Chapter 9
Gu Shuangshuang: "..."
A bunch of blind hypocrites! This guy is literally a male escort, okay?!
Suppressing the simmering rage in her chest, she reminded herself: her bald ID photo must never see the light of day. She still had two more years to defend her title as the Arts Department’s Bust Goddess—endure it!
Once the countdown hit ten, Shuangshuang assumed his petty vendetta was satisfied. Instead, he pointed deadpan toward the empty space beside the podium. "The student who skipped class and arrived late: stand here for the rest of the lecture."
"..." Fine. You play dirty, I play dirtier—say goodbye to your escort fees!
He began his lecture. Shuangshuang stood there like a statue, glaring daggers at him. Fitted black suit, crisp white shirt, towering frame—with the frameless glasses resting on his nose, he lacked his usual sharp, intimidating edge, radiating an effortless, refined elegance so clean you couldn't take your eyes off him.
Yet the second he opened his mouth, that escort attitude flared right up...
"The student who skipped class and arrived late: wipe down the chalkboard."
"..." Endure.
A few minutes later.
"The student who skipped class and arrived late: shift toward the window. You're blocking the shade."
"..." Endure my foot, you old diva!
A few minutes after that.
His dark eyes flicked over calmly. "The student who skipped class and arrived late: come help me take off my wristwatch. There's chalk dust on my hands."
Having completely lost her temper, she trudged over, her fingers trembling as they brushed against his attractive wrist. Never having taken off a man's watch, she fumbled clumsily for ages. In the end, he had to guide her hands. As he leaned down, his warm, clean male scent brushed against her neck, sending a violent shiver down her spine and flushing her cheeks red.
Instantly, a wave of murderous glares shot up from the classroom below—the girls were practically frothing at the mouth.
Great. He successfully painted a giant target on my back...
Just as she was on the verge of collapsing from torture, the dismissal bell finally chimed!
Shuangshuang cheered inwardly, but before her relief could last even three seconds, the tall man at the classroom door paused and turned back, flashing her a gentle, porcelain smile. "The student who skipped class and arrived late: come to my office. We need to have an in-depth discussion."
Tsk. Escorts sure love dressing up their language these days. If you want to pick a fight, just say so—what's with this 'in-depth discussion' garbage?
With her intelligence, that was as far as her interpretation went. Wearing a constipated scowl, she trailed behind him. She had skipped plenty of classes in her time, but this was the first time she had ever been summoned to a faculty office! What kind of cosmic grudge was this—escort turned professor, client turned student!
Private Faculty Office
Tossing the obstructive, non-prescription glasses onto the desk, the man turned to face her in silence. He unhurriedly stripped off his suit jacket, the motion dripping with effortless, lazy charm.
Shuangshuang shrank back by the door, keeping her head down, her cheeks burning too intensely to look at him.
Her bashful, timid demeanor stirred a subtle itch in his chest.
Shen Mocheng watched her through the haze of smoke, his gaze drifting over her figure with a hint of reckless indulgence. Casually flipping open the grade register, he remarked, "One skipped class, one tardy. How many participation points should I deduct?"
Wait, jumping straight to deducting points?! Participation accounted for half the final grade!
Shuangshuang’s face crumpled in misery. "I won't do it again, God-Tier Professor! Please don't..."
"I wouldn't dare claim the title. I'm just a 'young loser.'"
"..."
He really held a grudge... QAQ
Petty, calculating wolf! Making her stand the whole period and run errands over one harmless comment wasn't enough to satisfy him?!
Though cursing him a thousand times over in her mind, her mouth knew when to surrender. "I was truly wrong, handsome host mister! If I had known you were the new lecturer, I wouldn't have dared skip! Please don't dock my participation points, okay?"
"Come here."
Seeing him refuse to close the gradebook—looking ready to deduct her score at any second—Shuangshuang had no choice but to obediently walk over. She stopped two paces away, swallowed entirely by the shadow of his towering frame.
Just as she started to look up, a cool, dry palm rested against her forehead.
"What are you doing?" she asked, startled.
His expression darkened. Firmly holding her fidgeting head still, he frowned. "How long have you had a fever?"
Realizing he was checking her temperature, she felt slightly flattered. "Two days. It's basically gone."
"Go lie down over there."
Following his gaze, she saw a single daybed by the bookshelf, likely placed there for faculty rest. Why was he telling her to lie on it?
Headlines of male professors taking advantage of female students flashed through her mind. On the way in, she had noticed his office was the only one occupied on this entire floor...
Her face drained of color. Wrapping her arms around herself, she backed away on high alert, glaring at the wolf in sheep's clothing: "I'm not lying down! You dirty gigolo, I'm not some easy girl—don't think I'll spread my legs for a few lousy participation points!"
"..." What kind of bizarre logic was this...?
Even if you spread your legs, I'd still have to be able to go through with it.
Seeing his face turn pitch-black, Shuangshuang seized the chance and bolted for the door. But with his long strides, he closed the gap instantly. The next second, a sharp sting flared on her rear as his large palm landed in frustration.
Before her yelp of pain finished, his hand scooped her up, hoisting her clear off the floor and pinning her against him!
Shuangshuang went completely blank. Her face pressed against his hard chest. He smelled extraordinarily good—whether from his crisp shirt or his skin, a clean, mature scent made her head spin. Her heart hammered wildly, her face flaming so hard she forgot to struggle.
Then, he tossed her onto the daybed with zero gentleness!
As she scrambled to sit up, his strong fingers clamped down on her slender arms, pinning her flat. Losing all patience, he growled, "Act up again, and see if I don't take you right here."
"..."
Blushing furiously, she didn't even dare breathe. After their encounters, this was the first time she had seen him genuinely snap. When a mature man lost his temper, it was nothing like the hotheaded boys in her class—he didn't shout, yet his low voice carried pure, terrifying authority.
Closing her eyes, her lashes fluttered nervously. She heard his steady footsteps pacing around the room. A moment later, a sudden, soothing chill settled over her burning forehead and swollen eyes.
Reaching up, she felt ice wrapped neatly in a clean towel.
Realizing she had completely misjudged him, mortification set in. She was always too quick to jump to conclusions. "Handsome host mister..."
"Shut up and sleep."
His tone was icy. Clearly annoyed by her antics, he refused to waste another word, walking back to his desk. With that suffocating pressure gone, the quiet rustle of turning pages filled the room.
The sound acted like a steady lullaby. Within minutes, she drifted off to sleep.
At high noon, the sunlight beat down intensely outside. Shen Mocheng glanced over at the silly girl snoring softly and adjusted the air conditioner to a comfortable temperature.
Setting his book aside, he rose to his full height and walked over to the daybed. He frowned as he studied the pale, delicate face beneath the towel.
Her forehead was scorching hot, her complexion awful. He had noticed it right during lecture—she could barely stand straight, looking as if she had just survived a severe illness.
Who had bullied her into crying her eyes swollen like that?
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