"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 12

The next morning, Yan He  added Tan Ning’s  WeChat contact. After writing, “Hello, Teacher Tan! I am Yan He from the Department of Journalism,” in the application reason, she hit send. Tan Ning quickly accepted her request.

Yan He sent a message: “Hello, Teacher Tan [Sprinkle Flowers] I’m Yan He from the Department of Journalism~ Thank you for your trouble [Happy][Happy][Happy]” Just as the message was sent, a call came in—it was Yan He’s club advisor: “Yan He, I heard you’re back?”

Yan He replied: “Yes, Teacher, I just returned yesterday.”

“Here’s the thing, the Lunar New Year is approaching, and our school plans to release a feature series on faculty members currently selected for the ‘Ten Thousand Talents Program.’ It will also help with our enrollment this year.”

Yan He asked: “How many teachers are there?”

“It should be seven. I’ll organize the list and the necessary interview questions and precautions and send them to you tomorrow. You and Yu Ke can assign people to conduct the interviews.” The sound of rustling papers came from the advisor’s end: “The task is entrusted to you.”

Yan He agreed and hung up the phone, finding that Tan Ning had replied to her.

Tan Ning: “Hello, student Yan He [Smiling Face] I hope we cooperate happily [Sprinkle Flowers] Your counselor said you just came back from studying abroad, which is excellent~ Do you have time soon? Come to my office so we can discuss your topic selection?”

Yan He: “Thank you, Teacher~ [Heart] I am free anytime! Whatever time works for you!”

Tan Ning: “Then how about tomorrow? 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. My office is in Teaching Building No. 3, room 303.”

Yan He: “Thank you, Teacher~ See you tomorrow~ [Heart]” Tan Ning: “[OK]” Setting down her phone, Yan He sat blankly on the sofa for a moment, then walked to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. The house was empty, devoid of any warmth. She opened the refrigerator, which was taller than she was and completely full, but Yan He suddenly lost her appetite.

Both Mrs. He  and Mr. Yan were not home; both were busy with work. Yan He felt a bit annoyed. If she hadn’t crashed right into bed when she got home yesterday, maybe the family could have shared a meal?

Yan He slumped against the kitchen counter dejectedly. The heat was on in the house, and she was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, but the water in her hand was cold. It was only now that she felt the chill creeping up her spine.

She put the cup in the microwave and set the timer.

It was a familiar scene, yet something always felt wrong. Everything was exactly as it had been when she left, but she had a strange premonition that something was quietly changing. This change was silent, subtle, yet it was gradually altering everything without a sound. By the time she realized it, it would be too late.

Yan He kept thinking about her childhood. She didn’t know what was wrong with her lately; maybe it was the sudden downtime that made her constantly reflect on the past.

When she was eleven or twelve during the winter break, she was always able to sleep until she woke up naturally while Mrs. He and Mr. Yan were still working. She would then spend the whole day watching cartoons. In the afternoon, she would time it perfectly, waiting by the window for her parents’ figures, and as soon as she saw them, she would immediately turn off the TV and pretend to be doing her homework.

Yan He remembered that Mrs. He was always the first to come home back then, but as time went on, Mrs. He returned later and later, and Mr. Yan became the one who came home to cook.

A “ding” sound brought Yan He back to reality. She took the steaming cup out of the microwave and brought it straight to her mouth. Perhaps because the time was set too long, the water was too hot, scalding the tip of her tongue.

Yan He hissed and rushed to the sink to run cold water.

She looked up at herself in the mirror, her face dripping wet, with a few strands of disobedient hair sticking to her cheeks. Staring at those familiar eyes, Yan He saw only confusion.

Tan Ning’s office was the second room on the left near the stairs. Yan He arrived at 8:50 a.m. Perhaps because the third floor was a temporary office area, the hallway was deserted.

The school’s administrative building was under renovation, and many teachers had moved their offices to empty classrooms in the teaching building.

Yan He stood by the office door, straightened the straps of her backpack, nervously pursed her lips, and braced herself. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She tried to open it and found the door was locked.

Right at 9:00 a.m., Tan Ning walked over precisely on time.

At first, Yan He didn’t realize this was her advisor, until Tan Ning walked up to her, took out her key, and asked while opening the door, “Are you student Yan He from the Department of Journalism?”

Yan He blinked: “Hello, Teacher Tan!”

Tan Ning smiled, opened the door, and motioned for Yan He to go in first.

