"I know."

"Know what?" Xie Sixian's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "I'm a teacher, and you're a student. This is against moral ethics!"

Shu Ying was silent for a moment, and wanted to speak eagerly, but was interrupted by Xie Sixian.

"Secondly, even if we disregard personal relationships, I'm still your advisor, and you've earned a doctorate. How come you don't understand that you shouldn't have a relationship with your advisor beyond academics?"

"I……"

Xie Sixian grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his voice accelerating. "Shu Ying, even if you don't understand the need to avoid suspicion when living in a melon field or plum garden, you should at least know that you should avoid academic misconduct, right? If someone heard you say this, would you still have a future?"

"You're really crazy. What did I teach you? Don't ever call me Xie Sixian's student again!"

“…”

His tone was so harsh that Shu Ying stared at the stone pavement under her feet in a daze. When she raised her head again, tears had welled up in her eyes.

"Alright," Xie Sixian sighed, "Don't blame the teacher for his harsh words. You're still young, don't be so impulsive. Go back. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said today, and you haven't been here tonight."

Shu Ying was stubborn, forcing back her tears: "No."

Xie Sixian couldn't believe his ears for a moment: "What did you say?"

"I said no! Teacher, you can pretend you didn't hear what I said, but why do you want me to take it back?" Shu Ying wiped her eyes, her voice slightly choked with sobs, "I didn't expect you to have any response, teacher, I just wanted to say it!"

“…”

"Besides," she took a breath and said, "I'm graduating soon, and then we won't be teacher and student anymore."

Xie Sixian was misled by her logic and said anxiously, "Shu Ying, don't let your imagination run wild. You do have the ability to graduate on time, but you can still postpone your graduation."

Shu Ying smiled: "That's perfect, I just can't bear to graduate so early either."

A deep sense of powerlessness swept over Xie Sixian's body. He was dumbfounded: "This is not just a question of whether they are teachers or students."

"That's a question of whether you like me or not!"

Xie Sixian almost fainted: "I have always regarded you as a student."

"Once I graduate, I will no longer be your student."

“…”

"How about this, teacher," Shu Ying looked at Xie Sixian, speechless, and laughed, "Now that I've said it, I won't take it back. As for whether you heard it or not, that's your business."

She smiled and said, "It's getting late. I'll leave first. There are a lot of mosquitoes near the lake. Teacher, you should go back early too."

Shu Ying waved her hand, her light blue skirt swayed, and she turned and left.

Xie Sixian stared at her back as she walked away, then sat down on a bench with blurred eyes and a weak body.

What the hell is going on?

A moment later, a rustling sound was heard not far away.

Xie Sixian covered his face with his hands and said in a muffled voice, "Alright, come out."

"Brother, you're great! I didn't realize you're not good enough!" Xie Zijie arrived before she even showed up. She pulled An Meng and Xie Yun to sit on the bench. "It's almost time for us to have a sister-in-law."

“…Don’t talk nonsense.”

"This girl is pretty good." Xie Zijie said to herself, "What's wrong with bravely pursuing the one you love?"

Xie Sixian put down his hand, turned to look at her, and asked in confusion: "Which side are you on?"

"I'm not the only one who thinks so," Xie Zijie shrugged, "right, second brother, second sister-in-law."

Xie Yun stretched his long legs, leaned back in his chair, looked at the calm lake, and nodded lightly.

"Hey, you two, go home!" Xie Sixian stood up with his hands on his knees and shouted angrily, "Xie Zijie, who told you to follow me?"

"My second sister-in-law also wants to come!" Xie Zijie gave An Meng away without any psychological burden. If it were during the Anti-Japanese War, she would definitely be an out-and-out traitor.

An Meng: “…………”

【Xie Zijie, you are such a mean person! 】

As the night deepened, a gentle breeze blew, and under the bright moon hanging high in the sky, the shadows of four people dragged on the ground, stretching away.

After walking out of the gate of University A, Xie Yun drove the car again on the way back.

As expected, tonight was a sleepless night, with almost everyone tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Among them, Xie Sixian suffered the most serious insomnia. Shu Ying's sudden confession completely overturned his previous impression of this student.

Shu Ying has been his doctoral student for more than three years. She is meticulous in academics and produces papers very efficiently. She seems to be a typical good girl and a top student.

However, today's confession was completely inconsistent with Xie Sixian's stereotype of her. It really is true that you can't judge a book by its cover.

In the guest room on the second floor, An Meng lay on the bed, tossing and turning for a long time, and finally fell into a drowsy sleep.

The dream was shrouded in an indescribable hazy darkness. She seemed to be in a place that looked like a cave. The dome was dark, and there were faint lights floating in the air. With the help of these lights, she was panicked to find that her limbs had become as short and fat as a child's.

There was silence all around, with only the faint sound of rushing water coming from my ears.

An Meng didn't care why she became like this. She subconsciously followed the sound of water and walked over carefully. The louder the sound of water, the more obvious the voices of the people talking became.

For some reason, An Meng knew that one of the voices was his master's!

The closer she got, the more the darkness around her dissipated, and she was about to be exposed to the light.

An Meng quickly stopped, tiptoed to a hidden spot where light and darkness met, and slightly stuck her head out.

Seeing this, her pupils couldn't help but shrink and her fingers couldn't stop trembling.

What caught my eye were two women. The clothes they were wearing were not modern attire, but rather looked a bit like the attire of gods and immortals in fairy tale TV dramas. One of them was wearing a green shirt, and the other was wearing a black robe.

An Meng was horrified to find that the face of the woman in green clothes perfectly matched the "master" in her memory!

What's going on?

The black-robed woman's voice was filled with worry: "Bihua, have you really thought it through?"

An Meng looked at her master, Bihua, and nodded firmly, "I've thought it through."

What are you thinking about? An Meng was thinking about it when she heard the black-robed woman say, "Is it worth it?"

"As long as his spirit can be reshaped, everything will be worth it," Bihua called the black-robed woman's name. "Yunxi, after all these years, I finally got to see him. I can't bear to see him become like that."

Yun Xi nodded in understanding and stared at Bihua for a moment. The air suddenly fell silent.

Just when An Meng almost thought they had discovered she was eavesdropping and her heartstrings were tense, Yun Xi finally spoke: "Depleting your own spiritual power is one thing, Bihua, have you ever thought about that child?"

The two of them seemed to be engaging in some kind of riddle that she couldn't understand. An Meng was completely bewildered. Who was this "he" that Bihua was talking about? And who was this "child"?

After hearing Yunxi's last words, Bihua's tone finally lost its firmness and she said hesitantly, "Although she looks just like a child, she is far from being a human!"