On the first day of the new school term, dawn gilded Shrek Academy with a golden sheen. One figure stood out in particular before the first-year teaching building.
Long Jinyu wasn't wearing his JK uniform today. Instead, he had changed into an outfit in the ancient Eastern style, a gift Ma Xiaotao had just bought him.
The fabric was cloud brocade with a dusky silver sheen, its patterns like hidden dragons appearing and vanishing. Black trim along the collar and cuffs made his skin look even fairer than jade.
His long silver-white hair, usually worn loose, had been tied high into a ponytail with a matching hair ribbon, revealing a clean, graceful jawline and a slender neck.
He had lost some of his usual languid, gentle sweetness;
in its place was a dashing, spirited flair.
His gaze was animated, and between his brows lay a chilling air of authority that made him seem imposing without anger.
Ma Xiaotao walked him to Class One's door. Her gaze couldn't help sweeping over him several more times. Then she remembered yesterday's "accident"... Her nose began to feel a little warm, and she awkwardly cleared her throat, forcing herself to find a topic to cover it up. "Kid, I'm still curious. Why did you choose Class One? Its homeroom teacher is famous throughout the outer courtyard as a devil of a teacher. When she tears into her students, she doesn't spare even her own family."
A playful smile curled Long Jinyu's lips, and a sly glint flashed in his mismatched eyes. "Hehehe~ Senior, to be honest, I came here specifically for that 'old witch.'"
His tone was light, but his words had an edge. "Since some teachers don't know how to speak properly and don't treat their students like students, I don't mind taking a little time to 'set her teaching attitude straight.'"
Ma Xiaotao was taken aback at first, then a pleased smile appeared on her face. "Huh? So that's why! I don't like her way of doing things either. Make sure to 'teach her a lesson,' okay~"
She paused, then asked, "Are you really sure you don't need me to sit in on your class with you? After all, it was arranged by the teacher and Elder Mu."
Long Jinyu turned his head, his tone just teasing enough as he smiled. "No need. If a senior as 'peerlessly beautiful and world-renowned' as you were sitting with me, how could I possibly focus on class? I've already spoken to Elder Mu, so go back and cultivate without worrying."
Have Ma Xiaotao sit in on my class? What a ridiculous idea those two old foxes had! Doesn't Sister Xiaotao care about her dignity? What would people think?
His blunt praise made Ma Xiaotao's ears heat up. She tossed her fiery red hair as if to cover it up, then forced herself to stay calm and huffed. "Hmph... You sure know how to sweet-talk! Fine, I'm leaving! You... go easy on her. Don't beat that teacher to death."
Long Jinyu blinked, looking innocent. "Senior, why would you say that? I'm not some violent maniac~ Besides, she's just a 'frail' auditing student. How strong could she be~"
Ma Xiaotao shot him a look. "You're being modest now? You can just casually... suppress... me, so your strength has to be at least that of a Soul Saint! You might even be able to take on Big Sister Zhang. Picking on a Soul Emperor teacher would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, right, Big Sister Zhang!"
Long Jinyu's eyes lit up, and he seized the chance to continue.
"Senior, you absolutely have to introduce me to her when you have time! I've heard so much about Big Sister Zhang Lexuan's good name. I've wanted to pay her a visit for ages!"
Hearing how interested he was in Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao felt a twinge of jealousy. Her tone cooled a little. "Oh, sure. We'll talk about it later..."
With that, she waved and turned to leave.
Long Jinyu smiled and waved goodbye too. Only after that flash of red disappeared did he turn and push open the door to Class One.
The classroom's chatter died down the moment he stepped inside, and almost every gaze focused on him. A buzz of whispers rose.
"Wow! Who's that? A new student? Or... a senior?"
"They're so pretty! Are they a boy or a girl?"
"That presence... incredible! They look like an upper-courtyard senior! That silver ponytail is so cool!"
"Definitely a senior girl! What boy could look that good?"
Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao noticed the commotion at the doorway too. They exchanged a glance, then walked over together.
Huo Yuhao looked delighted and respectful. "Hello, Senior Long! What brings you here? Are you going to teach us? No wonder you said we'd see each other again in two days."
Wang Dong's eyes shone as she lavished him with praise. "Senior Long! This outfit of yours today is... unbelievably cool!"
Looking at the two of them, Long Jinyu felt quite pleased. In the original story, their relationship had still been a little awkward at this point. Yet now they were moving together? It seemed his appearance that day had been like a little butterfly, stirring up a small breeze.
"Haha, hello, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong." He smiled and corrected them. "I'm not a teacher. I'm just here to sit in and get a feel for the new students."
"Sit in? Senior Long?!"
The whispers around them grew even louder.
"I knew it was a senior! And a senior who's here to sit in!"
