There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Extra 19.1

After a year and a half of overseas advanced studies, Qin Ke successfully passed A University’s assessment interview and was retained at the school.

As a newly employed teacher, A University stipulated that for the first two years, one could only maintain the title of teaching assistant. So apart from the two-month training before starting work, Qin Ke usually only had relatively easy teaching assistance work, which could be considered leisurely.

There was only one thing that was troublesome…

In the afternoon, before the first major class that Qin Ke was responsible for, she pushed open the office door.

This was the dedicated office for teaching assistants in the Faculty of Science where Qin Ke worked. Qin Ke’s desk was directly opposite the door.

As soon as she pushed open the door, before she could look up, she first smelled a floral fragrance.

…A familiar floral fragrance.

Qin Ke frowned and turned to look at her desk.

As she expected, a large bouquet of several dozen flowers occupied more than half of the free space on her desk.

“Oh, our flower fairy has finally arrived. Look, which admirer of yours sent this?”

Someone in the office teased with a laugh.

Qin Ke, however, couldn’t laugh.

She walked to the desk with a frown, picked up the card on the bouquet, and casually opened it.

[To the respected Teacher Qin Ke.]

She glanced again at the vibrant, lush roses.

Qin Ke: “……”

Qin Ke clenched her fist, holding back her words—out of professional ethics, she couldn’t curse.

The desk opposite Qin Ke belonged to a new teaching assistant who joined the same batch as her this year. Amidst the teasing, she walked over and stood beside Qin Ke.

“These students of yours are just taking advantage of you not being fierce enough. Sending a bouquet every few days, they’re really going too far.”

“Hey, Xiao Zheng, that’s not right, is it?”

Across the aisle, a male teaching assistant leaned back in his computer chair, hands behind his head, with a mischievous look on his face. He was also the one who had teased Qin Ke with the “flower fairy” nickname earlier.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with being fierce or not. It’s clearly because Teacher Xiao Qin’s charm is too high. Otherwise, look, half of our office is fierce and half isn’t, but apart from Teacher Xiao Qin, why haven’t I seen anyone else receive such a large bouquet of flowers?”

“…”

Hearing this, Qin Ke couldn’t help but frown and glanced at him.

Whether intentional or not, these words essentially made Qin Ke offend a large group of people in the office.

However, in this kind of office, there were always one or two loose-tongued individuals. This was something Qin Ke couldn’t control and didn’t care to control.

She gathered up the flowers and smiled at the female teacher beside her.

“Teacher Zheng, it’s fine. I’ll handle it.”

“How do you plan to handle it?” the female teacher asked worriedly. “And I heard that Professor Song, who you’re assisting for that course, is going abroad for an international conference this week? Won’t you have to… do you want me to help?”

“No need,” Qin Ke shook her head. She paused, the corner of her mouth slightly curling up. She lowered her eyes and started tidying up the books at the edge of her desk. “I was too lenient with them before. I won’t be so soft-hearted in the future.”

“Ah, alright, but if you have any difficulties, you must tell me, okay?”

“Mm, thank you, Teacher Zheng.”

“It’s nothing. We all joined at the same time, it’s only right that we help each other.”

“…”

As they spoke, Qin Ke finished tidying up her things. After preparing her books, she casually picked up the bouquet of roses, holding it upside down.

“Well, I’m off to class now.”

“…Ah? Oh, oh okay…”

The female teacher watched Qin Ke’s retreating figure with a bewildered expression.

A few seconds later, she came to her senses and murmured to herself in confusion. “Is Teacher Xiao Qin planning to go just like that?”

It was just that the usually gentle and harmless-looking pretty Teacher Xiao Qin, now holding the roses upside down with such an aura, didn’t look like she was carrying a bouquet of flowers, but more like she was wielding a cleaver…

****

“Professor Song is away on business. I will be substituting for the Linear Algebra class for the next week,” Qin Ke said expressionlessly, standing on the podium wearing a white blazer with a matching skirt.

A small cheer erupted from some of the male students in the classroom.

However, a portion of those sitting in the front rows noticed that this female teaching assistant, who had gained some fame across the entire campus since her arrival, didn’t look too pleased. They wisely remained silent.

