“On a scale of warm water to Sichuan numbing spice, how freaking hot is Dai laoshi, huh?”

Yu Yan answers the 5’9 baby by baring her teeth in warning. Zeng Keni, the proof that God is fair because with supermodel height and looks, the things that Keni says and does makes Yu Yan’s blood pressure skyrocket.

And besides, she doesn’t need the interruption. Yu Yan is already struggling in this class and here she is being bothered just because Zeng Keni is feeling extra spicy with their English professor.

She was about a term away from graduating with high honors. The business major is the type who chooses the professors not for their penchant for being easy and getting high grades, but for how much she could learn from them.

Yu Yan picked Dr. Li, Ph.D. an award winning journalist with credentials that could line up the entire great wall. Zeng Keni was whining that Dr. Li is rumored to be Satan’s wife, but knowing Yu Yan is there to copy from made her sign up for the same class.

The irony out of all this, she didn’t know that Dr. Li was 9 months pregnant and popped out the devil’s spawn on her way to class.

To Zeng Keni’s excitement the substitute is this grad student, who walks with such presence like the ultimate alpha from an ABO fanfic (not that she reads it, Keni was the one who defined it for her).

In a dark and velvety tone, she introduced herself, Her name is Dai Meng, this is her last term taking up her PhD before graduating. To the joy of everybody in that class, she is going to take over this class until Dr. Li comes back from maternity leave.

With her glasses, her power suit, and high heels, bam, all these college boys are emasculated, and all the girls are dead from extreme thirst.

All except for Yu Yan.

This class is not even her major but it’s like she just earned herself a spot in hell. If Dr. Li is rumored to be the devil’s wife, then this mind numbingly hot Dai Meng laoshi must be his mistress.

She is one of those butthurt teachers who wants you to major her class. Yu Yan is excellent with her time management but, the weekly papers, surprise motherer quizzes consumes her entire calendar.

“I’ll be giving back your paper from last week,” Ms. Dai spoke with that rich tone that only did nothing but endanger the lives of every girl in that room. “I wrote my corrections and what I think would help improve for your next paper. But if you do have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach me through email or you can come by the department during office hours.”

“Oh wow!” Keni excitedly pointed to her barely passing grade, that got Yu Yan’s brows creasing even more.

“You got 2.2, you barely passed. It’s like you’re hanging in a cliff and you’re two fingers away from plunging to your death.”

“Wow. And you’re still single? With a line like that, girls should be throwing their at you,” Keni taunts her with a snort.

“Shut up,” Yu Yan gasps in dismay at her own score. “What the fu-?”

Yu Yan could feel her entire body about to spontaneously combust when she saw the 3.5 red mark on her paper. Although she could get 4.0’s in her other classes, she struggled to get one for this class. This 5,000 word essay constitute ¼ of their grade and Yu Yan worked her fire extinguisher hot off trying to write the perfect 4.0 paper. She swore her fingers are numb and her brain is fried but nothing was going to stop her.

Except for Alpha girl working on her doctorate.

Her bestfriend manage to get a sneak of her paper and look utterly confused, “Dude, you got a 3.5, that’s amazing.”

“No. it’s not.”

Her paper was 4.0, a 3.8 the least. But a 3.5? Now Yu Yan is just sure this fake mack daddy is just on some major power trip.

All around her, the students are drawing sighs of relief, like Keni they’re just overjoyed to have just passed. But well, she’s not like any student. She slams her palm on her piece of 3.5 paper and vows to give Dai Meng laoshi alpha poser a piece of her mind.

*****

It was mocking her.

That blinking cursor is mocking her just like the 3.5 grade on her paper. She has been staring at the blank email for almost an hour, trying to compose the most professional email. Writing is supposed to be therapeutic. Yu Yan writes songs, poems, essays but writing this email to her English professor is going to end up like an Eminem rap song with how much F bombs she’s going to drop.

But maybe that’s what she should do. She should just let out all her rage first, type out all the scathing insults to get her point across. Then, when it’s done, she should be mellowed enough to write that email.

Alright, let’s do it.

Dear Ayi,

Yu Yan couldn’t hold back a laughter; she deserves a crown for pettiness right there.

