Chu Xin felt a wave of embarrassment under Tina’s mocking gaze, especially with twenty pairs of eyes fixed on him. He found himself utterly at a loss for words.
This was precisely why Chu Xin considered her such a troublesome woman. She excelled at manipulating people, her every sarcastic remark pinpointing a weakness and leaving others completely flustered.
Seeing Chu Xin’s bewildered expression, Tina’s interest only deepened. “My, my,” she purred, “Surely our esteemed ‘Experiment Student’ hasn’t forgotten who their homeroom teacher is? In fact… I think you should be the homeroom teacher, shouldn’t you?”
For some inexplicable reason, the sight of Chu Xin’s discomfiture stirred a thrill within her. Even her beautiful legs, crossed elegantly and clad in what appeared to be exquisitely smooth stockings, couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Chu Xin glanced at his classmates, whose kind faces reflected genuine concern for him. He let out a sigh, then took a deep breath before speaking.
“I apologize, Teacher,” he began, “I was delayed by some matters on the way here.”
He lowered his head, not out of fear or any other sentiment, but because he couldn’t possibly tell if Tina would believe such an obviously fabricated excuse.
Yet, upon hearing his words, Tina’s heart unexpectedly softened. She was, after all, someone who responded to gentleness rather than defiance.
This was especially true when she was facing… Chu Xin.
Initially, she had anticipated that as the only male student in the class, he would confront her, giving her endless excuses to interact with him, even if she rarely had any real need to order him around.
This time, however, was meant to be different. She held a few ‘handles’ over him, or so she believed. Even if these weren’t truly concrete leverage, she was Tina, and she could endlessly amplify this… advantage.
By then, she would have a legitimate reason, under the guise of a “talk,” to keep him firmly under her thumb. At the very least, she could ensure he spent more time in her office.
But now… those opportunities had vanished. All she could do was make Chu Xin endure a ‘routine’ half-hour in her office.
From the moment Tina first saw Chu Xin, admitted as an “Experiment Student,” she developed a profound interest in him. Though his adoptive mother, the distinguished lady, was an acquaintance, and Tina herself had personally handled the arrangements for his admission.
The instant she saw his profile, her long-sealed heart stirred with an unfamiliar sensation. It was a feeling she had never experienced since birth.
Initially, it was merely curiosity. However, when she inquired about the noblewoman’s reasons for adopting him, she noticed a fleeting look of panic on her face—an expression Tina had never witnessed before.
In that moment, her interest deepened to an unprecedented degree, accompanied by a sudden urge to claim him as her own.
Some say that interest often marks the beginning of a deeper emotion. Just like Ji Yue Xuan, after two months of interaction, Chu Xin had become like an abyss, drawing her into an undeniable descent.
Originally, she had merely wanted to witness the noblewoman’s expression upon losing her ‘child.’ But now, things were different.
Now, she yearned to transform Chu Xin into a ‘fool’ who would rely solely on her.
No one around him should be able to approach him, or rather, Chu Xin himself should become unwilling to engage with them.
While that goal still seemed distant, Tina was in no hurry.
Even when she had casually glanced at the garden while walking upstairs, and witnessed Chu Xin embracing Ji Yue Xuan, the surge of possessiveness in that moment had caused her to crush the beer can in her hand.
Consequently, no photograph was taken. Yet, she felt no regret.
At least for now, she lacked the means to counteract them directly. However, an afternoon in the office, just the two of them… Ji Yue Xuan, that little girl, wouldn’t be able to do anything then, would she?
Indeed, now was not the time to show her true colors.
Her thoughts flickered away as she noticed Chu Xin furtively peeking at her. She cleared her throat before speaking. “Alright, since Student Chu Xin has put it that way, I, a homeroom teacher who spoils her students, can only forgive him… but…”
Chu Xin lifted his head, not answering immediately. He feigned hesitation before asking, “But… what?”
Tina took in all of Chu Xin’s subtle reactions, yet showed no outward sign. Instead, she turned to Shimizuma, who was still gazing blankly at Chu Xin from the podium. “I don’t think we need to choose anymore, do we? Let’s just have our ‘Experiment Student’ take the role.”
Shimizuma nodded. “Alrighty then, little Tina~”
A flurry of whispers immediately erupted around them. Tina made no move to stop them, nor did she mind Shimizuma’s informal address. She simply smiled, her gaze fixed on Chu Xin.
Chu Xin wore a bewildered expression, completely unaware of what Tina was referring to when she said ‘let him take the role’.
He looked at the blackboard, where several girls’ names were listed, each with a tally of votes beneath them.
He entertained a few possibilities, but it had to be an election for other class committee positions. Apparently, because Tina found it too troublesome, the class only had one class president, and Shimizuma, despite her steady nature, sometimes couldn’t manage everything alone.
Regardless of the position, Chu Xin only felt a sense of bother. He steeled himself and spoke. “Tea… Teacher, wouldn’t this be… unfair to the other students?”
Tina’s lips curved upwards. “Unfair? I think it’s perfectly fair, don’t you?”
