They were helped by two railway police officers when they got off the train.
Shen Zizhen felt embarrassed and wanted to refuse, but the elder comrade Zhang Jianguo said solemnly:
"Teacher Shen, please don't be polite. This is students and their families helping their teacher!"
The solemn tone made a few people stunned at first, unable to recall when they had gained the title of teacher and student.
Only later did they remember that this was what Shen Zizhen had said to Officer Zhou earlier.
They didn't expect that this guy would actually say it to Officer Zhang like that.
"Then we won't be polite!" Shen Zizhen said, his lips curving slightly.
To their surprise, after the two railway police officers helped them unload their luggage, they led them to a police car.
"Teacher Shen, hello, we are here to pick you up."
The person who came was a police officer in his fifties. Seeing Officer Zhou and Old Zhang bringing Shen Zizhen and the others over, he immediately gave a standard salute.
Shen Zizhen was very confused as to why a police car was picking them up. If others saw it, they might think he had committed a crime.
Old Zhang immediately approached Shen Zizhen and said, "Teacher Shen, this is a special arrangement to pick you up. The thief who was caught earlier has already been sent to the capital overnight when the train stopped at the second station."
The words were not clearly spoken, but Shen Zizhen understood. It seemed that after they arrived in the capital, some issues had been discovered.
Therefore, someone had been specially arranged to protect him.
However, Shen Zizhen felt that this was completely unnecessary.
He was just a farmer. Could he rely on others for protection from now on?
Su Sangong also understood, and his face turned pale.
When catching the thief, he really hadn't thought much about it.
But who knew there were more terrifying things behind it.
Thinking that his teacher had been in such danger all along, Su Sangong felt unwell.
Fortunately, they returned safely. Once they reached the capital, there should be no danger, right?
"Teacher, you get in the car first!" Su Sangong was a student, but his tone at this moment was undeniable.
He knew his teacher's personality quite well, and he could only agree before his teacher could refuse.
Shen Zizhen looked at Su Sangong, then at Su Xiaotian, and finally got into the car.
"In my life, I've never ridden in a police car!" Shen Zizhen couldn't help but say jokingly.
"Uncle Shen, let's go home first. You must be tired after traveling. I need to go to school for my exams."
Shen Zizhen understood the meaning behind these words, which was to ask him to stay at home as much as possible for the next few days.
But he had been away for such a long time, and there was a lot of work waiting for him in the laboratory.
"Teacher, I'll keep an eye on the laboratory first. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll come to your house," Su Sangong immediately echoed Su Xiaotian's sentiment.
Shen Zizhen's words were repeatedly cut off by his students, and he couldn't say a word of complaint. He felt so frustrated!
But in the end, both children were doing it for his own good, so he could only accept it.
Su Xiaotian went directly to school without even returning home.
As expected, she had only missed one day of exams, and she managed to catch up with the remaining ones.
Su Xiaotian, who had been taking exams for three consecutive days, felt dizzy and exhausted.
In fact, it wasn't just Su Xiaotian who felt dizzy and exhausted; the other classmates also looked tired.
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "To celebrate the completion of our exams, shall I treat everyone to a meal at Yiming Pavilion?"
However, everyone just glanced at her and didn't jump up happily as they usually did.
Su Xiaotian looked at the group of girls in confusion. What was going on? Why wasn't anyone agreeing?
Had the food at Yiming Pavilion become unpalatable, or had she become estranged from her classmates after being away for so long?
"Xiaotian, have you heard that Senior Chi has taken a leave of absence?" Zhao Hongmei couldn't help but ask.
Su Xiaotian didn't know that the day before her return, Chi Yiyuan had already boarded a plane to Germany.
When she heard Zhao Hongmei's words, she even thought Zhao Hongmei was lying to her.
"Hongmei, don't lie to me. How could Brother Yiyuan take a leave of absence?"
Although she said this, Su Xiaotian's expression had already changed significantly.
She was more worried.
Could something have happened to Brother Yiyuan that forced him to take a leave of absence?
Could it be that Brother Yiyuan was injured?
Or was it something with Grandpa Chi, and Brother Yiyuan had to take a leave of absence to take care of him?
That shouldn't be the case. Brother Yiyuan should have been smooth sailing and not encountered any problems.
Grandpa Chi was also in good health, eating and drinking every day, so there shouldn't be any problems with his health.
Her mind raced like ten thousand horses galloping, and she became completely flustered.
But Su Xiaotian still comforted herself, it was just a leave of absence, not dropping out, which was good.
"Xiaotian, you really don't know?" Zhao Hongmei clearly hadn't expected that Su Xiaotian didn't know about Chi Yiyuan taking a leave of absence.
She had thought that Su Xiaotian knew and didn't care much, and if she had known, she wouldn't have said it at this time.
But now that the words were out, it was too late to regret it.
"Hongmei, what exactly happened? Do you know?"
Swallowing the bitterness, Su Xiaotian said, "I just returned from the south and came directly to school. I haven't had time to go home yet."
No wonder Brother Yiyuan hadn't appeared in her life for the past two days. She thought he was too busy with exams to come.
Now she knew that Brother Yiyuan was no longer at school.
"I heard he went abroad. Xiaotian, didn't Senior Chi tell you before that he was going abroad to study?"
No, of course not.
Su Xiaotian knew very well how much Brother Yiyuan disliked foreign countries.
But now, someone who disliked foreign countries so much had gone abroad, and Su Xiaotian found it unbelievable.
She could only shake her head slightly.
When did Brother Yiyuan decide to go abroad? Why didn't he tell her?
Or was the decision made too hastily, and he didn't have time to tell her?
For a moment, Su Xiaotian silently shed two lines of tears.
The crystal tears slid down from her beautiful big eyes, making Zhao Hongmei, Chu Yue, and the others feel heartbroken.
But at this moment, any further comfort seemed meaningless.
They were not Su Xiaotian, and no amount of comfort could make them empathize, just like scratching an itch through a boot.