Chapter 4: Fourth Dimension 1/2

Shi Zhang silently watched as Qiao Xuyang, in a daze, walked away until he was completely out of sight before turning his gaze back.

On the computer screen was a botanical English literature document. Despite spending quite some time in the café, Shi Zhang had only read a small section.

Shi Zhang couldn’t have imagined that on such an ordinary morning, he would encounter Song Fuzhi.

This was a distant person.

Over a decade had passed since they last met, and Shi Zhang thought he had long forgotten him. However, almost at first glance, he easily recognized his former high school junior.

Along with those unfamiliar emotions that had disappeared for many years, like damp moss growing wildly after a rainy day, they effortlessly surged back.

Song Fuzhi had grown much taller, with the body of a mature man, but his demeanor remained unchanged.

Fresh yet cold, not easily approachable.

Quietly, Shi Zhang sat across from Song Fuzhi, not looking at him, not speaking, but keenly sensing his presence.

He sensed him flipping through the pages of a book and sipping his cup.

His heart inexplicably beat heavy and fast, almost forming a continuous rhythm.

When the young handsome man brought flowers to Song Fuzhi, Shi Zhang even felt a long-lost impulse, followed by a reversal of blood flow and a suffocating heat in his head.

He intentionally swept his notebook onto the floor, deliberately delaying the time for the young man with roses; it was almost an instinctive move by Shi Zhang.

He didn’t want to watch the young man with roses chase after him.

It was a purely physiological reaction. Many years had passed, yet it remained ingrained in him—he couldn’t stand others getting close to Song Fuzhi.

Shi Zhang lightly frowned, forcing himself to stop this emotion.

After finishing his coffee, Shi Zhang sat alone, gazing at the scenery for a long time before getting up and driving to the school.

The not-so-small classroom was unexpectedly full. As Shi Zhang entered, the students’ voices of discussion quieted down, and all eyes turned to him.

Shi Zhang smiled slightly. “Welcome, everyone. I thought today’s attendance wouldn’t be very high.”

The students laughed softly, and a bold student in the front row said, “We can celebrate Valentine’s night later; Professor Shi’s class is not to be missed.”

Shi Zhang taught botany at the university, and his elective courses were always fully booked early.

His elective courses were easy and interesting; they didn’t require attendance, and diligent students could easily get good grades. The students had high praise for Professor Shi.

This semester, he was teaching “Botany in Everyday Life.” Shi Zhang picked up the chalk, wrote his name on the blackboard in neat characters, and then briefly explained the outline of the course, asking if there were any questions.

A student raised their hand and earnestly asked, “Professor, I always end up killing my plants. Can you teach me how to care for them?”

This was a common misconception, and Shi Zhang explained, “Being a botanist doesn’t necessarily mean taking care of plants, just like a programmer might not necessarily fix computers, or an educationist might not necessarily raise children.”

He smiled apologetically and said, “The plant I’ve kept the longest is a cactus, which lived for a year and a half; it froze to death when I left it outside in winter.”

The students laughed again, and someone asked, “Professor, do you raise children?”

“I raise Saxifraga stolonifera. It has beautiful flowers that resemble a lotus seat in their distribution. The cacti you see might look the same, but they could be different species with their own habits, and their flowers may vary.”

Shi Zhang transitioned to the topic of species diversity, paused, and responded to the joking question, “I don’t have children.”

After class, students gradually left. Shi Zhang was packing up when he noticed a girl standing at the podium, holding something in her hands.

“Didn’t you understand something in class?” Shi Zhang asked.

The girl, with braided hair and a subtly blushing face, calmly handed what she held to him: “Professor Shi, I took your class last semester and learned to make botanical specimens. This is a specimen book I made myself. I want to… give it to you.”

Shi Zhang carefully examined it, praising, “You did a great job.”

The girl’s eyes suddenly lit up, radiating sunshine from within.

“But I can’t accept it, and I won’t accept it.” Shi Zhang gently pushed the specimen book back to the girl, his tone gentle yet firm, even a bit unyielding.

