Chapter 19: Yanjing (City) Bo’ai Hospital
[Anger Level +1500]
The rich kid instantly flew into a rage. If not for the location, he would have stormed over and killed Rong Ziyin on the spot.
He was truly furious.
Rong Ziyin’s two sentences were disjointed, yet each struck a nerve with pinpoint accuracy. Combined with their previous grudges, the rich kid’s gaze turned sinister as he stared at Rong Ziyin.
He silently urged himself to endure. Everything had been meticulously arranged before his arrival; Rong Ziyin was insignificant. With this thought, the rich kid’s emotions calmed considerably, even managing a stiff, forced smile.
Soon, a line of text appeared above his head: [Scheming Value +500]
System: Dammit! This bastard’s up to no good again.
Rong Ziyin remained utterly unfazed: No worries, I’m prepared.
With that, he bypassed the rich kid and his entourage, striding straight into the office without so much as a glance back or an attempt to explain.
“Rong Ziyin!”
[Anger +1000]
After being ignored repeatedly, the rich kid genuinely wanted to punch him.
Yet Rong Ziyin casually turned to look at him, asking lightly, “Hmm?”
The rich kid gritted his teeth. “Aren’t you even curious why I’m here?”
Rong Ziyin: “No.”
Rich Kid: “???”
This was nothing like he’d imagined. For a split second, the rich kid even thought Rong Ziyin had renounced the world to become a damn monk—devoid of desire, stripped of even basic human curiosity. But clearly, given all the utterly despicable, smoke-belching bastardry Rong Ziyin had pulled before, his current indifference was deliberate.
To piss him off.
So, as Rong Ziyin turned to enter the office again, the rich kid finally snapped. Grabbing Rong Ziyin’s arm, he hissed through gritted teeth, “Your thesis won’t get selected. Not a chance.”
Rong Ziyin brushed his hand away, frowning. “Oh, got it. Remember to go to the hospital.”
The rich kid’s heart pounded with rage. “Don’t you dare play dumb…”
Rong Ziyin calmly interrupted him. “I’m not playing dumb. You genuinely are ill. Don’t worry—I’ve researched this before. Most patients with Mediterranean-pattern seborrheic alopecia also suffer from irritability. But intense anger damages the liver, causing even more hair loss. So you absolutely must focus on self-care.”
“…” [Anger Level: 3000]
Fuck! Take care of my health? What the hell does he think I am—some fat, greasy middle-aged guy? The rich kid was completely dumbfounded by Rong Ziyin’s lecture, unable to react for a long moment.
But Rong Ziyin finished speaking, shook off his hand, and walked straight into the office, not even acknowledging the rich kid’s earlier words. He went straight to find his advisor to discuss his thesis.
The roommates watching nearby gaped in astonishment. Having witnessed the entire scene, they all shared the same impression: in Rong Ziyin’s eyes, the rich kid seemed like a complete fool who’d walked right into a scolding.
“Um, should we go?” The atmosphere was unbearably awkward, and one roommate tentatively asked the rich kid.
But that only made the rich kid angrier.
“Get the hell out!” he snapped, no longer bothering to keep his voice down outside the office.
“We’ll wait right here for him! We’re roommates, after all. Senior year is busy—it’s not easy to meet up. We should at least grab a meal together!”
The words “have a meal together” were practically forced out of his throat. In the rich kid’s eyes, Rong Ziyin had gone too far. If he didn’t teach Rong Ziyin a lesson today, he wouldn’t let him graduate easily.
Inside the office, Rong Ziyin was busy discussing his thesis with his advisor.
Rong Ziyin had been researching this topic since his sophomore year. Over a year had passed since then. His advisor had closely followed every step of his progress, and their communication had been smooth.
Therefore, after reviewing the entirety of Rong Ziyin’s thesis, his advisor couldn’t help but praise him. “I was worried your assignment to the village might hinder your progress, but it turns out it’s actually benefited you.”
Rong Ziyin’s newly revised thesis incorporated extensive data to validate his experimental findings. This data was impossible to obtain within a laboratory setting. Only a scholar like Rong Ziyin, who had been sent to the village and personally experienced the avian epidemic, could have produced it.
Evidently, Rong Ziyin hadn’t wasted his time at the animal husbandry station. Even his advisor deeply admired Rong Ziyin’s steadiness and dedication.
Rong Ziyin smiled. “I still have to thank you for always looking out for me, Professor.”
