“Why won’t you introduce him to me if he’s not your boyfriend, Wanwan? You’re not being honest, are you?”
“Take a closer look, our beautiful Wanwan’s figure has improved too! Don’t tell me you’re going through a second puberty!”
“Hey, don’t tell me you’re chasing after him! Hmm! It’s possible! I’ve never seen anyone this handsome! What does he do, where did you two meet? Why can’t I meet someone like that!”
Su Wanwan secretly pinched her friend’s waist. This girl was still as outspoken as ever. Back in their student days, she was the boldest, always closing the door to tell dirty jokes.
“So that’s how it is. But you don’t look like someone who’s already ‘eaten the meat’! Wanwan, you still need to work harder! As the saying goes, it’s like climbing a mountain when a man chases a woman, but only a layer of gauze when a woman chases a man… Ouch! Don’t pinch so hard, it hurts!”
Su Wanwan sneaked a glance at Lin Mo, seeing that he didn’t react, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The little lewd girl was Zhang Xiaoran, an outgoing type. She didn’t even need glasses, yet insisted on wearing a pair of thick black frames.
While Su Wanwan was still lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice when Zhang Xiaoran had moved to stand beside Lin Mo, looking at him with curiosity, acting all familiar: “Handsome guy, what brand of cologne do you use?”
Cologne? Clearly, she hadn’t seen much of the world. That was just Lin Mo’s natural scent.
“Big brother, let me introduce myself. I’m Zhang Xiaoran, Wanwan’s best friend and also the head of Room 303. Sorry to be blunt, but what’s your relationship with our Wanwan?”
Oh, the cold and aloof type.
No wonder our Wanwan can’t win him over.
“Are you two a couple?” Zhang Xiaoran pushed up her black-rimmed glasses, grinning cheekily.
“Enough.”
“Stop with the nonsense, you court death.” Lin Mo’s cold voice cut in.
Su Wanwan’s heart jumped in alarm.
Others might not know, but she did—her student wasn’t someone to be trifled with. When he said ‘court death,’ he definitely wasn’t joking.
She hurriedly gave Zhang Xiaoran a look, tugging on her waist and whispering, “Stop it, Xiaoran! Lin Mo and I are completely innocent!”
They left the karaoke bar; it was already past seven in the evening.
Su Wanwan had sipped a few drinks, and her cheeks were flushed red.
Though she’d repeatedly told Zhang Xiaoran not to drive after drinking—she’d seen a news story recently about a woman who, driving drunk at over 170 mph, destroyed two families. People like that were worse than pigs and dogs, even King Yama would shake his head at them. She would never be that kind of scum.
Zhang Xiaoran made a face, winking: “Your boyfriend’s here, what are you worried about? Look at him, he hasn’t touched a drop. Don’t blame me for not warning you—guys like him, you’d better act fast. If you wait too long and someone else snatches him up, you’ll have nowhere to cry.”
“Only the girls in Room 303 are as close as sisters. Tell me, do you like him? No need to answer—I haven’t seen you wear high-speed gear in four years at college. By the way, where are your high heels? Ouch, don’t pinch me, that hurts!”
“I’m only telling you this because we’re close. Be careful, don’t let someone else snatch him. When the head of the dorm tells you something, you listen! If you really let him get snatched, you might as well give him to me, right? That’s what they call keeping it in the family… Hey, don’t pinch me again!”
Su Wanwan, her cheeks still red, got into the passenger seat.
Normally, she never touched alcohol; her tolerance was nearly zero.
But for some reason, she felt more clear-headed than ever.
It was as if her mind had gone from multi-threaded to single-threaded.
Her thinking had slowed down, but she could focus on just one thing.
She had to admit, what Zhang Xiaoran said made sense.
With Lin Mo’s qualities, who knew how many eyes were on him.
Not many people knew about him now, but already, she could see the signs.
What if—just what if—
What if, because of the student-teacher relationship, she kept pretending to be aloof?
And one day, Lin Mo held another girl’s hand, looked at her, and said, “Master, your disciple brings his wife to pay respects. Please give us your blessing.”
Would she give her blessing, or not?
If the wood was already carved, what right would she have to break them apart?
As she watched Lin Mo get in the car, Su Wanwan pressed a hand to her chest, unsettled. But then she remembered what the head of the dorm had said, and an indescribable urge welled up, making it impossible to hide her feelings any longer.
Zhang Xiaoran was right. If she just sat back and watched someone else take him, she might as well let Xiaoran have him.
At least then she’d still see Lin Mo every few days, right? Not like that flat-chested girl she didn’t even know—if Lin Mo ran off with her, he might be gone for good.
After all this time, she finally liked someone—she had to be a little bit brave.
For this feeling, she could give something up, even if it meant Lin Mo would hate her.
If she kept her distance just to avoid being hated, then she would end up hating herself.
At that moment, knowing exactly what she was about to do, Su Wanwan’s heart pounded so hard that even she could hear it. Even Lin Mo sensed her strange mood, and said to his teacher, “Drinking is bad for your health, let me help you expel the alcohol.”
“No!” Su Wanwan refused. “There are some things I can only say in this state.”
“Don’t start the car yet. I have something to tell you.”
