The screen was filled with titles like 【The Domineering Professor and the Charming Singer】, 【The Gangster Boss's Runaway Sweetheart】...
Professor Ye: "?"
All the links came from the same website, which looked familiar to Ye Qiusuo. Xie Xi had once sent her a link before, with a similar format, though the titles weren't this exaggerated.
Ye Qiusuo casually clicked on one, discovering that the program she had previously recorded for Gaoxing TV and the video of her passing by Xie Xi at the entrance had been extensively edited, slowed down, and had background music added. It did feel... quite different.
Professor Ye continued scrolling and was surprised to find videos that didn't actually exist, using clips from some actor's movie with her face digitally swapped in.
Those uploaders were also in a difficult position. There was only so much footage of Professor Ye available. They went to great lengths to make her fit the character archetype. In contrast, Xie Xi was easy to edit, with plenty of material to work with.
The dialogue was cheesy, the plots exaggerated, yet the logic somehow connected, and the endings even tied up the foreshadowing from earlier.
Compared to the video Xie Xi had forwarded to her before, one was like a short Vlog, while these could almost pass for movies.
With an expressionless face, Professor Ye clicked on another one. As she watched the barrage of comments flooding the stream with the word "car," she didn't understand at first, but a second later she saw what the so-called "car" was.
Not only that, a bit later in the playback, she heard two familiar lines.
Exactly the two lines that had come from her student's phone earlier.
"..."
At this moment, Professor Ye's feelings were somewhat complex.
Rong Shiyun kept sending voice messages. Though she was across the ocean, her heart seemed desperate to fly back home.
"Qiusuo, isn't it thrilling?"
"It's so good to ship them! Did you watch the third video? I almost got a nosebleed!"
"Even though it's fake, these uploaders are amazing. The film industry is lacking talents like them."
Ye Qiusuo held down the voice message button and said slowly, "Rong Shiyun, don't you have experiments to do? Projects to develop? So much free time?"
Three consecutive questions successfully silenced Rong Shiyun. She sent a 'gotta run' sticker and then truly vanished.
Leaving Professor Ye alone to slowly digest the videos she had seen today.
...
The next day, both programs from Gaoxing TV were airing. Viewers clearly noticed that Professor Ye's knowledge of Xie Xi's albums had improved by leaps and bounds, surpassing even the most die-hard fans.
Compared to the previous episode where she couldn't answer at all, it was a world of difference now.
The contrast was so stark that Ye Qiusuo, along with the ever-present Xie Xi in the searches, once again happily landed on the trending list.
Just yesterday, Xie Xi had pushed Ye Qiusuo's name onto the trending list, so they were now even.
【Aww, our professor must have spent this whole week seriously catching up on Xi Xi's albums.】
【Is this how strong high-IQ people are?】
【Professor Ye understands our Xi Xi even better now~】
Um... doesn't anyone else find it suspicious that the show is directing the questions at Professor Ye? If the last episode being a coincidence was one thing, this time there were several questions about Xie Xi again. I have reasonable grounds to suspect the show increased the proportion of Xie Xi-related questions, and this just happened to give Professor Ye a week to prepare.
Actually, it's normal. After all, Professor Ye is so strong that the other guests hardly had a chance to score on the quick-response questions.
Calling all uploaders, come take a look — you might get new inspiration! Please write a story about a female professor secretly pining for a beautiful, sweet-voiced male singer!
...
Ye Qiusuo didn't see any of this, but as the program kept airing, her life was more or less affected.
Walking on the street, people gradually started turning their heads and even gathering around to follow her. It wasn't that no one looked at her before, but most just thought she was good-looking. Now, those who turned could call out her name and ask if she was Professor Ye.
When she went to places with heavy foot traffic these days, Ye Qiusuo basically always wore a mask. It wasn't much trouble. But as a teacher at Huajing University she inevitably had to spend a certain amount of time on campus. She drove onto campus and parked at the entrance to her college building, which already kept her from encountering many students. Still, her office was there and her office hours were fixed. There were always students from other departments, curious to see "Professor Ye" from TV, lingering outside and, while they were at it, asking for autographs and photos.
When Xie Xi entered the campus today, he noticed there were many more students on the paths than usual, many walking aimlessly in small groups.
Although he was wearing a mask, hat, and sunglasses, his years of experience as an artist made him sensitive; he could still feel people secretly glancing at him.
Something wasn't right.
Xie Xi quickened his pace towards the Literature Building. After entering the classroom, he didn't rush to pull down his mask, but waited.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, someone came in holding books and sat directly in the front row, seemingly here to study on the weekend.
However, the next second, someone else came in through the back door and sat down.
Xie Xi stood up and left directly, heading towards Ye Qiusuo's office. As he walked, he called her.
"What's wrong?" Ye Qiusuo's first thought upon answering was that he couldn't make it today.
"Teacher, I'm coming to find you," Xie Xi said hurriedly. "There are a lot of people following me."
Ye Qiusuo frowned. Her phone beeped with a WeChat notification. She asked Xie Xi, "Do you still remember the way to the office? Turn left, go around in a circle, and come in through the small side door. I'll meet you there."
After hanging up, Ye Qiusuo immediately grabbed her faculty card and went downstairs. Xie Xi had just arrived at the small door.
Ye Qiusuo placed her card on the access reader. The door beeped open. She pulled it open to let Xie Xi in.
"Students following you?"
"A lot," Xie Xi said after entering, finally pulling down his mask and sunglasses.
"Go to my office for today." Ye Qiusuo didn't ask further, letting Xie Xi follow her.
Once they were in the office, Xie Xi first walked to the desk and gently touched the small cactus with his finger. It seemed to be doing well.
Ye Qiusuo looked down at the message she had received earlier on her phone. It was from her student, Sun Jiajia.
To her surprise, it wasn't about academic matters, but several long screenshots and a voice message.
"Mentor, I saw on the forum that someone organized an activity to find Xi Xi. Your schedule has also been leaked."
Just as Ye Qiusuo was about to open the screenshots, Sun Jiajia sent another voice message: "Mentor, I saw in the post that they said you teach Xi Xi in the Literature Building's classroom. Someone has already seen Xi Xi inside! Mentor, you should both leave quickly."
"Sure enough, they found me," Xie Xi said upon hearing the two messages, turning around.
Ye Qiusuo looked up at Xie Xi. After a moment, she said, "Today, you'll have your lesson here. Next time, I'll come to you."
"Come to me?" Come to whose place?
A rare trace of confusion appeared in Xie Xi's eyes.
"Strictly speaking, I'm your tutor. Home visits are normal." Professor Ye's logic was sound.
Xie Xi: "...Okay." Though he actually felt it might be a bit inappropriate.
Ye Qiusuo cleared the desk, leaving half for Xie Xi opposite her. Once again, they sat in the same positions, only this time with a small pot of cactus on the desk.
"Teacher, this is for you." After sitting down, Xie Xi's first action wasn't to begin studying, but to pull a CD from his coat pocket and slide it across the table. "My latest album. You can put it with the others."
Ye Qiusuo replied, "I've already bought ten copies of your album. I don't need another one."
