The campus was bathed in bright sunshine, with the leaves of several late-blooming cherry trees swaying in the breeze.
This time, Pei Chuan didn’t keep his back turned to write on the blackboard. He wrote a section, then faced the students to explain it.
Most of the gazes directed at him from below the podium were focused and attentive. Pei Chuan’s eyes swept over the youthful faces, still untouched by the harshness of society, radiating vitality.
Their eyes were filled with the hope and promise of youth.
Pei Chuan didn’t particularly like such eyes. During his years in prison, he had mostly seen eyes clouded with unspoken sorrow and the bitterness of life. So much so that when he occasionally looked in the mirror, he could see a stillness in his own gaze that belied his age.
After seeing so much darkness, the sudden exposure to countless bright eyes sometimes made him feel out of place.
In truth, he wasn’t much older than them, but his experiences had washed away the longing in his eyes, leaving them inscrutable and heavy.
His gaze finally settled on Bei Yao.
For the first time in many years, he stepped into a classroom to look at her. Just like those childhood afternoons in the warmth of May, she was as young and captivating as everyone else. The only difference was the faint emotion that softened in his eyes when he looked at her.
Everyone noticed that during this class, Professor Pei’s voice had unconsciously softened by two tones, and his delivery was no longer as flat and monotonous.
His handwriting was more elegant than that of most teachers. His shirt sleeves were slightly rolled up, revealing a glimpse of his sturdy forearms.
Qin Dongni, who loved gossip the most, had come to the class mostly for the drama. However, Pei Chuan’s classes were so quiet that no one dared to speak, and even Qin Dongni felt too embarrassed to break the silence.
She and Bei Yao had brought their medical school textbooks and notebooks with them.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Dongni wrote on a piece of paper: Yao Yao, this professor has a great figure, doesn’t he?
She passed the note to Bei Yao, who stared at the words in surprise. Then, she too glanced at Pei Chuan.
In her eyes, she had never once thought about his physique. What she loved was the feeling of being with him. But Qin Dongni’s note suddenly reminded her of that night when Pei Chuan unbuttoned his collar and placed her hand on his chest.
Bei Yao studied Pei Chuan.
His shirt was thin, subtly outlining his well-defined muscles. With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, honed from years of boxing training, every inch of his body exuded strength.
She stared blankly, as if realizing for the first time that desire could intertwine with an appreciation for physical beauty. Unconsciously, her cheeks flushed.
Noticing her roommate’s blush, Qin Dongni grinned and continued gossiping: See? So manly. From my experience, he must have pecs and abs!
Bei Yao felt embarrassed by her scrutiny. When would Qin Dongni ever drop her habit of critiquing figures? Back when they had first moved into the dorm, Qin Dongni’s eyes had nearly popped out of her head at the sight of Bei Yao’s delicate curves in her pajamas: “You look so slim, but you’re at least a C-cup, right?”
The entire dorm had turned to look, and Bei Yao, caught off guard, had blushed instantly. Qin Dongni’s eyes were far too sharp!
Now, Bei Yao desperately wanted to cover her roommate’s eyes to stop her from staring at Pei Chuan. She scribbled back on the paper: Stop it! Don’t look at him, focus on your book!
Qin Dongni wrote: Don’t be shy, we’re just looking.
Their subtle exchanges did not escape Pei Chuan’s notice from the podium.
He lowered his gaze slightly, wondering if his lecture was too dull. But he was not the type to be effortlessly charming, so he could only continue speaking.The boy in the gray shirt who had given up his seat earlier couldn't resist turning his head slightly to sneak a glance at Bei Yao.
He was sitting right next to her, and the girl beside him smelled lovely—not like perfume, but a lighter, more natural fragrance.
The boy immediately noticed Bei Yao's slightly flushed cheeks. He had heard rumors about her before—that she used to have a boyfriend who had been to prison, but no one had ever seen him! They must have broken up by now!
He also saw them passing notes. His heart stirred, thinking it was rare to be this close to the campus belle, so he quickly scribbled: "Bei Yao, can I have your phone number?"
After writing it, he slid the note over to Bei Yao.
Bei Yao stared at the computer science textbook that had suddenly appeared in front of her, then turned in surprise to look at the boy beside her.
Pei Chuan pressed his lips together.
He said, "The boy in the gray shirt in the third row, what are the principles and procedures for automatic parsing configuration in ColjureDSL?"
The entire class instantly turned to look.
