The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 573 - 502 Am I Dreaming?

Chapter 573: Chapter 502 Am I Dreaming?
"Professor Luo, you might not be aware, but your close disciple, Mu Chenxi, is going to immigrate to the United Kingdom. I heard it’s a family immigration." The instructor shook his head with some regret, "What a pity for such a promising student."
Luo Shangqing momentarily forgot what materials he was searching for and hurried out of the office.
The instructor’s voice followed from behind: "Professor Luo, you really didn’t know?"
Mu Chenxi walked with her backpack, reviewing the withdrawal application in her hands, which shone brightly in the sunlight. She carefully looked over every section — withdrawing from school was so complicated, with more required signatures than one could count on their fingers.
Just as she heaved a silent sigh, she heard frantic footsteps from behind, as if someone was chasing after her.
Turning around, Mu Chenxi saw a white shirt with its metallic buttons glinting, and looking up further, she saw Luo Shangqing’s features contorted in slight anger. Usually presenting himself with a gentle demeanor, the sight of his furrowed brows and pursed lips inadvertently sent a shiver down her spine.
"Luo..." Before she could finish, her wrist was already grasped by him and she was pulled into a grove of trees without explanation.
Fortunately, it was the afternoon, and most people were in class. Mu Chenxi looked around nervously, fearing being spotted not for her own reputation, but because she was afraid people would gossip about Professor Luo behind his back like last time.
In the woods stood a large banyan tree, said to be sixty or seventy years old, witnessing the school’s development through the years.
Now Mu Chenxi’s back was against this giant banyan tree, facing Luo Shangqing’s sturdy chest, his breath short and carrying a trace of anger.
Mu Chenxi looked up at him timidly, not understanding what was happening.
It turned out that this was more direct than any stimulant, it could stimulate the central nervous system in an instant, causing exhilaration, excitement, and a rapid heartbeat. Right now, she felt so thrilled she thought she could uproot the big banyan tree.
"Mu Chenxi, don’t you have anything to say to me?" Luo Shangqing propped one arm against the tree trunk, towering over her ear, his gaze holding her in absolute captivity.
"Huh?" Mu Chenxi blinked her clear, large eyes, utterly bewildered and at a loss.
Luo Shangqing snatched the withdrawal application from her hand, waving it vigorously in front of her. The thin paper rustled sharply, cutting into her heart like a small knife.
She lowered her head and clenched her teeth in secret.
"Professor Luo, I am truly grateful for all your help. I’m immigrating with my parents, and I’m really sorry for not informing you in advance..."
"Mu Chenxi, that’s not what I want to hear," Luo Shangqing interrupted her, his dark eyes sharp as blades.
"Not this?" Mu Chenxi grew even more perplexed. If not this, did he mean the matter they were supposed to discuss that day? Although he didn’t give her any response, she knew he must have received the message. He didn’t wear the white coat, nor was he waiting at home for her. He chose to go on a date with Cheng Lin. She wasn’t foolish, and after his obvious disposition, she wouldn’t harbor any hope that he might like her even a little bit.
Actually, Quan Jin’s speculation, though she denied it with a shake of her head, was something she hoped so fervently in her heart to be true.
But reality hit her like a hammer, brutally awakening her; her unrequited love would never bloom.
Yet this did not stop her from continuing to like him. Until she met someone who could take his place, she would wholeheartedly cherish him at the bottom of her heart as if enshrining a deity, till enlightenment.
"Just like that?" Luo Shangqing suddenly released his arm, his expression unfathomably disappointed, "Mu Chenxi, well done."
Mu Chenxi was still confused, "Professor Luo, although I didn’t inform you in advance, my leaving the country shouldn’t have any impact on you, right?"
His look of regarding her as an enemy made her feel fearful as though she had done him a grave wrong.
"No impact? Mu Chenxi, say that again." He suddenly grasped her wrist fiercely and pulled her toward him, "Confessing your feelings to someone, yet retreating at the last moment. I don’t recall ever teaching you that."
"Retreating at the last moment? Professor Luo, what are you talking about?" Mu Chenxi got a bit angry too. Though she was somewhat hesitant and insecure about this relationship, she was bold enough to confess and would not back down, "I’m not retreating; I’m just being self-aware. You and Doctor Cheng are a perfect match, I wish you both happiness."
