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

The next day.

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Victoria Hotel, falling onto the disheveled bed.

Su Mucheng nestled lazily in Zhu Xunchuan's arms like a cat. The sailor shirt that had been torn and crumpled the night before was casually tossed on the carpet, and a pair of black stockings hung halfway off the edge of the bed.

She was sleeping soundly, with traces of undried tears and a satisfied blush still on the corners of her eyes.

"Ring ring... Ring ring..."

The shrill default alarm sound from my phone suddenly blared on the bedside table.

Zhu Xun Chuan frowned, and as if by muscle memory, quickly reached out and turned off the screen.

He opened his eyes, his mind still a little dazed. Last night, thanks to the enhancement from the system potion, he had tormented the reckless little wildcat in his arms until she begged for mercy, and the commotion didn't subside until the wee hours of the morning.

My eyes are focused on the phone screen.

His previously dazed eyes instantly became incredibly clear.

The time was clearly displayed on the screen: [8:15]

There is another unread WeChat message below, from my roommate Lin Yuan, sent ten minutes ago.

"Brother Chuan! Where are you?! The Introduction to Modern Literature class has been going on for ten minutes! Gu Qinghan is taking attendance! He's called your name! Get back here right now! Save your life!"

Zhu Xun Chuan felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

A course on modern literature for first-year students in the Department of Chinese Literature at Kyoto University.

Class starts at 8:00 AM sharp.

The woman on the podium, Gu Qinghan, is not only his counselor, but also his online ex-girlfriend "Qingfeng Mingyue," and the most famously aloof and ruthless woman in the entire School of Literature who hates being late the most.

I skipped my first class at 8 AM today for a full fifteen minutes!

The worst part is that I'm covered in Su Mucheng's sweet orange perfume and several undeniable red lipstick marks!

Zhu Xun Chuan sat up abruptly, looking at Su Mu Cheng, who was sleeping soundly beside him, and then at the mess on the floor. His temples throbbed.

It’s over.

Gu Qinghan's bamboo ruler will probably hit him directly in the face this time.

...

The first lesson.

A lecture hall in the Faculty of Letters, Kyoto University.

"Squeak..."

The heavy back door was pushed open from the outside, making a slightly abrupt scraping sound.

The classroom, which had been quiet except for the sound of chalk writing, fell into a deathly silence. More than a hundred pairs of eyes turned to look at the back door.

Zhu Xun Chuan stood tall and straight at the door, one hand in the pocket of his space gray lambskin jacket. He had been pestered by Su Mu Cheng, that reckless little wildcat, until the wee hours of the morning, and hadn't even had breakfast this morning. He threw on his hundreds of thousands of yuan haute couture outfit and rushed back to school in a taxi, only to be a full twenty minutes late.

The lecture abruptly stopped on the podium.

Gu Qinghan turned around, holding half a piece of chalk in her hand.

Today she wore an extremely fitted dark blue business suit, with a pure white silk shirt underneath.

The tailored suit jacket cinched her slender waist tightly, and the black pencil skirt stopped just five centimeters above her knees. Below that were a pair of shapely long legs tightly wrapped in sheer black stockings, with black stiletto heels on her feet.

She is aloof, abstinent, and keeps people at arm's length, yet she possesses a deadly allure that can ignite a man's desire to conquer.

Gu Qinghan's gaze was fixed coldly on Zhu Xunchuan through his thin silver-rimmed glasses.

"Zhu Xunchuan." Gu Qinghan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strong penetrating power and an undeniable authority, echoing in the large lecture hall. "How many classes have you missed since the start of the semester? In all the time I've been working at Peking University, you're the first person to dare to be so undisciplined in my class."

Lin Yuan, sitting in the front row, shrank his neck and frantically winked at Zhu Xun Chuan, his expression seemingly saying: Godfather, you'd better pray for yourself. This tigress's face was dark when she entered the classroom this morning.

Shen Tianxi, who was sitting not far from Lin Yuan, also turned her head at this moment.

Today she wore a pure white knitted cardigan and had her hair tied in a high ponytail, looking as pure as a lily just touched by dew. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes darted around Zhu Xun Chuan, clearly carrying a hint of inquiry and suspicion.

