The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship

Chapter 526 - 464 For the Sake of Milk Tea

Luo Shangqing’s office was still bathed in sunlight, with the green plants on the windowsill growing ever more lush.Mu Chenxi stood by the table like a child who had done something wrong, head lowered, clutching at her clothes, looking pitiful as if waiting to be dealt with.

Luo Shangqing picked up a cup to take a sip of water, his pen lightly tapping on an exam paper on the table, marking a question: "I explained this question very clearly during class. As long as you listen attentively, you should at least pass the final exam. You always sit in the front row and never seem to be distracted, so where did all this information go?"

Mu Chenxi had no response; she was too busy daydreaming about him during class to pay attention.

"I’ve never had a student fail in any of the classes I’ve taught. You’re the first." Normally, Luo Shangqing never lost his temper, but his serious expression, with lips tightly pursed and facial lines looking particularly stern, was quite intimidating.

"I... I..." At this moment, Mu Chenxi felt she should say something to show her determination; she did not want to be a drag on him or leave an impression of lacking ambition, especially since her image in his eyes was already bad enough.

"From now on, come to my office for tutoring from Monday to Wednesday at three in the afternoon. No excuses, I’ve checked already; you have no classes after three until the final exams." Luo Shangqing tossed the exam paper to her, "I have written all the correct answers. Memorize them all when you go back."

Mu Chenxi stared at him blankly, forgetting to reach out to catch the exam paper, which gently floated down to the floor.

"Don’t look at me like that. This is Director Mu’s request, I hope you won’t worry him." Luo Shangqing took another sip of water and casually leaned back in his chair, "Go water the plants first."

Upon hearing her father’s name, Mu Chenxi belatedly realized; she thought Professor Luo was giving her special treatment, or rather, that she was different from others to him. But it turned out to be because of her father, which was somewhat disappointing. However, the thought of being able to spend time alone with Professor Luo from Monday to Wednesday quickly dispelled any slight frustrations.

"Thank you, Professor Luo." She smiled, revealing her white teeth and dimples full of laughter.

Luo Shangqing watched her for a moment, then silently averted his gaze, "Go water the plants."

Mu Chenxi confidently went to find the watering can to water the plants.

～

"Professor Luo is going to teach you one-on-one?" Xinyu almost spat out the orange she was eating, "Girl, you must have stepped on dog poop this morning."

Mu Chenxi proudly whistled, "So they say God is fair, the spring for academic duds is finally here."

However, reality is always crueler than imagination. That afternoon after class, Mu Chenxi went to Professor Luo’s office with her backpack, only to find Luo Shangqing not there and a worksheet pressed under a water cup on the desk with the forcefully written words: Finish it.

Seeing the worksheet gave Mu Chenxi a headache; she procrastinated by watering the plants before eventually picking up the worksheet to start on it.

But the questions were more difficult one after another, and after half an hour of nibbling on her pen, she had only completed two problems before ultimately resting her face on the desk and falling asleep.

In her sleep, she dreamed of Professor Luo proposing to her with flowers,

Mu Chenxi was enjoying the dream when suddenly the pressure on her face increased, turning from caresses to slaps, two distinct slaps.

Mu Chenxi opened her eyes and, sure enough, saw Professor Luo, but without flowers or a diamond ring. His hand had slapped her face twice: "Wake up."

Mu Chenxi was shocked awake and immediately jumped up from her chair, blushing, she whispered, "Pro... Professor Luo."

Luo Shangqing had a stern expression, and as he picked up the worksheet from the table, his eyebrows knitted together into a frown, almost grinding his teeth: "Mu- Chen- Xi."

Mu Chenxi also saw her own masterpiece, and her face felt burning hot. Suddenly, she pointed towards the doorway: "Principal."

Luo Shangqing instinctively turned his head back, only to have the worksheet swiftly pulled away, but there was no sign of the principal at the doorway.

Realizing he had been tricked, Luo Shangqing’s expression was a mix of laughter and exasperation; turning around, Mu Chenxi had quickly stuffed the worksheet under her clothes, looking guiltily like she was waiting to be scolded.

As annoyed as Luo Shangqing was, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry upon seeing her downcast look. He stretched out his hand in front of her, palm open: "Hand it over."

Mu Chenxi hesitated for a bit before handing over the worksheet, muttering quietly, "It’s too hard."

"You would not find it difficult if you paid attention in class, all this is from the textbook." Luo Shangqing sat down at the desk, taking the textbook Mu Chenxi had been using to look up answers.

"I’ll mark the key points for you; memorize them and then redo this worksheet," Luo Shangqing said, head lowered, seriously marking the textbook.

