Once they arrived at their assigned rooms,
Li Hao and Zhou Ming finally had time to greet Jiang Ran.
"Teacher Jiang, why are you here too?!"
Li Hao looked somewhat excited.
Zhou Ming, on the other hand, had concern in his eyes.
He quietly swept his gaze around the corridor, and only after confirming that no one was paying attention did he gently close the door.
Jiang Ran smiled at the two of them and sat down on the room's sofa. "Did you forget that I work at Fire-Kindling Academy too?"
Li Hao instinctively replied, "It's not that I forgot, but this mission..."
Before he could finish, Zhou Ming beside him cut him off. "Li Hao."
Li Hao froze for a moment, only then realizing that he had nearly let something slip.
Zhou Ming stepped forward and looked at Jiang Ran seriously. "Teacher, remember not to wander around later. Stay close to us at all times. The situation on this ship... is more complicated than we expected."
Jiang Ran was taken aback, then smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. I came with Minister Xin. I'll just stay with her."
Only then did Zhou Ming relax. "Then get some good rest, Teacher Jiang. We'll be leaving first.
"If anything seems off... contact us anytime."
Jiang Ran looked at the two of them, warmth rising in his heart. He said softly, "Go on, go on. I know you have a mission. Be careful yourselves too."
The two nodded and gave Jiang Ran one last look.
Then they turned, pulled open the door, and quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The door shut again.
Sitting on the sofa, Jiang Ran recalled Zhou Ming's grave expression from earlier and could not help finding it amusing.
He had not expected those two boys to