Jiang Nannan recognized him, nodded slightly, and a slight arc appeared at the corner of his mouth--
But he had already walked past her.
The man was wearing a black suit. He was about thirty years old. He wore a pair of thin-rimmed glasses, his eyebrows were straight, and he looked polite.
Carrying a large bag of fruit and several exquisitely packaged supplement boxes in his hand, he looked like he was visiting a patient's family.
But his steps were unsteady, as if he was rehearsing something in his mind over and over again. His eyes fell straight ahead, and he didn't notice anyone signaling to him next to him.
Jiang Nannan took back the unsent greeting, glanced at him sideways, turned back, raised the curtain and walked out of the hall.
The door curtain fell behind her, making a gentle scraping sound.
The man stopped outside the front desk.
There was a nurse sitting at the front desk. She was young and had a neat ponytail. She was checking something on the soul guidance screen with her head down. When she heard someone approaching, she looked up and showed a gentle smile.
"Hello sir, how can I help you?"
The man put the fruits and supplements on the ground, as if to make himself look less nervous. "Hello, Miss Nurse. I want to visit a patient, please... can you help me check her ward number?"
"Visiting patients, right?"
The nurse smiled and nodded, "Please show me your ID. We need to verify your identity and relationship with the patient."
"Okay."
The man took out a certificate from Soul Tool and handed it over with both hands, "My name is Wang Yan, and I am the teacher of the Shrek Academy. This is the teacher qualification certificate your government issued to me last time."
The nurse took the book and opened it. Her eyes lit up when she saw the golden "Exemption from Examination" stamp printed on the inside of the cover.
This batch of teacher qualification certificates was personally decided by Dean Long. Not everyone needs to take the exam - teachers with good reputation and sincere treatment of students will be issued certificates directly without taking the exam. There are not many in Shrek.
The nurse couldn't help but look at him more.
"Teacher Wang Yan? So you are one of the teachers who were exempted from examination and issued certificates?"
"Ahem... I don't dare to take it seriously. It's all Dean Tuolong's favor."
"Then you are here to visit student Shrek?"
"Um... yes." Wang Yan nodded, a little embarrassed.
"Teacher Wang is interested."
The nurse handed the certificate back with a smile, with a hint of gentleness in her eyes, "You came to visit the students in person early in the morning. You are really a good teacher who loves your children as much as your children. We have many Shrek students. I wonder which one Teacher Wang wants to visit?"
"I..."
Wang Yan's face instantly felt a little hot, and his glasses almost slipped off.
The words he had prepared suddenly became irritating in front of the nurse's words. "You love your children like your own children."
He didn't love his children like his own children. He just listened to other teachers discussing that Soul Hunting's team was attacked, and Han Ruoruo and others were seriously injured and sent to Yanhuang Lingyun. He couldn't sit still and spent the whole night asking around before he bravely rushed over.
He and Han Ruoruo are not close to each other, and they don't even have a serious teacher-student relationship - he is an elite disciple in the inner courtyard, and he is just a young teacher in the outer courtyard, separated by several steps.
At most, they met her a few times at college activities, and they didn't even exchange a few words. But in those few meetings, the cold-faced girl who enthusiastically took care of the junior students quietly fell into his heart.
"Teacher Wang?" Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, the nurse tilted her head in confusion.
"Ah... yes!" Wang Yan suddenly came to his senses, took a deep breath, and lowered his voice as if he had made a strong determination, "I want to visit...Han Ruoruo student. She must have been admitted to the hospital yesterday, and her injuries are relatively serious. Please help me check."
When the nurse heard the three words "Han Ruoruo", she was stunned for a moment, and then rolled her eyes in understanding.
Yes, this is another person who secretly came to see "Senior Sister Han".
From yesterday to now, the disciples from the inner courtyard who came to visit the patient had almost formed a row, all under the banner of "visiting classmates", and they all had faces as red as ripe persimmons, which she was not surprised by.
"Well... Ms. Han was indeed admitted to the hospital yesterday."
The nurse clicked on the soul guide screen a few times, "Dean Yan and Cai Meier brought it here in person. The injuries are really serious."
"So how is she now?" Wang Yan's tone was a little anxious unconsciously.
The nurse glanced at the record on the screen, smiled and comforted, "Don't worry, she is out of danger and is resting in the treatment room in the core area. But..."
"But what?"