Being stared at by two possessive women at the same time is enough to make any normal guy's legs go weak on the spot.

Zhu Xun Chuan's expression remained unchanged. He casually closed the back door and walked down the corridor with unhurried steps.

"Counselor, there's a reason for this." Zhu Xunchuan's tone was extremely sincere.

"What's the reason?" Gu Qinghan threw the half-broken piece of chalk on the lectern, picked up a bamboo pointer from the side, and her high heels made a crisp sound on the wooden floor.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Did you spend the night at the library studying until dawn last night? Or...did you go out and have a wild night and get exhausted?"

When these words were spoken, none of the students understood what was wrong with them; they simply assumed that the counselor was sarcastically criticizing the students for skipping class to play.

But Zhu Xun Chuan knew all too well the jealousy that ran deep in this woman's bones. She was using her position as his advisor to openly interrogate him about which bed he had slept in the night before.

Zhu Xunchuan stopped in the aisle in the middle of the lecture hall.

He stared directly into Gu Qinghan's icy eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Professor Gu, you are wise." Zhu Xun Chuan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his voice deep and tinged with a nonchalant roguishness. "I was indeed studying a subject last night. The whole process was extremely physically demanding, and I did it for the sake of knowledge. I simply couldn't get up this morning."

The girls in the class started whispering amongst themselves, their faces full of confusion!

What is all this nonsense? When did introducing modern literature become such a physically demanding task?

The boys all understood and were amazed at how bold Zhu Xun Chuan was to actually make such a suggestive joke in front of his mature female teacher!

Sitting in the front row, Shen Tianxi blinked, feeling that Zhu Xunchuan's words had a hidden meaning, but as a pure and innocent school beauty who had never experienced anything, she couldn't quite grasp it in a short time.

But Gu Qinghan on the podium understood the general meaning of it.

She is a mature woman, and also Zhu Xun Chuan's ex-girlfriend with whom he had a year-long online stalemate.

Although she had never experienced anything like that herself, she had heard about it from her colleagues and from the stories online.

As soon as Zhu Xun Chuan uttered these words, her chest, tightly wrapped in a silk shirt, heaved violently.

That bastard!

He skipped her class, was covered in a strange, unsettling scent, and now he dares to make such lewd jokes at her in front of over a hundred students!

A visible blush quickly spread across Gu Qinghan's ears, but she forced herself to maintain her aloof demeanor, gripping the bamboo pointer tightly until her knuckles turned white.

"Fine, very well." Gu Qinghan sneered, pointing with her pointer to the empty space at the back of the classroom. "Since Zhu is so studious, you'll stand at the back and listen to the lesson today. And while you're at it, reflect on where you should be using your energy!"

"Yes, Teacher Gu." Zhu Xun Chuan turned around very cooperatively, walked to the last row against the wall, crossed his arms, and adopted an extremely arrogant posture.

The class was spent in Gu Qinghan's extremely low mood.

"Ring ring..."

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of get out of class. The entire class, as if granted a reprieve, hurriedly packed their books, ready to escape this icy abyss.

Gu Qinghan stood on the podium organizing her lesson plan, but her lowered eyes kept staring intently at the figure at the back of the classroom through the corner of her eye.

Just as Zhu Xun Chuan was about to turn around and slip away through the back door, a wonderfully fragrant peach scent wafted over.

Shen Tianxi, holding a bottle of warm milk, ran up to Zhu Xunchuan.

"Brother Chuan." Shen Tianxi tilted her pretty face up and handed him the milk, her voice so sweet it could stretch into silk, "You probably didn't eat breakfast this morning, drink something hot to fill your stomach first."

"You still love me the most." Zhu Xun Chuan smiled as he took the milk and reached out to ruffle her hair.

Just then, Shen Tianxi suddenly took half a step forward.

The distance between the two instantly shrank to less than ten centimeters. Shen Tianxi's pert nose was almost touching the collar of Zhu Xunchuan's turtleneck cashmere sweater.

Like an extremely perceptive kitten, she carefully sniffed along Zhu Xun Chuan's neck and shoulders twice.