Chapter 101: Rumors and Gossip

"A man of integrity doesn't change his name or his surname. My name is Shi Kun!" Zu An declared emphatically, patting his chest.

Shang Liuyu, standing nearby, looked stunned, thinking that this man's shamelessness far exceeded her imagination.

"Shi Kun? Are you the Sixth Young Master Shi, known for having fruits thrown at your carriage?" Wu Qing's face darkened. "You might be handsome, but how can you be such a lecherous and shameless man!"

Zu An agreed, "Yes, Shi Kun is indeed a lecherous, despicable, and shameless man. Did you only just realize that?"

Wu Qing was taken aback, surprised by his frank admission. She couldn't help but say, "You certainly have a good understanding of yourself."

Seeing that she was about to be completely fooled, the two attendants beside her couldn't stand it anymore. They quickly leaned in to remind her:

"Miss, this man is Zu An."

Zu An had been a prominent figure in the academy these past few days, and few didn't recognize him. Wu Qing, however, had been delayed by other matters and hadn't attended the academy recently, so she was momentarily taken in by his deception.

"You dared to lie to me?" Wu Qing's face instantly turned scarlet, especially as she recalled being played for a fool just moments ago. Her anger flared rapidly.

Rage value from Wu Qing +600!

"You haven't been fooled your entire life, have you?" Zu An asked, curious, as he watched her fuming.

"Of course not! Who would dare to deceive me, young miss?" Wu Qing snorted.

"No wonder she's so easily fooled," Zu An thought to himself, observing that the young miss didn't seem to possess a high intellect.

Wu Qing: "..."

Rage value from Wu Qing +666!

She took a deep breath, calming herself before speaking. "So, you're the man Chu Chuyan chose?"

Zu An paused. "Are you very familiar with Chuyan?" He wondered if they were close friends, as he would feel a bit awkward earning rage points from her.

"Familiar? We couldn't be more familiar," Wu Qing sneered. "I heard a long time ago that she chose a good-for-nothing as a husband, and I was somewhat skeptical then. But seeing you today, you certainly haven't disappointed me. Not only are you a good-for-nothing, but also a lecherous scoundrel, despicable and shameless – truly living up to your reputation as Moonbright City's notorious hooligan."

Hearing her words, Zu An actually felt relieved. If they weren't close, things would be much simpler. He then recalled that the Chu clan had previously mentioned that the Yuan clan's unusual performance in the family competition was due to the backing of another duke – a duke's residence seemingly named Wu.

He walked closer to Wu Qing, observing her at close range. He had to admit that while the girl had a bad temper, she was indeed very beautiful. "Miss Wu keeps calling me a lecherous scoundrel. May I ask where exactly I've been lecherous with you? Or is it perhaps you who wants to be lecherous with me?"

Being approached so closely by a man, Wu Qing's heart fluttered in panic, and she quickly took two steps back. "Such foul language! You truly are a lecherous..."

She had intended to call him a lecherous scoundrel, but remembering his recent words, the insult caught in her throat.

At that moment, her two attendants jumped out together, blocking Zu An. "You, Zu! How dare you behave so impudently towards Miss Wu!"

Zu An looked at the two young men before him and asked curiously, "May I know your esteemed names?"

The slightly older one on the left proudly declared, "I am Pan Long from the Pan clan of Yangquan!"

The slightly younger one on the right also lifted his head. "And I am Fu Feng from the Fu clan of Yangquan!"

They naturally had reason to be proud. The Pan and Fu clans were well-known prominent families in Yangquan City. While they couldn't compare to the Wu or Chu clans, they were not much inferior to the Zheng, Yuan, or Wang clans of Moonbright City.

They could be considered childhood friends with Wu Qing. From their first meeting, they were captivated by her beauty. Coupled with the Wu clan's ducal status, they were even more attentive towards her, hoping one day to win Miss Wu's favor and rise in status.

That's why their reaction was so strong when they saw Zu An "bullying" Wu Qing in this manner.

"Pan Long, Fu Feng?" Zu An's expression was odd. "Excellent names, very fitting."

After speaking, he pulled a small notebook from his pocket and began jotting something down. "This Pan, this Fu?"

"Uh, no, it's spelled like this..." After instinctively correcting him, they suddenly realized something was off. "Why are you writing down our names?"

"Oh, nothing much," Zu An replied casually. "I'm just planning to fail you both in the next arithmetic class. I'm writing it down so I don't forget."

Pan Long: "..."

Fu Feng: "..."

"What the hell, buddy, why aren't you playing by the rules?"

By now, Wu Qing had recovered. Seeing the two young men seemingly petrified, she couldn't help but frown. "What are you scared of? Does he decide the grades for arithmetic class?"

The two turned around simultaneously, their faces long. "He actually does have that power, because he's our new arithmetic teacher!"

Wu Qing: "..."

"You two useless fools, why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Young lady, you see now that you've provoked the wrong person, don't you? Come here and apologize nicely to me, and perhaps if I'm in a good mood, I'll forget about today's incident."

Wu Qing gritted her teeth. "What's an arithmetic teacher getting so proud about here? The 'Heavenly Class' doesn't even prioritize arithmetic grades!"

Rage value from Wu Qing +233!

"Even if this course isn't important to you, for a distinguished young lady from a Duke's residence, failing a single subject would likely make you the laughingstock of the entire academy," Zu An said, smiling like a fox.

Wu Qing's breath hitched. He was absolutely right. She was fiercely competitive and always sought to outdo Chu Chuyan in every aspect. Having a failing grade in any subject would be a complete loss of face for her.

