Chapter 4 The Cold and Beautiful Professor (4)

Chapter 4: The Cold Beauty Professor (4)

Yet, Qi Yan was certain that Professor Shen’s thoughts were not of him.

Even if he were to kiss Shen Juan, he couldn't bear to be mistaken for someone else; it would feel like an undeserved defeat.

Such treatment inevitably ignited a spark of defiance in Qi Yan.

And a peculiar urge to conquer.

Qi Yan’s expression turned dangerously playful as his thumb grazed the man’s smooth neck. He leaned in, his breath caressing the pale earlobe. "Professor Shen, look closely. Who am I?"

"I am your student, not your husband."

Shen Juan’s drunken, hazy eyes struggled to focus, as if only then registering Qi Yan’s presence. The affection in his gaze slowly receded, replaced by an indifferent smile. "Ah, it’s you. My apologies, I miss my husband so much… I thought he had arrived."

The arm draped around Qi Yan’s neck slowly withdrew, brushing his jaw. Shen Juan’s brow furrowed with a lingering tenderness as his gaze fixed intently on his phone screen.

It was as if, in Professor Shen’s eyes, Qi Yan was less significant than his husband’s image on a phone.

Qi Yan felt a subtle pang—was his charm truly so negligible?

Observing Shen Juan’s intoxicated state and recalling the system’s warning about alcohol leading to trouble, Qi Yan gently took the phone from his hand. He decided to send Professor Shen home early, entrusting him to his husband.

He placed an arm around Shen Juan’s shoulder. "Professor Shen, you’re drunk. Let me take you home first."

Shen Juan seemed utterly inebriated, allowing himself to be guided forward. The others in the private room exchanged glances once more; unable to overhear their hushed conversation, they began to speculate.

Qi Yan hadn’t moved far and caught their murmurs clearly.

"Is that Professor Shen’s husband? He looks so young and handsome!"

"I don’t think so. I recall Professor Shen’s husband isn’t that young. I heard he’s the young CEO of a listed company… surnamed Yan, I believe."

"And their relationship is supposedly rock-solid. He’s probably just a friend of Professor Shen’s. I can’t imagine Professor Shen cheating—everyone knows how devoted he and his husband are."

Someone else whispered, "I’m not so sure about that. I heard they had a huge fight a month ago. Shen Juan seemed quite upset afterward."

Another scoffed, "Perhaps they’re already divorced."

A third chimed in, "Yes, I heard that too. I heard they don’t get along, but for some reason, they’re still living together, pretending their relationship is fine."

Qi Yan listened, slowly and deliberately pulling down the brim of his cap.

*

Outside, the wind howled, thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and purple streaks illuminated the dark, heavy clouds. Qi Yan looked up at the pitch-black sky.

Frowning, Qi Yan wondered how long it would take to get Shen Juan home in such weather.

He pulled the stumbling Shen Juan closer.

The rain began to pour. Qi Yan frowned, silently calling out to Zero Zero Zero, "[Help me hail a cab to take Professor Shen home.]"

Zero Zero Zero stole a glance at Shen Juan, whom Qi Yan was supporting, and cautiously stammered its reply.

"[Host, there are no cabs. But I can book a room nearby for you to take the antagonist to.]"

The rain was indeed too heavy to travel in.

After a moment’s thought, Qi Yan stood still and addressed the system again, "Do you have contact information for Professor Shen’s husband? Send it to me—I’ll call him."

The weather was too severe to find a cab, but if their relationship was truly that strong, Professor Shen’s husband would surely come to pick up his beloved.

Zero Zero Zero gave him an odd look and fell into an eerie silence.

"[No, my database has no information on the antagonist’s husband.]"

Qi Yan tried hailing a cab again, but there were genuinely none available.

Resigned, Qi Yan asked the system to book a twin room nearby—primarily because he was short on cash and could only afford one.

Braving the heavy rain, he managed to borrow a large umbrella using his charm, its canopy shielding them.

The rain fell sideways. Qi Yan held the umbrella with one hand and supported Shen Juan with the other, making their progress slow.