Chu Xin looked around, noticing that the previous clamor had completely subsided, replaced by a single, unified sentiment.
“Ah… if it’s the Experiment Student…”
“Then there’s no helping it, is there?”
“He’ll just have to take it… since there don’t seem to be any other good candidates.”
Even the girls who had just put themselves forward for the position had joined the chorus.
Chu Xin was dumbfounded. ‘Wait, since when did my reputation in class become so high?’
Tina, quite pleased with the situation, stood up and reached out to pat Chu Xin’s shoulder. “Do a good job, my… Vice Class President.”
Only then did Chu Xin realize they had been electing a vice class president. Before he could voice any objection, Tina quickly interjected, “For class matters, just ask Shimizuma. From now on, the two of you will be in charge.”
She then leaned close to Chu Xin’s ear and whispered, “After school, come to my office. We’ll have a good ‘chat’ about your tardiness~”
With that, she turned and walked away, her high heels clicking against the floor.
Chu Xin was utterly bewildered, frozen in place and completely at a loss for words. He felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, as if he had been coerced into a deal.
He felt as though the “normalcy” he had just sensed was waving him goodbye.
The moment Tina left, the class erupted. Since the first period was a routine class meeting with no actual lesson, many bolder girls immediately swarmed forward.
“Wow, Experiment Student, you’re the Vice Class President now! Can you take care of me a bit more in the future~”
“Idiot, how can you still call him ‘Experiment Student’? It should be ‘Lord Vice Class President’…
“Lord Vice Class President, I wonder if I could perhaps… ‘support’ you~”
Some rich young ladies even pulled out cards Chu Xin couldn’t identify, apparently intending to bribe him. He simply ignored the word “support.”
Listening to the enthusiastic voices of the girls around him, and the utterly embarrassing title of “Lord Vice Class President,” Chu Xin was at a complete loss.
He stammered a response, flustered, “Alright, alright, one at a time…”
Just as he was about to lose control of the situation, Shimizuma spoke. “Everyone… shouldn’t it be quiet now?”
Shimizuma was still smiling, yet the aura she exuded felt chilling, much like… Ji Yue Xuan’s a moment ago.
The girls around them immediately quieted down. Although Shimizuma was known as the “Little Angel,” gossip among the girls suggested she could be quite terrifying when angered.
Furthermore, Shimizuma held considerable prestige within the class, even earning the title of the “Lazy Smiling Tiger.”
Regardless of how such an inexplicable and embarrassing nickname came about, Chu Xin shivered slightly as he looked at Shimizuma. It seemed the girls around him were all quite formidable.
Yet, as soon as Shimizuma realized Chu Xin was watching her, she reverted to her usual demeanor. From the podium, she addressed him, “Please guide us, Vice Class President.”
Chu Xin let out a breath of relief. Hearing that Shimizuma hadn’t used the same embarrassing title, he nodded. “Yes, please guide me as well.”
He returned to his seat, gazing languidly at the equally languid clouds outside the window. He felt as though everything had returned to normal.
Shimizuma continued to discuss the routine class meeting agenda, with occasional additions from students below.
Chu Xin casually opened his school bag, pulled out the literary work he had been reading earlier, and began to flip through its pages.
He sat in the last row by the window. The seat beside him, belonging to his adoptive sister, a classmate, was empty, as she had already departed on a trip. The last photos she sent had been taken on a foreign beach, showing two people in bikinis. Chu Xin, of course, hadn’t scrutinized them, merely replying with a few customary “stay safe” messages before looking away.
In the seat directly in front of him sat Hasegawa Ten’i, who rarely attended school, seemingly listening intently to Shimizuma’s words.
He continued to peruse the literary work until Hasegawa Ten’i turned around and softly called his name.
“Chu Xin… Chu Xin.”
He looked up, his gaze meeting Hasegawa Ten’i’s directly. She flinched slightly. “Hm? What is it?”
Hasegawa Ten’i’s face flushed faintly as she offered him a bottle of “drink.” It lacked external packaging, appearing as if its label had been torn off, much like a particular brand of soda Chu Xin had grown quite fond of since arriving in this world.
Chu Xin took it, a hint of confusion in his expression. “This… this is an apology gift for this morning,” she explained. “I didn’t properly apologize then.”
Chu Xin shook his head. “It’s fine, you really don’t have to.”
However, seeing Hasegawa Ten’i’s persistent look, and feeling genuinely thirsty from the earlier tension, he symbolically took a sip.
He failed to notice Hasegawa Ten’i’s subtly triumphant expression.
After taking a sip, he felt nothing particularly unusual. It tasted much like plain water, only slightly sweet. He chastised himself for being overly suspicious.
Seeing that Hasegawa Ten’i had turned back around, he resumed flipping through his literary work.
But after a while, listening to Shimizuma’s languid voice and looking at the prose in his book, his mind began to blur.
A wave of drowsiness washed over him.
He found it strange, but didn’t dwell on it. Perhaps he was just tired from the many events of the previous day.
‘I’ll just close my eyes for a bit.’