She continues…

Hi! I hope I’m not interrupting your tai chi practice, but I just want to ask about the 3.5 mark that I received on my paper. I find the grade completely appalling but I realize that instead of feeling anger I should feel sympathy because there must have been no better reason for this except for your deteriorating eyesight. I would like to recommend my optometrist, Dr. Wang. He is professional and honors senior citizen discounts. If it’s not your cataracts, maybe you’re showing early signs of dementia. As a concern student, I have researched on which food is best to help minimize the effects and it includes green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts and salmon, please do avoid fried and fast food.

I’ll end my letter here. Please be careful of the cold, make sure to take your meds for your aching joints.

Your young vibrant student with a 4.0 average now turned 3.9 because you’re stingy,

Yu Yan

 

She rereads her letter and burst into laughter her entire apartment building must have heard her. She just cracks herself up. She should really consider a career in comedy.

And she was right, she feels absolutely less homicidal and now she can dele-

“Yu Yan!”

Of all the times her internet could have work perfectly, it chose to work now. Her usual apathetic eyes grew wide in horror as right there, instead of backspace, she accidentally press send.

She just emailed her teacher that petty af email.

“No! No! No! No!” She screams loud enough through the entire mainland.

It takes a lot to shake Yu Yan but this time, she’s contemplating of throwing her laptop out the window, hoping it will solve everything.

Her bestfriend is just scratching her head in confusion.

“Geez, I was just going to tell you about the 50 percent discount I got, no need to get that excited.”

“No! I send an email to Dai Meng Laoshi,” Yu Yan could only yell frantically. She pulls Keni by her shirt and showed her the email she just sent. Keni reads the first line and looks like she’s ready to have a hemorrhage from laughing.

“Oh… Oh my God.”

“God can’t help me now. I’m screwed.”

And for once, Keni is right when she said,

“Well, then I guess you’re right. You’re screwed.”

*

“Why are you sitting there?”

“Are you kidding me?” Keni said in disbelief from a good six feet away. “I’m barely passing this class. I can’t be associated with you.”

God. She hates how Keni is right. She doesn’t want to associate with herself either. She’s just an F grade waiting to happen. That familiar clack clack clack of high heels interrupted them.

Their professor looked pissed and she has a good idea why. Dai Laoshi flipped her clipboard like it’s her mission and began roll call and Yu Yan hadn’t felt fear like this as it’s gets closer and closer to her name.

“Yu Yan?”

“Just pretend that you’re not here,” Keni whispers from a seat away.

“Is Yu Yan here?” Their teacher’s voice sounded low like in a deep growl and it was enough to make Yu Yan take a huge gulp of breath.

If Keni thinks that Yu Yan would be scared less from what happened, she’s wrong, it’s time to face the music.

“Here.”

Their professor looks up from her record book. A hard gaze that reminds Yu Yan of a predator sizing up their prey, but Yu Yan won’t be pushed in the corner and narrowed her gaze taking on the challenge. This reaction looks like it delighted her teacher, cause her ruby red lips curve into a taunting smirk.

Keni came up right in time to interrupt her, “That was both scary and hot at the same time.”

The class felt like the longest hour of her life and Yu Yan draws a sigh of relief when the bell finally rang. Maybe their teacher might think it’s just a prank and had hopefully forgotten over it. She tries to be discreet as she slinks out of the class, but a voice crept up behind her.

“May I have a word with you, Yu Yan?”

Keni whispers, “I don’t know you.” Then looks at their teacher. “I don’t know her.”

Although Yu Yan can handle everything except cute girls, Yu Yan have to admit that this alpha look their professor have on is working well for her, because she’s hella attractive up close.

“So, I think you know what this is about.”

Yu Yan has two courses of actions, play dumb or admit to her mistake.

“Huh?”

Play dumb it is.

“Last night I received a letter and when I was reading it, I don’t know whether to laugh or just stamp a giant F on your grade.”

A panic quickly surges in Yu Yan’s veins, her entire five year plan is collapsing right in front of her eyes just because she can’t pass this one class. “Wait…You can’t do that-“

“Oh yes I could. After my tai chi practice tonight that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Yu Yan’s jaws are starting to hurt with how hard she’s clenching them together.

