Chapter 782: Packed

“Yes, take a seat, both of you. Don’t just stand there. This must be your girlfriend? You two make quite the handsome couple,” Director Liang greeted them warmly while pouring tea for the two of them.

Song Sisi blushed slightly at the praise and politely thanked him.

After sitting down, Director Liang smiled and asked Li Xu, “Xiao Li, how are your preparations for today’s major lecture? Confident you can keep those little monkeys in line?”

“Yes, I’ve looked up some reference materials over the past few days and compiled a few representative medical cases,” Li Xu replied, nodding calmly.

“That’s good.” Director Liang took a sip of tea and lowered his voice, a hint of solemnity in his tone. “Xiao Li, you really have to perform well in today’s open class. Let me give you a heads-up: not only will there be a lot of students today, but several important college leaders and even leaders from the City Health Commission might be sitting in the back to observe. This is an extremely rare chance for you to shine.”

Feng City Medical College might not have a provincial title in its name, but it consistently ranked at the top among medical institutions in the province. Its traditional Chinese medicine branch, in particular, boasted a profound historical heritage and was undisputedly the number one in the province in terms of prowess.

Over the years, Feng City Medical College had produced no small number of famous medical experts. Even Wang Chuyun, the national-treasure-level National Medical Master, had been invited to serve as the honorary dean of the TCM branch in his early years.

The principal of Feng City Medical College even held a solid departmental-level administrative rank. The influence these college leaders wielded in the provincial and even national academic and medical circles was incredibly formidable. If Li Xu could thoroughly win them over today and earn their recognition and favor, the vast network and research resources of Feng City Medical College would undoubtedly become a massive boost to his soaring career.

“I understand. Thank you for the reminder, sir,” Li Xu nodded.

Watching Li Xu’s calm and collected demeanor, Director Liang nodded inwardly in satisfaction. This was the trait that many of the older generation liked and appreciated most about Li Xu. Despite possessing peerless skills and looking down from a level others could only look up to, he always maintained a humble, restrained attitude. He was neither haughty nor lowly in his interactions with others, making people feel comfortable and reassured.

Over the years, Director Liang had encountered his fair share of so-called “genius” students at the college. Some of these geniuses had decent skills, though perhaps not even half as good as Li Xu’s, yet their arrogance left Li Xu leagues behind. For a young person, a sense of pride was certainly indispensable. However, that pride should be in one’s bones—a persistence for truth and a confidence in one’s own abilities—rather than a superficial display on one’s face. Being domineering and conceited would only invite disgust.

Li Xu’s class was scheduled for shortly after 10:00 AM in Lecture Hall One, the largest tiered classroom in the comprehensive building, and would end just before lunch at noon. The group drank tea in Director Liang’s office for a while, chatting about interesting clinical anecdotes. Guessing it was about time, they finally got up and headed to the classroom.

At this moment, inside Lecture Hall One, the room was already packed to the rafters, bursting at the seams.

Before 10:00 AM, another teacher had actually been holding a class in the large room where Li Xu was to lecture. The instructor was an associate professor named Zhang Jian. Associate Professor Zhang had just finished the last slide of his PowerPoint presentation and dismissed the class. He was looking down, packing up his lecture notes, when he glanced up and saw a massive, swarming crowd of students with backpacks charging in from the hallway outside. They looked like a zombie horde laying siege to a city.

The massive tiered classroom, which could originally hold six to seven hundred people, reached full capacity in just two or three short minutes. Even the steps in the aisles and the empty space in the back were crammed with people.

Standing at the podium with his water bottle in hand, Associate Professor Zhang stared at the scene, dumbfounded. His brain couldn’t quite process what was happening, and he felt incredibly out of his element. He wondered, “What is going on? Is some academician or National Medical Master coming to give a lecture?”

Only an inspection by a highly respected veteran or a leading figure of the Xinglin community would cause such a massive turnout, right? Otherwise, he really couldn’t fathom who else in this college could have such massive drawing power, to the point of making so many students—who would normally skip class to play video games in their dorms—voluntarily rush over to fight for a seat.

After all, when he was teaching *Internal Medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine* just moments ago, there were at most sixty or seventy students in the room. When the dismissal bell rang, apart from seven or eight who ran out to use the restroom, everyone else stayed glued to their seats, clearly to save their spots.

The news of Li Xu holding a large-scale open class at the college had been buzzing among the student body for days. Various versions of the “Divine Physician Li legend” were flying everywhere. However, the professors and college leaders were usually busy with their work and under heavy research pressure, so they weren’t very clued into the private gossip and rumors circulating among the students. They were, after all, in two different social circles. Even the college’s internal forums weren’t constantly monitored by those older professors unless a major event occurred.

Therefore, at this moment, Associate Professor Zhang genuinely didn’t connect this massive commotion to a young man who had only graduated a few years ago.

“I want to see exactly which Immortal this is,” Associate Professor Zhang thought. For a moment, he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Holding his thermos, he stood near the front door of the classroom. He wanted to see with his own eyes which famous expert had arrived with such immense charm.

Aside from Associate Professor Zhang, some teachers passing by the hallway also noticed the unusually bustling situation. Many stopped in surprise, peering into the classroom and whispering questions to each other.

“Old Liu, why are there so many people in the large lecture hall? Is there a school-wide assembly today?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t get any notice. Maybe it’s a last-minute expert lecture organized by one of the departments?”

Under the expectant gazes of many teachers and students, Director Liang led Li Xu, Song Sisi, and Li Lin, walking unhurriedly toward the classroom.

“Director Liang?” Associate Professor Zhang’s face filled with even more confusion when he saw Director Liang walking at the front. Although Director Liang was a professor at the college, in charge of teaching, and held high prestige, his courses leaned toward theory. He shouldn’t have such massive, idol-like drawing power.

However, the scene that unfolded when they walked into the classroom left Associate Professor Zhang utterly bewildered.

Director Liang smiled and greeted the students in the front row, then actually walked straight to the first row of the audience and sat down in an empty seat. ℴ𝗆

Instead, it was the handsome young man following beside him—dressed in a crisp white shirt and looking as young as a graduate student—who calmly stepped up onto the sacred podium.