The Wolf and the Coffee

After breakfast, Guo Peng kept his promise and treated Ye Nanzhi and Zheng Xiaorou to drinks at the milk tea shop. Leaving the shop, Ye Nanzhi headed straight for the faculty office carrying two cups.

One was the milk tea Guo Peng had bought, and the other was a coffee she had paid for out of her own pocket.

Standing at the door, Ye Nanzhi subconsciously hesitated. For some reason, she felt nervous every time she was about to see Chu Ran. She rubbed her chest, trying to pump herself up, when she heard a voice from inside that sounded somewhat impatient.

“Are you planning on coming in or not?”

She hadn’t expected Chu Ran to arrive so early. Moreover, Chu Ran didn’t seem very happy today.

Ye Nanzhi braced herself and pushed the door open. She placed the coffee in front of Chu Ran, then unzipped her bag and pulled up the files she had organized the night before on her tablet.

Chu Ran did indeed have a habit of drinking coffee in the morning. She glanced at the cup Ye Nanzhi had handed her—it was from the shop on the second floor of the canteen.

“I heard there’s a promotion on drinks at the canteen today?”

Normally, Chu Ran rarely ate breakfast at the canteen. But after the morning trip to the hospital, she had stopped by to buy a sandwich, only to overhear some conversations.

Conversations about… exes and the like.

Later, that young guy had offered to treat everyone. So, was the cup in front of her just an extra? Was she getting the leftover that no one wanted? Chu Ran pushed the cup forward, her stance clear.

Chu Ran was in a bad mood today—in fact, she was radiating a palpable irritation. Sensing the atmosphere, Ye Nanzhi only wanted to quickly go over the topics and make her escape.

But the other woman was in no hurry to look at the thesis, nor did she intend to let her off easy.

After browsing through the manuscript Ye Nanzhi had spent all night preparing, Chu Ran nodded in approval. “The two topics you’ve outlined are quite good, and the framework is very standard.”

Just as Ye Nanzhi let out a breath of relief, Chu Ran didn’t delve into which topic to choose. Instead, she closed the tablet and pushed it away.

“But are you truly interested in this topic?” Chu Ran asked.

“Wh-what?”

“This subject will stay with you for the next two years. Writing an academic thesis of tens of thousands of words is a painful experience if you don’t like it,” Chu Ran said. “So, if you have other thoughts, speak up now. Don’t drag it out and end up making everyone miserable by delaying the progress!”

Chu Ran felt her point was clear. If the topic was submitted, Ye Nanzhi would have to spend day and night with her for the next two years.

The girl had just been plotting her escape behind her back, yet here she was, acting obedient and bringing her work to be reviewed. Looking at Ye Nanzhi’s lowered eyes, Chu Ran had to admit that even after four years, she still couldn’t see through her.

She couldn’t see the true thoughts hidden beneath that compliant exterior. Even now, while the girl stood before her, she was likely calculating how to flee.

Chu Ran wasn’t one to force things. This time, she was giving Ye Nanzhi a choice.

If she chose to leave now, Chu Ran could pretend nothing had happened. They could let time stay frozen four years ago.

If she had lost her composure once in the past, she certainly wouldn’t do it a second time.

Chu Ran looked down and happened to catch sight of a keychain on the side of Ye Nanzhi’s backpack—one she didn’t recognize. She extended her index finger, hooked the ring, and pulled it toward her, fiddling with the fur of the plush toy.

It was a grey-and-white plush, baring its teeth in a fierce expression. This thing is so clumsy; how is it better than a rabbit? Chu Ran thought, her grip on the toy unintentionally tightening.

At least it wasn’t some other random animal.

“Give my dog back to me.” Ye Nanzhi reached out to snatch the “dog” plush, but Chu Ran raised her arm, holding it just out of reach.

Questioned with words and suppressed by height, a spark of anger finally flared up inside Ye Nanzhi. Ever since this morning, starting with that restless dream, it felt like everything was working against her.

She had bypassed the “buy one get one free” deal to buy Chu Ran the coffee she liked with her own money, only for it to be rejected and pushed aside.

And now, Chu Ran was using her height to bully her.

What had Ye Nanzhi done wrong? Strictly speaking, since reuniting with Chu Ran, she hadn’t done anything out of line, keeping the words “respect your teacher” at the forefront of her mind.

She had endured Chu Ran’s repeated provocations with nothing but tolerance.

