schlechte Samen

Kapitel 23

Wang Danyang's team successfully advanced to the finals, a match He Jihong also participated in—but ultimately they were outmatched and lost to the 1996 Clinical Medicine Department women's team. However, second place was still a good result. On the day of the celebration banquet, Jiang Boyu promised Wang Danyang he would attend but then secretly slipped away—only to be scolded by a drunken Shen Wei when he returned to the dormitory!

Shen Wei slurred, "Old...Old Chiang, you...you're not human! Wang Danyang was so...so good to you, and you still avoided others! Wang Danyang drank...drank so much wine, and cried..."

Listening to Shen Wei's incessant rant, Jiang Boyu remained silent, but a thought stirred within him—perhaps he should treat her better in the future! According to Master Huiming's words, he would certainly not leave this world like most people. Therefore, it was only right that he make more people happy in his remaining time—including Wang Danyang was certainly possible! Besides, she wasn't exactly an "ugly" girl!

Indeed, everyone needs a motive to do something; they need a reason first. This is also true of Jiang Boyu's change in attitude towards Wang Danyang. Since leaving the celebration banquet, Jiang Boyu has become less cold towards Wang Danyang.

Shen Wei once yelled at Wang Danyang, "Senior sister, I think you're about to pull that stubborn ox's nose under your thumb. I guess Miss He has a boyfriend, and he's given up on her." Wang Danyang rolled her eyes at him and said, "Are you saying I'm a worthless stock that nobody wants? He only came to me because he couldn't get a good one? Humph!" Shen Wei quickly apologized, saying, "Even good stocks get delisted. You're definitely a potential stock in guys' eyes. As long as Lao Jiang holds on to you—hehe, he's sure to appreciate and cash out." This infuriated Wang Danyang, who cursed that no man was any good.

Just before Christmas, Jiang Boyu finally confirmed his relationship with Wang Danyang—but Jiang Boyu couldn't figure out if what they had was love! Even though he had agreed to be her boyfriend.

Students on campus never miss a chance to relax or enjoy romance—from Valentine's Day in February and April Fool's Day in April to Mother's Day in May and Christmas in December—and even Halloween, which involves making jack-o'-lanterns to scare people.

The truth is that on Christmas Eve, Wang Danyang invited Jiang Boyu to the same place near the Second Ring Road where they had eaten boiled fish last time. But this time, Wang Danyang ordered a bottle of Great Wall dry red wine.

Having gone through so much together, the two had more to say at the dinner table. They reminisced about everyone on the women's soccer team and marveled at how quickly time had flown by—another semester was drawing to a close! Jiang Boyu was much more proactive this time than before; he toasted Wang Danyang, thanking her for her past help!

The festive atmosphere of Christmas Eve, along with the romance created by red wine and candlelight, made them feel incredibly happy and warm.

There was only one thing Jiang Boyu didn't mention at all—that He Jihong had asked her uncle to intercede on his behalf—but that was a secret between him and He Jihong. He believed that He Jihong's low-key and unassuming manner was because she definitely didn't want others to know.

But Wang Danyang's 12,000 yuan also saved him from being sent to prison!

So, thinking about this, he felt that broadening his mind and letting others be happy because of his existence was also a kind of kindness. So when Wang Danyang, slightly drunk and with a blush on her face, asked him with a smile, "Boyu, do you know why I'm so good to you?" Jiang Boyu smiled faintly and said, "I appreciate your kindness. I understand! Thank you sincerely for your help last time!"

Wang Danyang paused for a moment, seemingly a little embarrassed. But she pressed on, saying, "Boyu, I don't want you to repay my kindness or anything like that. I just want you to treat me well from now on." Wang Danyang smiled, but something seemed to be hidden in her smile.

"I will, don't worry." Jiang Boyu slowly swirled his wine glass. His voice was low, but clear and firm. Actually, he had also noticed the change in Wang Danyang's expression and that insincere smile. This made him somewhat displeased; this girl was never as open and honest as He Jihong, always seeming to have too many schemes.

