Chapter 243: Teacher Becomes Schoolmate

Song Zhenyu’s dormitory wasn’t far from Ye Qiu’s building. In just a short walk, they arrived at the base of the female dormitory tower.

“A place brimming with girlish charm…” Ye Qiu couldn’t help but mutter inwardly as he looked up at the balconies of each floor, all lined with colorful clothes fluttering in the wind like banners of spring.

“Mr. Ye, would you mind waiting here for a moment?” Song Zhenyu paused and turned to him with polite formality.

Ye Qiu was a little disappointed—he’d been hoping to catch a glimpse inside the legendary inner sanctum of the girls’ dorms—but since she asked, there was no helping it. “All right, I’ll wait here then.”

Satisfied, Song Zhenyu gave a slight nod and headed toward the entrance of the building. Just as she reached the door, a familiar figure walked out to meet her—a girl she knew well.

“Teacher Song?” The girl blinked, surprised.

It was Qin Yunhan, one of her former students.

Though not her homeroom teacher, Song Zhenyu had taught English to Qin Yunhan’s class, so of course they recognized each other.

“Qin Yunhan? I didn’t expect to see you here too,” Song Zhenyu smiled in pleasant surprise.

She had known that Wang Haoran, Xu Muyan, and Wen Jing had all listed Qingling University as their top choice when she was their class advisor, but she did not expect Qin Yunhan to end up here as well.

“What about you, Teacher Song? What are you doing here?” Qin Yunhan asked curiously.

“I’ve left Shuize High,” Song Zhenyu replied, her voice light. “I’m preparing for graduate school, and Qingling’s my target. So, strictly speaking… you don’t need to call me Teacher anymore. I guess we’re classmates now.”

There was a beat of surprise before Qin Yunhan responded with an exaggerated seriousness, “Nice to meet you, Senior Sister.”

“Nice to meet you too, Junior Sister.” Song Zhenyu met her tone and shook the offered hand with a smile, and just like that, both women burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, Ye Qiu, still waiting at the base of the dormitory, had been staring intently at the two women from a distance. The sight of two stunning beauties chatting at the doorway had completely enthralled him. “The girls at this university… really are on another level…”

He was still gawking when a male student shouldered past him.

“Move it. Don’t block the way.”

The path was wide, with more than enough space for two people, but the boy walked in a straight line, brushing Ye Qiu aside as if on purpose.

Snapped out of his trance, Ye Qiu turned just in time to see the young man striding confidently toward Song Zhenyu.

That boy was none other than Lu Ming.

“Well, well, fancy seeing you here again, beautiful. We must be fated.” Lu Ming grinned, walking up to Song Zhenyu with an air of swagger, though his gaze did briefly flicker to the stunning Qin Yunhan at her side.

He looked, but he didn’t dare linger. Their boss had made it clear: the three most beautiful freshmen on campus were off-limits—they belonged to him. Lu Ming wasn’t stupid enough to test those boundaries, so he quickly redirected all his attention back to Song Zhenyu.

But just as he opened his mouth to speak again, a sudden jolt shot through his neck—someone had grabbed him from behind.

Lu Ming’s eyes widened as he turned slightly, catching sight of the same man he had just pushed aside—Ye Qiu.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you know who my boss is?” Lu Ming snarled.

“I don’t care who your boss is,” Ye Qiu replied coolly. “What I do know is that this young lady is my tenant. If you’re smart, you’ll stay away from her and every other beautiful woman around here. Harass them again, and I’ll snap your damn neck.”

With that, he tightened his grip.

A sharp pain shot through Lu Ming’s neck, and he howled in agony.

“You’re finished,” Lu Ming gasped. “Just wait, my people are coming. They’ll beat you so bad your own parents won’t recognize you!”

Ye Qiu narrowed his eyes. Back in the day, he would’ve ended this in seconds. But he had already chosen a quieter life. He was retired now.

Even so, he wasn’t about to let the punk walk away without a lesson.

Without warning, he released Lu Ming’s neck—and twisted one of his arms behind his back instead.

“Ahh! It’s breaking! It’s breaking!” Lu Ming screamed again, this time sounding more like a wounded animal than a schoolyard thug.

Ye Qiu bent slightly and spoke in a low voice near his ear. “Last chance. Are you going to behave or not?”

“Keep dreaming, you worthless thug! Just wait ‘til backup gets here—you’re dead meat!” Lu Ming spat, unrepentant even with his arm halfway out of socket. Dressed in a tank top and slippers, Ye Qiu didn’t exactly look intimidating—at least not to someone like Lu Ming, who judged people by appearances.

But Ye Qiu’s patience had reached its limit.

“I’ll ask one last time. Are. You. Going. To. Back. Off?”

Lu Ming opened his mouth to curse—only for his words to turn into a shriek as Ye Qiu twisted harder and snapped the joint cleanly.

His cries echoed across the courtyard as he collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain.

Song Zhenyu’s face paled. She had never wanted Lu Ming to keep pestering her, true, but she hadn’t expected Ye Qiu to break his arm outright. Things were escalating too fast—this could easily spiral out of control.

All she wanted was to quietly prepare for her postgraduate exams. She didn’t want any unnecessary trouble.

Ye Qiu turned to her and, noticing her panic, softened his expression. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

His tone was calm and warm, and it soothed her nerves more than she cared to admit.

Seeing that, Ye Qiu secretly smiled to himself. Clearly, his protective gesture had left a good impression.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Qin Yunhan to see if she’d been moved as well.

But the moment their eyes met, all he saw was disgust.

His smile faltered slightly.

“Third Bro?!”

A loud voice rang out across the courtyard. Several students approached in a group, led by Liu Hua, who was shocked to see Lu Ming rolling on the ground in agony.

Still groaning, Lu Ming’s eyes lit up when he recognized them.

“You’re dead now! My boss is here. You better not run!” he spat at Ye Qiu, face twisted with glee.

Ye Qiu scoffed and crossed his arms. He had no intention of fleeing. He glanced toward the approaching group, calmly assessing each face—until his eyes locked onto one particular figure.

Tall, poised, handsome—the clear leader of the group.

Wang Haoran.

Ye Qiu didn’t know why, but the moment he saw him, a surge of instinctive hostility flared in his chest.

“So, you’re here to defend your lackey? Go ahead. I’m right here,” Ye Qiu said coldly, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward.

His stance was combative, unflinching.

Liu Hua, Wei Zhihang, and the rest of Wang Haoran’s little crew clenched their fists. Their expressions darkened, ready to beat Ye Qiu bloody the moment Wang Haoran gave the word.

But Wang Haoran didn’t give that order.

He looked Ye Qiu up and down, then turned to his crew and said, flatly, “Call the police.”

“Huh?” Liu Hua and the others blinked, dumbfounded.