Before Jing Ke could finish his sentence, An Shujia jumped to her feet and blurted out, "Oh no!"

Looking at An Shujia with slight surprise, Xiaoyu asked in astonishment, "Miss An, what are you doing?"

Realizing her lapse in composure, An Shujia hurriedly explained, "What I meant was, Mr. Jin, oh no, Mr. Jing Ke, although I understand you've lived a very painful life, leaving is already a precious relief for you, and you've accepted it willingly..."

"But, but, but from any perspective, life is truly, truly, truly precious, and you can't give it up so easily..."

"This is a loss that is too difficult for the people who care about you to accept."

As everyone's gaze grew increasingly intense, An Shujia's face became more and more embarrassed, and her voice grew softer and softer, "You, you, all of you, don't look at me like that. I wasn't talking about myself, and I didn't mean anything else..."

"I just think Mr. Jin Ke is such a good person, it's such a pity..."

Like an elder who has experienced the vicissitudes of time speaking gently to a young person, Jing Ke looked at An Shujia with tenderness and said in a soothing tone, "Miss An, I understand that you are not talking about yourself, and I know what you mean."

"I understand."

Instantly soothed by that reassuring voice, An Shujia bit her lip and looked up at Jing Ke expectantly: "Mr. Jing Ke..."

"But..." Jing Ke's expression was calm and kind like that of an elder, and his tone was gentle and tolerant: "But you are still too young. There are too many things you haven't experienced and don't quite understand. You might make impulsive decisions when you're blinded by momentary confusion..."

"As someone who is much, much older than you, I cannot and therefore cannot irrationally obey you."

"Your perfect match is yet to come. Live your life well and wait patiently, and he will appear naturally."

Seeing that Jing Ke had seen through her thoughts, An Shujia's face turned pale: "Mr. Jing Ke..."

As if a huge burden had finally been lifted, Jing Ke felt a sense of ease he had never experienced in thousands of years. After giving An Shujia a gentle smile once more, he stretched lazily.

"The weather is so nice today..."

Everyone: ...

Looking out the window at the dense clouds and howling winds that seemed to herald an impending autumn rain, an eerie silence fell over the room.

Ignoring the awkward silence, Jing Ke turned his head with a relaxed expression and looked at Yu Ningning, saying in a slightly playful tone, "If I remember correctly, during the time I was still unconscious, I seem to have made a lot of money for the Dean?"

"With the thought of leaving soon looming, I want to enjoy myself to the fullest."

"As a celebratory gift for my awakening, the Dean will surely foot the bill for me, right?"

Seeing that this guy was even joking with her, Yu Ningning smiled and turned the tables on him: "...Mr. Jing Ke, since you still have memories of that time when you were not in a conscious state, you should also remember that besides making some money for me, you still owe me some unfinished labor contracts, right?"

Jing Ke: ...

Shocked by Yu Ningning's capitalist attitude, Jing Ke widened his eyes in disbelief and said, "I'm about to leave, and you still want me to work for you, Dean?"