Chapter 392: I'm Lin Yuan's Rumored Girlfriend!

A bold male student stood up directly, his voice filled with excitement: "Du Laoshi! Really? Lin Laoshi used to chase after you??"

Other students chimed in, clamoring: "Yeah yeah! When did that happen? Was it at Zhijiang University?"

"Heavens! This gossip is huge! First it was Professor Qin, then classmate You Nianchu, and now even Du Laoshi is linked to Lin Laoshi?"

Lin Yuan froze on the podium, the chalk in his hand "pat" dropping to the floor, he stared at Du Wanhe, his mind went blank—

Clearly back then it was just a rumor spread among classmates, but how did it become "he chased me" in Du Wanhe's mouth?

He opened his mouth, wanting to immediately refute, saying it was just a rumor, not true, but his throat felt blocked, he couldn't utter a word, only able to watch helplessly as the students surrounded Du Wanhe questioning, his heart anxious and panicked.

He instinctively reached into his pocket for his phone, his fingertips trembling—

If this rumor spreads further, adding to the earlier Qin Bore incident, he would truly become the "rumor center" at school.

What worries him more is whether Du Wanhe, following this topic, will also reveal his former identity as the "Academic God" of Zhijiang University?

If the students find out he concealed his past, the trouble will only grow.

Lin Yuan hastily gave Du Wanhe a pleading look, hoping she would stop saying more.

But Du Wanhe acted as if she hadn't seen, still smiling at the students, tone light: "It's all in the past, why bring it up now?"

A student pressed: "Du Laoshi, how did you and Lin Laoshi meet before?"

Du Wanhe lightly brushed her hair, chuckled: "Lin Yuan, we were classmates before, we both attended Zhijiang University... Back then, I was his rumored girlfriend."

The students were shocked again.

"So Lin Laoshi is also an alumnus of Zhijiang University, that makes him our senior. No wonder Lin Laoshi came to teach at our Zhijiang University." The students exclaimed in shock.

However, the students were even more shocked by the latter part of her words... "Back then, I was his rumored girlfriend?!"

"Du Laoshi, you were Lin Yuan's rumored girlfriend?!"

Du Wanhe's gaze lingered on Lin Yuan's tense face for two seconds, seeing him continuously sending her looks.

Du Wanhe lightly pressed her red lips, ultimately still not uttering the two words "Academic God," merely gently withdrawing her hand resting on the lesson plan.

She stepped forward half a pace, raised her hand, fingertips lightly landing on Lin Yuan's shoulder, the motion carrying a hint of familiar naturalness, she patted his shoulder.

"Professor Lin, please take care of me more at school."

Her voice wasn't loud, but just enough for the surrounding rows of students with ears perked to hear clearly; the tail end carried a hint of nonchalant amusement, as if she were making ordinary colleague small talk, yet also hinting at something.

Lin Yuan was stunned by her sudden action and words, his body instantly froze in place, even the thought of dodging slowed half a beat, only feeling that point of contact on his shoulder was especially noticeable.

His heart gave a jolt—

Du Wanhe's words were practically adding fuel to the gossip fire; the "he chased her" rumor hadn't settled, and now came another "please look after me," the students would only speculate more wildly.

After patting his shoulder, Du Wanhe didn't look at Lin Yuan's reaction, turned, picked up her bag placed at the desk corner, and walked calmly toward the classroom door.

As she passed You Nianchu, she deliberately paused, her gaze lightly sweeping over You Nianchu's clenched fist, then continued outward, her back exuding an air of assured composure.

The students in the classroom had already erupted; the earlier "he chased me" rumor was already huge, now adding this "please look after me" made them unable to contain themselves.

"Good heavens! Du Laoshi's words are too meaningful! 'Please look after me'? That clearly implies an unusual relationship!"

"Before there were rumors of Lin Laoshi with Professor Qin and classmate You Nianchu, now adding Du Laoshi, is Lin Laoshi rounding up all the goddesses of the school?"

