Returning home, Xin Zhiyao took a shower as quickly as possible before diving into her study to learn. She used her evening self-study time for her part-time job, so she could only consolidate what she learned today now.
Time passed without notice, and then a knock came at the door.
"I'm coming in," Zhou Ji's voice came.
As soon as the door opened, Zhou Ji saw the little girl sitting at the desk, with several books spread out in front of her, holding a pen and writing something.
Soft light enveloped her, her gaze focused and serious, her attention entirely on her textbooks.
Zhou Ji placed the warmed milk on her desk and said gently, "Remember to drink your milk."
Xin Zhiyao was racking her brain. Hearing his words, she nodded vaguely, "Mm, okay."
Zhou Ji lowered his gaze and saw that the book open in front of her was a diagram of a heart, discussing pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation.
Seeing her frown, Zhou Ji asked, "Do you need help?"
Xin Zhiyao looked up at him, then her eyes lit up.
Right, with such an excellent professor by her side, why was she still worrying about what pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation were?
She responded crisply, "Yes."
Soon, a stool appeared next to the desk.
Zhou Ji and Xin Zhiyao sat close together, pressing a white sheet of paper down with their hands. The pen in his hand moved swiftly and decisively on the paper, drawing a heart that came to life.
Zhou Ji's voice was gentle and steady, particularly prominent in the quiet evening.
"This is a coronal section of the heart. The left and right sides are the right and left heart chambers, respectively. Each chamber is divided into an atrium and a ventricle. The tricuspid valve separates the right atrium and right ventricle, and the mitral valve separates the left atrium and left ventricle. We'll start with pulmonary circulation."
Zhou Ji drew a circle above the right ventricle and extended upwards, "A blood vessel comes out of the right ventricle; this is the pulmonary artery. The blood from the pulmonary artery is pumped into the lungs..."
His warm voice was unhurried. Following Zhou Ji's explanation, a perfect diagram of pulmonary and systemic circulation clearly appeared on the draft paper, specially marked with red and blue pens.
Zhou Ji's knuckles were clearly defined as he held the pen. He understood the human structure by heart without even looking at a book, as if it were ingrained in his bones. The organs he drew were also very lifelike. Xin Zhiyao had already experienced this in class; many students said Professor Zhou was a painter who was held back by anatomy.
"Then comes systemic circulation. Blood flows from the left atrium to the left ventricle. There's a blood vessel in the left ventricle called the aortic arch. Blood is pumped out through the aortic arch..."
As Xin Zhiyao listened, she unconsciously started to drift off.
Her attention was fixed on Zhou Ji, her gaze sweeping over his brow ridge, his nose bridge, and then down to his lips.
His mouth opened and closed, his lips perfectly formed, almost unrealistically so. Further down was his Adam's apple, which seemed to vibrate slightly as he spoke.
Xin Zhiyao had studied anatomy for a while and knew that while human structures were similar, there were differences. Zhou Ji's bone structure was probably a perfect gift from the creator.
Just as Xin Zhiyao was engrossed in her observation, Zhou Ji's voice, like a clap of thunder, jolted her awake: "Are you listening?"
Xin Zhiyao's pupils contracted, and she met Zhou Ji's dark gaze.
It was over; she had been caught daydreaming again.
Xin Zhiyao's face instantly turned red: "I-I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Zhou Ji leaned back against the stool, his deep eyes staring at her: "This is the second time you've zoned out during my class."
Xin Zhiyao wished she could find a hole to crawl into, and said with extreme shame, "Professor Zhou, I was wrong."
Zhou Ji's tone became a little more serious: "Tell me, why did you zone out?"
Xin Zhiyao's neck visibly reddened. She held her breath, wanting to make up a random excuse to fool Zhou Ji, but his gaze was too sharp, just like her high school homeroom teacher.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, she looked at Zhou Ji expectantly: "Do I have to say?"
Zhou Ji raised an eyebrow: "What do you think?"
Xin Zhiyao knew she couldn't escape. She spoke haltingly, in a low and rapid voice: "Because you are too good-looking."
Whether it was because her voice was too low or because Zhou Ji found it unbelievable, he asked, "What?"
Xin Zhiyao decided to go all in, stiffening her neck and exclaiming, "Because Professor Zhou, you are too good-looking."
Silence.
The entire study room fell silent.
Xin Zhiyao closed her eyes as if accepting her fate, her heart pounding.
After waiting for a long time with no reaction, she peeked her eyes open.
Zhou Ji was looking at her with a complex expression.
That look was as if to say: I worked hard to teach, but you were lusting after my beauty.
"Professor Zhou..." Xin Zhiyao whispered weakly, trying to explain herself.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Ji's expression turned serious, and he placed his pen in front of her: "Explain what I just taught you, and you're not allowed to sleep until you get it right."
Was this the punishment for admiring his beauty?
Xin Zhiyao whimpered, "Professor Zhou~"
Zhou Ji's tone was stern: "Hurry!"
Xin Zhiyao looked at him.
Zhou Ji thought of something and said, "No looking at me."
"..."
Xin Zhiyao's gaze trembled, and she silently looked away.
She didn't notice the faint pink blush on Zhou Ji's fair ears. It was likely that Professor Zhou hadn't expected to be teased by his own student.
Fortunately, Xin Zhiyao's distraction wasn't for long, and Zhou Ji had explained it meticulously. She was also smart, so while she couldn't repeat it verbatim, she had clearly understood it.
After she finished, she looked at Zhou Ji hesitantly, then remembered he didn't want her to look, and quickly averted her gaze, mumbling, "Professor Zhou, is this correct?"
She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting shadows on the bottom of her eyes. Her skin was fair and clean, and her face still seemed to have a bit of baby fat, making her look soft and cuddly.
Zhou Ji suddenly felt an urge to pinch her cheek.
He was startled by his own thought.
Xin Zhiyao, not receiving a response, called out again, "Professor Zhou."
Her soft, delicate voice was like a feather brushing past.
Zhou Ji was momentarily lost in thought but quickly regained his composure, saying with a natural expression, "It's fine as long as you understand."
After speaking, he stood up directly: "You should rest now."
Until the sound of the door closing, Xin Zhiyao scratched her head, wondering why Professor Zhou had left so abruptly.
Scratching her head, her attention returned to her books.
In Zhou Ji's room, the bedside lamp cast a light. He sat on the bed, holding a book in his hand, the same 《Pregnancy Bible》 he had been reading before.
He used to skim through books before, but tonight he kept getting distracted, and he hadn't turned many pages all evening.
He looked up at the time.
It was almost one o'clock.
Only when he heard the quiet closing of a door from the adjacent room did he close the book and turn off the bedside lamp.
The moon hung in the sky... the sun quietly began to rise.
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