Chapter 170: The Fear of Being Dominated

A shadow fell across the table, dimming the fluorescent light slightly. Luo Xiangdang and his two fellow students looked up, and Luo Xiangdang smiled. "Professor Zhong, didn't you go stroll around elsewhere? How come you're back?"

"You're in charge of the incoming Physics Class One, so I came to see how many people have arrived," Zhong Yuxiu said, her eyes gentle.

The other two students stared at her, their eyes shining brightly, and spoke in unison, "Hello, Professor Zhong."

"Hello to you both. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all. It's just our duty." One of the male students smiled shyly, a rosy flush blooming across his cheeks. Eagerly, he handed over the registration roster, "Professor Zhong, here is the roster. Please take a look."

"Thank you." Zhong Yuxiu gave him a warm, charming smile, causing the male student to blush even more fiercely. Pretending not to notice, she opened the roster, briefly counted the number of people, and handed it back to them. "Thank you for your trouble. You could have stayed home to enjoy yourselves for a couple of days."

The male student hurriedly replied, "Professor Zhong, coming back to help out is our duty. Since I'm fortunate enough to be a class officer, I should be at the front of everything. This is nothing, please don't give it a second thought."

"That's right, that's right." Seeing her gentle attitude and mild demeanor—so unlike other professors who put on stern faces all day without a trace of approachability—the female student on the side chimed in, "Professor Zhong, you are truly amazing! I wonder what field your research is in? You entered the university at the same time as us, yet you've already gotten far ahead. I used to think I was quite smart, being able to get into Hua University, and that my future job would be secure with an iron rice bowl. But seeing you, I finally understand what it means when people say there are always people better than you, and skies beyond the skies. I'm just curious what your research focuses on."

Among a group of old men who were professors, those four middle-aged professors had already stood out conspicuously before. Looking at them now, Comrade Zhong Yuxiu was still the most eye-catching of all.

Being able to stand out among countless students and secure the title of professor in one fell swoop gave a glimpse of her extraordinary capabilities.

"Feng Linlin, don't ask random questions. How could the experiments a professor does be casually talked about?" The male student hurriedly interrupted.

"It's fine, it's not like none of it can be talked about." Zhong Yuxiu shook her head with a smile. "Aren't you curious about what I research? I can tell you now. You know those small electric scooters sold in the department store, right? And the latest range hoods."

"I know, I know, I know all too well!" Feng Linlin nodded frantically, her eyes sparkling with stars and filled with adoration. "Are those all researched by you?"

Zhong Yuxiu nodded. "Yes, these two things are fine for people to know."

"You are just too amazing, way, way, way too amazing!" Her eyes revealed a crazy adoration, somewhat resembling idol-worshipping of later generations. "Professor Zhong, I want to learn from you."

"Alright, then keep up the good work." Seeing this girl being incoherent with excitement, Zhong Yuxiu nodded helplessly. "I'm done here, so I'll head back to my office first. Thank you for putting in the effort. If you need anything, you can come find me in my office. My office is right next to Professor Ding's."

Feng Linlin nodded repeatedly. "Understood, you go ahead with your work."

Zhong Yuxiu smiled at the three of them and walked past them into the office building.

"Professor Zhong is so young! She feels even younger than me, yet she can already independently lead a class. As expected, comparing people in this world can truly infuriate you." Feng Linlin's eyes curved into smiles as she took Zhong Yuxiu as her object of adoration. "Not only is Professor Zhong young, she's also gorgeous, and that aura of hers is simply peerless."

"Hey, Classmate Feng, snap out of it," the male student called out.

"Don't disturb me." Feng Linlin glanced at him sideways, wearing a look of lingering fondness once again.

"Classmate Feng, Professor Zhong is amazing, but do you have to put on such a lovesick look?"

Feng Linlin straightened up and gave a cold huff. "So what if I'm lovesick? Professor Zhong is simply incredible."

"You've already said that three times."

"I'll say it a fourth and fifth time—Professor Zhong is too amazing, Professor Zhong is too amazing!" Feng Linlin giggled. Regaining her composure, she said, "We can take the postgraduate entrance exams. I must study hard, and hopefully, I can be assigned under Professor Zhong in the future."

The male student: "......" There's no saving her.

The banter between the two made Luo Xiangdang chuckle softly. Interrupted by the laughter, Feng Linlin looked at Luo Xiangdang and suddenly remembered that he knew Zhong Yuxiu.

"Classmate Luo, you know Professor Zhong. You guys look quite familiar with each other."

"Mhm."

Feng Linlin's interest was piqued. "Then tell me, what is Professor Zhong like in your class? Is she always this gentle? Did she ever mention her research stuff in class?"

"Want to know that badly?" Luo Xiangdang's face was full of smiles, his laughter clear and crisp.

"I do, how could I not! This is my ultimate goal!" My benchmark!

Luo Xiangdang nodded. "Alright, let me tell you. Professor Zhong seems to have always been this gentle, at least I think she's always been like that. She keeps a relatively low profile, and I've never heard her mention what she researches. She skipped a grade in her second semester at school and doesn't come to class very often. The time I've interacted with her is neither long nor short; she's a good person, and if you have things you don't understand and go ask her, she will definitely explain them."

"Her lectures must be quite good too. When our class started the second semester, Professor Zhong caught our whole class up on the previous term's progress. We could understand everything she taught, and she would patiently explain whatever we didn't understand in private."

The more Feng Linlin listened, the more respectful she felt. The male student beside her also had his interest stirred, joining Feng Linlin in asking endless questions. It wasn't until they questioned him to the point where Luo Xiangdang had nothing left to say that they finally stopped.

They felt admiration at this moment, little knowing that they were about to live in the fear of being dominated by Zhong Yuxiu.

When the professors held classes, they would pull students out to showcase them from time to time, and it was always filled with praise: Look at Professor Zhong from your same cohort; she's now standing on her own two feet, doing independent research, and so on and so forth. Even the freshmen could not escape, though the words for the freshmen were slightly altered, such as: Your Professor Zhong was promoted to professor just one year into her studies, with numerous achievements, and her patents alone brought glory to the country!

All these events caused the two consecutive cohorts to live in the fear of being dominated by her, filled with a mixture of love and hate.

Zhong Yuxiu went to Professor Ding's place first thing, borrowing a foreign book from him to read. Returning to her office, she opened the book, took out the roast duck, and ate while reading. By now, eating roast duck had simply become a snack for her.

The afternoon school dismissal bell rang, and the roast duck was gone as well. Zhong Yuxiu packed up her things, locked the door, and left. Passing by Professor Ding's office, she saw that he was also about to leave, so the two of them walked downstairs and out of the school together.

Yan Rushan had been waiting outside the main gate for a long time, holding two oiled paper packages in his hands. Zhong Yuxiu's heart warmed. After bidding farewell to Professor Ding, she walked toward him.

"Brother Yan, how long have you been waiting?"

"I just got here. I went to pick up the pre-ordered roast duck, which is why I'm a bit late." He raised the oiled paper packages in his hand and shook them slightly. "I ordered two more on the way back this afternoon, and they saved them for me."

Judging by the packaging of those oiled paper bags, she could tell the duck had already been sliced. Zhong Yuxiu beamed with smiles. "Thank you, Brother Yan. I ate it as a snack this afternoon when I had nothing to do, and I ended up eating all the roast duck you left behind. Quanjude's roast duck just gets more and more fragrant the more you eat it; you still want more even after finishing it."