Professor, I Really Need to Control You

Twisting your ankle while sleeping?

What a niche way to phrase it in Chinese!

Su Bai’s brain short-circuited for a moment.

It took him a while to process before he finally understood: "So Yusheng, you sleepwalk too…"

"I don’t sleepwalk!" Chen Yusheng replied, torn between laughter and exasperation. "I was half-asleep and somehow managed to press my foot against the dorm wall, twisting it this way and that. When I woke up, it just felt sore…"

To be honest, even with Chen Yusheng’s detailed explanation, it still sounded abstract.

But it was enough for Su Bai to grasp—after all, the two of them had always shared an innate understanding.

"I’ve had something similar happen," Su Bai said. "When I was a kid, I watched Animal Planet and thought geckos were amazing, so I pretended to be one. It was summer and hot, so I stuck myself to the wall while sleeping—cool and refreshing… except I ended up lifting my leg and pushing against the wall so hard that I woke up with a sore gluteus maximus."

"What the heck, gluteus maximus…"

Chen Yusheng pictured the scene and covered her mouth, giggling softly.

Her laughter was still quite ladylike—subtle, restrained. She had a naturally expressionless face, so even when she was genuinely happy, she never laughed too wildly.

But to the onlookers around them, it was already shocking.

When had anyone ever seen the top student Chen Yusheng smile like this? Only when she was with Su Bai.

What made it even harder for their classmates to accept was what happened next.

Before class started, Chen Yusheng had Su Bai massage her foot.

She didn’t even take off her shoe—just rested her black-stockinged leg on Su Bai’s thigh and let him knead around her ankle.

Their seats were in a secluded corner, so their actions weren’t too obvious. But some people were paying close attention, and when they noticed just how intimate the two had become…

Damn it! This is outrageous!

Of course, there were also those who shipped them, watching the scene with the warm satisfaction of proud parents.

Early in the morning, and already feeling like a corpse warmed over—how heartwarming.

When the professor began the lecture, Chen Yusheng sat up straight, opened her laptop, and started organizing code.

The focused look on her face made Su Bai unable to resist stealing glances at her profile.

Chen Yusheng had a unique charm when she was deep in work.

Honestly, Su Bai had always had a thing for academically brilliant girls.

Maybe that was why he’d never felt anything romantic toward his childhood friend.

Just a pretty face, nothing more.

Could she even compare to his Yusheng?

Besides, looks aside, Jiang Qiuran had never treated Su Bai well before. Her recent strange behavior only surfaced because of the changes in his wallet.

In contrast, Chen Yusheng got along with Su Bai just fine even when he was broke.

Money’s role in their relationship was simply to rescue Chen Yusheng from her harsh circumstances—so they could enjoy their youth without restraint.

As Chen Yusheng stared at her code, she suddenly let out a soft sigh.

"What’s wrong? Hit a technical roadblock?"

Chen Yusheng’s thighs were exquisite.

Some girls were a little too plump, leaving their thighs covered in stubborn fat… though the toned ones from fitness were a different story altogether.

Chen Yusheng, however, was the type who lacked exercise—her slender legs were soft to the touch.

She swatted away his wandering hand and instead played with Su Bai’s fingers, leaning in to whisper, "I thought I’d be done after wrapping up the project recently, but the lab gave me more work… Professor Luo really seems to want me to stay."

"Do you actually like this work? Be honest."

"…No. Too much repetitive commercial stuff. I want to work on my own ideas."

A self-deprecating smile flickered across her face.

At the end of the day, how could anyone in tech afford to be so indulgent—only researching what they liked?

Even at the level of a full professor, you still had to think about how to get more papers published and secure more funding for the research group.

As for the students grinding away in the lab? Freedom was out of the question. Whatever the professor needed, you had to deliver.

Pursuing your own interests was a luxury—maybe only the well-connected could pull it off?

Maybe.

Chen Yusheng didn’t dwell on it.

But Su Bai’s mind was already racing, his expression turning scheming. "Guess it’s time to exert some influence over Professor Luo. Let you experience what it’s like to bring funding into the lab."

"What do you mean, ‘bring funding’? This isn’t some celebrity-backed film production…"

"Remember that company I bought for you? The one focused on AI research? It aligns perfectly with Professor Luo’s lab. We’ll sponsor them, and from then on, the professor will let you do whatever you want. It’s not like it’s government funding—it’s my money anyway."

"…You’re serious about sponsoring them?"

Chen Yusheng was stunned. Su Bai’s idea was undeniably effective, but it was also… way too indulgent!

By Chen Yusheng’s logic, since Su Bai had already helped her so much, she ought to repay him—at least show some sign of eventual return.

That was why she’d been pushing herself so hard lately, striving to become even more capable.

But before any results could materialize, Su Bai was already preparing to throw more money her way.

Seeing her hesitation, Su Bai trotted out his prepared reasoning: "Think of it as an early-stage investment. I’ve got too much idle cash lying around—it’ll just depreciate otherwise. Besides, this is about improving your work environment. A genius like you should forge your own path, not grind through the same industry rat race as everyone else."

And then Su Bai went all out.

Spouting all sorts of twisted logic.

Look, if Chen Yusheng used Su Bai’s money for research, wouldn’t that mean less competition for national funding?

The other students would probably thank her.

By the time he finished his ridiculous argument, Chen Yusheng was completely dazed.

"Su Bai…"

Her eyes glistening, Chen Yusheng leaned in and kissed him just below the ear. "I love you~"

"Whoa!! Love you too~"

At that exact moment.

The professor, who had just stepped out to refill his thermos, walked back into the classroom with his stainless steel cup in hand.

Spotting the lovey-dovey couple in the corner.

His eyebrow twitched.

Oh come on, you two. Give it a rest.

The professor could only chuckle helplessly. Kids these days!

Well, at least they showed up to class. As long as they didn’t miss roll call, they were good students in his book.

It said a lot about the state of education these days—just attending lectures and turning in assignments on time was enough to earn a professor’s approval.

Not that it was entirely the students’ fault. What they needed for employment was so disconnected from what was taught in class.

Sometimes, slacking off during lectures was just unavoidable.

After class, Su Bai took Chen Yusheng by the hand and headed straight for the parking lot.

Time for lunch, then a visit to the company… their company!