Seriously, sir? You can even pursue a professor?

The bathroom door was pushed open, and Tang Zheng came out, revealing a small cut on his forehead from being cut by glass. The band-aid that had been on was wet, and he had casually taken it off and thrown it into the trash can while taking a shower.

The living room was brightly lit, and Ruan Hongzhuang was leaning against the sofa reading a book.

Tang Zheng sat down on the sofa, took out a new band-aid from the small first-aid kit under the coffee table, tore open the seal, and handed it to Ruan Hongzhuang next to him. "Put this on for me, Aunt Ruan, on my forehead."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang looked up, took the band-aid, and her gaze fell on the wound on his forehead. She leaned over, her long hair gently sliding down her shoulders with the movement, carrying the light fragrance of shampoo.

Ruan Hongzhuang gently placed the band-aid on Tang Zheng's forehead, pressing the edges lightly with her soft fingertips.

Tang Zheng raised his hand to touch the newly applied bandage, and sighed with feigned distress, "I guess you could call this a disfigurement? Aunt Ruan, what am I going to do if I can't find a girlfriend in the future?"

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him and said indifferently, "Then you should find a boyfriend."

Tang Zheng: "..."

"I think if I try hard, I should be able to find a girlfriend."

No wonder he can become a professor; his problem-solving approach is truly outstanding.

Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open, and Tang Rui walked out with her hair disheveled, rubbing her sleepy eyes, which still held a trace of drowsiness.

"Why are you up so early, kid?" She glanced at Tang Zheng on the sofa, her tone somewhat surprised.

It's not surprising that Hongzhuang gets up early; her good friend has always been very self-disciplined. But her good brother, ever since the college entrance exam, has been like a wild donkey that has broken free of its reins, letting himself go completely. It's common for him to sleep until noon.

Tang Zheng looked at her and said, "Do you think everyone is as lazy as you?"

"You just wait, kid! I'll skin you alive!" Tang Rui said, turning and walking towards the bathroom.

"Someone wants to skin me alive, Aunt Ruan, what do you think?" Tang Zheng turned to look at Ruan Hongzhuang beside him and asked seriously.

"I'll sit and watch."

Tang Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "Sitting is too tiring to watch. Aunt Ruan, you can watch it lying down."

……

After breakfast, the three of them went downstairs together to the community parking lot.

Tang Zheng, an excellent laborer, pulled Aunt Ruan's suitcase to the back of the car and put it in the trunk.

The suitcase was very heavy, and most of it contained various materials that Ruan Hongzhuang had brought back from attending an academic exchange conference.

He closed the trunk, opened the back door, and got in. Tang Rui, in the driver's seat, glanced at the rearview mirror and casually asked, "Why are you sitting in the back?"

"I'm traumatized, I don't want to sit in the passenger seat anymore," Tang Zheng said as he fastened his seatbelt, offering a perfectly reasonable explanation.

Tang Rui didn't say anything more and started the car.

Previously, because she didn't have time, she asked Tang Zheng to pick up Ruan Hongzhuang from the airport. Fortunately, the car accident the day before yesterday did not cause any harm to Tang Zheng, otherwise she would have felt guilty to death.

The car drove smoothly away from the parking lot, and a faint fragrance wafted over. Tang Zheng glanced at Ruan Hongzhuang beside him.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating her profile and making her look exceptionally beautiful.

Soon, the car entered Jinghan University. After driving for a while, Tang Zheng and Ruan Hongzhuang got out of the car first, while Tang Rui drove alone to the parking lot on the other side of the school.

School is about to let out for summer break, so his older sister will be quite busy these next few days.

Tang Zheng pulled his suitcase and walked side by side with Ruan Hongzhuang on the tree-lined path leading to the school. A gentle breeze brushed their cheeks, carrying the faint fragrance of osmanthus.

Looking at the familiar campus, Tang Zheng suddenly felt as if he were walking the same path he had come from.

However, this time, he should leave a different mark.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the teachers' apartment building. As soon as they entered the gate, they were met by a woman in her early thirties. She wore thin-rimmed glasses, had a dignified appearance, an intellectual air, and a gentle smile on her face.

"You're back, Hongzhuang?" the woman greeted her warmly.

"Yes, Sister Yang," Ruan Hongzhuang nodded in response.

Yang Ningxi's gaze fell on Tang Zheng beside Ruan Hongzhuang, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "Who is this?"

"My friend's younger brother brought me a suitcase," Ruan Hongzhuang replied.

"Oh, then you go ahead with your work, Hongzhuang. I have something to do here, so I'll be going now."

"Okay, sure."

