After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

"Instructor, you just asked me where the grain rations went?" Zhu Xun Chuan gently lifted Gu Qinghan's round, fair chin with the tip of his pointer, his tone carrying a chilling magnetism. "Since you're so concerned, why don't you check it yourself? See if... there's any leftover grain?"

"Zhu Xun Chuan! How dare you!" Gu Qinghan, filled with shame and indignation, reached out to grab the pointer. "I'm your advisor! How dare you speak to me like that!"

"counselor?"

Zhu Xun Chuan's lips curled into a smile, and his left hand suddenly reached out.

He didn't give Gu Qinghan any chance to react at all. The strength he gained after the initial physical enhancement made his grip as unshakeable as steel.

He grabbed Gu Qinghan's slender waist.

"ah--!"

Gu Qinghan exclaimed in surprise, feeling a sudden dizziness.

The next second, Zhu Xun Chuan had already plopped down in her original chair, while Gu Qing Han was forcibly placed on his lap like a frightened house cat.

The shapely silhouette of her body, encased in a tight-fitting pencil skirt, pressed firmly against Zhu Xun Chuan's legs.

"Zhu Xunchuan! Let me go! This is the office!" Gu Qinghan trembled all over, desperately pounding on Zhu Xunchuan's chest with her hands. But to Zhu Xunchuan, this force was no different from flirting.

"You knew it was an office?"

Zhu Xun Chuan flipped his right hand.

"Snapped!"

A crisp, clear sound suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the empty office.

Gu Qinghan's delicate body froze instantly.

Her face turned red at a visible speed, from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears, until it was so red that it almost bled.

That slap landed squarely on that full, rounded curve.

"This slap is punishment for you to carelessly squish pens in the auditorium." Zhu Xun Chuan's voice turned colder, carrying an undeniable domineering tone.

"Snapped!"

Another one.

"This slap is punishment for you getting jealous in front of the movie queen."

Gu Qinghan bit her red lips, her eyes instantly filling with glistening tears. The shame, the sense of immorality, and the tingling sensation that shot from her tailbone to her head completely shattered the pride she had been trying to maintain.

She stopped struggling.

She seemed to have all her strength drained away, slumping limply against Zhu Xun Chuan's shoulder. Her once neatly styled long hair was now disheveled, obscuring her stunningly beautiful face.

"Waaah...you bullied me...Zhu Xun Chuan, you're a bastard." Gu Qinghan's voice was no longer cold; instead, it carried a heartbreaking sob. "I'm going crazy...do you know, when I saw her kissing you on stage, I wanted to burn that auditorium down..."

"But what can I do? I'm just a counselor... What can I use to compete with them? Shen Tianxi has the Shen family, Jiang Yao has the Jiang family, even that Su Mucheng has a movie queen backing her up... All I have is this shabby office and that pile of documents that never seem to end..."

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, and the jealousy and unease that had been building up for days finally erupted.

Zhu Xun Chuan felt the dampness on his shoulder, and his heart, which had been as hard as a rock, softened slightly.

He dropped the pointer, put one arm around her waist, and gently stroked her long, silky hair with the other.

"Qinghan, look at me."

Zhu Xunchuan's voice became gentler than ever before, yet it carried an oppressive air of control over life and death.

Gu Qinghan looked up, her gold-rimmed glasses askew, her eyes blurry with tears. Where was the image of the icy beauty? She was now a spoiled little woman who was extremely insecure.

"Do you know why I went to Shanghai to see the Meng family and to Tianjin to see the Shen family?"

Zhu Xun Chuan stared into her eyes and activated the highest level of PUA.

"This scheme wasn't something I orchestrated; it was those powerful families forcing me to take the plunge. Qinghan, do you think I was able to escape unscathed from Shen Yao's military region just because of my smooth talk? That recognition was earned with my life."

He moved slightly closer, his lips almost touching hers.

"The water behind me is deep enough to drown everyone. I'm not letting you get involved because I want to leave you a clean safe haven. Instructor Gu, you're so smart, can't you even see this little bit of 'protection'?"

Gu Qinghan was stunned.

Her jealous mind was shattered by Zhu Xun Chuan's logic of "I'm keeping you out of the light to protect you."

"You... did this to protect me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Otherwise what?" Zhu Xun Chuan snorted coldly, his eyes both affectionate and domineering. "If it weren't for wanting to stay here, do you think I would put up with you giving me attitude every day just for a mere degree?"

He reached out and gently stroked Gu Qinghan's snow-white calves, which were stained with ink.

"You're not some naive little girl, are you? The situation is settled. Their backgrounds are indeed powerful, but I, Zhu Xunchuan, don't rank women based on family background. Understand?"

Gu Qinghan's defenses crumbled in that instant.

She slid off Zhu Xunchuan's lap.

Gone was her earlier aloofness; she was as docile as a Persian cat that had retracted its claws.

She knelt on one knee, her cheek pressed against Zhu Xun Chuan's firm abdominal muscles, her hands tightly wrapped around his waist, yet revealing a morbid dependence.

In the office, the last rays of the setting sun were cut into thin golden lines by the blinds, which were scattered messily on Gu Qinghan's long, silky hair.

She knelt on one knee, her cheek pressed tightly against Zhu Xun Chuan's abs, her voice muffled, carrying an almost resolute stubbornness.

"Zhu Xun Chuan, don't try to use that 'protect me' nonsense to manipulate me."

Gu Qinghan tilted her head back, her gold-rimmed glasses slipping down to the tip of her nose during her struggle. Those usually clear and cold eyes, filled with lesson plans and rules, now seemed like burning dry grass, surging with an extremely intense jealousy.

"Whether it's the Shen family, the Jiang family, or even that Pei Yanyu... whatever they can give you, I can give you too. You think this office is my prison, but for me, if you're gone, this will be my grave. If you insist on having affairs, then I'll confront them head-on. At worst, I'll resign as a counselor. The Gu family can afford to lose face, but I can't afford to lose face for you!"

Zhu Xun Chuan looked down at her.

At this moment, this woman completely tore away the abstinent and dignified facade of "Teacher Gu." She was no longer the aloof counselor sitting on the podium scrutinizing the new students, but a desperate woman who had staked all her dignity on trying to carve a bloody path through this battlefield of love and hate.

"A direct confrontation?"

Zhu Xun Chuan narrowed his eyes, hooked his right hand under her chin, and stroked her pretty face, which was covered in tears, with his fingertips.

"Gu Qinghan, what are you going to use to fight back? Your eyes, still wet with tears, or this black stocking you carelessly tossed aside?"

P.S.: I changed my medication today, got an injection and took some medicine, and it doesn't hurt as much. I'll be giving away another 52 RMB red envelope (follow me and leave a 5-star review with text, don't miss out!). Can I have a small gift for Ah Yin's consistent updates?