“So, did you bring your paper with you?”

She winces as she remembered shredding that piece of grade like a rabid bulldog.

“Ummm no.”

“Well, lucky for you, I did.”

The professor placed a copy of her 5,000 word essay, and Yu Yan really needs to look at her paper and ignore how long and lean her teacher’s fingers are.

“For someone who barely talks in class, you have the tendency to write run on sentences a lot. Here,”

She circles a red mark on her third paragraph.

“Here,”

Another red mark.

“And here,” Her professor looks up and even from behind those daddy glasses (that Keni pointed out one time) Yu Yan could feel like a dragon breathing down her neck. “You also have the tendency to write dangling modifiers. Here,”

Yu Yan is really beginning to hate the color red.

“Here and here.”

“Okay, thank you for clarifying everything, Dai laoshi.”

“I’m being generous giving you a 3.5, if it was Dr. Li, she would have given you a 2.0.”

“Okay thank you for your kindness Dai Meng laoshi,” Yu Yan says, her voice dripping in sarcasm. “Yes. The letter might be a little heated.”

“I understand. I have some professors that I really want to cuss out, I’m just not as bold as you to actually send it.”

Yu Yan forces a smile though she’s slowly reaching her boiling point inside. Her teacher was smiling now as if she’s just relishing at making her insides squirm.

“So, here is what we’re going to do, my young and vibrant student. You know I teach two introduction to basic English classes. Because of my deteriorating eyesight, that you so gladly pointed out in your letter, I believe I would need someone with young and vibrant eyes to do the grading for me.”

“Wait what? I hope it’s not what I think it is.”

“Oh, but it is, my 4.0 turned 3.9 student.”

“You’re going to make me do all your work?”

“Not all my work, I’ll still be there to… how do I say this?” The grad student taps thoughtfully on her chin and it did nothing but infuriate Yu Yan even more. “Oh yes… supervise you.”

Yu Yan clicks her tongue and shakes her head in utter and complete disbelief.

“And what if I don’t?”

But her laoshi doesn’t seem to be the least bit affected, her lips curve into a devious smirk before saying,

“I’ll see how I feel after my tai chi practice.”

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Okay, Yu Yan tonight, watch me cast a spell on these girls with my abs,” and with that Keni, swung her jacket back revealing the taut abs that Yu Yan has always been so secretly jealous of.

“You’re embarrassing.”

Friday and being out is something new for Yu Yan. She usually spends her time doing things away from people, but tonight being alone just brings her back to her conversation with her professor. She keeps on rewinding and fast forwarding the conversation, hoping she had said this or that she didn’t say that. She just couldn’t stand how easily she was backed into a corner that it got her punching the hell out of her pillows.

So, when Keni asked if she wants to go out, for once Yu Yan agrees, if it will distract her mind and keep her pillows alive then so be it.

Keni’s jaw drop at the accusation, “I’m embarrassing? You look like you are out on a Gatorade hunt, after having an all nighter.”

“That’s oddly specific.”

“You might put your hair down, but no one would want to go down on you in that outfit.”

“Shut up. I’m not looking to get laid.”

But Keni doesn’t look like she’s buying it and instead smirks knowingly at her,

“You just say that, but when there’s an opportunity wouldn’t you jump into it?”

But before Yu Yan can tell her no, they stepped inside the bar. Yu Yan hadn’t been here before, but she likes how casual and unpretentious it is. It’s well lit, unlike those dark, smokey bars that’s like a crime scene waiting to happen. It got a pool table and only a few groups of people dotted around the place. The music wasn’t blasting on the speakers, instead they were playing some Khalid that could work as either date music or a group hang vibe.

For a Friday night, the place isn’t crowded at all which is just what Yu Yan wanted.

True to Keni’s words, her show of abs does attract some attention. They zigzag their way from thirsty onlookers over to the booth tucked in the corner.

“There she is! Sun Rui!”

Yu Yan finds herself looking at another striking beauty sitting by the booth. She stood up, wave her hand and with her loud, deep uncle voice, Zeng Keni’s friend yells for the entire bar and a few blocks to hear.

