanding of each other; the interaction was quite harmonious.

Wang Zhuo made no secret of the fact that he owned an apartment near the school. After all, they would be living under the same roof for the next two years, and it was better to be upfront about certain things from the very beginning.

Li Guangran and Liu Yun didn't show much envy that Wang Zhuo could afford a home in the highly prized Xuhui district. They planned to return to their second-tier hometown after graduation, where housing wasn't nearly as expensive. Once established in their careers, they figured they could buy a place within a few years using the red envelopes from patients' families and kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies.

After clearing the dishes, Liu Yun went out to the balcony to wash up. Since neither Wang Zhuo nor Li Guangran smoked, they sat on the sofa chatting idly.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang. Wang Zhuo realized the dorm room was equipped with one. Li Guangran got up to open the door and said with some surprise, "Director Wang, why are you here? Please, come in."

Director Wang was a middle-aged man with a slight thinning of his hair. As soon as he stepped into the living room, before Li Guangran could introduce Wang Zhuo, he spoke quickly, "Quickly, turn the air conditioner exhaust to maximum and open all the windows! What is that smell in here? Principal Ma and a few guests will be arriving shortly, tidy up whatever needs tidying immediately!"

Hearing this, Li Guangran immediately called Liu Yun in from the balcony, and they started moving frantically. Director Wang grabbed Wang Zhuo’s arm and said, "You must be Wang Zhuo? I am Wang Taiping, the head of the Clinical Medicine Department. Vice Principal Ma is bringing leaders from the municipal government and several guests in a moment. They specifically asked to see you. Do you know what this is about?"

Wang Zhuo quickly shook his head. It seemed the middle-aged man, about 1.7 meters tall, was his immediate superior. He wondered why those people wanted to see him.

"I don't know what's going on either," Wang Taiping replied with a wry smile. "Vice Principal Ma mentioned the same thing when he called me—you don't know them. Just make sure you perform well when they arrive."

With that, Wang Taiping patted Wang Zhuo’s shoulder and hurried toward the door. "I'll go downstairs to greet them. You all hurry up and prepare!"

Seconds later, they heard him push open the door to another room, urgently stating, "You there, quickly grab the broom and sweep the corridor! You have one minute, hurry up!"

"Which powerful deity is visiting?" Liu Yun asked briefly amid the rush.

Wang Zhuo spread his hands helplessly. "I have no idea. Could they have the wrong person?"

A few minutes later, footsteps echoed down the corridor, faintly accompanied by a hearty voice—the main party had arrived.

Escorts, attendants, and followers—a huge procession of about twenty people flooded in, creating quite an impression. However, more than half were left outside, with only six individuals entering.

The leader was a vigorous elderly man, appearing to be around eighty years old. Beside him walked a middle-aged man impeccably dressed in a suit, exuding the aura of a successful professional accustomed to high-level bureaucratic environments, serious and unsmiling. Next to the elder was a girl of fourteen or fifteen, about 1.55 meters tall, slender without being bony, with bright, lively eyes, looking both cute and well-behaved.

The other three consisted of Vice Principal Ma of the school, Wang Zhuo’s department head Wang Taiping, and a bespectacled woman in her thirties, who was Wang Zhuo's class's ideological and political counselor.

"Wang Zhuo, I finally found you!"

The old man pointed directly at Wang Zhuo without ceremony and laughed heartily.

Wang Zhuo looked at the group with surprise. He was certain that apart from just meeting Wang Taiping moments ago, he had never seen anyone else here. Yet, this old man acted as if they were old acquaintances. What was going on?

Seeing the elder extend his hand, Wang Zhuo politely shook it. The old man’s palm was thin, his grip firm and strong during the handshake.

"You don't recognize me, right? Come, come, let's sit and talk." The old man familiarized himself with the space, walking to the sofa and sitting down, then gesturing for Wang Zhuo and Vice Principal Ma to join him.

There was only a two-seater sofa and a single armchair in the living room. Vice Principal Ma was certainly unwilling to take the armchair and immediately deferred to the middle-aged man in the suit: "Secretary Xiao, please take the seat. I’ll stand."

The old man waved his hand upon hearing this. "Hey, I told you to sit, so sit. Little Xiao sits all day for work; making him stand for a while won't tire him out."

The middle-aged man smiled reservedly and said, "That's right, Vice Principal Ma. Elder Qin asked you to sit, so please sit down."

Seeing this, Vice Principal Ma had no choice but to stop being modest and sat on the sofa. Fortunately, Li Guangran and Wang Taiping were perceptive enough to quickly fetch four chairs from Wang Zhuo’s and Li Guangran’s rooms.

Wang Zhuo was suspicious. He wondered which leader the secretary accompanying this Elder Qin served, given that even the Vice Principal of the Medical University was so deferential. This person must have quite a background.

"Everyone sit, sit," the old man commanded with a wave, then turned back to Wang Zhuo with a smile. "It was really not easy to find you. Your landline was disconnected, and your mobile phone is turned off every day. What's the matter? Are you getting too many nuisance calls now that you’re famous?"