Tang Zheng glanced at Yang Ningxi's departing figure, then turned to Ruan Hongzhuang and whispered, "Um... why don't you go up by yourself, Aunt Ruan? I'm leaving."

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I just felt that it might be inappropriate for others to see me going up here like this?"

Although it was broad daylight, it did seem a bit inappropriate for such a handsome and innocent young man to follow Aunt Ruan back to her apartment.

In his previous life, he had visited Aunt Ruan's apartment a few times, but he always came with Tang Rui.

"Stop thinking about useless things," Ruan Hongzhuang said, stepping towards the elevator.

"You're so clever, everything you think of is useful," Tang Zheng muttered as he watched her departing figure, then pulled his suitcase and followed her.

Since Aunt Ruan doesn't care, why should this handsome and innocent young man be so pretentious?

The elevator arrived at the third floor, and Tang Zheng followed Aunt Ruan to the innermost apartment door. Ruan Hongzhuang took out a key from her pocket, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently. With a "click," the door opened.

The two entered the house, and Tang Zheng changed into a pair of slightly tight women's slippers before carrying his heavy suitcase inside.

The apartment isn't very big, about 30 square meters, with one bedroom, one living room, and one bathroom. The decor is simple, mainly gray and white. There aren't any cute or pink decorations that girls usually have in the room. Two tall white bookshelves stand against the wall, filled with books from bottom to top, almost taking up one wall.

"Where should I put my suitcase, Aunt Ruan?"

"Put it in that corner over there," Ruan Hongzhuang pointed.

"it is good."

Ruan Hongzhuang went to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of purified water, opened the cap, took two sips, and then turned to Tang Zheng, who had just put down his suitcase, and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

"Cola."

"no."

"So what?"

"water."

Tang Zheng: "..."

"Then have some water."

He strongly suspected that the woman was deliberately making fun of him.

Ruan Hongzhuang took another bottle of purified water from the refrigerator, came to Tang Zheng's side, and handed it to him.

Tang Zheng took the water, unscrewed the cap, and was about to drink when he heard her say, "Take a break, and then help me move that cabinet further in." Ruan Hongzhuang pointed to the wardrobe next to her.

Tang Zheng stopped drinking water, looked at her, and said, "Aunt Ruan, you didn't ask me to come up here just so I could help you with chores, did you?"

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at him, "Not too stupid."

Tang Zheng: "..."

"What are the benefits?"

Ruan Hongzhuang pointed to the bottled water in Tang Zheng's hand, "This water is for you."

Tang Zheng: "..."

"I'm not drinking it anymore, here you go."

As Tang Zheng spoke, he twisted the bottle cap back on and handed it to Ruan Hongzhuang.

"No returns or exchanges after opening." Ruan Hongzhuang turned around and walked towards the sofa.

Tang Zheng glanced at Ruan Hongzhuang's departing figure, then at the bottle of purified water in his hand, unscrewed the cap again, and took two large gulps.

From childhood to adulthood, the path he walked most often was the one paved with this woman's tricks, and he had never gained the upper hand over her.

So what if I'm a few years older than him? Is it really necessary to bully me like this?

Ouch... the water's freezing cold!

A few minutes later, Tang Zheng moved the wardrobe to the spot Aunt Ruan had specified, turned to look at Ruan Hongzhuang who was sitting on the sofa reading a book, and asked, "Any further instructions, Professor Ruan?"

Ruan Hongzhuang, head down, was reading a book. "That's all. You can go now."

"Oh," Tang Zheng replied, then went straight to Ruan Hongzhuang's side and sat down with a thud.

Ruan Hongzhuang looked up at him.

"I'm tired, take a rest." Tang Zheng looked at her and said calmly.

In fact, according to his previous life, he would have left after finishing his work.

After all, he had lived under the domineering presence of two women since he was a child, and he was used to it.

No complaints, no regrets, working hard without complaint.

There are no slaves in the new society, unless he has an older sister and an aunt named Ruan.

But he is no longer the Tang Zheng he once was; he wants to change! He wants to fight! He wants to rise up!

Professor Ruan showed no reaction to Tang Zheng's display of bravado and turned his attention back to his book.

Tang Zheng stared at her for a couple of seconds, then got up and went to the bookshelf. He randomly picked up a book, flipped through it, and glanced at it.

Sorry to bother you.

Tang Zheng put the book back on the shelf, picked up another one, and opened it...

Sorry to bother you again.

"The third book in the first row on the left, you should be able to understand some of it."

Tang Zheng paused for a moment. Who does this guy think he is?

The third book in the first row, right? Let's look at that one!

Tang Zheng took the book down and returned to the sofa.

