Pulling Strings

Ma Xiaotao looked utterly bewildered.

Her exquisite, picture-perfect face was now filled with confusion and incomprehension.

She could not help but wonder to herself, How is this completely different from what I expected?

She had originally thought her teacher would stop them because of Tang Lan's promiscuity,

that he would oppose their relationship because Tang Lan already had so many women around him.

Yet his attitude was so unexpected, so utterly beyond her imagination.

Hm?

Even Tang Lan had never expected Yan Shaozhe to say such a thing.

His heart, once full of vigilance and wariness, froze for a moment.

He had thought Yan Shaozhe would come aggressively to break him and Ma Xiaotao apart,

or, at the very least, throw stumbling blocks in their path

and set up all kinds of obstacles.

After all,

in his mind, a respected senior like Yan Shaozhe would surely be deeply displeased with his reputation for being fickle in love.

Tang Lan had even pictured Yan Shaozhe harshly rebuking him, along with all the cutting, spiteful remarks he might make.

Yet reality was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Well, well.

This Yan Shaozhe really knew what he was doing!

His understanding and open-mindedness genuinely took Tang Lan by surprise and filled him with delight.

Tang Lan could not help but sigh inwardly.

It seemed he had misunderstood Yan Shaozhe before.

He was not some rigid, stubborn man who could not understand human feelings.

Yan Shaozhe looked at Tang Lan. His deep gaze seemed capable of seeing through everything, and he naturally knew of the other's previous wariness and dissatisfaction toward him.

Yet his expression remained as calm as still water, completely unaffected by those emotions. He did not take them to heart.

Not a single ripple appeared on Yan Shaozhe's composed