“Zeng Keni!”

“Sun Rui!”

“Zeng Keni!”

“Su-“

“Okay, I think everyone in this bar and the whole entire street knew both of your names already.”

Yu Yan screeches when she sees who is sitting next to Sun Rui, nursing herself a beer. To her surprise instead of her usual alpha daddy outfits that sends most of the students in heat, Dai Meng laoshi is wearing a black and white striped long sleeve collared shirt. Unfortunately, it looks very, very similar to what she’s wearing now.

To make matters worse, she wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“Oh. What is going on here, Sun Rui?” Keni whispers a little too loudly,

“Is this their little couple outfit or something?” Sun Rui whispers back.

“Shut up.”

“Shut up.”

“They even talk at the same time too.”

The two idiots exchanged an infuriating eating grin.

“She’s our teacher I don’t think it’s ethical for us to sit with them.”

“Sit down, Yu Yan,” Her teacher commanded and Yu Yan glares at her as a response. “I need this drink cause there’s this girl in my class who just drives me off the wall.”

“I think I might need something harder cause my professor in English just seems to have it for me.”

“Should we somewhere else, Keni? I don’t want to ruin their date,” Sun Rui whisper yell that finally got Dai Meng.

“You know what, Sun Rui? You might as well talk aloud because that uncle voice of yours is like a built in microphone.”

Keni yanks Yu Yan down, unfortunately right across her scowling teacher.

“So, how did the two of you know each other?” Yu Yan asks.

“We’re buddies.”

Dai Meng spits her entire drink and starts coughing, “W-what?”

Then, Sun Rui and Keni exchanged looks, failing miserably to hide their smiles until finally bursting out in laughter.

“Oh my God, you two should have seen your faces!” Sun Rui’s laughter boomed “Hell no, Keni here was getting into a fight and I had stop her.”

“Wait.” Yu Yan looks at her bestfriend surprisingly. “You got into a fight?”

“Ummm, they started it,” Keni defended herself like a five year old.

“Who?”

“Ummmapillar?” The 5’9 mumbled.

“A what?”

“A pillar just came out of nowhere and smack into me. Of course, I was pissed!”

Yu Yan presses a finger to her temple, “A pillar just don’t come out of nowhere, Zeng Keni, or else the entire ceiling would collapse on you. When that happens, are you going to fight it too?”

“M-maybe.”

“I can see why.” Yu Yan and Dai Meng mumbled

Yu Yan and the person she couldn’t stand, shared the same expression, wondering how they ended up with idiots for bestfriends.

“Okay! Who needs drinks?” Sun Rui stands up pointing to everyone on the table. “Dai Meng, I know you need some after you got that letter from your student.”

Keni lets out a scoff in amusement, but yelp in pain when a converse gives her foot a good stomp. Sun Rui couldn’t take the hint and burst out in loud laughter.

“You guys should have read it, it was hilarious. Your student is a freaking comedian Dai Meng,” She playfully elbows her friend. “Should have given her an A.”

“Oh no, I’m thinking of a way on how to make her life a living hell.”

Yu Yan’s gaze remains focus on the poster of a comedy night hanging on the wall.

“Oh, what do you think of that, Yu Yan?”

“Well ummm… as a professor, I think it would show a sign of maturity if you just… ummm… talk with her.”

The scowl in Dai Meng’s face have now truly transformed into a look of amusement.

“Oh. I’m gonna go so ing hard on her.”

“That sounds y.”

“That’s the problem with the younger generations, we allow them to disrespect us OLDER generation.”

“Geez, Dai Meng, you’re just 27,” Sun Rui had pointed out.

“Right? But some people think I’m an auntie going blind and battling dementia.”

“Drinks? Drinks?” Keni finally steps in. “Wait is it bribery if I get you drinks?”

“How about you, Yu Yan?”

“Just water for me. I’m not drinking.”

Sun Rui and Keni roll their eyes in tandem, before excusing themselves to go over the bar. Yu Yan is left awkwardly fending for herself against the tension, started playing with the tissue.