Everyone was somewhat stunned. To be honest, Professor Pei's lectures had always been a cold, one-way affair. He would just teach, regardless of whether you were listening or understood, never interacting with students or asking questions. This was the first time he had ever posed a question.
The boy, who had been waiting for Bei Yao's response, was dumbfounded, realizing the whole class was staring at him.
He stood up, the panic of being called on by a teacher suddenly surging through him.
He vaguely heard the question, but what kind of question was Professor Pei asking? Who the hell would know that!
Pei Chuan spoke coldly, "Don't pass notes during class." After saying this, he turned to write on the blackboard.
The boy stood awkwardly in place, his face flushing bright red. If he had been caught in any other teacher's class, it wouldn't have been this embarrassing. But this professor's lectures were highly sought after—he had been caught slacking off, and it was utterly humiliating! Plus, Pei Chuan's class was tied to their grades. He was definitely going to fail now.
The boy sat down dejectedly, unable to resist casting a somewhat aggrieved look at Bei Yao and Qin Dongni.
Why did the professor let them pass notes so freely? He had only written one sentence and got called out!
Qin Dongni broke out in a cold sweat at the "don't pass notes" warning.
This professor really did seem to have a bad temper when he was serious!
She knew Professor Pei must have seen her and Bei Yao passing the notebook earlier. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and stared at her book, not daring to pass any more notes.
Bei Yao half-covered her face, feeling utterly ashamed.
She was in her own man's class, and she had gotten distracted because of Qin Dongni's comment about her figure—and he had seen it.
When the school bell rang, no one was in a hurry to leave.
Pei Chuan said, "Class dismissed."
Only then did everyone start getting up and filing out slowly.
The setting sun slanted through the window, illuminating Bei Yao in her light cherry-blossom pink short sleeves, her exposed forearms fair and delicate.
Qin Dongni had found the second half of the class excruciating. She was a medical student! She couldn't understand any of it!
Now that class was finally over, Qin Dongni hurriedly said, "Yao Yao, let's go, let's go."
As soon as she finished speaking, Professor Pei walked over.
Seeing him up close, Qin Dongni thought he looked even younger. His features were sharp and carried an aloof, unapproachable coldness. As he approached, the students still in the classroom froze, stopping in their tracks to sneak glances.
Qin Dongni thought: Oh no! Is this professor really that petty, waiting until after class to confront them about passing notes?
Professor Pei pressed his lips together. Qin Dongni heard him ask Bei Yao, "Did you not understand?"Bei Yao lifted her face, gazing into the man's dark eyes. She nodded honestly.
Professor Pei's lecture was incomprehensible even to professionals. Having never studied the subject, she naturally understood even less.
His tone softened. "Which part don't you understand? I can explain."
Bei Yao stared at him blankly. If she said she understood nothing at all, would that disappoint him? Was this his first time teaching?
She searched her memory desperately: "What is GPL?"
The man said, "It's short for general-purpose language." He added the simplest explanation, "C, Java, Python - these all belong to GPL."
Bei Yao understood C and Java. She nodded with a sweet smile, tilting her head. "Thank you, Professor Pei."
He didn't speak, just kept looking at her.
At that time, several students remained scattered in the classroom, including the department beauty of Computer Science, a girl named Duan You.
The looks directed at Duan You carried both sympathy and considerable schadenfreude. So the professor wasn't indifferent to women - he just preferred the most beautiful one.
That simple question Bei Yao asked - if anyone else had dared to ask it, they would have been shot down long ago.
Duan You's face had turned pale!
She had also seen Qin Dongni pass a note to Bei Yao during class! And this man didn't even care! He was completely permissive.
Bei Yao stood up: "Class is over. Would you like to have dinner with me?"
Her voice was soft and sweet. Those who hadn't left yet looked at Professor Pei.
The man seemed to have been waiting for this question. He said, "Mm-hmm."
The classroom fell completely silent.
Never mind the others - even Qin Dongni's eyes were about to pop out!
Pei Chuan walked out of the classroom first to wait for Bei Yao.
Early May, early summer. Looking down from the teaching building, the university bathed in sunset glow appeared particularly gentle.
His young, handsome face silently gazed toward the distant sports field.
Some people were running, others were freely playing soccer. Beyond its profound cultural heritage, the entire university brimmed with youthful vitality.
After bidding farewell to Qin Dongni, Bei Yao walked to Pei Chuan's side. Following his gaze, she suddenly remembered that winter during senior year of high school when Pei Chuan had told her to live well in university.
