Being caught red-handed left Richard thoroughly embarrassed.Red-faced, he quickly excused himself to Nicole, saying he had something to attend to, then hurried over to Ben, bowing and apologizing profusely."Professor Wallace, I was just giving the new professor some background about you. I accidentally said a bit too much."Ben's long, elegant index finger lightly touched the bridge of his straight nose as his thin lips curved into a smile. "Richard, you really don't know how to lie. Just look at your ears."He pointed to Richard's ears, which had turned red all the way to the tips, then raised his foot and gave him a kick right in the backside.Richard let out an exaggerated "ouch," quickly covered his rear, and made a hasty escape.Having dealt with Richard, Ben ran his hand over his short hair, put his hands back in his trouser pockets, and looked up at the woman before him. "You're Professor Nicole Spencer, right?"Nicole nodded. "Yes."Ben nodded casually. "The Dean aske
Ben's hand missed as Nicole quickly moved the suitcase away. A flicker of surprise crossed his handsome face before he smiled and said lazily, "Fine."Since she wouldn't accept his help, Ben wouldn't insist.He walked ahead with his hands in his pockets, but his pace was noticeably slower now.When they finally reached the elevator at Building E, Nicole was somewhat out of breath, her fair face flushed pink.Being tall, Ben could clearly see the woman's fine pores and the beads of sweat forming on her face.This woman wasn't wearing makeup.On closer inspection, Ben realized she had only applied lipstick and lightly defined her eyebrows.Even in this nearly bare-faced state, she was attractive enough to mesmerize the older men in the office. If she were to wear full makeup, those men would probably be falling over themselves."Professor Wallace, which floor is my dormitory on?""806. Let's take the elevator."Ben took out an elevator card and swiped it to call the elevator.
Seeing Ben's aloof expression, Nicole wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for her to join them.The table could seat four people, and another male lecturer was already sitting next to Richard.If Nicole sat there, she would have to share the same bench with Ben.So she cautiously asked, "Would it be okay if I join you?"Richard answered without hesitation, "Of course, absolutely!"After his cheerful response, he realized Nicole wasn't asking him.Looking at the empty space beside Ben, Richard understood that they really needed Ben's approval.He lowered his voice: "Professor Wallace, Professor Spencer is new here. Could you be accommodating?"Ben didn't say anything and took another couple bites of his food, but he did scoot over, creating more space on the bench.Richard's eyes lit up and he immediately waved Nicole over. "Professor Spencer, come sit!"Nicole carefully set her tray down and sat next to Ben, murmuring a thank you.The table wasn't large. As soon as Nicole
As the door opened, Nicole felt a cool breeze coming from the man's room and noticed the light inside.Surprised, she asked, "You have power? Isn't there an outage?"Ben raised an eyebrow. "No outage. Did you forget to add money to your electricity card?"With this reminder, Nicole quickly opened the app to check the status of room 806's electricity account.Sure enough, she had run out of credit."I forgot to mention, new electricity cards typically start with zero balance," Ben explained, rubbing his nose with a serious expression.Nicole looked up at him with a resentful gaze.The next day, 8 AM.Nicole taught the first and second periods. Having prepared thoroughly, her class went relatively smoothly.Drawing on her years of part-time work and several major surgeries she'd performed, she made her lecture vivid with clinical case studies.At first, the students, seeing how young and attractive she was, didn't expect much from her lesson. Some mischievous male students even
"Professor Spencer, I still don't quite understand this point. Could you explain it again?"The student's question broke Nicole's train of thought. She picked up the textbook and went through the concept once more.Only when the bell rang for the third period and another lecturer entered did Nicole hurriedly leave.Back at her office desk, Nicole reviewed her entire teaching process from the day, noting down areas for improvement.She stayed busy until lunchtime, pushing thoughts of Travis's sudden appearance at the school to the back of her mind.Given how crowded the cafeteria had been yesterday with barely any available seats, Nicole decided to head to the Italian bistro just outside campus.The east gate of the school was somewhat secluded but closest to the restaurant district.Nicole opened her umbrella and hurried toward the food street.As she approached the corner, she heard a car door closing behind her, followed by hurried footsteps.Nicole's heart suddenly tightene
Having received the answer he wanted, the anger in Travis's heart finally dissipated.Seeing Nicole's wrist had turned red and swollen from his grip, he gradually released her hand."If you'd just told me earlier, I wouldn't have treated you this way."He loosened his hold as he spoke.Just then, a mother and daughter walked past them.The little girl wore two cute braids and looked up at her mother. "Mom, can I have a chicken burger later, with a Coke?"The girl's mother smiled down at her. "Sure, but only once a month, okay? Too much isn't good for you!"The little girl nodded obediently. "Okay!"Watching their retreating figures, Nicole thought of the child she had lost and instinctively touched her abdomen.The first child of her life, gone because of those thugs."Whose child was it in your belly?" Travis suddenly remembered this issue.He recalled Nicole telling him she had lost the baby.In three years of marriage, he had only been intimate with her once.He couldn'