“Not at all. It’s all your own hard work!”
The teacher and student exchanged words, chatting pleasantly. By the time they finished talking and Rong Ziyin prepared to take his leave, neither he nor his advisor had mentioned the paper by the rich kid.
The system was utterly baffled: “Aren’t you worried at all?”
Rong Ziyin: “Worried about what?”
System: “He’s writing about ducks too! Won’t his work on the same topic affect yours?”
Rong Ziyin: “Oh, it’s fine. We’re not in the same field. Virus strain research and duck feed disease prevention are two different concepts. Even if we’re both tackling duck infectious diseases, we’re not on the same page. There’s no competition.”
System: “??? So everything he’s doing is pointless?”
Rong Ziyin sighed: “Yeah! Knowledge changes destiny. He’s just too stupid.”
The system was speechless.
As Rong Ziyin stepped out of the office, the rich kid was still standing outside. Recalling the system’s earlier question, Rong Ziyin couldn’t help but give him a sympathetic look.
Illiteracy is truly terrifying.
The rich kid sensed the disdain in Rong Ziyin’s gaze and suddenly raised his voice, “Rong Ziyin, are you looking down on me?”
[Anger Level: 1000]
Indeed, this rich kid was just waiting for a fight. Teachers inside the office heard the commotion and stepped out to intervene.
But before they could reach the door, they clearly saw Rong Ziyin hand the rich kid a business card.
Clearly printed in large characters: Yanjing Boai Hospital, Specializing in Infertility, Impotence, Premature Ejaculation, Hair Loss & Balding.
Rong Ziyin patted the rich kid on the shoulder: “Early diagnosis, early treatment, early recovery. Best wishes to you.”
After rattling off this string of words, Rong Ziyin turned and walked away. Seeing that lunchtime was approaching, Rong Ziyin decided to grab a bite at the cafeteria before leaving.
Meanwhile, the rich kid stood frozen in place, clutching the business card so tightly his hands trembled with rage. He began to feel that his very act of waiting here for Rong Ziyin to emerge had been an act of self-humiliation. He felt like a complete fool.
“Damn it! I’ll kill him someday,” the rich kid spat, gritting his teeth as he watched Rong Ziyin’s retreating back.
Beside him, a roommate who’d accompanied him kept staring curiously at the rich kid’s head.
“What are you looking at?” the rich kid snapped irritably.
The roommate hesitated, then pointed toward the top of his head. The rich kid turned his head toward the corridor window.
The window was polished to a mirror-like shine, reflecting his entire face clearly—and revealing his noticeably thinner hairline.
The rich kid froze, instinctively reaching up to touch his scalp. His fingers felt cold. He looked down at his hand—a small clump of hair.
…Is he really going bald? [Anxiety Level: 1000] The rich kid’s heart skipped a beat.
Meanwhile, the others in the dorm were equally alarmed.
Hair is arguably one of the most crucial aspects of a young person’s appearance today. So is this Mediterranean-style seborrheic alopecia contagious or not?
Finally, someone plucked up the courage to ask the rich kid, “Why not go to the hospital? Just in case?”
“Bullshit!” The rich kid exploded. “I’m not fucking going bald!”
[Anger Level 3000]
Their voices were so loud that several students passing by on their way upstairs overheard their conversation.
Coincidentally, though this was an agricultural university, other disciplines existed too. Sciences like electrical automation and computer science were common offerings.
These passing students were computer science majors. They were heading to consult their advisor about graduation projects.
The computer science department offices were directly above the veterinary science building. Their paths crossed, and they overheard the argument.
It’s common knowledge that on university campuses, if you ranked departments by course intensity and baldness levels, Computer Science would undoubtedly be near the top.
For these students, the word “hair loss” was as sensitive as “obesity” or “plaid shirts.”
So they couldn’t help but stop and scrutinize the rich kid’s head.
“He really is going bald!” one whispered to the other.
The other nodded vigorously in agreement. “Yeah, right? So young, and he’s in veterinary medicine. Looks like our vet friends have it rough too!”
Running a hand over his own crown, he grimaced—his face looking unusually weathered—and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. So, while climbing the stairs, he casually posted on the campus forum: “Being a top student in vet school is tough. Everyone fawns over you, but in reality, you go bald before your time.”
Little did he know, the moment he hit post, it exploded!
The timing was just too perfect.
As everyone knew, the veterinary department was currently accepting submissions for its core journal. The school forum had already buzzed with discussions about who might benefit from this opportunity.
