Lin Returns Under the Moon: I'm at the station. I'll arrive a little after three this afternoon.
Little Fish Person: I'll go pick you up at the station!
Lin Returns Under the Moon: No need, that'd be too much trouble for you. Besides, the school arranged shuttle buses to pick up the freshmen.
Little Fish Person: Hehe, I bet you're just hoping to hit on some upperclasswomen, right?
Lin Returns Under the Moon: ...
Little Fish Person: The senior girls are all wolves. You'd better protect yourself!
Hua Yueyu figured that, with Lin Baici's face and build alone, he'd have no shortage of girlfriends during his four years at college. If he were more of a playboy, he could rack up five kills in a single semester.
With someone to chat with, time passed quickly.
"Attention, passengers. The G1955 Train from Guangqing Station to Haijing South is now boarding. Please proceed to Gates A12 and B12 for ticket inspection, then board at Platform 16!"
"When using the escalator, please stand firm and hold on!"
"When boarding, please mind the gap between the platform and the train!"
The station announcement rang out. The passengers who had been sitting down sprang into motion like ornamental fish drawn to food tossed into a pond, all converging on the gates.
Four long lines immediately snaked out.
Lin Baici glanced at his phone.
It was 9:37. Time to board.
Lin Returns Under the Moon: They're checking tickets!
Little Fish Person: Be safe! Haijing is waiting for you! She followed it with a hugging emoji.
Lin Baici put away his phone, stood up, and slung on his backpack. Seeing everyone with piles of luggage—at least a trolley case and a handbag each—he was overcome with a rush of happiness.
He didn't join the line right away, but walked over to the programmer with dark circles.
When the programmer packed up his laptop and hurried to join the line, Lin Baici slipped in behind him.
"Handsome guy, why don't you get a checkup?"
Lin Baici knew it was an awkward way to start a conversation, and telling someone they were sick might even get him punched. But saving a life was worth more than building a seven-story pagoda, so he decided to speak up.
The programmer turned around, looking confused.
"You don't look well. I think you're sick!"
Lin Baici spoke earnestly.
"Thank you!"
The programmer thanked him out of politeness, but didn't take it seriously. He had been feeling unwell lately, but with his nine-to-nine, six-days-a-week schedule and all those late nights, it would be a miracle if he were healthy.
Once he finished this project, he'd take some annual leave. Maybe that would be enough to get better.
Seeing the look on the man's face, Lin Baici knew he hadn't taken him seriously, so he told a kind lie.
"I'm a medical student, and I do pretty well in class!"
Lin Baici smiled, revealing eight white teeth. His handsome face, sunny and gentle, inspired instant goodwill.
When the programmer heard Lin Baici was a medical student, he took his words to heart.
"Thank you!"
The programmer decided to get a full checkup at the hospital as soon as his business trip was over. Better safe than sorry.
"You're welcome!"
Lin Baici was just doing a good deed and building up good karma.
"Hey, young man, take a look at me. Am I sick?"
A woman in her fifties suddenly spoke up from nearby.
She was obviously hoping to get a free checkup.
[She has diabetes, but she still doesn't watch her diet and eats whatever she wants. In two years, she'll be in for a world of suffering!]
"Ma'am, you need to watch what you eat. People with diabetes have to be careful about their diet!"
Lin Baici advised her.
"Oh my goodness, you're amazing!"
The woman looked astonished. "I was diagnosed with diabetes less than five months ago. How could you tell?"
The passengers nearby hadn't paid attention before, but after hearing what the woman said, they all turned to look.
The programmer looked just as surprised.
Lin Baici smiled.
God of Gluttony, you're incredible!
This had to be some kind of powerful Divine Grace!
"Young man, could I get your phone number? Which school are you studying medicine at?"
The woman figured that if Lin Baici was such a good doctor, his teachers must be even better. She could go visit one of them.
"Handsome guy, take a look at me. What's wrong with me?"
"Young man, I haven't had much of an appetite lately. What's going on?"
"I've had a headache for months. I got a CT scan, but they couldn't find anything wrong. Could you take a look?"
The people striking up conversations with Lin Baici were all older. They weren't necessarily trying to get something for nothing; they just felt it was a rare opportunity to meet such a skilled doctor.
After all, who didn't want to stay healthy and live to a ripe old age?
Lin Baici felt his head throb. He should've kept his mouth shut.
Luckily, the ticket inspectors were quick. In just a few minutes, it was his turn. He scanned his ticket and hurried briskly toward the platform.
The high-speed train pulled into the station, sending gusts of air swirling.
As it slowed and came close to a stop, Lin Baici immediately jogged toward Car 07.
"Please stand behind the yellow line, one meter away!"
A station attendant reminded everyone to stay safe through a megaphone.
The doors opened. Once the passengers getting off had cleared out, the people who had been waiting for ages surged toward the train doors like sardines scrambling for food.
Most people had a lot of luggage, and the doors weren't wide, so boarding was a bit of a struggle.
Lin Baici was over 1.8 meters tall, and after consuming the Meteorite Stone and God's Remains, his strength had soared. Benching 100 kilograms was a piece of cake.
But he didn't push his way in.
