Chapter 338: What about morals and ethics?!

Lin Yuan sat down, casually removed his mask and placed it at the table corner, picked up his chopsticks and was about to pick up a dish.

He didn't notice the sudden stiffening of several students' movements behind and to the side, nor did he realize he had fallen into another of You Nianchu's little traps.

You Nianchu watched Lin Yuan's defenseless appearance, a sly smile secretly curling the corner of her mouth, her fingertips lightly tapping under the table, as if secretly delighted at her "plan succeeded".

The surrounding medical school students could no longer hold back, lowering their heads and gathering together to whisper.

Someone lowered their voice and said, "They really sat in the couples' seat," while another quickly pulled out their phone, set it to silent, and secretly aimed the camera at the two.

Lin Yuan's hand paused while picking up a dish, feeling uneasy all over, as if countless eyes were upon him.

He glanced around, saw many students secretly looking at him, his heart skipped a beat, and he hastily put down his chopsticks, saying:

"This place is too crowded; let's move to a corner."

Before he could rise, You Nianchu immediately reached out and pressed his wrist, her fingertips inadvertently brushing the gauze on his bandaged wrist, sending a faint sensation.

"Right here, the view is good; you can see the line at the meal window, saving you from having to come back later if it gets crowded."

You Nianchu spoke in a natural, casual tone, as if she were simply looking out for him.

But her fingers on Lin Yuan's wrist didn't loosen right away; they lightly pinched his wrist, as if hinting he shouldn't move.

Lin Yuan wanted to pull his hand back, but feared drawing more attention with a big movement, so he froze in his seat, fingers slightly curled, feeling both annoyed and helpless.

A bespectacled student from the neighboring table recorded the whole scene on his phone, quickly opened the campus forum, added the caption "Hands are already linked and you say it's fine? Lin Laoshi and the school belle are definitely a couple!", then hit post.

Lin Yuan himself was completely unaware, just lowering his head to eat, like an outsider kept in the dark, utterly oblivious to the strange glances around him.

You Nianchu set down her chopsticks, stood, and smiled at Lin Yuan: "Wait here, I'll get more rice and grab two more dishes," then walked toward the serving window with an empty tray.

Not long after, You Nianchu returned with two steaming plates of dishes and set them on the table—

One plate was his favorite sweet and sour spare ribs, with no scallions sprinkled on top; the other was lightly stir-fried vegetables, beside which she placed her own tomato scrambled eggs.

"I asked the cafeteria auntie—today's ribs were just braised; since you bled from cutting your wrist earlier, eat more to replenish yourself."

Saying this, You Nianchu scooped a piece of rib with her own spoon and placed it straight into Lin Yuan's bowl, the spoon's edge still stained with the tomato juice she had just eaten.

Lin Yuan froze for a moment, about to say "No need to trouble yourself," but You Nianchu had already sat back down and begun eating on her own.

After two bites of rice, You Nianchu suddenly frowned at Lin Yuan's bowl: "Your rice is too hard; mine was just served, the grains are soft—let's swap."

Without waiting for Lin Yuan to object, she swapped their bowls, then deliberately picked up his used chopsticks, scooped a mouthful of the soft rice she had just exchanged for, and ate while nodding:

"Mm, indeed soft; your stomach isn't good, eating hard rice would make you uncomfortable."

Lin Yuan stared at the rice in his bowl stained with You Nianchu's lipstick mark, mulling it over—wanting to switch back but fearing a scene would draw more attention—so he steeled himself, picked up his chopsticks, and shoved rice into his mouth.

This scene happened to be seen by passing Shen Zhixia, who was holding a stack of teaching materials; her steps halted abruptly, and her materials bag nearly slipped from her grasp.

Shen Zhixia's eyes were full of surprise; she froze for two seconds, didn't dare approach, then turned and hurriedly left the cafeteria.

The surrounding students erupted, putting down their chopsticks and turning to whisper among themselves.

"Goodness! The school belle knows Lin Laoshi doesn't eat scallions, and even had the auntie make the ribs without any!"

"Swapping bowls is one thing, but using the same pair of chopsticks? That's too intimate—basically like a couple!"

"Even Professor Shen saw it just now—look at her reaction; she must also feel something's off!"

A guy held up his phone, captured You Nianchu serving Lin Yuan dishes and swapping bowls, quickly posted it to the campus forum with the caption "Lin Laoshi × School Belle cafeteria sweet daily—who wouldn't ship this interaction?"

A few girls at the neighboring table gathered together, eyes on the pair, whispering:

"We used to say they were just teacher and student, but now it looks like they might already be together, just waiting for the school belle to graduate!"

Lin Yuan ate his rice, vaguely hearing the chatter around him, but didn't think deeper.

He just thought the students were gawking, and all he wanted was to finish eating quickly and leave this place that made him feel uncomfortable all over.

You Nianchu, however, seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter, occasionally giving Lin Yuan more vegetables, speaking naturally:

"Eat more vegetables too; a balance of meat and veg is healthy—don't just focus on the ribs."

