Chapter 389: Top-Notch, Breath-Taking

Canteen, in front of the dining table.

Lin Yuan shoveled rice big mouthfuls, putting the last bite from his tray into his mouth.

His chopsticks-down motion was a bit hurried, as if finally relieved, he said, "I'm done eating."

He almost fled, pulling back his chair; the chair legs scraped lightly on the canteen's tile floor, breaking the table's silence.

Du Wanhe looked at his empty tray, her chopsticks paused, her brows slightly furrowed, but she said nothing, just also put down her chopsticks.

You Nianchu still had food in her mouth; seeing Lin Yuan stand, she quickly swallowed, grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth, and stood up as well.

Her gaze still firmly fixed on Lin Yuan's back.

Qin Bore, however, appeared composed, slowly finishing the half-cup of juice in her hand before rising gracefully, her movements unhurried, her eyes sweeping between Du Wanhe and You Nianchu.

Lin Yuan didn't dare glance back at the three women, picked up his tray and hurried toward the canteen exit…

His steps were a bit quicker than usual, as if he were avoiding something.

Just after stepping out of the canteen doors, Lin Yuan finally relaxed.

He had finally shaken off those three troublesome women.

Lin Yuan walked straight into the afternoon sunlight.

He instinctively narrowed his eyes; before he could recover, he heard light footsteps behind him.

He turned and saw Qin Bore following him out, holding a paper cup of coffee, obviously just bought at the canteen.

Lin Yuan quickly stopped, walked over to Qin Bore, his tone full of relief: "Professor Qin, thank you just now for helping me out."

Qin Bore stopped, gently swirling her coffee cup, leaving a faint trace of brown liquid on the wall, she smiled and shook her head: "It's nothing, I just happened to see it—I couldn't just watch you stuck in the middle."

Lin Yuan scratched his head, recalling the scene in the canteen, still a bit embarrassed: "Today really was a hassle; I didn't expect it to blow up like that."

Qin Bore lifted her wrist to check her watch, then glanced at the distant camphor trees, speaking lightly: "Anyway, we're free now; a post-meal stroll is nice—the campus scenery is still good. Want to walk together a while?"

Lin Yuan blinked, then nodded: "Sure, I could use some fresh air too."

The two walked side by side toward the deeper campus; afternoon sunlight filtered through the camphor trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

When the wind blew, the leaves rustled, carrying a faint scent of grass and wood.

Lin Yuan followed Qin Bore along the campus's wutong path, watching her hand hanging at her side, hesitating for a few seconds.

Lin Yuan still spoke up, his tone urgent in clarification: "Um… Miss Qin, the rumors about me and You Nianchu aren't true."

He raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck, explaining: "She keeps asking about Chinese medicine—during class, after class, even while eating she wants to chat; I never expected students to spread it like that."

"I really have nothing to do with her—just a normal teacher-student relationship; don't misunderstand."

Lin Yuan added a sentence, even unconsciously slowing his steps to see Qin Bore's expression clearly.

Qin Bore heard this, her steps didn't stop; she merely turned her head slightly and gave him a faint smile.

Her lovely eye corners curved into a soft arc, her fingertips lightly brushing a fallen wutong leaf: "I know."

Her voice was soft, mingling with the wind's rustle of leaves, sounding especially relaxed: "You're a teacher, she's just come of age, her mind is all on Chinese medicine—how could anything happen?"

Lin Yuan's heart just relaxed.

Qin Bore continued, her tone still flat, as if stating a trivial matter: "But even if you two really were involved, it wouldn't matter."

She turned her head toward the teaching building ahead, her steps unbroken: "I'm not your girlfriend, you don't need to specially explain this to me."

Lin Yuan's words caught in his throat; his slightly upturned mouth corners drooped, and his steps unconsciously paused half a second.

He looked at Qin Bore's profile; sunlight filtered through the wutong leaves onto her face—clearly warm light, yet it made his heart feel inexplicably empty.

The heart he had been holding suddenly sank, as if lightly struck by something,

feeling a bit lost.

Lin Yuan had been rushing to explain earlier; deep down, he actually hoped Qin Bore would care about this, even if just asking casually, "What's going on?"

But her reaction was too composed—so composed it was like listening to someone else's story, with not a trace of extra curiosity.

