Chapter Seventy-Five: How Am I Supposed to Keep Teaching Like This?

Chapter Seventy-Five: With Students Like You, How Am I Supposed to Teach?

Simply because her roommate was willing to accompany her shopping, this girl was elated and content. She was a bit silly, but undeniably pure and endearing.

"It looks like you've bought a lot," Tang Zhong remarked with a smile, glancing at the many shopping bags she carried in her other hand.

"Yes! We went to the pedestrian street—there were so many delicious foods and fun things. We wanted to buy everything," Qiu Yihan replied excitedly.

"Hanhan, who is this?" A tall girl approached, arms laden with parcels, smiling as she asked.

"This is Tang Zhong," Qiu Yihan introduced.

"Hello, I'm He Na," the girl said, extending her hand to Tang Zhong.

"Hello," Tang Zhong replied, shaking her hand.

The other two girls also came over. One was named Cheng Pei, the other Luo Huan. Everyone exchanged introductions.

"Are you two from the same hometown?" He Na asked, looking from Tang Zhong to Qiu Yihan with a smile.

"No," Tang Zhong shook his head.

"Not? We're not even in the same department—how did you two meet?" He Na pressed curiously.

"We met while shopping at the supermarket," Tang Zhong explained simply. He knew this girl wasn’t really asking where he was from, but rather what his relationship with Qiu Yihan was—if they came from the same city or their families knew each other, perhaps she’d be more interested in him.

"Oh," He Na replied, taking a slight step back.

Cheng Pei and Luo Huan, however, were more straightforward, teasing Tang Zhong and Qiu Yihan about their relationship.

Flower Boy?

Walking ahead, Hua Ming heard laughter from behind and turned around in confusion. The alcohol in his system dissipated somewhat. He staggered back and extended his hand to the girls, saying, "Hello, ladies. I’m Hua Ming, the head of Tang Zhong’s dorm—call me Wuque. It’s an honor to meet you."

Though Hua Ming reeked of alcohol, his clumsy charm made the girls not dislike him; they all shook his hand one by one.

"Hua Ming, very honored," he said, offering his hand to Qiu Yihan.

Qiu Yihan shook his hand, saying, "Haven’t we met before?"

Hua Ming found her voice familiar. He blinked, and upon seeing that delicate, beautiful face and those large, clear eyes, he sobered up even more.

He shuddered, abruptly released her hand, and took two steps back.

This woman—wasn’t she the one who made him eat raw rabbit?

He Na, Luo Huan, and Cheng Pei looked at Hua Ming in surprise, not understanding his strong reaction. Qiu Yihan was the prettiest girl in their dorm, rumored to be the most beautiful freshman in International Trade. He should have held her hand and not let go, not flung it away like that.

"Why is it you?" Hua Ming hiccupped.

"Why can’t it be me?" Qiu Yihan blinked. Though she didn’t like this guy, she forgave him for Tang Zhong’s sake.

"True," Hua Ming shook his head. If I can’t afford to mess with her, I’ll just avoid her.

He moved to stand before He Na, immediately turning on his charm. Besides Qiu Yihan, He Na was the prettiest of the four—tall, long-legged, and well-built.

He Na clearly had little interest in Hua Ming but her eyes lit up when she saw Liang Tao. He was a bit short, but his handsome features and the gleaming LV belt buckle at his waist caught her attention.

Seeing Hua Ming give up on Qiu Yihan, Liang Tao wondered why, but then took the opportunity to approach her himself.

"What a tangled web this is," Tang Zhong thought with a smile, watching the group’s little maneuvers.

Qiu Yihan politely exchanged a few words with Liang Tao, then turned to Tang Zhong, "I’ve been meaning to treat you to dinner to thank you."

"There’ll be a chance," Tang Zhong nodded with a smile.

"No time like the present," Hua Ming added, ever the opportunist. "How about tomorrow? We’re all free then."

Qiu Yihan looked at Tang Zhong. "Is that all right?"

Seeing Hua Ming and Liang Tao’s expectant faces, Tang Zhong said, "All right."

"What time tomorrow?"

"Six," Tang Zhong replied. That would be just in time for dinner.

"I’ll call you tomorrow?" Qiu Yihan asked.

"Sure," Tang Zhong agreed.

"Can we bring guests?" Hua Ming asked with a grin.

"Of course," Qiu Yihan replied, gesturing to her three roommates. "I’ll bring my own guests too."

