Chapter 48: Side Story 6

Every student in the School of Literature knows that Professor Cen, who teaches Ancient Chinese, is an extraordinary person.

This "extraordinary" quality does not stem from an overbearing personality; rather, it is reflected in the fact that not a single student has ever skipped her class. Her lectures are not only packed to capacity, but students from other departments also flock to secure seats.

During every course registration period, her class is invariably the first to fill up. Those who are too slow and miss out invariably spend several days feeling depressed.

This alone is enough to show how immensely popular her lectures are.

In truth, Professor Cen is not particularly old—only in her early thirties, placing her among the younger bracket of professors. Furthermore, she possesses a remarkably youthful appearance, the kind of person who could easily blend in with a group of students and go unnoticed.

This has led to quite a few amusing incidents. Many students attending her class for the first time fail to recognize the instructor, casually chatting and laughing right up until the moment a straight-backed woman standing by the classroom door walks up to the podium and gives the blackboard a sharp rap. Only then do they abruptly fall silent, exchanging bewildered and astounded glances.

Appearance is one thing, but more importantly, Professor Cen’s teaching style is exceptionally engaging. By weaving in fascinating little anecdotes, she manages to make even dry and abstruse classical poetry compelling and effortlessly comprehensible.

The experience is much like listening to a live performance of a renowned lecture series.

Initially, assuming she was inexperienced due to her youth, students paid her little respect, planning to coast through the semester while sneaking glances at their phones under the desks. In the end, however, everyone invariably gets hooked, listening with rapt attention punctuated by bursts of spontaneous laughter.

In this manner, Professor Cen's reputation gradually spread, leaving everyone eager to catch a glimpse of this brilliant and beautiful female professor in action.

To prevent outsiders from slipping in, the university implemented a strict ban this year against auditing by non-enrolled students, conducting roll calls before every class to escort unauthorized individuals out.

For a time, students from other departments were utterly crestfallen—since when was a proactive desire to learn considered a crime?

Naturally, the students of the School of Literature benefited the most. The classrooms were hardly spacious to begin with, and with auditing students from outside departments taking up space, seating had been scarce and the learning environment less than ideal. Once the room was cleared, things improved considerably.

Before one knew it, the end of the semester was rapidly approaching. As the weather turned bitterly cold, a wave of sickness swept through the campus, and Professor Cen was no exception. After falling ill and taking several consecutive days of leave, her classes faced inevitable delays.

Just as everyone assumed they would have to tackle final exam preparations entirely on their own, Professor Cen posted an announcement in the class group chat a few days later: "Tomorrow evening at seven, everyone please gather in Classroom 201. I will help you review the key concepts."

"Is the professor feeling better? That's wonderful! We don't have to worry about finals anymore!"

"Long live Professor Cen!"

"Take care of your health, Professor. We'll all definitely be there!"

Replies immediately flooded the group chat in a flurry, the students ecstatic.

Anyone who had previously taken Ancient Chinese knew that the course was notorious for high failure rates. The sheer volume of disparate knowledge points made memorization relatively difficult, and surviving without a professor to guide the review process was virtually impossible.

Though not an official class, the students poured into Classroom 201 promptly the following evening, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their instructor.

With the room filled to capacity and only five minutes left before the session was scheduled to begin, Professor Cen finally made a belated entrance. Wrapped in a thick down jacket, she still looked somewhat frail and was coughing quite severely.

Worse still, she was accompanied by an unprecedented pair of tails—one large and one small.

The tall man possessed striking, handsome features and also appeared to be in his early thirties. Dressed in a dark gray overcoat, he carried himself with an upright posture and an expressionless face, instantly projecting the aura of a corporate elite.

In stark contrast to this stern demeanor, he was carrying a large, bright pink thermos cup adorned with exaggerated cartoon graphics, making it look intensely childish.

In his right hand, the man held the small hand of a little boy. Around three or four years of age, the child had wide eyes and fair skin, looking utterly adorable and bright. He was also bundled up heavily in a padded winter coat, wobbling as he walked with endearing clumsiness.

The students instantly quieted down, rising to their feet in unison to chorus, "Good evening, Professor Cen!"

Following that, pair after pair of curious eyes drifted behind her, fixing on the duo. One particularly bold student smiled and asked, "Professor Cen, is this our master's husband?"

Professor Cen turned to look back, wearing a look of helpless resignation, and urged in a soft voice, "Why don't you take our son and head back? Everything is fine here."