“We have three minutes before class starts. I have something to say,” Qin Ke said, placing the upside-down bouquet of roses on the lectern. She tugged slightly at the corner of her mouth, looked up, and coldly scanned the entire class.

“This is a ‘gift’ that a certain student in the class anonymously asked me to bring for everyone.”

Discussions broke out in various corners of the classroom.

In fact, when Qin Ke had entered the classroom earlier, many students had already noticed the upside-down bouquet. However, the wrapping paper had been hanging down earlier, obscuring their view. Now that they could see they were roses, coupled with Qin Ke’s “explanation,” everyone couldn’t help but start whispering.

“A love confession? Who’s so bold?”

“Can’t you guess? Didn’t someone from Class 3 openly declare a couple of days ago that no one should compete with him?”

“I heard this isn’t the first time flowers have been sent—probably assuming that Teacher Xiao Qin wouldn’t dare to make a big deal out of it. If she did, it would still affect her own work—truly taking advantage of having some money at home to bully others.”

“……”

Listening to the discussions in the classroom, Qin Ke’s expression remained unchanged. She waited until the voices gradually subsided before patting the bouquet.

“After class, everyone come and take one. If there are any left, the class representative will be responsible for handling them.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire classroom was stunned.

A few seconds later, they came to their senses, and a wave of exclamations broke out.

“This…”

“So ruthless.”

“Haha, look at Lou Hao from Class 3, his face has turned green.”

“Teacher Xiao Qin looks gentle, but it turns out her temper isn’t small either.”

“Help me grab a few extra later, I’ll take them back for my girlfriend.”

Amidst this discussion, a male student from Class 3 finally couldn’t hold back. He stood up, shrugging his shoulders.

“Teacher Qin, isn’t this a gift for you? It’s not appropriate to give it to others, is it?”

“……”

Qin Ke slowly raised her eyes to look at him.

“What’s your name?”

The boy’s face flushed slightly red. “Lou… Lou Hao.”

“Alright, Student Lou Hao, first tell me, did you send these flowers?”

Qin Ke looked at him, expressionless, her gaze unprecedentedly sharp.

Intimidated by Qin Ke’s gaze, Lou Hao couldn’t utter the “yes” that had been on the tip of his tongue. He gritted his teeth and smiled, “No, I’m not. I’m just… standing up for whoever sent the flowers.”

“Tch…”

A small hiss came from some corner of the classroom.

“Who was that!?”

Lou Hao turned his head angrily, glaring in that direction.

The students in that area lowered their heads or averted their gaze, leaving him to sheepishly turn back.

Meanwhile, the girl on the podium remained unfazed.

“If you didn’t send them, what right do you have to say these weren’t meant for the students?”

“I—”

“The card I saw specifically said to distribute them to the whole class—if you don’t like it, don’t take one. Leave it for other classmates or let the class representative handle it.”

Qin Ke didn’t give him a chance to rebut, speaking quickly and coldly before scanning the classroom again.

“Does anyone else have anything to say?”

“……”

The classroom fell silent.

Qin Ke nodded.

“Now, one last thing. This semester, some students have asked if I have a boyfriend—at the time, I said it was a personal matter and declined to answer. Today, I’ll make it clear.”

Qin Ke raised her right hand, and a diamond ring on her ring finger flashed under the lights.

“I’m married.”

“…!”

The whole class was stunned.

Qin Ke opened her textbook. “Alright, now let’s begin the class.”

Almost simultaneously with her words, the bell signaling the start of class suddenly rang outside the classroom.

“Today we’ll cover the section on linear equations…”

Qin Ke turned around, just picking up the chalk when she heard the front door of the classroom being pushed open.

“Excuse me.”

Qin Ke paused with the chalk in hand and turned with a frown.

“Students who are late, please—”

Her voice suddenly stopped.

At the front door of the classroom, the newcomer was half-leaning against the door, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, his suit completely out of place among the students in the classroom.

“Please what, teacher?” The man’s lips curled. “Don’t tell me I have to stand as punishment?”

“…”

Qin Ke snapped the chalk, maintaining a smile on her face.

“Please, late students quickly take a seat and don’t delay the class for others.”

