Chapter 143: The Professor's Public Declaration

“It’s fine,” Sierra allowed Jonathan to tighten his grip around her hand. People had speculated about their relationship for a while, since they were often seen together. But now, there was no room for doubt; this was as good as an official announcement. And just like that, news of the most handsome professor at Northwind University dating exploded across the university forums.

“Help! My husband is gone! Someone give him back to me!”

“Is Mr. Yeager really not going to give us even a glimmer of hope? At least let me keep dreaming!”

“Why? Why did he choose a woman with a criminal record?”

“Don’t ask. Just weep.”

“If I had known Mr. Yeager liked this type, I wouldn’t have pretended to be a good girl all these years. I regret everything!”

The entire forum was flooded with discussions about the two of them, and unsurprisingly, all of them centered around the idea that Sierra wasn’t worthy of Jonathan. She wasn’t bothered in the slightest. She had long since expected these reactions, so after glancing at a few comments, she simply put her phone away. Jonathan, on the other hand, usually had no interest in forum gossip, but when he noticed Sierra scrolling, he caught a glimpse of the discussions. His brows furrowed slightly.

Sierra had a general education class before her core subjects, so she and Jonathan parted ways at the academic building. Since this was a mixed course, students from multiple departments were in attendance. The moment she entered, all eyes turned to her. She was already used to the attention. People had always talked about her, and now, their minds were undoubtedly filled with speculation about how she had seduced Jonathan. Ignoring them, she walked straight to a seat. The girl sitting next to her had a round, doll-like face and was staring at her with unconcealed curiosity.

After some hesitation, she finally spoke. “You’re amazing!”

Sierra turned her head slightly, puzzled by the sudden comment.

“Mr. Yeager is just too handsome; it’s like he walked straight out of a CEO romance novel!”

The round-faced girl was clearly a fan. Sierra frowned slightly. She had no idea what the girl was going on about.

Sensing her confusion, the girl grew even more excited. “Wait… don’t tell me you haven’t seen it yet.”

Seeing Sierra’s blank expression, the girl quickly pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and shoved the screen in front of her. “Mr. Yeager literally made a public statement for you! How do you not know this?”

On the screen was a new post on the university forum: “Since so many students seem interested in my personal life, I’d like to clarify two things. First, I pursued Sierra, and I’ve been pursuing her for a long time. So, no, there was no seduction involved. Second, stop harassing my girlfriend. I’ve muted all malicious comments this time, but if it happens again, I will personally have a conversation with each of you.”

The post had been made five minutes ago, right after she and Jonathan had parted ways. And in those five minutes, it had already climbed to the number one trending topic. This was the first time in three years that Jonathan had ever posted on the school forum. And the students were losing their minds.

“Someone help me. I always thought Mr. Yeager was the scholarly, gentle type, but it turns out he’s actually a domineering CEO!”

“I was one of the people who thought Sierra didn’t deserve him, but now… why is this so romantic?”

“I never liked soft, gentle guys, so I never paid attention to Professor Yeager before. But today, I realized – I’m in love. He’s not gentle. He’s possessive!”

11:00 AM

Chapter 143: The Professor's Public Declaration – Finished

Who can handle this level of contrast! We thought we were getting a quiet academic, but suddenly, he’s a total CEO male lead.

Sierra sat there, momentarily dazed; she had not expected Jonathan to do something like this. She had never cared about the insults or accusations thrown at her. But knowing that someone was openly defending her made her feel strangely warm inside. For the first time, she let her guard down just a little; she felt lighter.

The round-faced girl next to her observed her quietly before suddenly exclaiming, “You look really beautiful right now.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sierra turned to her and smiled. “Thank you.” She hadn’t realized how much Jonathan had done for her.

“No problem!”

The girl looked flustered, as if she hadn’t expected Sierra to respond so kindly. She had always assumed Sierra was difficult to approach, even arrogant. But now she realizes how misleading rumors could be.

“Oh, right! I should introduce myself. I’m Bella, from the Computer Science department!”

Then, as if making sure, she quickly added, “And just so you know, I never badmouthed you!”

She paused for a beat. “I mean, I did lurk in the threads, but I never said anything! It’s just a habit in my department – we like to dig into everything. Plus, I’m super nosy.”