Lan Jueās sudden appearance in front of Tang Mi took her off guard. She unconsciously lifted her hand to ward him off, but her professor deftly sidestepped and pushed her hand away until she was warding nothing but air.
āDonāt misunderstand Miss Mi,ā he said. āIād simply like you to examine my collar. Tell me if you notice anything.ā
Tang Mi was still off-balance, but eventually recovered. Her pretty face adopted a red tint, and her heart sped up.
What man would dare approach her like this! Even Tang Xiao kept his distance. Where he a student, heād find her foot firmly planted between his legs in the blink of an eye. Of course there was nothing she could do here; he was no student, the Director watched from behind him, and he wasnāt breaking any rules.
As they stood toe-to-toe, Lan Jue half a head taller than she, Tang Mi could smell the Professorās debonair cologne. With his suit, vest, kerchief and tie this only perfected his refined mystique.
āIt looks fineā¦ though the tie is a little crooked.ā She took only a cursory glance at his collar before speaking.
āTake a more careful look. See if you canāt spot it.ā
Tang Mi muttered a dark curse at herself and, suppressing her displeasure, looked again. This time she saw it.
āHm, the collarās ends are at an outward angle, just enough to accommodate the thickness of the tie knot. On either side the collar naturally droops down, giving it symmetry.ā
Lan Jue retreated a few steps, clapping his hands. āVery good, a fine observation. So why, then, is my collar like this?ā
āCustom made,ā a young man in the class offered.
Lan Jue shook his head. āThere are different methods of tying a tie. Each one results in different width and thickness for the tie knot. Likewise each one requires a different collar. So does this mean I have custom shirts for every sort of knot I wish to tie? Far too wasteful. In fact my necktie this afternoon is not crooked ā itās the color of the shirt. It isnāt completely fitting with a very formal tie. As a result I tied this Simple Knot. It looks moreā¦ vibrant. And as for the secrets of the collar, Iāll enlighten youā¦ā
As he spoke he fiddled with one side of his collar, extricating something.
āIām fairly certain everyone hereās worn a shirt. But Iām absolutely sure youāve never turned over the collar. Take a look.ā He opened his fist to reveal a one centimeter wide, five centimeter long strip of metal, rounded on one end and sharp on the other.
āThis is called a collar stay. As the name implies, it helps the collar stay in the shape intended. Generally speaking even higher class name brands employ plastic collar stays. The problem with those is that they only keep the collar straight and smooth ā they donāt allow for adjustment of the angle. The ones I have here are pure silver 1. I can make adjustments according to my needs, for whatever necktie I choose. This is how the collar works ā not tailored.ā
The students looked on in rapt attention. Evidently none had heard this secret before. Director Wu fiddled with his collar, partially hidden in the back row.
Lan Jue replaced the collar stay. āIf you donāt tell anyone, no one will know your collar stay is composed of a precious metal. No one, except for those with good taste. Theyāll take one look at your collar and know precisely how it is youāve managed that angle. I once knew a local official who used twenty-two karat gold stays, not for anyone elseās satisfaction but his own. He knew they were twenty-two karat gold. Pure gold, obviously, would have been too soft for a stay. Unsuitable unless you add another metal. These werenāt for status, for how could they be if no one saw them? This was his āsurprise package,ā his hidden coquettishness. Think about it ā what if one day your girlfriend has your shirtā¦ for some reasonā¦ and discovers a golden collar stay? Sheād look at you differently, wouldnāt she? I dare say sheād be more smitten.ā
More laughter, this time less forced. Be it male or female student each looked upon him with bright eyes and bright expression.
āMost people think ornamentation and accessories are a womanās fancy. What use have men for accessories? Isnāt that āgirlyā? Well Iām here to tell you that this sort of thinking is entirely wrong. In truth a manās necessary accessories arenāt much fewer than a womanās.. only, they are less visually available. Collar stays, cufflinks, wrist watches, breastpins, even a delicate braceletā¦ things easily missed, but when briefly revealed increase your charm and charisma tenfold.ā
He paused here and took his jacket back from Tang Mi. He gave her a brief smile, and motioned for her to return to her seat. She looked back at him for a moment before making for the back row.
He slipped his jacket back on. āNow I know what youāre thinking. āProfessor Lan,ā you wish to say, āUnless youāre very familiar with a woman, your girlfriend for example, wont your secret remain hidden?ā In fact, thatās not the case. Take a look.ā He turned then and showed his back to the gathered youngsters.
