The third-floor corridor of the senior year wing should have been empty after three rings of the class bell, yet two figures lingered—one trailing the other.

"Ms. Jiang, may I ask you something?"

"As long as it doesn’t involve the phrase ‘womanly charm’."

"Are you really a student at this school?"

"Doesn’t that sound idiotic after the Student Council President’s forced recruitment?"

Gu Hengbo tried slowing down to walk beside me, and each time, I braked just as deliberately. After all, she was my homeroom teacher—someone I couldn’t avoid.

"Well... why aren’t you wearing the uniform? School rules state *all* students must wear it except during Founder’s Day or Sports Day. *Must*. That’s why I didn’t recognize you last time."

*As if you recognize me now.* I sighed deeply at this ever-shifting campus life. "Ms. Gu, eighty percent of the students I see aren’t in uniform. And that’s not even the point."

"True. Even in my class, everyone dresses differently—some in suits and ties, others in punk vests. There’s even one who wears a bikini to class..." Gu Hengbo grumbled. Her aloof demeanor made it hard to command respect at Evergreen, this elite private school. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Ms. Jiang—is *that* part of having ‘womanly charm’ too?"

I barely suppressed a smirk. *Sorry, but I know all those people.* The suit-and-tie guy was Xu Xian, rushing to mixers after class. The punk-ish one was Yan Qing, his hair dyed black like a corrupted Mitsuhiro-san. And the "bikini"? A black nylon tank top on Jia Baoyu that looked suspiciously like swimwear.

"Probably. And stop calling me ‘Ms. Jiang’. *I’m* your student."

In a way, she was right. Clothes make the man—or the teen. At this age, kids buzzed with restless energy, obsessed with flaunting individuality. Gu Hengbo’s stiff, outdated style *did* need a student’s advice. By contrast, Nan Dongye—neatly uniformed—stood out as the quintessential literary girl.

"I see..." Gu Hengbo halted outside her noisy classroom, then turned abruptly. "Wait—you’re not heading to class?"

*Still haven’t realized we share the same destination?* Rubbing my temples, I slipped through the back door with a mutter:

"I told you—I’m *your student*."

"Eh? *Eh?!*"

Her face froze. Memories clicked: *Jiang Lan*... that name... wasn’t he—*a boy*?!

For a fleeting second, I grasped Xu Lingzhu’s malicious genius. Evergreen likely had no other teacher this clueless. Whatever her "G Project" schemed, the principal’s granddaughter would shield it. I had no energy to dissect this airhead teacher’s crisis.

Back at my desk, my mind went blank. Gazing out the window, I knew Xu Lingzhu would uncover the truth soon. The "Evergreen Goddess" would become the "Evergreen Pervert." My dream of a peaceful school life drifted away like that distant cloud...

"Ex-excuse me for being late. Let’s begin class."

Gu Hengbo stumbled to the podium, dazed. Unsurprisingly, she was popular—even the punk kid and "bikini" boy stared intently at the curves hidden beneath her icy exterior. A far cry from other teachers’ chaotic classrooms. She just didn’t know it.

Onstage, Gu Hengbo was stern and frosty. Yet whenever her eyes flicked to me, they held ghostly reverence. To her, losing the "womanly charm" contest to a *boy* must be utterly indescribable.

"Today’s wind... is rather noisy," I murmured wistfully. *How long must I bear this devil’s mark?*

*Smack!*

Only Nan Dongye would ambush me like this. She leaned close, suspicious. "What’s with the deep thoughts? Where were you? Why’d you come back with Ms. Gu?"

I shot her a dead-eyed look. The very person who dragged me back into this pervert vortex. "Use your imagination, Yuzuru Sensei. You’ll never guess."

"More riddles? Got scolded again, huh?"

"Who’s scolding whom, idiot?"

Nan Dongye pursed her lips playfully, glancing between Gu Hengbo writing formulas on the board and me. A sly grin spread. "Heh. You’ve always liked older girls. Upset that the gorgeous Ms. Gu reprimanded you?"

"*Ha~ha.* Take it back—you’re not an idiot. You’re a *self-proclaimed* genius idiot." My smile didn’t reach my eyes.

"Aren’t they the same thing?!"

"No, no. You’re a *premium-grade* idiot. Quit and become a comedian. Learn to trip on flat ground—you’d go viral. *Will* go viral. Believe in yourself, Yuzuru Sensei."

"Hmph! A delinquent like you could never win Ms. Gu’s heart. She’s a Ph.D. from overseas!"

As the old priest said: God is fair. A sexy figure and perfect conditions *must* come with flaws. My empirical conclusion.

"Just a talent-misplaced idiot. Like you."

"Talking nonsense again! *You’re* the idiot!"

"Oh—about last time. Thanks. My dad says it’s been ages. He... wants to invite you for dinner..." As class monitor, Nan Dongye fidgeted guiltily, spinning her pen faster, her voice fading.

"Uncle Nan? Ages indeed... roughly ten thousand years." I slumped on the desk, drowsy. *Forget the G Project. Forget the Student Council President. Just a dream...*

Nan Dongye elbowed my ribs. "Are you a *youkai*?! Stay awake! Will you come or not?!"

"Huh? Ah—when?"

"T-this weekend?"

*Weekend...* Xiao Yu would be out. Nothing better to do. One free meal for a sweet dream—fair trade. I mumbled agreement, tossing all chaos out the window.