"What?" This time it was Luo Shangqing’s turn to frown in confusion: "What does this have to do with Cheng Lin?"
Since he asked, Mu Chenxi decided to lay it all out before she left, ready to unburden herself of this weight.
"At noon that day, you weren’t wearing white clothes, nor were you waiting at home for me. I know, you were too embarrassed to reject me in person, so you left instead. I saw you get into Doctor Cheng’s car; I should have known long ago that you two were more than just acquaintances. Yet I couldn’t help liking you. You must think my confession was childish and stupid, but I don’t regret saying it at all, even if you reject me, I wouldn’t choose to start all over. Anyway, I’m leaving, I’m not afraid of being laughed at for being shameless." Mu Chenxi finished in one breath, her eyes starting to sting, she held back her tears and rubbed her nose with her hand, "I know I’m not worthy of you, so, I wish you and Doctor Cheng a lifetime of happiness and a blessed early birth."
After Mu Chenxi finished speaking, she suddenly heard a snort of laughter—it was Luo Shangqing laughing.
At his laugh, it was as if all her determination deflated. She looked at him dejectedly, pitifully asking, "Professor Luo, what are you laughing at?"
Luo Shangqing stopped laughing, adopting a serious expression as he asked, "Mu Chenxi, when did you see me get into Cheng Lin’s car?"
"Noon on Saturday, around eleven o’clock."
"And when did you see that I wasn’t wearing white clothes?"
"It was at that time too."
"Mu Chenxi, are you a pig?" Suddenly, Mu Chenxi felt a flick on her forehead.
"Ah?" Mu Chenxi covered her forehead, saying softly, "That really hurts."
"It should hurt." Luo Shangqing’s words also carried a hint of annoyance, "You silly pig."
"Professor Luo, it’s not right to insult people, and hitting is even worse, you should set an example as a teacher." Mu Chenxi still tried to reason with him, head held high.
Luo Shangqing snorted: "Take another look at the message you sent that day."
"The message, what’s wrong with the message?" Mu Chenxi took out her phone, puzzled. Although reading the message now was still a bit embarrassing, especially in front of Luo Shangqing, she checked it thoroughly, "There’s no problem."
"Are you sure?" Mu Chenxi’s forehead was flicked again.
Feeling aggrieved, Mu Chenxi recited the content of the message aloud: "’Professor Luo, I like you. Tomorrow at noon, I’ll be waiting for you outside your house. If you like me too, please wear a white jacket. No absence without leave.’ There’s nothing wrong with that, I really don’t see it."
"Look at the time of the message," Luo Shangqing reminded her, resigned.
Mu Chenxi was still slow to catch on, and it was finally Luo Shangqing, sighing, who explained to her: "You sent the message at four o’clock in the early morning on Saturday, so the ’tomorrow’ you referred to should have been Sunday at noon, not Saturday. Therefore, you went to my apartment on Saturday at noon, while I waited until dawn the next day, on Sunday. Now, do you understand?"
Mu Chenxi was stunned for a moment, then had a sudden realization. That night, they played cards until four in the morning, when it was still dark, so she naturally thought it was still Friday night. In her mind, she was thinking of Saturday noon, but she made a mistake in her wording. Luo Shangqing, who was always precise, of course, wouldn’t make the same mistake as her, mistaking today for tomorrow.
After her frustration, she suddenly recalled what Luo Shangqing had just mentioned—he said he waited for her all day on Sunday?
"Then, what color were you wearing that Sunday?" Mu Chenxi suddenly became excited, her lips trembling slightly. She dared not believe it, but it seemed the truth was already evident.
"It was this shirt." Seeing her somewhat dumbfounded expression, Luo Shangqing couldn’t help but laugh and add, "Sorry, I really couldn’t find a white jacket. Someone my age hasn’t worn a white jacket in a long time."
Mu Chenxi was still a bit dazed, so he had been waiting for her that whole afternoon, and he even wore white. Does this mean...
"Mu Chenxi, I really don’t know what to say to you." Luo Shangqing opened his arms and hugged her, his smile laced with a trace of helplessness, "You can’t even get the date right, how on earth did you get a SCI paper published?"
Mu Chenxi was in his embrace, listening to his slightly exasperated complaint, she pinched herself with all her might, causing her to yelp from the pain: "This isn’t a dream, is it?"