Zheng Dan felt a shudder run through her when she sensed the heat coming from his hand, and her expression went through a myriad of transformations. She opened her mouth several times as if to say something—and yet, for some reason, nothing came out.

To be honest, Zu An couldn’t understand why she wasn’t resisting him either.

Even if this is supposed to be a honey trap, aren’t you taking it a little too far?

Well, I mean… if you insist!

Zu An decided that he wouldn’t hold back anymore. His hand reached straight into her skirt.

Tears were about to flow out of Zheng Dan’s eyes as she felt her body being invaded by another man.

However, she didn’t resist. Not even she knew why. She knew that if she were to fight back, the man behind her wouldn’t be able to do anything.

And yet, this novel experience was something she seemed to crave from the very depths of her soul.

She had been brought up in a strict household, and had always performed extremely well. She had been obedient when she was little, and now that she was older, she was the perfect example of a graceful lady. Her speech and movements were flawless.

Now that she was older, a marriage had also been arranged for her. Her fiancé was handsome and confident, and he even came from an outstanding clan. Surely, many young ladies dreamed of being with him.

Even though she never voiced any objections to this marriage, she just couldn’t bring herself to feel happy about it.

Was she dissatisfied with this fiancé?

It probably wasn’t the case. After all, even though her fiancé was not the smartest and was slightly hot-headed, he was still outstanding enough in other areas.

It was a blessing for the Zheng clan to be able to find such a qualified fiancé.

She just didn’t like this situation.

She didn’t like living a life that was completely decided by others. She felt like she hadn’t lived even a single day just for herself.

Only when she met Zu An—all because of the task she was entrusted with—did she suddenly feel something different.

The thrilling feeling of dancing on the edge of morality and etiquette made her heart skip.

This was a feeling she hadn’t felt in more than ten years.

Even though her gentle smile was ever-present, she felt like she was merely going through the motions every single day.

She didn’t have anything to look forward to.

However, after she met Zu An, she would wake up every day filled with expectation and enthusiasm.

She felt as though she were many years younger. Even though she wasn’t even that old to begin with, living a life where everything had been meticulously planned out for her had made her heart age more quickly.

Zu An was different. He was different from any man she had ever met before.

He was a scoundrel, despicable, shameless…

It was as if every single negative adjective in the world could be used to describe him.

Everything that she’d been brought up to believe screamed at her that she should loathe this sort of man. However, all of this was turned completely on its head when she met Zu An.

He seemed to her to be more frank and sincere. He was free, at ease. He wasn’t like all those hypocritical men around her.

Zu An’s entire being seemed to exude a mesmerizing vitality.

She couldn’t even describe the feeling she had. It was almost as if this man had a vigorous flame burning within him, and by being close to him, every fiber of her own being somehow came alive.

That was why she just accepted some of his disrespectful actions silently.

This would have been completely unimaginable before. She would never have let any man touch even the corner of her dress; she didn’t even allow her fiancé to hold her hand!

And yet, she let this fellow treat her like this every time they met.

She even began to wonder if she was a masochist. The more he humiliated her, the more she looked forward to their next meeting.

Seeing that Zu An was truly going to take the next step, she hurriedly reached out a hand to stop him. “You can’t do that. I cannot let my purity be sullied before I get married.”

She wasn’t an ordinary person after all, and her reason won out in the end. She clearly understood that, if the Sang clan found out she was no longer pure, the two clans would surely go to war. The consequences of that would be too great. No matter how daring she was, she would never truly dare to go that far.

Zu An blinked at her, dumbfounded. What the heck is this woman trying to do?

Everything else is okay, but this final step isn’t?

I have no idea what is happening anymore.

A knock came from the front door.

Zheng Dan seemed to have suddenly snapped out of her daze. She pushed him off and quickly straightened out her clothes. Clutching at her face, she rushed out.

Her legs gave way as soon as she took her first step, and she almost fell to the ground.

Her heart was pounding, and her entire body felt weak. If she hadn’t been pressed against the wall all this time, she would have already slid down the wall.

That was why she stumbled immediately as she tried to run away.