Ignoring her entirely, the man simply took his son by the hand and walked over to a seat in the back row, clearly intending to sit in on the lecture.

Too small to occupy a seat by himself, the little boy could only be cuddled in his father's lap, his wide eyes darting around with intense curiosity toward everything. Yet he behaved himself, making no sound, and after a moment straightened his posture quietly, gazing up at the podium with absolute concentration like a miniature adult.

Naturally, this drew another wave of fascinated gazes. The students whispered among themselves, repeatedly turning around, utterly charmed by the child's cuteness, while several female students found themselves blushing under the gaze of the handsome man.

This caused the person on the podium to look somewhat exasperated, prompting her to tap the desk heavily several times.

The man sitting in the back row furrowed his brow, seemingly displeased, pulled his son closer into his arms, and suddenly swept a stern, piercing gaze across the room.

That single look cowed the students, causing them to shrink their necks and dare not turn around again.

As handsome as this "master's husband" was, his aura was simply too overwhelming. He looked genuinely intimidating...

Order in the classroom was restored somewhat. After roughly outlining the key points for the final exam, Professor Cen found herself bending forward again, racked with uncontrollable coughing.

Likely fearful of passing her illness to others, she had deliberately worn a face mask. Now, the upper half of her face left uncovered by the mask began to flush red, and her eyes welled with tears, making her look thoroughly miserable.

The students looked on with concern, wondering whether they should fetch some water for the professor, when the pair of father and son in the back row stood up.

Led by his father, the little boy climbed onto the podium and anxiously circled around his mother, his expression filled with worry.

Meanwhile, the man bent down, placed the pink thermos on the desk, poured a cup of warm water, and gently offered it to the woman’s lips. At the same time, he removed her mask and patted her back soothingly.

The crowd of students watched from the audience, inexplicably feeling as though they had just been forced to swallow a mouthful of dog food...

This class was truly worthwhile; they wouldn't even need dinner.

Professor Cen’s coughing finally subsided, though her voice remained raspy and her condition was far from ideal. After putting her mask back on, she was settled into a back-row seat by the man. The little boy snuggled up beside her, acting with exceptional maturity as he stood on tiptoe to pour water for his mother.

Having rested for a moment, she attempted to resume the lecture, only to be stopped by the man. Following a brief whispered argument between the two, the ultimate outcome was that Professor Cen yielded, sitting obediently in her seat without moving.

Stepping up to the podium in her place was the tall man.

Sporting the very same stern gaze, the handsome man merely swept a glance across the audience, instantly silencing the students below. They straightened their postures obediently, not daring to make any more small movements.

Nodding with satisfaction, the man finally spoke, his voice deep and magnetic: "Professor Cen has come down with a severe cold. Even though she hasn't fully recovered, she came to conduct this review session for you despite her discomfort. Therefore, the rest of the review will be led by me."

"Huh? Can he do that..." a few students muttered beneath their breaths, though none dared to speak aloud.

On the podium, however, the man had already opened the lesson plan and began lecturing according to its contents. Not only was his articulation crystal clear, but his pacing was methodical. He actually looked remarkably convincing.

Initially skeptical and convinced he was merely an outsider putting on a facade, the students were now filled with complete admiration. Could this "master's husband" possibly be a university professor himself?

The sixty-plus-minute class ended swiftly. Essentially all the key knowledge points had been summarized; any student who had paid attention was guaranteed to pass the exam.

Waiting until all the students had cleared out, Cen Mo slowly rose from her seat. Her forehead still felt slightly feverish, leaving her somewhat dizzy and weighed down by a lazy desire to sleep.

Her son's soft little hand grasped her right hand as he chided her like a miniature adult, "Mom didn't pay attention to her health! You're not being a good girl!"

The crisp, childlike voice sounded exceptionally cute in her ears, bringing a smile to Cen Mo's face and reviving her spirits slightly. She wanted to lower her head and kiss the boy's little cheek, but fearing she might infect him, she reluctantly abandoned the thought.

The man on the podium had already packed up their belongings and strode down.

Reaching her side, his large hand first pressed against the temperature of her forehead. The words that left his lips mirrored their son's precisely, right down to the slight frown: "Paying so little attention to your health—what would you have done if your condition worsened?"

"Oh my, isn't this Professor Su? That was a remarkably well-delivered lecture." She shook her head, attempting to bluff her way through.

