The moment those words left her mouth, Jiang Ling wanted to slam her head against the wall.

An image immediately flashed through her mind of a crazed woman clinging to a man’s leg, saying, “You must take responsibility for me!!!”

She shuddered, her body trembling slightly as she waved her hand. “I’m just talking nonsense, joking. It’s because you saved me last time, so I thought I’d treat you to a meal.”

She walked past Xu Zhilin as soon as she finished speaking, and the moment she was out of sight, her face turned red to the base of her neck.

She also missed Xu Zhilin’s expression at that moment. The hint of amusement usually hidden in his eyes vanished completely, equally shocked by her random comment.

Without his usual smile, the man appeared serious. His dark eyes followed the woman’s back and the glimpse of her fair, slender calf.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again, suppressing his earlier emotions and regaining his lazy smile before following Jiang Ling out.

In the end, Xu Zhilin chose the restaurant, ordered the dishes, and skillfully ordered two drinks.

Xu Zhilin rarely drank beverages; he preferred alcohol, though he never drank to the point of drunkenness, always stopping at the right amount. But considering he was with Jiang Ling, he settled for a non-alcoholic drink.

“The fish here is delicious, try it,” Xu Zhilin said.

Jiang Ling nodded.

The environment in this restaurant was quiet, with piano music flowing through the air. Many couples or married pairs came here to dine.

She didn’t speak, keeping her head down as she ate. After a while, she heard Xu Zhilin ask, “What major are you studying at university?”

“…” This was bringing up exactly what she didn’t want to discuss. Jiang Ling looked up. “Chinese language.”

Xu Zhilin paused briefly, without showing an exaggerated reaction, and raised an eyebrow to ask, “Teaching Chinese as a foreign language?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Xu Zhilin cut a piece of meat and asked languidly, “That wasn’t your undergraduate major, was it?”

Since Jiang Ling had studied science in high school, her undergraduate major naturally wasn’t in this field. She made another sound of agreement and said, “I studied finance.”

This time Xu Zhilin raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. “Finance? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“I randomly chose it when applying, and unexpectedly got in,” Jiang Ling shrugged.

Xu Zhilin curled his lips. “That makes sense. Seeing how you used to fall asleep in math class in high school, I didn’t think you’d study a subject related to numbers.”

Jiang Ling rested her chin on her palm while mixing her salad, mumbling listlessly, “I did quite well in math on the college entrance exam.”

“How many points?”

Jiang Ling opened her mouth, then closed it again, clicking her tongue. “Talking about math scores in front of you is just asking to be humiliated.”

Xu Zhilin laughed slightly.

After eating for a while, Jiang Ling excused herself to go to the restroom. After washing her hands, she touched up her lipstick in front of the mirror, then stared at her reflection for a moment.

When she went out, she headed straight to pay the bill, only to be told, “The gentleman with you has already settled the account.”

Jiang Ling walked back to the table. “Wasn’t I supposed to treat you?”

Xu Zhilin looked composed. “How could I let a student treat a teacher? You can treat me back another time.”

The latter half of his statement was nonsense, and Jiang Ling knew it without thinking. She secretly rolled her eyes. “You said earlier that I shouldn’t treat you as a teacher, but now we’re back to teacher-student roles.”

After a pause, she added, “Not respecting your role as a teacher.”

Xu Zhilin was amused and laughed, reaching out to pat Jiang Ling’s head. “That day, I had too much to drink. I haven’t dared to touch alcohol like that since.”

Between the head pat and his following words, Jiang Ling’s entire face turned red from her neck to the tips of her ears.

When Xu Zhilin unlocked the car and looked back at her, he saw the young girl with a flushed face, wisps of hair blown by the wind clinging to her chin. Perhaps from embarrassment, there were beads of sweat on the tip of her small nose.

How thin-skinned she was.

Xu Zhilin thought about the girl from high school who had boldly barged into the men’s changing room, and the woman with the beautiful figure from that night—neither seemed like someone who would be so easily embarrassed.

Halfway through the drive, Xu Zhilin received a phone call.

After hanging up, he checked his watch and asked, “Do you have any urgent matters later?”

