Chapter Two: Early Winter
After flipping through the last slide, Yi Chu checked the time. Five or six minutes had passed before the end of class. She nodded slightly to the students in apology. Turning back to pack her things, she suddenly shivered—winter comes early in the north! It wasn't even November yet, and the temperature was already in the single digits.
Her jumbled thoughts drifted back to that hidden corner—she wondered how Gu Bai'an was doing. Three years had passed, and there had been no news of him. Gu Bai'an's mother, Yang Jiazhen, had been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer six months ago. She consulted a doctor she knew, who sincerely advised her that there was little hope, and that it was just a waste of money and suffering. Although Yi Chu had spent all his savings, determined to prolong his life even if it meant burning money, even with the best doctors and caregivers, it seemed unlikely he would survive the winter. The old lady was only sixty-seven this year, widowed in middle age, and had raised her son with great difficulty, watching him grow into a strong and upright man. She had no regrets. Her only regret was that she couldn't fulfill her dying wish to see her son one last time.
The students packed up and left in an orderly fashion. Yi Chu stood on the podium, watching them leave one by one until the noisy classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He turned his gaze to the only male student who hadn't left in the corner of the second row, as if he had expected it. The student nodded calmly to him.
“Xiao Yan, I don’t object to you actively acquiring knowledge in your spare time, but as far as I know, your finance major’s classes only ended half an hour ago. I hope you don’t forget why you came here. If anything similar happens again, I will inform your professor.” Yi Chu’s expressionless face revealed his unusual seriousness. Xiao Yan stared at Yi Chu for a few seconds without changing his expression, a chilling shadow flashing in his eyes, which was quickly covered by a slightly apologetic smile: “I’m so sorry, Professor Yi, I really found your classes very interesting. I will definitely catch up on my major courses, thank you for your concern!”
But inwardly, he sneered – Didn't Yi Chu know perfectly well whether these two courses could be switched or not, and why they couldn't?
"But please, teacher, don't treat me like a monster because of my impulsive actions, please!" His sudden bow caught Yi Chu off guard, and she had no doubt that if she said anything harsher, he would burst into tears. Moreover, judging from his words, he thought that she deliberately changed her class schedule this month to clash with finance department classes because of the "love letter" he wrote to her?
Yi Chu was somewhat speechless. These students were only eight or nine years younger than him, and given their "teacher-student" relationship, coupled with his good looks and gentle, lively personality, it was inevitable that the relationship would become somewhat complicated, and it was perfectly normal for him to develop feelings for them. Similar things had happened before, but they were always impulsive and, once he came to his senses, he would regret it so much that he wanted to bury himself in the ground without anyone pointing it out. That little bit of complicated and heavily relied-upon "liking" would naturally vanish without a trace.
He placed himself in the most upright position of "a teacher," not intending to make sarcastic remarks or offer gentle comfort. He knew all too well that even the slightest bit of excessive tenderness could become a spark, and if it were to accidentally ignite the young man's tender heart, the sin would be immense.
“I will not doubt your character because of these private matters, nor will I hinder your pursuit of knowledge. You don’t need to worry.”
For Xiao Yan, every word Yi Chu uttered was like a long notebook from his student days, meticulously copied down with utmost sincerity, only to be completely forgotten the next second, and he couldn't be bothered to look at it again. He looked at the man in front of him, thinking about some unsavory things.
Xiao Yan: "I understand, thank you, teacher."
Yi Chu felt a sense of relief, gave a few more words of advice, then said goodbye and walked towards the figure that had been waiting at the classroom door for a while.
"Teacher Su!" Yi Chu called out to the retreating figure.
The man leaned against the wall, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He had a gentle expression and slightly long, tousled hair that fell to his ears. His somewhat thin frame, coupled with his white down jacket, made him look like a god. But Yi Chu still wrapped her own bulky black cotton-padded coat tightly around herself, marveling at how "vigorous for his age" the man was.
