Chapter 36: Targeted

During the rest of the lecture, Jiang Yixue began her "special attention" the moment she reached the first point of the lesson.

"So, this 'f' is called a mapping, denoted as f being a mapping from X to Y." Her gaze swept across the classroom. "The 'x' here is easy to understand; it's the same as what you all learned in high school. Does any student remember it?"

"Uh... Wang Can, why don't you answer that."

Wang Can stood up, looking blank. How could he possibly remember any of that? He could only say honestly, "I forgot."

The corners of Jiang Yixue’s mouth lifted slightly, a glimmer of mischief flashing in her eyes, though she said nothing.

Not long after, Jiang Yixue’s voice rang out again: "Student Wang Can, what did I just say the meaning of Rf was?"

Wang Can had just stolen a glance at a message on his phone. Caught off guard by being called out, he scrambled to scratch his head: "Forgot."

"Student Wang Can..."

"Forgot."

"Student Wang Can..."

Eventually, the moment Jiang Yixue uttered the name "Wang Can," several students who loved a good show answered in unison for him: "Forgot!"

A roar of laughter erupted in the classroom.

The students didn't think much of it, though. In their eyes, it was perfectly normal for a campus celebrity like Wang Can to be questioned by the teacher a few extra times.

Fortunately, Wang Can had already mastered the art of remaining calm even if the sky were to fall, and keeping up a witty banter even with a blade at his throat; not a hint of distress appeared on his face.

Zhang Bailan leaned over and whispered, "Brother Bei, it seems being too famous isn't all good. But Brother Can’s mental fortitude is truly impressive."

Chen Xiaobei clicked his tongue. "That may be true, but I keep feeling like something is off... I can't quite put my finger on it."

When it came to the matters between men and women, although Chen Xiaobei had suffered defeat in his own university pursuits, he was at least half an expert compared to Zhang Bailan.

He knew well that in the dynamics between men and women, the thing to fear most wasn't conflict or disagreement, but a lack of connection. Being "specifically cared for" by a beauty of Jiang Yixue’s caliber was definitely not a bad thing.

This strange sensation was not unique to Chen Xiaobei; Wang Can felt it even more acutely. It was obvious that Jiang Yixue was targeting him, almost as if she were seeking revenge. Yet, Wang Can was certain he had never crossed paths with her before.

"Jiang Yixue..." Wang Can muttered the name, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. In his WeChat friends list, there was someone named "Jiang Xue"—it was only one character off. Could it be the same person? *Even though I used the name Chen Xiaobei, my avatar is a photo of myself.*

"Damn it, I have to verify this."

Wang Can cursed under his breath and pulled out his phone, about to send a message to "Jiang Xue," when Jiang Yixue’s voice suddenly came from above: "Student Wang Can, is your phone that interesting?"

Wang Can jumped. He hadn't realized that at some point, Jiang Yixue had silently walked over to the aisle beside him, watching him with a half-smile.

*Damn, why do university professors walk without making a sound?*

"Cough, Professor Jiang, I suddenly have an emergency at home..." Wang Can reflexively fabricated an excuse.

"Is that so? Let me see."

Jiang Yixue took the phone without a word, her eyes scanning the screen. "Is this your family member? The name is quite similar to mine."

Her fingertip tapped lightly on the characters "Jiang Xue."

Chen Xiaobei and the students in the front row leaned in curiously to see what was going on, but Jiang Yixue skillfully blocked their view with her body, taking the phone firmly into her hand.

"Right, she's my... cousin." Having grown accustomed to calling Xia Kewei "cousin," the word slipped out of Wang Can’s mouth.

"Oh? A cousin, is it?"

Jiang Yixue looked at him with a smile and deftly locked the screen. "I’ll hold onto your phone for you until the end of class."

"You’ve got to be kidding, Professor. Do they confiscate phones in university too?" Wang Can blinked in disbelief.

Aren't university teachers usually of the "listen or don't, just don't fail the final" variety? Some even didn't care about failing, as long as you passed the make-up exam.

"Of course. I am currently up for a professorial promotion, and your classroom performance is very important to me," Jiang Yixue gave a high-sounding excuse.

