"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 10

“Alright, that concludes the content for this class.” The closing bell rang. Shen Jinrong  glanced down at the PowerPoint, casually marked her place, and offered a faint, polite smile. “I currently don’t have a teaching assistant. If anyone has questions, you can ask me before or after class.”

With that, she gave a slight nod, signaling that the students were free to leave.

As the Business School students departed, they looked sympathetically at Yan He, thinking the Department of Journalism’s campus beauty had probably just been singled out by Professor Shen.

Yan He remained in her seat, unsure whether to stay or go. She deliberately packed her belongings slowly, sneaking glances at Shen Jinrong when she thought the professor wasn’t looking. As Yan He, bookbag in hand, slowly zipped it up and stole a peek at Professor Shen, she was caught directly by the professor’s eyes, which held a faint smile.

“Yan He—student.” Shen Jinrong closed her laptop and had been watching Yan He from the lectern for quite some time. She hadn’t been unaware of the intense gaze Yan He had fixed on her during the lecture; she’d merely pretended not to notice. When someone’s gaze is focused, the person being watched can always sense it.

How could she not feel it?

Shen Jinrong thought to herself: if the spark in the young woman’s eyes had substance, it would surely be a prairie fire. The difference between a tiny spark and a wildfire fanned by the wind is merely one encounter and a bit of oxygen.

Shen Jinrong subtly raised an eyebrow, a motion that magnified the emotion in her eyes. Yan He saw that her eyes held a mix of playfulness, curiosity—and what else? Yan He thought the professor was looking at her now as if watching a play she’d seen many times, seemingly already knowing exactly what she was about to say.

Yan He felt her eyes were dry. She clutched her bookbag tightly, a movement that betrayed her current nervousness. Yan He pursed her lips and stammered, “Prof… Professor Shen.”

The final two characters, “Professor,” seemed to be added reluctantly, as if adding them silently distanced the two of them.

Shen Jinrong hummed in acknowledgment, standing at the lectern and leaning forward slightly, watching Yan He with interest.

What would the young woman say?

But the young woman gathered her composure and simply said, “Professor, Li Xiuxia genuinely had something today. She emailed you about it… I came to ask for leave on her behalf.”

Shen Jinrong nodded. “I know. I told her then that I ‘hoped she could attend.’ If she had a commitment, a leave slip would suffice.”

Yan He’s hands unconsciously clenched and unclenched. She wanted to talk to Shen Jinrong about much more than just this. However, just as she mentally prepared herself several times to speak, the front door of the classroom opened, and another professor walked in.

This professor looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a refined and cultured air. He seemed surprised to see Shen Jinrong still there. “Professor Shen?”

“Ah! Professor Yang! I’ve finished. Is this your class next?” Shen Jinrong nodded at Yan He, signaling that she could leave.

Professor Yang smiled, adjusted his glasses, and looked curiously at Yan He. “Oh? Isn’t this a student from the Department of Journalism?”

Shen Jinrong smiled, her voice clear as she replied to Professor Yang while holding her laptop. “She is. Well, I’ll be leaving now.” She took a couple of steps, saw Yan He heading right towards the hallway, and called out to her, her voice ringing clear, “Yan He, student!”

Yan He turned back in surprise. She was only halfway into her bookbag, her coat hadn’t been properly adjusted, and her hair was a bit messy. Yan He felt a pang of annoyance, thinking she should have tidied herself up as soon as she left. Why had she let Shen Jinrong see her looking so flustered?

The little deer in her heart bumped and scrambled, yet her body turned before her brain had time to react.

Shen Jinrong’s office was in the same direction. She quickly walked up to Yan He, motioning for her to walk together. Just as Yan He thought the professor was about to ask her something, Shen Jinrong spoke: “So, are you planning to pursue a double major?”

Yan He froze.

Shen Jinrong seemed to have asked the question deliberately. She looked at Yan He’s stunned expression, chuckled softly, and patted her shoulder. “Alright, I’m just kidding.”

Yan He’s heart tensed slightly at the professor’s sudden intimacy. She considered her words carefully and still answered the question: “…Probably not. I’ll be a senior soon and need to start interning. I might not have enough time.”

Yan He looked at Shen Jinrong’s profile and belatedly realized that the professor might not have genuinely cared about the answer to the question. The spot where Shen Jinrong had patted her felt warm. The gentle pressure on her shoulder was a seemingly insubstantial movement, yet it had definitely landed.

Shen Jinrong nodded. The two had reached the stairwell. The time was 10:30 a.m., when the sunlight was bright but not glaring. The window at the landing between the second and third floors faced east, and the morning sun was streaming through it, bathing the spot where the two stood on the second floor.

The stairs leading up faced the sun. The section of steps leading down was shaded, as the sunlight hadn’t reached it yet.

Yan He was silent, seemingly caught by a wordless choice that demanded a decision. She knew Shen Jinrong’s office should be on the third floor, while she ought to be heading down.

“I’m leaving now, student Yan He.”

[“Little one, Elder Sister (姐姐) is leaving now.”]

Shen Jinrong’s past and present voices seemed to echo simultaneously in Yan He’s ears. She looked up in a daze, her eyes following Shen Jinrong as she walked straight away; the professor didn’t seem to be waiting for a response.

The stairs and hallway were now empty of students, silently deserted, with only the sunshine slowly gliding across the floor, playfully creeping in and gradually eroding the shadow.

“Elder Sister!” Yan He suddenly spoke, her tone of voice carrying a hint of grievance, identical to the day she had watched Shen Jinrong walk away.

Are you going to watch her leave again? At least… leave something behind?

Shen Jinrong, who had already ascended four or five steps, paused, seemingly contemplating why Yan He had called out to her. She slowly turned around, revealing a perfect, exactly appropriate smile.

It was this impeccable smile that made Yan He’s heart race faster. Shen Jinrong stood silhouetted against the light, with a faint halo around her figure. She looked down at Yan He and softly asked, “What is it?”

“Could we… exchange contact information?” Facing Professor Shen’s currently harmless eyes, Yan He inexplicably started to stutter again.

Shen Jinrong blinked. She took off her glasses, looking more clearly at the young woman only two or three steps away.

Her gaze was focused, as if she were thinking, or perhaps silently refusing.

Just when Yan He thought she would be rejected, Shen Jinrong smiled again.

It was just a smile, yet Yan He saw a flash of fatigue in it. From a distance earlier, but now up close, Yan He could see traces of bloodshot in her eyes, suggesting she hadn’t slept well for a long time.

A feeling of heartache surged up, dense and close, like the careful probe of a needle tip—slight but painful.

“…If we can meet a fourth time.”

“Student Yan He.”