An Unconventional Professor

Same big appetite as me?

A flicker of understanding passed through Huang Xiu’s eyes as she jotted down a few dishes she remembered as tasty.

“Home-style stir-fried pork with peppers, braised pig trotters, oil-braised cabbage hearts, boiled fish head in chili broth, stir-fried yellow beef with vegetables, and corn and spare rib soup.”

The purple ballpoint pen twirled between her slender fingers.

“Four meat dishes, one vegetable, and one soup. Teacher Yue, is that enough? Or would you like to add a few more?”

“Sure!” Yue Zhengyang put down his phone, took the clipboard and menu, and began flipping through it.

Seizing the opportunity, Huang Xiu opened the tableware set, arranged the pieces in front of her, and rinsed them with the hot tea provided by the restaurant.

“After traveling through so many provinces, yours is the only one with the habit of washing utensils with tea before a meal,” Yue Zhengyang remarked as he took the bowl and chopsticks Huang Xiu handed him. “Does it actually do anything?”

“Just a habit, I guess.” Huang Xiu poured the tea from her bowl into the plastic basin on the table. “The utensils are already cleaned and sterilized, but it’s a tradition passed down through generations. Everyone’s used to it, so no one bothers to change.”

“A custom?” Yue Zhengyang said, then suddenly looked toward the door of the private room. The door swung open, revealing a middle-aged man in a suit, holding a briefcase in his left hand and a bottle of er guo tou liquor in his right.

He sported a full goatee, had handsome features, and carried a faint hint of roguishness.

But his flushed cheeks completely ruined that impression.

“Haha, Little Yue, I’m here!” The man plopped down onto a chair and took another swig from the bottle.

“So you’re the—*hic!*” He belched, a wave of alcohol fumes filling the air. “The… Huang Xiu?”

Huang Xiu silently scooted her chair back.

“Professor Yuan, why are you drunk again!” Yue Zhengyang covered his face with a hand, displeased. “Didn’t you promise to quit drinking?”

“Oh, come on, who says I didn’t quit?” Professor Yuan twisted in his chair, completely lacking decorum, waving his hand. “I quit the day before yesterday and drank yesterday—that’s still one day of quitting, isn’t it?”

“We need to look at this objectively. One day of quitting counts as quitting—it’s still progress. This time it’s one day, next time it’ll be two. How can that be considered failing to quit!”

‘No… it’ll probably stay stuck on day one forever, like memorizing vocabulary always starting with ‘abandon’…’ Huang Xiu silently lampooned in her mind.

This Professor Yuan was unexpectedly unreliable. She was already starting to worry.

Meanwhile, Professor Yuan was still grumbling: “Besides, when the big boss wants to drink with me, how can I refuse?”

“You just wanted to drink, didn’t you!”

Yue Zhengyang stood up, walked behind Professor Yuan, and shook the old-fashioned wooden chair vigorously, making it creak loudly.

“Please sober up quickly! Don’t leave a bad impression on Miss Huang!”

“Think about your annual performance review!”

“Cough, all right, all right.”

Professor Yuan waved his hand, straightened up, coughed twice, and the flush on his face receded at a visibly rapid pace.

‘What the hell, is this the legendary lightspeed sobering-up?’

Witnessing such an astonishing sight, Huang Xiu’s eyes widened like copper bells.

‘Damn it, I want that ability too.’

‘Then drinking wouldn’t make me look so weak—getting drunk after one bottle and getting mocked by those bastard roommates.’

“Drinking is my only hobby, and you won’t even allow that. Sigh, how did I end up with a student like you?” Professor Yuan shook his head. “Truly a misfortune for the master! A misfortune!”

“Sorry for being your student!”

Yue Zhengyang sat back down with a deadpan face.

“I hope you find a better student to replace me.”

“About that… I think Miss Huang here would be perfect!” Professor Yuan clapped his hands with a grin.

He turned the conversation to Huang Xiu. “So, how about it? Interested in becoming my student? Taking over Little Yue’s place?”

“Um… may I ask who you are?” Huang Xiu replied weakly.

“Let me reintroduce myself.” Professor Yuan crossed his legs, clasped his hands together, and rested his chin on them. “Yuan Fei, currently a second-level professor in the Department of Exploration at Tiandu University.”

He was dressed in a sharp suit, sleeves pressed perfectly straight, with deep eyes.

The charm of a mature man overflowed unabashedly, giving off a very reliable vibe—

—of course, only when he wasn’t drinking.

“What is the Department of Exploration?” Huang Xiu’s small mind was filled with big questions.

She had only heard of departments like Mechanical Engineering, Electronics, or Dance. Where did this Exploration Department come from?

Was it for training ‘EZ’ specialists?

And exploration? Explore where? Learning from Bear Grylls and Ed Stafford to survive in the wilderness?

“Looks like Little Yue hasn’t told you anything yet!” Professor Yuan said with a knowing smile. “He’s always so rigid. I told him to brief you on the basics beforehand.”

“Could you please explain it to me?” Huang Xiu asked earnestly. “Everything about me.”

“That’s not rigidity,” Yue Zhengyang corrected. “It’s called following the rules. Do you want your student to get arrested for leaking secrets?”

“Haha, didn’t think you’d catch that.” Professor Yuan laughed heartily, then said with a straight face, “I was planning to have you locked up for a few months for leaks, so I could enjoy a couple of good drinks.”

Yue Zhengyang: “…”

Huang Xiu: “…”

‘What a perfect pair of dutiful student and virtuous teacher—truly filial!’

“Professor Yuan!” Yue Zhengyang’s tone suddenly rose.

“Ahem.” Professor Yuan coughed into his hand.

“Anyway, some things can’t be explained by words alone; you need to see them for yourself. But I should at least give you the basics first.”

Professor Yuan took a sip of the tea Huang Xiu had poured. “Little Yue, apply for permission from the AI.”

“The AI monitors the real world at all times. Without permission, telling you anything would be a violation,” Yue Zhengyang explained to Huang Xiu. “Only people at the professor level or above have the authority to lift restrictions for ordinary people.”

With that, he took out a black phone without a case, dialed nine 9s on the keypad, and pressed the call and speakerphone buttons.

‘Nine 9s… isn’t that an invalid number?’ Huang Xiu was startled, but she knew the two wouldn’t joke around, so she watched patiently.

“Hello, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check and redial!” Amid the busy signal, Professor Yuan suddenly spoke: “Code T245234, request to lift the restriction for Huang Xiu.”

One second, two seconds… From the phone Yue Zhengyang held, a flat feminine voice suddenly came through.

“Processing… Authorization confirmed. Restriction on Huang Xiu has been lifted. The Wall of Reality is now open to her.”

The moment the voice finished, the phone in Huang Xiu’s pocket buzzed.

‘Woo…’

“Take a look,” Professor Yuan said with a smile.

Huang Xiu nodded, pulled out her phone, and saw a new text message.

The sender’s number was unknown—just XXXX—and the content was a simple sentence: “Hello, Huang Xiu. You have been granted temporary authorization, code L-22312.”