Chapter 4

Chapter 4

With summer break approaching, most students had already left, except for those finishing up their experiments.

However, Xie Ruoyan started coming by more and more frequently.

I was running some code when she walked in, laptop in hand, and knocked on the door to Ning Yifan’s office.

She gave me a nod and sat straight down in the chair next to Ning Yifan.

Ning Yifan’s office was immaculate.

It was so tidy that there was no room for any clutter.

But that chair was an eyesore; it didn’t match the rest of the set and looked like it had been dragged in from the lab on a whim.

And yet, that very chair had been sitting there for over half a month.

She had switched back to her previous style of dress.

A floral skirt, exuding youthful vitality.

Her hair was styled with just the right amount of volume at the crown, and the curls at the ends bounced with every movement.

She offered me an explanation.

“Teacher Zha, since I’m a ‘Year 0’ grad student and not officially entering the lab yet, there shouldn’t be any safety issues with showing my legs or leaving my hair down, right?”

I gave her a smile.

“As long as your supervisor agrees.”

Ning Yifan didn’t say a word, leaning sideways as he operated his mouse.

The time before last, Xie Ruoyan didn’t know how to translate literature; last time, she accidentally deleted a senior student’s data; and this time, she didn’t know how to download research software.

Ning Yifan showed no sign of impatience, explaining everything in detail.

“Follow this official account, click on the cloud drive in the menu, download the installation package, and follow the steps to install it. If you can’t understand the interface, download the Chinese patch.”

I watched with interest as the two heads on the opposite side drew closer and closer.

When we were first married, I overheard one of Ning Yifan’s group meetings.

A new girl in the lab had been torn to shreds by him because she didn’t know how to use the electron microscope.

The girl cried so hard that I tried to smooth things over.

But he remained dead serious.

“You’re a graduate student now; you need the ability to learn independently. If you need someone to teach you something this simple, you might as well drop out.”

Ning Yifan’s forehead finally bumped into Xie Ruoyan’s.

He seemed to snap out of his trance, realizing they weren’t alone.

He looked at me and explained patiently, “The other students in the group are busy and no one is available to mentor her, so I have to do it myself.”

Then he added as an afterthought, “Wasn’t it you who told me back then to be more lenient with students?”

An error popped up in my code; it stopped running.

I pulled up the magnifying tool to examine it bit by bit, staying silent.

Xie Ruoyan stood up and tugged at her JK skirt, which barely reached the tops of her thighs.

“Teacher Zha has been coming here quite often lately. I really am intruding, but the lab building is a place of work, after all.”

I frowned slightly, watching her quietly.

Under my gaze, she became a bit fidgety, her smile turning strained.

“I reflected on it after last time. Since we’re in a school setting, calling you ‘Mrs. Ning’ would be disrespectful.”

My tone was gentle. “Just call me Teacher Zha.”

After Xie Ruoyan closed the door and left, Ning Yifan walked over to massage my shoulders.

“If you’re unhappy, I won’t let her come anymore. But she is my student, after all.”

I saved my file and closed my eyes.

“The internet speed in the lab building is just faster, that’s all. Do you think I actually enjoy the smell of chemicals?”

***

My students mentioned that we were running low on lab consumables, though the shortage wasn’t severe.

I decided to give my eyes a rest and head over to Ning Yifan’s place to snag a pack.

Ning Yifan was expected to be promoted to full professor next year.

The youngest professor would naturally cultivate the most competitive research group.

But today, his lab was silent; not a single light was on.

I gave the door a tentative push, and to my surprise, it wasn’t locked.

At the far end of the lab, there was a rustling sound.

I rounded two rows of lab benches and saw two people standing side by side.

The dim light created an ambiguous atmosphere as the two silhouettes drew closer.

I grabbed a sample bag from a drawer with a loud rustle.

Xie Ruoyan spun around instantly, her high heel slipping as she let out a soft gasp.

The hand at her waist instinctively reached out to steady her.

Ning Yifan hurriedly let go and cleared his throat.

“Xiao Xie didn’t know how to use the centrifuge…”

I nodded, waving the sample bag in my hand as I reached out to flip on the main lights.

The lab was suddenly flooded with brightness, and Xie Ruoyan lowered her head.

I said warmly, “I’m taking this. No returns!”