23: Chapter 23 Pulling

As night deepened, Jiang Chen took Su Wanqing to a French restaurant on the top floor of the city center.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were the city's dazzling lights; the warm yellow candlelight flickered between them, casting a gentle blush on Su Wanqing's cheeks.

Today, she wore a cream-colored knit dress with her long hair tied back loosely. Her neck was slender and graceful, and under the candlelight, she was so beautiful it made one's heart tremble.

Exquisite steaks and red wine were served. Su Wanqing carefully cut the meat on her plate, her movements gentle and natural.

"You should eat more to nourish yourself!"

Su Wanqing rested her chin in her hands and gazed at him, the admiration and love in her eyes nearly overflowing.

"Little Vixen."

Jiang Chen gave her a deep look.

The two had met each other at the age when they needed it most.

The atmosphere of the dinner grew ambiguous and heated, fueled by the slight buzz of the red wine.

When they walked out of the restaurant, the night breeze was cool. Jiang Chen naturally pulled Su Wanqing into his arms, lowered his head, and kissed her lips.

The explosive tenderness quickly turned into an uncontrollable passion.

The moment the door closed back at Su Wanqing's apartment, all restraint completely collapsed.

The candlelight remained unextinguished, warmth permeated the air, and love and desire erupted completely. The night was intimate, intense, and burning hot.

Su Wanqing's soft gasps and Jiang Chen's deep breaths intertwined. From the sofa to the bedroom, every inch of space was marked by their scorching presence.

It wasn't until dawn that the two fell asleep in each other's arms, only waking up on Sunday evening.

It had only been two short days.

Jiang Chen was somewhat infatuated with Su Wanqing as well.

He hadn't expected Su Wanqing to not only have such a duality but also be willing to try anything; her level of cooperation was off the charts.

The key was that she also had special functions!

They had changed several sets of bedsheets, a section of the sofa was unusable, and even the dining room hadn't been spared.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen was young and vigorous, with plenty of stamina.

...

Monday morning, sunlight spilled through the classroom windows.

Jiang Chen hurried to the teaching building, facing a full day of classes.

As soon as he sat down, his good friend Wang Hao leaned over, nudged him hard with an elbow, and gave him a mischievous smirk.

"Not bad, kid! You vanished for two days over the weekend, didn't return calls, and were slow to reply to messages. Fess up—did something happen that night?"

Wang Hao's eyes were wide as he lowered his voice.

"How far did it go? Holding hands? Hugging? Or... have you already taken it a step further? You've hidden it well! That's Teacher Su, the goddess in the hearts of so many guys at Jiangcheng University."

Jiang Chen glanced at him, a faint smile he couldn't hide tugging at the corners of his mouth, though he deliberately acted nonchalant.

"Haozi, stop imagining things. We just went out for a normal stroll."

"A stroll? Like hell I'd believe you!"

Wang Hao looked disdainful, slapping the table as he whispered his teasing.

"Look at your face right now—beaming with joy and looking radiant. It's obvious you're in love! Hurry up and confess, did you guys kiss? Hug? I promise I won't say a single word!"

"We'll talk after class. There are too many eyes and ears in the classroom. Only you know for now, so you have to help me keep the secret. It would be bad if rumors started spreading."

Jiang Chen signaled him with his eyes. Wang Hao looked around and immediately understood, quickly switching to another topic.

A second later, the class bell rang.

Su Wanqing walked in.

Today, she wore a simple and professional white chiffon shirt with a slightly loose collar, her temperament both gentle and cool.

She paired it with a high-waisted black bodycon pencil skirt and ultra-thin matte black stockings that tightly wrapped her long, straight legs. Her leg shape was symmetrical and smooth, her skin faintly visible under the black silk, making her ankles look slender and fair.

On her feet was a pair of black stilettos, which made a crisp, rhythmic sound as they stepped on the floor.

Her long hair was slightly curled over her shoulders, her makeup was clear, and her features were exquisite. In her mature elegance was a fatal, gentle sexiness that attracted the gaze of every boy in the class the moment she entered.

Su Wanqing

However, her gaze swept over the many students and landed solely on Jiang Chen.

It was only a brief second of eye contact, like an electric current silently passing through the classroom.

A fleeting trace of incredibly soft and sweet infatuation, which only he could read, flashed through Su Wanqing's eyes.

In the next second, she immediately reverted to her cool, dignified, and stern teacher persona, as if that glance just now had been nothing but an illusion.

