The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 578 - 507 Unintentionally

Chapter 578: Chapter 507 Unintentionally
Luo Shangqing has another surgery scheduled for four in the afternoon, but he doesn’t have time to rest beforehand, as there are several important academic s to prepare.
Mu Chenxi sits opposite him, reading a book so quietly as if she doesn’t exist. He remembers that she used to find all kinds of excuses to avoid reading and learning, often falling asleep with a book in hand. He is happy to witness her growth and feels quite comforted by it.
"Help me organize these materials," Luo Shangqing pushes a he’s working on toward her, "Ask me about anything you don’t understand."
Mu Chenxi, feeling bored, is naturally very happy to be able to help him.
At three-thirty, a nurse comes to remind Luo Shangqing to prepare for the surgery. After seeing Mu Chenxi who hasn’t come by in a long time, the nurse smiles and nods.
As soon as they leave, the nurse can’t contain her curiosity and starts gossiping with a few colleagues.
"That young lady is here again, and it seems she’s helping Professor Luo with the research. What’s her background exactly?"
"Isn’t she Professor Luo’s student?"
"What student comes to the teacher’s office every day? I’m telling you, there’s no simple relationship there."
"Right, haven’t we seen Doctor Cheng around lately? It’s been a while since she last came," someone suddenly recalled Doctor Cheng Lin.
"Although Doctor Cheng is both beautiful and charismatic, with impressive medical skills, I still prefer this young lady. She is always smiling warmly, seemingly naïve; just that I don’t know what her relationship really is with Professor Luo?"
Just as everyone is gossiping, a nurse suddenly covers her mouth, looking somewhat guilty as she lowers her head, and then she feels a strong presence approaching. The nurse who had been speaking turns around, immediately turning pale with fear: "Profe-, Professor Luo."
When Professor Luo puts on a stern face, his formidable presence is truly intimidating. Although the nurses all admire him, they are also more fearful of him, as he is notorious for being meticulous and strict at work.
The nurses thought they were going to be scolded, but Luo Shangqing instead solemnly announces: "Don’t speculate anymore, she is my girlfriend."
In the midst of the stunned nurses, Luo Shangqing walks with steady steps to prepare for surgery.
"My God, Professor Luo has just admitted it."
"After working beside him for so many years, this is the first time he has publicly acknowledged having a girlfriend. Had it not been for Doctor Cheng frequently visiting him, I would’ve wondered about his orientation, as someone his age would typically be married with children in elementary school."
Upon receiving a call from Mu Kaihua asking her to come over, Mu Chenxi steps out and sees the nurses still chattering. She nods politely at them.
The nurses also immediately greet her with warm smiles. Even though they had been polite to her before, their enthusiasm now is unlike anything before. Mu Chenxi doesn’t understand the reason and jogs off to meet Mu Kaihua.
"Actually, although this girl isn’t as beautiful as Doctor Cheng, she’s got an adorable appearance that grows on you the more you look at her."
"I didn’t expect our Professor Luo to like younger women."
"You don’t understand, do you? For someone like Professor Luo, who’s accomplished both inside and out, it’s irrelevant if he’s never been married, or even if he’s been remarried multiple times, he could still find young ladies. There’s just an unfair advantage for men; a divorced man can find someone ten years younger, while a divorced woman can mostly only find someone ten years older."
After sighing over this for a while, the nurses get back to their own work.
As Mu Chenxi arrives at Mu Kaihua’s office, a person walks towards her from inside, almost bumping into her; fortunately, he reacts quickly and steadies her.
This person has the kindest face she has seen, other than Old Yuan’s. He looks much younger than Old Yuan, vibrant and full of energy. Even though he’s aged, his features still carry the charm of his youth and there’s something faintly familiar about him.
Mu Chenxi quickly apologizes, "I’m sorry."
The man smiles gently at her before leaving.
Upon entering, Mu Kaihua hands her a package from a courier: "Xixi, take this home to your mom. My colleague helped buy this rubber pillow online; they say it’s quite good."
"Dad, you’re not coming home tonight?"
"I have a meeting later and surgery after that. It will be midnight by the time I get home. Take it with you first so your mom can use it."
"Got it," Chenxi replies and then opens her mouth as if wanting to say more, but Kaihua smiles and asks, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Mu Chenxi actually wanted to ask about the progress of their emigration procedures. These past few days, she has been contemplating this issue. She doesn’t want to go abroad; her love has only just begun, and leaving the country would be like throwing it into the fire. Yet, seeing the emerging white hairs at her father’s temples, she finds herself unable to speak her thoughts.
Mu Kaihua works so hard to provide a better life for her and her mother. At his age, he probably doesn’t want to leave his homeland either; opting for this path must have been out of necessity.
"No, it’s nothing."
Luo Shangqing’s surgery was scheduled to run into the evening, so Mu Chenxi didn’t wait for him at the hospital and instead headed home with the parcel in her arms.
~
As time went on, the midterms arrived on schedule.
