Back at the dorm, Ma Yao and the others had already gone to class.
She was somewhat of a lone ranger.
However, Liu Hongmin quickly brought her the student ID needed for classes in person. The process this time was exceptionally swift and efficient. He even hinted to Bai Xiao that he could arrange a single dorm room for her, a privilege typically reserved for doctoral students.
Bai Xiao still declined these kind gestures.
Yet, she was very grateful for Liu Hongmin’s overtures and was exceedingly polite in her response.
"Bai Xiao, since you don’t want any special treatment, I won’t insist. But if you ever need anything, just come to me directly, and I’ll make sure it’s taken care of."
Liu Hongmin was genuinely eager to establish a good relationship. Not just him, even Vice-Chancellor Zhao was probably sharpening his wits to curry favor with this young lady.
"Director Liu, don’t think I’m a bother; I will definitely come to you if there’s anything," Bai Xiao joked with a smile.
"What Director Liu? That’s too distant. You’re about the same age as my niece. Just call me Uncle Liu. It’s friendlier. Think of me as one of your elders and come to me with any problems!" Liu Hongmin seized the opportunity to foster closeness.
"Alright, then. If you insist, Uncle Liu it is. I’ll be counting on your support in the future," Bai Xiao said, adapting to local customs. After all, having a strong backer was essential.
After all, Yu Shaoyan was a distant solution to an immediate need.
Liu Hongmin was so delighted his grin nearly reached his ears; he left only after expressing a heap of concerns.
Bai Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the timetable, she had a Traditional Chinese Medicine class the next day. She had also opted for Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology. Since she wanted to pursue a path combining Eastern and Western medicine, she needed to understand these subjects. Glancing at the timetable, it looked like she was going to be busy from now on.
When Ma Yao and the others returned at noon and saw Bai Xiao, they all showed concern. They all knew Bai Xiao was from out of town and found it odd that she hadn’t come back the previous night.
"Bai Xiao, where did you go last night? We were all worried about you," Ma Yao and Lin Xiang asked directly without much guile, which almost caused He Juan to choke. What a way to ask.
Bai Xiao could see that Ma Yao was a straightforward and candid person, certainly not the scheming type.
"I went to my relative’s house. My relative came to pick me up, and it would’ve been rude not to go, so I didn’t come back. Oh and about last night, I was supposed to treat you all to dinner, but it got delayed. Let’s do it tonight as planned; it’ll be a gathering for our dorm."
Feeling embarrassed, He Juan said, "It’s nothing, really. It was all because of me yesterday; you ended up spending a lot of money. I’ll pay you back for the dress. Here’s a hundred yuan, and I’ll pay back the rest gradually," her face betrayed her embarrassment from the trouble she had caused.
Bai Xiao took the ten ten-yuan bills He Juan handed her, counted out five and pocketed them, then handed the remaining five back to He Juan, who didn’t understand what Bai Xiao was implying.
"Even when economizing, you can’t neglect yourself. You need to keep some money for emergencies, especially since your field of study requires you to buy a lot of textbooks. Keep these for now; you can pay me back the rest when you can."
Bai Xiao wasn’t going to act the grand philanthropist by declining the repayment, but she wouldn’t drive someone into a corner either.
He Juan was deeply touched. Her family wasn’t well-off, and if she had given all her money to Bai Xiao, she would’ve been scraping the barrel and was absolutely too embarrassed to ask her family for more money.
"Bai Xiao! Don’t worry! In a few days, I’ll find a tutoring job to earn some extra cash, and I’ll be able to pay you back soon," she pledged.
"No rush! No rush!" Bai Xiao reassured her.
She also had a fondness for those who strived for self-reliance.