Travis struggled to lift his head, his eyes bloodshot with rage."You vicious woman!"Nicole laughed coldly, her heart filled with desolation.Whenever Lucy was mentioned, this man would always take her side."Yes, I may be vicious, but at least I'm honest! Travis, have you never considered this? The Miller mansion was heavily guarded. When Lucy fell, her two bodyguards were present. Do I have some supernatural power that allowed me to push her off the balcony while being watched by two strong bodyguards?"Travis froze.Regarding Lucy's fall, he had indeed only heard one side of the story.From the Miller family servants to Lucy's parents, everyone unanimously insisted that Nicole had pushed Lucy.The day Lucy was diagnosed with permanent disability in both legs was the same day Nicole was abducted by those thugs.Travis had been furious, believing Nicole had used such cruel methods against the woman he truly loved.In his anger, he had instructed those thugs to force Nicole
"So she's getting revenge on me?" Travis thought.He struggled to his feet and chased after Nicole.Just as he was about to catch up, an older security guard blocked his path."Hey, hey, hey! Show me your faculty ID."Travis frowned. Born privileged, he was accustomed to being welcomed with fanfare wherever he went. When had anyone ever stopped him like this?"I don't have a faculty ID. Move aside!"The dedicated guard refused to budge."Sir, there have been recent thefts on campus. I need to confirm your identity before I can let you through!""You think I'm a thief?" Travis sneered. Seeing Nicole's figure getting farther away, he pointed at her retreating back. "I know your Professor Spencer. Ask her if you don't believe me!"The guard, still skeptical, called out to Nicole, "Professor Spencer, a moment please."Nicole stopped and saw the guard waving her over. She had no choice but to walk back."Is there a problem?""Nothing serious. This gentleman claims he knows you.
Nicole thought she must have misheard him.Or perhaps she was dreaming.So when Travis said, "Nicole, settle down. Stay here. Let's live well together," she couldn't help but laugh coldly."Travis, do you even know what you're saying?""Just behave and I won't make things difficult for you." Travis clenched his fist."We're divorced. Saying these things now is meaningless." Nicole turned her head away, refusing to look at him."But isn't this how we've lived for all these years?"Nicole tilted her head back and laughed, her eyes reddening.Had this man forgotten how he had hurt her?"Fine. Untie me first, and we'll discuss this further." Nicole offered Travis a rare smile.Travis was taken aback by Nicole's sudden smile, but the darkness in his expression lightened considerably."Promise me you won't run away again." Travis sat on the floor, gradually moving closer to Nicole's side.His black shirt was half-open, revealing toned muscles.Nicole still wouldn't look at him,
Once Travis realized how important Nicole was to him, he would surely treat her well.But that process would be painful.Nicole would have to suffer a bit.James wasn't sure if Nicole could wait for that day to come."James, you know exactly what my relationship with your boss has been like all these years. What's the point of going back? To endure more of his insults?""Mrs. Graham, perhaps things aren't as bad as you think." James naturally sided with Travis.The reason was simple: Travis was his meal ticket.Besides, having worked for Travis for so many years, James believed his boss wasn't truly a bad person."Stop calling me Mrs. Graham. How many times do I have to tell you?" Nicole got a headache just hearing that title."Yes, Mrs. Graham. I'll be more careful in the future. Will you come back with me now?" James bowed respectfully to Nicole.Nicole shook her head with a bitter smile."James, do you not understand what I'm saying?""Mrs. Graham, you can't beat these t
"I know what game you're playing," Nicole said quietly.She lightly raised her foot to kick away Lucy's hand, then calmly brought the basin of hot water to Travis.Seeing Nicole easily dodge her attempt, Lucy's smile momentarily froze."Where's your washcloth?" Nicole glanced at Lucy, a slight curve to her lips, then turned toward Travis.Travis pointed to the wardrobe across from his hospital bed. "In there.""Hmm." Nicole turned and opened the wardrobe, immediately spotting the small white square cloth on top.As she was about to close the wardrobe door, she heard the sudden sound of a basin crashing to the floor behind her.This was followed by Lucy's scream."Ah! It's burning hot!"Nicole quickly turned around to see the hot water she'd carefully brought now spilled all over the floor.Lucy was soaked, moaning as she clutched her reddened arm."Nicole, did you do this on purpose? Did you deliberately place the basin precariously?" Travis's accusation immediately followed