"But Teacher Wang, you seem... not her teacher, right?"
Wang Yan's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly stabilized. "Ah... yes, I am not her teacher. I just belong to Shrek. I heard that she was injured by Evil Soul Master, so I stopped by to visit. No, I don't mean anything else..."
This statement seems to be watertight, but he himself knows that it is full of loopholes - if it is just "the same Shrek" and "just by the way", will he run around carrying a bunch of things early in the morning?
The nurse did not ask further questions, but just gave a soft "hmm" and softened her tone. "That's it... I'm sorry about that, Teacher Wang. Miss Han is in a special situation and is a special-level nurse. Dean Long personally ordered that anyone other than Sea God Pavilion Elder must have his approval before visiting. I'm sorry, Teacher Wang, I can't break this rule."
Wang Yan's fingers tightened slightly, and then relaxed quickly as if nothing had happened.
An expected answer.
But I really heard the word "no" with my own ears, and my chest still felt like it was slightly blocked by something.
Also, what is the identity of Han Ruoruo? The seed disciple of the inner courtyard was injured by Evil Soul Master again this time. Any one of them is qualified to activate the highest level of care.
It's enough to know that her life is not in danger.
"Thank you for letting me know." He was silent for two seconds. "I wonder when Dean Long will be free? I would like to visit him in person."
The nurse shook her head apologetically. "Teacher Wang, please forgive me, the dean is dealing with some important matters. If it is convenient for you, you can leave a contact information. When the dean is free, I will convey my intention to visit. If there is any progress of Miss Han's condition that can be announced to the public, I will inform you as soon as possible."
After speaking, she handed over a soul guidance record board.
Wang Yan was stunned for a moment, felt warm in his heart, took the board, and quickly thanked you, "Thank you, Miss Nurse, it's so troublesome for you."
"It's okay, it's okay." The nurse waved her hands and smiled secretly. Such a shy teacher is quite cute.
Wang Yan was about to fill in the form when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking in from the side door.
He subconsciously turned sideways and straightened his collar. When he saw the person clearly, he felt a shiver in his heart -
It's Dean Yan from the Spirit Soul Department.
"Teacher Wang? Are you there too?"
Yan Shaozhe is standing a few steps away. He is wearing a dark gray robe and holding an insulated food box in his hand. The box is made of dark brown wood and has smooth edges. It looks like it has been used for many years.
"Yan, Dean Yan is good!"
Wang Yan straightened his back suddenly, "Why... why did you come so early Medical Pavilion?"
Yan Shaozhe walked over, his eyes fell on the soul guidance record board in his hand, and his brows slightly relaxed. "I'm here to give Mei... cough, give you Cai Meier breakfast. She is injured and refuses to eat well, so I have to take care of her myself."
He paused, "It's you who came to visit the students early in the morning?"
Wang Yan's back instantly broke out with a thin layer of sweat.
"Dean Yan Good morning!"
The nurse greeted her enthusiastically, and with a flick of her fingertips, she turned the side of the record board with the words "Han Ruoruo" to the back, and stood sideways between Wang Yan and Yan Shaozhe. "Teacher Wang is here to visit the students."
"Okay, Teacher Wang is interested."
Yan Shaozhe patted him on the shoulder, his tone full of approval, "There are so many teachers in the college, and you are the first one to come Medical Pavilion early in the morning."
Wang Yan tried hard to maintain his composure on his face, and forced out a calm smile, "... The dean over-rated, it's just his job as a teacher."
Yan Shaozhe didn't stay long, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then walked to the stairs with the food box. His steps were steady and his back was straight.
Wang Yan Looking at his back disappearing around the corner of the stairs, an indescribable feeling suddenly surged in my heart.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands. They were a pair of hands that had been used to hold pens, flip through books, and write lesson plans all year round. The knuckles were long and clean. They had never been stained with blood, and they had never really held anything "heavy."
Dean Yan and Cai Meier... are husband and wife.
Cai Meier was injured, and Dean Yan could make breakfast and bring it to her. He could walk freely through the corridor of the Medical Pavilion, open the door of the ward, and put warm porridge on her bedside. No one would stop him, and no one would think he was not qualified. Because he has that strength and that identity.
But what about him?
Even "visiting" has to be made up with a reason, and even "liking" has to be hidden behind the title "teacher cares about students".
He suddenly couldn't remember why he liked Han Ruoruo.
