Chapter 118: Encountering Wenchuan

By the time Lin Luyao woke up again, the city lights had just begun to glow. She thought that if it weren’t for the rebellion brewing in her stomach, she might have slept straight through until dawn.

Resigned, Lin Luyao climbed out of bed and ran her hands through her hair, which had turned into a wild nest overnight. It was already past eight in the evening, and the campus cafeteria was long out of food.

She ordered takeout through an app, then sat on her bed clutching her blanket, eyes fixed intently on her phone, waiting for the delivery driver to call.

As soon as the phone screen lit up, Lin Luyao answered immediately. “Hello? Yes, it’s me! I’m coming right away!”

With that, she tossed the blanket aside with flair, swung her legs off the bed, slipped on her shoes, and dashed out the door. After a few steps, she realized she was still in her pajamas.

She hesitated for two seconds but figured it was pitch dark outside—no one would see clearly anyway. So she didn’t bother putting on a jacket and just headed to the school gate.

But sometimes, the things you least expect happen most easily…

Just as Lin Luyao received her food and was about to head back to the dorm, she spotted an elderly man approaching. From his silhouette alone, she recognized him instantly as Professor Wen Chuan.

Thinking about her unfinished thesis proposal, Lin Luyao felt guilty and tried to take a detour.

But the old man’s eyesight was just as sharp at night and he called out to her immediately.

“Lin Luyao!”

With no choice, she slowly turned around, feigning surprise. “Ah, Professor Wen! What are you still doing on campus so late?”

“Were you just trying to avoid me?”

They say you shouldn’t tease someone who’s smiling, but that didn’t apply to Wen Chuan.

Out of all the students, Lin Luyao was the craftiest. Though she always managed to “accidentally” dodge his reprimands, Wen Chuan had developed his own methods specifically for dealing with her.

The two constantly engaged in battles of wit and cunning, with victories and defeats evenly split.

“Hehe, no way! Why would I avoid you?” Lin Luyao put on a flattering smile. If she weren’t holding her takeout box, she probably would have patted him on the shoulder like a sycophant.

“Is that so?” Wen Chuan snorted coldly, clearly unimpressed. His little mustache twitched as he added, “Then when do you plan to show me your thesis proposal?”

“Ah, I still need to polish it a bit more before showing you,” Lin Luyao frowned, trying to buy time.

What a joke. She hadn’t even settled on a topic yet. How could she produce a full thesis proposal for him?

“Hmph. I bet you haven’t written a single word.”

“No, I really have! Look at these dark circles under my eyes and the hair I’m losing—it's all from thinking about this thesis!” She resorted to playing the sympathy card.

“Shoo, shoo,” Wen Chuan waved dismissively, pushing her head away. “I’m counting on your proposal. I want to see it on my desk by next weekend.”

Finishing his words, he glanced at the bag in her hand and hurried her along.

“Alright, alright, go quickly. Just seeing you raises my blood pressure.”

“All right, take care!” Lin Luyao called after him.

Only after watching the old man walk away did she finally exhale.

This guy was impossible to please. After all that stalling, her deadline was suddenly pushed up by a whole two weeks earlier than officially set… If she had known, she wouldn’t have wasted so much breath talking to him. What a miscalculation! Even her own temperamental grandma wasn’t this hard to deal with.

Such a petty old man.