CH 3

The classroom fell silent, and everyone’s gaze shifted back and forth between Han Yi and Yan Jiwen.

Han Yi had no ill intentions. In fact, he was so easy going that he didn’t really care if students skipped class once or twice. Who hadn’t done that in college?

But Sleeping in class was truly uncomfortable; the desk was too hard, and lying down wasn’t comfortable at all.

Yan Jiwen was confused for a few seconds before gradually changing his impression of Han Yi.

His initial thought was that Han Yi was getting back at him for mistaking him for someone else the previous day.

Yan Jiwen opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in front of the other students, it felt impossible to explain himself, so he ultimately gave up.

Expressionless, he closed his book and stood up from his seat, giving Han Yi a glare before turning and leaving through the back door of the classroom.

The news of a handsome lecturer coming to the Veterinary College quickly spread throughout the university campus.

When Yan Jiwen returned to his shared room, photos and videos of Han Yi in the classroom had already spread rapidly online.

At first, it was just the students discussing it privately in groups, but it accidentally spread outside. It reached the marketing accounts and was used to generate traffic on Weibo.

In order to attract clicks, they intentionally added the tag #TheMostHandsomeCollegeProfessor.

As expected, a large number of netizens gathered in the comment section.

“Let out a chicken-like scream! Where did you find such a handsome immortal-like teacher?”

“Is this a teacher? He’s at the level of a campus heartthrob!”

“Why is it that our college professors are either middle-aged with bald heads or beer bellies? [crying emoticon].”

“What? This is our new teacher at our college? And he got featured by a marketing account!”

“Teacher Han speaks very gently, but he also has a temper. On the first day of class, he kicked a sleeping student out of the classroom.”

“With such a good-looking teacher, how could he still fall asleep in class? It’s simply outrageous!”

…

“Hey Yanzi, you finally came back. I have something to ask you.”

As Yan Jiwen entered the room, Gao Hang, who was lying on the lower bunk, quickly approached him and asked, “Did you go to the Xiangda University this afternoon to pick up orders? Did you see this person?”

Gao Hang handed his phone to Yan Jiwen, and on the screen was a photo of Han Yi teaching in the classroom.

There were no beauty filters added, and it was taken from a hidden angle, yet it didn’t alter his good looks. It was clear at a glance that he was a handsome guy.

Gao Hang said, “I heard he’s a new teacher at the Veterinary College.”

Yan Jiwen glanced at him. “Since when did you become interested in men?”

“Pfft, I’m a straight guy,” Gao Hang quickly explained, “I saw it on Xiao Yu’s Weibo.”

Xiao Yu, whom Gao Hang mentioned, was his crush and happened to be studying at Xiangda University.

Normally, Gao Hang had a straightforward and cheerful personality, but when it came to pursuing girls, he was hesitant and had been secretly admiring her for half a year without mustering the courage to confess. But when he saw Xiao Yu’s Weibo repost, he was hurt by the joke “I won’t marry anyone except Teacher Han” and suddenly became anxious. Subconsciously, he regarded Han Yi as his love rival.

“Is he really Xiao Yu’s new teacher?” Gao Hang stared at Yan Jiwen and continued questioning.

Yan Jiwen replied casually, “Probably.”

“Do you have any job orders for tomorrow? Are you going to Xiangda University? If you go, can you find out some information about my competitor…”

Yan Jiwen was exhausted and didn’t wait for Gao Hang to finish speaking. He replied in an unenthusiastic manner, “Let’s talk about it later.” He took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed, covering his head and falling into a deep sleep.

He slept from the afternoon until the evening, only to be awakened by the ringing of his phone.

Impatiently, he fumbled for his phone from under his pillow and intended to hang up directly. But in a daze, he glanced at the screen, which displayed “Mom” as the caller ID. In the end, he chose to answer the call.

With a hoarse morning voice, Yan Jiwen softly said, “Hello.”

Immediately, Jiang Wei’s voice came through the earpiece, anxious and hurried, “Xiao Ji, come back quickly! Something happened to your father!”

Yan Jiwen felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, instantly jolting him awake.

