Yuan Yi also knew that even though he had a medical background, this transfer exam would not be easy to pass because it involved not only medical knowledge but also some other disciplines. The most difficult part for him in the future would likely be pharmacology. More than half of the drugs he was familiar with no longer existed here. He would have to relearn the names and mechanisms of action of the medications.
Reviewing old knowledge was sometimes more troublesome than learning something new. But he still wanted to try.
Seeing that he didn’t speak, Liang Xu thought he had scared him and softened his tone a bit. “If you really have this idea, you can give it a try. But this transfer system has existed for so many years, and to this day, no one in our school has ever transferred from the Academy of Fine Arts to the Medical School.”
It wasn’t that no one had succeeded—it was that no one had even tried.
Yuan Yi said, “So even if I don’t pass, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I looked up the school’s exam system. Transferring to clinical medicine requires exams in medical chemistry, systemic anatomy, medical mathematics and computing, laboratory safety and management, and so on. Anyone who wants to transfer only needs the approval of both department heads and can take the exam at any time. As long as they can keep up with the current students’ progress, that’s enough.”
Ji Lan said, “Xiao Yi, are you serious?”
Yuan Yi said, “Yes.”
No matter how Liang Xu looked at it, he felt that this junior was not joking. Although he still thought it was impossible, whether out of respect for an alumnus who was actively learning or out of admiration for Li Heng, he decided to help this junior.
Cheng Siming also said, “Just give it a try. How can you know the result if you don’t try? I think Yuan Yi makes sense. Even if you don’t pass, there’s nothing shameful about it. Your courage is commendable.”
That was true, but…
Ji Lan scratched his face and followed inside. Was this still his iron-clad, number-and-chemistry-illiterate best friend?
Since quite a few people had no classes in the afternoon, and the street outside the school’s east gate had not only bookstores but also various snack shops, supermarkets, restaurants, and clothing stores, many people were strolling around.
Because Yuan Yi was good-looking, quiet, and had an equally “gentle”-looking older cousin, he was relatively well-known in the school. And because of the issue with the heat-inducing agent, almost no one didn’t recognize him now.
The moment he stepped into Chuanliu Shuxiang (Flowing Fragrance Bookstore), people started talking about him. Or rather, they had already started discussing him the moment he got off the aircraft. It was just that back then, he was still outside, and everyone was farther away, speaking in lower voices, so he couldn’t hear them. But now, being closer, even if they spoke softly, he could still catch most of it.
“I didn’t mishear, right? That scheming omega wants to switch to clinical medicine?! Did he use the inducer to mess up his own brain?”
“That is pretty hard to understand. But you can’t really call him scheming, can you? Didn’t the school already clarify everything? Maybe it really was just an accident.”
“What accident?” A student said in an exaggeratedly serious tone, “I have a classmate in their design department. I heard that the incident was actually real, but later the school took its reputation—and the identity of the person he’s marrying—into account, so they made an official statement to clear things up. That way, everyone saves face.”
“He’s getting married?! He actually got married!” A student exclaimed in surprise. “Wasn’t Bai Wanzhe pursuing him? And didn’t he like Bai Wanzhe too? I even saw someone post a photo of the two of them going to the library together on the forum! How could he possibly get married so quickly?!”
“Have you been offline or something? He married General Li Heng! His cousin personally confirmed it, so there’s no way it’s wrong.”
“Oh my god, you mean that General Li Heng?”
“Well, who else? Do you know another General Li Heng?”
“But isn’t he already…”
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
The student who claimed that Yuan Yi had used the inducer scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? Someone who dares to induce their own heat in school—what wouldn’t they do? Besides, if he really married into the Li family, even though General Li is gone, there are still plenty of benefits, right? Not to mention, just with Principal Li and Professor Jian’s statuses, they can pave an easy road for him. I’d bet eight out of ten that his transfer has something to do with this. Otherwise, why would he suddenly switch majors? It’s definitely Principal Li trying to polish his credentials.”
Someone frowned. “Do you think medical school is something you can just waltz through?”
Just hearing that was suffocating. That was a field infamous for working students to death! Hadn’t they heard the saying ‘persuade someone to study medicine, and lightning will strike you down’? The key was that this profession required serious brainpower!
Meanwhile, Yuan Yi was intently listening to Liang Xu’s explanations—what books to use, which were important, which ones could be skimmed using second-hand copies, and so on. He flipped through almost everything Liang Xu recommended and ended up buying all of them—except for the textbook on systemic anatomy, which he didn’t bother purchasing at all.