"Old classmates from Zhijiang University, he even chased Du Laoshi before, now he's supposed to 'please look after me'—this plot is too melodramatic, even more exciting than idol dramas!"

Several students even pulled out their phones, fingers flying across the screens, adding the detail "Du Wanhe patted Lin Yuan's shoulder saying 'please look after me'" to the gossip group, the group's messages updating faster than before.

You Nianchu sat in her seat, watching Du Wanhe's retreating back, then glancing at Lin Yuan standing dazed on the podium, her face flushed red, the pen in her hand twisted out of shape by her grip, her heart both angry and anxious, yet she didn't know what to say.

Seeing the situation was wrong, Lin Yuan also hurriedly fled the classroom.

Public opinion had become uncontrollable; as the party involved, he could only escape...

……

In the afternoon, Du Wanhe was suddenly summoned by her father to the principal's office.

Principal Du Yunzhen sat behind his desk, his fingers pounding heavily on the desktop, the documents on the desk shoved aside casually, his brows drawn together in a tight, furrowed pattern resembling the Chinese character for river, his voice full of suppressed anger:

"Wanhe! Tell me, what's going on with you?"

He picked up his phone; the screen showed the chat logs from the school gossip group.

The screen was filled with phrases like "Du Wanhe Lin Yuan past" and "Du Laoshi actively showed favor to Lin Laoshi."

Du Yunzhen slammed the phone onto the table: "How did you get involved with Lin Yuan? This rumor is spreading everywhere, haven't you seen it?"

Du Wanhe stood before the desk, posture straight, face not showing much panic, just quietly listening to her father's reprimand, until Du Yunzhen paused, then she lightly lifted her gaze:

"Dad, I know about the rumor."

"You know? And yet you still don't restrain yourself!" Du Yunzhen's voice rose a few notches, his finger pointing at her:

"You're still single! As a professor at the school, don't you know to pay attention to the impact? If it gets out, how will others view our father-daughter relationship, how will they view the school?"

Du Wanhe lightly inhaled, her tone calm yet carrying undeniable resolve: "Dad, haven't you always wanted to keep Lin Yuan at our school for focused cultivation? You acknowledge his TCM skill, and he has great potential."

She paused, her gaze landing on her father's tense face, then continued: "Actually, I think he's quite good; his personality and ability suit my taste. Why not try developing into a boyfriend? For you to keep him, for the school, isn't that also a good thing?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yunzhen froze instantly, his finger suspended midair, the reprimand that had reached his throat stuck, after a while he couldn't speak, only managing to utter:

"You... you child, how do you mix work and feelings together?"

He let out a heavy sigh, leaning back against the chair, his tone gaining a hint of helplessness: "Even if you truly think he's good, you can't make such a fuss! Now the whole school knows, it's caused a city-wide uproar, what does it look like?"

Du Wanhe slightly lowered her eyes, fingertips lightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her tone gaining seriousness: "Dad, if I don't do this, the rumor between him and You Nianchu will only spread even more."

She lifted her gaze to Du Yunzhen, eyes clear: "That girl You Nianchu, you've also seen her—she's straightforward, likes to cling to Lin Yuan, anyone can tell she likes him; what I'm doing is also suppressing her thoughts, so she doesn't fall deeper and end up harder to resolve."

Du Yunzhen looked at his daughter's resolute eyes, his inner fire gradually subsiding; he knew Du Wanhe always had her own opinions and acted with discretion.

But this matter involves emotions and has become public knowledge, he inevitably worries.

"You..." Du Yunzhen shook his head, his tone full of helplessness: "Aren't you afraid it won't end well in the end? What if Lin Yuan doesn't feel that way about you?"

"That's why I haven't rushed to define it." Du Wanhe's lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes holding a hint of composure: "Rest assured, Dad, I'll handle my own feelings. Lin Yuan is currently just a prospective boyfriend candidate I'm evaluating; I'll observe him slowly."