"How am I supposed to drink this soup? It's scalding hot!"Travis discovered his hand firmly trapped in Nicole's grip, his handsome face darkening like the bottom of a pan.When he tried to use brute force to break free, he realized that the normally soft and gentle Nicole now possessed astonishing strength.The cold-faced Nicole before him seemed completely unfamiliar.She hardly resembled the woman he had so easily pushed around before."Mr. Graham, if the soup is too hot, you can drink it slowly. But isn't it time to break this bad habit of knocking over dishes whenever you're upset?""You used to blow on it to cool it down before feeding me. Why can't you do that now?" Travis was accustomed to Nicole's meticulous care.But the current Nicole treated him with less warmth than his household staff.Her cold, aloof attitude infuriated Travis."Mr. Graham, I suggest you wake your mind up. We're divorced. I'm no longer your wife. How could I possibly treat you like before?"Nic
Ben spoke with such sincerity that Nicole felt she would be letting him down if she refused."No problem."Nicole had heard that Ben was wealthy, but she didn't know the extent of his wealth.It wasn't until she saw the sprawling lawn, European-style villa, outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, and basketball court on Ben's phone that her perception of him was completely refreshed."If you have no objections, let's sign a contract."Ben pulled out a briefcase from behind him and extracted three copies of an employment contract.Nicole finally realized something was off."Professor Wallace, you came prepared tonight?"Ben made no attempt to hide his intentions. "Yes. Calvin really likes you. He keeps talking about the pretty Professor Spencer... What can I say? The things we do as parents."After quickly reviewing the contract and finding no issues, Nicole signed it.Even after showing Ben out of her apartment, Nicole still found the situation unbelievable.Was she now working
"I'd appreciate fewer jokes like that. I don't want the whole school filled with rumors about us."Recently, due to the surgery and other matters, Nicole and Ben had been spending more time together, which had already sparked gossip that they were dating.Nicole had to repeatedly explain, "Don't misunderstand—Professor Wallace and I have a purely professional relationship!""Professor Spencer, no need to explain. You're both single—there's nothing wrong if you've fallen in love," her colleagues would tease.Only Richard would grimly say, "Professor Spencer, Professor Wallace's family situation is complicated. You'd be better off with someone whose background is simpler and cleaner."As for why he described Ben's background as complicated, Richard didn't dare elaborate. Ben had happened to walk by at that moment and shot him a warning glance."So, Professor Spencer, are you suggesting we should maintain a proper distance?" Ben asked, his eyes fixed intently on Nicole's."Yes." Ni
"Professor Wallace, you're quite the smooth talker. I imagine you're good at winning over the ladies."After years of being insulted and belittled by Travis, being complimented by another man felt strange to Nicole. She even felt herself getting warm.She stood up, gathering the empty dishes, and turned toward the kitchen.From behind her came the man's deep, magnetic voice."Professor Spencer, I'm not good at winning women over. I'm good at keeping them at a distance."Nicole paused. "Those women must be quite heartbroken then!"With that, she hurried into the kitchen.She turned on the faucet, cool water running over her skin.Her rational mind gradually cleared.Nicole, men love to sweet-talk, don't let yourself be fooled by their words.She reminded herself of this as she washed the dishes."Washing dishes this way wastes water. Let me do it."Ben, having finished his meal, walked into the kitchen and noticed Nicole staring absent-mindedly at the running water."Sorry,
Nicole was exhausted.After returning to her dorm and quickly freshening up, she slept from 2 PM straight through until 6 PM.She hurriedly ordered ingredients from a delivery app, then tidied up her apartment.After spending half an hour washing and chopping vegetables, she realized it was already seven o'clock.Ben knocked on her door right on time."Professor Spencer, is dinner ready?" he asked, walking in with drinks in hand.Nicole glanced at her cold stove and pots, and cleared her throat."I woke up late, so I've just finished prepping the ingredients. I'll be done quickly, Professor Wallace. Please make yourself comfortable on the couch.""Need any help?""No need. I can manage.""Okay then. I'll take you up on that."Though he said he wouldn't impose, Ben did exactly that—settling onto the couch and casually picking up a medical journal to read.When Nicole finally called him to the table, he returned the book to the shelf, washed his hands, and helped arrange the
Lucy's question was like a hand reaching for the delicate veil covering Travis's thoughts, nearly exposing his true feelings.Travis gently touched his bandaged head and immediately denied it. "Lucy, what are you saying? How could I ever like that woman? She's the one who caused your condition."Lucy wiped tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice choked with emotion. "Travis, I know I'm disabled now and no longer worthy of you. I would bless your relationship with anyone—anyone except Nicole!""I understand. Don't worry, I won't fall for her. I just don't want her to have it easy.""Would you swear to it?"Travis fell silent.As a man approaching 30, he certainly knew how childish and hollow such oaths were.But if it would give Lucy some peace of mind, saying a few more words didn't matter.He raised his right hand toward the ceiling, his handsome face solemn and serious."Lucy, I swear on my life that I will never develop feelings for Nicole. If I ever like Nicole, may