The students were even more shocked!

A few guys from the neighboring table who had just taken two bites of rice slammed down their chopsticks, stared intently at Lin Yuan and You Nianchu, someone secretly aimed their phone camera at the pair, fingers flying across the screen, live‑streaming in the campus group.

While eating, Lin Yuan picked up a piece of rib, suddenly lifted his head to look at You Nianchu, and asked doubtfully:

"How do you know Chinese medicine? The material you helped me out with in this morning's class isn't something you can just pick up casually."

You Nianchu scooped a spoonful of tomato scrambled eggs, swallowed slowly, and replied with a smile:

"Yesterday I listened to your lecture, found Chinese medicine really interesting, so I looked through a few basic TCM books; those points are what I just memorized last night—perfect timing to use them."

Lin Yuan frowned, clearly unconvinced:

"You just read it and can remember it that clearly? Not a single page or detail missed?"

You Nianchu put down her spoon, raised her eyebrows and chin, a touch of pride in her tone:

"You forgot I'm a top student? I scored 749 on the college entrance exam without any prep—just one point shy of matching that year's Academic God; my memory is still solid."

Lin Yuan opened his mouth, at a loss for words, could only lower his head and continue eating silently, while thinking to himself, "This girl's brain is too sharp."

After they finished eating, they cleared their trays and walked out of the cafeteria; You Nianchu naturally fell into step on Lin Yuan's left, closer to the road, slowing her pace a bit.

On the way they encountered a puddle; You Nianchu reached out and tugged Lin Yuan: "Watch the water on the ground, don't get your shoes dirty."

Ahead, some students were rough‑housing as they ran past; she immediately warned, "Keep to the side, don't bump into the students."

Upon reaching the sidewalk, You Nianchu seemed to suddenly recall something, pulled out a box of mint candies from her bag, tore open the wrapper, pinched out one, and slipped it into Lin Yuan's mouth:

"You just ate sweet and sour ribs; your mouth will have a flavor—this mint freshens your breath."

Lin Yuan held the cool mint in his mouth, about to say "No need to go to this trouble," when he caught sight of a few students nearby holding up their phones aimed at them, the lenses still shaking.

One of the girls excitedly lowered her voice and shouted:

"We've got it, we've got it! This mint obviously is a couple's thing—You Nianchu, you're too good at this!"

The guy beside her quickly nodded in agreement:

"The whole time he's been looking after Lin Laoshi—guarding his walk, proactively offering candy; this interaction is sweeter than a couple's—who would believe they're just teacher and student?"

Lin Yuan's face twitched slightly; he instinctively wanted to step back, but You Nianchu grabbed his wrist and said, "Come on, you still have lesson prep this afternoon—don't stand here being gawked at like a monkey."

He could only be pulled forward by You Nianchu, and from behind came the students' rustling discussion and the occasional 'click' of phone photos, rising and falling.

Upon reaching the corner of the teaching building, Lin Yuan finally broke free of You Nianchu's hand and said helplessly:

"Can't you pay a bit more attention to propriety? With so many students watching just now, if it gets out they'll just guess wildly."

You Nianchu, however, laughed indifferently:

"Let them guess; after all, we're upright and have nothing to hide, and besides…"

She paused deliberately, leaned close to Lin Yuan, and said, "Let them know I'm 'special' to you; maybe then no one will dare to have designs on you."

Lin Yuan was amused by her annoyance, about to retort, when he saw a student passing by with a phone, whispering:

"The photo we just took has already been posted on the forum, titled 'Lin Laoshi × You Nianchu Cafeteria Sweet Date Full Record'; it'll probably hit the hot searches soon!"

Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat; he thought, 'Oh no,' turned to head back to the office, but You Nianchu grabbed him:

"What's there to panic about? Even if it's on the forum, we're innocent; worst case, I'll go explain to everyone."

But the sly look in her eyes made Lin Yuan think this girl was doing it on purpose.

Just as the two reached the bottom of the office building, they saw several School of Medicine students peering over, looking this way.

Seeing them approach, they immediately pretended to read, but furtively glanced with peripheral vision, the phone screen still lit, obviously still following the forum's developments.

Lin Yuan quickened his steps into the teaching building, with only one thought in mind: next time, no matter what, he couldn't have a meal with You Nianchu.

That afternoon, the school forum exploded again; the top post was 'Lin Laoshi × You Nianchu Cafeteria Intimacy Record', containing photos of hand‑holding, wiping mouths, swapping meals, covering hands, plus testimony from the cafeteria aunt.

The comments below were unanimous.

"Don't bother explaining; if this isn't a thing, I'll livestream eating my keyboard."

"Turns out Lin Laoshi is the doting‑husband type; he'd previously acted aloof."

Even someone dug up that 'You Nianchu once skipped class to attend Lin Laoshi's lecture—she must have been going on a date.'

The gossip had completely shifted from 'speculation' to 'accepted fact.'

