This chapter is dedicated to Zeno98 for being one of the generous giver of gifts to my book last month of June. Thank you so much for the support and for the generosity~! Ti amo, amore mio!

***

Shu Xian had to be honest… because of what happened between her and the professor a while ago and with the talk that they had, she still couldn't sleep.

The way the professor surprised her for her birthday still lingered in her mind, along with the words he told her a while ago saying that he is getting attracted to her.

With Shu Xian smiling at the thought, she bit her bottom lip as she felt happy that both of them feel the same.

However, both of them were indeed right—it's as if something is missing—like what is happening between them is so sudden, like they want to expect something more.

Maybe what's missing is the sincerity of what they meant. Somehow, both of them doubt that how they are acting towards each other is nothing but physical attraction and they wouldn't want this to be the only reason.

With that, Shu Xian sighed as she sat up, remembering her homework that she had in one of her majors, forgetting to do it.

"Oh, right,

" she mumbled to herself, looking at the time.

"It's already midnight but I only realized now that I forgot to do the poetry analysis,

" she added, sighing as she got her bag from the chair beside her bed and got her notebook.

She opened her phone and then searched for the poem in one of her English classes, already reading it and doing an analysis about it.

The professor in the English major subject asked the students to study two poems namely,

"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

" by Christopher Marlowe, and

"The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd

" by Sir Walter Raleigh.

The first poem read:

The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

BY CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE

Come live with me and be my love,

And we will all the pleasures prove,

That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,

Woods, or steepy mountain yields.

And we will sit upon the Rocks,

Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow Rivers to whose falls

Melodious birds sing Madrigals.

And I will make thee beds of Roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle

Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;

A gown made of the finest wool

Which from our pretty Lambs we pull;

Fair lined slippers for the cold,

With buckles of the purest gold;

A belt of straw and Ivy buds,

With Coral clasps and Amber studs:

And if these pleasures may thee move,

Come live with me, and be my love.

The Shepherds' Swains shall dance and sing

For thy delight each May-morning:

If these delights thy mind may move,

Then live with me, and be my love.

Shu Xian didn't know why… but reading the first poem made her eyebrow twitch.

With the theme of it being a love poem and with the speaker of the poem asking for her lover to live with him, she thought of reading the next poem instead, hoping that it's not a love poem.

The second poem read:

The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd

BY SIR WALTER RALEGH

If all the world and love were young,

And truth in every Shepherd's tongue,

These pretty pleasures might me move,

To live with thee, and be thy love.

Time drives the flocks from field to fold,

When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,

And Philomel becometh dumb,

The rest complains of cares to come.

The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,

To wayward winter reckoning yields,

A honey tongue, a heart of gall,

Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall.

Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,

Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies

Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:

In folly ripe, in reason rotten.

Thy belt of straw and Ivy buds,

The Coral clasps and amber studs,

All these in me no means can move

To come to thee and be thy love.

But could youth last, and love still breed,

Had joys no date, nor age no need,

Then these delights my mind might move

To live with thee, and be thy love.

"Aaah, this…

"

Shu Xian mumbled to herself, closing her eyes as she let out another sigh. She then put her phone aside for a while, blankly staring at her notebook as she furrowed her brows together.

She now understood why the professor asked them to study the two poems.

It's because both of them are replying to each other and the professor wanted them to interpret what it could have meant and what the ending is all about since the other poem now replied to the shepherd!

With her cringing at the poem as she skimmed them the second time, she couldn't help but scrunch her nose up in disgust.

"Why is this about a love poem? I mean, I get that we are studying and doing a poem analysis but with things happening with me now… nnngggh… love is the least thing I want to think less about right now.'

However, she took things maturely this time. With her shoving her personal feelings aside, she started dissecting the two poems and made her own analysis and scribbled it on her notes, while looking for a reference on the net that would help guide her.

She also couldn't help but think of her forgetting her sense of responsibility because suddenly, she had forgotten doing her homework! It's unusual for her because she always knew what to prioritize first!

But now…

'This Pan An and living with him,' Shu Xian started thinking to herself as she was writing on her notebook. 'Is becoming such a great distraction!'

With that, Shu Xian groaned as she looked at the time, already counting the remaining hours that she had left for her sleep.

She realized that in doing this homework, she would need to work on it for at least two hours, only leaving her 5-6 hours of sleep before waking up for food preparation.