A dozen minutes later, Hannah Han stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel.
Hearing movement, Ian Song instinctively turned to look. Even though he'd already seen Hannah Han without clothes, seeing her wrapped in a towel was something else entirely. Her bare skin shimmered with a dewy glow under the lights, and as his gaze dropped, a pair of long, perfectly shaped, pale legs caught his eye.
There are four parts of a woman's body that attract a man's gaze the most: her face, her chest, her hips, and her legs.
Hannah Han had the looks and the legs—even so, she was a rare beauty by any standard.
Feeling Ian Song's rather heated gaze, Hannah Han's cheeks flushed. After all, aside from the towel, she wasn't wearing a thing. She was used to being alone, but now that there was someone else in her home—even if he was just her student—she couldn't help feeling a bit shy. She ignored Ian and hurried to her bedroom. What she didn't know was that Ian had already seen every inch of her body.
Maybe she was too nervous—after just two steps, Hannah Han's foot slipped and she let out a startled cry as her body pitched forward.
"I'm doomed," Hannah Han thought, squeezing her eyes shut in fear. This time she was really going to embarrass herself in front of Ian.
Just then, Ian Song sprang up from the sofa like a shadow and darted to Hannah Han's side, catching her in his arms.
Hannah Han had braced herself for a bad fall, but instead she felt herself being supported. She opened her eyes in confusion, only to find that there were now two hands on her stomach and chest.
"Ms. Han, are you okay?" Ian Song's voice sounded right next to her ear.
Feeling those hands on her chest and stomach, Hannah Han couldn't help but shiver all over. A blush crept up her pretty face and all the way to her ears. "I—Ian, could you please... move your hands?"
Hearing Hannah Han's soft, embarrassed voice, Ian Song suddenly realized his hands were in the wrong place. His heart skipped a beat—would Ms. Han think he was taking advantage of her on purpose?
"Sorry, Ms. Han, I'll let go right now."
"Ah!"
As soon as Ian let go, Hannah Han tumbled toward the floor again, her hands flailing in the air. Ian froze for a second, then hurried to catch her once more—this time grabbing her smooth, bare shoulder.
Helping Hannah Han to her feet, Ian Song blushed and said, "Sorry, Ms. Han. I really didn't mean to."
"Don't say anything." Hannah Han, her face burning, reached out to cover Ian's mouth. But just as she did, her bath towel suddenly slipped off.
Ian Song was stunned.
Hannah Han was stunned too.
Next came a piercing scream that nearly burst Ian's eardrums.
Luckily, Ian reacted fast and spun around, explaining, "Ms. Han, I swear I didn't do it on purpose."
"Enough! Don't turn around!" Hannah Han snapped, scooping up her towel and wrapping it around herself again before fleeing into her bedroom and slamming the door.
Ian turned back and looked at the tightly shut door, a small, satisfied smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He was pretty pleased with how he'd handled things. On impulse, he brought his right hand to his nose and sniffed—there was a faint, lingering fragrance.
Inside the bedroom.
Hannah Han flopped onto the bed, burying her burning face in the covers. She felt like crying—this was just too humiliating. By some freak accident, her body had been seen by a student. The thought alone made her cringe to the core. How was she supposed to face anyone now?
It was a full half hour before Hannah Han finally came out of the bedroom, her pretty face still tinged with pink.
"Ian, it's getting late. You should head home," Hannah Han said, her tone now noticeably colder.
Ian's heart tightened at her words. Flustered, he explained, "Ms. Han, I'm really sorry—I swear I didn't mean it. Please don't be mad. If you're still upset, you can yell at me or hit me. I promise I won't fight back."
Seeing Ian's anxious expression and hearing his sincere words, Hannah Han's heart softened. She thought, it really wasn't Ian's fault—it was all just a coincidence. With that, her mood eased a lot. "Alright, I forgive you. But you can't tell anyone about tonight, or I'll make you clean the toilets for a week."
"Don't worry, Ms. Han! My lips are sealed!" Ian Song promised, looking completely serious.
"Mm, I believe you. It's late—go on home now."
"Okay. Goodbye, Ms. Han."
Ian knew it was best not to linger—staying any longer would only make things awkward for both of them, so he sensibly took his leave.
Leaving Ms. Han's apartment, a bold thought flashed through Ian's mind: Maybe he should try to pursue her as his girlfriend. After all, she was beautiful, gentle, and—most importantly—an amazing cook.
But what annoyed him was that Hannah Han was a teacher and he was a student. Teacher-student romances did happen, but they always drew strange looks from others. He might not care, but Ms. Han probably couldn't accept it.
Thinking about it, Ian sighed softly. He decided that if Ms. Han was still single after he graduated college, he'd do whatever it took to win her over. But honestly, the odds weren't great. After four years of college, she'd be twenty-nine—could she really still be single then? She might even have a kid by then.
For a moment, Ian felt pretty down.
Luckily, he was still a teenager—his moods changed fast. Checking his phone, he saw it was almost eight o'clock, so he picked up the pace and headed for the café.
Ever since Mira Su, the café owner, came back from Flame City, she'd been in a really low mood.
Ian guessed something might've happened in her family, but since he was just an employee, it wasn't his place to ask.
While Ian was playing at the café, Yvonne Yang and Shelly Song were sitting on the couch at home watching TV, tuned to Riverstone City Channel 4.
At that moment, Shelly Song's lips were pressed together and her brows furrowed—she looked a little tense. She knew the TV station would only broadcast clips of selected contestants.
Seeing this, Yvonne Yang comforted her, "Don't worry, Shelly. You played so well—the station's bound to show your performance."
"I'm not worried, Mom, stop saying that," Shelly Song replied, trying to sound calm. She'd always been fiercely competitive—even with her parents, she didn't want to show any weakness.
"I'm just saying. My Shelly would never get nervous," Yvonne Yang laughed. She knew her daughter well—Shelly was famous for her stubbornness. Suddenly, she thought of Ian Song. "Ian passed the preliminary too. Do you think the station will show his performance?"
Shelly Song hesitated, then said, "Probably not. There were over 800 people in the preliminary, and nearly 300 passed. The TV station will probably only show the really outstanding performances."
"True," Yvonne Yang nodded in agreement. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "It's starting!"