He had already been preparing to turn himself in back then.
Her heart ached slightly.
She held the man's slender fingers: "Shall I take you to the cafeteria?"
Pei Chuan said, "Mm-hmm."
The Computer Science school had a cafeteria not far from this teaching building, nestled behind lush trees.
Bei Yao took two meal trays and brought him to get food.
The cafeteria food was ordinary, but the atmosphere was lively.
Knowing Pei Chuan wasn't picky, she got him several types of meat and vegetable dishes. Then she pulled him to sit by the window.
Students came and went. Pei Chuan rarely ate in such a bustling environment.
Bei Yao was picky. Pei Chuan quietly picked out the celery used for seasoning from her tray and placed it on his own, then transferred his eggplant to hers.
Aside from Computer Science students, few knew this was that professor.
Bei Yao didn't finish her meal. Her appetite was small, and the cafeteria auntie served generous portions that most girls with small appetites couldn't finish.
Pei Chuan silently continued eating her leftovers.
Bei Yao blushed slightly. "Don't eat that, I've already eaten from it."
He finished it in a few bites, gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue, a hidden smile in his eyes.
As she watched him, her heart suddenly felt very sweet too.Pei Chuan held her hand as they strolled across the campus. The warm glow of the setting sun bathed them in comfort. Bei Yao asked, "You came to B University to give a lecture—why didn’t you tell me?"
Pei Chuan replied, "You were taking exams."
"I finished them last night."
Pei Chuan paused for a moment before asking, "Then when are you going home?"
She froze for several seconds, then suddenly circled around to stand in front of him. Her almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents as she looked up at him, her voice sweet and delicate: "Pei Chuan, did you miss me?"
At that moment, the campus breeze was gentle, tree shadows danced, and a few swallows glided lightly across the sky.
The emotions once buried deep within him were no longer difficult to voice. He said, "Yes, I missed you."
A soft pink tinted her cheeks, yet her gaze grew even brighter: "How much?"
He raised his hand and gently brushed her cheek.
It was soft and tender, so precious it made him want to cradle her in his heart and cherish her.
He wasn’t one for sweet talk, so he simply told her calmly, "I’ve had some sleepless nights."
Marrying her felt too unreal. Sometimes he feared that if he fell asleep at night, he’d wake in the morning to find her gone from his arms—only to realize it had all been a dream, and he was still lying on that cold, hard prison bed. He also worried that Huo Xu might make a move, leaving him unable to protect her in time.
Bei Yao held his fingers and gently nuzzled her cheek against them, unsure whether she felt more joy or shyness. Someone losing sleep over missing her—it was probably the simplest yet most touching confession she had ever heard.
The sun gradually set, and the sky darkened. Earlier, Bei Yao had noticed Pei Chuan gazing toward the sports field.
She said, "Let’s take a walk on the field."
Many people were jogging on the track.
Bei Yao whispered, "I missed you too, ever since freshman year. At first, when I couldn’t find you, I was a little angry. I thought, if I still couldn’t find you tomorrow, I’d stop looking."
His Adam’s apple moved slightly.
Bei Yao continued, "But as one tomorrow after another passed, I kept thinking, just hold on a little longer—what if I find you the next day? You left me twice; I really ought to give you a beating. But when I saw you during the New Year, all my anger vanished, and only joy remained."
He tightened his grip on her hand.
Suddenly, Bei Yao leaned close to his ear and whispered, "How about we don’t go home tonight? Let’s stay over there!"
He followed her pointing finger to a flickering neon sign that outlined several characters:
Taicang Hotel.
He fell silent.
Bei Yao felt a bit embarrassed; in fact, she regretted her words as soon as she’d spoken them. Fortunately, it was dark, and the field’s lights were dim. She lowered her head, staring at her toes.
The next moment, her back was against the field’s guardrail.
The man’s kiss descended.
The night was quiet, occasionally punctuated by the chirping of summer insects.
His arms braced on either side of her, he felt that the four years he hadn’t been by her side had cost him too much.
When he left, she was still the little girl on the bus, waving and smiling at him, seemingly understanding nothing.
A computer science student jogging by paused, then stealthily backtracked, utterly stunned!
Oh my god! She wasn’t seeing things!
The early summer night was soft, and the lighting was gentle.
That supposedly indifferent Professor Pei! With one hand against the railing and the other cupping the back of the long-haired girl’s head, he was kissing her. The moon hid behind the clouds as a passing female student covered her face and hurried away.
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