Liang Xu suggested that he buy a new copy because this book was flipped through so frequently that it easily got worn out. However, Yuan Yi already had a solid understanding of human anatomy—he was only missing knowledge about the pheromone glands and the reproductive systems of both sexes. So, he bought specialized books on those topics instead.
“Junior, this might not work,” Liang Xu said. “Systemic Anatomy is a core subject for first-year clinical students. You have to master it thoroughly.”
“I already know most of it. I study painting—I’ve drawn human perspective diagrams.”
“But that’s not the same.”
“Mm, which is why I bought professional books on the parts I don’t understand. Thank you, Senior Liang and Senior Cheng. You both went out of your way to help me—let me treat you to a meal.”
“How do you know we haven’t eaten yet?”
“A bunch of university students—do you think I don’t know? Who doesn’t know how the others live?” He almost slipped into lecturing mode. On most days, lunch was treated as breakfast, dinner as lunch, and midnight snacks as, well, midnight snacks. On weekends, they all slept in—chances were, this group hadn’t even had breakfast yet.
“Are you serious?” Cheng Siming, who had become familiar with Yuan Yi because of Ji Lan, said, “Then we won’t hold back.”
“No need to be polite. Pick a place and see what you all want to eat. The sun is scorching right now anyway—we can eat and rest at the same time.”
“How about spicy grilled fish?” Cheng Siming suggested. “There’s a new grilled fish restaurant up ahead, and I heard it’s pretty good.”
“Grilled fish in this heat? Aren’t you afraid of getting too much internal heat? Besides, the one who helped the most today was Senior Liang—you didn’t even ask him.” Ji Lan said, “Can you be a bit more reasonable?”
“Alright, alright, wife’s lesson is duly noted.” Cheng Siming, who was strong-limbed and relatively simple-minded, quickly turned to his friend after being scolded. “Old Liang, what do you want to eat?”
“I’m fine with anything. Let the two juniors decide.”
“Xiao Yi, what do you want to eat?” Ji Lan whispered to Yuan Yi, “Since you’re pregnant now, do you need to be careful with your diet?”
“As long as I don’t eat anything too cold, there’s nothing special I need to avoid.” Even if it was greasy or spicy, it was just one meal—it wouldn’t have any immediate effect on the baby.
“Then let’s go for grilled fish, alright? Let’s nourish my big guy’s brain a bit.” Ji Lan elbowed Cheng Siming. Though it sounded like a complaint, there was a smile on his lips.
Cheng Siming totally ate that up. He ruffled Ji Lan’s hair and grinned, “Wife still loves me the most!”
Liang Xu exclaimed that he couldn’t take it anymore. Yuan Yi chuckled and followed along. Once they arrived at the restaurant, he found that the fish really did taste quite good. Moreover, the restaurant had also taken into account the issue of excessive internal heat and prepared drinks to counteract it. Yuan Yi, however, didn’t drink those—because the juice that Professor Jian had prepared for him also had cooling properties. It was a mixed fruit juice with pomelo and passion fruit, which he was quite fond of.
“Actually, we could have a little drink. We don’t have class tomorrow anyway,” Cheng Siming suggested. “Yuan Yi, I remember you drink occasionally, right?”
“Not today,” Ji Lan said. “It’s not convenient.”
“What’s so inconvenient?” Cheng Siming was confused. Wasn’t that whole mess with Bai Wanzhe already settled? Shouldn’t they be celebrating?
“He…”
“I’m pregnant.”
Ji Lan hadn’t even figured out how to help Yuan Yi cover it up, but Yuan Yi went ahead and said it himself—openly and without any hesitation, as if it was no big deal.
Thud!
The cherry tomato that Cheng Siming had just picked up fell onto the table. His mouth was open wider than the fish’s head. “You—you haven’t gotten heatstroke, have you?”
Yuan Yi said, “No. The child is Li Heng’s. I just had surgery not too long ago. Ji Lan said I can’t drink alcohol because of this.”
At first, Yuan Yi hadn’t planned to say anything. But after thinking about it, even if he didn’t say it himself, Zhou Xingran—that big mouth—would end up spreading it everywhere, making sure everyone knew. Rather than having people constantly looking at him with probing eyes, it was better to say it himself, so others wouldn’t think it was some kind of shameful secret.
He didn’t feel there was anything embarrassing about it. He hadn’t done anything immoral, so there was no need to hide it.
Liang Xu said, “No wonder you brought your own juice when you went out… You really move fast.”