“Nice shirt.” Her professor said.

“Yeah, I like yours too.”

They both forced out the most awkward smile, before they went back to suffocating in awkward silence. Yu Yan tries to look around over at the tissue she’s shredding on the table, the beer bottles, or at the y neckline and how bob as the beer flows down .

Yu Yan is suddenly very thirsty.

“I wasn’t supposed to be teaching an advanced class, you know?” Her teacher spoke up, finally breaking the silence. “I’m teaching the intro classes but yeah, Ms. Li’s baby couldn’t hold it for one more semester and here I am.”

That made Yu Yan scoff harder than usual, and judging from the smile on Dai Meng laoshi’s face, she’s taking it as a victory.

“But that advanced class is a breath of fresh air. I have students who is definitely more… challenging.”

“That’s because that class is challenging.”

“I think what your issue is, you are so caught up in getting that 4.0 that it’s so mechanical and lifeless that your entire paper just bores me to sleep.”

Yu Yan could feel the smoke coming out of her ears, but she’s not going to bite whatever bone her teacher is dangling.

“It’s not a research paper, Yu Yan.” Her laoshi said before taking another sip of her beer. “So, I think going to the intro class, would be good for you. Help you get back to basics.”

Judging from the wicked grin in her laoshi’s face, and her looking like she’s gritting her teeth like a rottweiler, it was clear who won. For now anyways.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Last meeting, we have discussed about how to write more effective sentences by turning passive voice into active voice. But why? Why is an active voice more effective than passive?”

The entire class who was paying attention to the silkiness of her voice rather than what she was saying, quickly grows quiet. Dai laoshi scanning her eyes through the blank looks of her students.

“Okay, let’s take it one step back. Do we remember the difference between an active voice and a passive voice?”

Yu Yan sees Keni slowly sliding down her seat, those long limbs going lower and lower to the ground.

“Anyone? Nobody? Okay, let’s see, Yu Yan.”

Yu Yan’s head snapped up at the smirking professor. What the hell is this woman on? and can she freaking have some, because she must be damn hallucinating if she thinks Yu Yan is raising her hand.

“Yes?”

“Maybe you can help your classmates with the definition of active voice. Or how about this? I will say a passive sentence and you can convert it into an active voice. Let’s see,”

There was a mischievous twinkle in their laoshi’s eyes and Yu Yan is slowly getting wary of it. She looks up, lips in a teasing grin.

“The email is sent by Yu Yan.”

From the corner, she heard an irritating snort from her useless bestfriend. She is ready to dock her in the face but Keni is lucky that the entire class is looking at her.

“Yu Yan sent the email.”

The smile in Dai Meng’s face only grew wider, “Very good. Okay, let me write it down so it would be clearer. Thank you so much, Ms. Yu, you can sit down now.”

She plops on her seat, the glare still evident on her face. Their teacher just kept on winning.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

So, this is how it all goes for her. With her sitting at the back of a packed freshmen class rather than doing schoolwork or researching for her thesis. This was one of the conditions that her terror teacher told her, that since she’s free on Tuesday and Thursday at 9 am, she could sit in on her basic composition class, to help monitor the class and at the same time, walk around and help the students during writing exercise.

This is the second week she’s been doing this, and though she’s not going to admit it ever out loud to herself or to anyone, Dai Meng laoshi is actually quite a good teacher. The English grammar rules are quite complicated, yet she manages to break it down to its simplest forms. Sometimes, Yu Yan finds herself taking notes.

They’re discussing about those confusing passive and active voices again. It was a complicated subject, trying to differentiate between past continuous and past perfect. Yu Yan with her brows all creased tried practicing the exercises that Dai Meng laoshi had given her class and find herself scratching her head.

She looks up just in time to catch her professor with that smile on her face. Yu Yan is left there struggling to think of a response, it’s a good thing, one of the students called her out. And as soon as their gaze broke, Yu Yan feel like she can breathe again.

 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Okay, here are the answer sheet and if you need anything, I’ll just be finishing up these essays.”

“Okay.” Yu Yan adjusted her glasses, staring at the pile of test papers she needed to conquer before her eyes drifted over to her professor, whose full focus was on her screen.

