Another weapon refining class had passed.
Chu Xunsheng collapsed limply onto his office chair and muttered, “System, let us just sleep at the school tonight.”
As expected of the renowned noble academy, even the office of a humble weapon-refining instructor was built with utmost luxury, featuring a sandalwood desk carved with intricate patterns, a comfortable revolving chair, and most importantly, an all-day heating system.
This made Chu Xunsheng, who shivered every day under a damp, freezing quilt in the slums and tossed and turned all night, well up with warm tears. The bone-chilling cold that crept up from his toes and threatened to freeze his soul forced him to curl up into a ball and wait silently for the sunrise.
However, the dark and gloomy corner of the slums never caught any sunlight. Whenever that happened, Chu Xunsheng would quietly yearn for the warm, heated academy.
Ah, System, are we playing this villainous role too successfully? How come not a single student has taken pity on a teacher freezing in the winter and brought him a cotton quilt or something?
Earlier, someone had brought a flower, a fine blossom good for nourishing mental energy. If it had been gifted by any other wealthy student, the flattering little Chu would have accepted it on the spot. Unfortunately, it was a gift from the pitiful little protagonist, so Chu Xunsheng tossed the flower back and said coldly, “I do not want a gift of a single flower.”
The little protagonist did not even look sad. Instead, he wore a thoughtful expression, though who knew what was going on inside his little head all day.
When that pretty ice-blue flower had been held up to him, Chu Xunsheng clearly saw the shocked and angry expressions of the surrounding crowd. It seemed everyone despised a teacher who accepted bribes. Terrified, Chu Xunsheng threw the flower back and uttered those words, only to see everyone’s expressions return to normal, though they looked just as thoughtful as the little protagonist.
Chu Xunsheng also fell into deep thought, trying to figure out the students’ psychology.
Before he could figure it out, two knocks sounded at the door.
“Is Teacher Chu in?”
It was the voice of the Third Imperial Highness.
Chu Xunsheng straightened his posture and called out loudly, “Come in.”
Ji Yan pushed the door open and stepped inside, first scanning Chu Xunsheng’s expression. It was calm and unruffled, as if nothing had happened, even carrying a hint of slight confusion.
Good, very good.
Chu Xunsheng also sized him up. The long silver hair hung smoothly against his sides, and his expression was bland, revealing neither joy nor anger. His thin lips curved slightly, yet it inexplicably radiated a sense of chill.
Ji Yan smiled faintly and produced a small box, asking, “Teacher Chu, what is the meaning of this?”
Chu Xunsheng leaned forward to take a look. It was a rustic little box that did not quite match the low-key luxurious aura of the Third Highness, exactly the gift box he had scrounged up from parts unknown.
“This is a gift I prepared for Your Royal Highness. Is there a problem?”
Chu Xunsheng looked at Ji Yan in confusion, thinking to himself, Surely it cannot be too crude? A dignified imperial prince would not come all the way here just to pick a fight over this!
Ji Yan let out a soft laugh, “Does Teacher Chu want to watch me wear it?”
It was just an ear clip. Why would anyone care about watching or not? But adhering to the principle of politeness, Chu Xunsheng nodded anyway.
Ji Yan cast a light glance at him, his mood unreadable, before turning around and locking the door with a sharp click.
In broad daylight, why is he locking the door?
As Chu Xunsheng wondered this, he watched Ji Yan step forward, each stride carrying an overwhelming wave of pressure. Chu Xunsheng felt an urge to back away, but his back was pressed firmly against the wall, leaving no room for retreat.
What is he doing? Silence me permanently?
Ji Yan approached, lowered his body, propped his hands against the arms of the chair, and leaned over to stare straight into his eyes.
“Teacher Chu usually looks so cold and self-restrained, acting like a pillar of virtue. There are so many people outside who admire you. Do you think they would know that you wanted to do this to your student?”
Chu Xunsheng was completely stunned, unable to utter a word.
Ji Yan chuckled softly, opened the small box, and took out the clip adorned with the little bell. He gave the restraint around his waist a slight tug, and his white imperial robe slipped down, pooling on the floor like a fallen butterfly.
With his finely articulated fingers, the Third Highness held the clip, pressing his thin lips together.
The clasp bit down viciously. The sudden pain caused his hand gripping the chair to tighten fiercely. Ji Yan bit his lip hard to suppress a low gasp, yet he maintained his smile as he lowered his head to look at Chu Xunsheng.
Chu Xunsheng felt as though his soul had ascended to the stratosphere, only to be yanked right back down by the intensely provocative movements of the noble prince. Those well-defined hands were covered in bulging veins, hands meant for holding brushes and jade that were now…
System, get out here! What kind of website did you pull this from?
The system was nowhere to be found, offering zero response.
Chu Xunsheng could only raise his head with trembling trepidation, his face burning bright red. He awkwardly wrapped his arms loosely around the Third Highness to keep him from falling, and stammered, “Your Royal Highness, I really did not know what this item was. I just searched for popular accessories. I thought it was an ear clip.”
Seeing that Chu Xunsheng’s face had flushed rapidly all the way to the tips of his ears, completely stiff and looking thoroughly panicked, Ji Yan realized this must have been a misunderstanding. A playful urge welled up inside him, and just as he was about to remove the bell, a knock at the door interrupted them.
In a panic, Chu Xunsheng shoved the imperial prince directly under his desk, hurriedly cracked the door open an inch, and asked, “What is it?”
It was Jiang Zhou. He looked at Chu Xunsheng’s flushed face with mild suspicion and asked softly, “Teacher Chu, are you feeling unwell?”
