Just down the block from campus sat the most jam-packed farmers' market around. With a clear mission in mind, Gu Pan pedaled his bike, with Ling Hanlu riding pillion, speeding toward their destination.

　　Outside the market, his flashy bike stood out among a lineup of motorcycles and scooters, mostly used by older folks, all highlighted by the blazing sun that made them shine with youthfulness.

　　Ling Hanlu stood nearby, observing as the young man bent down to secure the bike.

　　Amid the hustle and bustle of the surroundings, his youthful presence and posture emitted a captivating charm that caught her eye.

　　"What's so funny, Professor Ling?" Gu Pan asked, leaning forward on his knees, studying her face.

　　"I dig it," Ling Hanlu shifted her focus from the row of vehicles as the scene's main character moved, smiling at Gu Pan.

　　"Like... me?"

　　"Hell yeah," Ling Hanlu replied without hesitation.

　　"Oh, uh, you been here before?" Getting such a direct response from Ling Hanlu, one that didn't focus on superficial stuff like hair or cooking skills, but on him as a person... caught Gu Pan off guard. He couldn't help scratching his head. "You think this market's bigger than the one back home? Space-wise, and all the stuff they got..."

　　Ling Hanlu kept her lips tight in the chilly morning mist, hoping to hide from Gupan her awkward shifts and jumbled words that couldn't slip past her notice. Clearly, the kid was hyped.

　　"Hmm? You still ain't told me. Which one's bigger?" the boy persisted.

　　"Still this one."

　　"Oh. Hey, remember that soup we slurped down that day?" Gupan gestured northward, trying to make up for her verbal fumble.

　　"What day?" Ling Hanlu didn't catch on to his hint right away.

　　"Oh, hold up..." Gupan cleared her throat, getting herself together. "It's the one Uncle Ling whipped up for ya, it's..."

　　"Haha, you're jittery like this? I remember, seafood soup, damn tasty."

　　"Can we whip that up today too? You be the judge."

　　"Sure thing, you got it!"

　　"Awesome!" Gupan grabbed Ling Hanlu's hand and gently tugged her towards the seafood aisle on the ground floor.

　　As they jogged along, Ling Hanlu felt her heart dancing with joy. Her palms were sweaty, but she couldn't tell whose sweat it was. Her fingers loosened a couple of times instinctively, and Gupan responded with an even tighter grip. And so, Gupan used her right hand to pick out seafood ingredients and drop them into the plastic bucket held by Ling Hanlu's left hand. Together, they finished up their shopping trip.

　　2

　　As they rolled into Green Garden Community, Gupan naturally steered towards Ling Hanlu's place. Just as they turned onto the path by the fountain, Ling Hanlu tapped the seat, signaling to halt.

　　"Hmm?" Gupan was puzzled, but her foot slammed the brake instinctively.

　　"Let's swing around?"

　　"Where to?"

　　"Your place, check it out, it's over there, right?" Ling Hanlu nodded towards where her home stood in the distance.

　　"Oh?" Gupan's mind raced through the morning scene in her house. Were things in order, did she crack the bathroom window for air, did she even remember to flush?

　　"Not cool? Never mind then. Let's keep rolling!" Ling Hanlu tapped the seat again.

　　"No, it's just, promise me, when we get there, give me a minute to straighten up inside. I'm worried..."

　　"Okay."

　　Making a U-turn, about three minutes later, Gupan's two-bedroom flat welcomed its most excited and jittery visitor yet.

　　Ling Hanlu kept her word, lingering outside the door for a moment. When the kid confidently invited her in, she took her first step from middle-aged solitude into exploring the young world.

　　"Rooming with someone?" Ling Hanlu scoped out the room's setup, sizing it up.

　　"Yeah."

　　"Am I gonna bother your roomie? Oh, if I'd known, I wouldn't have come. I really messed up..." Ling Hanlu regretted her impulsive visit.

　　"Nah, you're good. Roomie's not around. Oh, how about some orange juice?" Gupan swiftly changed the subject. Ling Hanlu's mention of "roomie" made him uneasy.

　　"Half a cup, please!" She nodded in approval as she "patrolled" the place, pleased with the kid's independence. "Hmm, it's pretty neat and tidy."

　　Gupan came back from the kitchen with a cup. Just as he was about to call Ling Hanlu over, he saw her about to flip through the calendar on the wall. He quickly stepped in, "Ms. Ling, come have some orange juice!"

　　It was the traditional paper calendar Gupan bought every year on Yu Yan's advice. Just seconds before Ling Hanlu's finger touched it, Gupan saw potential trouble brewing. He didn't want her to get hurt.

　　"What's up? Feeling a bit nervous? It's cool, I'm not the dorm supervisor checking for cleanliness. Besides, you're a stellar resident, no need to fret." Ling Hanlu took the cup. "By the way, why do you use this kind of calendar? Not too common these days!"

　　"It's a hometown thing, picked it up when I was young! Please, take a seat first, I'll whip up some lunch. Oh, my room's over there, connected to the balcony. Feel free to go in and chill!" Gupan pointed to the bedroom next to the balcony and then ducked into the kitchen.

　　He let out a sigh of relief.

　　3

　　During their half-hour lunch break, Ling Hanlu persisted in questioning Gupan about the curiosity she had harbored since entering the house.

　　"Why did you decide to learn cooking?" This question, given Ling Hanlu's ability to make sound judgments as an adult woman, combined with Gupan's numerous caring gestures towards her, wasn't hard to infer. However, she wanted to hear it directly from him.

　　During their lunch break, Ling Hanlu kept asking Gupan about the curiosity she'd had since entering the house.

　　"Why'd you start learning to cook?" Ling Hanlu, being a smart adult woman, could easily guess, given Gupan's caring gestures towards her. But she wanted to hear it straight from him.

