Lu Yanzhou rubbed the watch face with his thumb, appearing calm and composed. “Using me as a shield—if I were to take offense, wouldn’t that make me the petty one instead?”
She pursed her lips and remained silent.
As the man took a step closer, she took a step back. Caught in his crisp, cold scent, her mind flashed back to the entanglement of that night—the moment when extreme ice and fire melted together.
He noticed her reaction and narrowed his eyes. “Afraid of me?”
She shook her head.
Lu Yanzhou scrutinized her. “Weren’t you quite bold that night?”
Jiang Wan muttered softly, “If I had known you were a professor, I wouldn’t have…”
“Don’t you have a class?” he interrupted calmly, his eyes fixed on her.
Jiang Wan choked on her words. How did he know she had a class?
“After class, meet me at the West Gate parking lot.” He leaned slightly toward her, speaking in a voice only she could hear. “Otherwise, I’ll expose your lie.”
Jiang Wan glared at him. “I have something on you, too!”
His smile was faint. “What is it?”
“You work at the club as a… duck.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man’s deep eyes narrowed slightly. “Will they believe you?”
Jiang Wan: “…”
The man was a PhD introduced by the Astrophysics Research Center, a professor in the Department of Astronomy personally appointed by Dida. This identity was certainly real.
Scientific researchers were highly valued by the country. After all, many of them moved overseas; since Lu Yanzhou was willing to return, how could Dida not treasure him?
With such a prestigious status, even if she did expose the fact that he worked part-time as a gigolo at Yeying Huisuo, people would only think she was talking nonsense…
The man moved a step closer, leaning forward slightly to brush past her shoulder. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
As he walked away, he brought his phone to his ear and answered a call. “How’s the investigation?”
“Third Master, that photo was uploaded by a female student from the Finance Department named Chen Feixue.”
…
After class, Jiang Wan avoided the crowd and headed toward the West Gate parking lot, grumbling as she walked.
“Some professor! He’s clearly a beast! It’s just my bad luck to be stuck with him!”
A car horn behind her gave her a start.
A Bentley pulled up behind her. The driver’s side window rolled down slowly, revealing the man’s flawless face.
“Get in.”
She stared at the car emblem and couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it. “Tsk tsk,” she remarked. “Do ducks these days come with Bentleys?”
Lu Yanzhou paused for a few seconds. “It’s a rental,” he said flatly.
“How much per day?”
Money? Lu Yanzhou frowned. This was the first time he’d been stumped by a question. Since he had no concept of money, he threw out a random number. “Five thousand.”
Jiang Wan: “…”
Forget it. Even five hundred was expensive; she couldn’t afford a rental like that.
“Professor Yan, I should be heading back.”
The man looked at her. “I’ll drive you.”
Jiang Wan was stunned. Him driving her? Was he joking?
“That’s not a good idea… You’re a married man!”
The man looked straight ahead. “Don’t you have a husband too?”
Jiang Wan choked, shock flickering in her eyes. She hadn’t said a single word about being married!
“How do you know?”
He withdrew his gaze. “You said so that night.”
Jiang Wan was speechless. She vaguely remembered that she had indeed mentioned the word “divorce” that night.
“You won’t let me drive you because you’re afraid your husband will find out?”
With no response left, Jiang Wan simply got into the car. The interior carried a faint scent of cedarwood—just like him, it was crisp and pleasant.
“Professor Yan… why do you work part-time as a male model?” Realizing it sounded a bit blunt, she quickly added, “I’m not looking down on your profession; I’m just curious.”
Lu Yanzhou replied nonchalantly, “I need the money.”
This reason was impossible to refute.
But on second thought, it didn’t seem right. “Aren’t you in scientific research? Besides, that part-time job of yours… the pay isn’t low. How can you be short on money?”
After all, he must be very sought after by wealthy women! He could even afford to rent a Bentley!
He leaned his head lazily against his hand, his fingertips tapping rhythmically against the steering wheel. “I have a family to support.”