At those words, the office fell silent.
Zhou Yi's eyes widened as she stared at Mu Jin. Her mouth opened and closed, her face turning pale, then red.
Mu Jin shot Zhou Yi a smug glance and leisurely twisted the knife. "Besides, Teacher Zhou already has a boyfriend. Even if she wanted to compete, she couldn't."
Zhou Yi's hands clenched into fists, her knuckles whitening.
But Mu Jin had stated a fact. It was no secret around the academy that she had a boyfriend. Standing there, Zhou Yi parted her lips, but couldn't find a retort. In the end, she could only turn her face away.
Watching the scene unfold, Tang An found it amusing. Mu Jin was pressing her advantage, and Zhou Yi had nowhere left to retreat. If he let them keep arguing like this, they'd probably still be at it all night.
Tang An leaned back in his chair and lightly tapped the armrest, cutting through the currents roiling between them. "Teachers, I have a suggestion. Since neither of you is willing to yield, why not merge Class One and Class Two?"
Mu Jin froze for a moment, and Zhou Yi looked up as well.
"After the merger, Teacher Zhou can teach for three days, and Teacher Mu for three days. You'll take turns and each bring out your strengths."
"After a month, let the students choose their own teachers and split into two groups. In the Freshman Assessment, whichever group has the better overall results wins. The winner becomes the homeroom teacher, and the loser becomes the assistant homeroom teacher."
Tang An paused, then gave a wicked smile. "The assistant homeroom teacher will have to obey any three demands from the homeroom teacher."
The office fell quiet for a moment.
Zhou Yi was the first to react. Though the plan wouldn't let her keep Tang An entirely in her class, at least she hadn't lost outright.
The three-day rotation gave her a fair chance to compete. The Freshman Assessment would reveal the truth, and she had never doubted her teaching ability.
What's more, the assistant homeroom teacher would have to obey the homeroom teacher. It was a high enough stake that Zhou Yi was willing to bet everything.
"I agree." Zhou Yi pushed up her glasses, regaining her usual composure.
"We'll alternate every three days, without interfering in each other's classes. The Freshman Assessment will decide the winner. I'll show you and Teacher Mu exactly how good Class One's teaching is."
Mu Jin recovered from her brief surprise and studied Tang An thoughtfully. She'd thought victory was already in her grasp, but the boy had calmly reshuffled the whole situation with a single sentence.
Still, this was fine too. Winning too easily wouldn't be any fun. Beating Zhou Yi soundly right in front of her—that would be satisfying.
"Sounds interesting." Mu Jin's eyes sparkled. "Student Tang An, your big sister wholeheartedly approves. Teacher Zhou, don't you dare try to wriggle out of it if you lose."
"You'd better not come crying to me and begging for mercy when the time comes," Zhou Yi shot back coldly.
The two met each other's gaze. Sparks practically crackled in the air between them.
Mu Jin was the first to stand, but showed no sign of leaving. She smiled at Zhou Yi. "Teacher Zhou, now that we've finished discussing business, shouldn't you be going? You have class tomorrow, and with those old bones of yours, staying up late can't be good for you."
Zhou Yi frowned and looked at her warily. "You're not leaving?"
"I still have a few private words to exchange with Student Tang An." Mu Jin folded her arms, making her chest look even more prominent. "What, Teacher Zhou? Want to stay and listen?"
Zhou Yi's expression changed, but Mu Jin had made her meaning so clear that staying would make Zhou Yi look clueless.
Zhou Yi turned to Tang An, her tone uncharacteristically gentle. "Tang An, thank you for what you did today. See you tomorrow."
With that, she picked up her lesson plans and strode out of the office. The sound of the door closing echoed down the quiet corridor.
Mu Jin listened for a moment, making sure the footsteps had faded before turning around.
Only the two of them remained in the office. The dim yellow light fell across Mu Jin's dark green silk dress, making her skin look even fairer.
Mu Jin came over to Tang An, a teasing glint in her alluring eyes. Her voice was sweet and coquettish. "Student Tang An, your suggestion turned my sure win into an uncertain contest. Tell me, how are you going to make it up to your big sister?"
As she spoke, Mu Jin leaned forward slightly. The jade-white skin exposed by her plunging neckline swayed gently with her movement, and a deep cleavage was right before his eyes.
Tang An leaned back in his chair. His gaze slid from the beauty mark at the corner of her eye to her long legs, wrapped in black stockings beneath the hem of her skirt. The Life-Death Cycle stirred faintly within him.
The restlessness had started that afternoon in the dormitory, roused by Xiao Xiao's soft hum, and it hadn't let up since. Now, with Mu Jin deliberately moving closer, it began to surge again.
"What kind of compensation does Teacher Mu want?" Tang An asked casually, his gaze openly roaming over her.
Mu Jin met his eyes, her smile deepening. But instead of answering, she circled behind him and rested her slender fingers lightly on his shoulders, gently massaging them through his clothes.
"Your big sister even resorted to the beauty trap to win you over. What would people think if they found out Class Two's homeroom teacher poached students with her looks? Where would that leave my dignity?"
Tang An let out a low laugh. Teacher Mu had a silver tongue, but her hands were already getting bold. He didn't hold back either. Reaching up, he grasped Mu Jin's wrist and pulled her from behind him to his side.
Mu Jin stumbled half a step, instinctively bracing herself against Tang An's waist to steady herself. When she looked up, she found herself face-to-face with his deep-set eyes, and her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
"Then make it up to me with actions."
Tang An didn't release her. His thumb gently stroked her back. "My Soul Power Tide is a little unstable. Since Teacher Mu is so sincere, why not help me regulate it?"
Mu Jin froze for a moment, then realized what he meant. Even with her bold nature, the boy's frank, almost matter-of-fact request made her cheeks grow warm.
But Mu Jin quickly regained her composure, a smile returning to her lips. "Student Tang An, that doesn't sound like something a student should say to his teacher."
"What Teacher Mu said just now didn't sound like something a teacher should say to her student either."
Tang An leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on Mu Jin's long legs in black stockings. He arched a brow. "Use these."
Following his gaze, Mu Jin looked down. She was silent for a beat, then gave a soft laugh. She didn't answer, only sauntered over to the door and quietly turned the lock.
Outside, around the corner in the corridor, Zhou Yi leaned against the wall, gripping her lesson plans so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. She'd already left, but had stopped when she reached the stairs.
Reason told Zhou Yi to leave at once, but her feet seemed nailed to the spot. She couldn't take a single step. Biting her lip, she hesitated for a long while, then finally turned back, moving quietly to the wall outside the office.
The office fell silent for a moment. Then Mu Jin's voice drifted out, hushed but still coquettish, broken and indistinct. Her exact words were impossible to make out, but her tone was unmistakably suggestive.
"Student Tang An... your Soul Power Tide is so vigorous? And it's going on for so long... Your big sister's legs are getting tired from standing..."
Then Tang An replied in a calm voice, betraying little emotion. "Teacher Mu took this on herself. You'll have to see it through."
Mu Jin seemed to say something else, even more quietly. It was hard to make out, but Zhou Yi caught a few scattered words—"so young" and "such stamina"—along with the faint rustle of fabric.
After a long while, Mu Jin's voice sounded again, lower and softer than before, with a lazy, husky undertone.
"Student Tang An... your big sister really went all out this time... If you don't come first in the Freshman Assessment, you'll have let all your big sister's effort go to waste."
Before you continue