People should have self-awareness and avoid being overly ambitious.

The book was titled "The Shape of Time," with a simple cover design. He opened the book and began to read slowly. At first, he could keep up with the pace, reading from Galileo's principle of relativity to Newton's classical view of space and time. But the further he read, the more complicated the derivations and explanations about the constancy of the speed of light and the dilation of time became, the more they tangled in his mind, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

Tang Zheng handed the book to Ruan Hongzhuang, pointed to a passage, and asked her a question without hesitation.

Ruan Hongzhuang turned her head, her gaze falling on the words he was pointing to. She didn't answer immediately, but reached out and took the book, her fingertips lightly brushing across the pages, turning to the previous page with the illustration.

"Remember this: the speed of light is constant. No matter which frame of reference you are looking at it from, the speed of light is constant and will not change because of you..." Her voice was calm and gentle, yet it carried a reassuring certainty.

Just then, Ruan Hongzhuang's expression suddenly changed slightly, and her brows furrowed gently.

"What's wrong, Aunt Ruan?" Tang Zheng noticed the change in her expression and asked with concern.

"It's okay, I'm going to the restroom." Ruan Hongzhuang put the book on the coffee table, got up and walked to a storage cabinet not far away. She opened the cabinet door, took something out of it, and walked towards the restroom.

Ruan Hongzhuang stayed in the restroom for quite a while, about seven or eight minutes, before she came out. She was holding her lower abdomen with one hand, slightly bent over, walking very slowly, her face was a little pale, and there were fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

Tang Zheng came out of the kitchen and, seeing this, quickly stepped forward and took her arm, saying, "Let me help you to bed to rest for a while. Drink some hot water to calm down, Aunt Ruan."

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at the water glass he was holding in his other hand, nodded, and said, "Mm."

Tang Zheng placed the water glass on the bedside table and helped Ruan Hongzhuang lie down on the bed.

"This water is a little hot from the boiling, Aunt Ruan, please wait a few minutes before drinking it," Tang Zheng said, pulling the blanket next to him over her.

"Mmm." Ruan Hongzhuang pursed her lips and responded weakly.

Tang Zheng tucked the blanket in, went to the coffee table, unplugged the electric heater that was placed next to him, and returned to the bedside.

"I didn't go through your things, Aunt Ruan. I saw this electric heating pad when you opened the cabinet just now," Tang Zheng explained, lifting a corner of the blanket and placing the warm electric heating pad next to her.

Ruan Hongzhuang picked up the electric heating pad and placed it on her lower abdomen. The warm sensation seeped through her clothes, and Ruan Hongzhuang's furrowed brows relaxed a little.

"Thanks."

A gentle, magnetic voice rang out.

Tang Zheng glanced at Ruan Hongzhuang with some surprise, then took out his phone from his pocket. "Um... Aunt Ruan, could you say it again? I'll record it and keep it as a keepsake."

Ruan Hongzhuang looked up at him, her red lips parted slightly, and she uttered a single word.

"roll."

It has a pleasant, magnetic tone.

Tang Zheng straightened his face and said sternly to Ruan Hongzhuang on the bed, "Aunt Ruan, you are a teacher, how can you swear at people! This is extremely wrong!"

As Tang Zheng spoke, he tucked the blanket in again.

"roll."

The soft voice rang out again, equally pleasant and magnetic.

Tang Zheng took his phone out of his pocket again. "Aunt Ruan, could you yell at me again? I'll record it and use it as an alarm clock to spur me on every day."

Ruan Hongzhuang remained silent for a few seconds, then simply closed her eyes and ignored him.

Tang Zheng glanced at Ruan Hongzhuang's beautiful face and a smug smile appeared on his lips. He had finally managed to turn the tables a little.

There's a saying that goes, "When a person is shameless enough, they become invincible."

"Aunt Ruan, is there anything else you need?"

Ruan Hongzhuang kept her eyes closed, resting, and ignored him.

"Aunt Ruan, you should rest well. I have something to do and will be back in about an hour. Call me if you need anything."

"You don't need to come back."

"No, I'm still waiting to ask you some questions," Tang Zheng said, turning and walking towards the door without waiting for her reply.

After changing his shoes, Tang Zheng picked up the keys from the shoe cabinet, turned to Ruan Hongzhuang on the bed, and instructed her, "Remember to drink the hot water by the bedside, Aunt Ruan, it'll get cold soon."

Without waiting for her response, Tang Zheng opened the door and walked out.

The door closed, and Ruan Hongzhuang opened her eyes, glanced at the hot water on the bedside table, and closed them again.

She wouldn't drink it.