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

It's getting late.

Yu Fuli had just finished taking a set of promotional photos with Qiao Qi and was packing up to leave the empty classroom where the photoshoot was being held.

At the corner of the corridor, two students huddled together next to the lockers, their heads close together, their hushed conversation drifting over.

"Hey, have you heard?" a voice asked mysteriously. "Jiang Yu has said he's going to teach the newly appointed student council president, Lin, a lesson."

"What?!" Another voice suddenly rose, then hurriedly fell silent. "I knew it! No wonder I've seen Chairman Lin lately; he seemed to have bruises on his hands, and his gait was a bit strange. Could it really be Jiang Yuqian?"

"It's more than just taking action," the previous voice rang out again, tinged with apprehension. "The things Chairman Lin is in charge of now are getting blocked when applying for an event venue, and all the allocation of supplies is going wrong. I heard that even his access to the library has been accidentally locked a few times... It's all the work of that young master Jiang."

"This is outrageous! Is there no justice left?!" another voice exclaimed indignantly.

"Justice? In our S-class system, justice is justice. What kind of family is the Jiang family? If they really anger that young master, forget about a top student, even..."

The words stopped abruptly. The two students seemed to realize something and looked up sharply, meeting Yu Fuli's suddenly cold gaze.

The two men turned pale, lowered their heads like startled rabbits, and hurriedly explained, "We didn't say anything, we don't know anything."

Yu Fuli forced a reassuring smile. "I just heard you mention Lin Xun? Is it Lin Xun, the student council vice president?"

The two students exchanged a glance, then hesitantly said, "Yes...yes...sorry, teacher, we have to go now."

With that, he quickly slipped away, hugging the wall.

The corridor returned to silence.

Yu Fuli closed his eyes, suppressing the sudden surge of anger in his heart.

Jiang Yu!

All the subtle oddities from before suddenly connected—the barely noticeable bruises at the corners of Lin Xun's eyes when he occasionally lowered his gaze, the fleeting red marks on his wrists when he rolled up his sleeves, and how he always brushed it off with casual excuses like "accidentally bumping into something" or "it happened during training"...

It turns out it wasn't an accident at all!

A fire suddenly ignited in his chest, burning so intensely that his fingertips felt numb.

He immediately took out his phone and opened the pinned chat box on Miaoxin.

[Fox King: Are you there?]

[Fox King: I need to talk to you about something. Where are you?]

After sending the message, as time passed, Yu Fuli stared intently at the screen, her ominous premonition growing stronger.

The reply didn't pop up for quite a while.

[lx: In Jiang Yu's castle.]

Before he could even look at it closely, a message appeared at the top of the chat box: "The other party has retracted a message."

It's been withdrawn? Why was it withdrawn?

Lin Xun and Jiang Yu were not close at all. Given Jiang Yu's aloof temperament and Lin Xun's cautious and introverted personality, there was absolutely no way they would be invited to Jiang Yu's so-called private castle.

unless……

They didn't go voluntarily; they were taken there!

Based on what I just heard, Jiang Yu is targeting and suppressing Lin Xun at every turn. So right now, Lin Xun is likely trapped on Jiang Yu's territory, forced to confront that lawless young master!

Bullying? Probably more than that!

Yu Fuli could wait no longer.

He quickly glanced at the approximate location of Jiang Yu's independent castle, stuffed his phone into his pocket, and turned to walk briskly in that direction.

Their pace quickened until it almost turned into a run.

The wind whistled past his ears, and only one thought remained in his mind:

Lin Xun, wait for the teacher!

[They've taken the bait.]

A text message without any notes suddenly appeared, and Lin Xun deleted it expressionlessly.

He turned off his phone screen and calmly put it back in his pocket, as if the message that had just appeared and disappeared had never existed.

He raised his eyes to meet Jiang Yu's cold, scrutinizing gaze.

At this moment, they were standing on the huge open-air balcony outside Jiang Yu's luxurious castle study.

The night breeze carried the chill of late autumn, and beneath my feet lay the brightly lit campus, with the outline of the main teaching building faintly visible in the distance.

Jiang Yu chose to talk here simply because he didn't want Lin Xun to set foot inside the study; that would make him feel like he was entertaining someone he didn't like.

The balcony, a semi-open, elevated space, better suited his vision for this meeting—interrogation, or expulsion.

"Speak," Jiang Yu said, leaning against the cold, carved stone railing, arms crossed, his posture conveying undisguised aloofness and impatience, "What's gotten into you, coming to see me?"

He was already in a bad mood today, and the arrival of Lin Xun, this uninvited guest, only made things worse. After arriving, she just stood there silently, looking submissive yet subtly stubborn, which only made him more irritated.

Lin Xun stood a few steps away from him, also facing the night view.

The night breeze gently ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, and his profile appeared unusually calm, even somewhat indifferent, in the light of the distant lights.

"Nothing special," Lin Xun said. "I just want to see with my own eyes just how much Jiang Xuechang can actually do to make me look bad."

He turned his head, his gaze meeting Jiang Yu's suddenly sharp eyes, and said sarcastically without any politeness, "The little troubles I've encountered recently are quite boring, utterly tedious, as childish as a three-year-old. Truly worthy of Young Master Jiang's handiwork."

These words were blunt and clearly showed that he looked down on Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu chuckled, straightened up, and took a step forward. The oppressive feeling brought by his height instantly enveloped her.

"Boring?" A storm brewed in his eyes, his tone rising dangerously. "Lin Xun, did you think I was playing games with you? That was just the appetizer. I warned you to stay away from Yu Fuli. Looks like you didn't listen."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across Lin Xun's calm, expressionless face like a knife: "Or do you think you can get away with anything under my nose just because you have the title of student council vice president? Or are you expecting Yu Fuli to protect you forever?"

Lin Xun listened quietly, his face remaining expressionless.

Only after Jiang Yu finished speaking did he slightly twitch the corner of his mouth. He still looked cowardly, but it made Jiang Yu's heart tighten for no reason.

"Protecting me?" Lin Xun repeated, her voice as soft as a sigh. "Senior Jiang, you seem to have misunderstood something."

He raised his eyes, and those clear eyes that were always lowered now appeared deep and unfathomable in the night.

"I never expected anyone to protect me." He took a small step forward, not retreating as Jiang Yu approached, but instead closing the distance slightly.

"Just like I never thought that your methods could really do anything to me."

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes, taking a serious look at the seemingly fragile and silent boy in front of him for the first time.

The calmness emanating from the other person wasn't feigned composure, but rather an indifference that showed they didn't care about anything. It was as if all the pressure I had exerted was nothing more than insignificant dust in his eyes.

This feeling made Jiang Yu extremely, extremely unhappy.

"Oh?" Jiang Yu laughed angrily, his voice icy cold. "It seems I underestimated you. Then how about..."