"Getting assigned to Class One is such a win! We get to attend class with such a cool senior!"
"As expected of Shrek! They even offer the perk of a beautiful senior sitting in on class!"
Just then, the class bell rang clearly.
Long Jinyu raised his voice slightly. His tone was warm, yet carried an air of conviction:
"All right, all right, everyone settle down and find a seat. It's the first day of school, so let's make a good impression on the teacher."
"Yes, Senior!"
The students answered in unison, surprisingly obedient, and the classroom quickly quieted down.
Long Jinyu walked to an empty seat in the back and sat down. His gaze swept over the young faces, bright with anticipation, and he shook his head to himself.
Such a lively bunch of well-behaved, hardworking kids. How could that 'old hag' call them 'garbage'? What a waste.
They worked so hard to get into their dream academy, full of anticipation, only to be greeted by a faceful of abuse and called garbage in their very first class. Who could put up with that?
If she had the skills of Electrolux or Mu En, that'd be one thing. But she's just a 'Yu Xiaogang Pro Max,' all theory and little practical experience, with an extreme and biased teaching style. What gives her the right to insult her students?
And somehow, the anime gave this character so much screen time that she overshadowed Sister Lexuan and Teacher Wang Yan. Seriously...
Before long, the classroom door was shoved open with a bang.
A stern-looking female teacher walked in with a lesson plan in her arms.
She looked about fifty, of medium build, and wore a gray teacher's uniform. Her face was sullen, her gaze as sharp as a knife, and her naturally downturned mouth gave her a sour look, as if nothing ever pleased her.
She was Zhou Yi.
As soon as she entered, she instinctively tried to cow the new students with her presence, only to find the classroom unusually quiet and the students sitting bolt upright.
She paused, taken aback. Her gaze swept the room and immediately landed on the silver-haired ponytail and strikingly elegant figure in the back. She couldn't help staring for a moment.
Then she immediately recalled what Director Du Weilun had stressed at an emergency meeting the day before:
A direct disciple of a Sea God Pavilion Elder would randomly choose a new student class to audit for a week, so every new student homeroom teacher had to keep an eye out.
This was a great figure who was "both beautiful and wise, both refined and elegant." They were to make sure to display the fine qualities of Shrek's teachers and, under no circumstances, offend this person.
Especially "certain teachers with rough manners." When Du Weilun had said that, his gaze had lingered on her for several extra seconds.
Zhou Yi snorted to herself.
"Hmph, so this is the little girl."
"She certainly is eye-catching. A direct disciple of an Elder, here to audit a new student class? What a joke."
"She's probably some useless flower vase with connections, shoved in here to gild her résumé!"
"Perfect. I'll use you to establish my authority today and show everyone that in my class, no matter what your background is, a dragon has to coil up and a tiger has to lie low!"
With a stern expression, she strode to the center of the podium and slammed down her lesson plan. Her voice was cold and hard. "My name is Zhou Yi. I'm your homeroom teacher."
Then she dropped all pretense, casting the students a disdainful look as if she were inspecting trash, and delivered her classic opening thunderbolt: "Remember this! No garbage will pass my assessments! I'm here to cultivate monsters, not idiots!"
The classroom erupted at once! Shock, humiliation, and anger were written across the new students' faces as they turned to whisper their objections.
A cold glint flashed in Long Jinyu's eyes. His fingers curled slightly as he suppressed the urge to march over and slap her twice. "Wait a little longer..." he told himself. "Wait for the even more classic line..."
Zhou Yi was quite satisfied with the commotion below. This was exactly the effect she wanted. She continued her show of force. "Since registration began, anyone who's gotten into a fight, stand up!"
The new students were even more confused and indignant. Who got into fights right after starting school? And even if they had, who would admit it?
At those words, a cold curve formed at the corner of Long Jinyu's mouth.
He rose, but instead of simply standing there, he sprang lightly onto his desk and sat sideways on it. One long leg rested casually on the floor while the other swung gently, his posture languid and provocative. He didn't even look Zhou Yi in the eye.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged a glance, then stood up resolutely too.
Zhou Yi's gaze swept over the three of them, lingering in particular on Long Jinyu's insolent pose. This kid with connections has some backbone after all?
She deliberately adopted a tone that sounded like praise but was even more insulting. "Oh? Only three? What a useless bunch! Don't you know that anyone who doesn't dare cause trouble is a mediocrity?!"
"The rest of you, run laps around Shrek Plaza..."
Before she could finish, Long Jinyu made his move!
He felt a rush of fury surge straight to his head, and memories of Blue Star came flooding back—
Of classmates bullied and humiliated by unscrupulous teachers, of news stories about those who had sunk into depression or even taken their own lives...
He would never allow such a tragedy to be repeated at Shrek!
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