Imprisoned with a Wife (On the Psychology of Being F***ed) - Chapter 5
At six in the morning, a flamboyant, bright red Ferrari roared into the wide gates of Licheng University.
Under the astonished gaze of the security guard, the Ferrari loudly revved its engine, circled a few times, tires screeching on the ground, before executing a showy tail-whip that expertly backed it into a yellow-lined parking space.
Dust billowed. A series of fierce maneuvers, then the car door opened, and a silver high-heeled shoe, adorned with sequins, emerged first.
Yan Jingyao stepped out of the car. Ten-centimeter heels elongated her stocking-clad legs, her white bodycon skirt sculpted her curves, her waist impossibly slender, and her wine-red blouse was particularly eye-catching.
The Dior letter earrings on her earlobes couldn’t have been more conspicuous. Her entire being screamed “high-profile luxury,” leaving the security guard uncle stunned.
Her entrance was a dazzling display of arrogance, yet less than a minute later, the cool morning breeze sent shivers down Lawyer Yan’s spine, forcing her to obediently drape her small suit jacket over herself.
So cold. Is the cafeteria open yet?
Longing for a hot bowl of soy milk, Yan Jingyao glanced around, seeing no one. She hunched her shoulders, rubbed her arms, recalled the direction from memory, and walked towards the nearby teaching building.
She had intentionally parked her car in front of the comprehensive teaching building; the first basement of Building A was the faculty dining hall, very convenient.
The campus was still beautiful, many places different from her memory, but the cafeteria’s location hadn’t changed.
Using her foodie memory, she successfully found the entrance. The interior decor was also different from before, but stall #3 still sold soy milk.
The auntie was still the same auntie. Yan Jingyao eagerly got the freshest soy milk and fried dough stick, happily found an empty seat, and began her blissful breakfast.
Just a few sips of the warm, comforting soy milk, when her phone suddenly vibrated. The caller ID showed “Yan Su.”
“Hello, Uncle?”
“Are you at school?”
“Mm, in the cafeteria.”
“Then hurry up! While there are no students now, finish eating and get to the classroom quickly. If you go late, you won’t even be able to squeeze in.”
“Huh?”
Half a fried dough stick was in her mouth. Yan Jingyao chewed, not believing his exaggeration. “It’s just one class, isn’t it? Are there that many people? How many students are in her class?”
“Usually thirty to forty students,” Yan Su said, “But Professor Ji is very popular, many people come to audit her class, so many can’t even squeeze in.”
“But isn’t this just a substitute lecture?”
“Then you still need to go early. Don’t blame me if you can’t get in.”
He hung up after that. Yan Jingyao thought for a few seconds, wondering why even the most popular professor in their law department wasn’t this popular.
It was like chasing a celebrity! If she weren’t desperately in need of a psychology professor to save the day, she wouldn’t even be here!
She complained inwardly but sped up her eating. She finished quickly and decided to buy another cup of soy milk before leaving.
At the counter, a woman was queuing, dressed in a standard professional suit and low-heeled shoes, likely a professor from another department at the school.
Yan Jingyao wasn’t curious. She went over and ordered a sweet soy milk. While waiting for it to be packaged, a text message arrived on her phone. She looked down to check it, not noticing the woman next to her watching her.
Ji Lan had no idea this was the person she was looking for: Yan Rui’s daughter.
What attracted her was the faint scent of perfume, with jasmine as the top note, fresh and elegant.
Yet, the person was extremely incongruous, even contradictory, with this scent.
She had a very good figure, taller than herself, dressed entirely in designer brands, conspicuous letter earrings, and blinding diamonds on her high heels, as if afraid others wouldn’t notice.
Dressed like a high-level corporate elite, Ji Lan was certain she was absolutely not a professor at the school; wearing ten-centimeter heels to class was practically suicidal.
The auntie placed the packaged soy milk on the counter. Yan Jingyao said thank you, picked it up, and left.
Ji Lan turned to watch her leave, lost in thought.
Seven o’clock.
Yan Jingyao took the most prominent seat in the very center of the first row. She wanted to see if this Professor Ji was truly that popular.
