Chapter 3

Looking at the pouring rain outside the window, I crouched down and sent Professor Ryan a pitiful cat emoji, begging him to come pick me up.

Professor Ryan's chat bubble showed "typing" for a long time, but no message came through.

My spirits lifted - surely this meant Professor Ryan still had feelings for me.

I immediately called him.

"It's raining, and this poor little kitten can't find his way home. Won't you help him, kind professor?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment. Just as I thought he was going to hang up, the professor's cool voice came through.

"Poor little kitten, I sympathize with your plight. Unfortunately, I've injured my leg and can't come. Besides, as a man, you shouldn't always rely on others when facing difficulties. You need to learn to be strong on your own."

Me: ???

Is this really the Professor Ryan I know? He can't even be bothered to come up with a believable lie?

It seems I was overthinking things. How could Professor Ryan still have feelings for me? He was probably just thinking of how to reject me politely earlier.

"I guess love really does fade away." I dejectedly pulled the phone away, about to hang up.

"Wait, give me your address. I'll call you a delivery service." The professor's icy voice came through.

My spirits lifted again.

So the professor isn't completely cold-hearted after all. I was about to launch into a string of praises when he abruptly hung up.

Hmph, I've still got him wrapped around my finger!

I happily sent over my address, but after waiting for ages, no one showed up. Just as I was starting to suspect Professor Ryan was messing with me, I finally spotted the delivery guy.

I enthusiastically reached out to take the umbrella from his hands, but he just stared at me in confusion and handed me a green hat instead.

I was dumbfounded for a moment, then frantically searched through the bag. Apart from the hat, there was only a note:

"I'm returning the green hat you gave me."

Me: ???!!!

What the hell, is Professor Ryan really this petty?!

Whether intentional or not, I suddenly noticed Professor Ryan's home address on the bag.