Looking at her outfit, Jiang Chen knew she had definitely done it on purpose.

He had never seen her wear black stockings to class before, yet today she had even put those on.

Jiang Chen's predatory gaze was fixed on her. Su Wanqing felt a bit flustered for a moment, and under his gaze, her legs felt a little weak.

But she still pretended as if nothing were wrong.

She walked to the podium and set down her lesson plans with efficient movements.

She didn't look at anyone, simply lowering her head to open the textbook and adjusting the microphone. Her voice rang out, cool and steady.

"Today we will discuss Chapter 3 of 'Securities Investment', the Three Major Hypotheses of Technical Analysis."

When her gaze first swept across the class, it was very faint, like a breeze skimming over a lake.

Then she picked up the chalk and began to write. Her handwriting was graceful yet strong, and her board notes were neatly arranged.

As she turned to write on the board, the curves of her waist looked very soft.

Su Wanqing taught very seriously, with a moderate pace and clear logic.

She would occasionally ask questions but never called on anyone by name, simply looking at the class and saying calmly, "This part is important. Everyone should study the post-class cases to understand it well."

Her gaze would occasionally sweep across the classroom, and every time, during those undetectable intervals, it would land very discreetly on Jiang Chen's seat.

One second, then she would quickly withdraw it.

After teaching for another ten minutes, she would sweep her gaze over again, still for just one second.

It was like a probe, like a concern, like an undercurrent hidden in the deep sea that didn't dare to surface but never stopped flowing.

Jiang Chen maintained a proper sitting posture throughout, listening intently.

The entire classroom was so quiet that only Su Wanqing's voice, the sound of chalk on the blackboard, and the occasional rustle of turning pages could be heard.

There was no dialogue, no special attention, not even any extra interaction.

Sitting next to Jiang Chen, Wang Hao used his peripheral vision to steal glances at Su Wanqing on the podium and then at Jiang Chen. He felt something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He could only lower his head and follow along with the lesson.

The full morning of classes passed in the blink of an eye.

When the bell rang, Su Wanqing closed her lesson plans and said calmly, "That's all for today's content. The homework is to complete the case study, to be handed in next class."

With that, she bent over to pick up her lesson plans and textbooks and turned to leave without staying for a moment, though a very faint smile was hidden at the corners of her lips.

...

The people in the classroom gradually filtered out. Wang Hao was still sticking to Jiang Chen's side, rambling on, and only quieted down after Jiang Chen secretly told him that he was dating Su Wanqing.

Once almost everyone had left, Jiang Chen took out his phone, first transferred fifty thousand yuan to his mother, and then directly dialed her for a video call.

The phone rang twice before his mother's haggard but smiling face appeared on the screen, with the quiet and clean hospital ward in the background.

"Chen, is class over?"

"Mom, how is Dad today?" Jiang Chen's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of concern.

"Much better."

His mother lowered her voice and looked back gently at his father lying on the hospital bed.

"This morning he could open his eyes to look at me and waved his hand. The doctor said he's recovering much faster than expected, it's just that the subsequent rehabilitation period will be long and there will be many things to spend money on."

Looking at his father, whose face was still pale on the bed, Jiang Chen's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he spoke softly.

"Mom, don't worry about the money. I just transferred fifty thousand to you. I can earn money on my end, so you just focus on taking care of Dad and don't overwork yourself."

After hearing this, his mother's tone was instantly filled with panic and disbelief, her voice even trembling slightly.

"Chen! You... you transferred fifty thousand to me?"

His mother's voice was kept very low, but it couldn't hide her shock. "You're a child still in school, where did you get so much money? This isn't a small amount, and the follow-up treatment won't even cost this much..."

Jiang Chen quickly softened his tone and patiently reassured her.

"Mom, don't worry. I earned this money using my financial expertise through rational investing in the Stock Market. It's legal, compliant, and clean; I definitely haven't touched anything dangerous."

Although his mother didn't understand the Stock Market, she had always believed in her son. She sighed softly, her tone full of heartache and relief.

"I don't understand that Stock Market stuff, but I know my Chen has become successful and responsible. You've been independent-minded and organized since you were little, so I won't interfere too much. But I just want to tell you—no matter how busy you are, eat on time and don't ruin your health. I'm here at home, you don't need to worry."

His mother rambled on with instructions for a long time, full of concern. It wasn't until Jiang Chen repeatedly promised to take good care of himself that she finally relented and reluctantly hung up the phone.

Jiang Chen put away his phone, a sense of peace and determination growing in his eyes.