Shen Juan’s gaze subtly lingered on Qi Yan’s rain-soaked shoulder before lifting to the tilted umbrella. His damp bangs obscured his clear, cool eyes.

Even if he weren’t pregnant, he disliked drinking. And now, with a child on the way, Shen Juan would never touch alcohol. He had merely dripped liquor on his clothes and then…

Upon sensing the system spying on him, he had hinted that he needed someone to pick him up.

That was all.

After much effort, they finally reached the hotel. Qi Yan closed the umbrella and led Professor Shen into the room.

Pushing open the door, Qi Yan raised an eyebrow at the decor.

The room was heavily themed with passion. Zero Zero Zero had indeed booked a room with two beds, but both looked far from innocent—lace bedding, and even the ceiling was fitted with mirrors.

Qi Yan’s sharp eyes caught two boxes on the nightstand—condoms, among other things.

Even if he had intended to seduce Professor Shen, such blatant setups would only appear ill-intentioned and off-putting.

Qi Yan felt as though Zero Zero Zero, this "chicken," was desperate for him to seduce a married man, resorting to any means to assist.

But changing rooms would be too much hassle.

Shen Juan frowned slightly at the bedsheets, finding them somewhat unclean. Noticing this, Qi Yan disinfected the bed with alcohol wipes. Only then did Shen Juan’s expression relax.

Once the bed was dry, Qi Yan helped Shen Juan lie down. Up close, the scent of alcohol grew stronger.

Qi Yan’s eyes involuntarily traced Shen Juan’s features.

His Adam’s apple subtly bobbed twice.

Shen Juan was exceptionally beautiful—his cool demeanor only enhanced his appeal. When he smiled, it was like a rainbow after rain, dazzlingly radiant; when he frowned, it was like plum blossoms in deep winter, coldly captivating.

From the moment he first saw Professor Shen, Qi Yan had thought so. Now, being this close, he found Shen Juan even more strikingly beautiful.

Slightly intoxicated, Shen Juan’s thick, upturned eyelashes highlighted the faint redness at the corners of his peach-blossom eyes. A closer look revealed a pale red mole beside his nose, adding an inexplicable touch of sensuality.

What a pity… such a beautiful Professor Shen did not belong to him.

He had married that supposedly young and successful CEO surnamed Yan.

Even if people claimed their relationship might be strained or that they were divorced, without hearing it directly from Shen Juan, Qi Yan couldn’t fully believe it.

Qi Yan’s gaze grew heavy and deep, his handsome face obscured by the rain, hiding both his expression and thoughts.

His heel was once again nudged by a short, yellow wing.

"[Host! Quickly give him the sobering pill!]"

Zero Zero Zero, after nudging, swiftly retreated under the bed.

He cupped the man’s cheek with his hand, his thumb slipping in to pry open his teeth, a crimson tongue just visible.

The sobering pill was truly large, impossible to swallow in one go, especially with Shen Juan still disoriented.

"Professor Shen, don’t ask other men for kisses again," Qi Yan murmured, his voice hoarse and searing.

He knew Professor Shen was deeply devoted to his husband, but when Shen Juan looked at him, offering those soft lips, Qi Yan’s heart fluttered.

In a low, magnetic, and tantalizing tone, he said, "Otherwise, I might be tempted to misbehave."

Qi Yan’s husky, suggestive murmur was ambiguous, carrying a trailing note that blurred the line between jest and earnestness.

He bit off half the sobering pill, chewed it himself, and then guided the other half from his fingertip into Shen Juan’s mouth.

His finger slowly brushed the corner of the man’s lips as Qi Yan said in a deep voice, "Professor Shen, even if it was an accident, tonight it’s me accompanying you. Remember my name—Qi Yan."

"It was I who picked you up on this rainy night after you got drunk."

"Not your husband, who’s still sound asleep at home, or should I say… your ex-husband."

The pill dissolved instantly upon entering the mouth. Qi Yan pressed his tongue to his cheek; it was mint-flavored, exactly like the scent he’d noticed on Professor Shen yesterday.