　　"Well, when I saw you almost pass out in class, I figured you were starving yourself to lose weight. So I thought, why not tempt you with good food?"

　　"Haha, every cloud has a silver lining."

　　"True that."

　　"Why'd you decide to rent a place instead of staying in the dorms? Wasn't dorm life working out for you?"

　　"Eh, not really... didn't quite fit. Now I think about it, maybe it was meant to be that we ended up in the same neighborhood." Gupan sidestepped the mysterious reason for renting.

　　"You use such old-school phrases, it's kinda funny."

　　"Is 'funny' your way of saying 'cute'?" Gupan scooped some seafood into Ling Hanlu's bowl.

　　"Sorta. Hey, I noticed a bunch of green stuff by your couch. What's that?"

　　"Oh, that's a workout blanket. I use it for exercising."

　　"So, how do you work out then?"

　　Intrigued, Ling Hanlu's curious gaze swept over Gupan's face. This expression reminded him of a similar question once raised by Lu Yitong. Back then, under Miss Lu's insistent assignment, Gupan had to demonstrate his sit-ups and dumbbell lifts on the spot. His face betrayed a myriad of helplessness. Yet now, a glimmer of hope suddenly arose in him: would this woman also want to witness firsthand the beauty of a man's strength?

　　"Working on abs and biceps. Strengthening core and arm muscles," Gupan pointed with his index finger to his abdomen and upper arms.

　　"For handling a watchdog?" Ling Hanlu vividly recalled the scene of children crawling on the office floor searching for a remote control. "Isn't it?"

　　"If circumstances demand it, I would," Gupan replied, straightening his posture defensively.

　　"Relax, no need to be so serious now!" Ling Hanlu felt she had not only watched this boy grow day by day, but also witnessed him grow stronger, even formidable. However, she understood she hadn't played a teacher's role in his reshaping. That much was clear to her.

　　4

　　After dinner, Ling Hanlu insisted on cleaning up in the kitchen, and Gupan pitched in by helping her put on an apron.

　　The apron's ties crossed and cinched into a bow. Then, Gupan's hands paused, resting gently on Ling Hanlu's waist.

　　In the kitchen, the faucet shut off, silencing the flow of water. It was quiet. Bubbles of dish soap gathered at the sink's edge, making soft crab-like bubble sounds.

　　Soon after, two distinct rhythms of breathing filled the narrow space.

　　Ling Hanlu leaned against the sink, feeling the warmth emanating from Gupan behind her. His lips gently touched the nape of her neck, where her hair was gathered up. He traced her warm skin delicately, each soft sound causing her half-closed eyes to glimmer with tenderness.

　　"Teacher, teacher..."

　　"Yeah?"

　　"Don't you wanna see how I work out?"

　　"I... I haven't finished washing the dishes or cleaning the stove..." Ling Hanlu reached for a dishcloth, swirling it around the stove.

　　"Are those really that important?" Gupan held onto the cloth. "Come on, teacher, tell me."

　　"Yeah, they're important." Ling Hanlu tried to pull the cloth back.

　　"Let me ask again, are they really that crucial?"

　　"Well, maybe not that crucial."

　　"Then what is?"

　　"Seeing you, watching you work out." Ling Hanlu gave in, letting go of the cloth.

　　"Okay."

　　"But you just ate; it's not good to exercise now."

　　"Nah, it's been a bit, and I'm more about eating together. Didn't eat much."

　　"Alright then."

　　"Cool, I'll change clothes... You wanna watch?"

　　"No way!" She exclaimed, refusing.

　　"Okay, I'll get ready, you come over later!"

　　Gupan turned and left. When Ling Hanlu saw him again in the living room, he was dressed in a gray tank top and shorts, standing by the dark green lawn.

　　Ling Hanlu stood at the kitchen door, about three or four meters away from him. Her blurry vision made her oddly comfortable as she admired his physique. But no matter how blurry, she couldn't shake off that middle-aged woman's "bad habit," her gaze inevitably drawn to the part of his athletic wear that accentuated his masculinity.

　　She sighed, names like Buddha, Muhammad, Jehovah, Mary rolling through her mind...

　　Seeing Ling Hanlu hesitate, Gupan gestured with his finger and lay down on the exercise mat he'd set up earlier. He demonstrated his well-practiced sit-ups.

　　As the workout intensified, his breathing grew heavier. When he paused to say, "You can call it quits anytime," Ling Hanlu blushed deeply.

　　Gupan shifted on the mat, patting the grass beside him with a mischievous smile. "Teacher Ling, come chill with me!"

　　Ling Hanlu made her way to the lawn, unintentionally taking a detour. But no matter how slow she went, she eventually joined the young man.

　　They gazed up at the white-painted ceiling together, once a garden where the boy would let his thoughts wander.

　　"Do you do this every day?" she asked.

　　"Yup." Gupan adjusted his breathing.

　　"You've got a ton of perseverance."

　　"Mm, won't argue with that. Was tough at first, thought I might quit. But it became a habit, part of life now."

　　"What keeps you going?"

　　"You really gotta ask?"

　　"I get it," Ling Hanlu said, sniffing a couple of times, as if catching a scent. "What's that smell?"

　　"Huh?" Gupan tensed up. "Sweat from the mat? Sorry."

　　"Nah, it's like your scent." Ling Hanlu turned her head to confirm. "Real fresh, like right outta the shower."

　　"Oh, aftershave. Just shaved."

　　"Why shave now..."

　　"Wanna check it out? Come closer, take a whiff?"

　　"I... Yeah." Ling Hanlu leaned in, heading towards Gupan's chin, curious.

　　But just as her nose was about to reach that patch of pale blue, her phone rang from her backpack.