The Omniscient

Chapter 33: Who Exactly Is He?

Huang Ji spent an entire morning conversing with Professor Lü Qinggong.

Initially, their discussion touched upon the controversial topic of guiding cancer cells positively. However, Huang Ji kept it brief before switching to more standard academic topics. After some initial "unconventional" ideas, the rest of their exchange evolved into a serious academic discussion.

As the conversation delved deeper, Professor Lü nearly forgot that Huang Ji was "just a graduate student." It felt as though he was speaking with a fellow senior professor. Eventually, Lü began sharing the challenges he’d been grappling with in his own research, treating Huang Ji like an equal collaborator.

Over the course of approximately three hours, Huang Ji absorbed all the medical knowledge that Lü Qinggong could offer. Without a doubt, Huang Ji's medical expertise had already surpassed Lü’s, thanks to his solid understanding of traditional Chinese medicine, chemistry, and his unique Information Sense. His comprehension of the human body outclassed almost anyone in the world.

By the latter half of the conversation, their discussions became an exchange between equals. Huang Ji provided insights into all the papers Lü had read and the issues he’d studied. On some topics, their perspectives aligned; on others, Huang Ji presented original viewpoints, reflecting his distinctive thought process.

“Apologies, Professor Lü. My stomach’s been growling, and I’ve got some errands this afternoon…” Huang Ji glanced at the clock—it was already noon—and promptly excused himself.

Only then did Lü Qinggong snap back to reality, staring at Huang Ji with a look of astonishment, as if beholding a priceless gemstone. This wasn’t an unpolished jade; it was a treasure already gleaming with brilliance.

Perhaps Huang Ji wasn’t as well-rounded as Lü in every area of medicine, but within the topics they discussed, Huang Ji’s knowledge and perspectives were on par with, if not superior to, his own.

Huang Ji chuckled. “I’m just playing armchair theorist.”

“Worried about Yang Qizhong? Don’t be. I’ll speak to him. That guy doesn’t care about his students at all. Xiao Hua, join me, and I’ll raise it to 7,000!” Lü’s admiration for talent had truly been stirred.

“I’ll consider it,” Huang Ji replied with a smile.

Seeing Huang Ji’s hesitation, Lü didn’t push further. He nodded and allowed him to leave.

As Lü walked back, he couldn’t stop replaying Huang Ji’s insights in his mind, finding the young man’s thinking increasingly sharp and innovative. Suddenly, Lü realized he’d forgotten to ask for Huang Ji’s phone number.

Not wasting time, he immediately called Professor Yang Qizhong. When Yang answered, Lü went straight to the point: “Old Yang, I want one of your graduate students!”

“Oh? You’re interested in my lot of useless ones?” Yang chuckled.

“That’s because you don’t recognize talent. Just tell me—yes or no?” Lü demanded.

“Sure, I’ll recommend someone to you,” Yang said casually. Graduate students were a dime a dozen to him.

“No, no, no! I don’t need your recommendations. Do you think I’m short on students? I specifically want the one called Hua Xu!” Lü insisted.

Yang was baffled. “Hua Xu? Who’s that?”

“See? You don’t even know your own students. I’m telling you, I want him,” Lü said, exasperated.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Alright, alright. Let me check. I save all my students’ numbers. Give me a second,” Yang said, hanging up to search.

“Fine. Just make sure you send me his number afterward!” Lü reminded him, then hung up.

Feeling quite pleased, Lü hummed a tune as he walked down the corridor. But just then, a young woman came running toward him, drenched in sweat.

“Slow down, slow down. You don’t need to rush back just because of family issues,” Lü said.

“???” The woman, Xiao Qian, was utterly confused.

“Sorry, Professor! On my way here, I got caught up. An old man collapsed and accused me of pushing him. He even grabbed my phone…” Xiao Qian explained, flustered. ṝ𝘈ΝŐ₿Ɛ𝐒

Lü froze. This didn’t match what Hua Xu had told him at all. Still, it didn’t seem significant.