"Perfect," Hua Ming snapped his fingers in excitement. "Even if the seas run dry and the stones crumble, let’s not miss our appointment tomorrow."

"All right," Qiu Yihan nodded. She handed Tang Zhong a small bag. "I bought roasted chestnuts. Freshly made—for you."

Tang Zhong took the bag, feeling its warmth. "Thank you."

"We should get going," Qiu Yihan said to Tang Zhong. She waved to Liang Tao and Li Yu, then led her roommates away.

Tang Zhong noticed the pretty bow on her shoes and felt gratified. University truly is a crucible—a girl like her was growing up, little by little.

As the girls walked off, Liang Tao hurried over to pester him. "Second Brother, who is that girl? What department is she in? What’s her name? Does she have a boyfriend?"

"Aren’t you drunk?" Tang Zhong teased.

"Beauty sobers the mind," Liang Tao replied. "Tell me! I want to pursue her."

"Her name’s Qiu Yihan. I think she’s in International Trade. As for the rest, I don’t know," Tang Zhong answered honestly.

"Qiu Yihan? What a lovely name." Liang Tao looked dreamy. Now that he knew her name, it would be easy to find out more.

He turned to Hua Ming. "Boss, why did you toss her hand away like you’d seen a ghost? So rude!"

Hua Ming sighed softly and said mournfully, "When I hurt her, you called me shameless. When she hurts me, I’d rather be dead."

Then, taking the chestnuts from Tang Zhong, he popped one into his mouth, cracked the shell, and spat it out.

"Who would’ve thought the girl who buys such delicious chestnuts would be my nightmare?"

"She’s my dream come true," Liang Tao chuckled, grabbing a handful from the bag for himself.

"Give Li Yu some," Tang Zhong called out.

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"Can anyone tell me what psychology is?" Standing on the podium, psychology professor Zhang Gaoyuan swept his gaze over the students as he asked.

"Psychology is the study of mental activity," one student replied.

"It can understand and analyze a person’s inner workings," another offered.

"It can read minds."

"It can hypnotize."

Zhang Gaoyuan waved his hand. "In daily life, when someone mentions psychology, people always think it’s mysterious. As the saying goes, ‘It’s easy to paint a tiger’s skin, but hard to paint its bones; you can know a person’s face, but not their heart.’ If psychologists can see through the heart, that’s terrifying."

"That’s a misconception. Psychology is a modern science. Since it’s a science, it follows patterns. It’s not baseless speculation, but an inference based on observable psychological activities—our sensations, perceptions, memories, thoughts, emotions, and will. Only then can we reach accurate conclusions."

Zhang Gaoyuan took a small silver glass bottle from his pocket, filled with liquid. "This is an air purifier developed in our university’s laboratory. It’s highly volatile—if I remove the stopper, it’ll evaporate immediately. It’s harmless, and has almost no scent—"

He uncorked the bottle and walked around the classroom holding it up. "Did anyone notice a smell? If you did, raise your hand and tell us what you detected."

The class fell silent, everyone sniffing the air intently.

"It’s a bad smell," one student raised their hand.

"It’s grapefruit," another answered.

"Osmanthus."

"A scent I can’t name, but there’s definitely mint—"

Hua Ming raised his hand and said, "It smells like stinky feet," making everyone burst out laughing.

Among all the students, only two didn’t raise their hands.

Zhang Gaoyuan looked at the pair. "Did you smell nothing at all?"

"I smelled lots of things," Tang Zhong replied with a smile. "But none of them were the air purifier you mentioned."

"And you?" Zhang Gaoyuan turned to the female student.

"Sir, if I’m not mistaken, there’s nothing but pure water in that bottle," Jiao Nanxin answered, casting a provocative glance at Tang Zhong. "You used the suggestion effect from psychology. You first told everyone this was an air freshener developed by the university’s lab, gave it a name, and thus everyone subconsciously believed that since you’d explained its origin, name, and function, it must exist. Then you said it was volatile, harmless, and faintly scented—so everyone began searching for that scent under your psychological suggestion."

"You deliberately walked around the classroom, creating the illusion of evaporation. They thought the smell had already spread in the room—you tried to strip us of our judgment and guide us entirely along your logic."

"Once they concentrated, everyone naturally smelled all sorts of things, and thus gave their answers."

For a long moment, Zhang Gaoyuan was silent. Finally, he gave a wry smile and said, "With students like you, how am I supposed to teach?"