Lin Yuan pursed his lips

lips, as the wind swept a yellow leaf across his ankle, feeling a bit cool.

Just like that vague, indescribable loss in his heart right now, it gently washed over him.

The two walked slowly along the campus's stone path; the camphor tree shadows beside the path swayed in the wind, falling on them in shifting light and shade.

Qin Bore suddenly turned her head to look at Lin Yuan, her tone casually curious: "By the way, how's Du Wanhe doing?"

Lin Yuan heard the three words "Du Wanhe," his steps paused, and he unconsciously scratched the back of his head.

He said with a hint of helplessness: "Du Wanhe and I were classmates at Zhijiang University; back in college we had a period of rumors…"

He paused, then added: "But lately I don't know what's going on—she just came to me on her own, always chatting about this and that."

Speaking, Lin Yuan quickly waved his hands, as if fearing Qin Bore might misunderstand, his tone earnest: "Don't overthink it—I really have nothing to do with Du Wanhe, just ordinary old classmates."

Qin Bore listened, lightly nodding, the corners of her mouth hinting at a faint smile, she softly replied: "Is that so."

She lifted her gaze to the distant teaching building, fell silent for a few seconds, then spoke with a hint of certainty: "Come to think of it, you and Du Wanhe aren't a good match; you two aren't suited."

Lin Yuan heard this, instantly froze, his steps stopped, and he turned to look at Qin Bore.

He couldn't help but ask: "Why do you think I'm not suited with Professor Du?"

Qin Bore turned to face Lin Yuan, her beautiful eyes bright, she blinked lightly.

Qin Bore's tone carried an unmistakable seriousness, with a hint of playfulness: "Because you and I are the right match."

Swish! At that moment! Lin Yuan was completely stunned!

His eyes widened round, staring at Qin Bore, his mind went blank, even forgetting to breathe.

The next second, his heartbeat suddenly felt like it hit an accelerator, "thump-thump-thump" pounding against his chest.

Qin Bore watched Lin Yuan frozen in place, his ears turning red…

Qin Bore suddenly burst out with a "pfft" laugh, tone teasingly light: "I was just joking, you actually believed me?"

Lin Yuan, hearing this, his tense body instantly relaxed.

He inexplicably felt a vague sense of loss he couldn't put into words, and could only awkwardly raise his hand to touch his throat, lightly coughing twice to hide his panic: 'Cough... I thought you were serious.'

Lin Yuan hurriedly changed the subject, his gaze falling on the teaching building by the road: 'By the way, why did you come to school today? I don't usually see you around.'

Qin Bore pursed her red lips, her tone natural: 'I have a class this afternoon, teaching economics to the students of the School of Economics.'

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked: 'What time is the class? If our schedules don't clash, I'd like to sit in, and also learn a bit of economics.'

Qin Bore turned to look at him, a smile playing on her lips: 'It's a three o'clock class; your morning class should be over by now, right? No problem—perfect chance for you to sit in on my lecture and see how I teach.'

As they chatted, they unknowingly arrived at a garden path in the campus, a walkway built of planks that emitted a faint 'creak' when stepped on.

Roses were planted on both sides, blooming brightly.

Qin Bore, wearing thin high-heeled shoes, had just taken a step forward when she suddenly let out a soft 'ah,' her foot stopping instantly, a hint of helplessness appearing on her face.

Lin Yuan quickly stopped, nervously asking: 'What's wrong? Did you twist your ankle?'

Qin Bore lowered her head to look at her foot, helplessly pointing at the thin heel of her high heel: 'No, the heel is stuck in the gap between the planks; I can't pull it out.'

Lin Yuan followed her pointing direction and indeed saw the thin high heel deeply lodged in the gap between two planks; because the gap was narrow, the heel was wedged quite tightly.

He hurriedly squatted down, gently grasping Qin Bore's fair ankle.

Lin Yuan gently tried to pull the heel out of the gap: 'Don't move; let me try to help, be careful not to hurt your foot.'

Lin Yuan applied a bit of force, but the heel seemed stuck, not budging at all.

He then adjusted the angle, pulling from a different direction, but no matter how he tried, the heel remained stuck in the gap, showing no sign of coming out.

