No Need to Be Afraid
The flying door panel crashed against the window with a thunderous bang, smashing a hole right through it. It was clear just how powerful that kick had been!
The crowd was still reeling from the shock of the door being kicked off its hinges when they turned to see two young women standing at the entrance.
Both women were dressed in white scholar's robes with wide sleeves, their hair simply tied up in a bun and adorned with engraved black jade hairpins.
The woman in front, the one who kicked the door, was delicately pretty, her eyes brimming with spirit, though she seemed a bit reserved.
The woman standing behind her had eyes as clear as black and white, as if she could see right through people’s thoughts—and her beauty was truly unmatched!
The students stared in awe at the two stunning women dressed as men, rendered speechless and frozen in place. Some even forgot to close their gaping mouths until drool started dripping out, finally snapping back to reality.
Just as everyone was still stunned, Lily Evans stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the crowd with natural authority. She barked, “The morning is the most important time of day! Instead of studying, you’re all hiding in here, betting on your Dean and Vice Dean’s looks? Absolutely outrageous!”
Lily Evans’s shout was so powerful that it snapped the dazed students back to their senses.
Though her appearance had changed, her way of speaking hadn’t—and those clear, penetrating eyes were just like Professor Jade Evans’s!
Everyone immediately recognized the two dazzling women in men’s attire as Professor Jade Evans and Professor Lola!
It had to be said, Lily Evans’s presence was formidable—even appearing as a woman, a single shout was enough to make the students tremble with fear.
The students immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet Lily Evans’s gaze.
Lily Evans snorted coldly, strode into the crowd, and snatched up the betting sheet. After glancing at the names on it, she sneered, “Looks like we won’t be short of people to clean the academy latrines for the next year!”
A few of the students who placed bets immediately pulled bitter faces!
Normally, cleaning the latrines was work for the academy’s hired help; students at most swept the courtyard or tidied up the classroom.
When Lily Evans said this, it was clearly a deliberate punishment.
A few sly students, seeing that Lily Evans was a woman, grew bolder. No longer cowed as they were before by Professor Evans, they shamelessly tried to negotiate: “Professor Evans, your identity is truly shocking. It’s only natural we’d place bets, right? How about you punish us by having us sweep the courtyard instead? Cleaning latrines is so dirty and exhausting—surely it’s not a job for scholars like us?”
Lily Evans suddenly slapped the table and retorted, “So you remember you’re scholars now? Scholars shouldn’t clean latrines, but it’s perfectly fine to gamble on your teacher’s looks?”
The student immediately forced a smile. “Professor Evans, you’re absolutely right. We just lost our heads for a moment—we promise we’ll never do it again! Please, just let us off the hook this time.”
A few others quickly chimed in, “Yes, yes, we were just being foolish. We won’t dare do it again—please, Professor Evans, give us a break!”
Several young men clustered around Lily Evans, clearly feeling emboldened by their numbers. With so many of them, surely there was no need to fear a single young woman.
Lily Evans swept a cold gaze over the group. “If you didn’t know I was a woman today, would you dare act so brazenly in front of Professor Jade Evans? You only bargain with me because you think I’m easy to talk to, easy to bully?”