After speaking, Qin Ke stiffly turned back, facing the blackboard expressionlessly while internally freaking out for a few seconds before finally regaining her composure and officially starting the class.

Three-quarters of an hour later.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

A University’s undergraduate classes were typically in a large class format, with one large class often consisting of two to three small classes. Each small class lasted 45 minutes, with a five to ten-minute break between two small classes.

The Linear Algebra class was no exception.

Because the break time was short, students usually didn’t leave the classroom except to get water or use the restroom, so this short break became the noisiest time in the classroom.

The first small class passed without incident, though Qin Ke’s palms were genuinely sweaty. She put away her books and prepared to step down from the podium to settle accounts with that “troublemaker.”

However, before stepping down from the podium, Qin Ke looked at the first row and involuntarily stopped.

A spot of green among a sea of flowers.

Qin Ke slightly narrowed her eyes.

Huo Jun was sitting at the edge of the first row of long benches, currently surrounded by several female students blocking his front, back, and exit. Even from a few meters away, Qin Ke could hear a female student asking questions like “Which class are you from? I’ve never seen you before.”

Qin Ke couldn’t help but examine Huo Jun.

The man two years her senior was approaching his thirties, but his handsome face truly embodied the saying “time is kind to the beautiful.” If not for the suit, and if he were dressed more casually and youthfully, setting aside his aura, he might not look too out of place walking around campus.

But now, he surely couldn’t pass for a college student…

As Qin Ke was thinking this, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, precisely blocking her view of a certain person’s silhouette.

Qin Ke raised her gaze.

Lou Hao.

She frowned.

“Student Lou Hao, do you have a question?”

“Teacher Qin, I don’t have a question, but about this bouquet of flowers, I still think I need to talk to you.”

“…!”

Hearing Lou Hao mention the flowers, Qin Ke’s heart skipped a beat.

She finally remembered why she had felt uneasy throughout the last class.

How could she have forgotten about this bouquet of flowers?

The time of one class was more than enough for a certain jealous person to count every petal on these roses…

Qin Ke suddenly felt her head swelling.

“Teacher Qin??” Seeing the female teacher in front of him completely ignoring his existence, Lou Hao’s already accumulated anger grew. He let out a cold laugh and simply waved his hand in front of Qin Ke’s face. “Didn’t you talk tough during class? Why are you playing dumb now? Teacher Qin, you—”

Lou Hao’s hand waving in the air was suddenly grabbed and thrown to the side, hitting the edge of the lectern with a “bang.”

The commotion was indeed not small, causing the whole classroom to fall silent as everyone looked over.

Lou Hao was stunned at first, and it took two seconds before he suddenly felt the pain from his wrist. He let out a “Ow!” and curled up, clutching his wrist. While grimacing in pain, he looked up angrily at the man who had stepped in front of him—

“You fucking sick!?”

The man coldly sneered, bent down, and grabbed the back of Lou Hao’s collar with one hand. Without seeming to exert much effort, he lifted the still hunched-over person up.

The man grinned, his teeth gleaming white.

“Not only am I sick, but I’m seriously ill—the kind where killing you wouldn’t even be illegal. Want to try?”

“…!”

Lou Hao was forced to look up, his breathing almost choked off by his collar. Just as his face was turning red and his neck was swelling, he met those pitch-black and crazed eyes, nearly fainting from fright.

He struggled desperately.

However, the more he struggled, the tighter his throat was squeezed. Just as Lou Hao was nearly in despair, a voice suddenly rang out amidst the commotion—

“Huo Jun.”

Qin Ke came to her senses and spoke helplessly.

“He’s a student in the class. Let him go.”

“If he wasn’t your student, I’d have thrown him out of the classroom by now.”

Huo Jun loosened his grip and pushed Lou Hao away in disgust.

Finally freed, Lou Hao fell to the ground. Not bothering to get up, he clutched his throat and coughed heartrendingly, nearly choking out mucus and tears.

“You… you just wait!”

Huo Jun scoffed lightly, not even glancing at the boy on the ground. He casually picked up the roses from the lectern, a hint of viciousness crossing his features.

Huo Jun looked at Qin Ke, jerking his chin to the side. “Did he send these?”