Moreover, students seeking out their advisors at this time were mostly top students. Instantly, everyone began speculating: who exactly was this “prematurely balding genius”?
“Could it be Rong Ziyin?” His reputation precedes him—whenever someone mentions the veterinary department, he’s the first name that comes to mind.
But that theory was quickly shot down. “No way! I saw Rong Ziyin today. He’s even more handsome than before—absolutely killer.”
“I don’t think it’s him either. Rong Ziyin usually goes solo. A group like that definitely can’t be him.”
It was common knowledge that Rong Ziyin didn’t get along with their dorm. Even back when they hadn’t completely fallen out, they’d never eaten together. So who was this cliquey, hot-headed straight-A student?
The less they knew, the more curious they became. And the more curious they became, the more they craved the truth.
With only a handful of people in the veterinary program, and considering the scene, someone finally voiced the suspicion: “Could it be that rich kid?”
“The one who fought with Rong Ziyin over that scholarship spot?”
“No way! He’s loaded. How could he go bald?”
“Why can’t rich people go bald? Think about those middle-aged sugar daddies. They didn’t suddenly go bald at forty! There must have been signs beforehand.”
“Holy crap! Makes sense!” Upon reflection, someone added, “I saw the rich kid driving back this morning, and his hair did look pretty thin on top.”
Coincidentally, because he was still fuming over Rong Ziyin, the rich kid didn’t go out to eat with his dorm mates. Instead, he headed straight to the cafeteria to make do.
Gossip spreads fast on campus networks. Especially now during mealtime—people ate while scrolling through their phones, logging onto the school forum to check posts and discuss the latest gossip.
As one of the campus’s renowned rich, handsome, and successful guys, the moment he entered the cafeteria, many eyes followed him. Some couldn’t resist whispering among themselves.
“Oh my god! He really is going bald.”
“Bald! He’s balding!”
“Holy crap! That’s terrifying. I gotta protect my hair.”
Nearly everyone who’d seen the forum couldn’t help but stare at the rich kid’s scalp. He was usually used to this kind of attention. But today, he felt everyone’s gaze was strangely intense. All those eyes fixed on him made the rich kid feel uneasy.
“What’s wrong with these people today?” The rich kid was completely baffled.
One of the four roommates, along with a sycophant, chimed in, “Maybe they think you’re handsome.”
The rich kid curled his lips upward, his mood lifting considerably.
But when they grabbed their food and found seats to eat, a weathered-looking computer science guy at the next table said to him, “Eat less spicy stuff. Mild is better for you.” Then he sighed and walked away with his tray.
“Is he fucking crazy?” The rich kid sensed something was off.
Meanwhile, the bored roommate who’d opened the campus forum finally spotted the wildly discussed thread and couldn’t help but gasp softly.
“Holy shit!” But the next second, he smartly clamped his mouth shut.
“Let me see!” The rich kid sensed something was off, snatched the phone, and instantly paled.
[Anger Value: 10000]
The moment he contributed his rage points, Rong Ziyin finally received the long-awaited system notification.
“Accumulated coin value has exceeded the system level cap. Spend 600,000 coins to upgrade.”
Rong Ziyin: “Upgrade!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the system began upgrading. Rong Ziyin had expected some grand gesture. Surprisingly, not only was there no flash of light, but it didn’t even take long.
Within seconds, Rong Ziyin heard the prompt: “Upgrade successful.”
So what exactly had been upgraded?
Rong Ziyin glanced over. It simply unlocked the previously inaccessible exchange section. Additionally, the original lottery cost 1,000 gold coins per draw, but now it was 10,000.
System: Host, care to try a spin?
Rong Ziyin nodded: Spin!
The wheel spun rapidly, and simultaneously, a mysterious golden light erupted as it rotated.
System: ??? SSR (Super Special Rare)?
Rong Ziyin instinctively held his breath, awaiting the final result.
Seconds later, a familiar gate materialized within Rong Ziyin’s mind. This time, instead of a microphone-wielding wink, it featured an image of someone wearing headphones, mouth agape in a profanity-laced rant. Clearly, they were cursing up a storm.
Rong Ziyin tapped the item details. It clearly stated: SSR: Skill, [Warm Greetings from the Players of Zu an].*groups skilled in online abuse and insults.
Note trivia :
Yanjing, an old name for Beijing / capital of Yan at different periods
Bo ai: to show love and compassion toward all humankind