It was as if the sole purpose of Chen Zhezhe's existence in this world was to highlight Teacher Wang Dong's excellence. One was admired by countless beauties while the other was completely ignored; one was impeccably and exquisitely dressed, while the other wore cheap street-market clothes.
Therefore, Teacher Wang Dong very much needed someone like Chen Zhezhe to set off his own brilliance, though naturally, the red flower rarely deigned to notice the green leaf.
"Fake foreign devil!" Chen Zhezhe cursed under his breath.
Yet he could not let those words slip out; his final grades depended on the teacher showing mercy, so Chen Zhezhe could only offer a polite smile and say, "I'm sorry, Teacher Wang, but something came up at home today."
Wang Dong waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, I know!"
With that, he drew a mark in the roll book, presumably recording Chen Zhezhe as tardy. Then, he muttered under his breath, "Does someone without a girlfriend even have a home?"
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but pitched just right for every student in the room to hear, and the class burst into hearty laughter once again.
Chen Zhezhe walked in amidst the laughter of Teacher Wang and his classmates, and Qin Xin followed right behind him—
Suddenly, halfway through their laughter, everyone choked and swallowed the rest of it back down.
Some students sat with their mouths wide open in mid-laugh, forgetting to close them as they stared blankly and dumbfoundedly at Qin Xin.
The bustling noise instantly gave way to absolute silence, and the atmosphere in the classroom became bizarrely surreal.
Though dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt, Qin Xin managed to look remarkably radiant and fresh. Combined with her graceful, undulating figure, a face of otherworldly beauty, and that ethereal, fairy-like aura of hers, her entrance caused every heart in the room to skip a few beats.
As for Wang Dong, usually so refined and cultured, he completely forgot the aristocratic poise he claimed to have learned in Britain; his bulging eyes widened so much they nearly touched his spectacle lenses.
How could this be?
A penniless, powerless otaku like this—even if he was somewhat decent-looking—could never possibly hook such a top-tier beauty.
It had to be a coincidence. Maybe she was a relative, or perhaps they had just happened to walk in together.
He pointed at Qin Xin and asked, "Is this student in our class? Why did she follow you in here? Don't tell me she's your girlfriend?"
At the word "girlfriend," he let out a dry, forced chuckle. But this time, the students didn't join in to jeer; his laughter sounded rather hollow, so he simply shut his mouth.
Watching Wang Dong's kaleidoscopic expressions, Chen Zhezhe felt a massive rush of satisfaction deep down.
"Aha! Teacher, you're joking. How could she possibly be my girlfriend?" Chen Zhezhe gave Qin Xin's shoulder an affectionate pat. "She lives with me. She's never been to university, so she just came to take a look!"
"Haha, I knew it... Go find a seat and listen to the lecture!" Wang Dong's voice had grown considerably gentler.
Suddenly, he felt the world was still a wonderful place, that he was indeed the most superior of men, and the students all wore expressions that clearly said, *I knew it*.
Having grown up in Tianxin Pavilion, Qin Xin had genuinely never seen what a university looked like. As Chen Zhezhe spoke, her darting eyes scanned busily around the room.
Everything was completely novel to her: a single person standing at the front giving a lecture, while a crowd of people sat below listening.
This setup was largely similar to when she was cultivating in her childhood.
"Husband! Husband! There seems to be a seat over there!" Qin Xin pointed happily toward two vacant spots at the front—
Uh...
Even Chen Zhezhe himself was dumbfounded. He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin and, amid a sea of envious, jealous, and hateful gazes from everyone in the room, he pulled Qin Xin over and sat down with her.
When Qin Xin had called herself his wife earlier, she actually meant it... This foolish woman was truly adorable!
He hadn't expected that pulling such a prank on Qin Xin would yield this kind of result.
Even Chen Zhezhe himself was starting to feel like he really was Qin Xin's husband.
Wang Dong's expression darkened to a terrifying degree. He glared straight at Chen Zhezhe and said, "I seem to recall a university rule forbidding romantic relationships, Chen Zhezhe! After class, I'll be reporting this matter to the head of the department."
Damn it, the rule certainly existed on paper, but dating in university was practically tacitly approved; no one ever took that rule seriously.
