Everyone saluted Mr. Wu and sent him away. He Zhixing then said, "So it really is Doctor Qin. Brother Chen said last time that you were his elder brother, and I was a little skeptical. It turns out to be such a coincidence."

"Brother He, what do you mean by that?" Chen Yan'an also came over and said half-jokingly, "Am I the kind of person who likes to brag?"

He Zhixing laughed dryly: "No, of course not."

Qin Zhao asked, "So you two know each other?"

Chen Yanan coughed lightly and said, "We protected each other last time."

He Zhixing touched his nose and said, "The other three all passed, only Brother Chen and I failed."

This was not a very glorious matter, and both of them tacitly agreed not to talk about it any further.

Chen Yanan asked, "By the way, have you found someone to guarantee your safety? We're still short of one more person besides Qin Zhao. Are you coming?"

"It has been found."

He Zhixing pointed at the remaining people called by Mr. Wu and said a little embarrassedly: "I'm with them."

In the crowd, a scholar who had once seen Qin Zhao for treatment said, "We're still short of one more person here. Doctor Qin, why don't you come to our place?"

"That won't do!" Chen Yan'an glared at the man fiercely and said without a doubt, "Brother Qin is already mine. Go find someone else and don't pay attention to my brother Qin."

Qin Zhao: "..."

Chen Yanan chased those people away like a protective child, and Qin Zhao said slowly: "If your sister-in-law hears this, you will never enter Ayi's house again."

"..." Chen Yanan immediately backed off, "I was wrong, brother. Please don't tell my sister-in-law..."

When they first arrived at the house, Chen Yan'an had already introduced two other people who would guarantee each other to Qin Zhao. He had met them in the town before and their character was impeccable.

But, there is only one last thing left...

Qin Zhao was just about to ask him if he had decided on the final person to protect each other, when suddenly a figure blocked their way.

As soon as Chen Yanan saw who it was, his expression immediately turned cold: "It turns out to be Brother Yan. Excuse me."

Yan Xiu's face turned pale. He ignored Chen Yan'an's words and fixed his gaze on Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Yes." Yan Xiu looked away and said stiffly, "I... I just wanted to ask if you are still short of a guarantor."

Qin Zhao was a little surprised, but then he heard Chen Yan'an say, "No more, sorry."

"But I just heard—"

Chen Yan'an raised his eyebrows and said in a long voice, "Oh, so Brother Yan has been eavesdropping on us? What's the matter? Spreading rumors about my brother Qin in the past wasn't enough. Are you planning to take the risk and drag him down in the imperial examination?"

"I didn't—" Yan Xiu's voice stopped abruptly, with a hint of embarrassment on his face.

He was silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind. He said to Qin Zhao, "I was drunk that time and talked nonsense in front of some classmates. I don't know how it got out."

“…I apologize.”

Qin Zhao said calmly, "No need."

He didn't care about these things, and the rumors didn't cause any impact.

Qin Zhao was curious about something else: "Why me?"

Yan Xiu didn't understand: "Huh?"

Qin Zhao said, "As far as I know, students in this town will look for mutual guarantors before coming to the county. Only when there are one or two people missing will they look for people in the county to fill the vacancies. You have a high reputation in this town, so there should be many people who want to guaranty you. Why did you wait until you came to the county to find me?"

"I..." Yan Xiu was a little embarrassed by his question, his ears turned red, "Is it because..."

Qin Zhao: "Or is it because of that poem I wrote?"

"I know why." Yan Xiu was speechless for a long time, but Chen Yan'an said, "Because Brother Yan has only admired the talent of one person in his life, and that was Prince Rong."

Qin Zhao's eyes moved slightly.

Chen Yanan said leisurely, "It's a pity that Prince Rong died so young. Brother Qin, you matched his quatrains. Brother Yan naturally admires you. Am I right?"

Yan Xiu's face flushed crimson, and he yelled, "Yes, yes, so what? What does this have to do with you?"

He said to Qin Zhao, "I know it's difficult for you to trust me in such a short time. I understand your doubts. I... I just want to clarify this matter. As for mutual protection... I'll find someone else!"