"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Bradford! I'm Marion Sterling, a student of Mr. Bradford."
"Mr. Bradford is so serious and responsible! We all adore our professor to bits!"
Her chestnut-colored hair framed her pretty face and dimples appeared when she smiled.
Also, a faint jasmine scent lingered around her.
"Mrs. Bradford, can I follow you on Instagram?" Then she turned to me with a bright smile, her eyes twinkling playfully that it was hard to refuse.
After I agreed to follow her back, she smiled and said sweetly, "I really envy your relationship with Mr. Bradford."
"He’s so devoted to you. Sigh, being his wife must be truly blessed!"
Later, during dinner, I brought up this student to Rowan.
He frowned slightly and let out a dismissive snort. "She isn’t reasonable and relies too much on little tricks to seek attention. Don’t pay her much attention."
His disdain for her was obvious, but I still felt the need to remind him not to be too harsh on the students.
At the time, I never imagined who was indulging her little tricks.
And who, in the end, would fall so deeply for such "cleverness."
That night, I lay on my side, restless and unable to sleep.
Rowan wrapped his arms around me from behind. He used to say, "True lovers fall asleep in each other’s arms."
Suddenly, the soft buzz of his phone vibrated on the bedside table.
Rowan glanced at me who was motionless next to him.
Assuming I was fast asleep, he quietly got out of bed and tiptoed to the living room to answer the call.
"What do you mean it wasn’t you?"
"If you hadn’t slipped that thing into my pocket, how would Olivia have found it?"
"I'm warning you, if Olivia finds out about your existence, don't even think about graduating!"
Rowan scolded in a low voice from the living room, but I could not make out the reply on the other end.
"What? You're just messing around!" he said sharply.
Then, he stood up abruptly, heading to the entrance and reaching for his coat as if to leave.
"Rowan, where are you going?" I asked suddenly from behind.
Rowan froze mid-movement, then turned around, startled to see me standing there.
I pretended to have just woken up. "It's so late already. Are you heading out?" I asked.
Seeing me in only my thin pajamas, he quickly shrugged off his coat, hurried to my side and wrapped me up warmly. Then, without hesitation, he carried me back to bed.
"The weather's too cold tonight. What if you catch a cold? I’d be so worried."
"A few students are working overtime on experiments and something happened in the lab. I need to check on them."
"Is that so? All right then. Be careful on your way there," I said.
Rowan leaned down and kissed me tenderly, his actions gentle, as if handling something precious and fragile.
"All right. Get some rest. When I come back, I'll bring you your favorite soup dumplings from Evernight City," he whispered softly, then turned and walked away.
After Rowan left, I quickly changed my clothes and slipped out to follow him. His car stopped at the entrance of the graduate apartment area on campus.
Standing at the door was a young girl pacing back and forth, clearly waiting for someone.
It was the girl who had eagerly asked to follow me on Instagram.
Marion Sterling.
"Threatening me with death again? I’ll transfer seven thousand dollars to you later. From now on, we’re strictly a professor and a student. Nothing more." Rowan’s cold voice broke the silence.
"I don’t believe you mean that," Marion replied, wrapping her arms around him. "I... I just missed you so bad."
Rowan eventually pulled her into his embrace.
Under the dim streetlight, they kissed each other.
Like a couple deeply in love.
I clenched my fists, fighting the overwhelming urge to rush out and confront them.
Instead, I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo before driving away.
Rowan did not come back home until morning.
And he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Didn’t you say you were going to the lab to work overtime? How is it that you look so full of energy? Whenever I work late, I’m completely drained."
