As class time drew nearer, Tsinghua University was exceptionally tranquil after the rain.
Cheng Youyi was pulled by Yu Mengwan toward the lecture hall.
Along the way, bustling crowds and constantly passing underclassmen filled the scene, occasionally punctuated by one or two crisp, pleasant bell chimes—everything felt so beautiful and harmonious.
“Hurry up, or we won’t get good seats if we’re late,” Yu Mengwan urged her, not slowing her pace in the slightest.
Cheng Youyi had no choice but to jog to keep up with her. The two chatted as they hurried along.
As they approached the path leading to the lecture hall, she suddenly felt an unusually quiet atmosphere around them.
She frowned slightly, wondering what was going on, when her eyes suddenly widened in surprise as she looked ahead.
“That line up ahead—don’t tell me they’re all here for the afternoon economics class?” Cheng Youyi asked in shock. The queue was even more exaggerated than one for a concert.
Yu Mengwan looked up and was instantly stunned.
“Damn, this is way too over the top!”
She couldn’t help but curse. Weren’t tickets supposed to be required to attend the class? What were all these people doing here?
“I had no idea people at our university suddenly loved economics so much. This is bizarre,” Cheng Youyi murmured to herself, quickening her pace to catch up with Yu Mengwan. The two quickly squeezed into the line.
She sighed inwardly. With such a grand spectacle, what kind of person must this professor be?
They were a step too late. The best seats had already been taken, so the two reluctantly settled in the corner of the last row.
“If I’d known, I would’ve gone back earlier to do my makeup. We didn’t even get good seats,” Yu Mengwan grumbled in frustration.
Cheng Youyi shook her head with a smile and said nothing.
The girls around them were all dressed up glamorously, while Cheng Youyi stood out with her simple, elegant appearance.
She wore only a plain white dress and canvas shoes, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, yet she was the most striking presence in the room.
Her pure and delicate features made her an anomaly amidst the noisy crowd. Even sitting there, she still drew sidelong glances.
This class attracted students from various majors. While those from the economics department were there to learn, most of the others had come specifically for the young professor.
Only Cheng Youyi had been dragged along by Yu Mengwan to make up the numbers.
Time quickly passed, and at three in the afternoon, when the class bell rang, the previously noisy and lively atmosphere in the classroom instantly froze.
Everyone held their breath, craning their necks to look toward the door. The legendary new teacher was finally about to arrive.
Yu Mengwan was extremely nervous. She tightly clutched Cheng Youyi’s skirt. “He’s coming, he’s coming! I heard he’s incredibly handsome. I’m so nervous!”
“Stop fangirling. Aren’t you here to attend class?” Cheng Youyi was both amused and exasperated. Compared to Yu Mengwan’s nervousness, she was much more relaxed.
She idly doodled on a blank sheet of paper, waiting for the class to start, without much curiosity.
Following the collective gaze, the classroom door slowly opened.
The man who entered wore a simple white shirt, its sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A pair of frameless gold-rimmed glasses rested on his tall nose bridge, and his thin lips were slightly pursed.
The man exuded an aura of cool detachment, making others hesitant to approach.
This feeling seemed innate, impossible to erase.
For a moment, everyone’s breath caught.
“Wuwuwu, so tall, so handsome, like a movie star.”
“Ahhhhh, so glad I didn’t come for nothing.”
“Too bad he has a fiancée, we have no chance.”
“I really want to know who this lucky girl is.”
“I already told you, it’s Teacher Fang Fang.”
The people sitting around Cheng Youyi began whispering among themselves, but she herself was still bent over, drawing her little figures, completely unaware that danger was approaching.
The teaching assistant behind the man carefully prepared the teaching materials in hand, then respectfully stepped aside.
“Professor Gong, please.”
After standing still, Gong Ming picked up the microphone on the podium, his gaze sweeping indifferently across the room until it settled on the small figure bent over and scribbling. Only then did a faint smile curl at the corner of his lips.
Little one, will you be pleasantly surprised or frightened in a moment? The man was quite looking forward to it.
At this moment, the classroom was completely silent. Everyone was watching him with fervent eyes—except for Cheng Youyi, who was happily drawing little figures on a blank sheet of paper, unaware that a huge bombshell was about to drop.
Gong Ming gradually composed his expression and spoke calmly, “My name is Gong Ming. Today, I will be teaching you about business, corporate management, and economics.”
His tone was steady, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
The entire classroom was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Yu Mengwan, listening to his magnetic voice, was so excited she wanted to scream. She kept tugging at Cheng Youyi, “Ahhhhh, did you hear that? His name is Gong Ming. So handsome, so handsome!”
“Hey, Mengmeng, don’t disturb my drawing. What’s so special about the name Gong Ming? It’s just a name. Handsome guys are everywhere—calm down,” Cheng Youyi continued drawing indifferently, her mind seemingly not yet registering the name. But when the two words “Gong Ming” drifted past her sensitive nerves once more, she jolted up in shock.
“What? Who did you say? Gong Ming!!!” She stood up and shouted inappropriately, startling herself so much that she threw her drawing pen and paper.
The already quiet classroom grew even more silent at her outburst—so quiet you could hear a pin drop clearly.
Everyone turned their heads to stare at her.
Including Gong Ming himself.
Yu Mengwan was also startled by her reaction and quickly covered her face, tugging awkwardly at Cheng Youyi’s sleeve and whispering, “Sit down! What are you doing?”
“I…” Only after the shock subsided did Cheng Youyi realize that the entire class was staring at her, and her face flushed instantly.
She really hadn’t meant to do that just now. It was just that the moment she heard that name, she forgot where she was and couldn’t help blurting it out.
“This student, do you have a question?” Gong Ming’s deep voice reminded her from the podium, his profound eyes fixed directly on her, a faint, elusive smile playing on his thin lips.
That voice?!!
Oh no!!
Is… is… is it him?!
Cheng Youyi cautiously looked up and met his deep, unfathomable gaze. She immediately gasped—it really was him?! Good heavens, is this really a cursed fate? Even hiding at school, I still couldn’t escape him?
Under their locked gazes, the man’s elegant lips curved into a faint smile. He nodded slightly, as if greeting her.
Cheng Youyi guiltily averted her eyes, burying her head lower and lower.
She was so nervous that she couldn’t find the right words, flustered to the point where fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead and her cheeks flushed red. Cheng Youyi silently prayed in her heart, hoping that because the lecture hall was far away, he hadn’t recognized her.
But how could her little thoughts escape Gong Ming’s exceptionally perceptive eyes?