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

She professionally pushed the report back to Zhu Xun Chuan. Her exquisitely beautiful face was devoid of any superfluous expression.

"Professor Gu has high standards." Zhu Xun Chuan took back the report. "I'll go back and practice my handwriting."

He closed the book.

Just then, under the large solid wood reading table...

A foot wearing a black high heel gently kicked off the heel. Immediately afterwards, a slender toe encased in black stockings unexpectedly touched the cuff of Zhu Xun Chuan's trousers.

Gu Qinghan remained seated upright. She adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and lowered her head to open a brand-new lesson plan. Her expression was focused and aloof.

But the foot under the table slid slowly upwards along Zhu Xun Chuan's shinbone. The friction between the black stockings and the rough fabric of the trousers created a sensation that sent chills down one's spine.

A library with a strong academic atmosphere. A public place with many people coming and going.

This stark contrast and sense of immorality are amplified to an extreme.

Zhu Xun Chuan's expression remained unchanged. He opened the book on the table with one hand. His left hand fell under the table and precisely grabbed Gu Qinghan's restless ankle.

Gu Qinghan paused, her pen nib leaving a dot on the lesson plan. She looked up at Zhu Xunchuan. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes shimmered with a captivating light, no longer concealing the sultry and teasing beneath his icy exterior.

Zhu Xun Chuan massaged her arch with his thumb through her stockings.

Gu Qinghan immediately bit her lower lip, desperately suppressing the breath that was about to escape her lips. Her ears instantly turned bright red.

"Teacher Gu," Zhu Xun Chuan said in a low voice, "your shoe fell off."

Gu Qinghan tried to pull her leg back, but Zhu Xunchuan's hand remained as firm as a rock.

She glared at Zhu Xun Chuan. In a place like a library, she didn't dare to struggle too much and could only let that large hand control her most sensitive nerves under the table.

Just as the two were secretly competing across the solid wood table.

"squeak--"

A screeching sound of tires shattered the tranquility of the campus.

The sound came from downstairs in the library. The noise was so loud that many students in the reading room looked up and out the window.

Zhu Xun Chuan frowned slightly and turned to look.

A black Mercedes-Benz G-Class was parked across the steps at the main entrance of the library. The car occupied half of the aisle, and its tires left two black burn marks on the ground.

This is the car that Jiang Yao drives most often.

Jiang Yao rushed in.

She wasn't wearing that imposing leather jacket and pants today; she was just wearing a loose gray sweatshirt.

The butterfly knife that she never parted with was nowhere to be seen. Her hair was disheveled and scattered over her shoulders, her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Several students sitting by the door looked up in dissatisfaction. Gu Qinghan glanced over with a cold face, and the students immediately lowered their heads and pretended to read when they met the counselor's gaze.

Jiang Yao didn't even glance at Gu Qinghan. She rushed straight to the window seat, her legs went weak, and she collapsed into Zhu Xunchuan's arms.

Zhu Xun Chuan sat in the chair and caught her steadily with both hands.

Jiang Yao gripped Zhu Xun Chuan's casual suit lapel tightly with both hands. She huddled in his arms, her shoulders convulsing uncontrollably.

"husband……"

She spoke, her voice completely hoarse, filled with undisguised panic and despair.

The usually arrogant and domineering little witch from the North, who would draw her sword at the slightest provocation, had shed all her pretenses at this moment. Hot tears instantly welled up in her eyes, soaking the fabric of Zhu Xun Chuan's shirt.

"My dad..." Jiang Yao sobbed uncontrollably, her nails digging almost into Zhu Xun Chuan's flesh. "My dad was ambushed by my adopted son. He shot him three times, and my dad is in the ICU now. The doctor said he has been issued a critical condition notice."

Zhu Xun Chuan's carefree and lazy demeanor vanished in an instant.

He cupped Jiang Yao's head with his large hand, pressing her face against his chest. His other hand gently patted her back.

"Cry out loud." Zhu Xun Chuan's tone was low and calm.

Jiang Yao buried her face in his chest and burst into tears. The tranquility of the library was filled with the girl's desperate sobs. The setting sun shone through the glass, casting long shadows on them.

Sitting opposite Gu Qinghan, there was no sign of jealousy whatsoever.

She closed the lesson plan in front of her. Her slender fingers picked up the dedicated encrypted phone on the corner of the table and directly accessed the city bureau's privileged intranet.

Two minutes.

Gu Qinghan looked up and tapped the screen with her finger.

"News from the North is being blocked. But I managed to get inside information through special channels." Gu Qinghan looked at Zhu Xunchuan, his voice rational. "After the Chen family fell, the Shen family rose to power in Tianjin. The established balance of the underground order in the North has been completely shattered."

Zhu Xun Chuan gently patted Jiang Yao's back and looked up at Gu Qing Han.

"Foreign forces have entered the border region of Cat Kingdom." Gu Qinghan pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, speaking rapidly. "A powerful figure from outside the country has bribed Jiang Ting's adopted son, Jiang Tao. Last night, Jiang Ting was holding a meeting in his own main hall when Jiang Tao launched a close-range sneak attack. Currently, Jiang Tao has taken control of three core branches in the Northern Border. The Jiang family is in chaos."

The situation is clear.

Beset by internal and external troubles, and facing a power grab, Jiang Tao will immediately purge the Jiang family lineage should Jiang Ting die in the ICU. Jiang Yao, as the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, is now their primary target.

Jiang Yao cried until she was completely exhausted, her body limp. She looked up at Zhu Xun Chuan with her tear-streaked face, her eyes filled with helplessness.

Zhu Xun Chuan pulled out a tissue from the table and wiped away the tear stains on her chin.

He cupped Jiang Yao's cheeks in his hands and ran his thumbs across the corners of her eyes.

"Don't be afraid." Zhu Xun Chuan looked into her eyes, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "I can turn Kyoto upside down, and I can also withstand the ravages of the Northern Frontier. I'll go back with you."

A short sentence. No fancy embellishments.

The panic in Jiang Yao's eyes faded. She nodded vigorously, wrapping her arms tightly around Zhu Xun Chuan's waist as if she were grasping at the last straw in the world.

Zhu Xun Chuan put one arm around her. He then used his right hand to take out his encrypted phone.

He dialed Xia Wanying's number.

The call was answered instantly. The businesswoman's efficient voice came through: "What do you need?"

"Prepare a Gulfstream aircraft to fly directly to the Northern Territory. The sooner the better," Zhu Xun Chuan ordered. "Also, prepare 20 billion in cash flow in a special account, ready to cut off all underground financial networks in the Northern Territory at any time."

Xia Wanying didn't ask why, or even where.

"The plane will take off from Nanyuan Private Airport in thirty minutes." Xia Wanying hung up the phone.

Zhu Xunchuan dialed again. This time it was Meng Wanqing.

"Principal Meng. Jiang Ting has been shot and is in the ICU at Harbin No. 1 Hospital." Zhu Xunchuan's tone was cold and hard, but he still tried to remain gentle with Meng Wanqing. "I need the best surgical team from the Special Medical Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. They need to be there on the tarmac at Nanyuan Airport within twenty minutes, along with the rescue equipment."

On the other end of the phone, Meng Wanqing had just finished a school-level meeting.

"Ten minutes." Meng Wanqing walked quickly back to the office in her high heels. "I'll have the military helicopter take the medical team directly to Nanyuan."

P.S.: Congratulations [Longxiao]! Recently, A Yin has really been using Tomatoes like her WeChat Moments... I wanted to ask everyone which book cover they have now.