"…That's all."
"You're quite the actress."
Celia fell silent for a moment, then turned to leave. "Professor Fu, I'll be going."
But Nathaniel's large hand suddenly reached out, catching her slender arm and pulling her back toward him.
"Professor Fu, what are you doing? Let me go!" Celia struggled, alarm flashing across her delicate features.
Nathaniel pressed her against the wall, his tall, commanding figure caging her in. His voice was low, edged with a teasing cruelty. "Celia, are you happy now?"
Her clear, luminous eyes widened in confusion. "What?"
Nathaniel's lips curved into a sly smile, mischief glinting in his narrow eyes. "Upset that I haven't touched my fiancée yet?"
Celia's heart skipped a beat. Heat rose unbidden to her cheeks, but she forced herself to stay calm. "No! I'm just… a little surprised, that's all."
He tilted her chin upward with his fingers, forcing her gaze to meet his. Her ethereal face was fully captured in his line of sight. "Surprised? At what?"
They were too close now, his breath brushing across her skin, the charged silence wrapping around them. Celia curled her fingers tightly against her skirt. She wanted to look away, to retreat, but her body felt locked in place.
Her pulse was racing, yet her pride wouldn't let her back down. She snapped, her voice steady despite the tremor in her chest: "I'm surprised a man as lustful as you would suddenly turn into some abstinent monk."
Nathaniel raised a brow at her boldness, his gaze darkening with amusement. Lustful. She had actually dared to say it.
He chuckled, the sound low and dangerous, the kind that made her nerves tighten even further. For a moment, his hand lingered at her jaw as if considering whether to punish her for the insult—or kiss her for it.
Then, just as abruptly, he released her. His expression cooled, his tone casual, almost dismissive. "I've been exhausted lately, not in the mood. Don't flatter yourself—it has nothing to do with you."
Celia's lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't believe him, and she knew his words were meant to sting, a deliberate attempt to humiliate her.
Straightening to his full height, Nathaniel put distance between them. The fleeting warmth of his closeness vanished instantly. "Why did you come here?"
"I…"
"Go back. I won't be teaching Class 28."
Celia fell silent.
Seeing the stubborn look in her eyes, Nathaniel narrowed his gaze and let it sweep over her. A mocking smirk tugged at his lips. "You're hopeless at studying, but you're first place when it comes to provoking your teacher. Celia, you really are just a pretty vase."
"…"
"Vase," Celia echoed coldly, then shot back without hesitation, "You say it like you despise them. But actually, Professor Fu, no one loves vases more than you do."
With that sharp retort, she spun on her heel and walked away.
Nathaniel froze. "…."
Then, sinking into his office chair, he frowned. Yet as her words replayed in his mind, he found himself laughing under his breath. She was right—he was the one who loved vases the most.
Just then, his phone chimed.
A WeChat notification popped up. The so-called "genius girl" had tagged him in the group chat, sending photos of the three predicted questions she'd worked out.
Nathaniel typed back: "Why aren't you here? Didn't you say you'd bring them over?"
Celia's reply came quickly: "I'm busy."
Busy?
Nathaniel actually laughed. The girls he'd been encountering lately were stranger than ever.
At that moment, another message arrived—this time from one of the seven-member competition team students: "Professor Fu, has that talented young woman shown up yet? What does she look like?"
Nathaniel answered curtly: "I haven't seen her."
······
Back in Class 28, Celia returned and told her classmates, "Professor Fu isn't coming."
A collective groan erupted.
"It's over! Without a calculus teacher, we're doomed."
"This was unrealistic from the start. Yara Lu from the Rocket Class is Professor Fu's fiancée. If she says a word, he'll never agree to help us."
But Celia only winked at Yu Jie and said lightly, "Don't worry. If Professor Fu won't come, there are still other calculus teachers."