Mu Chenxi temporarily gave up on withdrawing from school and focused wholeheartedly on preparing for the exams. Luo Meijuan hadn’t brought up the immigration issue recently either, which might be due to new troubles at the embassy or possibly because Mu Kaihua had been incredibly busy lately.
On the day of the midterm exams, the morning test was in microbiology, which was Mu Chenxi’s weakest subject. The elderly professor teaching microbiology spoke painfully slow - he could take five seconds just to say "class begins," leading Chenxi to struggle with drowsiness whenever she attended his class. Even after last-minute cramming, she was still feeling nervous.
Unexpectedly, the invigilator for this exam turned out to be Luo Shangqing.
Dressed in an exceedingly ordinary grey plaid shirt, his hair neatly trimmed, he stood on the podium, becoming a scene into and of himself.
Mu Chenxi often thought that such an exquisite and noble person like him didn’t quite fit the humble lecture podium and was essentially a waste of his talents.
While she was coveting his handsome looks, Luo Shangqing’s gaze also faintly swept over to her. However, he concealed it very well so that no one could tell he was actually intently watching the seat by the window.
Once the exam started, Mu Chenxi immersed herself in answering the questions. The exam room was quiet, except for the rustling of writing. In Aus City during this season, the weather had already started to heat up, and unexpectedly, there were a few noises of cicadas from the banyan trees outside.
The apartment Mu Chenxi lived in as a child was surrounded by various trees, and during the hot days, the incessant cicada songs were unmistakable. Sometimes, she would be woken up from a nap at home by a cicada suddenly perched on the screen window.
Yet, Mu Chenxi particularly enjoyed these sounds - they were strained but full of passion.
Before she knew it, Luo Shangqing had walked up beside her, and with just a turn of her head, she could see his refined leather belt and his long legs. Mu Chenxi blushed slightly, her heartbeat unnaturally quickening. She felt Luo Shangqing look down at her for a moment before he walked away to the front.
Perhaps because of his presence, Mu Chenxi felt inspired as she wrote, and by the time the bell rang, she had already reviewed her test from the beginning.
Seated in the back, she followed instructions and stood up to turn in her test papers.
As she handed in her papers at the podium, Luo Shangqing’s hand accidentally touched her fingers, reminding her of how it felt to be held by him. After all, Mu Chenxi was a girl, whose imagination could be daring, but when it came to practice, she’d shy away, blushing at even the slightest physical contact.
"Mu Chenxi, are you feverish?" a classmate handing in the papers asked with concern.
"No, it’s just too hot," Mu Chenxi laughed it off, sneaking a glance at him and catching him with a smile as warm as the March sun.
~
After the exams, there was a brief holiday, and the dormmates were discussing plans for a short local outing. When they asked Mu Chenxi for her opinion, she was looking at her phone, obviously not listening to the conversation.
Quan Jin tapped her on the head with the eyebrow pencil she was holding: "You’re so enamored, just focusing on chatting with your professor. Do you even see the rest of us as your sisters anymore?"
"No, that’s not it," Mu Chenxi quickly put her phone aside, ready to make amends. "What are you guys discussing?"
"Are there any fun places to go around Aus City?" Xinyu asked eagerly. "Let’s go relax and unwind from the exam stress."
"Actually..." Mu Chenxi scratched her nose awkwardly, "Professor Luo mentioned going to Phoenix Mountain."
"Phoenix Mountain? That’s not a bad idea. I heard there’s a reservoir at the foot of the mountain where we can fish, and eat fish stewed over a wood fire."
The group decided by vote to spend the upcoming short three-day holiday at Phoenix Mountain.
"Right, let’s invite Qi Hao too," proposed Xinyu. Ever since the unpleasant incident last time, Susu’s relationship with a few people in the dorm had been somewhat strained. If Qi Hao’s issue wasn’t properly addressed, it was bound to become a ticking time bomb, leading to further conflicts among the sisters. After saying this, Xinyu looked to Quan Jin, who always had the least patience for Qi Hao, so her opinion mattered a lot.
Susu also looked at her, with a hint of pleading in her eyes.
Ignoring the glances from both of them, Quan Jin wrapped an arm around Mu Chenxi’s shoulders and said, "Invite whoever you want, but make sure to ask Professor Luo if he agrees. If we go to Phoenix Mountain, we’re basically going there as third wheels."
Hastily, Susu added, "Exactly, let’s see what Professor Luo thinks first. Maybe he doesn’t want us tagging along."
Under the eager gazes of everyone, Mu Chenxi had no choice but to pick up the phone. She knew very well that Luo Shangqing wanted to go on a private date with her, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse the dorm’s request.
After much hesitation, she still sent Luo Shangqing a message: I told Xiao Quanzi and the others about going to Phoenix Mountain, and now they’re all clamoring to go too. What should we do?
After sending the message, Mu Chenxi awaited his reply with her phone in hand, a bit nervously, fearing that Luo Shangqing might be displeased. **