Unspoken Lessons

Chapter 1: The Professor's Dilemma, Part 1

The soft glow of the late afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows of Xiao Zhan’s office, casting warm golden light across the piles of papers and books scattered across his desk. He leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting over the latest batch of student essays. The usual mix of half-hearted attempts and lackluster insights barely caught his attention anymore. As a literature professor at one of China’s top universities, he had seen it all. But lately, something had shifted. He felt disconnected, like he was going through the motions without any real passion for the work.

His phone buzzed with a notification, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was a reminder for his evening lecture in twenty minutes. Xiao Zhan sighed, rubbing his temples. His mind wandered briefly to a particular student who hadn’t shown up to any of his classes in weeks—Wang Yibo.

Wang Yibo was an enigma, and not in a way Xiao Zhan found intriguing. He was infuriating. From the few glimpses Xiao Zhan had caught of him, Yibo was a tall, rebellious young man with a reputation for challenging authority. He was majoring in fine arts and, by all accounts, an exceptionally talented student. But he was also notorious for his attitude and disregard for rules, skipping classes and assignments whenever it suited him.

Xiao Zhan had hoped to make a positive impact on his students, to inspire them to find meaning in literature. But Wang Yibo didn’t seem to care about anything outside of his art. Xiao Zhan had sent him multiple reminders about attendance, but each email had gone unanswered. His patience was running thin.

Picking up his phone, Xiao Zhan composed another message. This time, it was less forgiving than his previous attempts:

**"Wang Yibo, 
Your continued absence from my lectures is unacceptable. Attendance is mandatory, as outlined in the course requirements. Please attend the next session, or we will need to discuss your standing in this class. 
—Professor Xiao Zhan"**

He hit send and stared at the screen for a moment, a wave of frustration washing over him. It wasn’t just Yibo’s defiance that bothered him; it was the fact that despite his brilliance, he was wasting his potential. Xiao Zhan couldn’t understand how someone could possess such talent yet not take their studies seriously. He had worked hard to reach where he was, and seeing someone squander their opportunities rubbed him the wrong way.

His thoughts were interrupted by another knock at the door. Professor Zhou, his colleague and old friend, stepped inside, his face lighting up as he greeted Xiao Zhan.

"Burning the midnight oil again, Zhan?" Zhou said with a teasing smile. He was carrying a pile of books under one arm and had that familiar knowing glint in his eyes.

"Not exactly," Xiao Zhan sighed, gesturing to the stack of assignments in front of him. "I’m trying to make sense of this batch. And dealing with a particularly frustrating student."