Zheng Dan turned around and shot Zu An a resentful look. Only then did she open the door and run out.

“Ah Zu, Ah Zu~”

Shang Liuyu was knocking on the door. When the door opened, she thought that it was Zu An. She never expected a woman to leap out.

“Hm? Who are you?”

Shang Liuyu was bewildered. That woman didn’t seem to have heard her at all. She didn’t even turn around once before vanishing into the distance.

Only then did Zu An make his appearance. “Teacher Shang! Please come in!”

Shang Liuyu peered in the direction Zheng Dan had disappeared off to, a strange look on her face. “Who was that?”

Zu An laughed and said, “Just a student who had come to ask me for help on some arithmetic problems. Sigh. How can a warmhearted person like me disappoint such earnest and eager students?”

An ambiguous look appeared on Shang Liuyu’s face. “If I’m not mistaken, that girl was Zheng Dan!”

Zu An stared at her silently for a while.

His expression became gloomy. “Sis, if you already figured out who she was, why did you even bother asking?”

Shang Liuyu's laugh contained a hint of embarrassment. “I couldn’t recognize her at first, since she was covering her face. But I am quite sensitive to people’s scents. It took me a while to recognize that this scent was Zheng Dan’s.”

If Zheng Dan had known that this person could recognize her from her smell, she wouldn’t have run off in such a sorry state. There would have been no point in covering her face.

Shang Liuyu grew serious. She hesitated slightly before saying, “Ah Zu, this is probably not something I should bring up, but… as a friend, I feel like it’s my duty to warn you. I believe Zheng Dan is engaged, and so the two of you should be mindful of certain boundaries.”

Zu An was thoroughly embarrassed. “Big sis Shang, the two of us are only friends.”

Not even he was convinced by his own words.

Shang Liuyu smiled sweetly. “If the two of you really are just normal friends, then that’s fine. I do like to let my mouth run, sometimes.”

Zu An also found this situation slightly awkward. After all, this woman really was looking out for his good. He had no good reply, so he asked instead, “What did big sis need from me today?”

“My goodness, I almost forgot the main matter at hand.” Shang Liuyu slapped her forehead. Her adorable manner could drive any man crazy. “Principal Jiang sent me over to assist you in the takeover of Plum Blossom Sect’s property. If you aren’t busy right now, we can get going.”

“The gorgeous principal sent you?” Zu An was slightly shocked.

Shang Liuyu snorted. “Why would you ask that? Am I not trustworthy in your eyes?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Zu An explained in a panic. “It’s just that, in my mind, big sis Shang has always been the textbook example of bright and pure. I just never expected the principal to send you to handle such a task.”

Shang Liuyu’s bright mood clouded over slightly. “I didn’t want to come either… But I couldn’t refuse after Luofu begged me.”

“Luofu?” Zu An was a little slow on the uptake.

Shang Liuyu explained, “I’m actually really close to Principal Jiang—we could even be considered best friends. She has such a chilly demeanor and doesn’t have many true friends that she can rely on. I’m one of the only ones she could turn to for help with this affair.”

Best friend… Zu An was momentarily stunned. He couldn’t help but think of Pei Mianman and Chu Chuyan. It took him a while to snap out of his daze. But… but…

Shang Liuyu was bemused by his silence. “Are you worried that I might be in danger?” she said with a smile.

Zu An laughed awkwardly, but didn’t say anything. Out of all of the academy’s teachers, Shang Liuyu was known for her beauty, and not for her cultivation.

Shang Liuyu read his unspoken anxiety. “You don’t have to worry. Such a small matter will be easy enough to handle.”

Zu An laughed. “Of course! With big sis Shang at my side, who can stand in our way?”

With Mei Chaofeng already dead, he himself was more than enough to deal with those minions. He wouldn’t even need Shang Liuyu’s help during this cleanup.

Shang Liuyu could roughly tell what he was thinking about from his expression. She merely smiled without correcting him.

“Let’s head out, then.” Being interrupted earlier had left Zu An slightly annoyed. However, his resentment had instantly vanished once he saw that it was Shang Liuyu.

Shang Liuyu shook her head. “Wait, we need to bring one more person with us.”