"Nora Scott, stop right there!"
The voice was loud and full of authority.
The sharp-eyed elder recognized Nora Scott from her silhouette among the many figures.
To prevent Professor Duncan from causing a scene and losing his professorial dignity, Nora halted her steps.
It was evidently impolite to face her teacher while wearing sunglasses, so Nora hooked her finger around one of the legs of her sunglasses and took them off.
The legs of the sunglasses brushed against her dangling hair, causing each strand to sway. Her stunning face was fully revealed, drawing the attention of passing glances, which lingered in admiration but stopped just short of being intrusive.
Observing Nora’s helpless expression, Pedro Langley curved his lips slightly and subtly leaned closer to her.
Almost whispering, he asked, "Do you really have to hide?"
His low, hoarse voice lingered in the air, and she could distinctly feel his breath on her exposed skin, causing a ripple of discomfort.
Only then did Nora realize how close they were standing.
"Weren’t you going for a walk?"
The implication was clear: once entangled with him, it’d be hard to stroll freely.
She discreetly let go of his sleeve.
Measuring the distance between them with his eyes, Pedro paused slightly and said, "I don’t mind."
The footsteps behind them grew louder, each one seemingly filled with rage.
Resigned to her fate, Nora turned around to face the respected old professor and composed her casual demeanor. She called out, "Professor Duncan."
Though over sixty, Professor Duncan was full of vitality, and his eyes were spirited as he glared.
"You still acknowledge me as your teacher?!" Like a firecracker, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
"I’m only 24." Nora laughed, fighting back tears.
"My memory’s still good."
Professor Duncan was rendered speechless by her retort.
Standing to the side, Pedro laughed softly, worried that the enraged Professor Duncan might take action against Nora, and timely intervened, "Professor Duncan."
As he spoke, Professor Duncan, who had been entirely focused on Nora, finally noticed Pedro’s presence.
After giving Pedro a couple of looks, Professor Duncan’s furious demeanor somewhat softened. His gaze swept back and forth between Nora and Pedro several times before he calmly asked one question—
"Are you two married yet?"
He was aware of the relationship between Nora and Pedro from earlier years.
Back when Nora hadn’t taken a leave of absence, Pedro often came to meet her and, interested in the content of Professor Duncan’s course, would occasionally sit through a couple of classes with her.
Having taught for many years, he had seen numerous student couples. Though Pedro had already graduated by then, in Professor Duncan’s eyes, Pedro and Nora were... the most promising pair at that time.
However, Nora soon took a leave of absence, and he lost contact with both her and Pedro.
In his view, if they were still together by now, they must have reached the point of starting a family.
Nora was taken aback by Professor Duncan’s question.
Just as she was about to explain, Pedro casually chimed in—
It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it felt odd.
"Not yet?" Professor Duncan was visibly surprised and almost instinctively looked at Nora, advising earnestly, "You’re already of a mature age for marriage. Don’t be willful, don’t keep dragging this on."
Pedro once again nonchalantly remarked, "It’s not up to her."
Professor Duncan hesitated, glanced at Pedro, and then, without any reproach, waved his hand, saying, "Alright, as long as you two have your plans figured out."
Nora raised an eyebrow.
This... what’s happening?
Oddly enough, Pedro even affirmed with a seemingly genuine "Hmm."
Unable to stand it any longer, Nora glared sideways at him.
Pedro’s expression remained unchanged, pretending not to notice.
Before Nora could pursue it further, Professor Duncan had already shifted the topic, directing a burst of educational scolding at Nora, "Are you deliberately avoiding me? Montague already told me you were here. If I hadn’t hurried to find you, would you just have pretended I didn’t exist?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Usually, students would eagerly gather around him, excited to see him. But Nora seemed to prefer to avoid him.
"I won’t eat you!" Professor Duncan added irritably.
"I didn’t know you were here." Placing her sunglasses in her pocket, Nora unhurriedly explained, "I planned to take a walk first and then visit our department."
Evidently aware of Nora’s talent for making things up, Professor Duncan turned directly to ask Pedro.
Simultaneously, Nora shot Pedro a warning look.
Did she really seem that unreliable?
His approach toward her now seemed as if he really was ’up to something’...
With a helpless chuckle, Pedro nodded, "Yes, really."
Professor Duncan remained skeptical, pondering for a moment before muttering, "After all, you’re on her side."
Choosing not to pursue these matters that had no real meaning, Professor Duncan, not one to easily let Nora go now that he saw her again, immediately led the two toward the mechanical engineering faculty area.
Nora and Pedro had no choice but to follow behind.
Walking side by side with Pedro, Nora leaned slightly closer, asking in a low voice, "Why didn’t you clarify it with him?"
Initially, she didn’t realize it, but upon reflection, Pedro’s few words seemed to imply a "misleading" intent...
Casually glacing at her, Pedro lightly retorted, "Do you want to infuriate him again?"
Nora was left speechless.
Back then, she was one of Professor Duncan’s highly valued students. Starting from her sophomore year, he had always asked if she intended to pursue further studies and repeatedly assured her that if she wanted to stay at their school, she should undoubtedly apply under him.
With Professor Duncan’s status in the field, every student was vying for the chance to work with him...
She had insisted on taking a leave of absence back then, and although she didn’t regret it, she felt somewhat apologetic due to Professor Duncan’s ’attention.’
In any case, this misunderstanding didn’t have much impact.
Thinking this way, the two had already reached the faculty area. As they walked, students familiar with Professor Duncan exchanged respectful greetings with him.
At the same time, due to Nora and Pedro’s striking appearances and aura, many couldn’t resist taking a few more glances at them.
From a booth nearby, an excited voice suddenly called out—
"Hey, Senior! You’re here!"
Pedro’s gaze flickered, a hint of chilliness in his eyes.
However, Montague, who felt the temperature drop a few degrees around him, only confusedly rubbed his arms before continuing to shout at Nora, "Senior, come check this mechanical table. What do you think?!"
Nora followed the voice and glanced over nonchalantly, then suddenly stopped.
Curling her lips, Nora’s voice lowered, carrying a hint of amusement, "Quite intriguing."
The surrounding noise was loud, but her voice, close enough to Pedro, was clear and audible.
His eyes moved downward, landing on the display booth showcasing several mechanical arms.
After a moment, Pedro squinted slightly.