Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ning Yifan had been in a foul mood lately.

In a single week, he had cooked bitter melon with scrambled eggs three times.

After finishing the dishes, he came over and hugged me from behind as I sat on the sofa, helping my students grade their papers.

“Honey, comfort me. I’m so annoyed.”

I rubbed my temples and asked with a smile, “Who upset my Teacher Ning this time?”

Ning Yifan let out a soft huff, his tone sour.

“The one I told you about a couple of days ago.”

I didn’t catch on immediately, my mind wandering for a moment.

So, it was still Xie Ruoyan.

It was actually the first time Ning Yifan had been so intolerant of a student.

He had been granted an extra graduate student slot this year. But before he could even celebrate, the situation had left him fuming for a week.

Among the new first-year master’s students was a girl who had contacted her supervisor before the mutual selection process. However, for some reason, she had insisted on switching labs right before joining the group.

The Dean, finding himself in a difficult position, assigned her to Ning Yifan since his quota wasn’t full.

This wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Xie Ruoyan was just too out of line.

Lab regulations required everyone to wear long pants, tie their hair back, and wear a white lab coat. Yet, despite repeated reminders from the senior student mentoring her, she continued to ignore the rules.

She showed up in a punk-style miniskirt, grinning ear to ear.

“I’m going to a livehouse tonight, and I won’t have time to go back to the dorm to change. Besides, I’m not actually doing the experiment yet; I’m just standing by the door to watch.”

I happened to be passing by their lab when I heard this.

She skipped along and then suddenly bolted forward, slamming right into me.

She blinked at me, then vanished into Ning Yifan’s office without even knocking.

Since my own academic work took priority, I just stood at the door holding a lunch box and waited.

Through the glass, I saw Ning Yifan glance at her with an expressionless face.

“You are a female student. From now on, when you enter my office, you are not allowed to close the door. We need to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”

Xie Ruoyan paused, her back to him, looking completely unbothered.

“Who would even say anything?”

Ning Yifan pursed his lips, his brow furrowed, and got up to open the door himself.

As he tried to move past Xie Ruoyan, she blocked his path. He stumbled and fell directly onto her.

Ning Yifan had good coordination; he instantly used his right hand to protect Xie Ruoyan’s head and twisted his body to act as a human cushion.

Xie Ruoyan rested her hands on Ning Yifan’s chest, apologizing profusely.

“Teacher Ning, I’m so sorry. I just thought that since we haven’t done anything wrong, there’s no need to make such a big deal out of it.”

Whether it was from pain or anger, Ning Yifan’s face was a bit pale.

I sighed, opened the door, and helped him up.

When Xie Ruoyan saw me, she patted the hem of her skirt and straightened her hair.

“Teacher Zha, I came by at noon because I wanted to ask Teacher Ning for some time off.”

By the time I opened the lunch box, Ning Yifan was sitting sideways with his legs crossed, trembling with rage.

He disgustedly brushed at the dust on his clothes over and over again, to no avail.

Finally, in a fit of frustration, he shed his outer jacket, leaving only his undershirt.

The air conditioning was a bit cold.

I watched him rub his arms and felt a slight pang of confusion.

“It’s just a little dust. You’ve had countless shirts stained with chemical reagents before.”

He folded the jacket neatly and placed it on his lap.

“That’s different.”