After a moment, Kelly decided it was time to tell her the truth. She knew she couldn't hide the pregnancy forever, and if Melissa was the last to find out, she'd probably be furious.

"Melissa, I need to tell you something. It might shock you, so brace yourself."

Melissa asked, clearly puzzled by her serious tone.

Kelly swallowed hard. "I got married."

Melissa's eyes widened. "Married? You don't even have a boyfriend! Who did you marry, Kelly? Are you joking?"

"I'm not joking. I did get married," Kelly said earnestly.

Melissa studied her face momentarily, then asked, "Who did you marry? What's his name? How old is he? Is he handsome? Is he a student or already working?"

"Wait, Kelly, why did you suddenly get married? Have you lost your mind?" Melissa bombarded her with questions, throwing in a final scolding for good measure.

Kelly dropped the bombshell. "I married Professor Butler."

Melissa froze, then her face lit up with a knowing expression, as if she suddenly understood. "Oh, so that's the story. Professor Butler is charming, huh? Even you fell for him so quickly. I get it now. He's everyone's husband—you're not the only one who wants to marry him."

Kelly knew Melissa wouldn't believe her. If she were in her shoes, she wouldn't believe it either. She quietly took out a red book from her bag and handed it to Melissa.

Melissa laughed. "Nice, Kelly. You even bought props." She took it and opened the book, but her smile immediately froze when she saw the contents.

After several seconds, a high-pitched scream filled the dorm room. Kelly quickly covered Melissa's mouth. Melissa's eyes were wide. She still made muffled sounds even though her mouth was covered.

"It's..." Kelly's scalp tingled as she gestured for Melissa to calm down.

How could anyone stay calm? The youngest, most famous, and most handsome professor in the school had just married her best friend. Who could stay calm? Melissa shoved Kelly's hand away, her eyes full of curiosity and a thirst for gossip.

"Calm down first. Then, I'll tell you everything," Kelly said.

Melissa blinked and nodded rapidly. Kelly cautiously removed her hand.

Melissa immediately asked, "Oh my god! How did you marry Professor Butler? Why would Professor Butler marry you? When did you two get together? Are you moving out to live with him? Why didn't you tell me about this before? Ahh! Why did you marry Professor Butler?"

At that moment, Melissa was scampering around like a squirrel in a melon patch.

Kelly dropped another bombshell. "I'm pregnant."

Taking a deep breath, Melissa slumped into a chair, weakly pressing her fingers to her upper lip.

Eventually, Kelly relaxed and explained the situation. Melissa watched her chest rise and fall, and wailed in frustration, "Why ain't I the one who married Professor..."

Bally didn't even know she should consider herself lucky. Sleeping with a stranger wasn't something she was proud of, especially when she found out she was pregnant. If anyone else had found out before her, they'd probably run away or push her to get an abortion. Melissa felt betrayed; many people chased pleasure with zero intention of dealing with the aftermath. She declared in close confidence, grinding her teeth, "Marriage first, and love later!" It wasn't out of love, but out of duty. With the age difference and his outstanding status, she was a fool. If someday he regretted everything and wanted a divorce, she wouldn't blame him. She muttered sarcastically, "Every day is a win. And now, you get this separation balloon!"

Kelly's term paper was due, and she made a working swipe at her screen. She was just being honest. "Melissa sighed. "You two are married, so doing those things is completely normal, but remember to be careful, okay? Don't end up with wounds, we're pretty much null and void, so" Kelly tried to cover her mouth again.

But Melissa dodged her and teased, "Now that I'm basically part of Professor Butler's family, can you tell your husband not to call on me in class or make me retake exams?"

Saturday afternoon, Melissa insisted on walking Kelly to the campus gate, claiming it was to offer moral support. However, her real intention was to make things easier for herself in the future.

Leon had offered to come to her dorm to help, but Kelly had declined. If he showed up at the women's dormitory, it would likely cause a frenzy throughout the building. He parked the car in his usual quiet corner. When he saw Kelly, he got out to greet her.

From afar, Melissa watched him approach, and finally accepted the shocking truth: her best friend had married Leon. Good God, what kind of absurd good luck did Kelly have? As Leon approached, he produced a large bag and handed it to Kelly.

"Over there," he said quickly. His voice was calm but left no room for argument. Kelly obediently placed it over her shoulder. Then, he turned to Melissa and said, "I'll take that one."

Jolly glanced at her and realized that she was completely frozen, staring blankly at Leon.

"Melissa," Kelly said, tugging on her sleeve. Unthinkingly, she muttered, "Thank you…."

Wait a second. Why was she thanking him? The bag wasn't hers! She watched as Leon loaded the luggage into the trunk, then the nervous girl spoke up. "Professor Butler..."

When Leon turned to look at her, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. She yelled inwardly, "Come on, say something! Recite what you've practiced a hundred times! Make a memory with him so that he'll cut you some slack!"

But with Leon's dignified, haughty professorial presence, Melissa was completely speechless. She couldn't remember a single word. It was exactly like being called on in class—everything she studied vanished from her mind. Kelly could instantly tell from Melissa's expression that her brain had gone completely blank.