The Crazy Professor Forced Me to Mark Her - Chapter 4

Qi Si tossed her breakfast trash into the bin. The moment she heard Su Moxia’s voice, she felt the awkwardness of being caught rummaging through the trash. She turned to meet Su Moxia’s smiling eyes, feeling a sudden sense of confusion.

“I thought I might have mistaken you for someone else, but it really is you,” Su Moxia said, wearing a floral dress that contrasted sharply with her classroom attire from the previous day. Her hair was styled in a neat bun, and she brushed aside her bangs with a cool smile. “Qi Si, what are you doing here? Is that your car?”

Her gaze drifted to the sleek Maserati Qi Si had driven.

I can’t imagine how ostentatious it would be to drive a car like that around campus.

“Hmm?” Qi Si looked up at her, her tone indifferent. “Is this the first time you’ve spoken to me since graduation?”

Su Moxia laughed dismissively and shook her head. “I thought after graduation, we’d each go our separate ways. There was no need to stay in touch.”

To be more precise, she meant “after we broke up.”

Perhaps her deliberate use of the vague term “after graduation” was… a way to avoid acknowledging their past relationship?

Qi Si unconsciously asked, “Why?”

Even if it’s just a breakup between ordinary friends, shouldn’t you at least explain the reasons responsibly?

Su Moxia glanced at her in surprise, then said with a sympathetic tone, “You really can’t let go, can you?”

Qi Si smiled.

Her lack of sleep had left her skin pale, but the brilliance in her eyes was enough to stir anyone’s heart.

Su Moxia had to admit that Qi Si was quite attractive—otherwise, she wouldn’t have lowered herself to date her in the first place. But what good was mere looks? Qi Si’s family background was utterly ordinary. Su Moxia even suspected her Maserati was stolen, a desperate attempt to impress her and win her back.

Yet Qi Si was still smiling.

“What are you laughing at?” Su Moxia asked, dissatisfied with her lack of effort to win her back.

Qi Si: “Was that lapdog you sent yesterday to cause trouble for me?”

“I never expected you to attend my class, let alone sit in the front row,” Su Moxia frowned, feigning genuine concern. “Qi Si, high school was a long time ago. We’re adults now. Look at your old friends—aren’t they all pursuing bright futures? And then look at yourself, still stuck in the same place. Don’t you feel ashamed?”

“So you had someone kick me out and ban me from your class?”

“That’s their business. I can’t control them. Even celebrities can’t expect their fans to follow their rules. Zhou Weihang was worried you’d harass me, so he said those things to you. Didn’t you attack him too?”

Qi Si: “Who threw the first punch, you idiot?”

“I don’t know,” Su Moxia replied in a detached tone. “I didn’t see clearly at the time.”

“So, you’re afraid I’ll harass you?”

“Not ‘harass’ exactly. It’s just that the past is the past. If it gets dredged up again, it’ll hurt me deeply.” Su Moxia paused, her voice softening slightly. “Qi Si, I hope you can understand. I’m under immense pressure from my studies and research every day. I don’t want to be bothered by this kind of thing anymore.”

Qi Si stared at her in silence.

This silence led Su Moxia to believe she had backed down. After all, weakness and retreat were Qi Si’s usual tactics.

Su Moxia’s expression relaxed considerably, and she forced a smile. “How have you been lately? I heard you were abroad for the past year. Some people said there was trouble at your home. Is that true?”

Qi Si: “What kind of trouble could there be? Does it concern you?”

Su Moxia pursed her lips. “I just wanted to check on an old classmate.”

Another silence fell. Su Moxia, noticing the dwindling time, smiled and suggested, “Are you heading to class? Could you give me a ride?”

Qi Si’s lips curved slightly as she stared at Su Moxia for a long moment.

How could a wealthy heiress be even more vain than I imagined?

“Weren’t you worried about being seen with me? Why would you ask for a ride?”

“Just drop me off in the underground garage. No one will see us,” Su Moxia blinked. “If you don’t want to, fine.”

Qi Si continued to smile, a smile that sent shivers down Su Moxia’s spine. Though Su Moxia tried to appear nonchalant, Qi Si’s gaze seemed to pierce right through her.