“Mom, calm down first. What happened to Dad?” he asked.

“Your father got drunk and is causing a huge scene in a hotel with someone else. I really can’t stop him. Oh no, they’re about to fight…”

“Send me the address, I’ll come find you right away.”

Yan Jiwen kicked off the blanket, jumped off the top bunk, and quickly put on his shoes. With lightning speed, he rushed downstairs, straddled his Yamaha R1 motorcycle, and sped off to the scene.

Along the way, he contemplated in his mind.

Although he had a little disagreement with his old man, they were still father and son, and he couldn’t just stay still as his father was involved in a fight.

If his own father was really being bullied, he would definitely not hesitate to step forward and help.

But then again, with his old man’s tall and sturdy build, if it came down to a physical altercation, the other party would most likely end up in hospital.

When he arrived in front of the hotel suite, Yan Jiwen was mentally prepared for a mess after opening the door.

But as he turned the doorknob, he was greeted with cheerful voices and laughter. There was no sign of any fight. His father, Yan Guohua, was sitting at the dining table, happily devouring freshly roasted lamb.

Seeing his son’s arrival, Jiang Wei smiled and pulled him over, saying, “Xiao Ji, you finally came. You haven’t had dinner, have you? Come sit here and eat with us.”

What a pair his parents were, playing this scam together.

Yan Jiwen wasn’t sure what Yan Guohua and Jiang Wei were up to, so he became cautious. “Mom, didn’t you just call and say Dad got drunk and got into a fight with someone?”

Yan Guohua lifted his eyelid and sneered, “I have a high alcohol tolerance. I rarely get drunk. If your mom didn’t say that, would you have come?”

“Alright, sit down and have dinner,” Jiang Wei quickly changed the subject. “Come, let me introduce you. This is your father’s friend, Uncle Jiang. You’ve met him before. And this is Mr. Han Yi, whom your father often mentions, the head of Fánxīng Ranch.”

Yan Jiwen’s gaze paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.

“What are you looking at? Hurry up and say hi,” Yan Guohua urged him, then turned his head and apologized to Han Yi, “This brat, Yan Jiwen. He doesn’t quite understand manners. If he offends you in any way, please forgive him.”

Han Yi nodded with a smile, not minding at all. “No problem.”

The Yan family was originally from Inner Mongolia, known for their agricultural and animal husbandry businesses. They later expanded their business into other fields.

Yan Guohua always said that one should not forget their roots, and the family’s inherited industries must be well managed. According to his plan, after Yan Jiwen graduated from university, he would send him to Australia to further his studies and learn about ranch management.

In order to find a good school and internship opportunity for his son, Yan Guohua had put in a lot of effort. But to his surprise, that brat Yan Jiwen went and partnered with someone to open a photography studio, using the funds intended for his studies to buy a bunch of equipment that seemed completely useless in Yan Guohua’s eyes.

After learning about this, Yan Guohua scolded him for being distracted and not focusing on his main career. In a fit of anger, he cut off all financial support for Yan Jiwen.

Yan Jiwen was not the type to endure silently. The more they pushed him, the less he would compromise. If they didn’t give him living expenses, then fine. He was young, strong, and fully capable of supporting himself.

Afraid that Yan Jiwen would start arguing with her husband again, Jiang Wei patted her son’s arm and quietly advised, “Behave yourself tonight and give your father some face.”

Yan Jiwen pursed his lips and remained silent, quietly eating his own food. Every now and then, he would glance up at Han Yi, who was sitting diagonally across from him at the table.

Han Yi was fully focused on chatting with Yan Guohua and Jiang Hongfeng. The three of them seemed to get along well, discussing ranches, horse breeding, and other mundane topics that didn’t interest Yan Jiwen.

Han Yi looked quite young, and Yan Jiwen roughly estimated that there was at least a two-generation gap between him and his father. Yet, there seemed to be no generation gap between them, which was hard to understand.

Their previous encounters in the restaurant and classroom were rushed, and this was the first time Yan Jiwen carefully observed Han Yi.

