Chapter 105: Although Saying No

Shi Kun's eyelid twitched. Being made to stand as punishment wasn't a big deal for him; he had grown accustomed to being stared at over the years. With his unparalleled charisma, he was always the center of attention wherever he went.

If it were just standing on the training ground, he could turn the punishment into a fan meet-and-greet. So, his earlier show of anger wasn't entirely because he found it unacceptable.

But being made to stand with a sign hanging around his neck changed everything. It felt like a domesticated animal being put on display for people to gawk at.

"What do you mean?" Shi Kun glared at him fiercely.

Rage points from Shi Kun +444!

"I'm actually thinking of your reputation," Zu'an said with a smile. "It would be quite a spectacle for the esteemed Sixth Young Master Shi to be gawked at and ridiculed, so I specifically reminded those people not to laugh. Why aren't you grateful?"

Thinking of my reputation? My foot!

Shi Kun felt like he was going crazy. He suddenly thought of a question: "When did you make that sign? Were you planning to target me from the very beginning?"

Zu'an spread his hands. "I just prepared it as a precaution. Who knew you'd be so cooperative and jump right into it? I'd feel bad if I didn't use it."

Shi Kun: "..."

Rage points from Shi Kun +813!

Everyone was waiting for the show to begin, believing Shi Kun was about to explode. They were sure Chu Chuyan would step in to help, possibly even alerting the academy's senior staff.

"Hmm, this class is much more interesting than the one taught by Yang Wei earlier!"

"We need a dozen teachers like this!"

Chu Chuyan was also secretly on guard. She knew Zu'an would be in danger if Shi Kun truly erupted, so she was ready to intervene at any moment.

To everyone's surprise, Shi Kun took a deep breath, then suddenly displayed a gentle smile. "Indeed, I was impulsive just now. It's only right that I be punished for offending the teacher. After all, without rules, there can be no order."

After speaking, he calmly walked out, carrying the sign in his hand. His every movement exuded an inexplicable aura of serene elegance.

Many girls in the class started to get starry-eyed:

"Wow, he's so handsome!"

"Young Master Shi truly is a gentle and refined gentleman."

"He must have lost his composure earlier because he saw his love rival."

"So, he's actually very devoted. I like him even more now."

...

Zu'an was also somewhat taken aback. He had expected Shi Kun to retaliate fiercely and had prepared numerous contingency plans. Who would have thought he would just concede like that?

Was he truly trying to restore his image as a refined gentleman? Or perhaps to curry favor with his female fans?

It didn't seem quite logical, no matter how he thought about it.

By this time, Shi Kun had left the classroom. His beaming smile instantly vanished, replaced by a glint of coldness in his eyes. *Hmph*, he thought, *I was careless earlier, openly clashing with that guy and giving him an excuse.*

*If anything were to happen to this fellow, I'd be the prime suspect. So, no matter how angry I am, I must appear amiable on the surface. At least then, I'll have an explanation if questioned later.*

He had already made up his mind: he would make this disgusting fellow disappear from the world as soon as possible.

Upon reaching the training ground, he naturally wasn't foolish enough to hang the sign around his neck. With a casual swipe of his hand across the sign, the characters instantly vanished, leaving only a blank wooden board.

He simply tucked it under his arm like a walking stick, exuding an air of nonchalance.

At that moment, a figure appeared out of thin air beside him—the old man who had been following him all along. The old man asked, "Young Master, should I dispose of that little bastard?"

Shi Kun waved his hand. "No hurry. If he dies right after our conflict, everyone will suspect us. The Chu family's power is not to be underestimated. If we were to push them into aligning with Prince Qi's faction because of this, it wouldn't be worth it."

"But that little bastard dared to treat you like that; it infuriates me just watching it," the old man snorted, clearly having been aware of everything that happened in the classroom.

"Someone will deal with him," Shi Kun said coldly. "Tomorrow is the grand family competition between the Chu and Yuan families. Later, invite Yuan Wendong over... no, I won't appear myself. You figure out a way to get that Yuan fellow to 'accidentally' kill Zu'an on the stage tomorrow, or at least cripple him." Over the years, anyone who had offended Shi Kun had never met a good end.

By now, class was dismissed, and students from various classes noticed Shi Kun on the training ground. Curious, they gathered around, wondering why he was standing there.

However, gossip spreads fastest in any world, and soon the news of Shi Kun being punished for clashing with a teacher in class spread throughout the entire school.

Many of Shi Kun's female fans immediately became indignant, cursing loudly:

"This Zu'an is too shameless! Isn't he clearly making trouble for Young Master Shi?"

"Exactly! A teacher openly favoring his own wife, yet giving Young Master Shi such a difficult question! I'm going to report him to the authorities!"

"Yes, let's all report that guy!"

...

In contrast to the women's indignant outrage, the male students were much more pleased. Ever since Shi Kun arrived, these women had been acting like fanatics, which greatly displeased the men. Thus, they were quite happy to see Shi Kun get humiliated.

Many crowded around, intending to seize the opportunity to mock him, but they were forced back by a powerful aura before they could even get close.

"Get lost!" the old man beside Shi Kun said coldly.

The onlookers involuntarily shivered, remembering that Shi Kun was not someone they could afford to provoke. None of them dared to approach further.

