Proactivity

Professor Shi's eyes lingered on Lia, and she could feel the weight of his confusion pressing down on her. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the cold metal of the chair legs squeaking against the floor as she slowly stood up.

Somehow, it felt disrespectful to remain seated while facing the imposing figure of the old professor.

The lecture hall was large, with rows of desks ascending in tiers toward the back of the room. Dim fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, casting a cold, clinical glow over the classroom. The walls were lined with chalkboards, covered in mathematical scribbles from the class.

The students sat quietly, their eyes shifting nervously between their professor and Lia, as though awaiting a spectacle.

As Lia rose to her feet, she met Professor Shi's eyes. He stood at the front of the room, hands resting on the edge of his desk, his bushy gray eyebrows furrowed in thought. He tilted his head slightly, a look of adorable confusion crossing his otherwise stern features. Lia, not wanting to break the strange tension in the air, tilted her head back in response, mirroring his gesture.

Professor Shi's brow furrowed further. He tilted his head again, this time to the opposite side. Lia, determined to maintain the odd connection, did the same.

His eyes widened in curiosity, and Lia followed suit, raising her eyebrows in sync with his. This strange, silent exchange went on for a good three minutes, the rest of the class watching the scene with growing curiosity.

From behind Lia, Yaya giggled, breaking the tension in the room. She leaned over to whisper to Meng Yi, who was sitting beside her, "Oh, she's going to get it now."

Yaya's eyes gleamed with anticipation, like a child watching a movie unfold. She had heard all the stories about Professor Shi—his notoriously grumpy demeanor, his unyielding standards, and the way he dealt with students who dared to cross him. To her, this was entertainment, a front-row seat to what she expected to be Lia's inevitable humiliation.

Meng Yi, her posture as graceful as ever, arched one perfectly groomed eyebrow. A hint of a sly smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She wasn't typically one to engage in petty gossip, but the idea of someone like Lia, who was undeniably beautiful, possibly being brought down a peg, had its own appeal. As the reigning beauty of the college, Meng Yi couldn't help but hope that Lia might reveal herself to be a fool. It would certainly preserve Meng Yi's own standing.

"Serves her right for never attending class," whispered the girl seated on Meng Yi's other side, her voice dripping with disdain.

The room was filled with hushed whispers and quiet snickers, but Lia remained unbothered. The noise faded into the background as she stood there, poised and composed, her back straight and hands resting lightly at her sides. Her sleek, dark hair framed her face perfectly, her porcelain skin glowing under the harsh classroom lights. Even in such a setting, she exuded an effortless elegance that made it impossible to look away.

Professor Shi finally broke the silence, his expression softening slightly.

"Miss Lia, it's nice of you to attend my class," he said, his voice holding a surprising sincerity. He nodded, his stern face showing an unexpected warmth. "I hope you learned something."

Yaya's giggling intensified. She assumed, as did most of the students, that Professor Shi was being sarcastic, subtly reprimanding Lia for her apparent lack of attendance. Yaya leaned closer to Meng Yi, her eyes wide with excitement.

"He's going to roast her alive," she whispered, as if she were munching on popcorn while waiting for the drama to unfold.

Meng Yi's lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes flicking toward Lia. "She deserves it for showing up this late," she said, her tone laced with schadenfreude.

Lia, however, didn't flinch. She returned Professor Shi's gaze with a calm, polite smile, seemingly unaffected by the murmurs around her. She wasn't interested in engaging with the mean-spirited whispers behind her. She'd seen too much of this behavior before—people waiting for her to slip up, to show a crack in her perfect exterior.

"I was just curious about the syllabus," Lia said, her voice quiet but confident. Her words hung in the air, and for a moment, the entire room seemed to hold its breath.

Yaya, sitting behind Lia, nearly burst out laughing, her hand covering her mouth as she leaned back in her seat.

"She doesn't even know the syllabus?" she whispered loudly to her friends. "It's been more than two weeks! She's going to get skinned alive for that one."

Her giggles filled the room, drawing attention from nearby students. Meng Yi smirked, her earlier composure dissolving into amusement. "Let's see how she gets out of this one."

But to everyone's surprise, Professor Shi's reaction was far from what they expected.

He smiled.

It wasn't the sharp, condescending smile that the students were accustomed to seeing from him, but rather a genuine, almost grandfatherly smile. The wrinkles around his eyes softened, and for a moment, the stern, grumpy professor seemed transformed.

"It's good that you're so proactive," he said kindly, his tone gentle and encouraging. "Come to my office after class, and I'll go over the syllabus with you in detail."

Lia nodded, a quiet acknowledgment of his offer. "Thank you, Professor Shi," she replied with a slight smile, her voice steady and sincere.

Yaya's jaw practically hit the floor. Her eyes darted between Lia and Professor Shi in disbelief. "Did... did she just get away with that?" she whispered, her voice filled with shock.

Meng Yi, too, was stunned. The sly smile that had been playing on her lips disappeared, replaced by a look of bewilderment. She had expected a reprimand, maybe even a full-on scolding.

Last time someone had been so foolish, professor Shi had told them to quit the university and become a pumpkin farmer...

But instead, Lia had not only escaped unscathed—she had managed to earn a smile from the grumpiest professor in the department.

The rest of the class sat in stunned silence as Professor Shi turned back to the chalkboard, continuing his lecture as if nothing unusual had happened. But the air in the room had shifted. Lia had turned what should have been a moment of embarrassment into an opportunity for connection, and in doing so, she had left the entire room speechless.

Yaya watched speechlessly as not only did Lia not get into trouble... she got a smile?

Professor Shi could look that kind?