Chapter 102: Rumors

"A true man does not change his name or surname. My name is Shi Kun!" Zu'an declared emphatically, patting his chest.

Beside him, Shang Liuyu looked bewildered, thinking that his shamelessness truly exceeded her wildest imagination.

"Shi Kun? Are you the notoriously handsome Sixth Young Master Shi?" Wu Qing's face darkened. "You might be good-looking, but how can you be such a lecherous and shameless scoundrel!"

Zu'an chimed in, "That's right, Shi Kun is a lecherous, despicable, and shameless scoundrel. Did you only just realize that?"

Wu Qing was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to admit it so frankly. She couldn't help but say, "You're quite self-aware."

Seeing she was about to be completely fooled, her two attendants, who had been standing by, couldn't bear to watch any longer. They quickly approached to remind her:

"Miss, this is Zu'an."

Zu'an had become quite a figure at the academy lately, so very few people didn't recognize him. Wu Qing, however, had been absent from the academy due to other commitments recently, which was why he had managed to fool her for a moment.

"How dare you deceive me?" Wu Qing's face instantly flushed crimson. The thought of being played for a fool just moments before made her indignation surge.

Rage value from Wu Qing: 600!

"You've never been deceived in your life, have you?" Zu'an asked curiously, watching her fume.

"Of course not! Who would dare deceive me?" Wu Qing snorted.

"No wonder she's so easily tricked," Zu'an thought to himself, noting that the young lady didn't seem to possess a particularly high IQ.

Wu Qing: "..."

Rage value from Wu Qing: 666!

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and then said, "So you're the man Chu Chuyan chose?"

Zu'an was surprised. "Are you and Chuyan close?" If they were good friends, he would feel a little awkward provoking her anger.

"Intimately familiar," Wu Qing sneered. "I heard long ago that she chose a good-for-nothing for a husband, and I was somewhat skeptical then. But seeing you today, you certainly haven't disappointed me. Not only are you useless, but you're also a pervert, vile and despicable – truly living up to your reputation as Moon City's notorious scoundrel."

Hearing her words, Zu'an actually breathed a sigh of relief. If they weren't close, things would be much simpler. He then recalled that the Chu family had previously mentioned that the Yuan family's unusual strength in this clan tournament was due to the backing of another ducal house – a house surnamed Wu.

He walked up to Wu Qing and looked at her closely. He had to admit that despite her bad temper, the girl was genuinely beautiful. "Miss Wu," he began, "you keep calling me a pervert. May I ask where exactly I've 'perverted' you? Or perhaps you wish to 'pervert' me?"

Being approached so closely by a man, Wu Qing felt a sudden panic and quickly retreated two steps. "Such foul language! You truly are a pervert..."

She had intended to call him a pervert, but remembering his earlier remark, the words caught in her throat.

At that moment, her two attendants stepped forward in unison, blocking Zu'an. "You, sir, surnamed Zu, are far too bold! How dare you disrespect Miss Wu!"

Zu'an looked at the two young men before him and asked curiously, "May I ask for your distinguished names?"

The slightly older one on the left proudly declared, "I am Pan Long of the Pan family from Yangquan!"

The younger one on the right also raised his head. "And I am Fu Feng of the Fu family from Yangquan!"

They naturally had good reason for their pride. The Pan and Fu families were prominent clans in Yangquan City. While perhaps not quite as prominent as the Wu or Chu families, they were certainly on par with the Zheng, Yuan, and Wang families of Moon City.

They had grown up with Wu Qing and could be considered childhood friends. Upon first seeing her, they were captivated by her beauty, and given the Wu family's ducal status, both men had been exceptionally attentive to her, hoping one day to win her favor and secure a powerful connection.

That was why their reaction was so intense upon seeing Zu'an "bully" Wu Qing.

"Pan Long and Fu Feng? (Clinging to the dragon and attaching to the phoenix?)" Zu'an said with a strange expression. "Excellent names, very apt."

After speaking, he pulled a small notebook from his pocket and began to jot down notes. "Is 'Pan' this character, and 'Fu' this one?"

"Uh, no, it's spelled like this," they instinctively corrected him. Then, a moment later, they realized something was off. "Why are you writing down our names?"

"Oh, nothing much," Zu'an replied casually. "I'm planning to fail you both in the next arithmetic class, so I'm just noting it down lest I forget."

Pan Long: "..."

Fu Feng: "..."

"What the heck, man, why aren't you playing by the rules?"

Wu Qing had also recovered by now. Seeing the two looking utterly petrified, she couldn't help but frown and ask, "What are you two afraid of? Does he get to decide the arithmetic grades?"

Both turned their heads in unison, their faces miserable. "He actually does have that authority," they said. "Because he's our new arithmetic teacher."

Wu Qing: "..."

"You two useless idiots, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Zu'an smiled faintly. "Little girl, I trust you now realize you've provoked the wrong person. Come over and apologize nicely, and perhaps if I'm in a good mood, I'll forget about today's incident."

Wu Qing gritted her teeth. "What's there to be so smug about, you're just an arithmetic teacher! Our Heaven-tier class doesn't even prioritize arithmetic grades anyway."

Rage value from Wu Qing: 233!

"Even if this course isn't important to you, for a dignified young lady of a ducal house to fail a subject would surely make you the laughingstock of the entire academy," Zu'an said, smiling like a fox.

Wu Qing's breath caught. He was right; she was strong-willed and always sought to outdo Chu Chuyan in everything. To have a failing grade in any subject would be utterly humiliating.