From a distant building upstairs, Director Lu De, the dean of students, witnessed this scene and his pupils contracted slightly. *This person's cultivation is unfathomable, yet he's merely a servant of the Shi family. Is the Shi family's foundation truly that profound?*

*It's truly best to avoid provoking these noble families. Hmph, ever since this Zu'an fellow arrived, the school hasn't had a peaceful day.*

Meanwhile, Zu'an was calculating the rage points accumulating in his backend system. Watching the constantly refreshing tally, he couldn't help but sigh. No wonder studies in my previous life showed that spending power came primarily from children, women, and the elderly; the rage points from these women are far more potent than what those male classmates contributed.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law! What kind of expression did Sister have during class just now? Tell me quickly!" Chu Huanzhao ran over excitedly. She had originally intended to skip class to secretly watch, but as soon as she left, she ran into Lu De patrolling nearby. Frightened, she had no choice but to return to the classroom. Her heart had been scratching like a cat throughout the entire lesson, so she rushed over as soon as class was dismissed.

"How could you conspire with him to deceive me?!" Seeing her sister's expectant face, Chu Chuyan felt a surge of anger and couldn't help but pinch her sister's ear.

"Hehehe, looking at Sister now, her expression back then must have been priceless!" Chu Huanzhao giggled, hiding behind Zu'an and using him as a human shield as she spoke excitedly.

Chu Chuyan glared at her playfully, then looked at Zu'an with curiosity. "How did you become a mathematics teacher?" To her, the two identities were completely unrelated.

"You'll discover many more impressive things about your husband in the future," Zu'an said with a hint of smugness.

Chu Chuyan couldn't help but smile. "You certainly surprised me today. However, you've openly offended the Sixth Young Master of the Shi family; I'm afraid you might be in danger later."

"That brat coveted my wife; if I didn't teach him a lesson, he'd turn the world upside down," Zu'an snorted.

"Who's your wife!" Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized their current relationship, and she secretly sighed. *It seems I haven't quite gotten used to my new identity yet.*

"In any case, you should be careful during this time. Stay close to me, lest Shi Kun send people to deal with you covertly," Chu Chuyan warned.

"Wife, you say you don't want to, but you're actually very concerned about my safety, aren't you?" Zu'an's eyes lit up.

"I told you not to call me that," Chu Chuyan couldn't help but glare at him. "I just don't want you to get into trouble because of me."

Zu'an glanced at Shi Kun in the distance and smiled faintly. "Don't worry, no one should try to ambush me in the next two days. After all, the grand family competition is tomorrow. They'll have a chance to openly kill me on the arena then, so why bother with an extra step?"

He liked to analyze things from the enemy's perspective. He mused that if he were Shi Kun, he would definitely choose to act during the family competition. *It seems villains all over the world are cut from the same cloth...*

Chu Chuyan's expression changed; it wasn't impossible. Just as she was about to speak, she looked up and noticed Zu'an's confident expression. She suddenly felt that this fellow was truly different from before.

After this little interlude, the school day quickly passed. When classes were dismissed, Zu'an had intended to return Shang Liuyu's conch shell, but seeing Chu Chuyan and Chu Huanzhao, he decided against it.

Bringing up another woman in front of women was definitely not a wise idea.

After boarding the carriage at the school gate, the Chu family's guards escorted them toward the Chu estate. Cheng Shoubing, who was walking outside, felt somewhat depressed. *Ordinarily, I could walk with the son-in-law and Second Young Mistress, but now I'm just eating dust outside. It feels like the Eldest Young Mistress still isn't as approachable as the Second Young Mistress. If only the son-in-law had married the Second Young Mistress.*

However, he soon started thinking from another angle. *Now that the son-in-law and Eldest Young Mistress are getting closer, it seems he'll truly become the Chu family's son-in-law someday, and my own status will rise accordingly. Hey, what if the son-in-law also married the Second Young Mistress? Would my status become even higher?*

Of course, this thought was extinguished as soon as it emerged. *What a joke! The son-in-law is just a little handsomer than me, and luckier. In other aspects, he's not necessarily stronger than me. How could something like that possibly happen?*

Back at the Chu manor, the Chu couple summoned them again during dinner, clearly intending to remind them about tomorrow's grand competition.

Zu'an, however, was reflecting. When he first arrived, he was only fit to eat alone in his room, but now he could frequently sit at the main table. And Chu Chuyan seemed to have smiled at him a few times today.

*Pffft! Getting so pleased just because she smiled a few times. Look at you, getting ahead of yourself.*

Zu'an analyzed his own psychology and concluded that Chu Chuyan was simply too beautiful. Humans were visual creatures, so he couldn't blame himself for being so easily pleased.

But then again, he was quite handsome himself, so why didn't his "bargain wife" get swoony over him?

"This isn't scientific!"

While he was lost in thought, grinning foolishly, Chu Huanzhao had already excitedly embellished the story of him becoming a mathematics teacher at school. She had been holding it in all day and felt she would go crazy if she kept it to herself any longer.

"Oh, little An actually became a mathematics teacher? That's a delightful surprise!" Chu Zhongtian laughed heartily. He had originally thought he had found a useless son-in-law, but now realizing he wasn't entirely worthless, how could a parent not be pleased?

Qin Wanru was also stunned. She stared at Zu'an for a long moment, finding it difficult to connect the carefree fellow in front of her with an academy teacher. Just then, she saw him grinning foolishly again and couldn't help but snort, "You're so smug over being a mere mathematics teacher, and not even a permanent one! And from what Xiao Zhao just said, you deliberately targeted Young Master Shi in class? Getting carried away just because you have a little bit of power is truly disappointing!"

Zu'an felt helpless. *What karmic debt did I accumulate to end up with a mother-in-law who finds fault with everything I do?*

Chu Chuyan, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Mother, Shi Kun was indeed the one who went too far today, so he can't be entirely blamed. I'm worried now that someone might seize the opportunity to harm Zu'an on the arena tomorrow."