The next morning, Bai Xiao, Wu Sanduo, and Xun Mo arrived outside the guidance office to report.
It was only upon their arrival that they realized staff had been drawn from every department, and indeed, there were more than twenty people, among whom some were not familiar faces.
Ma Yao and He Juan were actually there, evidently because the teachers, who valued attractiveness, hadn’t managed to include Lin Xiang, fearing she would lower the attractiveness quota of the Medical College.
The problem was they also saw other familiar faces.
For instance, there were the archenemies Qiang Xinran and Meng Han, and Zhang Zhaoyuan, who would always greet Bai Xiao with a smile on his face. The world really was small, and their Medical College was even smaller.
Once everyone had gathered, the Director of Guidance, Liu Hongmin, was the lead teacher for this trip. After a lengthy tirade of official jargon, they set off.
The school had a dedicated minibus, the type that seats twenty, parked in front of the teaching building.
Everyone lined up and boarded the bus in an orderly fashion. Bai Xiao and her friends were the last to board, finding only seats at the back. Ma Yao and He Juan sat closer to the front, and Qiang Xinran had chosen not to sit with Meng Han but instead beside Zhang Zhaoyuan.
It seemed Qiang Xinran was quite interested in Zhang Zhaoyuan, Bai Xiao thought to herself.
As soon as Liu Hongmin saw Bai Xiao, he smiled, thinking about how great this opportunity was to make contact. He had already laid the groundwork with her, and now all that was left was to let things take their course.
The problem was the seats were too far back. How could he show his care for Bai Xiao? Besides, with her seat at the back, it wasn’t convenient for him, the Director of Guidance, to communicate with the students.
He frowned. Why were there only a few seats left at the back?
"Qiang Xinran, move to the back. Bai Xiao gets carsick, and it’s not convenient for her to sit at the back," Liu Hongmin said as soon as he spotted Qiang Xinran.
Being his niece, he could be direct with her; there was no need for explanations.
Qiang Xinran angrily opened her mouth to protest, "I get carsick too!" But she swallowed the words ’uncle’; he didn’t like to be called that in public.
"What carsickness? Hurry up and move! Students should help and be kind to each other, move it now!" he said, not mincing his words. His niece was just an excuse, after all.
To avoid suspicions of favoritism over seating arrangements, Qiang Xinran, his niece, was obviously the best choice. It wouldn’t damage his reputation and it would give him a chance to curry favor with Bai Xiao.
Qiang Xinran nearly choked with indignation.
Is this really my uncle?
There was no logic whatsoever in giving up her seat for her archenemy. It was outright bullying.
Meng Han was surprised. Liu Hongmin was Qiang Xinran’s uncle, a fact well known to her, and he had always doted on Qiang Xinran. Being the only girl in the family, she was the precious child of two households.
Scarce goods are precious.
Following the slap from her brother last time, this was another blow for Qiang Xinran.
Could it be that Qiang Xinran was no longer the darling of her family?
This was all too contrary to the script.
Or could it just be that every time, Bai Xiao was involved? Could Bai Xiao be Qiang Xinran’s nemesis?
Really fucking supernatural.
The Director of Guidance Liu Hongmin was someone who wouldn’t lift a finger unless there was something in it for him, a very pragmatic person. Without a benefit, why would he betray his own niece for someone named Bai Xiao? Who exactly was standing behind Bai Xiao?
That could make even the Director of Guidance Liu Hongmin bow and scrape?
Who had ever seen Liu Hongmin act like that before?
Even Qiang Xinran herself hadn’t been treated like that.
Meng Han looked at Bai Xiao more intensely.
She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary!
However, she knew Qiang Xinran had reluctantly moved to the back, and Meng Han, for the sake of friendship, followed pretentiously. She still hoped to rely on Qiang Xinran’s family to secure a good hospital for her during their internship. Her own family had some money, but their connections weren’t as robust.
Nowhere near as powerful as Qiang Xinran’s family.