The first time I noticed her seemed to be a joint lecture between the inner courtyard and the outer courtyard. She was sitting in the third row by the window, and the sunlight came in slantingly, coating half of her face in light gold. After the lecture, the crowd dispersed, and when she got up, she picked up the notes that the junior students next to her had dropped on the ground, handed them back, and left without looking back.
The action was very simple, not even "gentle". But he remembered that moment.
Later, he would occasionally see her from a distance on the road to the college. She was always in a hurry, walking very fast, like a bouquet of wind that would not stop for anyone.
He would also deliberately pay attention to her messages - he heard how decisive she was in the Soul Hunting team, how calm she was when performing missions, and how she withstood a blow from Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast to protect her teammates. Those fragmentary fragments were put together, like pieces of sharp-edged stones, and gradually piled up into a figure that he couldn't take his eyes away from.
But among those stones, not one of them said "she needs him".
What does he like about her? Does he like her to be good-looking? Does he like her to be strong? Or does he like her awkward attitude of "having a cold face but quietly taking care of others"? He can't tell.
He wasn't even sure if this was "like" or if he was just an ordinary young teacher who was dazzled by the light when he saw a bright star in the distance.
Han Ruoruo is the proud daughter of the inner court. She is already close to Soul Douluo in her twenties, and she will be the one to challenge Limit Douluo in the future. The path she takes is completely different from her own.
If one day Han Ruoruo encounters another danger, what can he do? He can't even stand by her side, let alone block anything for her. He doesn't need her protection, he is her greatest protection.
Thinking about it this way, the tossing and turning before, and the torment of not sleeping all night after finding out that she was injured, are a bit ridiculous - not because of "liking", but because of "knowing that you can't do something".
He stood in silence for a while, as if he was going to confirm the answer over and over in his mind. Then he took a gentle breath.
"Ms. Nurse."
"Huh?"
"This... I would like to ask you to help me transfer it to Han Ruoruo."
He took out a palm-sized storage box from Soul Tool and placed it at the front desk. "There are some nourishing medicinal materials in it. Of course, you can take it for inspection."
The nurse took the storage box and nodded. "Don't worry, I will follow the procedure and hand it over to Yanhuang Guard in a moment. After checking that there is no problem, I will send it to Miss Han."
"Thank you." Wang Yan's voice was much softer than before, and he handed back the empty record board, "And... please help me check the wards of other students."
The nurse glanced at him and didn't ask any questions. She lowered her head and called up the list on the screen, "There are Shrek students we have admitted to several wards on the second floor. Most of them have minor injuries and have stabilized. I'll take you there."
"Okay, trouble."
As he followed the nurse to the stairs, he passed by a half-open window. Outside the window was a small courtyard, with several crabapples in full bloom, their petals swaying gently in the morning breeze. Occasionally, one or two fell down and swirled into the window sill.
He paused for a moment and suddenly remembered the golden "exemption from examination" stamp printed on the inside of the cover of the teacher's qualification certificate.
He remembered that on the day when the certificate was issued, when Long Jinyu handed him the certificate, he smiled and said, "Teacher Wang, I have heard from students that your lectures are good, logical and patient. You don't need to take the test for this certificate."
At that time, he just felt flattered. After returning home, he looked over the certificate several times and secretly vowed to live up to this trust.
But what about now? He was holding the certificate and thinking about how to meet a female student who was not his student.
If Han Ruoruo knew that he came to see her not because "the teacher cares about the students" but because of other thoughts, what would she think? Would she think that this teacher with an exemption certificate was not very clean after all?
What if Long Jinyu knew about it? Would the boy who handed him the certificate feel that he had made a mistake?
Wang Yan's Adam's apple rolled slightly. He lowered his head and looked at the small veins on the back of his hands. The originally chaotic thoughts in his heart became extremely clear at this moment.
--It's not a question of whether it's worthy or not, it's a question of "should it be".
The nurse stopped at the corner of the stairs and waited for him. "Teacher Wang?"
"Here we come." He quickly followed and didn't look back.
Sunlight streamed in from the window, stretching the shadows of him and the nurse very long, overlapping and then separating.
He pushed open the door to the ward on the second floor, and inside were young faces that were getting better. Someone recognized him and called him "Teacher Wang." He responded with a smile, walked over and sat down on the chair next to the bed. The corners of his sleeves were stained with some crabapple petals floating in from the window.