Han Yi was still wearing white clothes , except he had changed from a T-shirt to a shirt. His style was simple yet exuded an air of elegance from the inside out. If it wasn’t for knowing his identity in advance, it would be hard to associate him with those wealthy ranch owners overseas.

To be honest, Han Yi was extremely handsome. No wonder he had captivated a bunch of young girls. Even Yan Guohua, Yan Jiwei’s father, at that moment, couldn’t wait to introduce potential partners to him.

“Mr. Han, being so talented and still single, it’s really strange. I have a niece who is beautiful and also single. If Mr. Han is interested, I can play matchmaker for you…”

That sounded like a pimp’s talk and Yan Jiwen silently sat watching his father state all the good qualities of his cousin in an attempt to match those two.

when dinner was almost over, Yan Guohua gestured towards Yan Jiwen, “Later, you’ll escort Mr. Han back.”

Yan Jiwen noticed the subtle eye contact his father gave him. Escorting Mr. Han back wasn’t the most important thing; the main goal was for his son to build a good relationship with Han Yi and learn many things from him in the future.

Yan Jiwen’s attitude wasn’t particularly enthusiastic. “I came here on a motorcycle, and I only have one helmet.”

“Why did you ride a motorcycle here? Are you willing to let Mr. Han feel uncomfortable sitting on it?” Yan Guohua threw his car keys to him. “Use my car.”

Yan Jiwen had no excuse and reluctantly took on the role of a chauffeur.

He and Han Yi were really not familiar. From yesterday until now, they had spoken no more than ten sentences to each other.

On the way back, there was an awkward silence in the car.

“I’m sorry for the trouble of giving me a ride.” Han Yi took the initiative to break the silence and talk to Yan Jiwen.

Yan Jiwen responded indifferently, “No problem.”

“I looked you up in the school’s website.”

“What did you search for?” Yan Jiwen didn’t quite grasp his meaning.

Han Yi explained seriously, “When you said ‘laozi’ yesterday, I thought your name was Laozi. It turns out I got it wrong.”

Yan Jiwen: “…”

Some things needed clarification, so Yan Jiwen said, “I mistook you for someone yesterday. I’m sorry.”

Han Yi said, “It’s okay, I didn’t take it to heart.”

“Also, my dad mentioned introducing you to someone, you don’t have to take it seriously.”

Han Yi just smiled and nodded.

Another moment of silence.

Yan Jiwen couldn’t find a topic, so he played music to ease the atmosphere.

But he forgot that he was driving Yan Guohua’s car. As soon as he turned on the radio, a rhythmically catchy cheesy love song played loudly.

Selling my love, forcing me to leave

Finally, knowing the truth, tears fell from my eyes

…

Love is not something you can buy and sell as you please

…

Yan Jiwen frowned and was about to change the song when Han Yi suddenly turned to him and asked, “I love th vibe of this song. It sounds nice.”

“?”

Yan Jiwen was quite surprised. He always thought that only people of his father’s generation could appreciate such a cheesy and enthusiastic song.

During dinner, he heard his dad say that Han Yi grew up abroad.

Although that may be the case…

As Yan Jiwen drove, he wondered why everyone from abroad was like that?

The song “Love Exchange” continued to play. The car stopped at a crossroad, and Yan Jiwen absentmindedly glanced at Han Yi sitting next to him.

Han Yi was on his phone, and the interface on the screen looked somewhat familiar. It was a social media app.

The two weren’t far apart, and Yan Jiwen could clearly see the chat homepage with numerous unread messages and a collection of beautiful girls’ profile pictures.

[Hello, big brother]

[Big brother Mua~]

[Is your profile picture a picture of yourself? So handsome [heart emoji]]

…

Sporting a player who casts nets everywhere, just like his cousin’s lousy ex-boyfriend. Yan Jiwei thought to himself.

Suddenly, Yan Jiwen’s phone, which was left on the side, rang with a loud notification sound.

A random account had sent him a friend request with a message: “Good evening.”

Yan Jiwen stared at the screen and contemplated for a while between deleting the friend request and ignoring the message. Suddenly, the chat page refreshed on its own, and he noticed the name change from ID7688 to [Love Exchange].

Immediately, a second message popped up: “This is my new screen name.”