Du Yunzhen looked at his daughter's assured demeanor, fell silent for a few seconds, then simply waved his hand: "Alright, alright, as long as you know what you're doing, don't come to me if things go wrong later."

Du Wanhe gently closed the door, as she walked out of the office, her calm gradually faded, the corner of her mouth lifting into a barely perceptible arc.

Lin Yuan, this investigation of you has only just begun.

……

Lin Yuan had no class in the afternoon, recalling that he had agreed with Qin Bore this morning to sit in on her economics lecture.

He then headed toward the stepped classroom of the School of Economics.

Today he originally only had one traditional Chinese medicine class, and now that he's free, he also wanted to ease the irritation from the gossip that had bothered him this morning.

When he reached the door of the stepped classroom, there were still fifteen minutes before class.

Looking through the glass window, he saw that many students were already seated inside, most from the School of Economics, with occasional faces from other departments.

Obviously, they were all there for Qin Bore.

Lin Yuan gently pushed the door open and stepped inside; the classroom was very quiet.

Only occasional rustling of pages and low murmurs among students could be heard; Qin Bore had not yet arrived, and the students sat in their seats, waiting patiently.

However, Lin Yuan's entrance still drew some students' attention.

The students glanced at Lin Yuan furtively, whispering.

Obviously, someone had recognized Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan found a seat in the back row and sat down.

The three female students sitting by the window in the front row leaned their heads together; one with a high ponytail murmured softly at her phone screen:

"I heard Professor Qin used to be a PhD at MIT—is that true? I saw someone on the forum yesterday say so, even posting a photo of her in her graduation gown."

The girl with bangs beside her immediately leaned over to look at the phone, tapping the screen, her tone full of astonishment:

"Not just that! My senior took Professor Qin's class last year and secretly told me she had won the International Finance 'Young Innovator Award,' with a seven-figure prize—though she never mentions it in class, keeping a very low profile."

The third girl, wearing a floral dress, slipped her pen into her textbook and lightly tapped the bangs girl's arm:

"No wonder Professor Qin's lectures are so impressive, with examples that sync in real time with international markets—turns out she has such an awesome background, far surpassing many professors who only know theory."

Lin Yuan eavesdropped on the girls' conversation, and his shock at Qin Bore's identity grew even greater.

This Qin Bore is indeed not ordinary.

A few minutes later, the class bell rang.

Qin Bore placed her fingertips on the door handle, gently pushed it open, and walked in sideways.

The hem of her ivory dress swayed slightly with her movement; its just‑above‑the‑knee length revealed her smooth calves. As when Lin Yuan had carried her before, her bare skin, without stockings, glowed with a soft sheen under the classroom lights.

She had switched to a pair of ivory canvas shoes, which did nothing to diminish her demeanor—in fact, they added a fresh, lively vigor.

The male students in the front row shouted excitedly, "Professor Qin looks absolutely stunning today!"

The students in the classroom became excited, some secretly taking photos of Professor Qin, others whistling and cheering.

All the students wore expressions of excitement and delight.

Attending Professor Qin's lecture truly is a visual feast for the eyes.

Getting to see such a beautiful female professor every day is awesome!

A girl in the third row laughed and raised her hand, her clear voice carrying throughout the classroom: "Professor Qin! You switched to sneakers—was it because your high heels got stuck?"

Before Qin Bore could answer, the girl beside her leaned in to add, her tone full of gossip: "Professor Qin, look at the back row—your rumored boyfriend has come to sit in on your class!"

After saying that, she pointed toward Lin Yuan's direction, her fingertip lightly tapping the air…

The surrounding students instantly turned their heads, gazes locking onto Lin Yuan; even those who hadn't noticed him before followed suit and looked toward the back row.

Lin Yuan had been lowering his head, pretending to tidy his notebook, but upon hearing the four words 'rumored boyfriend,' his pen 'pa-da' fell onto the paper, the ink blooming into a small black spot…