The man's name was Su Yi, a key talent cultivated by Suijiang University in law, and three years older than Yi Chu—a professor at thirty-three, truly "unprecedented." The two were of similar age, one quiet and the other active, and they had a very good relationship.
"Back to the dorm?" Yi Chu asked, and Su Yi nodded. As they walked side by side, Su Yi, who had been silent for a long time, spoke first, which was unusual for him.
"I heard you mortgaged your house to pay for Aunt Yang's medical treatment." He didn't know much about Yi Chu's situation. Although they had a good relationship, he wouldn't inquire unless the other party mentioned it. He only vaguely knew that Yi Chu had recently sold his car and was now mortgaging his house for this elderly woman, to whom he had no blood relation, regardless of any connection.
Yi Chu remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"You can spare no effort, but you have to leave yourself a way out. If you lose your savings, you can earn more; if you lose your car, you can still walk; if you rent out your house, you can still live in a dormitory. But debt is different. Whether a loan of hundreds of thousands or millions for this house can solve your immediate crisis is another matter. Have you thought about how you will live afterward? It will follow you like a shadow, and may even damage your current social status and reputation. Don't think I'm being cynical, but what will the elders think if they find out about this?"
Su Yi was right; Yi Chu had considered this as well. But he had no choice. If he didn't give it his all this time, he feared he would be trapped in endless regret and self-blame for the rest of his life, afraid he would be speechless before him…
“I’ve saved up some money over the years, take this.” Su Yi said, putting a card into Yi Chu’s hand. “It’s enough for you for now, no need to rush to pay it back.” Even now, his words were gentle and mild, not making anyone feel embarrassed.
For Su Yi to say something like that, it must be a considerable sum of money. Yi Chu would rather mortgage his house and take out a bank loan than trouble his relatives and friends, but what he was facing was an intensive care unit costing several thousand yuan a day, not counting surgery fees, medication costs, and favors. His meager monthly salary wouldn't be enough to cover that even in eight or ten years. Faced with this reality, he couldn't help but hope that someone would extend a helping hand without reservation.
"Thank you," Yi Chu said solemnly, speechless.
"It's alright, everyone's fine, it's nothing serious." Su Yi smiled slightly. "Shall we go back to the apartment?"
"Go back and change your clothes. I have to stay with the patient tonight."
Su Yi frowned slightly to show his understanding: "Come to my apartment for hot pot on Friday night, let's change the mood." Yi Chu felt that the person in front of her had a magical quality. The way he talked about "eating hot pot" had a kind of "listening to Buddhist scriptures" quality, so she nodded to indicate her agreement.
"By the way, didn't you say last time, 'Bring your family next time we eat'? Keep your word!" Yi Chu teased him. "I want to see what kind of stunning beauty is worthy of our Professor Su."
“Not a beauty…” Su Yi’s ears visibly turned pink. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said the second half of the sentence that he had never dared to say to anyone else, “He is a ‘gentleman’.”
But then regret arose: "Was it...?"
"What?" Yi Chu was only surprised for a moment before she quickly reacted and interrupted him, feigning anger, "You won't let me see the handsome guy? Are you afraid I'll kidnap him? Comrade Xiao Su, is our united front about to collapse?"
"Well... if he's willing, I'll bring him over." Su Yi hesitated for a moment, then smiled shyly.
The two returned to the faculty apartment, waved goodbye, and went into their rooms, which were not far apart. Yi Chu sat down on the bed, took out his phone from his coat pocket, and called to cancel his bank appointment. After thinking for a moment, he pulled out a few photos of the new house from his photo library—yes, the new house. He hadn't lived in that new house more than a few times in the past three years; it was too big, too empty, too unfamiliar, and unsettling. As for the old house, he had returned even fewer times. Who knew if his strength could withstand the constant memories?
He logged onto a rental app and listed his apartment. (2977647932)
He felt a little sad.
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