Online Romance with an Iceberg Professor Backfired - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Meeting in Person
The afternoon class was a specialized course, and the classroom was not crowded. Ji Pei did not sit in as an auditor like in the public lecture this morning. After greeting Jiang Xianhan, she went to the lake to clear her mind.
The stain on her camel trench coat was still there; Ji Pei had forgotten to change her clothes in the afternoon. Every time she saw the dark stain, she couldn’t help but think of Jiang Xianhan’s long, pale fingers, and then… it naturally led to the dream she had during her nap.
Ji Pei got goosebumps on her arms. She sat on a bench, playing on her phone and waiting for the class to end. Was her relationship with Jiang Xianhan getting a bit ambiguous? Ji Pei stared at the black swans swimming on the lake, meticulously recalling the events of the past few days. Had she been too responsible for Jiang Xianhan?
Maybe she should just hire a caregiver. Future three meals a day could be left to Wang Ma, and she could hire a professional caregiver to look after Jiang Xianhan. It would be much more useful than herself.
With this thought, Ji Pei messaged Ye Wenzhu, asking if she had any reliable caregiver recommendations.
Ye Wenzhu: “What’s wrong? Are you in a wheelchair now too?”
Ji Pei: “Don’t you wish me well? I’m looking for Jiang Xianhan.”
Ye Wenzhu: “Aren’t you working as a free caregiver for her? Why stop now?”
Ji Pei looked at the sentence and fell into distress again. She sighed and typed her reply.
Ji Pei: “I just feel like she might have feelings for me.”
After sending the message, Ji Pei felt uneasy about it and quickly recalled it. She bit her lower lip and re-edited the message.
Ye Wenzhu: “?”
Ye Wenzhu: “What did you recall?”
Ji Pei: “Nothing, just a typo.”
Ji Pei: “I feel a bit tired. I should hire a caregiver.”
This excuse sounded plausible.
Ye Wenzhu: “I happen to know someone. I’ll send you her WeChat later.”
Soon, Ye Wenzhu sent the caregiver’s WeChat. Ji Pei added the caregiver, chatted with her for a while, agreed on a price, sent her the address, and asked her to come at 6 p.m.
She opened her chat with Jiang Xianhan, ready to send the caregiver’s WeChat to her, and find an excuse to tell her that she was busy these days and couldn’t take care of her. After drafting the message, Ji Pei still didn’t send it. She decided to go through with the action first and tell Jiang Xianhan only when she asked.
There were many stray cats on campus. Ji Pei sat on the bench and was approached by several of them. A flirtatious calico cat meowed with a husky voice, rubbing its head against Ji Pei’s shin and rolling on the grass, showing its fluffy belly. Ji Pei picked it up, placed it on her lap, and stroked its head with her fingers.
As if remembering something, Ji Pei opened her bag and found two packets of dried fish in the interlayer. She took one out and fed it to the little calico. This was the brand Coal Ball and Snow Mochi loved the most at home. Ji Pei had bought many and always kept a few packets in her bag when she went out.
The little calico sniffed the dried fish, sat obediently on Ji Pei’s lap, and ate delicately. The scent of the dried fish attracted more cats nearby, and even a dog. Ji Pei opened both packets of dried fish and distributed them evenly to all the cats and dogs. One dried fish per cat, and two for the dog. Finally, Ji Pei was surrounded by five or six cats. One bold cat even jumped onto her shoulder and began licking her fur.
Ji Pei’s hair tickled from the enthusiastic licking of the small cat. She initially wanted to stand up and sit elsewhere, but wherever she walked, the cat followed. Seeing it purr contentedly on her shoulder, a wicked idea gradually surfaced in Ji Pei’s mind. Should I take it home? No, there were already two at home, and they were both greedy and loved to fight. A new member would likely be severely beaten.
The class bell rang. Ji Pei gently took the kitten off her shoulder and placed it on the bench, stroking its head.
“Meow-meow, I have to go now. See you next time.”
When Ji Pei arrived at the base of the teaching building, Bai Yin was already pushing Jiang Xianhan down. Ji Pei didn’t take over the wheelchair but followed behind Bai Yin toward the parking space.
Jiang Xianhan gently rested a hand on Ji Pei’s shoulder, lightly brushed off the cat hair, and pinched a golden hair strand with her fingertips.
“Did you go tease the stray cats on campus?”
