Chapter 17: Ling Tian Ensnared by a Beauty in Classical Attire

“Ling Tian? What’s his background?” Li Feng was not surprised to hear that someone was pursuing Lin Youya, nor did he consider every admirer of hers a rival; to be counted as his rival, one had to be qualified.

“I don’t know. He’s a recent transfer. He dresses plainly, but he’s good at fighting and relentlessly pursues Miss Lin,” Wang Jun replied, feeling uneasy, unsure whether Li Feng would take action.

“How does Youya feel about him? Is she interested?”

If Ling Tian was just another tough guy and Youya was indifferent, Li Feng had no intention of paying him any mind—he’d rather spend his time courting other girls. But if Lin Youya was interested, that would be a different matter.

Wang Jun paused, lost in thought. Lin Youya seemed quite repulsed by Ling Tian; it was all one-sided. If he said so, Li Feng would surely leave Ling Tian alone. But claiming Youya was interested would be an obvious lie, and Wang Jun didn’t dare lie to Li Feng.

“Why aren’t you talking? What’s Youya’s attitude toward this fellow?” Li Feng grew anxious seeing Wang Jun’s silence, wondering if perhaps Youya had fallen for the boy.

“He calls Miss Lin ‘wife,’ and she curses him out, tells him to get lost, but he shamelessly stays by her side in class.” Wang Jun answered truthfully, hoping that Ling Tian’s boldness—calling Lin Youya ‘wife,’ something no one had dared before—might provoke Li Feng.

“What?” Li Feng erupted in anger, shoving aside the woman next to him. Calling Lin Youya ‘wife’? Even bolder than himself—damn!

“He keeps calling Miss Lin ‘wife,’ again and again,” Wang Jun added, delighted to see Li Feng’s rage, embellishing the story further.

“That bastard! Reckless fool—I’ll teach him a lesson!” Li Feng angrily smashed a cup on the floor, his eyes blazing.

“Young Master Li, I’ll take my leave for now. I’ll report to you if anything else comes up.” Wang Jun, satisfied his goal was achieved, prepared to depart to avoid complications.

Li Feng waved him off impatiently, not caring for Wang Jun at all; his mind was set on teaching Ling Tian a lesson. Wang Jun wisely retreated.

…

Ling Tian was unaware that he had provoked a powerful rival. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t care. The road to winning a woman’s heart was never smooth—formidable rivals only proved his own good taste.

At this moment, Ling Tian had already obtained Li Youran’s information. He knew she had a class in the Chinese Department’s lecture hall today, so he arrived early and sat in the very center of the front row, so he could see if this famed beauty was as lovely as her picture.

Ling Tian could have approached Li Youran in other ways, but this was the safest. He’d heard she was gentle and approachable, especially kind to her students, so he attended her class as one himself, hoping to find an opportunity to get close.

Li Youran held her classes in the lecture hall because they attracted so many listeners—not only Chinese Department students, but many from other departments as well. The hall was huge, with two hundred seats.

Many came out of curiosity for the beauty who favored traditional dress; many male students simply wanted to see a beautiful teacher. Being attractive was always an advantage.

As everyone waited, Li Youran finally appeared.

The moment Ling Tian saw her, he was stunned…

It was as if past lives and present converged—a classical beauty in traditional attire glided forward: elegant brows, delicate hands, a smile blossoming like a flower, eyes shimmering like autumn water…

She wore a brocade Hanfu, simple white with water-green embroidery, her jade-like neck slightly revealed, the green trim exposing a white undergarment, pure and refined. Her waist-length hair flowed down her back, with a few strands gathered atop her head by a white silk ribbon, giving an ethereal, graceful look.

Ling Tian felt as though something had struck his chest. This girl—she seemed to have appeared in his dreams before. It was as if he’d waited lifetimes for her, a feeling so unprecedented it nearly took his breath away.

He shook his head hard, forcing himself out of his reverie. What was that just now? He had actually lost focus! As someone trained in his past life, he rarely let his guard down—even a moment’s distraction could mean death at the hands of an enemy. Yet just now, he’d been dazed for several minutes. Li Youran had already reached the podium and opened her textbook.

