Chapter 18: Nice To Meet You

(Catherine's POV)

"That's all for today. Don't forget our fieldwork tomorrow. I'm expecting everyone to be here early in the morning. Class dismissed." I left the room and walked towards the teacher's office.

There are still some things to prepare for our fieldwork tomorrow. On the way to the office, my phone rang and saw that it was the principal who had called. "Hello, Mr. Principal?"

"Yes, Catherine. Is your class done already?"

"Yes sir. I'm currently walking back to the office. Is there something you want me to do sir?"

"That's good. Can you come to the office right now? There's something I want to discuss with you."

"Okay, sir." The call ended right after. 'Why did the Principal call me? Is there something wrong?'

The principal's office is in the opposite direction from where the teacher's office is located. So, it might take a while for me to get there since it's quite a distance.

*Knock* *Knock*

Finally, I arrived at his office and gently knocked on the door. When I heard his approval, I slowly opened the door and entered.

There I saw the principal sitting in the lounge area of his office.

I smiled when he saw me and gestured for me to sit down. I met the Principal three years ago. It was he who gladly helped me so that I could get this job easily.

Although I know he did that for Monique, I'm still grateful for everything. Without him, I'm not sure where or when I can get a job.

"Take a seat, Catherine."

When we are alone, he likes to call me by my first name. He said that since I'm Monique's friend, I'm also his foster daughter.

The principal had been alone for so many years since his wife died. He didn't have any children, so he was very fond of Monique and treated her as her daughter.

According to Monique, the first time they met was when they were at the mall. Monique was doing an event while the principal was roaming around. Suddenly, the principal had an attack and it was Monique who helped him.

From then on, they became close and treated each other as family. The principal even offered that I become his foster daughter as well, but I refused. It's not that I don't like the Principal, but because I'm still having that kind of family trauma because of what happened before.

Fortunately, the principal wasn't offended by it and still treated me well. "Is there anything I could help you with sir?"

He took a sip of the tea before answering. "I heard you're having fieldwork tomorrow?"

I nodded at his question. "Yes sir. We will be visiting a finance agency where they can experience first-hand accounting and finance work in real situations. I have already prepared everything for tomorrow, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Hahaha. Of course, I'm not worried about that. You're always good at your job. That's not the reason why I called you here."

Confused, I squinted my eyes and looked at him curiously. "Then, what is it, sir?"

"Well, the management of Lu Corporation would like to conduct a site visit tomorrow. It's just that we don't have any activities for tomorrow and it will be too late to hold one. Luckily, you're doing fieldwork, so it's a great opportunity. They can go with you and see in person how the university teaches their students."

"Ma…Management? What do you mean management of Lu Corporation sir?" Shivers ran down my spine when I heard that someone from the Lu Corporation would be coming with us. 'It's not the President, right?'

He looked worried when he saw my face turning pale. "Are you okay Catherine?"

My eyes blinked a few times and my thoughts went back to focus when I heard his voice. "Yes, I'm sorry. I got distracted for a while. I'm okay sir." That's a lie. I'm not okay at all. I'm greatly troubled.

"Okay. So, as I have said, the management will come with you. I called you here to inform you about it so that you can have your necessary preparations."

I wanted to ask if it was the President who would come, but hesitated. I don't know how to ask the principal this. It might have a different meaning for the Principal if I asked him that.

"Is there something you want to ask me, Catherine? Don't hesitate to ask."

Taking a few deep breaths, I gathered my courage and asked, "Sir, who is the person who will come tomorrow? Is it the… President?"

"Why? You're scared of the President? Don't tell me you have a crush on him as well? Oh well, it's not even a surprise, since he is really attractive."

I instantly waved my hand, indicating that it wasn't true. "No sir. Not at all. I don't have a crush on him."

"Hahaha, that's expected of you, Catherine. For the past few years, I've known you. I never saw you have an interest in men." I just smiled and kept silent.

"Don't worry. It's not the President who will accompany you. I heard he will have a meeting tomorrow, so possibly he will just send someone here."

I sighed in relief after hearing that it was not the President who would come. The principal laughed again, which made me look at him in confusion. "You're scared of him, are you? Relief was clearly showing in your face when I said it was not him who would come. Hahaha."

Faking a laugh, I said to hide my shame. "Hahaha, who is not scared of him? He is the President of the Lu Corporation. I'm just afraid that I might commit a mistake tomorrow and it will damage the university."

The principal laughed so hard at my words. "Hahaha, President Lu is not that harsh. He might be cold and unapproachable, but he is a very reasonable person. Don't worry, he is very private and he will not have time for this small matter."

"Thank you, sir. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything so that it will not embarrass the school."

After our talk, I immediately went back to my office to finish my preparations. I can't help but feel anxious about what the principal told me a while ago.

Although he already said that it's not the president, I don't know why the anxiousness in my heart didn't disappear. I tried to ignore this feeling because it distracted me from what I was doing. However, no matter how hard I ignore it, I can shake the uneasiness I feel inside.

'Don't overthink, Catherine! It will only scare the hell out of you if you keep on thinking about it. It's not the President who will come tomorrow, so be convinced already, okay?'

**********

In the parking lot inside the university, two big buses are parked, which is enough for my whole class who will be attending the fieldwork.

I checked the time and it was almost 7:30 in the morning and most of my students were already there. Checking their attendance, I noticed that there was 1 student who was not there yet.

"Where is Ms. Chen?" I asked the class while browsing through the class record.

Someone raised his hand. "Professor Su, Lovely Chen will not be attending today. She's currently having a fever so she asked me to inform you about her condition. She also sent an email regarding her absence to you, Professor."

"Okay. Since it's almost time, please get on the bus."

"Professor Su". I looked back and saw that it was the Dean who called me.

I smiled and greeted him back politely. "Good day Dean."

"Is everything ready?" He asked as he glanced at the students getting on the bus.

"Yes sir. I have a student who is absent because she got sick. Nevertheless, we're off to go. I'm just waiting for the person sent by the Lu Corporation."

"Yeah, the principal told me about it. Good luck, Professor Su."

"Thank you, Dean." My smile faltered when I saw a figure walking towards where I was currently standing. His black eyes that I'm really familiar with and the usual squeals and cheers I heard at the foundation ceremony resonated at this moment.

The Dean walked towards him and politely greeted him. "It's a surprise that it was you who was coming, President Lu. It's our pleasure to have your presence here."

He just nodded his head and continued walking over. When he was already standing in front of me, my lips turned pale in an instant. My mind went array and I'm greatly troubled right now.

"President Lu, this is Professor Catherine Su and she is the one in charge of this event." The Dean introduced us right after.

I don't know what to do anymore. All my hopes were crushed the moment I saw him there. I have tried my best to avoid him for the past months, but look where we are now. He's here, in front of me.

He suddenly raised his hand and offered a handshake, "It's nice meeting you, Professor Su."

My hand froze and I can't seem to understand what's happening right now. The Dean tapped my shoulders, which brought me back to my senses.

His hands are still raised waiting for me to accept it. After a few seconds of hesitation, I finally took his hand. With an awkward plastered on my face, I greeted him back. "Good day President Lu, it's also nice meeting you here."

He suddenly moved closer, which made me take a step back. But because he was still holding my hand, he easily pulled me closer to him. My body bumped into his broad chest instantly.

I gasped at the sudden movement and immediately pulled away. A slight smirk formed on his lips when he noticed my reaction. And with his low voice that only the two of us could hear, he whispered slowly. "Yes, I've been waiting for years already for us to meet again. It's finally nice to meet you here, Dr. Catherine Su."

'I'm doomed!'