……

In the afternoon, Lin Yuan took his lesson plan to class; upon reaching the classroom door, he instinctively glanced at the front rows, but didn't see You Nianchu's figure.

These past two days, she always arrived ten minutes early to sit in the seat closest to the podium; today that seat was empty, and Lin Yuan felt a flicker of doubt:

How come this girl didn't show up today?

Lin Yuan pushed open the classroom door; a wave of noise hit him instantly, and the sight before him left him stunned:

A classroom that normally held fifty people was now packed to the brim.

The aisles and the sides of the podium were full of students, with even a few heads peeking out the windows—truly a 'sea of people.'

What puzzled Lin Yuan further was that the students standing in the back rows and by the door were mostly wearing uniforms from other colleges, and the majority were male.

These people weren't taking notes like the other students; instead, each stood with arms crossed, eyes fixed on him, their faces showing clear resentment.

Lin Yuan frowned as he walked to the podium, set down his lesson plan, and was about to speak.

From the back came a sarcastic snort:

"Lin Laoshi looks so leisurely; You Nianchu isn't here—is it because nobody's feeding you, and you're not used to it?"

As soon as that was said, the male students in the back burst into laughter, someone slamming the desk and shouting:

"Exactly! Just because you're a teacher, you think you can mess with students—have you no shame?"

In the back of the classroom, a group of male students stared at Lin Yuan with hostile eyes.

That gaze was nothing short of rivals meeting, eyes blazing with jealousy!

Only then did Lin Yuan suddenly realize—

These people had obviously seen the forum gossip, regarded him as the 'rival who stole You Nianchu,' and had come specially to pick a fight in the classroom.

He suppressed his inner helplessness, picked up chalk, wrote 'Traditional Chinese Medicine Meridians and Health Preservation' on the blackboard, turned to face the crowd, and spoke in a calm yet slightly stern tone:

"Fellow students, no matter which college you're from, since you've entered this classroom you must observe class rules. As for the rumors on the forum, they're completely false; You Nianchu and I are nothing more than a pure teacher‑student relationship. I hope you aren't misled by the gossip."

"A teacher‑student relationship wouldn't sit in a couples' seat or share the same pair of chopsticks?" A tall male student shot to his feet; he was a cadre of the School of Economics' student union and one of You Nianchu's pursuers.

"Lin Laoshi, if you're truly conscience‑clear, stop dodging—dare you say in front of everyone that you'll never meet You Nianchu alone again?"

That remark instantly ignited the male students' emotions; they chimed in: "Right! Dare you swear to it?"

"If you can't do it, then don't occupy the teacher's position to bully students!"

Lin Yuan simply couldn't get through to the students; he felt utterly helpless.

At that moment, a noisy clatter of desks and chairs came from the back of the classroom; over a dozen male students jumped to their feet and surged toward the podium with fierce momentum.

They instantly surrounded the podium on all sides, and even the front and back doors were blocked by other male students who had rushed over upon hearing the news; the formerly quiet class descended into utter chaos.

"Lin Laoshi, don't think you can bluff your way out! Today you must give us an answer!"

The ringleader raised his phone; the screen plainly showed the forum photo of the two in the cafeteria's 'intimate shot.' He pointed at the picture, his voice excited:

"Are you and You Nianchu actually dating? The school explicitly forbids teacher‑student romance; if you really crossed the line, you owe us an explanation!"

The surrounding male students chimed in, someone edging forward, eyes full of resentment and anger:

"You Nianchu is our goddess; guys who chase her could line up from the teaching building to the school gate. What gives you the right, as a teacher, to lean on the water tower? Come on, tell the truth—don't try to fool us!"

Lin Yuan helplessly explained: "Nothing happened! You Nianchu and I are just an ordinary teacher‑student pair; don't believe the rumors!"

"Would an ordinary teacher‑student pair sit together in the cafeteria's couples' seat to eat?" A bespectacled male student immediately retorted, holding up his phone to show more photos.

"Look at this meal‑swapping and feeding—it's even more intimate than a couple; the forum's full of proof, and you still want to quibble?"

The male students went back and forth, opinions surging, various demands rolling in like a tide.

The ringleader's tone carried a threat:

"If you don't make things clear today, if you don't give You Nianchu and us a reasonable explanation, you won't be leaving this classroom! If you really engaged in a teacher‑student romance, that's illegal!"

Lin Yuan looked at the furious crowd before him, then recalled how You Nianchu had deliberately that morning pulled him to sit in the couples' seat, swapped meals, fed him—and it instantly clicked—

"This girl didn't come to class today—she did it on purpose!"

She had long anticipated such a scene, and from beginning to end she had been being schemed against by her.

Just then, a clear shout suddenly came from the back door of the classroom: "What are you all crowding around for? Do you want to rebel?"

Everyone turned around, only to see a stunningly pure and beautiful figure standing at the classroom door—it was none other than the Goddess school belle, You Nianchu!