Chapter 112 – Extra 4

The classroom was buzzing with excitement. Comrade Luo Chenzhou had never realized there were so many girls in the meteorology department before—now it seemed like there were far too many. A group of girls chattered like sparrows, their usual cold and aloof queenly demeanor thrown to the winds. Faced with a mature, handsome, and accomplished young professor, the more reserved ones barely managed to hold their composure, sitting in their chairs with flushed faces and stealing glances, while the bolder ones, who had no idea what restraint meant, were already lifting their skirts and rushing to the front row of the classroom—

What was classroom order? Could it be eaten?

Surrounded by a group of young girls, Caesar remained calm and composed. Luo Chenzhou propped his chin on his hand, sitting in his seat and watching the scene unfold. In the dimly lit lecture hall, the black-haired young man could clearly feel a pair of eyes glancing his way through the crowd every minute or so, only to quickly look away.

Occasionally, it even felt like he locked eyes with those amber pupils.

Hmm, maybe it wasn’t an illusion after all…

He smiled faintly, shifted his posture, and sat back to listen as the bold girls asked all the questions he wanted—or didn’t want—to ask.

“Professor, how old are you?”

Caesar: “Thirty-two.”

Luo Chenzhou started counting on his fingers, then smiled with satisfaction when he realized that Caesar was also thirty-two when he had dragged him home like a dead dog.

“Wow, so young. Are you married?”

Caesar: “Not yet.”

Of course not, because your future man is sitting right here watching you get hit on by girls.

“Oh, that’s great! I mean, uh, do you have a girlfriend?”

Caesar: “Single.”

Girls? How can you date someone of a different gender?

“Wow, do you have a boyfriend then?”

Definitely not.

Caesar: “No.”

Good answer!

“…”

Under the piercing gaze that felt like a laser beam, Caesar’s skin prickled with goosebumps. After a moment of silence, he raised his eyes again, trying to spot the source of that gaze through the crowd. But when he looked up, all he saw were the innocent, envious, and pained faces of the boys sitting below. The man sighed inwardly, his head throbbing. Unable to withstand the hopeful gazes of the young girls, he pinched the bridge of his nose and answered honestly—

“I have no preference when it comes to gender, but I’m currently single.”

The man’s voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was deep and magnetic, seemingly able to carry far in the noisy lecture hall. All the boys in the room felt a sudden chill down their spines upon hearing this, while the girls around him erupted in excitement, praising how open-minded people who’ve returned from abroad are—

Dorm leader: “Open-minded my ass. In other words, he’s into both men and women.”

Lu Jiajia: “…So the polite way to say ‘no morals’ is ‘open-minded.'”

Dong Ming: “He’s not even sparing the men. I feel an unprecedented threat.”

The dorm leader sprayed Luo Chenzhou in the face: “Don’t worry, Xiao Ming. When I was heartbroken, I wondered if my true love was a man. I fantasized about everyone in the dorm, but I never dared to picture your face in my mind.”

Dong Ming calmly replied, “I’m so happy.”

Lu Jiajia: “…Why do I feel particularly unhappy about this?”

Luo Chenzhou, who had been innocently sprayed in the face, wiped his face and said, “…Dorm leader, I’m telling you this sincerely—we’re not compatible in size. You’d better look elsewhere—I think that guy from the geology department next door who stole your girlfriend is a good choice. Tall, rich, handsome… And think about it, he stole your girl, so you steal him from her. How thrilling.”

Lu Jiajia: “Get your revenge by pinning him down?”

Luo Chenzhou: “Get your revenge by pinning him down.”

The dorm leader was stunned, then moved to the back row of the classroom to ponder.

The remaining three roommates watched the dorm leader’s retreating figure—

Lu Jiajia: “Young Pioneer, I feel like you’re about to cause some trouble. What grudge do you have against that guy from the geology department?”

Luo Chenzhou: “…I was just saying it casually.”

Dong Ming: “Amitabha.”

On the podium, the Q&A session continued. Having already addressed Caesar’s family status, the girls were now delving into the details. Luo Chenzhou had no doubt that by the time the class ended, everyone would be able to write an 800-word essay titled The Life of Caesar.

“—Caesar, is that a scar above your eye? How did you get it?”

“…I was born with it.” The man paused, then added as if he couldn’t bear it any longer, “Call me Professor.”

“—Your Chinese is so good!”

“I started learning Chinese a long time ago, even before I learned English,” the man seemed to finally show some interest in this question, not brushing it off with a few short words. He curled his lips into a faint smile, “It was probably destined by heaven. One day I would set foot on this yellow land. I’ve waited a long time, and that day has finally come.”

Young girls’ hearts are always filled with poetry, and the man’s words swept through the room, capturing many young hearts.

“My teeth are rotting from the sweetness, save me.” Lu Jiajia flipped through the book in his hand, then stuffed it back into his bag. “I’ll come back for the next class. If I want to see a peacock spreading its tail, I can go to the zoo.”

Dong Ming responded positively to Lu Jiajia: “I’ll go with you. Let’s grab some breakfast. I didn’t have time earlier because of class. Old Fourth, you’re coming… Hmm, looking at you, it doesn’t seem like you’re planning to leave.”

“See you.” As a reward for the teasing, Comrade Luo Chenzhou waved his hand decisively.

With his roommates gone, the sour comments and impatient flipping of pages disappeared.

The world was quiet.

The black-haired young man smiled, holding his face in his hands as he admired his big dog’s awkward expression while being surrounded by girls. His mind was filled with thoughts of “He’s mine,” “Everywhere is mine,” “No matter how much you ask, he’s still mine,” “Go ahead and fantasize, but he’s still mine.”

What does it mean to be determined?

When the bell rang, everyone handed in their 800-word essays titled The Life of Caesar, while Luo Chenzhou handed in an 8,000-word thesis titled The Past and Present of Caesar.

That’s what determination looks like.

…

A cold, damp breeze blew in through the half-open classroom door. Luo Chenzhou instinctively turned to look, only to find that the sky, which had been clear just moments ago, had suddenly darkened. Thick clouds pressed down, blotting out the sun as if it were night. Then, as the class ended and the music played, a deafening clap of thunder roared across the sky.

The girls finally reluctantly dispersed from around Caesar and returned to their seats to pack up their things. Once they left Caesar’s presence, they returned to their queenly demeanor, holding up umbrellas and taunting the boys who could only stare helplessly at the sudden downpour, calling them “stupid barbarians.”

As the crowd squeezed out of the classroom, Luo Chenzhou glanced back. His big dog was lowering his head, tidying up the things on the desk. His fingers were clean and slender, his long lashes thick and curled, his nose bridge high, and the slight curl of his lips still carried the familiar arrogance that made him so handsome.

“…”

When Caesar once again felt that familiar gaze and suddenly looked up in its direction, he found nothing—the students, full of the energy typical of their age, were noisily squeezing through the classroom door, loudly complaining about the sudden heavy rain outside.

The person who had been secretly watching him with that gaze had likely hidden themselves in the crowd like a cunning fox.

But it didn’t matter. The man narrowed his eyes slightly and silently curled his lips in that direction—

We have plenty of time.

March 5th, the Awakening of Insects.

Torrential rain poured down, and all things began to awaken.