"I don't believe you'd dare to grade unfairly. My father is the Duke of Yangquan, and a single word from him wouldn't be taken lightly by your academy." After her initial panic, she quickly relaxed. Why should she be afraid of him?

"Any other teacher certainly wouldn't dare to offend you, as they all hope for promotions and raises. But I'm just a substitute teacher; I'll be out of a job once the new teacher arrives. I have no future prospects to look forward to, so there's no one I wouldn't dare to offend." Zu An thought of how it was the same in government agencies in his previous life: if you had no desires or ambitions, you didn't have to fear any leader.

Wu Qing was startled. If he truly didn't care about his future, she really had no leverage. But apologizing was absolutely out of the question for her, so she said with a flushed face, "Hmph, I'm not here for you today."

Then she looked at Shang Liuyu, who was watching from the side. "You, Shang, it's time we settled our accounts."

Shang Liuyu smiled faintly. "Don't forget I'm also a teacher. Aren't you afraid I might also give you a failing grade?"

Wu Qing was speechless for a moment before finally saying, "You're not as shameless as he is, and besides, you wouldn't disregard your future, would you?"

"That's true, I can't learn his methods," Shang Liuyu said, glancing at Zu An, a slight curve on her lips. "What exactly are you here for?"

Wu Qing snorted. "You know perfectly well! You stole my boyfriend and you're still pretending to be innocent? You truly are a vixen!"

"A vixen?" Shang Liuyu chuckled, surprised to be called that for the first time. "Who is your boyfriend?"

"Have you stolen so many men that you can't even keep track?" Wu Qing said indignantly. "It's Xie Xiu, the Second Young Master Xie, of course!"

Hearing her claim Xie Xiu was her boyfriend, Pan Long and Fu Feng's expressions dimmed simultaneously.

"Xie Xiu?" Shang Liuyu said calmly. "I think you're mistaken. I have no relationship with him. Not just him, I have no relationship with any man."

"But he told me himself that he liked you! If you hadn't deliberately seduced him, why would he abandon me?" Wu Qing fumed.

Pan Long and Fu Feng, standing nearby, couldn't help but remind her, "Miss, you and Xie Xiu were never officially together."

Wu Qing turned around and glared fiercely at them. "Shut up!"

Pan Long and Fu Feng gave a wry smile and could only close their mouths.

Zu An couldn't help but shake his head and said, "You two, over here."

"What do you want?" Pan Long and Fu Feng asked warily, but still moved closer to him.

"As your teacher, I need to teach you a lesson: 'Simps never come to a good end.' Remember that?" Zu An said with a smile.

Although they had never heard the term before, Pan Long and Fu Feng instantly understood his meaning. Their faces turned beet red, but they couldn't retaliate, so they could only curse the man who was poking at their sore spot to death in their minds.

Rage value from Pan Long +444!

Rage value from Fu Feng +444!

After annoying the two "simps," Zu An felt it necessary to help Shang Liuyu out of her predicament. He then turned to Wu Qing and said, "I'm very familiar with that Xie Xiu. I've personally seen him break up with women several times. His reasons for breaking up are always remarkably 'fresh and unique.' Are you sure he didn't say that just to deliberately get rid of you?"

Wu Qing was startled. Upon reflection, there truly was such a possibility, and her pretty face instantly flushed red and then pale.

"You can leave now," Shang Liuyu said coldly. No matter how good-tempered she was, she couldn't tolerate people coming to accuse her of being a homewrecker.

"I'll find out what's really going on," Wu Qing snorted and walked away dejectedly. She had arrived full of bluster today, only to have her spirit dampened by Zu An. It was truly a disastrous day.

Not long after stepping out, Wu Qing suddenly stopped, turning to Pan Long and Fu Feng. "Tell me honestly, who's prettier? Me or Shang Liuyu?"

"Of course you are prettier!" Pan Long and Fu Feng immediately asserted, but in their minds, they couldn't help but recall Shang Liuyu's delicate collarbones visible between the folds of her dress, and her dazzlingly fair skin.

"Hmph, look at you two!" Women are naturally sensitive about such matters, and Wu Qing immediately guessed what they were thinking. "That Shang woman is indeed a vixen, dressing so provocatively to seduce men like you. I'm giving you two a task."

"Miss, please command us," Pan Long and Fu Feng immediately straightened their chests.

"Go spread the word everywhere that Shang Liuyu and Zu An were disheveled and doing who-knows-what in the room." Wu Qing's lips curved upward slightly. "Hmph, once that Shang woman's reputation is ruined, we'll see if Xie Xiu still likes her. Also, if others learn that Chu Chuyan's husband is cheating, it will definitely be a huge blow to the Chu clan."

"I'm simply a genius to come up with such a brilliant plan that kills two birds with one stone!"

"Ah? Isn't that a bit much?" Pan Long and Fu Feng exchanged glances. After all, she was a teacher, and they both had a good impression of Shang Liuyu.

"What's wrong with it? We're not making things up. Was she disheveled just now? Do you know what the two of them were doing in the room?" Wu Qing snorted. "You don't even dare to tell the truth? You're truly disappointing."

Seeing her get angry, Pan Long and Fu Feng quickly said, "No problem, no problem, leave this to us!"

Only then did Wu Qing's anger turn to joy. "That's more like it!"

---Donations from Pikachu's Tail, Yun Yanbei, Pale_Cheung, Mobixing, and other readers.