“No, no, what do you need?”
Jiang Zhou was here to collect some weapon-refining materials. Just as he finished speaking, the faint sound of a bell jingling came from beneath the teacher’s desk.
Ji Yan was in agonizing pain and wanted to remove the clip himself, but a light touch triggered another heart-palpitating chime of the little bell, frightening him so much that he froze completely.
Jiang Zhou cast a suspicious glance toward the desk and opened his mouth to ask, but Chu Xunsheng hurriedly shoved the requested materials into his hands and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Left staring at the closed door, Jiang Zhou clenched his fists, a vicious look flashing across his face before he reluctantly turned and left.
Chu Xunsheng quickly locked the door, rushed over to fish the prince out from under the desk, and was horrified by what he saw.
Ji Yan’s chest was red and swollen like large cherries, and the little bell chimed seductively with his every movement, pulling at the sensitive spot and eliciting a soft gasp. The imperial prince was drenched in cold sweat, his long silver hair plastered against his face by perspiration, and his lips chewed raw by his own teeth, portraying a truly wretched sight.
Chu Xunsheng gingerly supported the silver-haired beauty, hurriedly removed the clip, and once the prince had calmed down, he lowered his head and muttered, “I am sorry, Your Royal Highness. Please take this back, I gave you the wrong thing.”
Having just regained his composure, Ji Yan felt a fresh wave of anger flare up in his chest. Sneering coldly, he remarked, “Is there any logic where a gift once given is taken back? You claim it was not meant for me? Then who was it for? That young master Jiang from earlier? Or that favored little pet of yours, Yuan Du?”
The favored Yuan Du? Chu Xunsheng felt a sliver of confusion, but pushed it aside to softly say, “No one else. I will forge something else properly as your birthday gift.”
Ji Yan had already redressed himself, though the friction of his clothes against the red and swollen spots still caused a sharp, itching pain. His pride as a prince prevented him from rubbing himself through his clothes, so he simply endured the discomfort while keeping his expression completely composed. He replied indifferently, “This one will do.”
With that, he turned and left, his silver hair sweeping through the air in a graceful arc.
Chu Xunsheng offered a polite smile of farewell, maintaining his stellar composure as an educator…
Before turning around to beat the physical avatar of the system into a flat pancake.
I would rather freeze to death at home than stay here this morning!
As Chu Xunsheng ranted frantically in his mind, another knock sounded at the door. He quickly smoothed his appearance and hurried over to open it.
It was Lin Zhinian.
Lin Zhinian flashed a sweet smile at Teacher Chu and nervously produced a pretty little gift box.
Earlier this morning, Teacher Chu had said he did not want a gift of a single flower, but surely something other than a flower would be acceptable?
Seeing the box filled Chu Xunsheng with a sense of dread, and he asked in a small voice, “What is inside here?”
Lin Zhinian smiled shyly, “Teacher Chu, I refined this myself. You must accept it.”
She refined it herself.
Darkness swept over Chu Xunsheng’s vision, but clinging to the original host’s gold-digging persona, he forced a gentle smile at the young miss of the Lin family and took the box.
“Can Teacher Chu try wearing it?”
What goes around comes around; who does heaven ever spare? Trembling, Chu Xunsheng opened the box and saw two black-and-gold clips, sending him into another bout of darkness.
“This is a mental-energy-storing bone clip that I refined myself. It can store mental power to assist in weapon refining, and this color suits you very well, Teacher,” Lin Zhinian said shyly.
Only then did Chu Xunsheng breathe a sigh of relief. Alright, alright, this one works.
He reached out, took the ear clips, and clipped them onto his cartilage. Instantly, a wave of warmth coursed through his entire body.
The intricately carved black-and-gold bone clips lent a wicked charm to his refined, scholarly face. Paired with the black bandage wound around his arm, these small accessories filled the previous empty void and added a touch of sexiness.
Suppressing a squeal, Lin Zhinian whipped out her phone with lightning speed, snapped two photos, covered her face, and scurried away.
Oh my god, he looks so insanely handsome!
Lin Zhinian posted online that very night:
I refuse to let anyone miss Teacher Chu’s new look! An absolute masterpiece of a black ear clip that rivals the black bandage!
She watched with satisfaction as the post quickly shot to the top, filled with a massive crowd howling for more.
Chu Xunsheng knew nothing about the bloody storm brewing on the campus network, feeling rather grateful instead. With this automatic heating ear clip that nourished his mental energy, he could finally get a good night’s sleep!
He wondered what those little scoundrels were up to while he shivered in his little shack.
Chu Xunsheng turned off the lights, ready to leave, when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the adjacent lounge.
It sounded like a table being knocked over, followed by the sound of an object being dragged across the floor.
The surroundings were dead silent. The students had long since gone home for the day. Having stayed behind a little longer to enjoy the heat, Chu Xunsheng found the hallway completely empty, save for the sound of his own accelerating breathing.
He started in shock, his mind flashing through various bizarre urban legends, such as chainsaws, demons, midnight spirits in red dresses, and old hags who could twist their heads a full 180 degrees at a call.
The system let out a ghostly screech and shivered, Run away, run away!
Chu Xunsheng hesitated. What if a student is in some kind of danger?
He walked forward slowly and gently twisted the doorknob.
“Who is there?”
It was a voice he recognized well, though the tone was unfamiliar. Young Master Chen’s usual soft and spoiled voice was now laced with bone-chilling coldness and disdain.
Immediately afterward came the sound of a black whip cutting through the air with tremendous force, catching the completely unprepared Chu Xunsheng and dragging him flat onto the floor.