Chapter 104: Everyone, It's Okay to Watch, Just Don't Laugh

"Damn it, that's utterly shameless!"

"That's outrageous!"

"Those who flaunt their affection die quickly!"

The classroom erupted in an uproar. If they hadn't been mindful of the other person's status as a teacher, they probably would have started cursing openly.

However, in contrast to the boys' anger and sourness, many of the girls had stars in their eyes:

"Wow, he's so handsome! I wish I had a boyfriend that domineering."

"This is just like the plot of a tyrannical sword immortal in those storybooks!"

"If someone treated me like that, I think I'd just faint from happiness."

The whispers around her reached Chu Chuyan's ears. Her usually fair and delicate face was now covered in a distinct blush. She couldn't for the life of her understand what was happening. She hadn't been to school for a few days, so how had Zu'an become a teacher at the academy?

Her first reaction was that everyone was ganging up to play a prank on her. However, this idea was immediately dismissed. Zu'an didn't have enough influence to get these privileged students to cooperate, and besides, Shi Kun's reaction couldn't have been faked.

She suddenly remembered her sister's strange expression from yesterday and today—the way she seemed to want to speak but held back, yet couldn't suppress a smile. It seemed her sister had known all along and deliberately kept it from her, wanting to see her embarrassed.

That wretched girl, helping an outsider prank her own sister!

But then, was Zu'an even an outsider?

Zu'an watched another wave of rage points flow into his backend system. He thought, "These students are simply too adorable. I'll give you all higher grades in arithmetic later—except for a few certain individuals, hmph. That's right, I'm just openly holding a grudge!"

Seeing her remain silent, Zu'an smiled slightly. "What's wrong? You don't know this question either?"

"It's 2." Chu Chuyan's face was as red as an apple. She had never imagined that one day she would have to rely on special favors to pass. She was genuinely stumped by the previous question. Perhaps with ample time, she could have figured it out, but under such hurried circumstances, she was completely clueless. Compared to the humiliation of being unable to answer and being sent outside to stand as punishment, a little special treatment wasn't entirely unacceptable.

"That's correct! Truly worthy of being the top genius in every subject in the Heaven-rank class. Take a seat." Zu'an praised her with a smile.

Normally, Chu Chuyan always held her head high and chest out, with ample confidence to be proud of her family background and abilities. But now, she practically buried her head in her arms, feeling utterly mortified.

This guy must be doing it on purpose. Other people giving special treatment usually do so discreetly, but this guy even went out of his way to praise her like this.

Compared to her embarrassment, Shi Kun was even more enraged at this moment. He fumed, "Your questions are completely unfair!"

Rage points from Shi Kun +711!

Zu'an glanced at him and said blandly, "Are you the teacher, or am I?"

Shi Kun glared at him fiercely. "Even if you are the teacher, you can't openly show favoritism like this!"

Zu'an shrugged. "Since you know I'm the teacher, how I set the questions is entirely within my authority as a teacher. My questions are all random; you can only blame your bad luck for getting a slightly harder one."

Everyone else looked sideways at him. This guy didn't even bat an eye when telling such a blatant lie. "You call that bad luck? It's clearly you showing favoritism to your wife, isn't it?"

Shi Kun was about to say more, but Zu'an interrupted him. "Furthermore, as your teacher, I'll give you another free lesson. There's no such thing as fairness in this world; ultimately, it's a jungle where the strong prey on the weak. Take Young Master Shi, for example. You were born into a prestigious family, lived in luxury since childhood. Not only did you have the top teachers strengthening your meridians and cleansing your marrow from a young age to lay a solid foundation, but you also had inexhaustible cultivation resources at your disposal. In comparison, children from common families have to struggle for their livelihood, putting in untold effort just to acquire a single primal stone. Therefore, even if their cultivation aptitude is clearly similar to yours, their ultimate achievements are far less than yours. Why didn't you speak of fairness then?"

"You..." Shi Kun was speechless for a moment.

The other students in the classroom nodded secretly. They had initially thought this guy became a teacher through shamelessness and some bizarre, unheard-of mathematical talent, and hadn't thought much of him. Who would have thought he'd say something like this?

Indeed, there was never any so-called fairness in this world. The perceived fairness was merely a tool for those in power to maintain stable rule and lull the lower classes into submission.

Although most students in the Heaven-rank class came from influential noble families, there were also those from humble backgrounds. Their feelings were even deeper. Fortunately, their cultivation talents were exceptional, and they had realized early on that fairness didn't exist in this world. Only by putting in far more effort could they barely stand on the same starting line as those born with everything.

At this moment, Chu Chuyan couldn't help but raise her head, gazing at the tall figure on the stage, feeling a moment of bewilderment. Was this still the person I remembered? Had I been too busy with family affairs lately, overlooking too many things and failing to actively try to understand him?

Shi Kun was ultimately enraged and exasperated. "You're just twisting words and being unreasonable! This isn't even the same matter! No matter which teacher you ask to arbitrate, no one would set questions like this!"