Those pitch-black eyes seemed to have black torches lit in them, with invisible tongues of flame licking at the cold pupils.

Qin Ke immediately shook her head.

“No—”

“Yeah, I sent them! What about it!?”

Lou Hao, having caught his breath, struggled to his feet with the help of his classmates. While supporting his wobbly legs, he tried to save face by talking tough.

“Do you know who Lao Tzu is—”

Before he could finish, a foot struck him square in the chest, and Lou Hao fell to his knees again with a thud.

Qin Ke was stunned and truly anxious now.

“Huo Jun—”

But Huo Jun ignored her, stepping forward and pressing the bouquet directly into Lou Hao’s face. A University students had never seen such a scene; those who initially wanted to help were all frightened into taking half a step back.

Huo Jun’s lips curled into a terrifying smile.

“When saying ‘Lao Tzu,’ you were still playing in the mud—want to die? Then I’ll send you there.”

As he finished speaking, Huo Jun had already raised his fist to strike.

“Huo Zhonglou! Enough is enough!”

A woman’s voice, thoroughly cold and almost hoarse with anger, simultaneously shocked the chaotic classroom and the figure at the front causing the chaos into stillness.

“…Consider yourself lucky.”

Huo Jun lowered his voice, glaring at the now terrified Lou Hao on the ground with fierce eyes before releasing him and standing up.

He looked up towards the classroom door, and the surrounding students followed his gaze.

At some point, several men wearing casual clothes but clearly not ordinary people judging by their build and gaze, had positioned themselves inside and outside the classroom door.

Huo Jun glanced over them.

“Take him to the infirmary.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The leader responded in a low voice. Before the students could react, Lou Hao was picked up like a chick and taken away.

The silence here lasted only a few seconds before the bell outside the classroom rang again.

The students were still a bit dazed, but they could tell that this not-so-nice and even terrifying man was somehow related to their teacher, so everyone’s gaze fell on her.

The usually gentle and sunny female teaching assistant now had a face like frost. Feeling the gazes, she moved her lips expressionlessly.

“Return to your seats. Class is starting.”

The class collectively shuddered internally.

The gentler a girl usually is, the more earth-shattering it is when she gets angry. They didn’t want to risk testing this female teacher’s temper.

After the students returned to their seats at lightning speed, only the man in the suit remained at the front of the classroom.

The students watched eagerly, curious about how Qin Ke would handle this clearly formidable person.

When Qin Ke turned to look at Huo Jun, her bright eyes were almost spitting fire.

She pressed against the lectern, her gaze gloomy, her red lips moving slightly.

“You, disrupting class, fighting and causing trouble—get out of the classroom.”

“…”

Knowing that his earlier actions had truly crossed a line with his Qin Qin, Huo Jun couldn’t help but smile wryly.

He raised both hands in surrender, smiling as he backed out—

“I was wrong. I’ll stand as punishment.”

“…”

After the classroom door closed, Qin Ke silently took a deep breath and turned back.

She curled her lips into a smile.

“Let’s continue with the class.”

The whole class was silent.

Faced with this smile, they felt even more like shuddering.

…

The entire class felt like it was held in a freezer, with students feeling like time was crawling. When the bell rang signaling the end of class, some were almost ready to cheer for having survived.

Qin Ke waited until the last student left the classroom before turning off the multimedia equipment, taking the key, and walking out of the classroom.

As soon as she exited the front door, Qin Ke caught a glimpse of a figure leaning against the wall in the corner.

After a full class, her anger had mostly dissipated. Qin Ke looked over with a headache.

“Is that student alright?”

Huo Jun was particularly obedient now.

“He’s fine. Sent back to the dorm in one piece, and after some sincere communication, he’ll definitely never bother you again.”

Qin Ke’s face tightened slightly, “You just can’t wait for things to blow up so I’d get kicked out of school…”

“Then I could keep you at home.”

Huo Jun pressed close to her ear from behind, finishing the second half of her sentence. His voice was deliberately low and husky, with a hint of amusement.

Qin Ke was slightly annoyed and stepped aside to dodge.

“Huo Jun.”

“So since you know I always have such dark thoughts about you, you’d better not give me such opportunities…”