Cheng Siming said, “Sorry. I thought the rumors people were talking about were just gossip. Are you okay eating fish? Should we get you something else?”
Yuan Yi said, “No need, this is fine. If you guys want to order more, go ahead, don’t hold back.”
Ji Lan carefully picked out a piece of fish for Yuan Yi. “Here, this is for my little nephew—the meat from the fish’s belly, the most tender part.” After saying that, he took a big bite of cucumber himself. “Looks like I worried for nothing earlier. You’re taking this pretty well. But that’s how it should be. It’s your choice—so long as you’re happy, what does it matter to anyone else?”
Yuan Yi really liked Ji Lan’s personality and said, “You’re absolutely right. But… which nephew are you talking about?”
Ji Lan froze for a moment. “What do you mean? Of course, this one.” He gently patted Yuan Yi’s stomach. “Isn’t this my nephew?”
Yuan Yi said, “What if it’s not just one?”
Ji Lan took a sharp breath. “Damn! Yuan Yi, you’re something else! You’re incredible! Let me pick another piece for you!”
The meal was lively. Though Yuan Yi didn’t talk much and rarely smiled, the original person he replaced had always been someone who spoke little and wasn’t the type to laugh and joke around. So, no one noticed anything unusual.
However, Ji Lan was a bit surprised that no matter what topic the group brought up, Yuan Yi could always follow along. And his gaze was different from before. But Ji Lan attributed it all to the aftereffects of the previous induced heat incident. In fact, he thought this “aftereffect” was actually a positive change, so there was nothing to comment on.
The meal stretched into the late afternoon before Yuan Yi finally left. Cheng Siming and Liang Xu helped carry all the books onto his aircraft.
He had bought quite a lot—carrying everything alone would have been a hassle. Yuan Yi didn’t refuse their help, and after saying goodbye to the three, he left. Instead of returning directly to the Li family’s residence, he first stopped by a supermarket to buy some ingredients that weren’t available at home, planning to cook dinner.
After spending some time here, he had noticed that the food wasn’t all that different from what he had eaten in his past life. There were just a few ingredients he hadn’t seen before, but most of them were familiar. He picked up some beef, mushrooms, and a few vegetables. He didn’t buy too much, planning to make a three-dish, one-soup meal.
By the time Yuan Yi arrived home, the sky had yet to turn dark. Professor Jian was in the courtyard watering the flowers. Seeing Yuan Yi return, she smiled and said, “Xiao Yi, you’re back. Did everything go well with your friends?”
As he took the groceries out, Yuan Yi replied, “It went well. I got all the books I needed.” After a brief pause, he mentally prepared himself before asking, “Mom, can I cook dinner tonight?”
Jian Yurou said, “Of course, but won’t it be too tiring for you? If you’re feeling tired, you can let the smart kitchen assistant handle it. Or if there’s something special you’d like to eat that we don’t usually make at home, just let me know, and I’ll buy it for you.”
Yuan Yi said, “I’m fine, not too tired. I won’t make too much—just wanted to thank you and Principal Li for taking care of me these past few days.”
Jian Yurou noticed that while Yuan Yi had lost some weight recently, his overall mental state had improved significantly since leaving the hospital. Seeing this, she didn’t insist on stopping him and instead joined him in the kitchen to help out.
At first, she assumed Yuan Yi’s cooking skills were just average—that he wouldn’t make anything too complicated or that he’d rely on the smart kitchen assistant to some extent. However, to her surprise, Yuan Yi manually handled everything, from washing and chopping vegetables to marinating the ingredients. His movements were fluid and practiced, making it clear that he wasn’t just putting on a show.
“Xiao Yi, did you often cook at home before?” Professor Jian couldn’t help but imagine a dramatic scene where Yuan Yi had been mistreated by relatives.
“Not really. I just liked watching cooking videos when I was bored.”
“Oh, Principal Li will be delighted then—his favorite food is cilantro.”
Yuan Yi had bought beef and cilantro, intending to make a cold beef and cilantro salad. Since summer days were hot, this dish was refreshing and appetizing without being greasy. He had noticed some cilantro on the table earlier, which was why he decided to make it.
After about an hour in the kitchen, Yuan Yi prepared a cold beef and cilantro salad, stir-fried seasonal vegetables with shrimp, garlic choy sum rolls with vermicelli, and a pumpkin lily bulb soup.
The dishes were visually appealing, aromatic, and flavorful, with portions measured out just right.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1