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

9:00 AM, Kyoto University Faculty of Letters Administration Building.

Zhu Xunchuan pushed open the door to the counselor's private office.

Gu Qinghan sat behind a large desk. She wore a well-tailored black business suit with a perfectly fitted white silk blouse underneath. Gold-rimmed glasses perched on her high nose bridge, giving her an aloof and unapproachable air.

Hearing the door open, Gu Qinghan looked up.

Seeing Zhu Xun Chuan's slightly pale face, Gu Qinghan's originally cold and hard facial features softened instantly. She closed her lesson plan, stood up, and quickly walked to the sofa.

"Come and sit down." Gu Qinghan's voice was no longer stern as it had been on the phone.

Zhu Xunchuan walked over. As soon as he sat down on the sofa, Gu Qinghan shoved a steaming cup of jujube and goji berry tea into his hand.

"You look terrible. Why didn't you stay home and rest for a couple more days instead of coming here to claim your sick leave?" Gu Qinghan sat down next to him, her gaze lingering on his left shoulder. Underneath his casual suit, the faint scent of medicine from last night's bath still lingered.

"Professor Gu gave me a firm order on the phone last night," Zhu Xun Chuan said, holding his teacup with both hands. "I'm afraid if I miss class today, I'll really lose my credits."

Gu Qinghan rolled her eyes at him and reached out to straighten his shirt collar.

"That was for Xia Wanying and the others to hear," Gu Qinghan said in a low voice. "You damaged your health in Hong Kong, and we're keeping you indoors to prevent you from causing trouble. If you really fail your courses, who will I cry to?"

Zhu Xun Chuan took a sip of goji berry tea. The sweetness flowed down his throat into his stomach.

He put down his teacup and took Gu Qinghan's hand as she straightened his collar.

"With Teacher Gu's tea, all poisons are cured." Zhu Xun Chuan squeezed her soft fingers.

A slight blush rose to Gu Qinghan's cheeks, but she didn't pull her hand back. She adopted the demeanor of a counselor, coughed lightly, and concealed her fluster.

"Stop being cheeky. The poison hasn't been cleared yet, so you're not allowed to run around today." Gu Qinghan pulled her hand back, picked up the attendance sheet on the table, and said, "It's time. Go to the lecture hall. You just need to sit during my class; you don't need to stand up to answer when I call your name."

This favoritism is so blatantly justified. Zhu Xun Chuan looked at Miss Gu, who appeared aloof on the surface but was fiercely protective of her own, and the smile on his lips deepened.

Ten minutes later, in the lecture hall of the Arts Building.

The large lecture hall, which had 300 students, was packed to capacity.

Gu Qinghan walked into the classroom in her high heels. She stood on the podium and flipped through the roster. The entire classroom fell silent instantly, the atmosphere oppressive. Everyone knew that the icy instructor's "International Economic Law" was extremely difficult; anyone called upon to answer a question and unable to would have all their participation points deducted.

Zhu Xun Chuan sat in the third-to-last row by the window. Today he was wearing a light gray trench coat, and his outstanding temperament attracted the attention of several girls in the row in front of him.

"Zhao Peng." Gu Qinghan's cold voice echoed in the classroom.

A boy in the front row stood up nervously.

"Simply summarize the main content of the classical Chinese text I discussed last week; the title will suffice."

The boy stammered and answered haltingly.

Gu Qinghan adjusted his glasses and drew a line on the roster with a red pen. "Two points deducted from your participation score. Sit down."

The classroom fell silent. Five students were called out in a row, and all failed.

"Zhu Xunchuan."

The teacher's gaze swept across most of the classroom, landing precisely on the back row by the window.

Just as Zhu Xunchuan was about to stand up, holding onto the table, Gu Qinghan on the podium had already put down the attendance list.

"I wish you good health, you don't need to stand up to answer." Gu Qinghan's tone was still calm, but her voice was much gentler than when she called roll earlier. "Your analysis report submitted last week was very logically sound, just pay attention in class today."

The whole class looked at each other in bewilderment. Had Mr. Gu, the icy teacher, gone easy on this student again? This was a privilege he had never heard of before.

Zhu Xun Chuan accepted it calmly, leaning back in his chair and enjoying this blatant favoritism.

Just then, he felt a soft, delicate touch on the inside of his thigh.

A bare foot was slowly rubbing up the edge of his casual trousers.

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he turned his head away.

A girl wearing a black pleated skirt and a white sailor uniform sat down in the empty seat to his right at some point.

Her short, gray-blue hair shone with a playful sheen in the sunlight.

Qu Feiyan held a textbook open upside down in her hand, and the old silver necklace still hung around her fair neck.

The young master of Miao territory actually changed into a JK uniform and brazenly sneaked into a professional course at Peking University.

She had taken off her black strappy sandal with her left foot and was brazenly teasing Zhu Xun Chuan under the desk.

"What are you doing here?" Zhu Xun Chuan lowered his voice and reached under the desk to accurately pinch the mischievous little foot.

He held Qu Feiyan's ankle in his palm, the warmth of his hand transferring to her. Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't pull away.

"I told you I'd keep a close eye on you, lest you suddenly succumb to the poison and die." Qu Feiyan pretended to read a book, her voice low, revealing a defiant and spoiled air. "What, you're allowed to flirt with that old woman on stage, but I'm not allowed to keep you company?"

"She's not old." Zhu Xun Chuan chuckled, gently stroking her arch with his fingertip.

Qu Feiyan's body trembled violently, and she almost cried out in surprise. She gritted her teeth and glared at Zhu Xunchuan.

"You scumbag, you're just protecting her." Qu Feiyan stretched her foot forward, her toes brushing against his leg muscles through the thin fabric. "That woman on stage always has that straight face, what's so interesting about her? Look at me, don't I look better in this uniform than in that stiff suit of hers?"

The JK uniform perfectly accentuated her youthful and energetic figure. It diminished her usual wildness, adding a touch of innocent allure.

Zhu Xun Chuan had to admit that this contrast in identity within the sacred classroom was extremely impactful.

He didn't let go; instead, he pulled her ankle a little closer.

"It looks pretty good." Zhu Xun Chuan's gaze lingered on the podium as he gave his assessment, "But if you move around any further up there, I guarantee you'll regret it."

Qu Feiyan snorted, her cheeks burning. Her seemingly flirtatious teasing was actually a way of stimulating Zhu Xunchuan's blood circulation through acupoints on the soles of his feet. Only a third of the poison remained; maintaining a steady flow of blood and qi was crucial to accelerate toxin metabolism. Under the guise of jealousy, she was openly performing her final treatment.

"You think I want to touch you? I'm forcing out the poison." Qu Feiyan muttered softly, but her movements became even more unrestrained.

On the podium, Gu Qinghan was explaining a case study.

Her gaze swept across the room, and she keenly noticed the unusual behavior in the back row.

Zhu Xun Chuan sat somewhat stiffly, his right hand resting under the desk. The seat next to him, which had been empty, was now occupied by a girl with short, gray-blue hair, who was blushing and whispering in his ear.

The moment Gu Qinghan saw who the girl was, his hand holding the chalk suddenly froze.

With a "snap," half a piece of chalk broke off and fell onto the podium.

The students in the classroom were startled by the sound and dared not say anything more.

Gu Qinghan's cold gaze pierced straight towards the window seat in the back row.

Qu Feiyan noticed the gaze and raised her head without backing down.

A pair of mischievous eyes met the sharp gaze behind those gold-rimmed glasses.

Invisible sparks flew as they collided in the air.