Thanks to Liu Fengying's careful handling, Professor Wei truly experienced a smooth journey in her arms. However, this was only from a physical perspective; mentally, it was a rollercoaster of highs and lows.
But why had Professor Wei, known for her legendary indifference, lost control over her own emotions? Could she still be in shock from falling down the stairs? Well, it couldn't be said that the incident hadn't left its mark, but that wasn't the primary reason; rather, it had merely served as a catalyst.
In fact, what had sent her on a true mental odyssey was Liu Fengying's "coming out" during her rejection of the confession. Unlike other witnesses, who still had doubts about the meaning of her words, Professor Wei—who already suspected that Liu Fengying might have developed some inappropriate thoughts toward her—was firmly convinced that Liu Fengying intended to make her attraction to girls known.
It wasn't that she thought there was anything wrong with that. After all, Liu Fengying had every right to make her stance clear; why should she have to endure being pestered by people she had not the slightest interest in?
As for the fear that Liu Fengying might face difficulties in the future because of this, Professor Wei wasn't worried; a person as decisive as Liu Fengying surely had no intention of relying on the goodwill of others to succeed in life.
The problem, however, lay elsewhere: Liu Fengying had gone public with her sexual orientation while holding her in her arms. Because of this detail, wouldn't her own name be forever linked to this event?
Of course, if nothing had happened between them in the past, she might not have made such a big deal out of it. But since Liu Fengying had flirted with her so boldly only a day before, she felt a pang of guilt—or rather, a sense of being exposed. More precisely, she feared that if people paid closer attention to their future interactions, someone would eventually discover clues about Liu Fengying's intentions toward her.
Professor Wei truly had no desire for all sorts of rumors to surface about her and one of the students she was currently responsible for. It wasn't that she feared public gossip—after all, she had never placed much value on the opinions of others—but such a thing could gravely affect her career. Therefore, she had to adopt a tougher attitude toward Liu Fengying, at least until the girl graduated.
But was she even capable of doing that? Truthfully, she wasn't sure at all; Liu Fengying had an innate talent for playing with fire. In other words, as long as Liu Fengying maintained that ambiguous attitude, Professor Wei couldn't reprimand her without appearing unreasonable or paranoid.
Furthermore, she had to admit that she perceived Liu Fengying differently from others who had tried to get close to her. Perhaps because Liu Fengying was a girl, or perhaps because she could see genuine admiration in her eyes, she didn't feel uncomfortable interacting with her.
And now, after Liu Fengying had saved her, Professor Wei's impression of her was even better. Of course, even she was aware that this was a bit cliché, but she simply couldn't control her heart's racing whenever she remembered how radiant Liu Fengying's face had seemed the moment she opened her eyes, after the symptoms caused by the fright had begun to fade.
Moreover, if she were to ignore the circumstances and moral barriers, being held in Liu Fengying's arms was not just an experience devoid of unpleasantness, but one that made her feel truly good. Protected, cared for, cherished… she hadn't felt such a sense of comfort since she was a child and her mother would hold her to her chest. Or perhaps not even then, for Liu Fengying treated her with an almost divine gentleness, and the freshness she emanated was as addictive as a drug, making her feel light, almost ethereal. Honestly, her instinct urged her to curl up in her arms like a cat.
Professor Wei really didn't know how to handle these kinds of feelings; after all, even though she was thirty-five years old, not only had she never been in a relationship, but she had never experienced any emotional entanglement with anyone until that moment.
Naturally, the ridicule of her situation did not escape her; how could she, a grown woman, behave like a schoolgirl blushing every time she laid eyes on her favorite Xuezhang (upperclassman)? What's more, this was happening because of a girl half her age.
Professor Wei could almost see how much her former university classmates would laugh if they found out about this. Didn't they use to say that the person great enough to impress her probably hadn't even been born yet? Well, it seemed that person had already been born by that time; more precisely, back then, she was just learning to walk.
However, beyond the storm of emotions Professor Wei was weathering, this chain of incidents had another effect: it was now much easier for her to see Liu Fengying as an equal.
Until that moment, due to their teacher-student relationship, Professor Wei had been convinced that it was her sole responsibility to ensure the situation was handled correctly. Now, however, she began to wonder if she should have an open discussion with Liu Fengying—to lay all her cards on the table and bring this story to a definitive conclusion.