Having gone through graduate school, doctoral studies, and international exchange programs, she had only secured her position as a university professor after weathering immense hurdles. Naturally, she cared deeply about her career. If she hadn't come today, what would the students have done if they failed their finals?

Naturally aware of her stubborn personality, Su Xingzhi could do nothing in the face of such professional dedication. He carefully wrapped her scarf around her neck, and the family of three exited the classroom and climbed into their waiting vehicle.

As the weather grew increasingly frigid with flurries of snowflakes drifting down, the car’s heater was cranked up, making the interior exceptionally cozy.

Cen Mo slipped off her own down jacket, stripped her son of his padded coat, and settled him securely into his child safety seat, buckling him in firmly.

She didn't forget to tease the man in the driver's seat: "How on earth did you pull that off? You delivered that lecture even more fluently than I do."

Su Xingzhi had already started the car. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he replied calmly, "Your lesson notes were comprehensive. I merely had to read off them."

"Is that so? As expected of President Su, remaining so unflappable in front of so many students. I am impressed, truly impressed." She praised him with a beaming smile, though her voice remained hoarse, prompting another fit of coughing.

"Mom, are you alright?" Their son, Su Sheng, turned his head to ask with concern.

"Mhm, Mom is fine." Sucking on a licorice lozenge, Cen Mo grimaced slightly, nearly gagging on the strange flavor, yet forced herself to offer a reassuring smile to her son.

"Mom is lying. You're clearly very uncomfortable. I wish I could take on some of it for you." The little boy sighed ruefully.

Cen Mo was momentarily speechless. The child was merely a four-year-old toddler—how on earth was he so precocious? At such a tender age, he was already capable of reading an adult's expressions to gauge their mood; it was truly extraordinary.

At a loss for words, she could only pinch the little boy's cheek. "Well, thank you so much, son."

"What's there to thank? We're family." The little boy thrust his small fist into the air, swearing with absolute conviction, "When I grow up, I'm going to be Mom's knight and protect you!"

Cen Mo was nearly moved to tears. Her son had the sweetest mouth—sweet enough to practically cure her cold on the spot...

From the driver's seat, the man's calm voice drifted over: "Mom's knight is Dad. Little kids shouldn't meddle."

"..."

Stunned into silence for a moment, Cen Mo noticed their son's lips protruding into a pout and spent a good long while soothing him, casting a sidelong glare at the man in the front seat all the while.

How utterly childish! Why on earth was this man jealous of their own child?

With the snowy roads slick, the car moved at an exceptionally slow pace. Encountering a traffic jam shortly after, the long line of vehicles could only inch forward at a crawl, moving much like a sluggish tortoise.

The interior remained delightfully warm. Growing somewhat fatigued, Cen Mo chatted with her son for a bit before drifting off into a hazy slumber, leaning against the seat.

When she awoke once more, her surroundings had completely changed. She had been changed into pajamas and lay nestled beneath warm, cozy blankets, with Sheng Sheng sprawled beside her.

The little boy gazed at her with wide eyes, reaching out a sensible hand to check her forehead's temperature. "Mom, your fever is gone! Dad said your sickness will be all better soon."

"Mhm." She stretched luxuriously, propping herself up slightly as memories trickled back. "Sheng Sheng, wasn't we in the car just a moment ago?"

"Yeah, Dad carried you inside." Sheng Sheng beamed mischievously, snuggling into her arms and sticking out his tongue in a playful grimace. "Mom is so silly, you're so big and still need to be carried to bed~"

Footsteps echoed from outside the door as Su Xingzhi entered carrying a warm cup of sugar water. He scooped their son up, set him firmly on the floor, and lectured him with stern gravity: "Didn't I tell you not to disturb Mom while she's sleeping? Besides, her cold might pass to you."

Hearing this, the little boy curled his lips in discontent, but lacking the courage to defy his father, he scampered off with an indignant huff.

"Why do you always scold him?" With a warm mug handed to her by the man, Cen Mo sipped the sugar water as she spoke.

"This rascal doesn't listen." Despite his words, the man turned and gave chase. A moment later, the sound of the little boy's delighted giggles rang out from the living room: "Dad, you're cheating! You promised to toss me up in the air three times!"

Outside the window, the snow showed no signs of abating, but indoors felt as warm as spring. Listening to the playful sounds of her husband and son, Cen Mo could not help breaking into a soft smile of her own.

Author's Note:
The story is officially complete! Thank you to everyone who has stayed with it all this way. Sending virtual hearts to you all~