Chen Zhezhe leaned back in his chair with a smug look. "How could that be? Teacher, didn't you just say it yourself earlier? I'm searching high and low for love—where on earth am I dating anyone? She calls me her husband, sure, but I didn't agree to it. I believe my studies should remain my top priority; only by studying hard can I truly serve my country."
Hearing this, the class immediately burst into laughter. Students started jeering and pounding on their desks, and the classroom at Jiangcheng University suddenly grew boisterously lively.
Ahem!
Teacher Wang nearly choked on his own breath. Realizing that dragging this conversation out any further was pointless and might only lead to him losing face completely if he kept asking questions, he tapped the podium.
"Now, let me continue talking about my time in Wales!"
With his handsome appearance and decent eloquence, Wang Dong was actually a good lecturer—otherwise, he wouldn't have drawn such a large crowd of students.
"In fact, Britain has thieves too. When I was studying abroad, my wallet was stolen at the library once. I reported it to the police, and the British policemen were exceptionally dedicated. They very carefully took down my statement, and since the security cameras had captured the suspect's face, they said they would issue a warrant and put a one-thousand-pound bounty on it. Truth be told, the things inside my wallet weren't even worth a thousand pounds, but they still did it. Because in their view, judicial justice is priceless and cannot be measured in money."
He paused. Seeing that even Qin Xin had been drawn in by his topic, he poured even more enthusiasm into his words: "If an incident like this were to happen here at home... I bet the warrant wouldn't even be issued before I'd managed to dial the police hotline!"
The students cooperated by bursting into laughter!
Giving the desk a solid thump, he raised his voice: "So, the saying that the moon is rounder abroad is not without reason. In some British towns, the air is even cleaner than in our rural townships. The fresher the air and the higher the visibility, the more beautiful the moon naturally is. Conversely, look at Jiangcheng City—it's not even an industrial city, yet this air of ours... Not long ago, some of my astronomer classmates from Britain came to Jiangcheng City to do research, and the atrocious sandstorms completely ruined their enthusiasm. A situation like that would simply never happen over there!"
Chen Zhezhe curled his lip in disgust. What a bloody fake foreign devil! Wasn't London's air notoriously terrible?
Wang Dong caught Chen Zhezhe's expression and sneered, "Student Chen Zhezhe, it seems you have some differing opinions. Why don't you share them with the class?"
Utterly fed up with this sort of person, Chen Zhezhe decided to throw caution to the wind. He stood up and said loudly, "I think Teacher Wang makes a good point. We really do fall short compared to Britain!"
Hearing Chen Zhezhe say this, Wang Dong assumed the boy was thoroughly intimidated and was actively playing along to flatter him.
Drifting on smugness, his attitude turned considerably condescending. "And in which specific areas do we fall short?"
Just as Wang Dong was basking in his triumph, Chen Zhezhe abruptly shifted his tone: "I think certain teachers in our country fall short compared to theirs—"
The moment Chen Zhezhe's words fell, the classroom erupted into a roar of laughter. Several male students pounded their desks excitedly and roared at the top of their lungs, "Well said, Chen Zhezhe! I've got your back!"
"This class is impossible to teach!" Wang Dong's face turned green. He slammed his textbook down, pushed open the door, and stormed out.
Because of Chen Zhezhe, the lecture could no longer continue. Likely due to Wang Dong filing a complaint, less than five minutes later, the counselor summoned Chen Zhezhe to her office.
As Chen Zhezhe walked out following the counselor, Zhang Qing, the students stood up and applauded as if sending off a hero. Beaming with triumph, Chen Zhezhe leaned down and whispered into Qin Xin's ear, "Sit right here and wait for me!"
"Chen Zhezhe, Teacher Wang just went to the department head to complain, saying that as long as you're in his class, he will never step foot in the classroom again. What on earth is going on?"
Chen Zhezhe's counselor was twenty-five years old, a recent graduate of Jiangcheng University who had stayed on as faculty. She was very pretty and rumored to have been the campus belle back in her student days.
Looking stunning as always, Chen Zhezhe gave Counselor Zhang Qing an exaggerated once-over and said, "Teacher, you're looking exceptionally radiant today!"
