Chapter 505 341: Making Empty Promises is an Art (Part 2)

She'd always been a good student, but she'd just been resting her head on her desk...

But she was finding it really hard to focus.

However, the professor didn't seem to mind. He just gave her a cheerful glance and looked away.

"Alright, boys, settle down. You can find beautiful women anytime."

After speaking, the male professor pointed to a few students in the back row. "I'm talking about you lot. Your necks are about to snap, aren't they? If you're going to stare, do it openly. Don't act like thieves."

One of the male students scratched his head sheepishly and explained, his tone a bit uncertain, "No, we were just discussing which major she's in."

"Yeah, we haven't seen her before," someone else chimed in.

Gu Muxue decided it was time. She spoke up, "Professor, she's my friend, but she doesn't go to this university. You should ask her to leave. I'm worried this will affect her own studies."

Lin Ruoxi's expression went blank. 'Gu Muxue really did report me...'

She quickly stood up. "Professor Ma Qiang, I came here specifically to attend your lecture."

Ma Qiang was taken aback. He glanced at the students around Lin Ruoxi—they were all female...

That ruled out the possibility that she was here for a boyfriend.

'She knows my name. Could she really have come just for my lecture?'

'But "Professor"?'

'Although it was highly likely I'd be promoted to associate professor, it hasn't happened yet. And here's a student already calling me that?'

'She must be a student from another university. They probably have a certain idealized view of our school.'

He shook his head. "Don't just call me that. I'm not a professor."

Lin Ruoxi hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I read the paper you published in SCI this year, the one about complexity science..."

"I believe it's only a matter of time before you're promoted to full professor," Lin Ruoxi said earnestly. She had noticed that Ma Qiang had published many papers in a short period, most likely to secure a promotion.

Ma Qiang's eyes widened in an instant. He murmured, "What's your name? What year are you?"

Lin Ruoxi swallowed. 'Xue Rui's method actually worked. It looks like the professor isn't going to kick me out...'

She said, "My name is Lin Ruoxi, and I'm a freshman..."

"I've already tested out of my own courses, so attending this lecture won't affect my studies."

"You've studied this deeply already. Do you have a particular field of application you're interested in?" Ma Qiang asked curiously.

"Mm, yes. I want to train artificial intelligence models, which requires knowledge of neural networks..." After saying this, Lin Ruoxi recalled what Xue Rui had told her to say and quickly added:

"Professor Ma, you're a leading expert in the field of complexity science. If no one audits your lectures, I think it's their loss."

Some students looked completely astonished. 'Our professor is that amazing?'

Ma Qiang struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up, afraid he might laugh out loud in class. After clearing his throat twice, he said, "Lin Ruoxi, you may sit down. My lectures are open to the public anyway. Anyone who's interested is welcome to come."

'Encountering a genius like this is truly a rare opportunity.'

More importantly, this genius was also an incredibly sweet talker. The students below were now looking at him with noticeably more respect than before, and their attitude toward the class had improved considerably.

Gu Muxue stared at Lin Ruoxi in disbelief. 'That whole speech was full of holes...'

Lin Ruoxi's brilliance was undeniable, but what good would attending a freshman-level introductory course do for her?

'Came here specifically for the lecture?'

'I don't buy it. She's obviously just here to stick close to me...'

But now their professor was beaming with pride. There was no way he would kick Lin Ruoxi out...

"You knew I would try to get you kicked out, didn't you?" Gu Muxue said through gritted teeth.

"Mhm, that's why I prepared what to say in advance. You can't get rid of me," Lin Ruoxi whispered.

Gu Muxue pouted. "Shameless."

"Have a cherry, friend of this scoundrel." Under the desk, Lin Ruoxi grabbed Gu Muxue's hand and secretly slipped a cherry into her palm.

Although Gu Muxue had been trying to get her kicked out, she had also admitted that they were friends.

Gu Muxue popped the cherry into her mouth. Its sweet and sour complexity reminded her of her relationship with Lin Ruoxi...

After finishing it, Gu Muxue was suddenly faced with a dilemma. Where was she going to spit out the pit?

As Gu Muxue searched for a tissue, she saw Lin Ruoxi extend her hand in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Gu Muxue frowned.

'I only took one cherry from her, and now she's holding her hand out, palm up. What could she possibly want from me?'

"Spit it into my hand," Lin Ruoxi whispered.

Gu Muxue stared blankly. Lin Ruoxi wanted the cherry pit from her mouth.

"Who taught you to do that?" Gu Muxue said, her face flushing. The pit had been in her mouth, so it would definitely be covered in her saliva, and Lin Ruoxi wanted to catch it with her bare hand.

She really had no idea how to interact with Lin Ruoxi anymore...

"You're not grossed out?" Gu Muxue asked quietly.

"Are you going to spit it on the floor?" Lin Ruoxi retorted. She didn't think it was a big deal. She often did the same for Xue Rui, catching all sorts of things he spat out.

Gu Muxue snorted, found a tissue, and spat the pit into it.

Lin Ruoxi reluctantly pulled her hand back, thinking, 'Making Xue Rui happy is so simple. Why is it so hard to make Gu Muxue happy?'

...

After class, Lin Ruoxi was stopped by Professor Ma Qiang. He was very curious about the extent of Lin Ruoxi's knowledge and even more curious why a student of her caliber was attending Chang'an University. However, these were personal questions, so he chose to discuss them after class.

After asking a few simple questions, Ma Qiang got a general sense of Lin Ruoxi's level. She was progressing quickly and had a very solid foundation.

He sighed. "Lin Ruoxi, attending a freshman-level course is a complete waste of your time."

Lin Ruoxi was growing anxious. She couldn't find Gu Muxue anywhere...

She remembered what Xue Rui had said: "Dangling a carrot is an art form."

"A boss has to dangle a carrot for their employees, and you need to learn how to dangle one for your professor."