Suddenly, Su Moxia realized Qi Si hadn’t been standing still these past two years. Her eyes were different from their high school days—sharper, more composed, no longer the naive girl she used to be.

As expected, Qi Si flatly refused. “I really don’t want to. This is my friend’s car, and I can’t give rides without her permission.”

“It’s just a short drive…” Su Moxia’s face flushed, her brow furrowing. “What’s the big deal about giving me a ride?”

“It’s so close, why can’t you walk?” Qi Si glanced at her phone. “Didn’t you say you have to memorize English at 7:00, review literature at 7:30, and attend class at 8:00? Why are you wasting time here with me?”

The blush on Su Moxia’s face had faded by half, leaving her complexion mottled with patches of red and white. Clutching the strap of her bag, her chest heaved as she gritted her teeth and spat, “Qi Si!”

Qi Si had been about to continue mocking Su Moxia’s hypocritical display of her meticulously planned schedule, but remembering their past as deskmates, she bit back her words. She turned away, her gaze drifting to the breakfast signs nearby.

Perhaps Su Moxia’s kindness during high school had been insincere, but to the lonely girl Qi Si had been back then, it had been invaluable.

She heard Su Moxia ask, “You really won’t give me a ride?”

“No.”

Su Moxia scoffed, a cold smile twisting her lips. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”

Let it end here, Qi Si thought, weary of dwelling on the past.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Su Moxia’s figure recede until it vanished completely. Only then did Qi Si return to her car, park it in a paid space by the road, and take a long detour back to her dorm.

The dorm room had four beds. One roommate lived off-campus, while the other two were still sound asleep. The room wasn’t particularly messy, but Qi Si’s desk and chair were covered with other people’s belongings, as was the unoccupied bed.

Qi Si piled all the clothes from her desk and chair onto the empty bed, tidied them up briefly, and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

In the mirror, her face was pale, her eyelids puffy, and her hair hung loose over her shoulders, still faintly scented with the lingering fragrance of rose liqueur.

“Damn it! What’s going on?!” The roommate in bed #4 woke up with a start. “Did an Omega sneak into our dorm? It smells fucking amazing!”

“What’s all the yelling so early in the morning?! Haven’t you ever seen an Omega before? Even if it is an Omega, what’s the big deal? Can’t your grandma handle it? …Holy sh1t! Holy sh1t! Who is this?!”

Qi Si was brushing her teeth in the bathroom when the door slammed open. Two disheveled Female As grabbed her, sniffing her frantically. “Qi Si, did you go out picking up girls? What’s this top-tier Omega scent?!”

With her toothbrush still in her mouth and foam bubbling around her lips, Qi Si mumbled, “No, I was working at the bar last night. Probably picked up someone’s scent.”

“Holy crap! There are such high-quality Os at the bar? This pheromone is intoxicating!” The roommate, dressed in revealing clothes that showed off her muscular physique, sniffed Qi Si up and down like a dog. “Good lord, how did you manage to resist?”

Another short-haired roommate pinched her nose with one hand while frantically searching for an Inhibitor on the desk with the other. “I can’t take it anymore! I’m about to lose it…”

Qi Si spat out the foam and asked incredulously, “Is it really that intense?”

“This sh1t is practically divine!”

“Qi Si, are you a fake Alpha? How can you not smell this?!”

“I can smell it,” Qi Si said hesitantly, “but I might be… impotent…”

Though she’d never been to a doctor for a checkup, Qi Si had never experienced a heat cycle, leading her to reasonably suspect she was impotent.

Her roommates’ expressions shifted dramatically. After a moment of stunned silence, they said sympathetically, “Such a beautiful Alpha… I never imagined you’d be so pitiful!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep your secret safe.”

Qi Si: “Okay, thank you.”

The two roommates exchanged a wordless glance before heading to the bathroom, drinking some water, and climbing back into their upper bunks to sleep.

Their majors differed from Qi Si’s, so their schedules rarely overlapped.

Qi Si continued using the bathroom. When she went to tie her hair up, she realized her hair tie was missing. After searching around, she recalled the older Omega woman at the bar last night grabbing her ponytail… Could she have taken the hair tie?

Impossible. Why would that beautiful woman want to steal her hair tie?

After showering, Qi Si changed into a loose-fitting striped shirt and sat down to check her phone.