"I don't believe you'd dare to arbitrarily assign grades," she retorted. "My father is the Duke of Yangquan, and a single word from him carries weight that your academy wouldn't dare take lightly." After her initial panic, she quickly relaxed. Why should she be afraid of him?

"Other teachers certainly wouldn't dare offend you, as they're all hoping for promotions and salary increases," Zu'an conceded. "But I'm just a substitute teacher; I'll step down once the new one arrives. I have no prospects to look forward to, so there's no one I'm afraid to offend." He recalled how things were in government offices in his past life: if you had no desires or ambitions, you had no one to fear.

Wu Qing was taken aback. If he truly had no regard for his future, she really had no leverage. Apologizing, however, was out of the question. So, blushing, she finally said, "Hmph, I'm not here for you today."

She then turned to Shang Liuyu, who had been watching the spectacle. "You, surnamed Shang, it's time we settled our score."

Shang Liuyu smiled faintly. "Don't forget I'm also a teacher. Aren't you afraid I'll fail you too?"

Wu Qing was rendered speechless for a moment before finally saying, "You're not as shameless as he is, and besides, you wouldn't disregard your future, would you?"

"True enough, I couldn't possibly adopt his tactics," Shang Liuyu said, glancing at Zu'an with a slight upturn of her lips. "What exactly is it you want from me?"

Wu Qing snorted. "Don't play coy! You stole my boyfriend and now you're feigning innocence? You truly are a vixen!"

"A vixen?" Shang Liuyu was taken aback and then chuckled. It was the first time anyone had called her that. "Who exactly is your boyfriend?"

"Have you stolen so many men you can't even keep track?" Wu Qing retorted sullenly. "It's Xie Xiu, of course! Second Young Master Xie!"

Hearing her claim Xie Xiu as her boyfriend, both Pan Long and Fu Feng's expressions simultaneously darkened.

"Xie Xiu?" Shang Liuyu said calmly. "I believe you're mistaken. I have no relationship with him, nor with any other man for that matter."

"But he told me himself! He fell for you," Wu Qing retorted furiously. "If you hadn't deliberately seduced him, why would he abandon me?"

Pan Long and Fu Feng, standing by, couldn't help but interject, "Miss, you and Xie Xiu were never officially together."

Wu Qing turned and gave them a fierce glare. "Shut up!"

Pan Long and Fu Feng forced a bitter smile, then fell silent.

Zu'an couldn't help but shake his head. "Hey, you two," he called out, "come over here."

"What do you want?" Pan Long and Fu Feng asked with wary expressions, though they still approached him cautiously.

"As your teacher, I want to impart a principle to you: 'Sycophants never prosper.' Got it?" Zu'an said with a smile.

Although they had never heard the term before, Pan Long and Fu Feng immediately understood his meaning. Their faces flushed crimson, but they couldn't retaliate. They could only internally curse the man who had so brazenly poked at their raw wounds.

Rage value from Pan Long: 444!

Rage value from Fu Feng: 444!

After annoying the two sycophants, Zu'an felt it necessary to help Shang Liuyu out of her predicament. He turned to Wu Qing and said, "I know Xie Xiu very well. I've personally witnessed him break up with women several times, and each time, his reasons for ending things were remarkably 'unique.' Are you absolutely certain he didn't say that just to deliberately ditch you?"

Wu Qing was taken aback. Upon reflection, she realized that was a distinct possibility. Her pretty face immediately turned a patchy red and pale.

"You may leave now," Shang Liuyu said coldly. Even with her good temper, she couldn't tolerate several people showing up and accusing her of being a homewrecker.

"I'll get to the bottom of this," Wu Qing snorted, then departed, sulking. She had arrived full of bravado, only to have her spirit thoroughly dampened by Zu'an. What terribly bad luck.

Not long after leaving the room, Wu Qing suddenly stopped and turned to wait for Pan Long and Fu Feng. "Tell me the truth," she demanded. "Who is prettier, me or Shang Liuyu?"

"Of course you are, Miss!" Pan Long and Fu Feng immediately replied. Yet, in their minds, they couldn't help but recall Shang Liuyu's delicate collarbone peeking from her dress, and her dazzlingly fair skin.

"Hmph, just look at you two!" Women were naturally perceptive in such matters, and Wu Qing immediately guessed what they were thinking. "That woman surnamed Shang really is a vixen, dressing so seductively to ensnare men like you. I'm giving you two a mission."

"Command away, Miss!" Pan Long and Fu Feng immediately puffed out their chests.

"Go spread the word everywhere that Shang Liuyu and Zu'an were disheveled and engaged in who-knows-what in the room." Wu Qing's lips curled into a slight smirk. "Hmph, once that woman surnamed Shang's reputation is ruined, we'll see if Xie Xiu still likes her. Plus, if others find out Chu Chuyan's husband is cheating, it will be a huge blow to the Chu family."

"I'm simply a genius to have come up with such a plan to kill two birds with one stone!"

"Huh? Is that really appropriate?" Pan Long and Fu Feng exchanged glances. After all, she was a teacher, and they both had a good impression of Shang Liuyu.

"What's wrong with it?" Wu Qing snorted. "We wouldn't be making things up, would we? Was she not disheveled just now? Do you know what the two of them were doing in that room? You mean you don't even dare to speak the truth? You're truly disappointing me."

Seeing her grow angry, Pan Long and Fu Feng quickly said, "No problem, no problem! Leave it to us."

Only then did Wu Qing's anger turn to delight. "That's more like it!"