The afternoon sun was warm, like gentle hands softly caressing the cheeks, with two nameless birds chirping joyfully on the pine outside the window.

Mu Chenxi looked at his resolute and focused profile and suddenly thought of four words: Time passes serenely.

～

Mu Chenxi followed Susu to the corridor in the evening to reserve a spot, burying herself in the books that Luo Shangqing had highlighted for her.

It seemed as though she suddenly had an epiphany; she even held her book during meals, reciting while shoveling food into her mouth. A few times, she was so engrossed that grains of rice ended up in her nose. Another time, as she walked with her book, she bumped into a door, and the bump on her head swollen for several days.

The sudden change in Mu Chenxi made the other three uncomfortable; to use Xinyu’s words, it was as if she had been possessed by some demon or ghost and needed an exorcism.

Quan Jin directly touched her forehead: "No fever though."

Mu Chenxi shoved her hand away, muttering discontentedly: "I’m fine. I can fail other classes, but I absolutely cannot fail Professor Luo’s class. I need to build up a good impression."

Quan Jin burst out laughing: "Your impression score with Professor Luo must be in the negatives already, only by worsening it further can two negatives make a positive, huh?"

Mu Chenxi used to think that Professor Luo had a poor impression of her, but after receiving a cup of Piaopiao milk tea from him, she immediately changed her mind. If Professor Luo didn’t like her, he wouldn’t bother tutoring her one-on-one, let alone whip up a cup of milk tea when she was tired and hungry. Didn’t the advertisement say, when you’re a little hungry, a little tired, drink Piaopiao.

Mu Chenxi, holding the milk tea, sneakily glanced at Luo Shangqing, who was behind her making lesson plans. His back was straight and taut, as if trained like a soldier, the short hair behind his ears neatly trimmed, and the shirt collar dazzlingly white.

Mu Chenxi felt that no matter how close she was to Luo Shangqing, in her heart, he always remained like a deity, unattainable.

"Professor Luo." A female teacher from the next office knocked and walked in. Seeing Mu Chenxi sitting on the coffee table doing her paper, she paused slightly but quickly dismissed her presence, going straight to Luo Shangqing to put a paper bag on the table: "Thank you for the milk tea, these are some red bean cakes I just bought, consider it a thank you gift."

Luo Shangqing looked up and smiled gently at her: "Don’t mention it."

The female teacher seemed to want to say more, but seeing Mu Chenxi present, she hesitated to speak. She chatted briefly with Luo Shangqing before leaving, giving Mu Chenxi a scathing look on her way out.

Mu Chenxi had been doing her paper all along, feeling no malice from another woman. However, she heard the teacher’s words and looked at the half-finished milk tea she couldn’t bear to drink completely, shaking her head in self-reproach. It seemed Professor Luo had bought milk tea for the entire office staff, not specifically for her. She was overthinking again.

"Can’t figure it out?" The sofa next to her suddenly sank, followed by a clean and pleasant scent that captivated her olfactory sense. Luo Shangqing sat down beside her, his long fingers tapped at the tip of her pen, and as he was very close, his hair lightly brushed her cheek, bringing a tingling shiver.

Inside, Mu Chenxi felt as though there were butterflies in her chest. She knew he was simply helping her solve a problem, yet she was so nervous that all her cells seemed to contract.

Luo Shangqing took the pen from her hand, simply drew a formula: "Do you understand now?"

"I understand." Mu Chenxi was quick-witted, catching on at once.

"Good, if you have questions, come and ask me."

"Thank you, Professor Luo."

Luo Shangqing looked at her and replied, "Don’t mention it, it’s my duty."

～

Mu Chenxi attended a week-long special tutoring in Luo Shangqing’s office, and her grades improved dramatically. Riding on this wave of interest in studying, she furiously caught up on other subjects as well.

Even the deck of playing cards she usually loved to play with was pressed to the bottom of her box, and she deleted all the novels and games from her phone.

The day of the final exams was drawing nearer, and the air was laden with a heavy scent of tension.

Mu Chenxi knew that there were rumors about her in the class a week before exams. That day, she had a stomach ache and missed classes. After taking medicine, she cooped up in her bed to study and review. She went to the communal bathroom during a break and was about to attend to her business when she heard two girls talking outside.

"From our department, many people have seen her. As soon as class ends, she heads to Professor Luo’s office, and they lock the door for hours on end."

"Who?"

"That one, Mu Chenxi. She’s pretty decent-looking, and her family’s conditions are not bad either."

"Tsk tsk, so that’s the story. That Professor Luo, looking so ethereal,