Substitute Teacher

When Ryan read the message, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle and a silly smile didn't want to leave his face. He kept his phone, planning on replying after he took a seat in the class. To his surprise, once he knocked and entered inside, he saw the whole class was chatting with no professor inside.

He sighed in relief, knowing it was all good as long as he came before the professor and walked towards his usual seat at the back. The class he attended didn't take place in the auditorium but instead in a smaller classroom with less than fifty people inside. He wasn't particularly close with anyone so he didn't bring much attention to himself.

As he walked to the back, he heard excited gossip from the boys in the class, hearing them even though he didn't wish for it.

"Did you read the email from the old man? He is ill and won't come to class today. Instead, he arranged a female professor to take over today. He even attached her picture! Man, she is so hot. She looks our age too."

"Hot female professor? No wonder the class is almost full," Ryan thought as he sat down and pulled out his phone to reply to Rose first.

He already crafted a response in his mind.

'Hey~ I arrived at the class late but thankfully, the Professor is still not here so I'm fine. Apparently, he is ill but there will be a replacement. Anyway, how are you? Did your parents question you when you came back home?'

Ryan wasn't really good with texting girls but in this case, the two already got to know each other so the ice was already broken. He just had to act nice and cool, nothing out of ordinary. If he was too possessive or cuddly in texts, it would be a quick turn off for her.

They were talking through a messenger app so he could see that Rose still didn't see his message. Having some free time, he opened his emails to check how the new professor looked out. The other guys in the class were hyping her up which made him curious.

When he opened the email and saw the picture, Ryan got speechless. Not because the lady was extremely beautiful but because he knew her!

"Good Morning Students! I'm sorry I made all of you wait. There was traffic on my way."

Just as he realized who would be their replacement professor today, she walked into the class and greeted everyone. Ryan immediately lifted his head up and their gazes met. She smiled at him for a split second before casually looking away as she walked towards the teacher's desk.

"I feel like I'm prey and they started their hunting… It's the second time already today. There is no way it's a coincidence," Ryan thought as he rolled his eyes at the girls, not expecting them to be so active.

The professor for today's class was no other than his girlfriend candidate!

Her long golden hair was tied in a pony while leaving single strands of hair at both sides of her face. She lacked make-up yet her face was still smooth and spotless. Only her red lips were underlined by a lip gloss but with her fair skin, it wasn't exactly necessary. The redness of her lips was enough to shine on their own.

"I will be the substitute for your professor today as he suddenly got ill. Please ask me if you have any questions," the beauty called out to the class and added, "Also, you can call me Lisa."

Just as she finished talking, every boy in the class exploded with their own question, creating chaos. Ryan wasn't surprised by that. After all, Lisa was a young and beautiful teacher who many would dream about. What they didn't know is that Lisa already had her target and that was him.

As she walked, everyone could see her sexy legs underneath her black skirt and slim waist beneath her white, long-sleeved blouse. She looked kind and gentle yet just the envious gazes of the girls in the class could tell something about her figure.

As he looked around, Lisa definitely gained the boys' attention as all of them stared at their ample chest that was trying to escape from her blouse. He didn't know why he felt sick watching them ogle Lisa when he didn't even know her.

"She is just a candidate my mother picked yet I feel protective…" Ryan muttered in his mind and shook his head. He had to focus, else he would fall for Lisa's tricks just as he was played by Jennie.

As Lisa was reading the attendance list, Ryan quickly opened Lisa's profile on his phone and started researching her background. He basically had all of her data, including what's her weight and all bodily sizes. Naturally, what Ryan looked for was her occupation.

When he finally read it whole, he was left speechless.

"Only twenty-five years old yet she is a University Professor... Entrepreneur... Investor... Owns four big malls across the country… Where did mom even find her…?" Ryan thought with amazement, not expecting someone like her would be even remotely interested in him. She already had her own career, high beyond his reach.

Beep, beep.

Just as he contemplated that, he received a message from Rose and he immediately opened his messenger. He didn't know what to think about Lisa for now so he started from Rose texts.

'Oh! I'm glad~ I thought you won't make it because of our… conversation. I'm feeling good. I just started looking through the material for tomorrow's classes. I talked with my parents but they didn't question what took us so long. it was something different… I will tell you about it tomorrow, okay? It's really important.'

'You can pick me up at two o'clock from Saint Mary University. You can search for the location on the internet. Focus on your class now and listen to your teacher! Substitute or not, you need to respect the time they spend teaching you. See you tomorrow~'

She wrote two messages, one by one and acted really intimate with him which Ryan preferred.

"Ah, if only you knew that the person you want me to listen to is actually your competitor…" Ryan commented in his mind and returned to contemplating Lisa. Rose placed her trust in him and he actually liked her. Despite all Lisa's achievements, he still didn't think of leaving Rose, even if their relationship wasn't set in stone.

"I guess I've already decided on Rose…" Ryan thought decisively when someone called out his name in the class.

"Is Ryan Morgan here?" Lisa's voice reached him and he instinctively raised his hand. "Present."

Lisa stood up to look at him and said with her arms wrapped under her chest, "I called two times and you didn't respond. As punishment, you will come to my desk and assist me today."

Such a decision immediately sparked outcry and jealousy from every boy in the class but Ryan wasn't surprised by Lisa's move. He already expected her to pull off something like that, remembering Jennie's actions.

"Sure. Not a problem," Ryan replied calmly as he stood up and walked to the front of the class. His heart was already decided on Rose so he wasn't scared anymore.

The two exchange the gaze and Lisa acted normally, as a teacher would do. "Would you mind helping me set up my laptop?" She asked him sweetly, looking at him with her light blue eyes. She was even prettier from up close but Ryan wasn't swayed.

Ryan nodded and helped her connect to the projector before asking politely, "Miss, can we talk in private for a second? It won't take long."

Everyone smirked at his attempt, thinking he was flirting but Lisa surprisingly agreed, "Sure, but only for a moment."

Thud.

The doors closed behind them as they left the class into the empty corridor and they exchanged gazes once again.

"I know what you are going to ask," Lisa spoke first, checking him out with curiosity. "But will you believe me if I say I didn't know about you when I accepted this job? Your professor used to teach me back then and asked me to replace him. Both cases have nothing to do with each other so I hope you won't mind if I do my job seriously."

Her words sounded really sincere which destroyed the initial bad expression that Jennie passed onto Lisa. "So you didn't come here especially for me?" Ryan asked as confirmation.

Lisa laughed at that question while covering her mouth before admitting, "Well, to be honest, when I learned you will be in this class, I got even more excited. Isn't it like killing two birds with one stone? I get to meet you and do what I love which is teaching. I've been kind of busy lately so I retired as a professor. I was happy to teach once again."

Seeing Ryan pause, she added sweetly, "Is that all? The students are waiting. We can still talk after the class ends, you know? I actually wish that we could chat later."

The whole time Lisa looked at him with deep interest and spoke gently, without much pushing. It was exactly the opposite of how Jennie acted. Lisa's sweet and kind attitude made it hard for Ryan to reject her.

"I don't mind chatting after but I have one question, something that can't wait," Ryan started, wanting to test her. "You are already successful, having multiple businesses and a great career ahead of you. What made you decide to join this selection?"

Lisa seemed to know he would ask this as her expression didn't change. She walked up to him, closing the distance and replied, "I didn't do it for money for sure if that's what you are thinking. I didn't even ask what company it is. I don't need to know that."

"Huh?" Lisa's answer made Ryan confused for a moment. "Then…?"

"Let me tell you a secret," Lisa called out and leaned into his ear, whispering, "I think you are hot…"