Lin Yuan remained squatting, staring at the heel stuck in the plank gap for a few seconds, then lifted his gaze to Qin Bore, who stood on one foot, somewhat unsteady.

Lin Yuan said: 'Miss Qin, take off your high heels; I'll carry you to the office.'

He paused, then added: 'Don't you have spare shoes in your office?'

Qin Bore heard this, stunned for a moment, her gaze falling on Lin Yuan's half-squatting back.

He had even deliberately adjusted his posture to make his back more stable.

Qin Bore's ear tips instantly flushed red.

She was wearing a knee-length ivory dress today; the hem swayed slightly with her movements, revealing her smooth, delicate legs.

She wasn't wearing stockings; her snow-white legs glowed with a soft sheen in the sunlight, making their shape look especially well-proportioned and attractive.

Qin Bore hesitated for two seconds, her fingertips lightly gripping the hem of her skirt, then she gave a slight nod, her voice carrying a faint softness: 'I actually have a pair of sneakers in my office… Well… thanks for the trouble; walking like this really is inconvenient.'

She extended her left hand, lightly resting it on Lin Yuan's shoulder, her right hand bracing against the nearby wooden railing, her knee slightly bent as she carefully lifted her right foot, which was stuck in the gap.

As she moved, the skin of her bare calf tensed, revealing faint blue veins that lent a delicate beauty.

Lin Yuan's gaze unintentionally swept over her calf, his heart skipping a beat for no reason; he quickly looked away and whispered: 'Take it easy, don't rush—I'm holding you.'

Qin Bore slowly pulled the high heel down from the heel; when her bare ankle left the shoe opening, skin met air, and she instinctively shrank her foot, her body swaying slightly.

Once the high heel was completely off, Lin Yuan instinctively turned his head; his gaze first fell on her bare ankle, then down to that white, tender jade foot.

Her skin, bare of stockings, was unblemished and as fine as top-quality mutton-fat jade, with not even a tiny line visible.

Qin Bore's foot shape was exceptionally standard, her toes round and plump, like five pearls carefully polished.

All ten toenails were coated in vivid red polish, the bright color making her skin look even whiter.

The tips of her toes also bore a faint pink hue, exuding a subtle allure.

The line of her instep flowed like a work of art, the curve from ankle to toe tip just right, even her slender ankle wrapped in a thin layer of soft skin.

When she lightly rose onto her toes, a faint blue vein could be seen, not jarring at all but adding a touch of fragile beauty.

A faint fragrance drifted into Lin Yuan's nostrils, the scent coming from her jade foot.

It wasn't a strong perfume, but a milky-scented lotion mixed with the warmth of sun-warmed skin, lightly swirling around his nostrils, causing his heart to inexplicably beat two beats faster.

Seeing him stare at her foot and calf, Qin Bore's cheeks flushed red to her ears; she hurriedly handed over the removed high heel, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz: 'Um… could you hold onto the shoe for me? Don't lose it.'

Lin Yuan then came to his senses, quickly reaching out to take the high heel; his fingertips touching the heel could still feel Qin Bore's lingering warmth.

He gave an unnatural dry cough, then resettled his stance: 'All right, climb on; I'll walk slowly and make sure not to jostle you.'

Qin Bore bit her lower lip, her arms lightly looping around Lin Yuan's neck, her bare calf lightly brushing against his arm.

At the moment their skin touched, both froze for an instant, Qin Bore's ear tips reddening to the point of almost bleeding.

Lin Yuan slipped his hands under her knees, his fingertips touching her bare thigh skin; the delicate sensation made his heart jolt.

He quickly steadied his mind, then lifted her securely; as he rose, he deliberately slowed his motion: 'Hold on tight, we're heading toward your office.'

Qin Bore gave a soft 'hmm.'

She buried her face in Lin Yuan's neck crook, her bare calf instinctively drawing back, afraid to touch his arm again; her heart felt like a startled rabbit bumping around.

Lin Yuan carried Qin Bore along the stone slab path, his steps extremely light, fearful of jostling the person on his back…

Qin Bore kept her face buried in his neck, her breathing soft; her bare calf occasionally brushed his arm, then she quickly pulled it back.

Lin Yuan had just reached the fork near the library when two girls carrying books walked toward him from the opposite direction; the two girls brushed past him.