Ji Pei felt the touch on her shoulder and subtly moved away. “Yes, they’re quite cute. I fed them dried fish, and they got attached to me.”
Jiang Xianhan’s lips curved slightly. “These stray cats on campus have numbers and names. Most of them have good temperaments and let people touch them, but some are quite fierce. They’ve scratched many people. Several have ‘wanted’ posters.”
Ji Pei was surprised. “Wanted posters?”
Jiang Xianhan took out her phone, opened a file, found the fierce cats, and pointed to the fattest one, smiling. “Look, this one is Wang Erhu. She’s a female cat, strong, often bullies the weaker ones, and likes to scratch people. Many students avoid her.”
What shocked Ji Pei wasn’t the cat, but the fact that Jiang Xianhan could find information on these cats, even their bl00d type, anytime, anywhere.
“So Professor Jiang likes cats too.”
Bai Yin smiled when she heard this. “Yes, all this information was compiled by Professor Jiang. She’s the president of our school’s Cat Association.”
Ji Pei’s expression became even more shocked. “President?” She stared at Jiang Xianhan in disbelief, hearing Bai Yin add, “Professor Jiang paid for all these cats to be sterilized and even set up dedicated feeding stations.”
Bai Yin continued, “Don’t be fooled by how fierce Wang Erhu usually is. She’s a terror outside, but to Professor Jiang, she’s a cute, soft-voiced kitten.”
Ji Pei hadn’t expected this side of Jiang Xianhan, and her favorable impression of the professor increased significantly.
Ji Pei drove Jiang Xianhan home. They didn’t exchange a word on the way. Ji Pei felt awkward and didn’t dare turn on the car stereo. Before leaving, Ji Pei simply said, “Get some rest,” and left the villa with her car key.
On the drive back, Ji Pei was lost in thought. She wanted to listen to music to ease her inner turmoil, but after a fast song ended, it jumped to that song, “Ordinary Friend.”
Ji Pei: “…”
She pulled over and deleted the song from her playlist. Scenes from the past few days still played in her mind. More and more details came to light. Could Jiang Xianhan really have feelings for her?
Perhaps it’s just my own delusion. Am I overthinking it?
But if she truly didn’t have feelings, why did she make those confusing gestures? Ji Pei took a deep breath, deciding to keep her distance from Jiang Xianhan from now on, just in case it was true.
Jiang Xianhan returned to her bedroom and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the falling maple leaves outside. Ji Pei’s behavior today was unusual. She must have realized something, which was why she suddenly kept her distance.
Someone rang the doorbell. Wang Ma opened the door and found a young woman in blue standing there. Judging by her attire and the badge on her chest, she was a caregiver.
“Hello, is this Ms. Ji Pei’s home? I’m the caregiver she hired.”
Jiang Xianhan sat on the sofa, adjusting her glasses. Hearing this, her eyes, focused on the computer screen, narrowed slightly.
Her WeChat chimed twice. She opened it and saw messages from Ji Pei.
Ji Pei: “Professor Jiang, I’ll be a bit busy these days, so I hired a new caregiver for you. She should be there now.”
Ji Pei: “Her professional skills are quite proficient. Don’t worry, Professor Jiang.”
Jiang Xianhan stared at the two lines of text, a flash of subtle disappointment in her eyes. The female caregiver approached Jiang Xianhan and introduced herself, but Jiang Xianhan told her she would call her when needed and let her attend to her own things first.
Closing her laptop, Jiang Xianhan closed her eyes. Scenes of Ji Pei avoiding her flashed through her mind. Ji Pei desperately wanted to draw a line between them and was unwilling to have any physical contact with her. Jiang Xianhan felt a complex mix of happiness and worry. This complicated emotion churned inside her, both itching and uncomfortable.
Today was the thirty-first. Tomorrow was the beginning of November. She had previously told Seasonal Wind that she would visit the person next month when she had time.
Jiang Xianhan opened Decibel and clicked on Seasonal Wind’s profile picture. The profile picture had been changed a few days ago. The other person had found two matching couple profile pictures somewhere. One cat wore a pink bow, and the other wore two small braids. They were clearly a couple’s set.
Jiang Xianhan typed on her phone screen, deleting and retyping for nearly five minutes, a trace of distress in her eyes. Finally, she settled on a message.
Winter Sun: “Are you free tomorrow? I’d like to meet you.”