“You’ve made such a beautiful specimen yourself; keeping it has much greater value than giving it to me.”

Shi Zhang, not exactly a standard handsome man with somewhat plain features, possessed an outstanding temperament and eloquence. Tall with long legs, every move exuded charm.

Perhaps due to his identity as a botanist, Shi Zhang emitted a gentle, plant-like aura—knowledgeable, humble, and elegant.

His old friend Ouyang Xi had once joked at a dinner table, saying Professor Shi was a disaster.

Elderly and gentle individuals were most likely to attract the admiration of young people. Students might not dare to say it out loud, but there were definitely those secretly wishing to engage in a student-teacher romance with Professor Shi.

Shi Zhang had put down his wine glass at the time, looking at Ouyang with an expression that brooked no nonsense, sternly stating that this was no joking matter.

Ouyang chuckled, spreading his hands. “See, your disaster lies right here! You, a botanist, possess alluring charm but refuse any pursuit. Hence, you become an unattainable moonlight in the hearts of countless young men and women, leaving a scar in their youth.”

Ouyang then asked, “What if young people see your wild side when you cosplay? Wouldn’t they go even crazier? Tsk tsk.”

Shi Zhang frowned disapprovingly, and only then did Ouyang reluctantly close his mouth.

In truth, Ouyang was well aware that Professor Shi didn’t just reject students’ pursuits; he rejected all pursuits indiscriminately. For thirty-four years, there had never been an exception.

When a person reached their thirties and was still single, it seemed unlikely. When that person was a handsome man, it seemed even more unbelievable. But if this handsome man was a second-generation otaku, you might think, well… Remaining single for over thirty years didn’t seem that strange.

Certainly, there’s more than just the two-dimensional aspect.

In the evening, Zhang had a game night organized by his friend Zhong. The three old friends hadn’t gathered in a long time, so they made plans to meet at a private restaurant.

Zhong Ziyan sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, her slender and powerful calves adorned with jewelry, elegantly posing in a pure black velvet dress, exuding a stylish charm.

Upon seeing Zhang, Zhong said, “Professor Zhang, you have to come to the comic expo during the summer break, okay?”

Zhang chuckled. “We haven’t even ordered the food, and you’re making requests already?”

Ouyang Xi skillfully poured red wine into a decanter, chuckled, and said, “Zhong Zi, you don’t even bother pretending anymore.”

“Just say if you’ll come or not,” Zhong Ziyan said.

Zhang playfully replied, “I’ll be busy collecting samples in the mountains during the summer break.”

“Busy, huh? Still letting the professor show off,” Ouyang teased.

Over the years, the three of them had become busy with their respective lives, and their meetings were infrequent.

After not seeing each other for a few months, they chatted for a long time, discussing various topics with enthusiasm.

Zhong Ziyan, with a whole group under her command, had a strong presence as CEO. Ouyang Xi, having worked as an analyst in the financial industry for almost ten years, had gained considerable recognition.

These two glittering individuals always managed to discuss many things that Zhang didn’t quite understand. Sitting between them in a plain dark green shirt, Zhang listened attentively, resembling a quiet plant but thoroughly engrossed.

They were like this: two teenagers in the arcade hall in their younger years, later pursuing different careers. However, whenever they met, they could talk about anything.

Zhong Ziyan tapped her cigarette box and took out a slim cigarette, her red lips embracing the filter. She glanced at Zhang and asked, “Mind if I smoke?”

“Go ahead,” Zhang replied.

“Do you want one?” Ouyang Xi offered the Davidoff box to Zhang, raising his eyebrows.

Looking at him, Zhang remarked, “You’re doing this on purpose.”

Zhong Ziyan laughed lightly, reminiscing about the past when Zhang was the most rebellious teenager in the neighborhood, and he was the one who introduced them to smoking.

“In the end, he quit smoking right after graduating from high school!” Ouyang Xi scolded Zhang jokingly. “Traitor, oh, traitor.”