The way things had unfolded was much better than Liu Fengying could have ever expected, not only compared to the rather grim direction they seemed to be heading in, but also compared to her initial plan. After all, there was a vast difference between a dinner shared by two people with ambiguous feelings toward one another and a dinner under the auspices of openly declared romantic interest—in other words, a full-blown date.
What was even more surprising was that this turn of events had been entirely orchestrated by Professor Wei herself. Liu Fengying was convinced that the reason the teacher had insisted on her confirming her feelings was precisely to convey that even if she couldn't agree to go to dinner right now, she was willing to reciprocate those feelings in the future.
The only thing that didn't thrill Liu Fengying was that she would have to wait a few more weeks until her date with Professor Wei. However, Liu Fengying understood her; if the teacher was already entertaining the idea of entering a relationship with her, it went against her professional ethics to start going out while she was still her student. It could be said that she had underestimated just how strongly attracted Professor Wei was to her.
Being now on the same wavelength as Professor Wei, Liu Fengying merely looked at her with an ambiguous gaze, refraining from any attempt to press her into clarifying her intentions further so as not to put her in a difficult position. After all, she possessed not just the mind of a mature individual, but the psychology of a veteran cultivator, being fully aware that patience is far more productive in the long run than forcing things.
"So, it remains that we meet right here, around 17:05?", Liu Fengying finally said, wanting to bring back the discussion to the point where they had left off. She could not simply leave as long as an almost palpable tension still lingered between them, caused by the exchange of glances that carried the words that could not be, for the time being, spoken.
"Cough!... Yes, see you then..." Professor Wei replied. Like someone breaking the surface of water, she felt her airways slightly irritated the moment the ambiguous atmosphere between them began to dissipate.
However, reflecting that some of her colleagues occasionally visited her at the end of classes, and wanting to avoid anyone seeing Liu Fengying looking for her apparently for no reason—after all, she couldn't exactly tell them that the girl had come to perform a medical evaluation, could she?—and starting to suspect they had grown too close, she added:
"If I am held up by something and can't see you then, I'll send you a message to let you know. I hope you won't find it boring if you have to wait a few minutes before coming..."
Because Professor Wei had rushed to communicate this precaution to Liu Fengying, it was only after she finished speaking that she realized her behavior was strikingly similar to that of someone involved in a secret love affair. And what was even worse was that she seemed to have a natural talent for it.
To her relief, Liu Fengying didn't seem to have realized the underlying reason that prompted her to come up with this arrangement; she didn't wear a teasing smile, nor did she cast an ambiguous glance her way. Professor Wei had feared that she might suspect her of harboring impure thoughts regarding her visit.
However, Liu Fengying's next words made her realize she had rejoiced too soon:
"That's not a problem at all. I'm also quite good at sneaking around, so you can rest assured that no one will see me when I come..."
Since she had already realized that Professor Wei was beginning to harbor romantic intentions toward her, how could Liu Fengying fail to understand why she had suddenly become so stressed at the thought of a private rendezvous?
Truthfully, she believed Professor Wei was worrying over nothing; as long as they weren't seen in public in an ambiguous situation, even if someone noticed them meeting frequently, their first thought would be that they had something important to discuss regarding school. Nevertheless, she understood Professor Wei, aware that when someone feels guilty, they can become a little paranoid. Therefore, Liu Fengying intended to cooperate in keeping this planned meeting secret—as well as any others that might take place in the future until her graduation—so that the teacher could be as at ease as possible.
"......", Professor Wei stood frozen for a few moments, at a loss for how to react. Even though Liu Fengying was being very considerate of the difficulties she faced, she still felt a bit embarrassed at having her thoughts read so easily.
Furthermore, this tacit understanding regarding the clandestine nature of their future meeting only deepened her illusion that she was already entangled in a secret romance with her.
"That's good then..." Professor Wei finally said, abandoning her initial idea of trying to mislead Liu Fengying and telling her she had misinterpreted her intentions.
What could she do if the girl was so sharp? After all, it was precisely this mental agility that fueled the irresistible attraction she felt toward her.
......….
While heading toward the cafeteria, Liu Fengying was in an excellent mood, thinking that the progress her relationship with Professor Wei had made was downright massive; practically, they were just a stone's throw away from starting to date.
Furthermore, due to the ease with which an atmosphere full of eroticism could settle between them, Liu Fengying was quite sure that it wouldn't take too many dates before something exciting happened.
Honestly, this rapid progress came as a surprise to her; after all, she hadn't planned to go beyond occasional teasing or ambiguous gestures in their interactions in the near future. But how could she restrain herself when Professor Wei was so charming? Especially the fact that the teacher had started making advances of her own in return encouraged her to be increasingly bold.
Recapping everything that had transpired in the office, Liu Fengying realized that it could truly be said that Professor Wei had contributed the most to the progress of their relationship. Taking into account her detached personality, as well as the moral constraints implied by their teacher-student relationship, Liu Fengying concluded that she must be utterly head over heels for her.
