Chapter 104: You Are Competing With Me

"What the hell is going on? Isn't that Zu'an on stage!"

Shi Kun rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be mistaken.

Many others in the classroom shared the same thought, their eyes wide as they stared at the figure on stage.

"How did that guy get his hair like that? It's pretty flashy. Maybe I should try it someday? And what's with this music? It's quite catchy," Xie Xiu mused.

"Honestly, he looks quite handsome right now, much more charismatic than his usual slovenly self," Zheng Dan thought.

"Why does this guy suddenly seem more appealing? I must be insane!" Wu Qing muttered with a dark expression, letting out a frustrated huff.

After her initial shock, Chu Chuyan finally realized that the man on stage was her husband. Her usually cold face was flushed, and she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

"What are you playing at?" she urgently transmitted via a secret message.

Zu'an glanced at her but didn't reply.

Chu Chuyan bit her lip and continued, "Stop messing around and come back!" She had never been so mortified in her life. Everything was usually under her control, especially at school, where she had an air of detachment.

But now, she truly felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, sensing all eyes were on her, waiting to see the Chu family become a laughingstock.

Zu'an, now standing on stage, noticed Chu Chuyan's flushed face and said sternly, "Student, mind your classroom discipline. Don't whisper to the teacher during class."

"Oh!" A chorus of jeers immediately erupted from the surrounding students. They had clearly guessed the whispered communication, and coupled with the pair's marital relationship, everyone found the situation amusing.

Of course, not everyone was in such a lighthearted mood.

"Shameless public display of affection," Wu Qing muttered angrily, her grip on her clothes almost tearing the fabric.

Zheng Dan also furrowed her delicate brows. "It seems their relationship is quite good. My plans might be a bit tricky then."

Chu Chuyan was ready to cover her face. She felt she had never been so humiliated. What on earth was wrong with Zu'an today?

Wait, what did he say just now? "Teacher?"

At this point, Shi Kun also challenged him. "Zu'an, look up. This is the Sky-class, not a place for someone from the Earth-class like you."

He was secretly annoyed that the few lackeys he had signaled earlier had dodged his gaze, forcing him to intervene personally, which he felt was beneath his dignity.

"Hmph, these subordinates are truly useless!"

"Oh? You say this isn't where I belong?" Zu'an calmly watched him.

"Of course. It's good to know your place. Being in the Earth-class isn't wrong; it just means your cultivation talent is destined to be inferior. But trying to force your way into another class is incorrect," Shi Kun thought, deciding to publicly humiliate Zu'an today to see if the Chu family would still tolerate such a useless son-in-law. "Like today, with all your music and fancy hair, all your efforts make you nothing but a clown seeking attention in our eyes."

After saying this, his brow furrowed because he noticed the odd reactions of others in the classroom. Their gazes were strange, and even Yuan Wendong looked troubled.

"What's going on?" Shi Kun felt an ominous premonition.

Chu Chuyan suddenly stood up, staring coldly at him. "Young Master Shi, Zu'an is my husband. It's not your place to criticize whether he's good or bad."

Although she didn't like Zu'an, she couldn't stand by while others bullied her husband in front of her.

Seeing Chu Chuyan openly defend him, a shadow crossed Shi Kun's eyes, but he maintained a perfect smile. "Miss Chu misunderstands. I mean no disrespect to your Chu family. I just feel sorry for you. You are so excellent; your husband should naturally be an exceptional man. How can a fellow like him be worthy of you?"

"An exceptional man?" Chu Chuyan scoffed. "Societal standards mean nothing to me. I think he's perfectly fine as he is."

She was already outstanding enough and didn't need her husband to be outstanding too. In fact, if he were too outstanding, it wouldn't necessarily be good for her.

Zu'an felt quite moved, thinking, "Is this usually cold wife actually so warm?"

"Huh, what's with this huge wave of rage points?"

Zu'an suddenly noticed a large influx of rage points from his backend. Puzzled, he looked up and saw all the male students in the class glaring at him with fiery eyes.

"Did this son of a bitch have smoke coming out of his ancestors' graves? To receive such favor from the goddess!"

"I finally understand why I can't get the goddess. It turns out I'm too excellent."

"Who knew Goddess Chu's taste was so peculiar? She likes ordinary guys instead of excellent ones."

"Tch, what does your 'excellence' count for compared to Chu Chuyan? Anyway, none of you are as excellent as she is."

"Then what about Young Master Shi? He's excellent enough, isn't he? Does Miss Chu even give him a second glance?"

Shi Kun's eyelids twitched, hearing the whispers in the classroom. This woman openly defied him, yet he found himself not angry, but even more drawn to her, seeing her as different from other superficial women.

"Hmph, it's all Zu'an's fault! How can you be so undeserving, yet enjoy such a blessing!"

Zu'an cleared his throat. It was time. While it was nice to keep relying on his wife, that Shi guy was just too annoying.

"You just said that among 'you people,' I'm just a clown. Who exactly do 'you people' include?"

Shi Kun was delighted. Chu Chuyan's intervention had foiled his attacks, but now this guy was foolishly stepping up himself. "Hmph, as expected of a low-class commoner; a little success makes him arrogant."

"Naturally, it includes us, those from noble families or with outstanding cultivation talent," Shi Kun swept his gaze across the classroom. "In the eyes of everyone in this classroom, you are nothing but a clown."

He believed that given the Shi family's power and status, no one would dare contradict him, especially not for an insignificant nobody.

"Is that so?" Zu'an gestured to Xie Xiu. "You, the male student over there who looks like a girl – yes, you, stop looking around. Do you think I'm a clown?"