Tan Ning had round, almond-shaped eyes that looked watery when she smiled, and her pupils were a light, faint amber color. Tan Ning resembled the descriptions of a Jiangnan woman in ancient texts; her temperament was gentle, and a smile lingered on her lips. Looking at her, one felt a sense of calm.

She wore a camel-colored coat over a beige sweater. Seeing Yan He still standing by the doorway, she smiled again and waved her in: “Why are you standing by the door? Come in! Close the door, it’s quite cold.”

There were six large office desks neatly arranged in the office. Perhaps because this was a temporary office, it seemed a bit cluttered. However, Tan Ning’s desk was very tidy, clean, with only two books placed on the surface.

Yan He found the cover of one of the books familiar; it was Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams, with a small metal bookmark clipped in the middle.

Tan Ning casually hung her coat on the back of the chair and walked to the water dispenser to pour two cups of warm water, motioning for Yan He to pull up a chair and sit closer. Yan He quickly moved a chair and sat down to the left of Tan Ning’s desk.

Tan Ning noticed Yan He’s gaze. She slightly raised an eyebrow and tapped the copy of The Interpretation of Dreams with her left fingertip: “I majored in psychology as an undergraduate. Are you interested too, student Yan He? Thinking of pursuing a double major in psychology?”

Yan He’s face flushed. Sitting closer to Tan Ning, she noticed that Tan Ning’s face looked slightly swollen.

“No…” Yan He pursed her lips and gave a slightly awkward smile: “I was just looking casually.”

Tan Ning hummed in acknowledgment, took her laptop out of her bag, and opened it. The screensaver was a smiling face of a small baby. Yan He had seen the same photo; it was Tan Ning’s WeChat profile picture.

“My daughter,” Tan Ning smiled softly, raising a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her words exuding the gentleness of a new mother: “She’s just six months old, right at that clingy stage.”

Yan He politely complimented her: “Your daughter is so beautiful. Her eyes look a lot like yours.”

“Do they?” Tan Ning raised her eyes to look at Yan He, her voice cheerful as she chatted: “Everyone else says my daughter looks more like my husband.”

Suddenly meeting those eyes, Yan He felt a sense of being seen through. She instinctively avoided the gaze, lowering her head to take her laptop out of her bag: “Teacher, I’ll send you some of my ideas for the topic selection.”

Tan Ning nodded. After receiving the file, she began to seriously discuss the topic selection with Yan He.

The closing bell for the classroom downstairs rang. Tan Ning checked the time and smiled apologetically: “Excuse me, I’m just going to the restroom.”

Yan He snapped out of her contemplation and quickly said: “Of course, of course!”

Tan Ning gave a gentle smile, stood up, pushed the door open, and left.

Yan He let out a long breath, pulled out her phone, and saw a message from Li Xiuxia: “Sis! Sis! How is it! How is Teacher Tan!”

Yan He: “Gentle Older Sister! She’s too gentle!! And she’s so amazing!”

Li Xiuxia: “Gentle Older Sister! The eternal queen! Who doesn’t love a gentle older sister, wuwuwu!”

Yan He: “Can’t chat, can’t chat, I’m not finished here.”

She put away her phone and suddenly noticed the flash of light on Tan Ning’s phone, which was resting on the desk, indicating an incoming call. Yan He blinked, didn’t think to answer it, and decided to wait for Tan Ning to return and tell her.

Just as the flash stopped, Tan Ning returned.

Yan He stood up: “Teacher, your phone rang just now.”

Tan Ning paused, then smiled: “Did it? Let me check.” Her hands were still slightly damp. She pulled out two tissues, wiping her hands as she returned the call: “Jinrong? What is it?”

Yan He’s ears immediately perked up.

Jinrong? Could it be Shen Jinrong (沈錦容)?

“Ah, I wasn’t here just now, mm-hmm.”

“Okay. I’m in the office discussing topic selection with a student, but I’ll be done soon. You can just come over.”

“Alright.”

An indescribable joy dominated Yan He’s heart. Just hearing her name made Yan He’s heart flutter wildly.

When Tan Ning hung up the phone, Yan He pretended to ask casually: “Teacher, was that Professor Shen Jinrong from the School of Business?” Yan He felt her voice tremble when she spoke Shen Jinrong’s name.

“It was, yes,” Tan Ning seemed a little surprised. “Is Jinrong that famous? Ha ha ha ha.”

Yan He explained: “I attended Professor Shen’s class before.”

Tan Ning looked thoughtful: “I see.” She smiled charmingly: “Speaking of which, I used to teach your Professor Shen.”