What result did she hope to achieve? Well, at that moment, she refused to think about it; after all, she was well aware that she was no longer thinking rationally. Still, she suspected that even after she calmed down, she wouldn't be as determined as before to extinguish Liu Fengying's crush on her.
Furthermore, time was running out. No matter how long the school hallways were, it didn't take more than five minutes for someone to walk from one end of the school to the other at a leisurely pace; so, how long could it possibly take for Liu Fengying to reach the office door with Professor Wei in her arms? Even with Liu Fengying walking cautiously to avoid bumping into anyone, the journey was over in about three minutes.
As long as she didn't make an effort to tilt her head, Professor Wei couldn't see from Liu Fengying's arms who was coming their way. Thus, throughout the journey—excluding the initial interruptions from people offering to take Liu Fengying's place in carrying her—it was easy for her to ignore the stares of those around them. She had even reached the point of feeling as if the two of them were separated from the rest of the world, as if they were drifting through a mirrored dimension.
But as strong as this illusion seemed, it wasn't hard to shatter. All it took was for the accusing eyes of the scientists in the portraits near her office to enter her field of vision. They seemed to ask, "What kind of teacher would let herself be seen in such a position with one of her students?" This brought her back to her senses, while also making her realize that her journey in the "exclusive class: Fengying's arms" was nearly at an end.
With a slightly clearer mind, Professor Wei immediately noticed a problem: her office door was locked, so Liu Fengying had no way of opening it. She realized that even handing over the key wasn't a viable solution; she couldn't imagine how Liu Fengying could possibly support her with one hand while unlocking the door.
'Wait a second... It's not like I can't stand at all, is it?' she thought to herself, suddenly noticing the lapse in her reasoning. Initially, after Liu Fengying rejected Han Yu's confession, she hadn't dared to ask to be put down, wanting to remain as invisible as possible. Then, due to the exaggerated care with which Liu Fengying had treated her, she had let herself be swept away, completely forgetting that her situation wasn't so dire as to require being treated like a completely helpless person.
"Student Liu, I'll need to open the door so we can go inside. Besides, it's more than enough that you've carried me this far…" Professor Wei said, trying to sound as lively and reliable as possible.
Truth be told, this move hadn't been very well thought out on her part. Someone might ask: if you're in such good shape now, why didn't you tell your student to put you back on your feet earlier? In other words, carrying her in her arms over such a long distance no longer seemed justified by medical necessity, but rather looked like a scene made by a playful couple.
Fortunately for her, there was no one nearby at that moment, so her reaction had no one to rouse suspicion in. As for Liu Fengying, she was still too worried about Professor Wei's health to pay attention to such subtleties.
"All right…", Liu Fengying accepted Professor Wei's proposal, having no other practical solution at hand. She couldn't exactly ask Professor Wei to try opening the door from her arms, could she? Such an acrobatic feat would surely draw strange looks should other teachers show up.
However, before putting Professor Wei back on her feet, she added: "Umm… do you need support?"
It wasn't that she was reluctant to break contact with Professor Wei; even if she was attracted to her, Liu Fengying had no intention of exploiting the woman's misfortune to take advantage of her.
But on the way there, Professor Wei had been very obedient; she hadn't protested her actions even once. If she had recovered along the way, would she have let herself be held until this moment? To Liu Fengying, this behavior was nothing like the Professor Wei she knew. Thus, she feared that Professor Wei was merely trying to mask her weakness.
"No, I can manage…", Professor Wei replied, but realizing belatedly that her sudden recovery might seem suspicious, she continued with an explanation: "Now that I'm in a quieter place, I've managed to calm down, and I'm no longer dizzy…"
Thinking that Professor Wei's words made sense, Liu Fengying finally acted according to her wish, setting her on her own two feet. Nevertheless, she remained on guard, ready to intervene quickly if anything happened.
Standing once again in a posture befitting her stature, Professor Wei breathed a sigh of relief; somehow, she had managed to climb down from Liu Fengying's arms in a decent manner, avoiding a loss of dignity.
However, one might say Professor Wei rejoiced too soon, because the moment she stepped confidently toward her office door, an arrow-like pain pierced her ankle, causing her to falter.
Was Professor Wei capable of regaining her balance? Well, that is a question that will remain forever unanswered, because within a fraction of a second, she was caught from behind in a firm embrace.
"I've got you, Professor Wei…" Liu Fengying's reassuring words echoed against the back of her neck, carried by her warm breath.