Chapter 89: The Professor’s Troublesome Dream

The night deepened, and moonlight cast its gentle, silvery glow.

The evening breeze stirred, causing the white curtains to sway softly.

On the soft bed, Wendy leaned down, her gaze fixed upon the young man she had pinned beneath her.

The black-haired, black-eyed youth lay still, and even pressed beneath her, he wore his usual reassuring smile.

Illuminated by the dim moonlight, his delicate features were clearly visible, the cool light lending him an aura of mysterious allure.

Wendy’s gaze grew increasingly fervent, her heart clenching with a faint ache that was, paradoxically, tinged with a sweet throb.

Her light blue hair, nearly indistinguishable from the moonlight, cascaded around his ears, and in his gem-like black pupils, a gentle smile seemed to reside.

“Is it… truly alright for me?”

A warmth spread through her fingertips as Wendy slowly lowered her head, her delicate face drawing ever closer to his.

“Of course, Professor, if you wish…”

“Please… don’t use that title…”

Her lips trembled slightly, their proximity suggesting an imminent touch.

In that moment, Wendy’s eyes held nothing but him.

“Yalin, use my name—”

Her long eyelashes fluttered.

Wendy abruptly opened her eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in a warm, golden hue, revealing motes of dust dancing in the air.

Wendy sat up from the bed, feeling utterly disoriented, and after a moment, buried her face deep into the pillow clutched in her arms.

‘That dream again…’

‘What exactly is wrong with me?’

‘Ever since that day, I’ve been so strange.

Yalin’s image keeps surfacing in my mind, even appearing frequently in my dreams.’

‘And they’re always… those kinds of embarrassing dreams.’

A faint whimper escaped Wendy’s throat.

‘The Wendy of a month ago would never have believed she could make such a mortifying sound.’

‘Shameless! Utterly shameless!’

‘She is a professor, and Yalin is her student! Even in dreams, I must not allow myself such impure thoughts.’

Wendy took several deep breaths before shakily climbing out of bed.

She splashed cold water vigorously onto her face, hoping to clear her mind.

Although a faint blush still lingered on her cheeks, Wendy had already regained her composure.

She adjusted her mindset, reverting to her usual aloof expression, one that kept others at a distance.

‘As a professor at the academy, even if she were to act on impulse momentarily, she would quickly return to her senses.’

Unwilling to acknowledge the thoughts hidden deep within her heart, Wendy began to rationally analyze herself, searching for suitable justifications.

‘It must be that she’s been too tired lately, which is why she’s having such wild thoughts.’

‘Yes, that’s it exactly.’

‘The incessant entanglements of her family had left her utterly exhausted, causing her to inadvertently expose her vulnerable side.’

‘There’s nothing strange about it.’

‘The desire to be loved, to be valued, is an innate human instinct.

Especially under such oppressive circumstances, this longing would only grow stronger.’

‘No one can resist it.’

‘She, too, was human, so it was only natural for her to experience such emotions.’

‘And Yalin, simply because he was the one she spent the most time with, had subconsciously become that sort of object of affection.’

‘Yes, it was merely a coincidence.’

‘Experiencing emotions wasn’t terrifying; what mattered was how one controlled them.’

On this point, Wendy harbored no worries.

‘Controlling her emotions had always been her forte.’

Wendy felt she had successfully convinced herself.

After washing up, and meticulously preparing herself as usual, Wendy made her way to the laboratory.

The moment she pushed open the door, she saw Yalin seated on the sofa.

Yalin, sensing her presence, turned his head and offered his customary smile.

“Good morning, Professor.”

“Mmm… morning…”

Wendy instinctively averted her gaze, not even realizing why she did so.

‘Perhaps it was because Yalin hadn’t been in the lab these past few days, creating a feeling of unfamiliarity, as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages.’

‘Coupled with the absurd dream from last night, the atmosphere grew subtly awkward.’

‘No, nothing’s wrong.’

Wendy thought to herself as she quickly moved towards her desk, attempting to conceal her unease.

