From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Chunliang arrived a bit late and was startled by the scene in front of him. He hadn’t expected Bai Lan to be this popular back in China—this line was way too long, and the six security guards on site were already overwhelmed.

The two hundred sets of books they’d prepared were already gone, so the organizer had urgently transferred in another five hundred. By the time Chunliang showed up, the temporary booth had completely sold out.

But when Chunliang saw those twenty-plus migrant workers in yellow hard hats, he instantly understood: plants! They were all plants!

Strictly speaking, he was the one who started this whole mess. Putting aside Gao Xiaobai, who was hyping things up for free, both Chen Qianfan and Pu Jian were people Chunliang had called over to support the event. He’d asked them to show up, not to bring a whole crowd with them.

Pu Jian was in the line. He waved Chunliang over and had him stand in front of him.

Chunliang tried to walk over, but before he could get close he was blocked by a security guard: "Comrade, please follow public rules."

Pu Jian hurriedly explained that he’d saved the spot for him a long time ago, but the people behind them weren’t happy about it. After all, it wasn’t just their own guys in line; there were plenty of random onlookers too.

Pu Jian had one of the migrant workers give his spot to Chunliang, a straight one-for-one exchange, and only then did the crowd calm down.

Chunliang said, "Why’d you bring so many people?"

Pu Jian said, "Isn’t it all that idiot Old Chen’s doing? He mobilized his whole group’s staff and treated this like some political mission. Think about it: when the boss gives an order, which employee dares say no?"

Chunliang scanned around for Chen Qianfan and saw that guy already at the front, holding a stack of books, grinning like his face was smeared with honey.

Pu Jian said, "How come he looks so cheap today?"

Chunliang said, "There are simps every year, but this year there’s a real bumper crop."

Pu Jian thought to himself, Like you’re not simping—if you weren’t, how’d you rope all of us into this? But that was something he only dared think, not say.

Right then, Gao Xiaobai finished signing, clutching her books as she passed by. She was chatting happily with her classmates and didn’t notice Chunliang waiting in line.

Chunliang called out to her. Only then did Gao Xiaobai see him. She said something to her classmates and walked over with a smile: "Chunliang, why are you so late?"

Chunliang said, "Traffic jam."

Gao Xiaobai greeted Pu Jian as well; they’d met before.

Pu Jian said, "Don’t leave later. I’m buying dinner tonight. I booked hotpot at Jubao Yuan."

Gao Xiaobai said, "I can’t, I already made plans with my classmates."

Pu Jian was very enthusiastic: "Bring your classmates along, I’ll set up a separate table just for you."

Gao Xiaobai looked at Chunliang and asked, "Is Bai Lan going?"

Seeing how much she was looking forward to it, Chunliang nodded. "I’ll invite her over later."

Gao Xiaobai was so happy she almost jumped: "Great, I’ll go tell my classmates. I’ll stay myself, can’t let Brother Pu spend too much."

Watching Gao Xiaobai’s back, Pu Jian lowered his voice and said, "You know, Gao Xiaobai’s pretty good too. I’m really jealous of you—curvy or slim, you’ve got them all covered. No matter where you go, you’re never short of a thing going on."

Chunliang said, "Shut the hell up. Keep talking crap and I’ll sew your mouth shut."

Pu Jian sighed. "Back when you used to watch the moon with her, you called her Little Sweet. Now the new crush beats the old, and you call her Madam Niu."

Chunliang laughed and cursed, "Can you be any more disgusting?"

Chen Qianfan came out hugging a whole stack of books, walking on air. Pu Jian stopped him: "Old Chen, why’s your smile so slutty today?"

Chen Qianfan said, "You don’t know shit. This is called joy. I could go a day without meat, but not a day without books. You don’t understand the feelings of us book lovers."

Chunliang said, "Pretty sure the saying was ’not a day without bamboo.’"

Chen Qianfan burst out laughing. "I’m heading off, then. I still have a meeting at the company later."

Pu Jian said, "You coming to dinner tonight?"

"Probably not. I’ve got a commendation meeting for the staff who came on this trip, and I have to make the rounds at the group dinner tonight too."

Pu Jian looked at Chunliang. "So where are we taking Bai Lan tonight?"

Chen Qianfan’s eyes lit up instantly. "Actually, if I push myself a little, I can probably still make it."

Pu Jian said, "Don’t push yourself. You’re the president of a whole group and still don’t know how to restrain yourself?"

Chen Qianfan pretended he didn’t hear a thing. "Where are you guys going?"

Pu Jian rolled his eyes.

"I’ll pick up the tab!"

"Jubao Yuan. Six thirty tonight."

"I’ll definitely be there!"

Watching Chen Qianfan’s back, Pu Jian said to Xu Chunliang, "See that? That Old Chen is full of dirty tricks too. Anyone who sells aphrodisiac liquor is a perv."

Xu Chunliang said, "Quit trash‑talking people. A bald guy shouldn’t laugh at a monk."

Pu Jian said, "Chunliang, that’s not very brotherly of you. Everyone likes pretty things. We’re still stuck at the beginner level of pure appreciation, but you, my friend, are already swallowing the whole package, skin and all. Put your hand on your conscience and tell me, have your bros even had a sip of the soup?"

Xu Chunliang said, "I’ve honestly never heard that this sort of thing has to be shared."

Pu Jian said, "Brothers are like limbs, women are like clothes. There’s no rule that says once you take it off I can’t wear it. I don’t mind."

Xu Chunliang reminded him it was their turn.