These two girls were students of the School of Economics, having attended Qin Bore's classes before, and they recognized her at a glance.

One of the girls' notebooks went 'pat' as it fell to the ground, but she didn't bother to pick it up, turning her head to stare at Lin Yuan and the woman he was carrying…

The girl's eyes widened, she grabbed her companion's arm, her voice trembling: 'I—I didn't see wrong, did I? That's our institute's Professor Qin Bore?'

The other girl followed her gaze and also froze instantly, covering her mouth to keep from crying out: 'Good heavens! It really is Professor Qin! And the one carrying her… isn't that the recently super-popular Lin Yuan teacher from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine?'

The two stood rooted to the spot, watching Lin Yuan carry Qin Bore slowly away, their eyes full of shock and disbelief; they even forgot to pick up the notebook that had fallen to the ground.

Qin Bore is the School of Economics' officially recognized number-one beauty professor, usually aloof and elegant—how could she be carried by a male teacher?

'Good heavens! What a huge scoop!' the girl who had picked up the notebook reacted, hurriedly pulling out her phone and snapping a quick photo of the two's backs, her hand shaking: 'Lin Yuan is from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine—how could he be related to Professor Qin? This is totally unexpected!'

The other girl leaned in to look at the photo, lowering her voice excitedly and saying:

'Look at Professor Qin's state—her face is buried in Lin Yuan's back; surely their relationship isn't ordinary! This isn't just normal colleagues, it's clearly a date, right?'

The two dared not linger any longer, hurrying toward the dormitory direction, opening the school's gossip group as they walked, sending the photo in and adding a caption:

'Just saw this at the library crossroads! Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine's Lin Yuan teacher carrying the School of Economics' Qin Bore professor! Is this a date?!'

The message had just been sent when the group chat exploded; the previously quiet chat popped out dozens of messages in a second.

"??? Really? Did I misread the name? Professor Qin Bore?"

"Where's the photo? Give me high-def! Qin Professor is usually so aloof, yet he actually let a male teacher carry him?"

"Wasn't Lin Laoshi previously rumored with the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine's campus belle? How did he get involved with Professor Qin now? This is too popular!"

"It's definitely a date! Didn't you see Professor Qin leaning on Lin Laoshi's back? Walking bare-legged in a skirt while being carried, the atmosphere is too sweet!"

The messages in the group kept coming faster and faster, and some students forwarded the photo to other departments' groups; in just a few minutes, the news "Lin Yuan carrying Qin Bore" spread across most of the campus!

The messages in the group kept coming faster and faster, and some students forwarded the photo to other departments' groups; in just a few minutes, the news "Lin Yuan carrying Qin Bore" spread across most of the campus!

A passing student saw the group message, deliberately detoured to the teaching building near Qin Bore's office to see them again, but only saw Lin Yuan helping Qin Bore walk into the office building, further confirming the speculation that their relationship was not ordinary.

"I just saw it! When Lin Laoshi helped Professor Qin into the building, he even held her high-heeled shoes for her! This is too thoughtful, definitely a date!"

"Before there were rumors about Lin Laoshi and campus belle You Nianchu, I didn't believe it, but now it seems Lin Laoshi's charm is too great, even being able to win over a goddess like Professor Qin?"

The discussion quietly spread across the campus, from the teaching building to the cafeteria, then to beneath the dormitory building, even the passing security guard uncle heard students talking about "Lin Laoshi and Professor Qin dating".

When Lin Yuan helped Qin Bore into the office, he hadn't realized the rumor had already spread; he simply took out her spare sports shoes, his tone a bit uneasy: "You change your shoes first, I won't disturb you, I'll come again this afternoon to sit in on your class."

Qin Bore took the shoes, her cheeks still flushed, she lightly nodded: "Thank you today, see you this afternoon in class."

Lin Yuan also went back, preparing for his afternoon class.

All he didn't know was that his new rumor had already spread across the campus.

In the afternoon, Lin Yuan walked toward the classroom with his lesson plan; just as he reached the corridor, he suddenly felt something was off?

Outside the classroom door, the corridor was crowded with a bunch of unfamiliar students?

These students were mostly male?

Looking at them, they don't seem to be students from the School of Medicine?