“No, no,” Jiang Ling responded considerately. “If you have something to do, you can drop me off at the roadside, and I’ll take a taxi home.”

“If you’re not in a hurry, come with me to my place.”

Jiang Ling: “?”

Xu Zhilin quickly added, “I need to pick up something to deliver to someone. It’s quite urgent. I’ll take you home afterward, okay?”

Jiang Ling nodded, obediently saying, “Okay.”

Xu Zhilin lived in the opposite direction from Jiang Ling’s apartment, across the university town, though the apartment buildings in the area all looked similar. At first glance, Jiang Ling thought they had arrived at her place.

She followed Xu Zhilin upstairs. He was quite at ease, providing her with a pair of slippers and inviting her to make herself comfortable before heading straight into his study.

His room matched his personality: clean and tidy. A vase of dried flowers sat on a table in the corner, probably chosen because they required no maintenance. A stack of certificates and awards filled a bookshelf behind the sofa—not displayed openly like some people might do, but closed and piled neatly on the shelf.

When Xu Zhilin finished organizing what he needed and walked out of the study, he saw the young girl pressing her face hard against the window glass. From the side, her nose tip was visibly squished flat.

“…” Xu Zhilin walked over and tapped the window with his knuckle. “What are you doing?”

“Ah.” Jiang Ling straightened up.

Xu Zhilin glanced outside the window and saw the egg he had previously thrown into a water cup sitting on the windowsill. He raised his hand and opened the window. “Looking at this?”

Jiang Ling peeked out again, bringing the cup inside and tilting her head. “Is this the one I gave you before?”

“Yes.”

Her thin eyebrows furrowed. “Wasn’t it supposed to hatch into a little duckling?”

Xu Zhilin: “Maybe it hasn’t been long enough.”

“When did you start soaking it?”

“Just a few days ago.” The man leaned against the window, speaking with seeming indifference. “I forgot exactly when.”

Jiang Ling lowered her head to look at the egg soaking in the water, made an “Oh” sound, and unconsciously curled her fingers before gently placing the cup back on the windowsill.

Back in the car again.

Xu Zhilin drove to the airport, dropped a quick “Wait in the car, I’ll be right back,” and got out.

Jiang Ling’s gaze followed his silhouette, watching as he eventually stopped in front of a woman.

The woman was very beautiful. Even though from Jiang Ling’s angle, she could only see half of her profile, it was clear she was a genuine beauty. Her black hair flowed down like a waterfall, her lips were bright red, and her neck was fair and slender, appearing both cold and sensual.

She and Xu Zhilin looked undeniably compatible.

One glance and people would think they matched, unlike her and Xu Zhilin, where one glance would reveal a teacher-student relationship.

Then, the woman opened her arms and embraced Xu Zhilin, patting him twice on the back before turning her head slightly to kiss him on the cheek. She then waved goodbye and walked toward the boarding gate, pulling her suitcase.

Jiang Ling calmly averted her gaze, feeling defeated, and slowly exhaled.

Xu Zhilin stood there for a moment, watching until she went through security before returning to the car.

“Should I take you straight home or somewhere else?” Xu Zhilin asked while fastening his seatbelt.

When he received no response, he snapped his fingers in front of Jiang Ling’s face.

Jiang Ling came back to her senses, quietly looked at him for a few seconds, and then smiled sweetly at him. “Take me home, thank you, Teacher Xu.”

He Nan had been troubled lately.

After going abroad, she realized that life overseas was actually quite boring. One of her greatest pleasures in life was teasing Jiang Ling.

She had recently discovered that Jiang Ling had developed feelings for the legendary Professor Xu, so she would often say things to tease her, easily making the young girl blush.

He Nan found it incredibly cute and fun, but lately this pleasure had been halved.

Jiang Ling no longer had much reaction when she heard Xu Zhilin’s name.

“Darling, tell me what’s going on?”

Jiang Ling opened her mouth, and He Nan fed her a cherry. She spoke in a flat tone, barely lifting her eyelids: “I’m over it.”

