Chapter 3 — The Fluffy-Haired Vixen and the Cold-Faced Professor

May is approaching, and the new semester is just around the corner. Therefore, on the very last day of September, I decided to submit my resignation letter. Shen Yizhou froze in place. "Why... why so suddenly?" I cleared my throat, trying my best to maintain my composure. "Well... I have to go back to my hometown. There are family matters to attend to, and I cannot stay any longer." Shen Yizhou bit his lower lip, his complexion turning deathly pale. "Sister Liu, did I do something wrong? I... I can raise your salary, can you please not leave?" The salary I was already receiving was exceedingly high; raising it further would be entirely abnormal. After all, I was merely a housekeeper; I could not possibly be that important to him. His reaction sent my heart into a tangled flurry. "It is not that, there truly are matters at home! The children's father is in poor health, and I must return to take care of him." "I am sorry, Little Shen. I will introduce someone much more suitable to you." I thoroughly washed the cleaning rag and gently draped it over the edge of the sink. Behind me, the silence was absolute. I sighed, and just as I reached out to open the door and leave, Shen Yizhou suddenly rushed forward and grabbed my hand tightly. Startled, I lifted my head and met his gaze—burning with intensity yet fraught with a vast array of hesitation. "Sister Liu... I... I..." He looked like a young man gathering every ounce of courage to confess his feelings, his eyes brimming with yearning and quiet sorrow. My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly interrupted him. "Little Shen! I am forty-five years old, and I have two children! I... I truly must go!" With those words, I pulled my hand free, turned around, and bolted rapidly out of that house.

After leaving, an overwhelming sense of emptiness lingered in my chest. The look in Shen Yizhou's eyes as we parted ways... was truly impossible to forget. In that fleeting moment, I was no longer his housekeeper, but rather someone who had heartlessly abandoned him. Yet what could I possibly do? I knew very well that life was not easy for Shen Yizhou—he appeared cold and aloof on the exterior, but deep within, he was desperately starved for affection, craving a genuine family. He deserved to find a young woman who would truly love him. As for me... I was simply not a match for him. I could only hope that he would eventually find someone far more deserving.

Following my departure, my younger brother triumphantly returned from the cement factory. Our family gathered once more in my mother's small rented room. The two of us had bickered since childhood, and the moment we met, he shoved his phone into my face to brag. "Look at that! Money I earned with my own sweat!" Hmph, it was merely eight thousand. I casually showed him mine. His eyes bulged out of his head. "Ten thousand?! You made this much just by being a nanny?!" I sighed inwardly—the effort I had poured into that job was not restricted to cooking and cleaning alone, but also included... a nameless, lingering affection! Seeing the two of us laughing and banqueting, my mother handed me a package wrapped in paper. "The intermediary brought this, saying the former employer wanted to thank you for taking care of things all this time, so he sent a little extra token." I opened it—ten thousand yuan! Had Shen Yizhou sent this additional sum? I stood there dumbfounded, feeling a slight twinge of guilt. "No, I should return this... I already received my proper salary, accepting anything more feels quite improper." My mother said, "I tried refusing it, you know! But he insisted so stubbornly that I had to take it!" For a moment, I was utterly speechless. My younger brother stared with wide eyes, muttering under his breath, "Holy crap! If I had known being a nanny paid this well, I would have dressed in drag and done it myself! I know how to cook, too!" Over the past few months, he had toiled under the blistering sun and howling winds, hauling bags of cement. The once fair-skinned engineering student had been transformed into a tan, athletic young man with a defined physique. He looked like... an entirely different person. My mother chuckled, suppressing a smile. "Next time an opportunity like this arises, I will save it for you!" At that, both of my parents burst into laughter. My younger brother joined in with a goofy grin. The household was warm and bustling with life. Only I suddenly found myself thinking of Shen Yizhou's empty, desolate home... A place where he was now left entirely alone.

One week later, I officially enrolled in university. Everything on campus filled me with a sense of novelty and excitement, and curiosity bloomed wherever I walked. Thanks to the substantial savings I had accumulated over the previous months, I generously treated myself to a new tablet and a smartphone—while not exorbitantly expensive, they were more than sufficient. Following my mother's advice, I also bought several new outfits. My mother had told me, "Money can always be earned, but youth happens only once; you must know how to dress properly!" Because of that, I no longer needed to hide behind thick-rimmed glasses, nor did I have to wear rustic floral blouses or tight, constricting trousers.

On my first day stepping into the classroom, I tied my hair into a simple ponytail, wearing a cool white t-shirt and light blue shorts—the entire class immediately turned to gaze at me. After a single lecture, I received a flood of friend requests—the vast majority of them from male students in my major. My roommate, Xiaoxiao, nudged me and teased with a giggle, "Oh my, you are about to become the campus belle of our department~" I waved my hands dismissively. "Not at all!" I simply had no romantic inclinations these days.

When the next class approached, I opened my phone to check the schedule and... froze completely. The name of the instructor was written clearly: Shen Yizhou. I widened my eyes in disbelief and looked again! Shen—Yi—Zhou?! There was no way such a coincidence could happen, right?? That name was hardly a common one... Furthermore, I vividly remembered that Shen Yizhou was indeed a lecturer at this very university. My heart began to pound erratically: Thump! Thump! Thump! Could it be... that he would recognize me?! I tried desperately to reassure myself: No way, surely he wouldn't recognize me...

"Ding, ding, ding—" The class bell rang, and a familiar figure slowly walked into the lecture hall. The moment he appeared, a wave of murmurs rippled through the classroom. "Wow, he is so handsome!" "Our school actually has a teacher who looks like this?!" "Oh my god, I am officially determined to study hard!"

Shen Yizhou's expression remained as cold as ice, his entire being radiating a dense, ascetic aura of detachment. "Good morning, everyone. The requirements for this course are as follows..." "This course is graded continuously; missing more than forty percent of classes means you cannot take the exam." His voice was as chilling as his physical presence. Shen Yizhou stood at the podium and rattled off a long list of regulations—sounding strictly uncompromising. Yet the girls sitting around me only grew more excited: "The professor is so handsome, I would rather die than miss a single class!" "Who is going to go ask for the professor's WeChat?!" Xiaoxiao nudged me gently, giggling, "Hey campus belle, asking the handsome professor for his WeChat is your mission~"

I: "..." There was no need to ask. I... already had his WeChat. But I did not dare to utter a single word, keeping my head bowed in silence throughout the entire session. I was terrified to even breathe too heavily, praying fervently that he would not notice me!

A short while later, Shen Yizhou picked up the class roster and began taking attendance. When my turn arrived, he called out, "Su Nian." That was my name. I replied in a quiet voice, "Here." Shen Yizhou paused for a fraction of a second, his gaze sweeping lightly over me—expressionless. In that brief moment, my heart leaped straight into my throat. But then... nothing happened at all. He simply continued down the roster as usual. I let out a long sigh of relief, yet a vague sense of disappointment lingered in my chest. It seemed... he had completely forgotten all about the events of the summer.

And so, the lecture concluded. Shen Yizhou taught exceptionally well—making the concepts easy to grasp with clear, illustrative examples. As he worked, he possessed a dazzling, captivating presence. Once class was dismissed, the students gradually filed out. Right at that moment, I received a notification on my phone: "Come to the lounge." "!" The sender—was none other than Shen Yizhou.