Even though Professor Wei's leg seemed completely healed, Liu Fengying was worried that the effect of her technique might only be temporary. Therefore, she advised Professor Wei to try and put as little strain on it as possible for the rest of the day, spending most of her time sitting and avoiding sudden movements while walking.
In addition, Liu Fengying asked her teacher to save her phone number in her contacts, so she could reach her as quickly as possible if she noticed anything wrong with her leg. It wasn't as if Professor Wei had no way of contacting her; after all, she had the email addresses of all the students in the class she was responsible for. However, Liu Fengying thought she would be less likely to miss a text message than an email. Since only a few people had her phone number, she was more attentive to texts.
"And when classes are over, I will pay you another visit to check on your leg and make sure everything is alright...", Liu Fengying said at last, adjusting her imaginary doctor glasses. As long as Professor Wei was her patient, she was the one in a position of authority, so all her decisions were final.
"Okay...", Professor Wei accepted this arrangement with obedience as well.
Perhaps, if she had kept the mindset from the previous day, she would have hesitated to agree to meet Liu Fengying alone again, even with her own health at stake. But now, having decided to stop running away from her own desires, not only did she no longer mind spending as much time as possible in the girl's company, but deep down in her heart, she was downright thrilled.
Since it looked like Liu Fengying was getting ready to leave, Professor Wei thought it was time to say something to thank her for everything she had done. After all, even though they had grown closer, their relationship had not yet reached the level where they didn't need to thank each other.
"Before you leave, I would like to express my gratitude both for saving me from a severe injury and for the care you took of me afterward...", Professor Wei began, her tone a bit stiff.
After all, she was an independent person who had avoided accepting help from others as much as possible, so she wasn't quite used to expressing her gratitude in this manner.
However, Professor Wei realized that she hadn't phrased it very well; it sounded as if she wanted to draw a line regarding what had happened between her and Liu Fengying. So, she recast her thanks, trying to adopt the most charming expression and a highly flirtatious tone:
"So, thank you, Fengying. You were very handsome..."
Well, judging by Liu Fengying's bewildered expression, Professor Wei deduced that she had performed much better, which gave her courage.
"I also want to tell you that I remain indebted to you...", she added in the same manner, giving Liu Fengying a discreet wink at the end.
Truth be told, Professor Wei wasn't exactly a great talent when it came to acting coquettish. This wasn't necessarily evident from comparing her to experts in the field, such as the courtesans who had tried to get close to Liu Fengying in her past life, but rather from the fact that even her stepmother, Wang Xia, could have easily schooled her in this department.
Yet, Professor Wei had something that helped her cheat: a face of divine beauty. Every smile of hers was like a sunrise, and every playful look in her eyes evoked the rustle of nature at the arrival of spring, when the snows melt, and the forests and meadows burst into life.
Moreover, every seductive gesture of hers carried an authentic innocence that can only be found during a first love, capable of tickling the soul like the gentle bites of a kitten that still has its milk teeth.
For these reasons, it was no wonder that Liu Fengying felt completely helpless against Professor Wei's "charms," her reason beginning to erode as if she were caught in the nets cast by a siren's song.
"Well, there is no reason for you to feel burdened; I did all of this because I wanted to, not out of any obligation...", Liu Fengying managed to reply to Professor Wei's thanks in a manner that made her look as magnanimous as possible.
However, when faced with a pile of gold, even the most selfless person would be tempted to take at least one coin. Therefore, how could Liu Fengying—who, in reality, was not all that altruistic—not be tempted to try and get even closer to Professor Wei, now that such a perfect opportunity had presented itself?
Perhaps under optimal conditions, she would have been able to control her impulse to reach out toward the pile of gold until the very end. But since that was not the case now, enchanted as she was by the flirtatious Professor Wei, she suddenly found her mouth moving ahead of her thoughts as she added:
"However, if you insist on rewarding me, how about treating me to dinner at a restaurant today? Lately, my appetite has been rather large, so that would be to my liking..."
The fact that Liu Fengying's goal was not to get a free dinner, but to go out with her, was something Professor Wei didn't even need to question; she told herself that if she failed to realize this after all the flirting and teasing that had taken place between them, she would have to be the most naive person on Earth. What increased appetite for food? It was more like an appetite for her.
'This greedy girl... You only need to offer her a finger, and she will try to take your whole hand...', Professor Wei lamented in her mind.
Well, her lamentation was merely a facade. In reality, she felt quite proud of the fact that she had managed to make Liu Fengying take the risk of such concrete actions toward her, just by fluttering her eyelashes a few times.
Nevertheless, it was true that she found Liu Fengying's proposal a bit problematic.
It wasn't as if having dinner with one of the students she was responsible for would be perceived as a scandalous gesture if it were found out—at least, not as long as everything took place in a public space, where nothing ambiguous could happen without being noticed.
As a pretext, plenty of justifications could be used, ranging from providing motivation to achieve the best possible results on the entrance exam, to counseling regarding future plans—wasn't that exactly what the school administration wanted from her, to ensure that Liu Fengying would contribute to the institution's reputation? Also, the simple fact that she wanted to thank her for saving her could serve as a more than solid justification.
Yet, what truly put her in a difficult position was the fact that she did not want the relationship between her and Liu Fengying to evolve to the stage of dates before things were cleared up between them. And if that talk were to happen, she would be even less able to go out with Liu Fengying as long as the girl was still one of the students directly under her care. One thing was an exchange of ambiguous remarks, and a completely different thing was dates with clearly romantic intentions. So, no matter how things stood, she still could not accept Liu Fengying's proposal.
As for what kind of clarification needed to take place between her and Liu Fengying, well, Professor Wei still didn't know. First, she had to clarify things with herself; more precisely, she had to decide how far she was willing to take things with Liu Fengying. And in making this decision, it wasn't just about what she wanted, but a whole host of factors.