Zu'an spread his hands. "Yes, I am deliberately protecting Chu Chuyan. What are you going to do about it? She's my wife. If I don't protect her, who should I protect? Should I favor you instead? You're not my 'bunny boy,' and besides, if I were really looking for someone delicate and lovely, Xie Xiu is far more so than you."

When Chu Chuyan heard him call her his wife, she suddenly felt a sense of being cared for that she had never experienced before. For years, she had been the one shielding the Chu clan from wind and rain, caring for others. Being cared for by someone else for the first time, this feeling actually felt quite warm.

But what did he mean by that last sentence? "Bunny boy"?

Originally, Xie Xiu had been on the side, just enjoying the show. As a member of Prince Qi's faction, seeing Shi Kun, from the Empress's faction, make a fool of himself, he was practically cheering. Furthermore, both families were already vying for the Chu clan, so he wished for the conflict between Shi Kun and the Chu clan to escalate even further.

Who would've thought he'd suddenly become part of the drama? "Bunny boy"?

His handsome face instantly flushed crimson. His feminine appearance had always been a sore spot for him, and no one dared to mention it in his presence. But this time, when Zu'an brought it up, he found himself feeling more awkward and embarrassed than angry, as he had expected.

After thinking it over, it must be that Zu'an's usual behavior and moral standards were just too low, so whatever he said just seemed to fit his character, causing no surprise at all.

"What an oddball!" Xie Xiu felt a little annoyed, thinking he needed to find an opportunity to get back at him.

On the other side, Wu Qing's eyes widened. She wondered, "Xie Xiu rejected me earlier. Could it be because he's involved with this guy?" Imagining some scenes, she instantly felt a chill. Then she glared fiercely at Zu'an. "How could this guy be so detestable? He's even trying to steal my man!"

Shi Kun, one of the main protagonists, wore an expression as if he'd eaten dirt. Because of his handsome appearance, some people in the capital had secretly joked about wanting to keep him as a male concubine. However, anyone who had such thoughts was long since dead and buried. But today, upon learning that he couldn't even compare to others as a male concubine, he became even angrier than before. Didn't that mean his charm was inferior to someone else's?

For him, who had always been proud and confident in his appearance, this was the most unacceptable thing.

"You, Zu, don't push your luck too far! While I may not dare to touch you in school, once we're out, I have a thousand ways to make you disappear without a trace!" Shi Kun had never imagined he would despise someone so much. Given his usual principle of immediately retaliating against anyone who offended him, he basically had no enemies. Only Zu'an, after provoking him, had remained alive and well for so long. The crucial point was that Zu'an's identity was indeed somewhat tricky.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but complain about Xue'er's inefficiency. Why hadn't she gotten rid of such a disgusting fellow sooner? As a result, he, Young Master, had suffered a huge loss of face today.

Upon hearing his words, Chu Chuyan's expression turned cold. Before she could speak, Zu'an already shouted, "Students, please bear witness for me! This guy admitted it himself. If anything untoward happens to me in the future, he's definitely the killer!"

As for Zu'an's shamelessness, the other students in the classroom seemed to have become numb to it. They all looked towards Shi Kun with sympathetic glances.

Shi Kun's breath caught. He had been so infuriated today that he'd lost his head, actually leaving behind such incriminating evidence.

Zu'an's expression suddenly changed, and he said coldly, "Shi Kun, you have repeatedly defied your teacher in class. According to school regulations, I'm now punishing you to stand in the middle of the playground until noon."

"Stand as punishment?" Shi Kun laughed in exasperation. "What can you do if I don't go?!"

Given his family background, he could study at the most prestigious schools in the capital. A mere Brightmoon Academy was beneath his notice.

"If you don't go, I'll report it to the academy. Of course, given your family background, the school might not expel you, but you can definitely forget about qualifying for the Yaoguang Secret Realm this time."

Zu'an had always been a little puzzled as to how this Young Master Shi had appeared. After all, with his family background, there was no need for him to travel all this way to Brightmoon Academy.

At first, he thought Shi Kun was coming for Chu Chuyan, but to go to such lengths for a woman—even if he was a lovesick fool, the higher-ups in the Shi clan wouldn't necessarily approve of his recklessness.

Suddenly remembering the early opening of the Yaoguang Secret Realm, his heart stirred. It was simply too coincidental that this guy had transferred here just before the secret realm opened.

Upon hearing his words, Shi Kun's expression changed. His visit to Brightmoon City this time indeed had an important purpose: for the Yaoguang Secret Realm. He had received reliable intelligence that a 'Traceless Illusion Lotus' would soon bloom in the secret realm, and a single leaf could raise one's cultivation by a minor realm. This temptation was simply too great.

If he were to get entangled with this low-level trash and it affected his grand plan for this trip, the loss would be immense.

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and scoffed, "So it's just standing as punishment, then I'll stand. I'll appeal today's events to the academy; I can't let you run wild."

"Here, hang this sign on yourself." Zu'an, no one knew from where, produced a wooden sign and handed it over.

Shi Kun froze, and when he clearly read the large characters written on it, he nearly fainted from anger.

"I, Shi Kun, defied the teacher. I am hereby punished to stand. Everyone can look, but please, do not laugh!"