"I really want someone to love and care for me, someone like my brother as a friend. Would you... would you like that?" Wang Danyang's voice was a little coquettish, her eyes radiating excitement and anticipation.

Jiang Boyu was silent for a moment, then nodded. Wang Danyang handed him a wine glass. "Cheers! To our bright future!"

On their way back, they didn't take the bus, but walked side-by-side on the sidewalk. After some time, Wang Danyang hooked her finger around Jiang Boyu's hand. Jiang Boyu didn't reject the suggestion; he turned his palm over and took hers. In that instant, he suddenly thought of Master Huiming and his junior sister Huiyue, of the heart relic Huiyue had left behind, and wondered to whom he would give his own heart. According to the fortune slip—this holding hands now foreshadowed a future separation—but as long as Wang Danyang was happy, he was willing to comply!

Some things are just coincidences. They had just walked hand-in-hand to the bus stop near the school when Jiang Boyu, standing on the platform, saw He Jihong—carrying a bag, she was chatting and laughing with Lei Ming as they hurried into the school gate. Wang Danyang seemed pleased with this scene, turning to Jiang Boyu and saying, "Look, true love prevails in the end, how happy!" Jiang Boyu didn't know if she was talking about He Jihong or herself, perhaps both!

In fact, He Jihong turned her head unintentionally, but Jiang Boyu didn't know if she saw it—he was already with Wang Danyang! He wanted her to see it—not his happiness, but his despair and the peace that followed.

That day, Jiang Boyu escorted Wang Danyang all the way to the girls' dormitory. As Wang Danyang skipped and hopped upstairs, Jiang Boyu walked back, thinking: All the love of his life had been completely buried tonight! He only hoped that everyone he had ever loved, and everyone who had ever loved him, could be happier than him—at least, before he died!

Another lesson in physiology from an old maid.

Yan Hao and his classmates were almost driven crazy by this course—besides the fact that the class always ran overtime, required taking notes instead of marking in the book, took attendance before class and deducted points for being late or absent, recently each student was made to pay for a physiology workbook for ten yuan—the old maid hinted that at least thirty points of the questions would definitely come from this workbook—at that time, some indignant students said that the old maid was engaging in 'educational corruption' and that they would write an anonymous letter to the principal to punish her wickedness.

Yan Hao felt like he was back in high school when he took the old maid's class. Not only did he have to pay attention in class and take notes quickly, but he also had to diligently work through the exercise book during evening self-study.

The school bell rang, and once again, it was Teacher Xia Tian alone who walked in. This was the second time Teacher Xia Tian had taught them.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Some students even clapped quietly under their desks.

Unlike Director Lan of the Anatomy Department, the old maid has extraordinary energy and enthusiasm for teaching—she takes on more than 50% of the main teaching content by herself—but since she is single, she has plenty of time, and besides, she can receive a considerable amount of teaching hour allowance at the end of the year.

This summer, the teacher explained that Professor Luo was ill, so she was filling in for him.

"NERVOUS SYSTEM," Teacher Xia wrote on the blackboard, orally translating: "This lesson's topic is the nervous system."

Yan Hao was startled, recalling the several hypnosis sessions he had with Zhou Yifeng.

So he listened with extra care in that class. But he also felt that modern medical research was superficial and laughable. When the teacher was explaining the general functions of neurons and glial cells in the first section, he was already pondering: if the excitation and action potentials transmitted along nerve fibers can be called nerve impulses or so-called thoughts, then what's the difference between humans and computers? Computers transmit information by connecting and disconnecting integrated circuits. Connection is 1, disconnection is 0, so a program can always be written as various permutations and combinations of 1s and 0s. Could human thought be the same?

As he pondered, his mind drifted away. A look of confusion crossed his face. Then his mind went completely blank.