Wang Zhuo managed a wry smile and nodded. "There have been a few, so I changed my number."

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Qin Jingzhong; that was the alias I used when I was fighting in the anti-Japanese guerrilla force. I registered my permanent residence under this name after the founding of the nation," Elder Qin stated with a touch of pride.

Wang Zhuo was instantly filled with awe. This was an old soldier who had participated in the War of Resistance Against Japan—a status far more worthy of respect than having a father who was a high-ranking official.

What Qin Jingzhong said next nearly stunned everyone. "One day, you were fighting with some people in front of the swimming pool, and I happened to pass by and saw it. I was very impressed by your skills and wanted to get to know you, so I started looking for you."

Ma Dehai and Wang Taiping exchanged uneasy glances. They wondered if this new student favored by important figures was actually a troublemaker? Yet, his file contained no mention of such things—perfect attendance, excellent grades, truly a model student.

They didn't know that Wang Zhuo's file had already been overhauled by Deng Haixia; even the two demerits he received had been changed to commendations for meritorious service. This was approved even by the principal—how could they not support the student who ranked second in the city for science scores in many years?

"My granddaughter even showed me that video of you online. It wasn't as good as the fight in front of the swimming pool, but it was thrilling enough, and well-filmed too," Qin Jingzhong continued. "That fighting spirit of yours is exactly the same as when our Commander Yang dueled the Japanese devils with bayonets!"

"Uh, Elder Qin," Wang Zhuo scratched his head awkwardly. "That was just a street fight with some punks. How could I dare compare myself to a hero of the War of Resistance?"

Ma Dehai interjected, asking, "That Commander Yang, was that the martyr Yang Jingyu?"

"Yes, that’s him," Qin Jingzhong nodded, smiling at him. "Little Ma, this Wang Zhuo suits my taste very well. You must take good care of him from now on."

"Of course, of course," Ma Dehai nodded repeatedly. "Please rest assured, Elder Qin, we absolutely will not let Wang Zhuo suffer any grievances at school."

Wang Taiping nodded vigorously like a woodpecker. Wang Zhuo’s counselor, who had just joined Liu Yun in preparing tea, immediately assured him that she would grant Wang Zhuo every convenience.

Older people disliked beating around the bush in their actions, and Qin Jingzhong spoke directly and without reserve, making Secretary Xiao beside him smile wryly. Such direct requests for favors were inappropriate for leaders to utter, but only a venerable veteran like Qin Jingzhong, now enjoying his retirement, could say them casually.

Wang Zhuo was speechless. He hadn't expected such a windfall to drop into his lap. Judging by the nods from Vice Principal Ma and Director Wang Taiping, he would enjoy considerable preferential treatment at school from now on—an effect that receiving gifts or red envelopes could never achieve.

Qin Jingzhong pointed to the young woman beside him. "Let me introduce my granddaughter, Qin Siqing. She is also a freshman this year. You are now schoolmates; you must look after each other."

"Her?" Wang Zhuo was utterly astonished. This little girl looked barely fourteen or fifteen. Was she starting university that young?

"Xiao Yue, quickly call him brother," Qin Jingzhong prompted. Seeing his granddaughter only smile without speaking, he let out a grunt and said to Wang Zhuo, "Don't let her small size fool you; she is this year's top scorer in the city for science, even scoring a few points higher than you."

So, this little girl was the Zhuangyuan (top scorer)? This fact was somewhat hard for Wang Zhuo to accept. Had he stumbled upon a legendary genius?

"Wang Zhuo, don't underestimate Siqing's capabilities," Vice Principal Ma said with a smile. "She finished the six-year curriculum of middle school in three years and still scored first in the entire city. Such an outstanding student is rare even nationally."

Secretary Xiao, who had been quiet, also nodded and smiled. "Indeed, Elder Qin has a wonderful granddaughter."

"Then how many years did she take for primary school?" Wang Zhuo asked curiously.

Qin Siqing pouted, saying somewhat helplessly, "I was quite sickly when I was little and was often hospitalized, so I didn't skip grades."

"Xiao Yue was a premature baby, so her health hasn't always been robust," Qin Jingzhong sighed. "That's where her nickname came from—Xiao Yue."

Qin Siqing immediately looked displeased, playfully pushing Qin Jingzhong's shoulder. "Grandpa, why do you blurt out everything with that big mouth of yours?"

Everyone laughed. Wang Zhuo felt that the old man suited his temperament; perhaps they could truly become friends despite the age gap.

After a brief exchange, Qin Siqing glanced at her watch and said, "Grandpa, it’s time for your medicine."

Elder Qin gave an ‘oh,’ pulled out a small pill bottle from his pocket, dispensed several small pills of different colors, and swallowed them with water.

When people reach old age, various ailments tend to surface, and frequent medication is normal. However, Wang Zhuo felt that although Qin Jingzhong looked vigorous, his complexion wasn't quite right; something seemed amiss.

Involuntarily, Wang Zhuo secretly activated his X-ray vision and looked into Qin Jingzhong’s body.