Nobody said that teachers at elite academies have to be heartthrobs.

Jiang Yuli neatly packed up the lunchbox, a triumphant smile playing on her lips, and turned to look at Yu Fuli.

He suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between them, his voice low and clear, carrying an undisguised intention:

"Teacher Yu has finished her meal. I, who was in charge of feeding her, am exhausted. Shouldn't I get some payment now?"

"Um?"

Yu Fuli didn't immediately grasp the meaning behind his words and subconsciously looked up.

In that instant, the person in front of him suddenly leaned closer, and a warm touch pressed against his lips without warning, too fast to catch or even dodge.

The temperature was so intense it was fleeting, like a feather skimming across the water.

Yu Fuli froze on the headboard.

Jiang Yu had straightened up, her fingers tracing her lower lip, a triumphant smile playing on her lips, but her tone was deliberately relaxed:

"Payment received. Teacher, please get some rest."

He didn't linger, picked up the lunchbox, turned and left, as if the inappropriate touch was just a joke on a whim.

The ward door closed.

Yu Fuli raised her hand in disbelief, her fingertips touching her lips, as if the fleeting warmth and touch still lingered there.

absurd.

He closed his eyes, and his ears turned red.

He was angry.

Jiang Yu hummed an off-key tune as she walked briskly towards the corridor entrance, carrying the food box.

The satiating feeling of having just stolen a kiss was still lingering on his lips when he looked up and was caught off guard by a silent figure standing in the shadows around the corner.

The man stood ramrod straight, his face pale, like a lifeless ghost.

It's Lin Xun.

His face was expressionless, even his eyes were empty, and he just stared at me quietly.

The slight, frivolous smile on Jiang Yu's lips faded for a moment.

He subconsciously turned his head and glanced in the direction he had come from.

From this angle, walking through the open corridor, if the ward door happens to be open, then the hospital bed inside the ward, and everything happening around the bed, will be completely visible.

And just now, when he carried the food box in and out, he did not close the door for convenience.

Lin Xun has been standing here for quite some time now.

He probably saw the whole thing.

From feeding to that unexpected, fleeting kiss.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Jiang Yu withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Xun again.

The boy's clear eyes remained calm, but beneath that calmness, a trace of resentment, which could not be concealed, was revealed.

Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow, the last trace of a smile on her face completely vanishing.

The two stood a few steps apart, facing each other in silence.

In the silence, Jiang Yu suddenly curled the corners of his mouth, a wicked glint in his eyes.

He deliberately lowered his voice, asking in an almost whispered tone, "Have you kissed Teacher Yu?"

His gaze was fixed on Lin Xun, not missing a single change in the other's face, his tone filled with undisguised provocation.

Lin Xun stood ramrod straight, her face expressionless, but her usually downcast or calm eyes now clearly reflected a sharp, stinging emotion—undisguised jealousy.

Jiang Yu thought that such a direct provocation would, given the youthful impetuosity, either result in the other party vehemently denying it or becoming enraged and charging at him.

He was even prepared to respond to the challenge or make sarcastic remarks.

However, Lin Xun simply clenched his hands tightly at his sides, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the veins on the back of his hands bulging slightly.

He pursed his lips, his jawline tightened into a stiff straight line, and his breath seemed to stop for a moment.

But he didn't move.

There was no rebuttal, no attack, and they didn't even look away.

He stood there, enduring Jiang Yu's scrutiny and provocation, suppressing all his surging emotions deep within his seemingly calm eyes.

This restraint and forbearance beyond his years actually made Jiang Yu feel bored.

It was like punching a thick layer of cotton with all your might; the expected intense reaction didn't materialize, leaving only a dull, unpleasant resistance.

He pursed his lips, the hint of malice in his eyes quickly fading, replaced by his usual nonchalant attitude.

"Boring."

He muttered something under his breath, then stopped looking at Lin Xun, picked up the food box, and strolled past Lin Xun as if everything that had just happened was just a pebble he had casually fiddled with when he was bored.

Yu Fuli had initially thought the boy possessed some extraordinary talent that had attracted him, but it turned out he was nothing but a complete coward.

Faced with his rival's provocation, he didn't dare utter a sound.

As Jiang Yu brushed past him, he left behind a cold warning: "From now on, stay away from Yu Fuli."

He didn't stop walking, and he didn't even turn his head.

"Otherwise, you'll be facing much more than just these minor skirmishes."

The words fell on the empty corridor, their contempt and threat undisguised.

Lately, Lin Xun has been encountering a series of annoying little accidents while handling student council affairs—deliberately missed notices, suddenly malfunctioning equipment, unreasonable procedural difficulties, and even occasionally, some minor injuries that he happens to suffer.

The source of all the seemingly trivial yet precisely targeted obstacles aimed solely at him is now crystal clear.

All of this was a casual reprimand orchestrated by the young master Jiang in front of them.

Jiang Yu's figure disappeared at the end of the stairs.

Lin Xun remained standing in the same spot, like a frozen sculpture.

Only those hands, hanging at her sides, which had just loosened slightly, slowly clenched again, their nails digging deep into her palms, bringing a sharp pain that suppressed the violent rage that was about to break free of its restraints.

coward?

Lin Xun lowered her eyelashes, concealing the fleeting cold sarcasm deep within her eyes.

These arrogant fools know nothing.

What they saw was just a taciturn, submissive top student, a coward who didn't even dare to respond to direct provocation.

They thought that those petty tricks and difficulties would make him back down, and that a few light threats would make him terrified.

ridiculous.

She was just a spoiled puppet who thought she could control everything, yet she dared to act like a superior in front of him.

How annoying.

It seems... the plan needs to be sped up.

He needs a faster, more thorough cleaning.

"Hey! Jiang Yu, what did you just say?!"

A crisp, angry female voice suddenly broke in.

Qiao Qi had just come up the stairs when she heard Jiang Yu's last threatening words.

Her father was the empire's top director, and had long-standing ties with the Jiang family, who controlled the entertainment industry. Coupled with the influence of her mother's family, Qiao Qi was quite confident among these top young masters and wasn't too afraid of Jiang Yu, the renowned young master.

She rushed over, blocking Lin Xun's path, glaring at Jiang Yu's back with fierce protectiveness in her eyes: "What did you threaten Lin Xun with? Let me tell you, Jiang Yu, stop bullying people here!"

Jiang Yu didn't even pause, only lazily turning half her face to glance at her out of the corner of her eye, her tone as perfunctory as could be: "It's nothing."

After saying that, he completely ignored her questioning, picked up the food box, and swayed down the stairs, as if Qiaoqi and her words were nothing but air.

"You...!" Qiao Qi stomped her foot in anger at his attitude, but Jiang Yu had already walked away.

She turned around, looked at Lin Xun behind her, and her tone softened with concern, "Lin Xun, are you alright? Did he cause you any trouble? Don't be afraid, if he dares to do anything reckless, I... I'll tell Teacher Yu!"

Lin Xun kept his head down, seemingly still lost in his own thoughts. That extremely soft whisper, rather than being addressed to anyone in particular, was more like the venom churning deep within his heart finally overflowing:

"There are so many annoying things around teachers..."

His voice was soft, but the next half of his sentence made the air freeze instantly—

"It would be better if they all died."

Lin Xun spoke of her doubts and desires with the innocence of a child.