For instance, one of the most important factors that was beyond her control was the age difference. And this wasn't necessarily from a moral standpoint; thinking about how there were men over 60 who dated 20-year-old girls without anyone criticizing them, Professor Wei convinced herself that she had no reason to feel burdened by a difference of only about 17 years.
Furthermore, if the duration of her love life were to be calculated, it was equal to Liu Fengying's—meaning zero. From this perspective, they were a good match, right? Just because her peach tree had blossomed later because she had dedicated all her time to studying while others were having fun, did it mean she was now only allowed to be in a relationship with someone who had been through dozens of flings or who was divorced?
However, if she were planning to enter a lifelong relationship with Liu Fengying, the age difference would eventually become an impediment. At present, her physical appearance was still in prime condition, so her age was no obstacle to Liu Fengying being attracted to her. But could things remain the same in about 15 years? Unless medicine made substantial progress in cellular rejuvenation, she would almost certainly begin to show signs of aging by then.
It wasn't that Professor Wei suspected Liu Fengying of entering a relationship with her solely for her looks, or that once she lost some of her attractiveness, the girl would wrinkle her nose and leave her. However, if she were to look like an elderly aunt while Liu Fengying was at the peak of her beauty, she would feel terribly frustrated.
Of course, Professor Wei did not have enough time at that moment to properly analyze all these thoughts that had flooded her mind because of Liu Fengying's proposal; it would likely take many long evenings to draw any clear conclusions. Moreover, right then, she had to find a suitable way to turn her down. Not only did she want to avoid hurting her feelings, but she also had to be careful not to discourage the girl's attempts to get closer to her. So, she had to explain that it wasn't a lack of willingness on her part to go on a date, but simply that the current moment was not the right one.
Yet, Professor Wei couldn't figure out how she could achieve this in their current situation—specifically, as long as neither of them had openly confessed their intentions. If she limited herself to an ambiguous attitude and mere insinuations without starting from concrete certainties, she risked having her message interpreted as just another tease or an attempt to deflect attention. It was like building a house of cards: the structure could not be started without a solid surface underneath.
Being the first to confess her attraction to the other was completely out of the question; as long as she was still Liu Fengying's teacher, she intended to maintain an ambiguous attitude toward her. Nevertheless, that didn't mean she couldn't be the one to pierce the paper barrier between them, thereby making Liu Fengying admit that she was attracted to her.
The more she thought about this option, the more attractive it seemed to Professor Wei. If she found out Liu Fengying's intentions, it would be much easier to decide what to do in the future than if she had to rely on all sorts of assumptions.
So, in the end, Professor Wei plucked up her courage, and with a serious expression, she asked Liu Fengying:
"Student Liu, tell me honestly: do you happen to have a crush on me?"
Liu Fengying was caught off guard by Professor Wei's move. She had believed they had reached a tacit understanding to maintain an ambiguous attitude toward each other. So, why had she suddenly decided to force her to show her cards? Was it possible that now that she had shown she wanted their interactions not to be limited to mere flirting, Professor Wei wanted to take a step back?
Nevertheless, regardless of what Professor Wei's intentions were, now that she had clearly expressed her desire to know her feelings toward her, Liu Fengying intended to be as honest as possible. She didn't believe that a relationship entered by wearing a mask or resorting to all kinds of tricks could be satisfying—at least, it wasn't for her. If others were happy about managing to get a partner they didn't deserve, that was strictly their business.
"Well, using the word 'crush' wouldn't be quite accurate in this case. However, it's true that I did have a crush on you in the past—specifically, during the first few weeks you were my teacher...", Liu Fengying began her "confession."
"Cough, cough!!...", Professor Wei choked, realizing what danger she had been in back then without even knowing it. If she had been dealing with a 15-year-old Liu Fengying trying to get close to her, she really would have been in a stressful situation; she couldn't imagine how she would have been able to keep her in check for three years.
"Umm, are you alright?", Liu Fengying paused to allow Professor Wei to stop coughing.
"Cough! Yes. Ahem... continue...", Professor Wei managed to stammer after a few moments, striving to leave the impression that her reaction had been a mere accident, completely unrelated to what she had just heard.
Deep down, however, she was a little furious with Liu Fengying; if she was going to drop such shocking bombs, she should have at least warned her beforehand.
"Alright...", Liu Fengying said with an oblivious expression. Whether she truly hadn't noticed anything suspicious about Professor Wei or just wanted to save her face was hard to deduce by looking at her.
In any case, right now Professor Wei didn't care about Liu Fengying's sincerity, but only that her own facade wasn't pierced, so she breathed a sigh of relief at her reaction; she really didn't want to be teased about this subject.
Seeing that Professor Wei had calmed down and focused her attention back on her, Liu Fengying resumed her "confession":
"So, to continue, I want to say that unlike what happens with a crush, when a person is overwhelmed by emotions, I now look at the fact that I am attracted to you quite rationally.
However, I've decided to try to have as few regrets in life as possible. So, if I feel attracted to someone, I don't see why I shouldn't try to get closer to them. From there on, it depends on the feedback I receive. Either way, as long as I spend time with someone I like, I won't lose out, no matter the outcome..."
Since Liu Fengying's confession only confirmed what she was already almost certain of, Professor Wei didn't experience any major emotional fluctuations. Rather, what had managed to surprise her was the maturity with which Liu Fengying viewed relationships.
Recalling a college classmate for whom being invited to a single date was enough to start discussing what her wedding dress would look like, she told herself that if all teenagers nowadays shared the same mindset as Liu Fengying—being so realistic regarding their expectations about experiencing love—then the difference between their generations was truly vast.