Blindsided by this sudden remark, Zhang Qing was momentarily flustered. "Ah? Really?"
"Mhm! Teacher, what kind of cosmetics do you usually use? Recommend them to me so I can beautify myself too!" Chen Zhezhe stroked his chin and clicked his tongue in admiration, causing Zhang Qing—who was several years older than him—to blush.
She touched her cheek. It certainly felt smooth, with no roughness whatsoever.
"I haven't used anything special! Chen Zhezhe, we're supposed to be talking about Teacher Wang Dong today..."
"Oh, if you've become like this without using anything, then I can only call it natural beauty. Look at Teacher Liu, who teaches us jurisprudence—she usually uses Lancôme! Yet her skin is clearly much worse than yours!"
Zhang Qing shook her head. "That's because Teacher Liu is already over thirty, and she's given birth to a child..."
"No way, no way! It's not like that!" Chen Zhezhe shook his head like a rattle-drum. "Teacher Zhang, even when you reach your thirties, your skin won't get any worse. I reckon that when you're sixty, you'll still look younger than other people do at thirty."
This remark was blatantly leaning into the territory of blatant flattery—crude and heavy-handed at that—yet what woman doesn't like being complimented?
Zhang Qing froze for a second. She looked up at Chen Zhezhe and said, "Listen here, Chen Zhezhe, you seem to be changing the subject. We were clearly talking about—"
"Oh!"
Chen Zhezhe suddenly jumped, startling Zhang Qing.
He looked down at Zhang Qing's skirt and asked, "Teacher Zhang, where did you buy this outfit? How much was it? This dress really showcases your temperament! One look and you can tell you're an intellectual beauty—super classy, super knowledgeable, the kind of woman who's both gorgeous and brilliant. Tell me where it's from so I can buy one for my sister, though I doubt she could pull off the effect you've got!"
"It's from the store on Central Street... Chen Zhezhe? Shut your mouth, I talk and you listen!" Zhang Qing was usually well-read and articulate, but today Chen Zhezhe kept cutting her off and trapping her in corners. A stomach full of frustration finally boiled over, and she couldn't help but snap.
"Mm-hmm!" Chen Zhezhe nodded vigorously.
Seeing Chen Zhezhe's meek and submissive posture, Zhang Qing felt quite satisfied and said, "I bought this dress two days ago during their anniversary sale for 888 yuan. Today is the last day of the event..."
"Mhm, got it!"
With his head lowered, Chen Zhezhe was actually secretly staring at Counselor Zhang Qing's legs...
Zhang Qing, wearing a short skirt, possessed a pair of slender, beautiful legs. Seeing Chen Zhezhe lower his head in silence, she assumed he was reflecting on his misbehavior.
"This dress of mine... Right, we're here today to talk about Teacher Wang Dong's situation... Student Chen Zhezhe, stop looking down, look into my eyes!"
Noticing that Chen Zhezhe's gaze seemed to be following an unhealthy trajectory, Zhang Qing took a few deep breaths. This student was utterly infuriating; he hadn't been like this before.
To make matters worse, as she drew that breath and her chest rose and fell, it drew Chen Zhezhe's eyes straight to her chest.
"Today, Teacher Wang Dong reported that you disrupted classroom decorum..." Zhang Qing's face flushed red, but she forced herself to remain calm and continued, "I always thought you were a very well-behaved student in class. Even though you're a bit rebellious at times, you're a good kid."
When she finished speaking, she noticed that Chen Zhezhe had gone silent and wasn't saying a word.
This student—when she told him to speak, he refused; when she told him to shut up, he ran his mouth endlessly. Zhang Qing frowned and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Teacher told me not to speak," Chen Zhezhe said with a pitiful expression.
His facial expressions and demeanor belonged to the Oscar-winning tier, and hearing him put it that way actually made Zhang Qing feel a little guilty.
"Then do you have anything to say?" Zhang Qing asked in a soft tone.
Chen Zhezhe scratched his head. "Teacher, do you eat a lot of papaya and drink a lot of milk usually?"
"Huh? What?"
Chen Zhezhe exclaimed in awe, "How else could they be so magnificent?"
Teacher Zhang...