“It’s fine. The meeting’s over. That student you sent as a stand-in did a great job. He’s your junior, right? You should learn from him,” Lü said. “By the way, do you have his number?”

“Stand-in? Junior? What student?” Xiao Qian was thoroughly puzzled.

“Hua Xu! Didn’t you ask him to cover for you?” Lü frowned.

“I… huh? Professor, what are you talking about?” Xiao Qian was utterly lost.

Lü’s expression darkened. “You’re telling me you don’t know Hua Xu? Weren’t you the one who arranged for him to step in when you couldn’t make it?”

“I really don’t know him! My phone was taken, and I couldn’t contact anyone…” Xiao Qian stammered.

“What did you just say?” Lü was shocked.

“I didn’t arrange anyone! I don’t know anyone named Hua Xu!” Xiao Qian admitted.

“You youngsters had better not be playing games with me! Explain clearly! If you didn’t come today, then who was that graduate student who covered for you and even helped during the meeting?” Lü demanded, growing increasingly agitated.

Seeing how serious Lü was, Xiao Qian panicked but maintained her innocence. “I really have no idea, Professor!”

Lü stood there, utterly dumbfounded. Just then, Yang Qizhong called back. Lü answered immediately, only to hear Yang say, “Old Lü, that Hua Xu isn’t one of my students.”

“Are you sure? Don’t lie to me!” Lü was desperate.

“Why would I lie? I don’t even have a student with the surname Hua,” Yang replied.

“Impossible! Do you have his phone number?” Lü pressed.

“Hey, I already told you I don’t know him. Where would I get his number? Are you okay, Old Lü? You’re not making sense!” Yang said.

“How could this be? How could this happen?” Lü muttered, stunned.

The man he had spoken to all morning—brilliant, knowledgeable, insightful, and considerate—wasn’t even a real student. Lü had already envisioned mentoring Hua Xu as his most prized protégé. But now, this ideal student had seemingly vanished into thin air.

“I must be losing it… But how could this happen?” Lü murmured, completely at a loss.

In desperation, he called the other senior physicians who had attended the meeting. They all confirmed that the person he described had indeed been there, proving this wasn’t a dream.

“Ah, I should’ve kept Hua Xu here!” Lü lamented, holding his head in frustration.

Even realizing Hua Xu had used false pretenses to sneak in didn’t bother him. After all, what harm had he done? It was merely a ruse to engage in academic discussion. What kind of deception was that?

“He’s probably from Fudan University. Quickly, help me find out whose student he is!” Lü ordered.

Xiao Qian hesitated and asked, “What does he look like?”

Lü was momentarily stumped. How could he describe him? He could only say he’d recognize him when he saw him.

Xiao Qian, grasping the situation, suggested, “If he snuck in, the elevator or corridor cameras should have caught him, right?”

“Check! Take me to check the surveillance footage now!” Lü exclaimed, brimming with urgency.

The two hurried to the security office, where a team of staff promptly began reviewing the footage.

No matter how hard they searched, there was no trace of Huang Ji in the surveillance footage for that time frame. He had clearly avoided all the cameras.

“How is this possible?” Lü Qinggong muttered.

“What’s with your surveillance setup? So many blind spots!” he complained, rummaging through the footage over and over.

Finally, he spotted "Hua Xu" in the footage from the hospital entrance. However, the person’s face wasn’t visible—Hua Xu had expertly positioned himself at an angle that kept his head down and blended in with the crowd of patients entering or leaving the hospital. The only thing Lü recognized was the distinct clothing Huang Ji had been wearing earlier.

“Why? Why would he avoid showing his face?” Lü mused, his confusion deepening.

Refusing to give up, Lü went to the university to investigate further, only to discover that no one named Hua Xu was enrolled there.

“This is bizarre. Who is he, really?” Lü wondered aloud, utterly baffled.

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