Chapter 80: A Lasting Grudge

Faced with an invitation from the beautiful teacher, would Zhang Pu go or not? Of course he would! Only a fool would refuse. Even if it was just to further agitate Huang Xiaobiao, it would be worth it.

The class bell rang soon enough. Then, amid the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes of all his classmates, Zhang Pu followed the stunning teacher out, almost skipping with delight.

In some corners of the classroom, an unexpected sense of loss seemed to ripple through the hearts of Lin Xuehong, Du Aizhu, and the others: they had thought that the one who once dominated the basketball court was about to shine once more! Not only was he outstanding in sports, but to their surprise, he excelled academically as well! He was gold, after all, only their eyes had failed to recognize it.

Qi Yan had her own office—though not large, it was arranged with an elegance that matched her demeanor.

When Zhang Pu entered, he surprised Qi Yan with his natural poise and composure, entirely lacking the awkwardness and shyness typical of someone his age. In Qi Yan’s mind, even though twelfth graders might present a certain maturity, a boy facing a beauty like her could hardly remain so at ease. But of course, there was no way for her to know: Zhang Pu was anything but an ordinary student!

On this earth, even the most mature individuals would seem childishly naïve compared to someone like Zhang Pu, who had lived a thousand years in the immortal realm. Yet again, Zhang Pu astonished Qi Yan.

Before coming to teach this class, Qi Yan had done a bit of research. She knew the class’s top student was Huang Xiaobiao, and that he excelled particularly in English. She had intended to favor Huang Xiaobiao, and indeed, at first glance, he was more handsome than Zhang Pu, who looked quite average.

What Qi Yan hadn’t expected was that the very first meeting with the seemingly promising Huang Xiaobiao nearly made her sick to her stomach. His demeanor uncannily resembled that of a lecher she had once encountered; Huang Xiaobiao had captured that essence perfectly. At that moment, Qi Yan knew her hopes were dashed.

Then she “met” Zhang Pu. Even knowing beforehand that his grades were mediocre, and though his smile had comforted her with a surprisingly mature and appropriate air, she hadn’t expected the brilliance he would soon display.

Once she witnessed that brilliance, curiosity about Zhang Pu welled up inside her, and her previous interest in Huang Xiaobiao vanished without a trace.

Qi Yan felt compelled—almost uncontrollably—to bring Zhang Pu to her office for further “research.” Truly, his performance, which was not quite that of a genius and yet undeniably brilliant, baffled her. Something in her was restless; if she didn’t uncover the mystery today, she wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep.

Yet when she asked Zhang Pu, would he reveal the truth? Zhang Pu simply told her that perhaps he had just been lucky, that even he felt a bit muddled at the time.

He wasn’t just making things up; in fact, he really had felt somewhat dazed in that moment, for the little spell he had used from the immortal realm worked exactly like that—it was as if something else had taken over his body, not he himself.

Zhang Pu understood well: because his cultivation was still shallow and that particular spell was quite advanced, he couldn’t fully control it yet. That explained what had happened. But for a little test like Qi Yan’s, scoring a perfect mark was still no challenge for him. In any case, he had succeeded.

Qi Yan could not get the answers she wanted. In the end, she could only half-believe what Zhang Pu said—his explanation was plausible, after all, she finally thought.

Otherwise, how could an average student suddenly stun everyone, unless there really was something supernatural? Yet how could Qi Yan possibly imagine that someone like Zhang Pu, a secretly immortal cultivator, could exist in this world?

What she didn’t know was that as she tried to study Zhang Pu, Zhang Pu was equally interested in studying her. He found Qi Yan curious—not for her extraordinary beauty, but for something else that aroused his wonder.

However, before Zhang Pu could attempt to use a little spell from the immortal realm to probe Qi Yan, their meeting was already over. Not only was it inappropriate for a young female teacher to keep a male student—only a few years her junior—in her office for too long, but Qi Yan also had other matters to attend to, and Zhang Pu needed to get to his next class.

He thought to himself that he would take some time later to recall and consider his impressions of Qi Yan.

Upon returning to the classroom, Zhang Pu deliberately glanced at Huang Xiaobiao and caught sight of his eyes, filled with a dark, seething jealousy. Zhang Pu shrugged at him on purpose.

Huang Xiaobiao, realizing he’d been observed, quickly averted his gaze, as if embarrassed.

Zhang Pu merely sneered.

During another break, Huang Xiaobiao quietly slipped out of the classroom to make a call from afar.

“Uncle Zhang, after school today, help me keep an eye on a guy… Yes, he’s in our class…”

When he returned, a strange, sinister smile played on his lips. And once again, Zhang Pu happened to notice.

Zhang Pu seemed to sense the darkness in Huang Xiaobiao’s heart, but he only smiled at him, as if to say: whatever schemes you try are nothing but child’s play to me. Whether Huang Xiaobiao could grasp that message was another matter.

After school, as soon as Zhang Pu left the gates, he keenly sensed someone was watching him from the shadows.

No matter—soon, the luxury car sent by Liu Yingde arrived, and he climbed in with a nonchalance that showed he didn’t care if any students saw.

“Young master… yes, it’s the guy you mentioned… He got into a luxury car… just as nice as ours…” someone reported excitedly over the phone.

Indeed, the person on the other end was Huang Xiaobiao.

Huang Xiaobiao was surprised; he hadn’t expected Zhang Pu to be picked up in a luxury car, just like him.

“Follow him. See where he goes. If you can, find out where he lives,” Huang Xiaobiao instructed.

He wanted his man to tail Zhang Pu’s car.

Today had exasperated him beyond belief. Originally, he had planned to have someone rough Zhang Pu up just outside the school after dismissal. But now, seeing Zhang Pu’s connections, he realized the boy had some serious backing as well.