21st Century Necromancer

After sending out the invitations, Chen Yu had intended to leave, but upon seeing Kube Rokuro sitting to the side, looking somewhat timid, he called out to him, signaling him to come outside.

Following Chen Yu out to the corridor, Kube Rokuro looked at him with some restraint, not daring to meet his eyes, "Brother Yu, did you want to see me?"

"Yes, I have something to tell you that's not suitable for your colleagues to overhear." Chen Yu nodded slightly and then asked Rokuro, "How are your preparations for the medical licensing exam going?"

Upon hearing that Chen Yu was asking about this, Kube Rokuro felt a bit more at ease and hurriedly replied, "I'm currently preparing, going through old textbooks and review materials. Qingdai is also helping me prepare; at least now I'm more confident than I was before."

"Being confident is good. Keep it up! I've mentioned this to the professor, and he is very relieved that you've decided to prepare for the exam again." Chen Yu patted Kube Rokuro on the shoulder, encouraging him, "And listen to Doctor Qingdai's advice. Although I don't like her way of doing things, if you want to improve, heeding her advice won't do you wrong."

Encouraged by Chen Yu, Kube Rokuro's face brightened noticeably, but upon hearing Chen Yu mention Qingdai, he still felt somewhat uneasy as he asked, "Brother Yu, do you not like Qingdai?"

"Yes, I don't like her. Take it literally." Chen Yu nodded and did not deny it, "Due to some issues, she once tried to sabotage my relationship with Hiromi, of course without success. But because of that incident, I have a poor impression of her, as I think she is too purpose-driven and too scheming."

Chen Yu did not hold back his aversion for Qingdai just because Kube Rokuro was dating her, or rather, even without her past actions, Chen Yu would not like someone as utilitarian as her.

However, dislike as he might, Chen Yu would not go out of his way to target her, after all, his dislike of Qingdai had not reached the point of hatred.

"Too scheming?" Kube Rokuro did not quite understand Chen Yu's evaluation of Qingdai, as in his eyes, Qingdai was a good woman who also considered his interests greatly.

Seeing Kube Rokuro's puzzled look, Chen Yu smiled, "As for that, you just need to know that her wanting you to progress, hoping you'll pass the medical licensing exam, all have her own motives behind them. She won't harm you, but she has her own selfishness. Rokuro, you're too naive and lack confidence, so listening to her more can help you avoid many of your character flaws."

After speaking, Chen Yu smiled at Kube Rokuro and left UDI, leaving Rokuro alone in the corridor, reflecting on the words Chen Yu had said with a bewildered look.

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"Mr. Kube, why have you thought to invite me to dinner today? Don't you still have studying to do?" Qingdai, looking at Kube Rokuro who had suddenly invited her out, asked him with a smile.

Although she deliberately asked this, she could tell that Kube Rokuro likely had something he wanted to tell her, and these things were causing him confusion.

Given the extent of her influence on Rokuro, he should not have found himself in such a state of confusion, which could only mean that someone or something else had affected him.

Sure enough, after taking a sip of beer from the cup beside him, Rokuro adjusted his mood and said to Qingdai, "Brother Yu came to see me today. He and Doctor Jounouchi are going to get married soon, and he came to give me an invitation. But he also talked to me about you."

"Professor Chen Yu talked to you about me?" Qingdai's eyebrows shot up, and a look of surprise spread across her face. This wasn't a deliberate pretense, because the fact that Chen Yu had gone to Rokuro to talk about her truly surprised her.

Rokuro nodded, explaining to Qingdai, "Brother Yu told my father about my plans to retake the medical licensing exam. Brother Yu came to tell me to prepare well, and he also said I should listen to you more. He said you could give me a lot of help and compensate for my personality flaws. However..."

"However?" Qingdai was initially pleased that Chen Yu had spoken well of her to Rokuro, but the word 'however' made her feel nervous again.

"Brother Yu said you're too utilitarian in your actions, driven by strong intentions, which he doesn't like. And..." Rokuro hesitated briefly before voicing the doubt within him to Qingdai, "Brother Yu said you've damaged his relationship with Doctor Jounouchi. What's that about? Can you tell me?"

Qingdai's complexion changed several times when Rokuro brought up this matter, but after much hesitation, she still told him the truth, "If your father is Professor Kube, then you must have heard of the Tashiro Family, haven't you?"

"The Tashiro Family? Sorry, I'm not on good terms with my father, so I never heard him mention it." Rokuro knew Tashiro was Qingdai's surname but was unclear about the significance behind it.

To Rokuro's surprise, Qingdai hadn't expected him to be truly unaware of what the Tashiro Family represented. She had no choice but to explain, "Then you must know about Tashiro Mikisai, right? He was a famous physician in the Warring States Period who led the mainstream of Japanese medicine for nearly two hundred years and is also my ancestor. The Tashiro Family held sway over the Japanese medical field until the Meiji restoration and the rise of Western learning. Although we have lost our former status, we still wield substantial influence in Japan's medical circles."

"What does that have to do with you getting involved between Brother Yu and Doctor Jounouchi? Or is it that you like Brother Yu?" Rokuro obviously misunderstood.

"I don't like him, but I was ordered by my family to get close to him," Qingdai said, with a wistful smile on her face, yet she continued to explain to Rokuro, "It wasn't just me—Tashiro Nanao in Professor Chen Yu's lab is my cousin, and she had the same mission as me. The family's goal was to obtain the patent rights to his broad-spectrum anti-cancer drug and to have him marry into the Tashiro Family through me or Nanao."

"Marry into the family?" Rokuro looked at Qingdai in astonishment, never expecting the truth to be this. He felt discomposed.

"Unfortunately, neither I nor Nanao succeeded. Professor Chen Yu's feelings for Professor Jounouchi were something I could not shake," Qingdai shook her head, expressing regret for what she had done but also feeling an ineffable sense of relief, "Later, with the help of Professor Jounouchi, I broke free from my family's constraints, and that's why we're able to sit here and have dinner together now. So don't think too much about it."

Having his thoughts laid bare, Rokuro's face flushed with embarrassment, but his mood improved.