This class was already halfway over, and Jiang Shuyi was explaining a passage from the "Shangshu." Her tone was steady and gentle, attempting to make the dry ancient text more lively.
Her outfit today, yoga pants paired with a sports bra, although out of place in the classroom, still attracted many gazes, especially from the male Students.
Lu Xuan sat in the back row, idly twirling his pen. His finger lightly tapped the green bubble interface of Jiang Shuyi, which he had just added. The image, retrieved from the Black Material APP.
After special processing by the system, it appeared somewhat blurry, but it was still recognizable as a photo of Jiang Shuyi's younger sister when she was a child. He sent it silently.
"...So, for this passage, we must pay attention to its multiple meanings..."
As Teacher Jiang was engrossed in her lecture, the screen of her phone, placed on the podium, suddenly lit up, accompanied by a very slight vibration.
Normally, she would never pay attention.
But today, for some reason, she inexplicably glanced at her phone.
With just one look, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning, freezing instantly.
On the screen was a photo of a little girl.
That face... that face she had spent twenty years trying every possible way to erase completely from her memory!
A bone-chilling coldness, as if emerging from the depths of hell, shot up from the soles of her feet, straight to the top of her head!
In that instant, she felt as if she had been thrown into an ice cave in the dead of winter, her very blood threatening to freeze.
With a "buzz," her mind went blank, all sounds in her ears vanished, leaving only that photo, like a poisoned dagger, stabbing fiercely into her eyes, into the darkest corner of her soul.
Her right hand, holding the phone, began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, her fingertips icy cold, causing the phone to shake as well. The little girl on the screen, with her innocent eyes, seemed to be staring fixedly at her, silently questioning her.
Twenty years! She thought she had long forgotten, forgotten completely!
She thought that sinful past had been thoroughly buried by time, and no one would ever know!
But this photo...
She was nine years old then, and her twin siblings were only three.
She clearly remembered how she had smiled and lured her brother to the market, and how she had left her sister alone on a park bench... She remembered their last gazes at her, from dependence to bewilderment, then to fear and despair...
Over the years, she would occasionally be awakened by those fragmented images in her midnight dreams, but she could always quickly suppress them, telling herself it was just a nightmare.
But now, this photo, like a key, instantly opened Pandora's Box!
All the memories she had deliberately forgotten rushed back into her mind like a flood, surging powerfully!
The tender cries of her younger brother and sister, their helpless little hands, and the heartbreaking grief of her adoptive parents... Scene after scene, as vivid as if they had happened yesterday!
She glanced at the contact, the name was Lu Xuan.
A newly added friend, probably a Student from this classroom.
How did he get this photo?! What does he want to do?!
Jiang Shuyi's face instantly turned ashen, fine cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her breathing became rapid.
She forced herself to avert her gaze, her fingers frantically sliding across the screen, wanting to delete the photo, but her hand was trembling too much, causing her to tap the wrong place several times.
Finally, the photo was deleted.
She stared intently at the contact named "Lu Xuan," her eyes filled with terror and resentment.
No! Don't panic! Absolutely must not lose composure in front of the Students!
She took a deep breath, the cold air filling her lungs, calming her slightly.
She struggled to pull at the corners of her mouth, attempting to force out a smile that was no different from her usual one, but the smile was uglier than a cry, stiff like a cheap mask.
"Cough... Students," her voice was a little hoarse, with an imperceptible tremor, "Teacher... Teacher suddenly has something urgent, today's class... will end here. Everyone, please study independently for now, and after class... you may leave on your own."
As soon as her voice fell, a suppressed murmur immediately arose in the classroom.
"What's going on? What's wrong with Teacher Jiang today?"
"Yeah, she was teaching so well, and suddenly class is over?"
"Her face looks terrible, is she feeling unwell?"
Jiang Shuyi had no mind to pay attention to the Students' whispers. She forced herself to stand upright, her gaze quickly sweeping across the classroom, finally settling on the figure in the back row who had remained unusually calm throughout.
"Lu Xuan, are you there?" Her voice tried to remain steady, but if one listened carefully, a slight, imperceptible tension could still be heard.
Lu Xuan put down his pen and slowly stood up, his expression calm, as if the person who had just dropped the bombshell was not him at all. "Teacher, I am Lu Xuan, is there something you need?"
His voice was not loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire lecture hall.
Jiang Shuyi looked at Lu Xuan's handsome yet slightly aloof face, and even greater waves of shock surged in her heart.
This Student... who exactly is he? Where did he get the photo? How much does he know?
She tried hard to discern something from Lu Xuan's expression, but he was too calm, so calm that it made her panic.
"Does Teacher need something?" Lu Xuan saw that she hadn't spoken for a long time, and asked again indifferently, his tone devoid of any emotion.
Jiang Shuyi then came to her senses, quickly composed herself, and forced out a strained smile: "Ah... yes, a small matter. I have... some important study materials here, um, supplementary materials for our course, quite important. I thought... I wanted you to help me take them to the office, and I'll explain them to you in detail there."
The excuse was so clumsy that she herself felt embarrassed, but at the moment, she couldn't think of a better reason.
She just wanted to get Lu Xuan out of there immediately and ask him what he wanted!
After speaking, she didn't care about the Students' reactions, grabbed her bag from the podium, and with somewhat unsteady steps, was the first to walk out of the lecture hall door.
Lu Xuan's lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile, and he followed unhurriedly.
The two left one after another, and the classroom instantly erupted into chatter.
"Holy cow! What's going on? Teacher Jiang called Lu Xuan to the office alone?" A male Student lowered his voice, his tone full of surprise and gossip.
"You guys, Lu Xuan is awesome because he's handsome! A beautiful teacher of Teacher Jiang's caliber noticed him in the first class, and even called him to the office alone to give him warmth... Oh no, to give him materials!" Another male Student said with a wink.
"Tsk, I don't think it's necessarily about giving warmth," a female Student pouted, "Did you forget what happened this morning? Lu Xuan just tore apart his ex-girlfriend, and now he's being called away alone by a beautiful teacher. This plot... tsk tsk, could it be that Teacher Jiang also fancies him?"
"Possible! Hero saves the beauty... No, it's a handsome guy exposing a scumbag girl. Teachers are women too!"
"I actually think, with Lu Xuan's aura and methods, and the way he made that PPT this morning—clear and with solid evidence—he's clearly not an ordinary person. Maybe Teacher Jiang really needs his help with something legitimate?" A bespectacled Student pushed up his glasses, attempting a rational analysis.
"Oh, come on, what legitimate matter needs to be discussed alone in the office? And specifically after class? I think Lu Xuan's luck with women is unstoppable! He just dealt with Shen Yahui this morning, and this Teacher Jiang this afternoon... Hehe, there's a good show to watch!"
"No wonder he's handsome, otherwise would Shen Yahui shamelessly come to school to reconcile with Lu Xuan? Although she was ultimately exposed, it still shows Lu Xuan's great charm!"
The discussions in the classroom grew more and more lively, with various speculations emerging endlessly, and of course, Lu Xuan and Jiang Shuyi could not hear any of it.