Chapter 193 - That Girl...
[This chapter is dedicated to Maryann_Babyangel for being a nice leaver of comments in my story this last month of June! Thank you so much for the support~! I hope to see more of your comments soon! ^^]
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"Tsk!"
Ruo Xi clicked her tongue, making sure that no one will notice. As she shoved her shock to the side, tears started escaping her eyes. She had her quick comeback for an act, surprising everyone as they thought that her crying at this moment is something real.
"P-Pan An…" she said his name, her lips trembling. "I… I didn't know that you could be this way towards me."
Pan An stopped in his tracks. With him turning his back to look at Ruo Xi, his eyes slightly widened when he saw her crying, her shoulders shaking as she tried her best to stifle her sobs.
Anyone who watched her would pity her. Even Pan An actually started feeling guilty!
He wanted to touch her shoulder, he wanted to tell Ruo Xi to stop and if this were the past, he would immediately comfort her and pull her in his arms for a tight embrace!
However, even with this sight before him… he didn't know why, he felt his heart rock hard.
Not saying a word, he just sighed and turned his back, leaving the room without even giving her one last glance.
***
Shu Xian and the others silenced when they saw Pan An suddenly arrive in the classroom. With seeing him coming inside earlier without even hearing the bell ring, the three looked at each other with wonder, curious as to why the professor suddenly arrived before the lesson would start.
"What's up with Professor Pan An?" Zhang Ren asked, Shi Lian, shrugging her shoulders.
"I'm not quite sure as to why he's suddenly here. Well… do you think that he didn't want to you know… spend his alone time in the faculty room because he can't bear to leave Shu Xian alone?"
Zhang Ren and Shi Lian snickered. However, Shu Xian furrowed her brows, thinking that there's something different about this.
She looked at the facial expression of Zhang Ren. His hands were obviously balled into tight fists as he walked inside the room. His eyebrows were knitting together and his lips were in a tight line as well as if he was containing something or controlling himself.
But what could it be? He looked frustrated or uncomfortable.
"I think something's up," Shu Xian mumbled, enough for the two to hear. With them looking at her, they listened to her further claims. "I think Pan An is uneasy about something."
With this in thought, suddenly, what Shu Xian thought was somehow proven with what they saw next.
The known department head of the Teacher Education office entered class, a woman following him in tow.
Seeing the woman behind him who entered the room with the dean made Shu Xian's eyebrow twitch, knowing that she saw this woman somewhere before.
That curly red hair… that powerful aura. Her distinguishing mole is also present on her face and it's obvious that she's the woman Pan An's mother warned her about.
Ruo Xi.
Shu Xian felt her heart racing in her chest. With her hand holding her chest as if she felt the difficulty to breath, she inhaled a sharp breath, Shi Lian and Zhang Ren wondering as to why Shu Xian is acting this way.
"Shu Xian?"
With Shi Lian looking at her with worry in her eyes, she waved her hand in front of Shu Xian's face as she was obviously in a daze while she looked at the people before them.
"What's up?"
Shu Xian didn't answer. With her eyes not leaving the three people in front of them, Shu Xian just mumbled on her seat, making Shi Lian widen her eyes in surprise with what she heard from her best friend.
"Ruo Xi… why is she…"
Even without finishing her sentence and even though it's a whisper, Shi Lian could already understand the shock on her best friend's face.
With Shu Xian's eyes not leaving Pan An, Zhang Ren looked at Shi Lian with confusion in his eyes.
"What's up? What's wrong?"
Shi Lian looked at Zhang Ren. With her whispering so the other students who came in early could not hear them, she made Zhang Ren understand Shu Xian's surprise in just a few words.
"Ruo Xi… Pan An's ex-fiancee."
Zhang Ren widened his eyes. With him also not believing that Ruo Xi is here, he was all the more curious as to what Pan An's relationship is with that woman since Shu Xian and Shi Lian had not told her the details about them fully.
Shu Xian felt her chest tightening. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt nervous—knowing that the woman is back here in this country even though Cai Li, Pan An's mother, already warned her about it.
Ruo Xi's beauty is indeed a goddess' level. Anyone who would look at her may fall in love with her at first sight and would even succumb to her if she wishes to seduce them!
And this is the woman Cai Li is asking her to defeat?
Knowing that Pan An has fallen in love with her deeply before and with him frustrated every time she was brought up…
How can she feel confident about herself even though she lives with the professor—even though both of them are slowly developing their feelings towards each other?
How?
Somehow… Shu Xian felt small about herself. With her chest tightening one more time, she sighed in discomfort when she felt her heart slightly ache in her chest, wondering why she was feeling hurt upon seeing them face to face like this.
With the dean appearing in the room with Ruo Xi and with them talking as if it's something serious… it made Shu Xian want to pry into their conversation or go near just to eavesdrop but doing so would be very unlikely and it would be very improper of her!
But with her curiosity driving her this mad… how could she calm down with all these things worrying her mind?
Why all of a sudden when she saw Ruo Xi appear here in the university and before Pan An… did she feel the fear?
What kind of fear is this?
Fear of disappointing Pan An's mother? Or…
Fear of losing Pan An to someone like her who's known to be given the whole world because of his love?
The latter part made a twig snap inside her mind. With her abruptly standing up from her seat, it had gotten the attention of her close friends, the students who came in early with them, and also…
The dean, Ruo Xi, and then Pan An.
"Shu Xian?"
Shi Lian stood up, worried about her as well as she held her shoulder with concern.
"What's wrong? Are you—"
However, before Shi Lian could even finish her sentence, Shu Xian ran off without saying a single word, the expression of her face striking Pan An's heart as he didn't expect to see her this way.
Shu Xian's lips were in a tight line as if she was holding herself back. With her eyes watery as well, it's as if she was keeping her tears in place, not wanting to appear emotional before the others.
Seeing her run away made Pan An think that she knew Ruo Xi and that it may have caused her to feel uncomfortable now that they're developing feelings for each other.
Not wanting to be wronged, Pan An started to worry, already wanting to follow Shu Xian.
"E-excuse me," Pan An said, looking at the dean without even sparing Ruo Xi a glance. "I have to talk to my student and see what's up," he reasoned, not wanting to tell them about their connection.
Hearing this when Ruo Xi was brought here to be told that she was to sit in in Pan An's class, made her eyebrow twitch to see Pan An act this way.
'You act so worried towards a simple girl! Don't tell me—'
"Why?" the dean suddenly spoke, snapping Ruo Xi out of her thoughts. "She may only be emotional and it's not like elementary and high school that you have to look at your students all the time! You're teaching young adults and—"
"I'm sorry," Pan An interrupted, already impatient. "You may say that, but I can't let her go alone like this."
Pan An then walked away. With him giving Shi Lian and Zhang Ren a secret glance, it's as if both of them already understood immediately that they should watch over the others, especially the two.
So that they will not to follow them. If they did, they would see how Pan An and Shu Xian interact with each other and they might have issues in the university.
"Oh, that Pan An," the dean said, scratching the back of his head as he looked at Ruo Xi with embarrassment in his eyes. "I'm sorry about that—he's just passionate about this teaching career that even though he teaches adults, he cares about them.
Ruo Xi ignored him. Deep down in her heart… she now knew who that woman is without even knowing her name and how she looks like.
'That girl… she must be Shu Xian and she must go to hell!'