Branded By You

Teacher Chen.

It was almost noon on this bright spring day. As the sun slowly rose, so did the day's temperature. The scorching heat and relentless wind was not conducive at all. In fact, it was especially hard for people to get their activities done that day.

It was customary to wear little around that time of the year. Short-sleeved tops, shorts and lots of sunscreen to protect all that exposed skin.

In a huge lecture hall, students scrambled to find their seats before the beginning of the lesson. After them, the lecturer walked in. The young woman looked like a student herself.

She wore a dark green blouse over a pair of black, long formal pants and a pair of dark green stilettos. Walking in, she had nothing but a USB flash drive in one hand and her car keys as well as a cell phone in the other.

She walked gracefully to the podium, said a greeting to the class and began the lesson. Her demeanor was rather calm, yet she commanded so much authority. Her voice was soft but her tone stern and the class listened attentively without ever going out of line.

Muyang, seated in the very last row of the lecture hall, found this rather intriguing. It was impossible to get all the students to be so attentive during a lesson. Considering that she had such a small figure and was clearly very young, one would expect her class to be rowdy and unfocused.

The expectation was indeed different from the reality in this case. When the lesson drew to its conclusion, the students left in a quiet and orderly fashion, holding in their voices until they had gone past the threshold.

“Teacher Chen, about the last report, you asked me to see you…” a tall male student approached her as she was packing up.

“Xiang Haoting, yes, I did. Your work was great, it's been a while since I saw a student report so well done. What master's programs are you looking to join?” she asked, fixing her glasses over the bridge of her nose.

“Hmm, teacher, I told you I'm experiencing some financial difficulties. My family is very poor, and I'm not even sure I can graduate this year.”

“Haoting, how old are you?”

“I'm 24, this year.”

“You've spent 24 years on earth and still haven't learned to answer questions?”

“I... don't understand, ma'am.”

“I never asked about your financial situation. Was my question not simple enough?”

“Oh, sorry teacher. What I meant was, I haven't looked into any, because I thought there was barely any chance I could make it through to graduation. So if I do, I will immediately start looking for work to support myself.”

“I was right then, you haven't checked your emails.”

“Oh…” he scratched his head awkwardly. “My phone got broken and the friend whose laptop I use to borrow has been visiting his hometown for the past 5 days.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the cellphone she had come in with. Handing it over to him she said, “Here, use this for now. I need to be able to contact you. I have sent you some proposals for a paid internship. I already sent them a letter of recommendation on your behalf and a few of them should be reaching out to you by the end of this week. Decide which one you like and reply to them.”

“Thank you so much teacher Chen. I'll set it up immediately. Which of them would you recommend? I'll do the one that the teacher wants me to do.”

“All of them are OK. You just need to choose one which has terms that you prefer. They are affiliated to the university, so you won't get demerits for missing class if you accept the internship. Some have a laptop scheme, others will cover your transportation…. Look into it. Don't just accept the first offer you get.”

“I won't let you down, I promise.”

“Before they reach out to you, you should have looked into what master's program you want to join. Don't worry about the fees. I have sent you some programs I think you would fit well into. They align with your career choice.”

“I'll go check them out right away, teacher. Thank you. Thank you so much.” He bowed repeatedly, his heart overflowing with gratitude.

“You can go now.” She dismissed. Her eyes softened as she watched his figure disappear. He reminded her of herself. And something about that just made her want to give him all she had.

Cherry walked out of the lecture hall and towards her car. There she found a tall man leaning against it. Her steps slowed down as she approached more cautiously, weary of the stranger.

“Cherry Chen?” the man called out.

“That would be me… have we met?” she asked doubtfully as she tried to harness the confusion swirling in her mind. this had to be a first. The first time someone visited her at work.

“Not that you'd remember”, he straightened up his figure and instantly seemed to have increased in height. His words dripped like liquor, his voice was incredibly addictive, sultry and sexy, it had a nice husk to it, the kind of profoundness that could make a woman melt.

“How may I help you then?” she stopped just a few steps before him.

“You could give me your lunch break…” he bent over slightly to the little woman before finishing his words. Looking deep into his eyes, he continued “…you could get to know me over lunch.” For a man like He Muyang, this was the ultimate move. His handsome face and voice and the offer to buy her lunch? Oh, it was the end game. She couldn't possibly resist.