Pu Jian put the two books he’d bought in front of Bai Lan. Bai Lan gave him a polite smile. She understood that this whole lively scene today was brought in by Xu Chunliang. Seeing how warmly Pu Jian and Xu Chunliang were chatting, she knew they were friends and asked what he wanted her to write.

Pu Jian had her write something a bit long—"The Yalu River’s water, vast green waves, flowing without end; the fighting friendship of the Chinese and Korean peoples, evergreen through the ages."

As soon as Bai Lan heard it, she knew that line came from "The Song of Sino–Korean Friendship" and realized Pu Jian was being a bit of a prankster.

She had originally been signing in Chinese, but since Pu Jian was clearly teasing her on purpose, she switched to Hangul letters. Pu Jian stared, totally baffled. He had no idea whether she’d actually written what he’d said; all he knew was he didn’t recognize a single character.

Xu Chunliang put his book in front of Bai Lan. Bai Lan gave him a sweet smile. Pu Jian was still standing to the side watching, thinking, If you tell me these two don’t have something going on, I’ll dig my own eyes out.

Bai Lan said, "Thank you, Mr. Xu, for bringing your friend over to support me."

Xu Chunliang said, "We Chinese have always been warm and enthusiastic toward our friends."

Bai Lan said, "When friends come, we have fine wine for them; when jackals come, we have hunting rifles for them, right?"

Xu Chunliang laughed. This Bai Lan really did know China well.

Bai Lan quickly signed on the flyleaf of the book—"With literary heart, establish Chunliang; how could Chunliang be mere grit and sand."

From this inscription alone, Xu Chunliang felt Bai Lan really had some chops.

After Xu Chunliang finished getting his book signed, he squeezed his way out of the packed bookstore and met up with Pu Jian outside. Pu Jian told him to call Bai Lan and lock down their dinner plans for the evening.

Xu Chunliang sent Bai Lan a text. She replied quickly, saying she was free.

When Pu Jian heard that Bai Lan had agreed, he couldn’t help sighing, "You just can’t argue with facts in this department. No amount of hard work later on can make up for a lack of natural advantages. You should really thank your parents for giving you such a nice face. Beauties see you and it’s like moths to a flame—one after another, all throwing themselves at you. My folks weren’t that kind to me. They left all the flaws to me."

Xu Chunliang said, "Not necessarily. You’ve got pretty decent oral skills."

Pu Jian laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "I know my own strengths. Problem is, a hero’s got nowhere to use them." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Bro, you’ve gotta hold your ground. When she was signing for you, I was watching from the side. That chick was giving you some seriously flirty, seriously seductive eyes."

Xu Chunliang said, "You’re overthinking it."

Pu Jian said, "The onlooker sees things clearly, the one in it is muddled. This chick is no ordinary person. Being pretty would be one thing, but she’s also a talented woman who can write and paint. A woman like that is not easy to handle."

Xu Chunliang said, "You talking this much to me—do you have some ulterior motive?"

Pu Jian said, "What ulterior motive could I have? I’m just giving you a friendly reminder. Also, when you went up for the signing just now, quite a few people were taking photos of you two. If those photos get sent to Mei Ru Xue, won’t your backyard catch fire?"

Xu Chunliang said, "You’re actually thinking this through pretty thoroughly."

Pu Jian said, "You’re a cadre inside the system. What’s perfectly normal behavior for us ordinary folks turns into a capital offense for you guys. I really don’t get you. With your abilities, you could easily carve out a place in the private sector, but instead you insist on mixing in the system, all tied up hand and foot. Doesn’t that suffocate you?"

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "I don’t feel that way at all."

Seeing the time was about right, the two of them went to the nearby Jubao Yuan first. Gao Xiaobai had already arrived and was sitting in the private room reading.

Xu Chunliang went in and greeted her. Gao Xiaobai told him her dad was coming to the capital tomorrow.

You could say Gao Xinhua was Xu Chunliang’s guide back in Changxing, so Xu Chunliang immediately said he’d arrange a meal for Gao Xinhua tomorrow.

Gao Xiaobai said, "I’m not telling you this so you can treat him to dinner. My dad wants you to come to my aunt’s place. My grandpa hasn’t seen you for a while and has been talking about you a lot lately."

Xu Chunliang nodded and said, "Okay then, I’ll come by to pay my respects tomorrow night?"

Gao Xiaobai brought up Qu Chuanfu again. These days Qu Chuanfu had gotten a lot more honest. Whenever he saw her, he would detour around her, and he hadn’t said a word about what happened that night.

As for Qu Chuanfu’s broken hand, Gao Xiaobai suspected eight or nine out of ten that it was Xu Chunliang’s doing. But since Xu Chunliang said nothing and Qu Chuanfu also kept quiet, Gao Xiaobai, after seeing Qu Chuanfu’s true colors, came to despise him. The guy was a textbook beast in human clothing.

There was one thing Gao Xiaobai couldn’t figure out: why hadn’t Xu Chunliang completely exposed Qu Chuanfu’s ugly side and kicked someone like him out of academia?

Xu Chunliang said there was no rush. Qu Chuanfu had done plenty of conscience‑less things. Even if they were going to get rid of him, they had to make him do some damage control first. Lately, Qu Chuanfu’s performance had been decent. Under his pressure, the guy had published quite a few articles defending traditional Chinese medicine, which was basically the same as slapping himself in the face.

Gao Xiaobai thought back to the reminders Xu Chunliang had given her before and couldn’t help admiring his ability to spot problems early. Curious, she asked, "How did you know he wasn’t a good person the first time you saw him?"

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "Onlookers see clearly while those involved are confused." He suddenly recalled what Pu Jian had reminded him of just now. This Bai Lan’s sudden appearance really was a bit suspicious.