“So, you’re going to graduate this term?”

Yu Yan hurriedly turns back to the papers she supposed to be checking, acting like she’s checking the tests for the future of China.

“Ummm yes.”

“I should give you a good advice about how to do CV’s and how to get a job. Instead, I’ll just tell you, good luck, don’t let one bad interview or not landing the job you want mess you up.”

“Ummm thanks.”

Dai Meng smiles gently at her before returning to her own work, suddenly Yu Yan wants to hear her voice again so she asks.

“Did you get the job you wanted?”

“Oh yeah, lots of time. You’ll find that companies are looking for someone with around two years of experience. But how can you have experience if nobody hires you?”

Yu Yan tries to hide a little smile, “Must be frustrating.”

“Oh yeah. I work as an unpaid intern after I graduated, got coffee, run copies, answer phone calls, deliver paperworks in every department, I swear I had like the best calves during those times.”

Dai Meng smiles, “But I learned a lot and it’s not always about how hard you work, it’s about the connections. So, you have to start smiling.”

Yu Yan stifle a laugh, “I’ll try.”

*

This was getting to be unhealthy and if there is one thing that Yu Yan can’t stand, it’s doing something that’s going to up her mind and body.

But Yu Yan is the definition of ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way’ motto. It’s when Keni finishes an entire bag of spicy strips, she’s eating her corn, or during the pandemic where the gyms are close and much to her dorm advisor’s horror, she used the fire extinguisher as weighs making her the most fireproof hot in their entire dorm.

But this… whatever this is that’s going on with Dai laoshi is just as bad as a bag of chips and for someone with high self control, she can’t seem to stop herself from digging for more.

It’s almost been two months since she sent that email and she just finds herself getting more drawn to her professor. It’s not like they do anything outside the four walls of the classroom and office. They usually just spend time in the office, around the English faculty, yet, they seem to have shut them out when they go on talks about their families, their pets (Dai Meng loves to show off her flying cat),

But what’s worse is that she thinks about her outside of the classroom and office too. When she’s eating dinner with Keni, she thinks of what could Dai Meng laoshi be eating? Or during Friday nights and her heart is a bit disappointed that Dai Meng wasn’t in the bar, and she wonders where could she be? Is she at home? Is she out on a date? Oh, where, oh where does her professor went?

At night, when she thought her mind is thoroughly exhausted from paperworks and studying, still her thoughts drifts over to her teacher. What is Dai Meng laoshi doing? Is she asleep? Is she working on her dissertation? Is she with somebody?

That last thought does nothing but make an MMA fighter out of Yu Yan, trying to beat up her poor, defenseless pillow.

There’s just one way out of this and it’s to just quit cold turkey. Of course, she’s not going to drop her class but she’s going to try real damn hard not to look. Pretty much not care when Dai Meng laoshi smiles, to look away when her laoshi meets her gaze, and don’t even talk to her unless it’s completely necessary.

Yu Yan could do that, she’s a master of ignoring people and feels. She’ll start by ignoring that nagging thought that points out how good Dai Meng laoshi looked in her lavender suit in class today.

But before she could set her plan into motion, things took a different turn when her professor announced that they won’t be meeting for next week.

One part of her, cheered cause this is what she was planning to do anyway, one week of not seeing Dai Meng laoshi.

The other part of her just wants some chips.

“Oh yeah. free period,” Keni says.

“It’s not free period,” Dai Meng continues as if she could read what’s on her students’ mind. “it’s a time for you guys to finish up on your finals paper. I will be available during class period, if you need me to go over your work. Okay, that’s everything for today.”

“Yu Yan?”

“Ahhh yes?” She tried to act nonchalant, tried to act like she didn’t care.

“You don’t have to go with me to the freshmen classes anymore.”

“Oh?” Wait. Did she sound a bit disappointed?

“Don’t worry,” Her professor chuckles and Yu Yan finds herself faltering at just the sound of her laugh. “I’m completely over your letter, you pass.”

“Pass? Like a 2.0?”

“A 2.1. But seriously, it really helped. So, thanks.” Dai Meng gives her a polite smile that seems a little too formal for Yu Yan. “Have a good day.”