She tolerated the constant questioning, the way Chu Ran had used a high-sounding excuse to drag her away in front of everyone, and the baseless interrogation when Guo Peng had walked her back to the dorm. And now, before she had even done anything, she was being given the cold shoulder all morning.

So what was this? Revenge for four years ago? If so, why be so indirect? Why not just say it?

Ye Nanzhi’s resolve hardened; she was at her breaking point.

Since Chu Ran insisted on clinging to the past, then fine—let’s put it all on the table.

Ye Nanzhi gathered her courage and, using the coldest tone she could muster, questioned the other woman: “And what about you?”

Rarely abandoning her soft demeanor, her voice held a sharp edge. “Aren’t you the heiress of the Shengke Group! Did you work so hard to study abroad just to come back here and be a lowly lecturer!”

“Teacher Chu keeps asking me why I came to the South, so what about you? Why did you come to Shen University!”

“Everyone has their own life and their own path to walk. I won’t interfere with you, I won’t affect you, and I certainly won’t be a burden to you. So please,” Ye Nanzhi raised her eyes and stared directly into Chu Ran’s: “Stop using inexplicable reasons to try and control me.”

With that, Ye Nanzhi grabbed the coffee she had bought and took several large gulps. Because of her stomach issues, she hadn’t touched coffee in a long time. The bitter liquid rushed down her throat, making her cheeks flush as she choked, but she fought back the cough. Wiping the coffee from the corner of her mouth, she looked at Chu Ran defiantly.

“A waste of my own money! I’m never thinking about you again!”

Chu Ran suddenly turned her face, her eyes filled with surprise. Ye Nanzhi said… she was thinking about her?

“You mean, you bought this for me?”

It wasn’t a freebie?

Ye Nanzhi thought Chu Ran was playing dumb. Furious, she lifted the cup again, seemingly intending to down the rest of it.

Fortunately, Chu Ran was quick, snatching the cup away.

Chu Ran hadn’t expected the once-soft “rabbit”—who usually didn’t even dare to make eye contact—to have such a side. Her cheeks were flushed from the coffee, and her bright eyes were now shimmering.

It seemed that in the four years she was away, this rabbit had indeed grown up. Not only had she learned how to get angry, but she had also learned how to bite.

Chu Ran’s hand holding the keychain slowly lowered. Ye Nanzhi saw her chance and snatched her keys back.

The coffee could go, but she wouldn’t lose her keys.

“Give it back!”

After reclaiming the “dog,” Ye Nanzhi composed herself and sat back down at the desk. “So, Teacher Chu, do you have any comments or suggestions? If not, I’ll just pick one of these two topics and start writing!”

Ye Nanzhi was uncharacteristically cold and firm, her soft voice sounding like an angry rabbit with its ears pinned back.

Seeing this, Chu Ran reverted to her professional teacher persona. “Then let’s go with the first one.”

“The one written first is always liked more than the one that comes later,” Chu Ran said meaningfully, her hand still gripping the half-empty cup of coffee.

The ambiguous words couldn’t stop Ye Nanzhi’s desire to flee. She began packing her things, intending to leave this place of conflict.

Right now, she very much did not want to remain alone in this space with Chu Ran!

“Then I’ll go back and continue preparing. I’ll report my progress to you next week.”

“No need to wait for next week,” Chu Ran called out to her. “Your summary is already very comprehensive. The next step is data collection and analysis.”

“It’s just a survey for the proposal, so it doesn’t need to be overly detailed. I have no classes this afternoon, so we’ll go together. You can do the data analysis over the weekend. If anything is missing, we still have time next week,” Chu Ran said.

Ye Nanzhi: “I should go by myself this afternoon. I don’t want to trouble you, Teacher Chu.”

“Don’t forget, I am also researching this topic.” As she spoke, Chu Ran lifted the cup and took a sip from the exact spot where Ye Nanzhi’s lips had been.

The coffee from the campus shop wasn’t made from expensive beans, yet Chu Ran found it unexpectedly fragrant—perhaps even carrying a hint of sweetness.

While doing so, Chu Ran didn’t forget to watch Ye Nanzhi’s reaction.

The girl’s porcelain skin turned a deep, thorough red in an instant.

Chu Ran didn’t linger. She walked to the door, but suddenly stopped and turned around.

She shook the cup in her hand, her movements carrying the poise of a teacher. “Thank you for the coffee. Also, your new keychain is very cute.”

As if remembering something, Chu Ran gave a meaningful smile and added, “By the way, you should know that thing… is actually a wolf!”