“Are you alright?”

Pan An blinked his eyes a few times when he heard Shu Xian ask him that question. After a few seconds, he then furrowed his brows as he did not expect his student to ask him that question.

“Why are you asking me that?”

Instead of answering her question, Pan An had asked her another. Shu Xian’s lips turned into a tight line for a moment, her eyebrows, knitting in wonder before she answered his question.

“Your mother told me to continue staying by your side.”

“Oh.” Pan An’s eyebrows raised as he heard what she said was not that much important. “Then that’s not much of a problem.”

As he was putting his hand on her back so they would go to his car, Shu Xian stopped in her tracks as she spoke, getting his attention.

“She said that because she claims that you’ve been down since someone you loved had left you.”

When Pan An heard this, his body stiffened. He didn’t dare to turn his body to face Shu Xian, making her curious to see him stand, unmoving.

“Pan An?”

There was no answer. The moment Shu Xian walked and stood in front of him, she saw that his face showed a pained expression.

His eyes reflected sadness as his lips turned into a tight line, his silence unusual to his personality.

Shu Xian then cocked her head to the side, wondering as she started to worry about him as well for being silent all of a sudden.

“Pan An?”

Shu Xian then reached out to his hand. The moment her hand touched his, Shu Xian was dumbfounded to see him reflexively pull his hand away from her before Shu Xian could even touch him.

Shu Xian felt that Pan An repulsed her. With the professor’s eyes turning blank when she held his hand as if it were in pain, Shu Xian’s thoughts started to wander.

‘What is with this man? One thing over the other, it’s as if he is hiding a lot of secrets. First with his family… and now someone he loves? Who could that person be? Would Ma’am Cai Li pertain to a family member… or someone else?’

With Pan An heaving a heavy sigh, it had snapped Shu Xian out of her thoughts. The professor then forced out a smile as he nodded, making way towards the car as Shu Xian followed behind him.

“Let’s go home… I’m tired.”

***

It was a quiet drive going back home. The moment Pan An parked the car in the garage, he quickly left the car, making way to the passenger’s seat to open the door for Shu Xian.

The young lady then walked out of the car and the moment she did, Pan An secured the car, both of them already heading inside the house.

‘He’s awfully quiet,’ Shu Xian thought as she watched the back of Pan An. ‘He seems to be moodier than women,’ she added, the two of them already arriving inside their home.

When the door closed, Pan An immediately turned his body to Shu Xian, surprising her when he patted her shoulder two times.

“Thank you for tonight,” he thanked her, a small smile appearing on his face. “Mother might come to visit unannounced on some times, so if ever it happens, please do keep the act up.”

“Oh…”

Shu Xian nodded, agreeing to him as she remembered that she is staying at his place.

“Alright.”

“Good night, Shu Xian.”

With the professor already telling her good night, he did not even wait for Shu Xian’s reply before heading inside of his room.

When Shu Xian was sure that she was alone in the hallway, she heaved a sigh of relief, already walking her way towards the front yard to get Wan Wan, who was guarding the house.

Shu Xian opened the door.

“Wan Wan!” she called out, and the moment she did, the fluffy, white Samoyed dog barked in excitement, its tail wagging as she ran to her master.

Wan Wan jumped on Shu Xian, almost making her fall on the floor. Shu Xian giggled when she felt Wan Wan’s tongue licking her face, Shu Xian also patting her pet dog.

“Oh, Wan Wan… I missed you!”

She then planted a kiss on top of the dog’s head.

“I still have some dog food left that I stored in my bag. Let’s get you something to eat.”

With that, the two entered the house. Shu Xian then locked the front door, the two of them making their way towards the room.

“Ruo Xi…”

However, Shu Xian stopped in her tracks when she heard a soft voice coming from Pan An’s room. The moment her head turned right, she saw that the door of his room was slightly opened, making her take a peek.

She saw a glimpse of what was inside the room. It was a typical master’s bedroom with a working desk inside, but what had caught her attention was the professor sitting on his bed, with both of his hands hiding his face.

Shu Xian furrowed her brows, curious about why Pan An was in such a position. He seemed frustrated–rather, depressed.

She heard a deep sigh coming from him as he exasperatedly ran a hand through his hair, his eyes glassy as if tears were about to escape from his eyes.

“Ruo Xi… how could you do this to me?”

Shu Xian’s eyebrow twitched, hearing a name that wasn’t familiar to her. She cocked her head to the side, thinking why Pan An was acting this way right after she told him what his mother told her.

‘Ruo Xi… could this person be the reason why he’s this way? Is this Ruo Xi the one his mother was talking about?’

When Shu Xian saw Pan An standing up from his bed, Shu Xian instinctively hid behind the door, almost stepping on Wan Wan’s paw.

The professor then walked towards his window, leaning on the wall as he stared outside and watched the night sky, his shoulders moving up and down as soft sobs were heard from him.

‘Pan An…’

Shu Xian felt uneasiness in her heart as she started to think about the background of the person whom she was staying with.

Her hand instinctively reached out to her chest as her thoughts wandered, thinking who Pan An is.

‘Pan An… who are you?’