Fancy Me, Professor!

[TRIGGER WARNING: A topic about depression is briefly stated here. If you are uncomfortable about it, please skip the chapter.]

***

Shi Lian took a shower, staying more than she should under it. With her head leaning against the bathroom wall, she sighed, closing her eyes as the song on her playlist played next.

She is the kind of person who cannot go inside the bathroom without taking her phone to play music.

***

I'm mad at Disney, Disney

They tricked me, tricked me

Had me wishing on a shooting star

But now I'm twenty-something

I still know nothing

About who I am or what I'm not

***

The song "Mad at Disney" by Saleme Ilese played, making her listen to the lyrics of the song as she continued scrubbing the loofa on her skin to further lather the soap on her.

***

So call me a pessimist

But I don't believe in it

Finding a true love's kiss is bullshit

***

Shi Lian remembered the kiss that she had with Zhang Ren. With her grip tightening on the loofa, she opened her eyes, another blush coming to her face since it is indeed her first kiss with a man.

***

'Cause I felt sad love

I felt bad love

Sometimes happy love (happy love)

Turns into giving up (giving up)

I felt hurt love

By the word love

What the hell is love supposed to feel like?

What the hell is love? What the hell is love?

What the hell is love supposed to feel like?

***

'Damn that Zhang Ren,' Shi Lian cursed him in her thoughts, the last three lines of the chorus attacking her. With her furrowing her brows in annoyance, she threw the loofa from across the shower, the loofa hitting the wall.

'Why did he kiss me? When this is just an act? With me developing a crush on him… this is dangerous for me as it is now making me think of him!'

***

My fairy grandma warned me

Cinderella's story

Only ended in a bad divorce

The prince ain't sleeping when he

Takes his sleeping beauty

To the motel on his snow-white horse

So call me a pessimist

But I don't believe in it

Finding a true love's kiss is bullshit

***

"No, Shi Lian…"

She now spoke, talking to herself.

"It's just a kiss, you can choose to ignore it and not think about it. It doesn't have a meaning behind it. Don't be naïve since it's just something that happened to keep the act together."

With that said, a scoff then soon came from her, making her turn off the shower after she rinsed the soap from her body.

With her getting her towel from the bathroom chair, she wrapped it around her body, already wrapping another towel around her head to dry her hair.

***

'Cause I felt sad love

I felt bad love

Sometimes happy love (happy love)

Turns into giving up (giving up)

I felt hurt love

By the word love (word love)

What the hell is love supposed to feel like?

What the hell is love? What the hell is love?

What the hell is love supposed to feel like?

What the hell is love? What the hell is love?

What the hell is love supposed to feel like?

I'm mad at Disney, Disney

They tricked me, tricked me

No more wishing on a shooting star

***

With the song finally ending, at the same moment, an unknown number was calling her, making her arch a brow at it, curious as to who is calling her around 10 in the evening.

"It's rather late," Shi Lian mumbled to herself, already putting the phone against her ear as she leaned on the bathroom sink. "Who could be calling?"

With the call now answered, Shi Lian spoke, immediately getting a reply.

"Yes, who is this?"

"Hello, Shi Lian."

A man's voice was heard, Shi Lian's eyes widening in surprise as she unexpectedly heard who the person is on the other line as he introduced himself.

"This is Mr. Chen, Zhang Ren's grandfather. I'm sorry for calling so suddenly."

"O-oh!"

Shi Lian's body stiffened, suddenly nervous of talking to such a big shot.

"I-it's alright. Umm… is something the matter?"

Mr. Chen did not answer for a while. With a sigh heard from the other end of the call, Shi Lian waited for his reply expectantly, her heart beating on her chest as she still wondered why he's calling.

"First of all, I'm sorry for calling your private phone number," he started, "It's just that with my Zhang Ren now finally talking to someone, I'm happy and wanted to meet the people my grandson is with," he added, Shi Lian, discreetly letting out a sigh to calm herself before sitting on the bathroom chair.

"I understand," Shi Lian said with a  small smile appearing on her face. "Zhang Ren is a good person, and I'm glad to meet him."

"I'm happy," Mr. Chen said, his voice slightly changing as a sadder one came next. "Since he left the country to recuperate from the environment, I… I-I'm glad that he has finally made friends! When he told me that he will visit a friend's house, reading the word 'friend' surprised me—I just had to call."

Shi Lian didn't know why, but when she heard the sadness in the tone of his voice, she couldn't help but want to ask about Zhang Ren—with the information thrown that he is 'recuperating from the environment.'

"If I may, Mr. Chen," Shi Lian started, getting the courage to ask him a question. "Did something happen to Zhang Ren… that made you worry so much about him?"

Mr. Chen didn't answer for a while. With a heavy sigh heard from the other end of the call, he spoke, getting Shi Lian's full attention.

"Since you are the only friend of Zhang Ren that he mentioned, then I guess I could tell you this," he said, what he said next further surprising Shi Lian, even making tears pool in her eyes with how unexpected this information is.

"You see… Zhang Ren has depression and he almost attempted suicide until I caught him. He said he wanted to leave Country S—desperately… that is why I did such lengths to hide every personal information about him and put him there in City S in Country C instead… until he says he's okay."