“I don’t ask for anything else, just that after you hear me out, you’ll give me the truest answer—whether that means you’ll hate me, or…”
Lin Mo didn’t understand, staring blankly at his respected teacher: “How could I ever hate you, Master? That’s impossible.”
Su Wanwan looked into his star-like eyes, lowered her head in silence, then gathered her courage: “You would never hate your Master.”
“I would never.”
“Then, what if…”
Su Wanwan pinched her thigh hard. “Then what if I wasn’t your Master?”
Lin Mo’s gaze sharpened instantly. “What do you mean?”
Su Wanwan almost blurted out that she was joking, that she was just a little tipsy and rambling, that he shouldn’t take it seriously. That way, Lin Mo would still respect her and care for her.
But was that really what Su Wanwan wanted?
No!
She really must have drunk too much.
But she didn’t hate it—because at last, she could drop her guard and look straight at the man before her. “Exactly what I said. I’m not your Master. I’m Su Wanwan.”
She had never seen Lin Mo look at her with such cold eyes. But in the next instant, his gaze softened. “Master, drunken words can’t be taken seriously.”
There was no turning back now. Besides, she didn’t want to turn back. “I’m not drunk. On the contrary, I’m very clear-headed.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not your Master.”
“You’ve known from the start, haven’t you? Why act so surprised?”
“Or was my bad acting enough to fool you?”
Su Wanwan felt the world spinning, and in the next moment, the man she liked had her by the throat. “Master, do you know what you’re saying? I’m giving you one more chance—say you’re my Master, and I’ll pretend none of this happened.”
He let go.
Su Wanwan coughed violently, an unnatural flush coloring her face. She truly felt that if Lin Mo had used a bit more force, she might have died.
“Cough… cough… You already know the answer, don’t you? Tell me, would you treat your Master this way? Would you coldly grab your Master’s throat, looking like you hate her? Would you dare? Since that’s the case, why do you need to ask me?”
After saying this, Su Wanwan simply leaned back in the passenger seat, not even looking at Lin Mo.
She had imagined how Lin Mo would react when he found out, and she’d worried about this moment for so long. But after finally saying her piece, she felt so much better.
Maybe she really had drunk too much—she admitted it.
Even if she regretted it, that would be tomorrow’s problem. For today, right here, right now, her only feeling was: relief.
The angry outburst she imagined didn’t come. Instead, there was only the sound of someone shifting against the seat. Su Wanwan peeked and saw that at some point, Lin Mo had copied her, leaning comfortably against the seatback with his eyes closed.
Su Wanwan couldn’t help but giggle.
She’d leaned back as if to say, “Do whatever you want. I’ve said my piece.” A little bit of giving up, perhaps.
But what was Lin Mo trying to do by acting the same way?
For some reason, she just wanted to laugh.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing. Which ear of yours heard your teacher laughing?”
The two of them fell silent, the only sound outside the car coming from the flashing neon lights, hinting that for some, the night was just beginning.
“Sigh—you were right. Honestly, I already knew you weren’t my Master. But I don’t get it—wouldn’t it be fine to keep going like this? I’d always respect you. If you were ever in trouble, I’d give my life for you… But you chose to break this fragile barrier. I don’t understand. I just can’t accept it for now…”
“Still, thank you for being honest.”
“Can you tell me why?”
Su Wanwan tilted her head to look at him. “Didn’t you already say thank you?”
“So that’s how it is…”
“Actually, there’s another reason.”
“I’m listening.”
“I can’t tell you, but you’ll know someday.” Su Wanwan’s face grew even redder—maybe from the alcohol, maybe not. “Lin Mo, if you like calling me Master, suit yourself. I don’t want to hide from you, but that doesn’t mean this relationship is over.”
“Sigh—sometimes, I really do believe you’re my Master. You’re so kind, Teacher Su Wanwan.”
“Call me Master.” Su Wanwan deliberately put on a stern face, imitating the manner of Fairy Su in her memories.
Lin Mo stared at her, then rubbed his eyes and said in a puzzled tone, “Master?”
Su Wanwan nodded lightly. “Don’t forget your promise to your Master all those years ago.”
Lin Mo could only smile bitterly, mumbling, “You’re making me confused. Who are you, really?”
“Is Master teasing her disciple?”
“Please, I didn’t offend you, did I?”
Su Wanwan burst out laughing, and in that moment, it was as if the world had lost all its color. Lin Mo had never seen his Master smile so closely—she was so beautiful it took his breath away, making him wonder how there could be such a lovely woman in this world.
“Who I am, it doesn’t matter.”
“Lin Mo, will you agree to one request from your teacher?”
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“Hug me…”
“No! How could your disciple be so disrespectful!”
“I told you, I’m not your Master! I’m Su Wanwan! I’m your teacher—do you understand?”
“Master, please don’t tease me…”
“Why do you never understand? Ah, Master, teacher, whatever. Fine, I’ll tell you why I said I’m not your Master—you want to know, right? I’ll tell you now!”
Su Wanwan’s heart was pounding like crazy. The next second, she wrapped her arms around Lin Mo’s broad shoulders, and before his stunned, unbelieving eyes, kissed him.
“Master!”
“Don’t talk.”
“Kiss me.”
“Master…”