She sounded cool, like a heartless woman who would sleep with someone and walk away without a second thought. If He Nan hadn’t known her for some time, she might have thought she’d found a kindred spirit.

But now she knew what kind of person Jiang Ling was, so she simply snorted and wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her close.

“With your petty little heart, did our great Professor Xu do something to upset you?”

Jiang Ling pouted, leaning forward to rest her chin on the edge of the table. “Nan Nan.”

“Hmm?”

“I once gave Xu Zhilin an egg.”

He Nan: “?”

“The kind that hatches into a little duckling if you water it.”

He Nan: “??”

“Xu Zhilin didn’t take good care of it at all! He just threw the egg in a cup and left it on the balcony. He doesn’t even know which day he started incubating it!!!”

He Nan: “???”

He Nan was shocked and carefully composed her words. “Wait, you think a highly educated, intelligent mathematics professor should be interested in this silly toy?”

What shocked He Nan was that Xu Zhilin had tried to hatch it.

Jiang Ling glared at her and corrected: “It’s not a silly toy.”

“Alright, alright,” He Nan waved her hand tiredly. “Besides this crime, are there any others?”

Jiang Ling was silent for a moment before saying, “He kissed a woman.”

He Nan clapped her hands and gave a thumbs up. “Sister! Now that’s the real issue! Who cares about that stupid egg?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed Jiang Ling’s expression and gently slapped herself. “No, not a stupid egg, not a stupid egg.”

Jiang Ling: “…”

He Nan was always quick to create drama. A few days later, she dragged Jiang Ling out, claiming that expanding their social circle was beneficial for mental and physical health.

After what happened the first day they met, Jiang Ling was initially reluctant to go. Only after He Nan repeatedly promised that it wouldn’t be some shady place did she agree to go along.

Though once they arrived, Jiang Ling felt it might have been better if it were a shady place.

“May I ask which part of China Miss Jiang is from?”

Jiang Ling looked at the two young men sitting in front of her. He Nan certainly had taste in terms of appearance, but these guys spoke so strangely.

Jiang Ling had never seen a young overseas student who would preface questions with “May I ask?”

May I ask where the path lies?

“Beijing.”

She answered with a smile but turned to He Nan sitting beside her with a blank expression.

He Nan’s fox-like eyes were narrowed with enthusiasm as she smiled back at her.

Jiang Ling leaned forward and whispered in her ear: “Explain. What’s going on here?”

He Nan also lowered her voice, enunciating each word: “New friends.”

Jiang Ling wrinkled her nose. “Did they time travel here? Why do they talk so strangely?”

He Nan raised her hand and motioned for Jiang Ling to come closer. She said mysteriously, with a hint of pride: “Sister knows you like this type, so I specifically found math majors.”

She winked. “How about it? These young men are more appealing than Professor Xu, right?”

Jiang Ling: “…”

She truly couldn’t see how they were more appealing, and Xu Zhilin wasn’t like this at all!!!

After their secretive exchange, they separated again, acting as if the whispered conversation had never happened, calmly picking up their coffee cups for a sip.

The young man sitting across from Jiang Ling asked another question: “Are you also an only child in your family?”

Jiang Ling sighed: “Yes.”

“What a coincidence, I’m an only child too.”

Jiang Ling rested her face on her hand and lifted her eyelids slightly: “Ah, in my previous class, 80% were only children.”

Not a coincidence at all.

Beside her, He Nan covered her mouth and giggled, but the young man across from them still didn’t catch her hidden meaning and continued talking incessantly. Eventually, the topic turned, and he said: “It’s been a pleasant conversation today. I think you’re also my type. If you’re willing, we could spend some time together and see how it goes.”

With such a rigid way of speaking, Jiang Ling could already envision that if they ever argued, he would probably write a lengthy analytical report to explain the problem.

She was still wondering how to reject him when the coffee shop door opened, and the wind chimes produced a string of melodious sounds.

The young man across from her suddenly stood up, his eyes sparkling with admiration. Jiang Ling felt that her answer was no longer important at that moment.

The young man stretched his neck and waved his hand vigorously toward the door, gathering his breath from his core.

“—Professor Xu!”