Teacher Xia had clearly noticed the student's unusual behavior. His expression was different from the rest of the class—cold and distracted. Ironically, Teacher Xia had a very strong impression of Yan Hao—he had once sought her help with a question, had made a fool of himself by answering a question in class, and it was she who later discovered that this student had the rare Rh-negative blood type!

However, Teacher Xia didn't remember his name—that was a requirement for counselors! For university professors, they basically have no further contact with students after class.

Summer, a teacher who had just graduated and stayed on at the university, still had the air of a student. She was always angry with students who didn't pay attention in class—it was disrespectful to the teacher's work! Although some teachers never cared whether students listened to the lectures or not—they only cared about whether the teaching allowance was paid on time and whether the failure rate was kept within the school's requirements.

Teacher Xia stopped lecturing. Raising her eyebrows and hand, she pointed at Yan Hao without any politeness and told him to stand up.

Yan Hao seemed not to hear. Li Yuanbin, who was sitting next to him, had to nudge him before he slowly stood up.

Summer noticed his expression was dazed. He seemed half-asleep, or perhaps deep in thought. Outside the window, the sun shone brightly on Yan Hao's pale face. Some shadowy figures, like those of trees, seemed to float across his face.

"Please answer this question: Approximately how many neurons are there in the human central nervous system?"

“One, one… there’s only one… in my nervous system…” Yan Hao muttered to himself.

Li Yuanbin chuckled, and then a gloating commotion broke out in the classroom.

Summer was so angry that her delicate eyebrows almost stood on end. She had never seen such a brazen student in all her years of teaching—not only refusing to listen attentively but also deliberately causing trouble! And what's more, she was even putting on airs in English!

"You! Come to my office after class! Sit down!" Teacher Xia tried her best to control her anger; she didn't want this to affect her teaching later.

Yan Hao slowly sat down! Suddenly, Xia Tian's heart skipped a beat. His face looked so much like someone else's—she stared at him more closely, but the illusion she had just had was gone!

Teacher Xia quickly composed herself, signaled everyone to quiet down, and continued the lesson.

Yan Hao shuddered violently after sitting down. Coming to his senses, he quickly grabbed Li Yuanbin's notebook and began frantically copying.

He had no idea that Teacher Xia had asked him a question and told him to go to her office after class. Even after the first class ended, when he saw Li Yuanbin mimicking his expression and words, he was still half-believing!

"Haozi, Haozi, last time you exaggerated the amount of blood in the human body. Damn! This time you're exaggerating the number of nerve cells." Li Yuanbin continued to chatter on after imitating. "The correct answer is 10 to the power of 11. It's okay if you say less, even the simplest brain doesn't only have one neuron."

At that moment, Yan Hao suspected that he might have entered the "self-hypnosis" state that Zhou Yifeng had described. This can occasionally happen when a person is highly focused or when their mind wanders. Apart from that, highly skilled hypnotists can enter a deep self-hypnosis state at any time.

Li Yuanbin also reminded him that Teacher Xia wanted him to go to her office after class—Yan Hao wondered how he was going to explain this to her!

The bell rang for the end of the second period. Teacher Xia did not extend the class, but she gave Yan Hao a deep look as she left the classroom—Yan Hao saw it too, and he thought it was Xia reminding him not to forget to go to her office.

Xia Tian herself didn't understand why she impulsively suggested that Yan Hao go to her office—she also felt she had been too meddlesome. Perhaps it was due to a lack of teaching experience! She still treated these first-year university students like middle school students.

Yan Hao arrived a few minutes after Xia Tian returned to the office. At this moment, Yan Hao's expression was completely different from when he answered the question earlier; he looked like a very energetic young man.

"Do you have a problem with my teaching? Or do you not understand or don't like this course?" Xia Tian asked bluntly after instructing Yan Hao to sit down.

Yan Hao scratched his head sheepishly. "No, Teacher Xia. It's just... I've been feeling a bit unwell these past few days because of some things." He stammered.