“Y-you too.”

Yu Yan says then sees her teacher hunched over the desk, giving Yu Yan a clear view of the prettiest side profile in this side of the Earth. She was staring longer than she thought and as she tries to walk away, the only thought in her head is…

. She really wants a bag of Lay’s.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************

It’s bothering her. It really does.

Yu Yan sorts through her Dai Meng laoshi problem and one solution she came up with is she needs to get out.

She should take Keni’s suggestion and go on a date. A date with someone who is an actual student like her, (but Dai Meng is a student too)

No, no, no… She’s not an option.

She never was and should never be.

*********

She feels more like she’s babysitting than she’s on a date.

Yesterday, a bunch of cute freshmen giggled their way to her, asking if Yu Yan qianbei would like to go get coffee. Yu Yan (blinded by the herd of cuteness) said yes, earning high pitch squeals from them.

That was 24 hours ago, now, she’s in the crowded university coffee shop and her date Fei Qinyuan, as weakeningly cute as can be, is giving her a tutorial on how to change her profile picture in weibo.

That is when Yu Yan know this isn’t going to work.

“Hi, can I have a caramel macchiato please?”

She recognized that velvety voice anywhere, she cranes her neck over to the corner and would you look at that, she’s right.

“Oh, it’s Dai Meng laoshi,” Her cute date waved happily, Dai Meng looks confusedly at them before it finally dawn on her, what was happening and just greets them with a kinda awkward looking smile.

“You know, we thought you’re such a sweet girlfriend sitting in in our intro class.”

Yu Yan looks surprise, “W-wait girlfriend?”

“Yup. You and laoshi keep on doing those sticky looks. She would look at you every few minutes and then you look at her too. Then both of you just smile at each other. It’s disgustingly cute.”

“W-wait… I’m not her girlfriend, we’re not dating.”

“Yeah, we kinda figure it out when we saw her weibo. she’s like dating the professor over the dance department, Xu Jiaqi.”

her heart just crushed like a bag of potato chips being bulldozed.

“Wait she’s dating?”

“Well, we assume that she is, seeing her weibo posts has wefies of them.”

“Wefies?”

“It’s like we and selfies… wefies.”

“Oh. Just the two of them?”

“Yup. Are you jealous?”

“What? No. no.”

Her adorable AF date just snickers at her failed lies, “Oh, you totally are. You are like a top CP in the university.”

“W-what’s a CP?”

Big, bright eyes looks at her in complete disappointment. “CP, short for couple.”

“But we are not a couple.”

“Not yet. There.” The freshmen pushes her phone towards her. “You’re following Dai Meng laoshi by the way, and you just gave her a little message.”

“A what?” Yu Yan turns to her phone and right there, under one of her laoshi’s picture is a drooling emoji. “Why is this emoji drooling?”

“Because you’re thirsty.”

“For what?”

“For her.”

“What?!” Yu Yan snapped so loud that even with the incessant chatting and blackpink playing on the background, people turn to look over to her. “Delete it now.”

“I can’t. it’s already there for all the world wide web to see.”

She just sighs in defeat, losing against her date. Aren’t they two on a date? Why is she pushing her with someone else?

Yu Yan turns over to the counter, her eyes glazing over the crowded coffeeshop wondering where on Earth did Dai Meng wander off to. Did she already leave?

“Are you looking for your girlfriend?”

She narrows her eyes at Qinyuan who seems to delight on getting under her skin.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” she corrected the freshmen with a hard lean back her chair and crossing her arms in defense.

But all Qinyuan had to say was, “But you want her to be.”

Suddenly, Yu Yan is in the mood for chips. She’s in the mood for something unhealthy, something she’s going to regret much later. But Yu Yan knows that as soon as she have it, everything will fall into place and it will be worth it.

Who the hell is she even lying too? It’s not chips that’s making her think in metaphors, it's someone,

It’s her.

She lost. She lost to her feelings, to her thoughts, to everything. But if losing means having Dai Meng, then, it’s no question, she’s willing to falter.

TBC

 

Hope you guys enjoy! Keep supporting these talented girls.