The Youngest Professor

Chapter Twenty-Six

Perhaps it was because he had encountered Xu Wenyan for the first time since his rebirth during the day.

That night, Ye Nanxun had another nightmare.

His eyes throbbed with pain, unable to see anything. There was only blackness—thick, inescapable blackness.

He could no longer see.

A chill rose from the depths of his heart.

From a single drop of water, it spread into a pitch-black deep sea with no visible shore and nothing to grasp.

Baseless malice turned into countless hands, ruthlessly shoving him off a cliff and into the deep sea.

He was engulfed by weightlessness.

Falling into the depths, unable to find his center.

Icy seawater flooded his mouth and nose. Just as he was nearly suffocating, a chime rang by his ear, pulling him out of the drenched nightmare.

His back was covered in a fine sheen of cold sweat as Ye Nanxun abruptly sat up in bed.

His chest heaved like a broken bellows, harsh, rapid breaths escaping his throat.

His face beneath the dim yellow nightlight was unnaturally pale.

A pale green gleam flickered in his unfocused eyes, like a forest glowing with fireflies.

Ye Nanxun picked up the phone on his bedside table. It was 2:34 a.m., and he had received Yan Beiyou's reply.

"Working this late?"

In the quiet night, Ye Nanxun murmured softly.

He did not dream again for the rest of the night.

Over the following days, Ye Nanxun used his recovery as an excuse to turn down every social engagement he disliked.

He Lanxue and Ye Zhineng did not come to disturb him again, only sending him the occasional message.

He Lanxue told him that William, the gallery owner, had been furious over Xu Wenyan's behavior that day and would no longer allow Xu Wenyan into any of his galleries.

Perhaps still feeling guilty about what had happened that day, He Lanxue's messages to Ye Nanxun always carried a measure of caution.

Though they were biological siblings, He Lanxue and He Yiming had completely different personalities.

Ye Zhineng did not mention Xu Wenyan. That hypocrite treated Ye Nanxun far more warmly than before.

It was as though he had truly begun to regard Ye Nanxun as his cousin.

Jiang Yuenian came with the doctor to visit Ye Nanxun once more during that time.

Openly expressing his admiration for the young omega, Jiang Yuenian asked whether Ye Nanxun had any interest in pursuing a career in music in the future.

Ye Nanxun politely declined.

He enjoyed playing the piano and violin, but he had no plans to make music his profession.

Ye Nanxun answered honestly, "Teacher Jiang, thank you for your appreciation, but when spring comes next year, I plan to return to school."

Jiang Yuenian knew nothing of Ye Nanxun's past. He knew even less that the clean, clear-eyed young omega before him had spent the past decade or more studying online from home.

Ye Nanxun's technique was not the best, but Jiang Yuenian saw a rare purity and expressive power in the young man.

Given time, Jiang Yuenian was certain that under his guidance, Ye Nanxun would become an exceptionally outstanding musician.

Suppressing his regret, Jiang Yuenian asked, "Which school does Nanxun attend?"

At Ye Nanxun's age, he should have been in university.

"Dream Star Academy."

Ye Nanxun was not going to university.

More than a month ago, he had already contacted Dream Star Academy and recently reached an agreement with them.

At nineteen, an age when most people were still attending university, Ye Nanxun became a professor of microbiology at Dream Star Academy.

Even during the days he had been in a wheelchair, Ye Nanxun had not been idle.

He made several trips to Dream Star Academy, met with the relevant staff and leaders, and signed his name on a long-term appointment contract.

He came alone in his wheelchair, and when he left, he did so alone as well.

He politely declined anyone's offer to see him off.

After he left, news that the Academy had gained a young professor spread.

In the research building's cafeteria, people discussed that morning's events while resting and eating.

"He's only nineteen and already a professor. If I hadn't interviewed him several times, I wouldn't have believed those research papers were written by him."

"Didn't you read his file? He's an SS-class omega. With that level of mental power, his starting point is beyond what ordinary people can compare to."

"That's true, but not every top-tier alpha or omega can produce so many outstanding research results at that age. At least in microbiology, Professor Ye can be considered top talent."

Ye Nanxun's file listed his mental power level, but contained no specific information about his pheromones.

That was personal privacy and was not usually investigated or disclosed.

"Professor Jiang used to be the youngest professor at our Academy of Sciences, and now we have another Professor Ye." The speaker teased the handsome alpha at the table, who had remained silent and focused on eating. "Professor Jiang, I heard that Professor Ye is not only young, but especially striking-looking."

The alpha who had been called on raised his head. A pair of thin-rimmed glasses rested on his high nose bridge, making him look refined and handsome.

Jiang Ying smiled faintly. "Enough. When he arrives, don't scare him."

Jiang Ying was one of the four alphas entangled with Xu Wenyan.

Ye Nanxun sat in a café near the Academy of Sciences, his clear, pale green eyes fixed absently on the view beyond the glass window.

He recalled what he knew about Jiang Ying.

An outstanding biologist, he had received a lifetime appointment contract from Dream Star Academy at just twenty-one, becoming the youngest professor before Ye Nanxun.

He seemed like an alpha of extreme rationality and perfection, yet beneath that refined and elegant exterior hid tainted, blackened flesh and soul.

Jiang Ying looked down on the mediocre-minded Xu Wenyan from the bottom of his heart, yet indulged in the degradation, darkness, and excitement Xu Wenyan brought him.

Disgust flashed across Ye Nanxun's brow. He lowered his head and took a sip of his hot Americano, suppressing the nausea rising within him.

He still felt uncomfortable after drinking it. He wanted to gesture for a server to bring him some hot water, but after years of living reclusively and speaking little, he suddenly did not know how to ask.

Ye Nanxun inwardly mocked himself. He took a deep breath, preparing to gather his courage before greeting the server.

"Ding—ling."

A door shielding the café from the cold wind was pushed open from outside.

The newcomer wore a black overcoat. He was tall and straight, with a handsome face; slanted brows pressed over deep-set eyes, lending him an imposing air.

His pitch-black eyes seemed veiled by a thin layer of ice, carrying a trace of coldness.

The moment he entered, the man drew everyone's attention in the café.

Yet intimidated by the pressure of a top-tier alpha, most people only dared to glance at him hastily before quickly looking away.

Top-tier alphas and omegas possessed the ability to make others aware of their high mental power merely by appearing, without needing to say a word.

For example, the alpha who had just entered the café.

And the breathtakingly beautiful omega in a wheelchair who had sat by the window not long before.

Someone watched discreetly, wondering which table this handsome, towering top-tier alpha would approach.

When they saw him walk straight toward that cool and elegant omega, it somehow felt only natural.

When those black, indifferent eyes met the young omega's gaze, the coldness in them silently melted away.

"Have you been waiting long?" The alpha sat down under the omega's puzzled gaze.

Ye Nanxun's pupils contracted slightly. "Mr. Yan?"