Everyone was afraid of missing the train, so they moved quickly.
Lin Baici didn't have to wait long. Soon, he was the only one left on the platform. He lifted his foot, stepped forward, and entered the carriage.
The passengers hadn't settled in yet. People crowded the aisle as they stowed their luggage, and Lin Baici waited by the connection between the cars for a while longer.
The train started moving.
People gradually quieted down, and most began playing with their phones.
"18F!"
Lin Baici looked for his seat with his ticket in hand, then frowned.
The woman he'd seen in the waiting hall earlier—the one wearing a denim miniskirt and beige studded high heels—was sitting in his seat.
It wasn't that he minded her having HIV; it was that she seemed to be in his seat.
Seats C, D, and F—F should be the window seat.
Lin Baici looked down at his ticket, then checked the seat numbers on the train.
"Miss, I think you're in the wrong seat!"
Lin Baici showed her his ticket. "I'm 18F, by the window!"
"Handsome guy, I'm Song Li. I'd like to look at the scenery outside. Could we switch seats?"
When the young woman saw Lin Baici, a look of delight appeared on her face.
She couldn't believe her luck. She'd actually ended up sitting beside such a handsome guy.
Lin Baici didn't mind. He put his backpack on the luggage rack and sat down in 18C, by the aisle.
The passenger in 18B was a boy, squeezed between Lin Baici and Song Li. He looked eighteen or nineteen, another college student about to leave home.
Song Li was beautiful and dressed sexily, which made the boy in 18B nervous and excited. He imagined all the wonderful things that might happen on the trip.
"Thanks, handsome guy!"
Song Li flashed a smile. "Are you a college student? What's your name?"
"Mm."
Lin Baici nodded. He had no interest in giving his name to a stranger.
The boy in 18B thought there was something wrong with this guy.
A beautiful woman had struck up a conversation with him, and he could barely be bothered to respond?
Didn't he know what a waste that was?
If it were him, he'd tell her what his entire family had been up to for the last eighteen generations.
Lin Baici's indifference made Song Li's expression turn awkward. Her stubborn streak kicked in, and she turned to smile at the boy in 18B.
"What about you? You look like a college student too?"
The boy in 18B was flattered and immediately nodded. "Yeah. I took the college entrance exam in June and got an admission letter from Haijing Normal University!"
"That's impressive!"
Song Li put on an appropriately admiring expression.
"Not really. It's pretty average!"
Though he said that, pride was already all over the boy's face.
"Handsome guy, which university do you go to?"
Song Li deliberately tried to provoke Lin Baici.
If his school was worse than Haijing Normal, he'd be insanely jealous.
[This woman is trying to manipulate you. Best steamed!]
God of Gluttony seethed with bloodlust.
"Ms. Song, give him a break. If he doesn't want to say, don't ask!"
The boy in 18B glanced at Lin Baici and smiled. "Lots of people in my class who didn't do well on the exam don't want to answer questions like that!"
The young man had only just entered puberty. When he saw a stylish, alluring woman like Song Li, he couldn't control himself. Like a peacock competing for a mate, he wanted to show her every one of his brightest feathers.
Lin Baici wasn't a pushover, especially after seeing life and death in the Longchan Temple Divine Ruins. He had developed some sharp edges of his own.
He didn't care if the boy wanted to flirt with her, but using him as a stepping stone?
No way!
"Is Haijing Institute of Technology worse than Haijing Normal University?"
Lin Baici asked with a completely serious expression.
"Uh..."
The boy in 18B was at a loss for words.
Was he kidding? Haijing Institute of Technology was one of the top five schools in Haijing, and its admission cutoff was more than sixty points higher than Haijing Normal's.
Those were college entrance exam points. A single point could leave tens of thousands of students out of the running.
Song Li didn't know much about university rankings, but judging by the situation, the boy in 18B had clearly been outclassed—and by quite a lot.
"Damn, he's so handsome and his grades are that good? Is there any justice in the world?"
The more Song Li thought about it, the angrier she got. Most of all, why wasn't he paying attention to her?
"Ms. Song, want some potato chips?"
The boy in 18B pulled a big pile of snacks out of his Nike backpack and offered them to Song Li.
"Thanks!"
Song Li was distracted.
Normally, when the boy in 18B fawned over her, Song Li would've chatted with him and added him on WeChat. Keeping a lapdog around didn't cost her anything. But today, with this aloof college guy as a point of comparison, she wasn't interested.
Wait.
Could this kid be playing hard to get?
Song Li suddenly got excited.
Trying that trick on me?
You're still too green!
Song Li started chatting away with the boy in 18B.
An hour passed, and the aloof guy was still staring at his phone.
Damn.
It was the latest model, the most expensive iPhone.
Wait.
The watch on his left wrist—is that a Rolex?
He's rich!
Song Li realized she might have misjudged him. He wasn't playing hard to get; he simply wasn't interested in her at all.
Lin Baici didn't have much mobile data and couldn't afford to watch videos. He was tired of reading too, so he decided to close his eyes and nap for a bit. But less than half an hour after he shut them, a powerful hunger hit him, making his stomach cramp.
Before you continue