Activities

To snatch the Professor back, the most crucial point was to figure out why he had become like this in the first place.

Back in that pasta restaurant a few days ago—what exactly did Xiao Yuehua do to him? How did she make him so utterly submissive in the span of a single day?

Tap, tap.

Ning Rou’s gaze was sharp, her footsteps steady and precise; she was almost unrecognizable from her former self. She moved quickly, heading straight for the academy gates. Currently, there was only one major obstacle standing in her way: she didn’t know the location of the small apartment Xiao Yuehua and the Professor were renting.

Without a way to spy on their private life, she naturally had no way of uncovering Xiao Yuehua’s hidden secrets. However, she wasn’t entirely helpless.

“Professor, what would you like to eat today? You choose for lunch. As for dinner, I’ve already decided—let’s go get dessert.”

Xiao Yuehua’s words from earlier still echoed in her ears. In truth, Ning Rou could more or less guess what Xiao Yuehua was thinking. She was jealous—jealous that Ning Rou had once spent time alone with the Professor, sharing desserts during a time that didn’t include her.

Xiao Yuehua was trying to use new memories to overwrite the traces of the time the Professor had spent with Ning Rou. She was warning Ning Rou to give up on him.

It was a good plan. But she had miscalculated one thing.

Hidden within that boastful declaration of victory was an opportunity. An opportunity to save the Professor. And Ning Rou had keenly sensed it:

Time.

They wouldn’t arrive at that dessert parlor until tonight. She still had time to make preparations. First, she had to convince the proprietress of the shop to help her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Professor, is this the restaurant where you had dessert before?”

With Xiao Yuehua’s arm linked through his, Jiang Li felt a bit lost as he was ushered along toward the entrance of the dessert parlor. Standing at the door and gazing at the familiar interior, his eyes unconsciously drifted toward the table and chairs where he had previously sat with Ning Rou.

A brief trance took hold of him; the ease and joy of that day surged back into his heart like a vivid hallucination. Even though he knew this was disrespectful to Xiao Yuehua standing beside him, Jiang Li simply couldn’t control the natural flow of his memories.

A sense of guilt bubbled up. Jiang Li stopped awkwardly and looked at Xiao Yuehua, who was curiously peering inside.

“Yuehua, maybe we should pick somewhere else. Having dessert at night…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. He stopped short as Xiao Yuehua looked back at him with a faint, knowing smile.

“The Professor is lying to me again… You’re worried about something else, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Is it because of Ning Rou? Surely the Professor isn’t still thinking about that time you went out on a secret date behind my back?”

No, it wasn’t a date…

Jiang Li wanted to struggle, but his body wouldn’t allow him to argue. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

Xiao Yuehua fell silent as well, simply staring at him. The atmosphere instantly plunged into an unsettling silence. In this oppressive environment, Jiang Li felt the fear within his body gradually reawakening. He couldn’t stop himself from wanting to tremble, wanting to embrace Xiao Yuehua, wanting to feel the safety and peace she provided.

However, he still possessed a shred of logic and knew it wasn’t the right time. Thus, he could only grit his teeth and maintain a surface level of calm.

The two remained at a standoff for a moment. A faint look of grievance appeared on Xiao Yuehua’s face. Just then, someone passed by the entrance, casting a startled look at the pair and their bizarre aura.

“A young couple fighting?” the passerby muttered before walking away.

Those words were like a key that thawed the ice. For some reason, they provoked a brilliant smile from Xiao Yuehua.

“What’s all this, Professor? Why are you so gloomy?” She stepped forward proactively and embraced him in an act of surrender.

“Alright, alright, it’s Yuehua’s fault. I shouldn’t have given the Professor the cold shoulder… Will you forgive me? Even that passerby just now said we look like a couple…”

Xiao Yuehua’s apology was direct. But Jiang Li couldn’t bring himself to accept it so easily. He felt he was also in the wrong; his guilt had no outlet. After a long time, he could only manage a dry, “I’m sorry, Yuehua.”

Xiao Yuehua seemed touched by his hollow words. Her delicate frame shuddered, and her grip around his waist tightened. She looked up, her hair fluttering in the chill of the late autumn night wind, masking her glistening eyes. Her tone was unexpectedly tinged with remorse, the rims of her eyes turning slightly red.

“The Professor doesn’t owe Yuehua anything. It’s Yuehua who owes the Professor…”

“Yuehua…” Jiang Li gazed at her blankly, not understanding the meaning behind her words.

“No, it’s nothing…” Realizing she had said too much, she let out a chuckle and wiped her eyes. “Today is our first official date. It’s no good to just stand out here like idiots.”

Taking his hand, she led him inside. As if trying to prove something, her smile was filled with happiness and vitality.

“Two servings of the Gimidus!”

While ordering, she didn’t forget to turn back with a smile, her right hand slowly sliding between Jiang Li’s fingers. Slowly but firmly, she interlocked her fingers with his.

“And vegetable juice, right, Professor?”

“Ah… yes.”

Jiang Li nodded. Perhaps infected by the girl’s emotions, or perhaps simply craving the peace she brought him, he hesitated before proactively tightening his grip on their joined hands. Xiao Yuehua immediately reciprocated.

A faint spark of sweetness seemed to flash through his heart, but it was too fleeting. Jiang Li wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“The two of you ordered… vegetable juice and our signature ‘Gimidus,’ is that correct?”

At the table, Xiao Yuehua was in a marvelous mood, unwilling to let go of Jiang Li’s hand. A woman dressed as the shop manager stood by the table, checking the order on her clipboard.

But Jiang Li felt an odd sensation. He felt as if she were quietly sizing him up out of the corner of her eye.

Have I met her before?

Jiang Li frowned slightly. The last time he came, the one who served him wasn’t her, but a staff member who had left him her contact number. This should have been his first time meeting the manager.

“Um, is that all? Do you have any other requests?”

“Nothing for now, thank you.”

“Alright. However, miss, I must also offer you some extra congratulations.”

“Congratulations?” Xiao Yuehua looked at the manager with confusion, completely baffled by the sudden remark. “What is there to congratulate?”

“Oh, you and this gentleman are a ‘Couple Customer’ of our shop, so you’ve won an extra ‘intimacy prize.'” The manager explained with a smile, “Didn’t you order our signature dessert? Couple customers get a chance to DIY. You can use colored cream to write a ‘secret message’ to your partner within the dessert, letting them feel your sincerity bit by bit as they enjoy it.”

“That… sounds like it would take a lot of time…” Xiao Yuehua was clearly tempted. She glanced at Jiang Li hesitantly. “Maybe we shouldn’t…”

“Really? That’s such a shame. we only hold this event once a month. If you miss it this time, you’ll have to wait a very long time for the next.”

the manager’s enthusiasm was suspiciously high, but Xiao Yuehua was too drawn to the information to notice the red flags.

“You mean… it’s only once a month?” She suddenly grew excited. “So there was no such event last week?”

She turned her gaze toward Jiang Li. He nodded hesitantly; there certainly hadn’t been any such activity when he came with Ning Rou.

“Fine, I’ll do it now.” Xiao Yuehua’s attitude flipped instantly. She stood up with anticipation and gave Jiang Li’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Professor, can you wait for me for a bit? Yuehua wants to give you a unique date experience that belongs only to us…”

Jiang Li watched blankly as the two of them entered the kitchen. He felt that everything he had encountered today had a very deliberate sense of coincidence. It was just that his clouded mind no longer possessed its former cognitive power; he thought for a long time but couldn’t find the reason.

Just as he was dazed—

“Professor!”

Ning Rou stumbled into his line of sight.