Class officially started at 8:20 AM. She set up her laptop and began typing, then realized that a lot of people were indeed showing up.
Students trickled in continuously, in small groups, ever since she arrived in the classroom. Slowly, it became clear that the room was becoming overcrowded.
A noisy murmur rose from behind her. She looked back; more than half the classroom was packed with people, some sitting, some standing obediently along the walls with their backpacks, shoulder to shoulder.
Yan Jingyao admitted it was beyond her expectations. She occasionally felt people looking at her, seemingly envious of her seat.
Hmph, quite bold, as expected of youth.
However, showing no tender feelings, Lawyer Yan stretched her long legs, settling comfortably, and gave a defiant look to the envious and resentful person standing at the doorway, then took out her lipstick and applied it to her lips.
Indifferent and utterly ostentatious, she stood out completely among the crowd of bare-faced and well-behaved students.
At eight o’clock, when the classroom was so packed that only the area from the door to the podium was empty, the legendary Professor Ji finally made her grand entrance to everyone’s anticipation.
White shirt, black jacket—standard teacher attire. Her long black hair neatly draped behind her shoulders. No heavy makeup, no superfluous expressions, just an aura of aloofness that seemed untouched by worldly concerns.
She walked calmly into the classroom, hugging a book, lowered the projector screen, and turned on the computer inside the podium.
The previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent. All the students excitedly held their breath, their gazes uniformly directed at the podium.
The most popular cold beauty professor at Li University! Truly living up to her reputation!
Someone from the class shouted: “Stand up!”
The seated students immediately stood, and even those not from the class straightened up, all speaking in unison: “Good morning, teacher!”
The roar was deafening, a testament to Professor Ji’s popularity.
Only one person remained aloof. Ji Lan looked up and immediately spotted the conspicuously seated woman among the standing students.
The woman she saw at the cafeteria earlier?
She seemed not to be listening at all, nor did she plan to leave. She just sat there, elbow resting on the back of the chair, playing with her fingers as if no one else were around.
Ji Lan’s eyebrow twitched slightly. She first gestured for the students to sit down.
Yan Jingyao was still admiring her beautiful fingers, regardless of how much commotion there was around her, she remained unmoving.
A blue computer desktop appeared on the projector screen. Ji Lan glanced at it, confirmed there were no issues, and slowly walked down from the podium, stopping in front of the casually slouching and inattentive young lady.
“Classmate, are you a student in this class?”
The corners of her lips curved into a perfectly measured arc. She looked at Yan Jingyao, her tone calm, neither aggressive nor lacking in a teacher’s authority. “What’s your name?”
“Name?”
Interesting. She met her gaze, her lips curving slightly, a fleeting hint of provocative teasing in her eyes. “My name is Yan Jingyao. Is there a problem?”
“You’re not a student in this class, are you?”
“Hmph?”
She deliberately raised an eyebrow, a flippant gesture. Ji Lan ignored her, lightly tapping the casing of her laptop.
“Did you save it?”
“Hm?”
“Did you save what’s on your computer?”
“Nothing on it.”
“Good,” she said, smiling as she pressed down on the laptop. “You’re not a student in this class. Considering the principle of prioritizing the students in this class, please pack your things and find a place to stand and listen to the lecture.”
So, non-class students had to stand to listen. Yan Jingyao probably understood now what those envious and resentful looks were about.
She wouldn’t!
“Professor Ji,” she said, interlocking her hands to support her chin, looking up at Ji Lan from an upward angle, her smile undiminished.
Brown pupils, very bright eyes, red lips contrasting with her very fair skin. Ji Lan looked at her closely, suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu.
The same flippant and teasing tone, the same mischievous gaze, the same beautiful and flamboyant woman—she had seen her before, the woman who teased her at the KTV a year ago, who almost hit her with a Ferrari!
Yan Jingyao? She’s Yan Rui’s daughter!
It was her!
Her hand was suddenly taken. Ji Lan froze. Yan Jingyao had already given her a suggestive look, shamelessly rubbing the back of her hand.
“Professor Ji, are you this heartless to your lover?”