"What is it? Is it more important than your class? Do you know that the chapter on the nervous system is very important and difficult to master?" Xia Tian said seriously, raising his voice.

"It's precisely because it's so important and so difficult to master that I..."

"You're the one who's daydreaming?" Xia Tian retorted irritably.

Yan Hao hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, please don't misunderstand. What I mean is, I've been receiving some treatment from Teacher Zhou Yifeng lately, which might have affected my thinking a bit." Yan Hao racked his brains to come up with a sentence, trying to figure out how to make Xia Tian believe him.

"Zhou Yifeng? Professor Zhou who teaches medical psychology?"

Yan Hao nodded. He had been keeping his head down the whole time. Now, he secretly raised his head and glanced at Teacher Xia, who was sitting diagonally at the desk. Then, his eyes inadvertently fell on the glass plate on the desk—underneath it was a five-inch color photograph! The photograph was a bit yellowed and not very clear—it was probably taken with an ordinary point-and-shoot camera—but you could tell that it was a boy standing with his hands on his hips in front of a soccer goal!

Yan Hao's heart started pounding. He leaned forward, his eyes wide with disbelief—he felt like he'd seen the person in the photo somewhere before, but they were completely unfamiliar! And based on his sense of the surrounding scenery in the photo, he was certain it was the football field of his medical university!

This feeling, both strange and familiar, made Yan Hao feel uneasy! His thoughts were in chaos, and his hands and feet felt ice-cold!

Teacher Xia Tian felt the same way—when she saw Yan Hao's expression change, the illusion she had experienced in class for a moment returned.

"What kind of treatment are you getting from Teacher Zhou?" she asked, continuing from where she left off. Her voice was somewhat agitated.

"Hypnosis! I haven't been feeling well lately!" Yan Hao lowered his head.

Then the two of them fell silent, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

"Teacher Xia, may I... ask who the person in that photo under the glass is?" Yan Hao knew it was very impolite, but his curiosity made him bite the bullet and ask—this whole series of events was inexplicably connected to Teacher Xia. First, Teacher Xia's face appeared in the blood, then he saw her outside the anatomy classroom, and then he discovered this strange photo today!

“It’s… a friend of mine! Also an alumnus!” Teacher Xia said. “What? You know him?”

Yan Hao shook his head. "Is he a student at our school?"

"Yes, he used to be. But he's dead!" Summer's tone became somewhat sorrowful.

"Huh?" Yan Hao's mouth was half open, his face filled with astonishment. His face suddenly turned pale, and he straightened up abruptly.

Summer looked at him strangely. "Oh, I've never asked you your name before."

“I… Yan Hao.”

Xia Tian nodded. "Alright, since it's because you're not feeling well, I won't pursue it this time. I hope this won't happen again. Physiology is a fundamental medical course, and it's extremely important for you to become a good doctor! A tall building starts from the ground up, so you must take it seriously." Teacher Xia Tian concluded with these words, then waved her hand to signal Yan Hao that he could leave.

Yan Hao didn't know that he wasn't the only one who was troubled. But he could only stand up silently—his eyes still fixed on the photograph under the glass.

Teacher Xia watched Yan Hao reluctantly turn and slowly leave. She thought this student was too strange! Not only did he share the same blood type as that person, but even his gait—how could it be so similar?! Later, Xia thought back, and even Yan Hao's voice sometimes reminded her of him!

So many years have passed, yet she still can't forget him! Teacher Xia lowered her head, gazing at the photograph beneath the glass. The person in the photo was smiling so brightly and happily—alas, the past is like yesterday, and life is but a dream! Xia smoothed a stray strand of hair and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

After leaving Professor Xia's office, Yan Hao went directly to the Department of Medical Psychology.

It was ten o'clock in the morning. The campus was bustling with activity. People were buying breakfast, returning to their dorms, and moving to different classrooms—a truly impressive sight. Yan Hao weaved through the crowd, feeling as if he had fallen into a huge mystery—he thought, if anyone still said that university was the best time of life, he would rather go back to the womb.