Even a workaholic like her had a schedule, though it was far simpler than the goddess’s minute-by-minute study plan. Qi Si’s schedule was rudimentary: classes, work, and the dates of her debt payments marked in red.

Today was Thursday, a day packed with classes.

Qi Si ran into the four Female As from the neighboring dorm again. Their dorm leader, Shen Yixuan, was fiercely proud of their group and immediately tried to pull Qi Si into their tight-knit circle.

Since their classes overlapped, Qi Si ended up joining them for lunch at the cafeteria after class. She listened to them gossip about university life and discuss their club activities, feeling a surreal sense of belonging, as if she were just another hopeful freshman, part of this vibrant group.

“What about you? What clubs are you thinking of joining? Do you have any life plans? Are you planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam, the civil service exam, or study abroad?” Shen Yixuan, anxious about leaving Qi Si out, insisted on grilling her with questions.

Qi Si’s plate held only a few pieces of fatty meat she had picked out, still clinging to their bristles. She had been listening to the others chat, having finished her meal long ago and waiting for them. After a moment’s thought, she said, “I want to learn something that can make money.”

As one of the most promising freshmen at the top university, their dreams should have been to become scientists, engineers, diplomats, politicians, elite lawyers, doctors, and so on. Yet Qi Si had uttered the two most unglamorous words: make money.

It was practically an insult to the prestigious institution.

The Pink-Haired Girl threw down her chopsticks with a cold laugh.

Shen Yixuan found himself in an awkward position, unsure how to respond.

“If you want to make money, studying medicine isn’t the best path,” Ji Min said, smiling with narrowed eyes at Qi Si. “The returns on a medical degree might not come until after you finish your doctorate, at least a decade from now. Without family support, you might not even make it that far. If you’re focused on earning, computer science would be better. Learn a couple of algorithms, and you can start taking freelance jobs.”

Ji Min was the least conspicuous member of Room 601. She wore round-framed glasses, often smiled with narrowed eyes, and spoke softly, yet she always managed to cut to the core of the matter.

“You’re absolutely right,” Shen Yixuan said, giving Ji Min a thumbs-up. “You must watch Li Xuefeng’s livestreams a lot. Your analysis is spot-on!”

Ji Min adjusted her glasses and lowered her head, remaining silent.

Qi Si: “Thank you.”

Shen Yixuan clapped Qi Si on the shoulder with hearty enthusiasm. “No need to thank me! Come to us for advice anytime you’re in a bind. Your big sister’s got your back.”

The result of this “protection” was that Qi Si had to contribute money that very evening.

The class group chat was buzzing about Teacher’s Day gifts. Besides the homeroom teacher, they were also including teachers who hadn’t taught any classes. The cost was being split evenly among the students, coming to 275 yuan per person. They rounded it up to 300 yuan, with the extra going into the class fund.

Qi Si’s heart bled, especially when she heard them mention preparing a gift for Su Moxia as well.

“Senior Mo Xiao taught us a class, so she counts as our teacher too. We can’t leave her out! But what would be a good gift for her? We’ve been arguing in the group chat for ages without a consensus. Hey Yuan Lu, any suggestions?” the Pink-Haired Girl asked.

After hearing the budget, Qi Si thought for a moment and said, “She seems to like that Lego Eternal Flower set.”

“Really? How did you know that?”

“Let me check… The price is pretty reasonable, and it looks nice too. Should we just buy this one and give it to her as a gift?”

Qi Si didn’t offer any further opinions; she wasn’t particularly interested in their conversation. She turned away and opened Introduction to Computer Science, a book she had borrowed from the library.

Ji Min’s words had given her food for thought. Given her current debt-ridden situation, studying medicine wasn’t a viable option, and working at the bar wasn’t a long-term solution. To escape her predicament, perhaps she really should consider changing her career path.

Of course, she couldn’t make a decision immediately. She could only apply to change her major after the first academic year ended. Borrowing the book was simply a way to familiarize herself with the subject and assess whether she had the interest and aptitude to dedicate her efforts to studying it.

While she had a natural aptitude for learning, she wasn’t some extraordinary genius. If she could master all the specialized knowledge of this field through self-study alone, what would be the point of attending university?

The moment she opened the book, a pivotal turning point in her life quietly began.