The simple mint fragrance now carried other notes—not just longing, but many unidentifiable, jumbled sensations.

Qi Yan’s gaze lingered on Shen Juan’s face. The flush from alcohol was still there, though slightly faded, perhaps due to the sobering pill taking effect. He haphazardly pulled the blanket over him.

Alone, he walked to the balcony. The sound of rain pattered against the ground; the storm made the whole of Yanjing noisy and damp.

Qi Yan lit a cigarette. A crimson glow flared, smoke curling upward. Through the haze, he seemed to see visions of Shen Juan and his husband sharing affection.

The damp, rainy night chilled his heart.

He typed into the search bar: "Yan Qi," "young Yanjing CEO."

There was no sign of the person Qi Yan was looking for. Ashes scattered downward, the dying embers seeming to scorch the gloomy sky—a lone, burning desire trying to illuminate the dark clouds.

He thought about the mission the system had given him.

It was difficult. Professor Shen didn’t seem to have completely forgotten his husband, or "ex-husband."

But he knew even better that in this world, no one truly loves another deeply. Otherwise, how could his own parents have so tacitly betrayed their original spouses and given birth to him?

After all, they too had once been model couples with their original partners.

Qi Yan stared at the scattered sparks dancing in the air, the shadows in his eyes deepening.

Whether he was recalling the scenes of infidelity he had witnessed firsthand or remembering the supposed devotion his parents once shared with their original spouses, he couldn’t tell.

The system brought him to this world, urging him to seduce the mature and beautiful Shen Juan.

To make the restrained Professor Shen stray for him, to fall for him, utterly captivated—such a thing made Qi Yan narrow his eyes...

Unable to discern the complexity of his own thoughts.

Nor did he know if Professor Shen and Mr. Yan’s marriage was truly as precarious as people said.

One cigarette burned out and was extinguished.

Zero Zero Zero crawled to his feet, looking up at him.

"[Host, host, why don’t you hold the antagonist and sleep tonight?]"

Qi Yan glanced sideways at it. Why was the system more impatient than he was?

He saw the system suddenly shyly cross its wings over its face, nudging at his heel with its head.

"[Then, how about buying some prenatal supplements?]"

Qi Yan fell silent, his gaze sweeping over Zero Zero Zero’s yellow chest, with a complex, thoughtful look. In a tone of sudden realization, he said, "So... you’re a hen?"

He raised an eyebrow and asked seriously, "But can a system even get pregnant?"

Zero Zero Zero froze.

"[...I just want to eat them for fun.]"

Such a weird habit made Qi Yan even more silent. He took a drag of his cigarette and blew a long smoke ring. "I’ll buy them for you, but you’d better not eat too many."

The image of a chicken eating pregnancy supplements was just too absurd. No other system would want Zero Zero Zero like this.

Zero Zero Zero really wanted its host to know how unfair this was! It wasn’t the one who needed to eat them.

But it didn’t dare say.

Perhaps because he had taken half of the sobering pill, Qi Yan had only smoked two cigarettes when there was movement from Shen Juan’s side. He didn’t stub out his cigarette, instead lighting a third.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Qi Yan didn’t turn, just kept watching the heavy rain.

Soon, the lit cigarette in Qi Yan’s hand was taken away, the ash snuffed out.

Qi Yan turned and met a pair of captivating eyes. Their eyes met, Shen Juan’s voice was hoarse: "My husband also used to enjoy smoking."

Shen Juan’s eyes could enchant. He said, "I’m different from my husband. In the past, I’d only have a cigarette afterward, watching his face through the haze of smoke. You know, his expression at those times was truly sexy."

Hearing Shen Juan’s words, Qi Yan habitually exhaled smoke, the faint mist drifting with the rain.

Shen Juan looked at Qi Yan through the wispy smoke, his lips quirking slightly. "But later, both he and I quit smoking. Do you know why?"

Qi Yan noticed Shen Juan gently stroke his abdomen, the movement tender yet faintly complex, as if hiding some secret.