The door to the Department of Medical Psychology was locked. Yan Hao stood in the corridor outside for five or six minutes before he saw Zhou Yifeng, wearing a white coat, climb upstairs.

Yan Hao's initiative to come surprised Zhou Yifeng. He was no longer curious about this student, but rather somewhat fearful.

"You, you were looking for me?" Zhou Yifeng leaned on the handrail in the corridor—he was still slightly out of breath after climbing to the fifth floor. His tone sounded strange.

Yan Hao suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Yifeng's shoulder, startling Zhou Yifeng into taking two steps back. "What's wrong?" he asked nervously.

Zhou Yifeng didn't take out his key to open the door; it seemed he was going to stand in the hallway and talk to Yan Hao.

Yan Hao had never mentioned to Zhou Yifeng before that he had seen Teacher Xia's face in the water or found her outside the anatomy classroom. Now he told him everything in one go, including that strange photo!

Zhou Yifeng did know Teacher Xia Tian—she was a 2002 graduate who stayed on at the university! He had taught her class.

Now that Yan Hao said that, memories were activated in Zhou Yifeng's brain like lightning!

This time it was his turn to grab Yan Hao's arm. "I... I understand now! Come on in and let's talk."

The first snow of the winter fell. Overnight, the once gray and dusty campus was transformed into a scene of ice and snow. After getting up in the morning, Yan Hao and his three roommates all leaned on the balcony to watch the snow—Li Yuanbin, who grew up in Guangdong, was seeing snow for the first time in his life and was so excited that he shouted and yelled.

Shen Zihan curled his lip and said, "This is hardly snow, it's just slush. Look at our Northeast, those are the snowflakes in Yanshan that are as big as mats."

Li Yuanbin sniffed and said, "I'd rather die than work in your backyard. At least I should stay at the school like Teacher Xia!" Suddenly, as if remembering something, Li Yuanbin slapped Yan Hao and said, "Haozi, we met Xia Tian's boyfriend yesterday! He's handsome!"

The love lives and scandals of beautiful female teachers are always a hot topic of conversation among male college students. Three heads suddenly swarmed around Li Yuanbin, chattering excitedly. Yan Hao said, "Are you sure? She seems to be single!" Shen Zihan scoffed, "Another thorny rose has vanished!"

Li Yuanbin smiled smugly. "I saw them yesterday in front of the Huayi Wholesale Market when I accompanied Ren Xuefei to buy shoes. They were probably waiting for a bus, and I'm sure the distance between them was less than ten centimeters! The man even patted Teacher Xia's back affectionately at times." He frowned again as he said this. "However, Teacher Xia didn't seem very happy. She seemed a bit awkward! I'm just going by feeling!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Hao felt a sudden jolt in his heart. A wave of nausea rose in his throat. Without a word, he rushed to the bathroom and began to retch—but nothing came out. When he looked up, Yan Hao's face was flushed with discomfort, and his eyes were brimming with tears, stinging and astringent.

He stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a while before he came to his senses. He remembered what Zhou Yifeng had said to him yesterday after pulling him into the office.

“Yan Hao, I understand. This must be related to Xia Tian and her classmate. I know, I know…”

“Yan Hao, your problem is that you are being controlled by your subconscious, or rather, you are in a deep hypnotic state, understand? A conscious hypnotic state.”

"Yan Hao, listen to me. There are many things in this world that we cannot understand. For example, consciousness. Human consciousness is also a kind of matter. What if human consciousness does not only exist by relying on the human body? It can control other consciousnesses or other bodies. Human consciousness can be controlled or be controlled. Human consciousness is a power, a powerful power that we do not yet know!"

Each of these words struck Yan Hao like a thunderbolt. He also recalled what Teacher Xia had told them in class just yesterday.