"Fine."

Wang Can didn't know much about academic promotions, and since she promised to return it after class, he couldn't say much.

The scoundrels like Chen Xiaobei, however, were holding back snickers, their faces full of schadenfreude.

"Old Wang, you really are something. Getting your phone confiscated in the first class of university—you’re going to be famous again."

"Get lost!"

Wang Can waved his hand dismissively. He looked down at his book, only to find the advanced mathematics textbook looked like ancient hieroglyphics; his head hurt just glancing at it. *Forget it, no use torturing myself.*

...

As the class neared its end, Jiang Yixue stood at the podium and said, "To help everyone consolidate what we learned today, I will assign some homework. Please remember to do it."

"Additionally, each department needs to elect a class representative. Those interested can raise their hands."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a forest of arms shot up across the classroom.

The role of a university class representative carried no real power and required sacrificing personal time to handle trivial tasks like taking attendance and collecting assignments. It was a thankless job that usually went ignored.

But being Jiang Yixue’s class representative was different. The chance to get close to this goddess-tier professor—even if it just meant looking at her a few more times—was a huge temptation for some students. The boys were especially eager; being Professor Jiang’s representative was something they could brag about in the dorm for an entire semester.

There were too many people, so Jiang Yixue had to look back at the roster. For the Finance, International Trade, and Management Class 1, she chose two girls and one boy.

When her gaze landed on the roster for Management Class 2, she paused, a spark of craftiness flashing in her eyes.

"As for the representative for Management Class 2..."

She intentionally drew out the tone, her eyes locking onto the back of the classroom. "Let’s have Student Wang Can take it. Let’s see if you dare to fail my class again."

Wang Can, who hadn't raised his hand, froze in place, receiving envious glares from every direction.

The bell rang right on cue. Amidst the continuous cheers of the students, Jiang Yixue departed gracefully.

Several excited boys even ignored their dignity, shouting:

"Professor Jiang! I want to be your student for the rest of my life!"

"Professor Jiang, wait for me to graduate! I’ll come find you as soon as I do!"

"For you, I’m willing to stay single for four years!"

"..."

As the noise in the classroom faded, Wang Can sat in his chair, questioning his life.

*Something is wrong, something is very, very wrong! I’m definitely being targeted!*

Thinking of this, he bolted up from his seat, rushed to the podium, and grabbed his phone. He unlocked it, went straight to WeChat, found the chat box for Jiang Xue, and his fingers flew as he typed:

"Hello, why have you been so quiet these last two days?"

As soon as the message was sent, "The other party is typing..." appeared at the top of the screen, and a reply popped up immediately.

Wang Can calculated in his head; logically, Jiang Yixue shouldn't have even reached the stairwell yet.

"Chatting? You call our previous conversations 'chatting'?"

Wang Can scrolled up through the history and found the last entry was him snapping at her after she asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Don't sweat the details! What was it you wanted to ask? I guarantee I'll answer seriously. But in exchange, you have to answer one question of mine too."

He added: "You must be sincere, deal?"

Jiang Xue replied quickly: "Fine, but it depends on whether your answer is sincere enough."

"Ask away," Wang Can typed rapidly.

"You’re in Management Class 2, right? I heard there’s a boy in your department named Wang Can who’s very popular lately. What’s he like in person? Is he handsome?"

Wang Can raised an eyebrow. *Isn't she asking about me? Is she playing some kind of game?*

Wang Can: "Aren't there videos online? Just watch those."

While replying, he rushed to the window and stared downstairs.

About ten seconds later, Jiang Yixue walked out of the teaching building clutching her textbooks, her pace elegant as she turned the corner, never once looking down at her phone.

At the same time, Jiang Xue’s message arrived: "The videos are too blurry. I can only tell he’s quite tall, so what is he like exactly?"

*It’s really not her?*

Wang Can’s eyes rolled, and his fingers danced across the screen:

"Then you’ve asked the right person! He’s not only my classmate, but also my roommate. Let’s put it this way: his looks are the least of his virtues. Beyond that, he’s incredibly talented, helpful, and has great ambitions—he’s practically the lighthouse of my life, Chen Xiaobei!"