They headed to the ER, where the hallway was packed with students.
It was disruptive, but even the doctors remained silent. The hospital and their university were closely connected, after all.
Many of the doctors had graduated from that university. Even some of the directors were lecturers there.
A lecturer falling ill—especially the Head of Faculty—naturally received special treatment.
Liam saw Professor John lying on a hospital bed, three tubes connected to his body.
The old man was still conscious, but there was clearly something critical beneath the surface.
It was said that his blood sugar had spiked dangerously, requiring a continuous insulin supply.
The root cause was a tumor affecting his body's insulin production.
That tumor had to be removed.
Its location was likely too difficult for the doctors here, which was why he needed to be transferred elsewhere.
"Professor, these are students from Class B. They came to visit you and brought a gift," Anna Diaz said as she approached the old man's bedside.
He tried to nod slightly.
Vivian stepped forward with the gift.
"Professor, we bought you a virtual headset. Once you recover, you can use it for work. You can even use it during surgery to distract yourself," she said politely, placing the box beside him before it was moved by his son, who already looked almost as old as him.
The professor only nodded again, perhaps speaking was too difficult.
"Professor, we hope your surgery goes well. We look forward to your return," Vivian continued, speaking on behalf of everyone.
If everyone spoke, it would only create noise.
"Let's go!" Anna Diaz waved her hand, urging the students to leave as doctors and nurses arrived to move Professor John.
They pushed his bed forward, one doctor constantly monitoring his condition.
All the students followed until he was placed into an ambulance.
Only his family followed after that. The lecturers and students remained behind.
And then, unexpectedly, Liam became the center of attention.
At first, it was because students from other classes praised their class for giving such an expensive gift. When they learned that Liam had contributed half of it—1,500 dollars—it immediately stood out.
That was nearly half of an average worker's monthly income.
Even the lecturers became curious about him.
"Liam, can you be honest? How much profit have you made?" Vivian suddenly asked.
"What kind of question is that? Don't you know someone's money is private? Do you think you're from the tax office?" Jack snapped, defending Liam.
He was clearly annoyed, even though Vivian was attractive.
Her behavior was too inappropriate.
"I was just asking… why are you the one getting angry? I wasn't asking you," she rolled her eyes, acting as if she were being wronged.
"Hmph, you should realize you're being rude," Jack scoffed.
"Liam, let's just take a taxi," he added.
Liam nodded, saying nothing.
The attention on him had become too much. He needed to step away.
There were plenty of taxis around the hospital, and they were soon back at the university.
"Liam, Vivian is definitely jealous of you… she's not happy about your success," Jack said.
"Some people are like that. I'll just pretend not to care," Liam replied calmly.
When someone becomes successful, some acquaintances draw closer—but others, realizing they gain nothing, choose the opposite.
They attack, hoping to see him fall back to where he started.
"Yeah, just ignore her. Honestly, she probably wants to sleep with you but is too scared to say it," Jack chuckled.
"I'm not interested in her. She's too similar to the women standing on the roadside," Liam replied.
"Hahaha, I heard that too."
Liam only smiled.
Because in truth, he had seen it himself.
"That aside, if you're interested, I could pay her for you," Liam added.
"Bullshit… not her. She's too skinny. I prefer women with a bit more flesh," Jack muttered.
He was clearly referring to someone like Luna.
"Girls like that are too expensive. I can't afford them," Liam replied.
"Come on, Liam, help me out…" Jack grabbed his hand. "There are a few girls in the basketball club I want."
"They don't sell themselves."
"There's always one or two. They'll accept if the price is right."
"No. That only applies to Vivian. Don't tell me you're not even a little interested in her body?"
"Yeah… I actually tried offering her before, but she said you can't sleep with beautiful women if you're not handsome. That bitch… she really picks her customers. But I don't believe she'd refuse if offered the latest iPhone."
"…"
---
Liam then drove toward the gym, stopping first near the entrance of Linda's complex.
It didn't take long before she appeared.
She wore sports shoes, a white sports skirt, long black stockings, and a long-sleeved athletic top.
Even her palms were covered with gloves.
Along the road, many young men whistled at her, but she pretended not to hear.
When she saw Liam in the car, she smiled and hurried over.
"Thanks for waiting, brother," she said softly.
"Get in," Liam replied.
Linda got into the front passenger seat beside him.
She fastened her seatbelt slowly, carefully observing the car's dashboard.
"Bro, can I take some photos?" she asked once the car started moving.
Liam already knew what she was thinking.
"Yeah, but take them yourself—and don't let me appear in your photos."
"Thank you!"
She looked delighted, taking out her phone from her small bag and immediately starting to take selfies.