“Professor, would you like some tea?”

“Mmm…”

Wendy absentmindedly assented, her thoughts still a tangled mess.

Soon, a steaming cup of green tea was placed before her.

“The tea’s ready, but it’s a bit hot, so please be careful.”

“Ah… thank you…”

Wendy reached out to take it, but her mind wandered for a moment, and her slender fingers directly touched the scorching cup.

The next instant, a searing pain shot through her fingertips.

‘So hot!’

She let out a small gasp, her hand trembled, and the teacup crashed heavily to the floor.

Clatter!

The teacup hit the floor, shattering instantly with a sharp crack, scattering shards everywhere.

Most of the tea, however, splashed all over Yalin.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I was momentarily distracted!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t worry! Please, absolutely don’t worry about it!”

For some reason, even though Wendy was the one who broke the teacup, Yalin seemed even more flustered than her, quickly grabbing a mop and broom to clean up.

‘Professor Wendy… how is it that after just a few days, her condition seems to have worsened?’

Yalin muttered to himself as he cleaned.

‘Actually, he had already noticed Wendy’s unusual behavior recently, which was why he hadn’t even dared to prepare breakfast.’

‘He had originally just planned to make her a cup of tea and quickly make his escape, but he didn’t expect to still trigger this event!’

Wendy stood frozen, this being the first time she had ever lost her composure so completely in front of a student.

While she was momentarily stunned, Yalin had already swiftly and efficiently cleaned up the mess on the floor.

It was only then that Wendy snapped back to reality, hastily asking, “Are you alright? Were you scalded anywhere?”

“I’m fine! I dodged it, so I wasn’t scalded by the tea.”

“But your clothes…”

Wendy looked at the large tea stain on Yalin’s clothes, and suddenly, the events of that previous day flashed back to her, causing her cheeks to rapidly flush.

‘What am I doing?! At a time like this, I’m still thinking such nonsense!’

She fiercely chastised her useless self in her mind.

Yet, in that very instant, she suddenly understood why she had been so abnormal lately.

‘It was all because she had been evading!’

‘Ever since that day she got drunk and did that unspeakable thing, she had never dared to face her true feelings again.’

‘She pretended to be calm, pretended as if nothing had happened, as if that impulsive night had never existed.’

‘But the more she evaded, the clearer that memory became, pushing her further into a whirlpool of confusion.’

‘No, I can’t keep running away like this.’

‘She had to face herself, and she should also face Yalin.’

‘They had always had a pure, innocent relationship, with nothing to be ashamed of.

If she just got used to it and accepted reality, she wouldn’t be troubled by those illusory emotions anymore.’

With this realization, Wendy’s gaze suddenly hardened, and her tone regained its composure.

“By the way… Yalin, are you free this weekend?”

“This weekend? Not really…”

Yalin set the broom aside, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Wendy’s sudden change in attitude left him feeling bewildered.

“Is there something, Professor?”

“No, it’s just… last time, didn’t I burn your clothes?”

“Oh, right, that piece of clothing you mentioned.”

Yalin recalled that he had accidentally left his clothes in the lab before, and it seemed Wendy, during an experiment, had stained them with a dangerous reagent.

Although she had offered to clean them, for some reason, he had suddenly changed his mind and taken the clothes back, claiming there might still be reagent residue on them…

‘Ah, right, it must have been from that day that she started acting strange.’

‘Could it be… that the reagent truly drove her insane?’

Suppressing his disrespectful inner thoughts, Yalin offered his usual smile.

“It’s alright, Professor, it’s just a piece of clothing—”

“No, if I ruined it, I must compensate you! So this weekend, I’ll take you to buy a new set!”

“There’s really no need…”

“It’s decided then.This Saturday, I’ll wait for you at the academy gate.”

Wendy’s tone was resolute, her attitude remarkably firm.

‘It seems she absolutely doesn’t want to owe me any favors.’

‘But she’s been like this for more than just a day or two, and Yalin couldn’t argue with her, so he could only reluctantly agree.’

“Alright then.”