Chapter 19: Field Work

(Catherine's POV)

"Okay everyone, let's have our lunch break since it's near lunch already. Remember to be back here before 1:30 in the afternoon, okay? You may go now."

Half a day has already passed since the time I saw President Lu in the parking area of the university. I don't know how I managed to get on the bus after what President Lu had said.

Fortunately, he didn't approach me again when we reached the venue. He was just at the corner observing the class. I breathed a sigh of relief because of that.

I don't think I could continue this activity if he approached me again. When all of my students were already having their lunch, I glanced around to see if President Lu was there but he was nowhere to be found.

It would be great if he had already gone back to his office. I can now focus on my job without feeling anxious. Feeling elated, I headed to the restaurant near our location to get something to eat.

I'm not really picky when it comes to food, so it doesn't matter where I eat. I chose this place since it's the nearest to the building and it's not that crowded.

The ambiance of the place isn't really extravagant. It's more in the aesthetic area where everything is in simple tone colors. Including the paintings hung on the wall, it isn't that eye-catching. But nevertheless, it complimented the whole place.

It gave a peaceful and simple atmosphere for their customers. I finally saw a vacant seat at the far-end corner of the place. It's a table for two where its location is a bit far from the main door.

A waitress instantly handed me their menu right after I took my seat. Browsing through their meals, I realized that most of their dishes are Hawaiian cuisine. It's kind of rare for this type of cuisine to be here in the city, since these cuisines are mostly found in places where there are beaches.

"I'll have some pasta and orange marmalade, please. Oh, also add 5 boxes of coco puffs and 2 boxes of strawberry mochi. That's for take-out. Thank you."

The coco puffs are for my students, while the strawberry mochi is for Monique. She loves sweets so much, so she will definitely like this strawberry mocha. This might cheer her up a bit.

For the last few days, since she resigned, she's been feeling restless at home. She might be acting like she really doesn't care about it, but I know deep down inside her, she's scared. More than anything in the world, Monique loved modeling so much.

So, this choice of hers is really difficult. But I know she will definitely get back up again. She's talented, so she can still go back to the runway that she definitely loves. For now, I hope these sweets can cheer her up a little bit.

"Here's your order, ma'am. Enjoy your meal." The food came after a couple of minutes of waiting. My take-out orders are nicely packed as well, which is really nice. Next time, if I have a chance, I will certainly visit this place again together with Monique. I'm sure she will love it.

**********

It's already afternoon and our class is almost over. I instructed them to go on the bus first since I was still going to have a short meeting with the manager of the building. I'm also here to give a token of appreciation because they granted us to have fieldwork here.

When everything was settled, I proceeded to the parking area where my students are. "Is everyone here already?"

"Yes, professor."

I nodded my head and proceeded to the front seat of the bus. "Okay, let's go."

2 hours passed by before we reached the university. The sky was almost dark when I looked outside. It took us late to get back to university due to the traffic jam caused by an accident on the road.

Fortunately, it was already settled and we finally reached the university. "Okay, before we go home, I'll be leaving you with an activity to be submitted next week. Write a report of what you have experienced today in the fieldwork. Be precise, okay, and submit it next week, before our time. That's all. You may go."

I waited for them to walk out before proceeding to the office. I still have materials to be left there, so I need to settle those before going home. Since there are night classes happening at the university, the office is definitely open.

When I entered, I saw professor Han inside. He glanced at me and gave a polite greeting. "Hello, Professor Su."

I greeted him back before walking over to my table. He also went back to what he was doing a while ago. I sat down on my chair and opened my laptop.

There are still reports that I need to submit tomorrow, so I need to finish them tonight. It took me almost 4 hours before I finally managed to finish all the reports. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 10 in the evening.

When I looked at my phone, I saw that Monique had called me several times. I didn't notice that my phone was in silent mode, so I called her back. "Hello, Cathy?"

"Yes, Monique. Sorry I wasn't able to answer your call earlier. I didn't notice that my phone was in silent mode."

"It's okay. I just got worried since it's already late in the evening and you said that you would only have fieldwork today."

"Yes, sorry. I'm already here at the university. I forgot the time because I was busy finishing some reports. Don't worry, I'm already heading home."

I immediately ran off towards the parking area to get my car. But I suddenly stopped when I noticed that President Lu was standing there near my car. 'What is he doing here?'

I was about to turn around and just left my car there when I heard his voice suddenly. "Where are you going, Professor Su?"

My hand clenched and I shut my eyes tightly. Trying to get myself calm. The uneasiness I felt earlier in the morning came back when he suddenly spoke.

Without much choice, I glanced back at him and forced a smile. "Oh, you're here, President Lu. Good evening."

"Where are you going, Professor Su?" His dark eyes shined brightly in the dark. Even his posture right now made him look so handsome. But, despite his gorgeous appearance, my heartbeat keeps on pounding so loudly.

Not because of admiration but because of fear. "*Uhm" I forgot something at the office so I'm going to go back to get it." That's the best and most reasonable lie that I could think of right now.

The expression in his eyes is clearly telling me that he doesn't believe one tiny bit of it. He slowly walked closer and I unconsciously took a step back.

He stopped and looked intently at my eyes when he noticed my sudden action. "Are you running away from me, Professor Su?"

I gasped in surprise and immediately shook my head. "No President Lu. Why…Why would I be running away from the President of Lu Corporation? You must be…be mistaken."

"Really? Since you're not running away, how about we have a late dinner right now? I know you haven't eaten yet."

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't think I can join you for dinner. My friend is anxiously waiting for me at home and it's quite late already. She might get worried." I immediately refused. I don't think I can hide my fear if we have dinner together.

All I want right now is to get away from him. But I don't think it's possible. "Oh, is that Monique Yang you are talking to? I heard she's a model, right?"

My eyes widened when he mentioned Monique's name. "How… How did you-"

A smirk curved on his lips. "Of course, I know her, Ms. Su. She's been your friend for so many years. She's been working as a model here in Capital City but you first met each other in City A. Want me to continue?"

I turned pale instantly hearing them coming out of his mouth. 'He got me investigated! He definitely did that! But to what extent?'

"You… You-... You investigated me?!" My voice raised instantly because of fear. How? Why?

"So, should we talk about it through dinner, Dr. Catherine Su?"

I thought I had just misheard him this morning when he called me a doctor instead of a professor. But, now I know that wasn't a mistake. He definitely knew who I was, everything about me.

My knees turned to jelly as soon as I heard him say my past profession. My body turned weak and I almost slammed on the ground but he immediately took hold of me. Preventing me from falling down completely.

I raised my head weakly and saw his face that was very close to mine. I can feel the manly scent emitting from his body, making me feel weaker. His dark eyes that made me feel helpless three years ago are the same eyes I'm seeing this time.

'How I wish that I could turn back time. In that way, I can avoid him and prevent this from happening!'