As Ye Qingtian and Ye Ziyun walked hand in hand, the other students watched with envy and jealousy. Ye Ziyun began to blush. Her eyes secretly turned to her brother, who also looked at her with a smile.
Not far away, Shen Yue, walking with his lackeys, was biting his lip, full of jealousy and irritation.
"Ye Ziyun should be by my side. Walking with me. Everyone should see her as the future wife of the Sacred Family's heir."
But there she was. As beautiful as an untouchable princess, walking with that damned Ye Qingtian, who wasn't just more handsome and stronger than him, but also had that damn naturally noble aura that Shen Yue had been trying to imitate for years.
He bit his lip so hard that a thin trail of blood appeared.
"So what if he's the City Lord's son? A well-bred dog is still a dog. Once I deal with that arrogant brother, Ye Ziyun will learn. She'll cry and beg for forgiveness. And then..."
Shen Yue curled his lips into a twisted smile, whispering only to himself:
"...I'll make her kneel between my legs, then toss her aside like a used object."
On the other side, Ye Qingtian seemed to have felt someone's gaze on them. It wasn't an ordinary look, but one filled with intentions. When he turned, he wasn't surprised to see Shen Yue staring at them.
Ye Qingtian raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curving slowly, as if savoring the jealousy in Shen Yue's eyes.
"As the saying goes, a frog trying to eat swan meat." Ye Qingtian smiled and squeezed Ye Ziyun's hand, looking at Shen Yue with a smirk full of contempt.
"You!!"
"Young Master Shen, calm down, don't let him provoke you. He's already a Bronze Rank Spiritualist, we're no match for him."
Shen Yue wanted to rush in and start a fight, but one of his lackeys quickly held him back, afraid of getting involved and ending up beaten along with him.
"Hmph, you coward!" Shen Yue clenched his fists and stormed off, leaving his two lackeys behind. But what they said was true. Ye Qingtian was currently much stronger. Picking a fight now would only bring humiliation.
"Did you see how red Shen Yue got?" whispered a girl nearby, trying not to laugh.
"I've never seen him like that. He nearly exploded when Ye Qingtian looked at him," another replied, barely containing her laughter.
Meanwhile, Ye Ziyun and Ye Qingtian finally arrived at the classroom, which was already filled with nearly thirty students. Their presence immediately drew everyone's attention.
---
"Hey, look… Who are they?"
A young man was stunned, his eyes fixed on the girl beside the boy, almost falling in love on the spot.
"How do you not know? Those two are the only children of the City Lord."
Someone finally recognized them.
"The boy is Ye Qingtian. He's only thirteen like us, but he's already become a Bronze Rank Spiritualist… I also heard he's a genius alchemist."
"And that's Ye Ziyun. She's not just beautiful, but also exceptionally talented. I heard she might reach Bronze Rank in a month or less."
"Both of them are monsters, full of talent."
Some boys stood there slack-jawed, drooling as they stared at Ye Ziyun.
Ye Ziyun wasn't just beautiful, she had a gentle, refined aura, like a flower.
By contrast, the girls were even more excited looking at Ye Qingtian. Some even cast flirtatious glances at him openly, not caring about status or age.
Ignoring the students' whispers, Ye Ziyun searched with her eyes for the figure of Xiao Ning'er at the back of the classroom. She wanted at least to wave, to say something, but before she could get up, Ye Qingtian gently held her wrist and whispered, "Don't be in such a rush to talk to her. We still have the whole year ahead of us."
Ye Ziyun looked at her one last time, then gave up and sat down. Ye Qingtian sat next to her.
'She still feels as distant as before... Is she still upset with me?' Ye Ziyun thought, but finally stopped looking at her and settled into her seat.
On Xiao Ning'er's side, after realizing Ye Ziyun was no longer looking her way, she secretly turned her eyes to Ye Qingtian, but he had already looked away, as if nothing had happened. That left her a little disappointed.
She had always had a good impression of Ye Qingtian. When she visited the two of them, she always found a way to be alone with him. However, after learning about the engagement arranged by her family, she felt unworthy of being with him. So she pulled away.
But even now, after all these years, she still felt that same affection she had for him in childhood. Only this time, it was much stronger. Unfortunately, she no longer knew how to approach them. She was afraid of what they might think, or whether they even still wanted her as a friend.
Thinking about that, two thin lines of tears slid from her eyes before she quickly wiped them away, not allowing anyone to see her moment of weakness. Her cold and distant expression returned.
A few minutes later, the sound of heels echoed from the hallway. Soon after, a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her early twenties entered the room with confident steps, stopping right in front of the students.
All the students, especially the boys, immediately turned their attention to the teacher who had appeared. She was tall and wore a tight lilac dress that hugged her full chest. She had long, pale legs and wore elegant makeup that made her look both beautiful and refined. Her eyes radiated pride and arrogance.
"I heard the new teacher, Shen Xiu, is one of the Sacred Family's 3-star Silver Rank Demon Spiritualists!"
Some students whispered among themselves.
Shen Xiu looked around the classroom before her gaze landed on a particular student—Ye Qingtian. Her eyes couldn't help but shine upon seeing him up close. Even though she was from the Sacred Family, she had to admit he was a very handsome and talented young man.
As a noble and powerful 3-star Silver Rank Demon Spiritualist, she normally wouldn't come here to teach. She only agreed because her brother, Shen Hong, asked her to keep an eye on Ye Qingtian. If possible, she was to use any method to bring him to the Sacred Family's side—or eliminate him before he became a threat.
Ye Ziyun, as sensitive as any girl in love, noticed Shen Xiu's prolonged gaze at her brother. A small pang in her chest made her hold Ye Qingtian's hand under the table tightly.
Ye Qingtian chuckled softly and squeezed her hand in return. He had also noticed Shen Xiu's gaze. And instead of looking away, he looked at her with even more interest, letting his eyes wander across her body.
'As expected. She really is beautiful,' he thought. Even though Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er were pretty, they lacked that mature aura. Shen Xiu, on the other hand, was a complete woman, with expressions and movements that drew attention from every direction.
Shen Xiu seemed to sense his gaze. And for a moment, she felt it wasn't like the looks she usually got from other boys. This one was filled with desire, with the will to dominate her completely.
It sent a shiver down her spine before she returned to the lesson.
And that was exactly it. Ye Qingtian didn't mind having her in his harem—as long as she behaved properly.
While he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. When he turned to the side, he saw Ye Ziyun pouting, cheeks puffed.
"Yun'er… you're not jealous of Teacher Shen Xiu, are you?" Ye Qingtian asked in a low voice, pressing her hand gently in his.
"Hmph. I'm not talking to you anymore." Ye Ziyun huffed but didn't let go of his hand.