Mu Chuxian turned to Su Nan with a sweet smile and said:
“How was it? Did you enjoy the food?”
Su Nan glanced toward the blonde senior sister who had just walked away, finally breathing a sigh of relief:
“Yes, I really enjoyed it!”
“If my little junior keeps being so obedient, who knows? There might be even happier things in store.”
Mu Chuxian’s lips curled into a sly smile as she traced circles in the air just above Su Nan’s thigh with her finger.
Then—
Just as Su Nan was about to grab that mischievous jade hand, Mu Chuxian playfully pulled it away and stood up gracefully.
“Then, junior, let’s meet again next time~!”
With that, she walked off, her long legs in black stockings elegantly stepping away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
***
Early the next morning.
Since last night’s dinner hadn’t gone too smoothly, Su Nan woke up ravenous.
As soon as he entered the cafeteria, he spotted his deskmate Tu Suya standing at the breakfast alley, frowning.
She was looking at the breakfast map, seemingly trying to make a decision.
“What are you looking at?”
Su Nan approached her and asked gently.
“Choosing breakfast, obviously.”
Tu Suya glanced at him, her delicate willow brows slightly furrowed.
“Everything looks so good… I don’t know what to pick!”
As she stroked her foxy cheeks, her sorrowful, alluring gaze naturally radiated charm, causing many nearby to pause in their tracks.
“That’s easy.”
Su Nan chuckled and pointed at a few places on the map:
“Steamed dumplings with three fillings, freshly ground soy milk, crispy golden youtiao, vegetarian-stuffed baked buns, and soft-textured desserts.”
He pointed at a spot on the street map:
“That area’s close to all these places and even has a table of its own.”
“If you’re interested, the two of us can just order a little bit of everything.”
“Then let’s go~!”
“Wait—wait a sec, what are you—?”
“Don’t worry about the details~!”
Before he could react, Tu Suya grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the spot Su Nan had suggested.
More than anything else, Su Nan’s attention was drawn to the soft, jade-like warmth of her hand.
Why did the hands of beautiful girls all feel different?
Soon—
They arrived.
The place was already pretty packed, but luckily there was still one empty table.
Tu Suya insisted Su Nan sit down and wait while she went to the stores he recommended and bought every signature item they had.
Soon, the whole table was stacked with breakfast dishes.
“Let’s eat!”
Tu Suya smiled at Su Nan and said…
“My treat today! Think of it as thanks for helping me navigate breakfast.”
Su Nan didn’t bother being modest.
“Then I’ll gladly accept!”
He immediately picked up a basket of dumplings and began devouring them—one bite each, no hesitation.
By contrast, Tu Suya ate slowly and elegantly.
She gently lifted a dumpling, placed it in her cherry-colored lips, and nibbled gracefully, chewing like a scene from a romance drama.
But she was far too slow.
Before she could even reach for another, Su Nan had already cleared the dish.
Unable to beat him to the food, Tu Suya simply gave up eating.
Instead, she rested her cheek on her hand and kept placing food into Su Nan’s bowl.
Su Nan didn’t think much of it—he had been training hard lately and needed the nutrients.
Without noticing, Tu Suya even placed something she had already bitten into into Su Nan’s bowl.
He ate it without even glancing.
Her face immediately turned red, fingers gently brushing her lips.
Wasn’t that basically… an indirect kiss?
Watching him devour food like a storm, Tu Suya felt her heart skip a beat.
She stared at him in a daze, eyes shimmering.
If he became her future husband, surely even her mother wouldn’t object, right?
Though… would she fight her for him?
***
Meanwhile…
At that moment, a faculty meeting was being held at the academy.
The topic of discussion: freshman academic progress and the location of the upcoming training camp.
Attendees included: Director Xi Qinyu, Su Nan’s own teacher Yang Ningbing, Si Wenle, Guan Wen, twin instructors Shi Shan and Shi Yu, and several other freshman mentors.
As the Director of Education, Xi Qinyu naturally chaired the meeting and spoke first:
“The previous test locations we opened to freshmen—Haunted Mansion, Yang Pavilion, Death Grounds—were all categorized as dangerous zones. While they were somewhat effective, they weren’t comprehensive.”
“Given recent incidents and the likelihood of future crises, we must boost student preparedness and practical combat awareness.”
“I propose increasing the difficulty of their training barriers and raising the overall challenge level of the upcoming assessments.”
After Xi Qinyu’s speech, the other teachers nodded slightly.
“During recent drills, I’ve noticed many gaps in the freshmen’s abilities,” Si Wenle commented calmly.
“Some students have no prior combat experience. They freeze up at the sight of spooky or grim environments.”
“This drastically limits their performance. We can’t have that.”
“Agreed,” added Guan Wen.
“For gifted students, the current training venues are too low-level. They can’t showcase their full potential. I support raising the difficulty.”
Not one teacher opposed.
The proposal passed unanimously.
“Very well.”
Xi Qinyu nodded slightly.
“Then the next assessment will take place in an unexplored secret realm.”
“The challenge levels will vary, allowing students of all levels to participate.”
“Agreed!”
“Agreed!”
All the teachers voiced their approval.
Not a single objection.
And so, the next hellish trial for the freshman class was officially decided.
***
After the meeting…
Yang Ningbing returned to her office—only to find Su Nan standing right outside.
“Good morning, teacher!”
Su Nan bowed respectfully.
When Yang Ningbing saw his bright, harmless smile, the weariness on her face faded a little, and a bold idea flashed through her mind.
“Come in,” she said, opening the office door and motioning him inside.
But Su Nan… hesitated.
With his current level of perception, he could sense something off inside the room.
But could a teacher really have such thoughts about a student?
Just then—
Yang Ningbing turned back toward him.
Seeing him still frozen in the doorway, looking like he wanted to go in but also didn’t—
“What are you doing just standing there? Get in!”
Faced with her stern tone, Su Nan could only steel himself and walk inside.
As soon as he entered, Yang Ningbing casually slipped off her jacket, revealing a snug off-shoulder top underneath.
Below her snow-white shoulders, a towering pair of peaks seemed ready to burst through the thin fabric.
Even Su Nan couldn’t help but sneak an extra glance.
Was his teacher secretly a giant weapon user…?