āThis particular coat is a double vent. So, say Iām walking down the street and a breeze catches my clothes. The back flaps ever so slightly, and there the lining is revealed. Oops! My secret is known.ā
Another ripple of laughter. Jin Yan and Wu Junyi also couldnāt help but lend their voice to the mirthful chorus. Every eye watched Lan Jue, waiting for his next move.
Hua Li sat in a distant corner, watching the lecture from a distance. At some point the mask heād used to hide his face had been removed, and as he watched his high-spirited friend a knowing smile spread across his pretty features.
Never had Lan Jue expected one day heād be a teacher, much less Hua Li. But here he stood, standing before a classroom of rapt pupils.
āNow, folding pocket kerchiefs and wearing ties. There are quite a few ways to tie a tie. We have the common, popular knots like the four-in-hand, Windsorā¦ā
He demonstrated each knot as he said them, pulling strips of cloth from behind the podium and passing them around the room. Director Wu took the lull in the lecture as a chance to speak to Jin Yan, beside him.
āProfessor Jin, what do you think of this young manās class?ā
āItās only the second time Iāve attended,ā she began without hesitation, ābut I canāt not acknowledge my interest. I hadnāt expected one would have to pay such particular attention to a suit. Itās also the first time Iāve heard of collar stays. I feel like this knowledge, for etiquette and common sense, is of great benefits to the students. What do you think, Director?ā
He only gave a small, secretive smile. āAt the very least, itās not a disadvantage.ā
Jin Yan continued. āI might as well be one of his students. Iām already looking forward to what heāll tech next.ā
āItās not just you. Even at my age Iām learning a great deal from his lectures. Iāll probably have to go home and adjust my own suits after this. Show them off to the old lady.ā
Time flies when youāre having fun, so the saying goes, and for the students of Professor Lanās class the saying held true. In what felt like no time at all, the class was coming to an end.
As the bell rang, none of the students were in a rush to leave. After all the Professor still had one style of tie heād yet to show off. Time didnāt seem a factor, and even Director Wu didnāt remind Lan Jue that he was delaying the students from their other classes. Ten minutes later, all was said and done.
āI really do apologies. First for my classes and then for my time management. Thursday afternoon we have our next class. Frankly speaking todayās class was mostly for the benefit of our male students, but the next one will be aimed at our young ladies. In the interest of advanced notice weāll be discussing jewelry. There are a wide array of jewelry accessories and one class wont be able to cover them all, but Iāll bring a few pieces to show off. And thatās where weāll end today. Class dismissed, thank you.ā
Lan Jue finished with another formal bow.
āProfessor Lan, can you tell me if I did this right?ā One of his students rushed at the podium to get his attention. Others followed until it was as though Lan Jue was penned in by a swarm.
Hua Li slipped his mask back on his face, but not before muttering jealously under his breath. āI should be the one getting the star treatment. This guyā¦ā
It took a good ten minutes for Lan Jue to extricate himself from the horde. His suit had been horribly wrinkled in the process, and someoneās dirty fingers had stained the sleeves. He didnāt know whether to laugh or cry. Heād have to send it to the dry-cleaners when he returned.
āProfessorā¦ professor, over here!ā Lan Jue spied Tang Xiaoās puffy head peaking from around the corner of the hallway. He waved his master over.
Lan Jue nodded and made his way over.
Jin Tao and Tang Xiao were both waiting out of sight of the others. As Lan Jue came up, Jin Tao couldnāt help but immediately start blabbering. āProfessor, what suit do you think would make me look most handsome?ā
Lan Jue gently shoved the punkās head. āHandsome means an absence of grotesque shape. First you have to shave that hideous thing on your head.ā
āGot it!ā He turned then to the chortling Tang Xiao, repeatedly slapping the kidās belly. āAnd what are you laughing about tubby? If weāre talking about grotesque you got some adjustments to make yourself! Five minutes at a hairdressing and Iām golden, but this thing youāre smuggling here? Hah!ā
āNot in the face! Are you looking for another beating?!ā
āI advise you both to save your strength,ā Lan Jue interjected ominously. Suddenly there was another at Lan Jueās side.
Jin Tao looked at the newly arrived Hua Li. āOh hi. Are you also one of the Professorās pupils?ā