Ambush!

Blissfully unaware of the late-night conspiracy and never suspecting the future that awaited him, Li Wei was thoughtfully staring at the large blackboard in his staff room at the Physics department. The board was studded with complex mathematical equations and diagrams, which to an untrained eye looked like stick figures with lots of squiggly lines.

Unlike his scruffy hair, the room was well ordered and neat, and his table was organized into separate sections. On the right side were his computer, textbooks, and papers to grade. On the left sat a photo of his beautiful and gentle wife, An Mei, and one of her bestselling romance novels, which he was on the verge of completing.

When the knock came, Li Wei received it with usual exuberance. "Come in," he said cheerfully.

But he was not ready for the throng of teenage girls that marched into his staff room and crowded the small space. Li Wei stood up, a little alarmed, and looked around in confusion. Then his eyes caught the familiar sight of An Jing, his sister-in-law, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"An Jing. What's going on? Why is everyone here?" he asked, still a little nervous.

"Li Jiaoshou," An Jing said respectfully. "The girls wanted to ask for your help."

"My help?!" Li Wei asked incredulously. "With what?"

"You know the underwear thefts in our dorm?"

"Yeah. It's a terrible thing. I hope they catch the culprit soon."

"Well... no one is catching him. So, we have come up with a plan. We are going to catch him ourselves."

"Really?! Is that safe?" Li Wei looked at An Jing and added, "I mean, for the other girls?"

"It will be safe, Jie-fu; I will take care of them," An Jing replied, easing his worries. "But the problem is the university. In order to form the dorm patrol, we must have a faculty mentor."

"Please, Professor Li, can you be our faculty mentor?" Sun XiaoXiao pleaded.

"None of the others want to help us," Chen Yi complained.

"Please, Professor," the other girls clamoured.

"Yes. I would be happy to," Li Wei agreed enthusiastically without a moment's hesitation, sending a wave of surprised cheers through the assembled students.

A girl in the back of the crowd gushed, "Thanks, professor. We knew that we could count on you. You are the best."

Others nodded their heads, agreeing with the assessment.

But An Jing was not happy. "Wei-ge," she said, her voice much softer than before, "Don't let them bully you into this. You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"No, Xiao-Jing. I want to do it." Li Wei seemed thoughtful for a moment before smiling. "I have never been asked to be part of a group before. It's exciting." Then he looked at the girls. "And if I can help you guys while trying something new, then it's all the more reason to do it."

Now that Li Wei himself had shown enthusiasm for the idea, there was nothing An Jing could do. "Well, if you are sure. But please don't put yourself in any danger, alright? Or your sisters will have my head," An Jing said half-jokingly.

Li Wei chuckled and agreed, "I will. Just let me know how I can help."