In fact, Ling Tian wasn’t the only one mesmerized; many male students below were still stunned, unable to recover. Li Youran, a long-haired classical beauty, was the kind many men secretly yearned for—a legacy of aesthetic passed down in the blood of the nation. As the saying goes: “A gentle, lovely lady is a gentleman’s desire”—such a beauty is exactly what they sought.

“Hello, everyone. Looking at my attire today, can you guess which era’s literature I’ll be teaching?”

Li Youran smiled gently, her voice melodious as an oriole emerging from the valley, pleasant and soothing, her manner calm, giving an indescribable sense of comfort.

“Han Dynasty,” several students responded.

“Correct, it is the Han Dynasty. Today I’m wearing a modernized version of the Han Dynasty’s curved hem attire, which is more flowing than the original. Today, we’ll discuss the ‘Nineteen Old Poems’—”

“‘Nineteen Old Poems’ deeply reflects the disillusionment and decadence pursued by scholars during the great ideological shift at the end of the Han, as well as their awakening and suffering…”

Li Youran spoke with eloquence, as if transporting everyone to that distant era. Her classes rarely saw mischief, for she radiated a stabilizing aura.

Even Ling Tian found himself listening attentively, though he occasionally glanced at her slender waist and the softness of her chest. Still, Li Youran possessed a unique charm, a beauty that could only be admired from afar, not to be trifled with.

In other words, such a woman was intimidating to most men—they felt unworthy in her presence. But Ling Tian was not most men. He believed he was entirely worthy of Li Youran; he’d already bragged to Zhang Yue, his parents, and Dai Jin that he would win her. He was determined.

Li Youran herself had noticed Ling Tian. Sitting in the front row center, he was naturally in the teacher’s line of sight; his tall frame and handsome face, though plainly dressed, carried a confident, slightly mischievous smile that left a strong impression on her.

Moreover, Ling Tian gave Li Youran a peculiar feeling—a mysterious urge to get closer to him, something she had never experienced before.

“I’ve finished explaining ‘Green Grass by the River.’ Does anyone have questions?” Li Youran asked gently.

“Teacher, what does the line ‘The wanderer does not return, the empty bed is hard to guard alone’ mean?” A scruffy-looking male student in the back stood and asked.

Many gave him disdainful looks—what an idiot, making the teacher uncomfortable. The line clearly refers to a husband’s absence and a lonely bed; how could a young, unmarried woman explain that?

“It means the heroine’s husband hasn’t come home, and she feels lonely and depressed alone,” Li Youran replied calmly, unperturbed. To her, these were just students, still children.

“Then, teacher, do you get lonely guarding your empty bed? Heh heh!” The student pressed, his tone lewd.

Ling Tian sighed inwardly. This was the difference between people. Pursuing women, if he’d said this, it wouldn’t have sounded so distasteful, but coming from this student, with his sleazy looks, it was deeply unpleasant.

“You!” Even Li Youran’s gentle temperament was rattled. She’d never dated anyone; always alone, indeed, she did guard an empty bed every night. But the student’s tone was mocking, and she was furious.

“Excuse me,” Ling Tian said to the students beside him, then stepped out.

Under the gaze of the entire class, Ling Tian walked to the student’s seat at the back. He grabbed the front of the student’s shirt, a faint smile at his lips.

“You—what are you going to do?” The student, nearly a head shorter, saw the hostile look in Ling Tian’s eyes and panicked.

“I want you to apologize to the teacher.” Ling Tian spoke for many students. He was actually grateful to this guy; he’d been unsure how to impress Li Youran, and here was a chance to win favor.

He himself had recently defied a teacher, and in a much worse way, yet now he was righteously lecturing someone else, as if he were the model student. The reason was simple: this beautiful teacher was his future wife, and anyone else who tried to harass her was asking for trouble.

He’d wanted to beat the guy up, but worried it might leave a bad impression on Li Youran, so instead he forced him to apologize.

“I didn’t say anything wrong—why should I apologize?” The student insisted stubbornly.

“Thank you for standing up for me, but please return to your seat. If he won’t apologize, let it be,” Li Youran said, her emotions settling. As a respected beauty, she was gentle and magnanimous by nature.

She was moved that Ling Tian defended her, but didn’t want him to get into trouble.

“Apologize!” Ling Tian said, secretly pulling out a needle and pricking the student at a particularly painful acupoint.

“Ah! I’m sorry!” The student screamed, quickly giving in. Ling Tian finally removed the needle.