This thought filled Liu Fengying with a profound sense of pride. And it wasn't necessarily about the feeling of achievement from having captured the "moon" that so many others had yearned for, but rather about the satisfaction of having such success in love from the position of a simple girl—not as an influential princess, a powerful cultivator, or a wealthy heiress—relying strictly on her own charm and qualities. As for those attributes being at their absolute peak, well, that too was mostly due to her own efforts.
Anyway, she had come to understand those CEOs or billionaires' sons in movies who disguised themselves as ordinary people to search for true love: it was genuinely satisfying to experience closeness with someone without the arising feelings being overshadowed by any suspicion of ulterior motives.
Of course, in this case, her identity probably wouldn't make much of a practical difference; Liu Fengying was convinced that Professor Wei was not the type of person whose affection could be bought. Still, a wise person expects anything, especially one who has experienced and witnessed all kinds of betrayals. Thus, it was enough just to know that if someone were aware of her secret abilities, she would start harboring doubts about the authenticity of their feelings if they tried to get close to her. In other words, it was a psychological thing, a sort of autonomous defense mechanism.
When Liu Fengying entered the cafeteria, it wasn't too difficult to find Hua Shu; even though she wasn't the only one sitting by herself, she was the only redhead doing so.
Also helpful in locating her was the fact that her entry into the cafeteria instantly quieted down the atmosphere, making the scene less chaotic than usual. As for the reason behind this phenomenon, considering the events in which she had been the main character just half an hour prior, Liu Fengying would have known it even if she hadn't overheard what most people were talking about before entering the cafeteria: they were gossiping about her.
Even if there had been ten times more scrutinizing glares fixed upon her at that moment, Liu Fengying still wouldn't have been affected. She walked at her own pace toward Hua Shu's location, as if the strange atmosphere around her had absolutely nothing to do with her.
However, as she approached Hua Shu, Liu Fengying noticed something that made her stumble slightly; specifically, what caught her by surprise was the fact that a food tray had already been placed in front of the seat opposite Hua Shu's.
Thus, Liu Fengying wondered what had happened: hadn't Hua Shu found a free table where just the two of them could eat? Thinking about how it had taken her almost twice as long to come join Hua Shu for lunch than she had promised, the possibility that Hua Shu might have gotten upset and finally let someone else sit with her crossed Liu Fengying's mind. However, she didn't take this thought seriously, as she knew Hua Shu's personality well enough to know that even if she had been upset with her, she wouldn't have come up with such a way to get back at her; more than likely, she would have vented her frustration directly at her.
But upon looking closer at the troublesome tray, Liu Fengying noticed something: not only was the food completely untouched, but it consisted, for the most part, of the dishes she herself had chosen for lunch the previous day. Taking into account the fact that no one was sitting with Hua Shu at the table at that moment, how could it not be clear what the situation actually was?
'So it seems ShuShu bought food for me too...', Liu Fengying said to herself, touched by the care Hua Shu had shown her.
Truth be told, she found it a bit unusual for someone to be so attentive to her needs and to have such a protective attitude toward her as Hua Shu had shown over the last two days; both in this life and in her previous one, she was almost always the one playing the role of the protector in her interactions with close ones. To top it off, Hua Shu was a girl who hadn't even turned eighteen yet, and who, at first glance, probably no one would have given more than fifteen; compared to her, a "demon of nearly four hundred years," Hua Shu could only be considered a mere fledgling.
Yet she had absolutely nothing against this treatment—on the contrary; it was extremely comfortable to have a "little wife" by her side looking out for her well-being. As proof, the image before her eyes, with Hua Shu waiting for her at a table laden with steaming food, deeply warmed her soul.
However, thinking that while Hua Shu was waiting for her with such devotion, probably worrying because of the delay, she was having a good time in the company of another beautiful young woman, Liu Fengying felt a slight pang of guilt. The situation seemed somewhat reminiscent of a movie she had seen in her childhood, in which a young general brought home a fox-demon disguised as an injured woman and spent the entire day tending to her, completely ignoring his wife, who dedicated all her efforts to their home. Hadn't she herself considered the male protagonist a scumbag at the time?
'Perhaps the actions are quite similar—specifically, I actually did save and treat a charming woman akin to a fox-demon, while leaving a "little wife" to yearn for my presence. Still, both the context in which this happened and my relationships with the two of them are completely different, so it couldn't be said that my behavior is similar to that general's...', Liu Fengying excused herself, thinking that under the impulse of guilt, she had been too harsh on herself.
Anyway, even though she concluded that she hadn't committed any major injustice toward Hua Shu, Liu Fengying remained just as determined to make it up to her as her initial thought had dictated. After all, not only did the girl deserve to be treated well by her, but she didn't dislike doing it either—quite the opposite; spoiling her was among her favorite activities.