Xie Xiu looked annoyed. "You gods are fighting, why drag me into this?" He glanced at Shi Kun's grim expression, then at Zu'an, and finally said helplessly, "Of course not."

He recalled his "acquaintance" with Zu'an. Besides, his family was aligned with Prince Qi, while the Shi family was with the Empress – they were already at odds. Moreover, Zu'an was now a teacher at the school, so he certainly couldn't agree with Shi Kun.

Zu'an motioned him to sit down, then called on another person. "And you, the pretty female student up front, do you think I'm a clown?"

She was happy to be called pretty publicly, but the thought of opposing Shi Kun made Zheng Dan's scalp tingle. She could only say ambiguously, "How could that be?"

Her fiancé was Sang Qian, who should be in Shi Kun's camp. But putting aside her recent "intimate encounter" with Zu'an, even given his current status as a teacher, she wouldn't dare publicly declare him a clown at school.

"This Shi Kun looks so clever, does he not even know this?"

Zu'an nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Wu Qing. "Miss Wu, do you think I'm a clown?"

Wu Qing gritted her teeth, wanting to nod yes, but remembering the disadvantage she had just suffered at his hands, she wasn't so easily tricked again. Furthermore, Xie Xiu had just made his stance clear; how could she go against her "Brother Xiu"? So she could only reluctantly snort, "I wouldn't dare."

Chu Chuyan's beautiful eyes widened. "What is going on today? Why are all these people speaking up for Zu'an?"

What's more, some of them were usually at odds with her. She simply couldn't figure out why they would help Zu'an.

Suddenly, remembering Wu Qing's strange remarks to her earlier, a thought flashed through her mind: "Could this guy also be involved with Wu Qing?"

Besides Chu Chuyan, the most shocked person was Shi Kun. He truly couldn't understand what was wrong with these people, willing to defy him for a mere nobody.

Zu'an finished asking around, dropped his smile, and told a bewildered Shi Kun, "Go stand outside the classroom."

Shi Kun laughed in anger, "Who do you think you are, daring to order me?"

Chu Chuyan also looked bewildered, thinking, "Why does this guy seem a bit off today? No, everything seems a bit off today."

Zu'an sighed. "Bright Moon Academy has clear regulations: students who contradict a teacher during class face severe punishment. In serious cases, they can even be expelled. Do you think I have the authority to order you?"

Of course, he knew that rules were rigid, but people were flexible, and the school would never expel the Sixth Young Master of the illustrious Shi family over something so trivial. However, a certain level of disciplinary action would likely be overlooked by the school.

"You, a teacher?" Shi Kun sounded as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. Just as he was about to say more, Yuan Wendong quickly tugged his sleeve.

"He really is the school's new arithmetic teacher."

Shi Kun's first thought was that Yuan Wendong had gone mad. But when he saw the sympathetic nods from the others, the smile on his face froze instantly.

"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier!"

Even though he prided himself on his elegant demeanor, he couldn't help but curse.

"You didn't ask us."

Yuan Wendong also felt wronged, thinking, "Everyone in school knows this. Who knew you wouldn't?"

Shi Kun was almost spitting blood. "Why didn't Xue'er, Mei Chaofeng, and the others mention this to me? They made me lose so much face, made me a laughingstock to the whole class. No wonder the atmosphere in the classroom felt so weird from the start."

But he was quick to react, immediately saying, "I just transferred today. Ignorance is no crime. Besides, you didn't introduce yourself when you came in, so it's not my fault."

Zu'an nodded. "Fair enough. You wouldn't be convinced by just being sent outside. How about this: since I'm an arithmetic teacher, I'll give a pop quiz. Anyone who can't answer goes outside to stand. Is that a problem?"

Hearing he was going to give a quiz, everyone's faces changed. The memory of Yang Wei failing to answer a single question was still fresh.

Shi Kun was stunned but quickly agreed. "Of course, no problem!" He prided himself on his mastery of both literary and martial arts. How could such questions stump him? Besides, he was confident he was better than everyone else in the class. If he couldn't answer, no one else would, so they couldn't possibly make everyone stand outside, right? His wife was even in there!

"Alright, listen carefully," Zu'an said. "There are two people, A and B. A always lies and never tells the truth; B always tells the truth and never lies. However, when answering questions, they only nod or shake their heads, without speaking. One day, you face two paths: A and B. One leads to the capital, and the other to a small village. A and B are standing before you, but you don't know who is A or B, nor whether a nod means 'yes' or 'no.' You must ask one question to determine which path leads to the capital. What question should you ask?"

A collective gasp filled the classroom. As expected, this guy's questions were terrifying!

Shi Kun was bewildered, not even understanding the question for a long time. After a while, his face red, he said, "I don't know, but I don't believe they can answer it. Why don't you ask her to try!"

He pointed at Chu Chuyan, having already calculated: if Chu Chuyan had to stand outside with him, it would be a good thing. Then Zu'an would have shot himself in the foot and delivered his wife right into Shi Kun's arms, which he would gladly accept.

Zu'an walked over to Chu Chuyan and quietly watched her. Chu Chuyan was flustered. She still hadn't recovered from the shock, and more importantly, she had no idea how to solve this problem!

After being the top scholar in school for so many years, known as a true prodigy, it would be utterly humiliating if she couldn't answer a simple question and was sent out to stand.

Seeing the panic and apprehension in her eyes, Zu'an smiled slightly. "Are you ready? I'm going to ask you the question now."

"Mhm," Chu Chuyan had never been this nervous in her life. Her mind was blank, but she was rapidly trying to figure out the previous problem.

Under everyone's gaze, Zu'an opened his mouth: "Your question is, what does 11 equal?"