When fate plays its hand

+25 BGNEUS

The college’s neglected official website rarely drew attention, but the announcement spread like wikifire.

After all, it involved Paul, Bedford College’s physics heartthrob, widely hailed as the most handsome scientist in history. Even such a simple announcement sparked heated discussions.

At that moment, the campus forums were already buzzing with comments.

“Look what I found.” Someone attached a link to the colleg’s website.

“Huh? Dr. Jefferson is taking a break from teaching? Does that mean he’s leaving Bedford College?”

“No. Read carefully–it’s a suspension of teaching duties, not employment. It just means he won’t be holding any classes.”

“But why? His Biophysics class this semester was amazing was so excited to sign up for his class next semester.” “You must be from the Faculty of Bioinformatics, huh? Lucky you. Dr. Jefferson hasn’t taught in the Faculty of Physics for ages. Last year, his two specialized courses were offered to the Faculty of Bioinformatics instead. Tsk…

“Why does he like Bioinformatics so much? Who’s even in that faculty?”

“The Faculty of Physics student said that it’s fine if he’s not teaching That way, no one gets to take his class. Haha!

“So, does this mean there’ll be one less popular class to fight over during registration next semester?”

“Yes. Say goodbye to that dreaded ‘Course Full‘ notification

“Still, this feels so sudden. Why stop teaching out of nowhere?”

“He’s probably focusing on research. Teaching takes up too much energy and time. The college prioritizes research output since it directly boosts their rankings” noveldrama

“A little birdie told me Dr. Jefferson’s girlfriend is a graduate student at Bedford College. He’s not teaching to avoid any appearance of favoritism. Get it?”

“Who posted that nonsense? Are you drunk?”

“People will gossip about anything these days. At least have the guts to post with your real name instead of hiding behind ‘Anonymous.“”

“How dare you drag Dr. Jefferson into baseless rumors?”

“Next thing you know, someone will admit to being his girlfriend!‘ Seriously, give me a break.”

Silas watched as the comments stacked up like a skyscraper “Everyone thinks they’re the masters of gossip these days. Fine. Let them stay clueless while I’m the only one seeing things clearly,” he muttered. Even the wisest person wouldn’t understand the mountain of secrets he kept to himself.

“Still, I have to hand it to you, Paul. Just deciding not to teach like that? How’d you convince the dean’s office?” he asked

Paul was busy at his lab bench and didn’t even look up. “I didn’t.”

“Huh? Then, what did you say?”

“I gave them two options–either I take a break from teaching, or 1 teach in other colleges.”

Silas said nothing. It was hard to wrap his mind around it. They were all human beings, but how was Paul, of all people, so bold and uncompromising?

Sandy sighed, and her admiration for Paul grew by the second.

Bryan thought momentarily before saying, “It shouldn’t be that serious, right? The rules only prohibit relationships between professors and students in the same faculty. But Dr. Jefferson and Miranda are in completely different programs.”

She waved him off. “Bry, you’re looking at it too simply. Rules are one thing, but they can’t control what people say.”

“You mean people would start rumors?”

“Most likely. Even if they’re in different faculties, a professor dating a graduate student is still a sensitive topic,” Sandy explained.

“But nothing’s been made public yet, right?”

She lowered her valce. “Not yet. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. As long as Paul keeps teaching here, that rumor could blow up at any time. What he’s doing now is getting ahead of it–eliminating potential threats before they can surface.”

She paused for a moment, then sighed. “Now that’s love…”

Paul had thought everything through and ensured any risk that could harm Miranda was dealt with before it even had a chance to take root.