I'm a respectable man!

"Oh? She wrote it?"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled at first, but his expression soon turned surprised.

Indeed, for Zhou Chaomian to suspect a woman of writing "On the Teacher," she must have had some real ability.

At that thought, Jiang Xiaobai grew a little more interested in her.

Who exactly was this woman?

As he wondered, Zhou Chaomian said, "She is Elder Lin's granddaughter, Lin Qinrou. In terms of talent, she is no less gifted than Miss Li!"

"It's just... because of certain matters, she keeps a low profile!"

"She's Elder Lin's granddaughter?"

Jiang Xiaobai's expression instantly filled with astonishment.

"What..."

Seeing Jiang Xiaobai's expression, Zhou Chaomian gave a mocking smile. "Scared now?"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled helplessly.

He wasn't scared, but... things had become rather awkward.

Just then, Zhou Chaomian looked back at "On the Teacher" on the wooden board and slowly spoke again. "There's no denying that poetry requires literary talent."

At that, Zhou Chaomian turned his gaze to Jiang Xiaobai. "But prose is the true measure of one's depth!"

"A poem may dazzle for a moment, but an essay can endure through the ages!"

"Take 'On the Teacher,' for instance. Tsk, tsk. It will surely draw scholars from all across the land to pay homage. Your poems... are merely night-blooming flowers beside it, gone almost as soon as they appear!"

"Oh."

After listening, Jiang Xiaobai gave only that simple reply.

It seemed Zhou Chaomian still brooded over what had happened at the Poetry Gathering.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have seized this opportunity to use the essay's superiority to deliberately put Jiang Xiaobai beneath him.

"If you don't believe me, just watch!"

Zhou Chaomian wasn't angered by Jiang Xiaobai's attitude. He smiled faintly. "It won't take long!"

"All right, all right. I'll wait!"

Jiang Xiaobai shrugged helplessly and looked toward Li Zhiwei again.

This time, he noticed that Lin Qinrou was already standing with Li Zhiwei.

Before Zhou Chaomian's explanation, he might have been surprised, but now... he thought nothing of it.

Li Zhiwei was Elder Lin's student, and Lin Qinrou was his granddaughter. It made perfect sense that they knew each other.

"Heh, you came here today... for Miss Li, I imagine?"

Beside him, Zhou Chaomian followed Jiang Xiaobai's gaze. "Still, there's something I ought to remind you of."

"Miss Li is extraordinarily learned and has very high standards. She would never fall for someone over a few poems, so I advise you not to get carried away."

"Heh..."

Jiang Xiaobai wasn't the least bit annoyed. Instead, he merely smiled. "Finished?"

Zhou Chaomian froze, his brows drawing together. Before he could speak, Jiang Xiaobai strode straight toward Li Zhiwei.

His attitude made it clear that he had no interest in continuing their argument.

Zhou Chaomian stood where he was, watching Jiang Xiaobai walk away. He frowned at first, then smiled faintly.

"Heh, he really does think he's something!"

"He's only inviting humiliation!"

Meanwhile.

As Jiang Xiaobai drew closer, Li Zhiwei had clearly noticed him as well.

But before she could speak, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly stopped.

He stopped so abruptly that it was startling. He looked at Li Zhiwei, and his expression changed several times in quick succession.

"You..."

Jiang Xiaobai raised a hand and pointed at Li Zhiwei, his voice rising. "You woman! Why do I run into you everywhere I go?"

"Were you deliberately waiting for me here?"

At those words, the lively surroundings instantly grew quieter.

Li Zhiwei froze outright, and the young women beside her were startled as well.

Lin Qinrou, in particular, looked from Jiang Xiaobai to Li Zhiwei, her face full of bewilderment.

While everyone was still stunned, Jiang Xiaobai spoke again.

He wore an expression of bitter anguish. "Miss Li, I know you like me. In fact... you like me so much that you're practically going mad!"

"Ah, but you can't keep doing this! I... I've already fled to the Imperial College, and you've actually followed me here?"

"Must you cling to me and refuse to let go?"

Boom!

His words sent the entire crowd into an uproar.

"What? Miss Li likes this man?"

"Has he gone mad? Wait... is this actually true?"

"What nonsense is he spouting?"

For a moment, voices rose all around them.

Not far away, the smile on Zhou Chaomian's face froze instantly, and he visibly went blank.

What... was Jiang Xiaobai playing at?

The young women beside Li Zhiwei widened their eyes, then all turned toward her, their expressions filled with shock.

Lin Qinrou looked especially incredulous, but her expression soon turned cold again.

Indeed, she had originally thought Jiang Xiaobai was merely shameless, absurd, and thick-skinned.

Now, however, he seemed far more outrageous than she had imagined!

With Li Zhiwei's standards, how could she possibly like this man?!

Li Zhiwei herself, however, quickly recovered.

Yes, she remembered Jiang Xiaobai saying that they would put on an act.

Could it be... starting right now?

And this was the act he had in mind?!

Just then, Jiang Xiaobai leaned even harder into his troubled expression. "Miss Li, I don't mean to criticize you!"

"You're pretty, you come from a good family, and your learning is beyond reproach, but feelings aren't something you can force!"

"You can't make me accept you just because I'm so outstanding, can you?"

"We... aren't right for each other!"

As soon as those final words, "aren't right for each other," left his mouth.

Quite a few students couldn't help twitching at the corners of their mouths.

Indeed.

They had seen shameless people before.

But someone as shameless as Jiang Xiaobai? This was truly a first!

Who was Miss Li? How could she possibly take a fancy to this fellow?

Yet just then, Li Zhiwei's voice rang out. "Yes, Jiang Xiaobai, I... I do like you!"

At those words, the expressions on many faces instantly froze.

Li Zhiwei's cheeks visibly reddened, and even her eyes held a faint hint of bashfulness.

Even so, she forced herself to meet Jiang Xiaobai's gaze and continued, "So... wherever you go, I'll follow!"

"If you hide at the Imperial College, does that mean I can't come to the Imperial College?"

At that point, Li Zhiwei seemed to finally throw caution to the wind. She glared fiercely at Jiang Xiaobai, her voice both embarrassed and indignant, yet carrying an indescribable earnestness.

"In any case... you won't escape the palm of my hand!!"

"Ah!"

Jiang Xiaobai looked utterly shocked. "Miss Li, I admit I'm handsome, but you can't do this!"

"You're making things very difficult for me by pestering me like this!"

"No, I have to leave. You... mustn't grab me!"

With that, Jiang Xiaobai made a show of preparing to leave.

Oh, honestly!

Li Zhiwei gritted her teeth. This man...

In the end, however, she stepped forward and caught hold of Jiang Xiaobai's clothes. "Young Master Jiang, please don't go!"

"Ah? Miss Li, you... how can you tug at me like this in public? What, are you going to hug me in front of everyone?!"

"Please don't do that! I... I'm a respectable man!!"