Chapter 21: Lin Yanqiu

The originally noisy classroom fell silent the moment Lin Yanqiu walked in.

Her presence was undeniably intimidating, especially when she swept her gaze across the room, making everyone feel like prey caught in a predator’s sight.

At that moment, all the previous speculation about the rumors lost their meaning.

It was obvious—the rumors were true.

In such a large classroom, there wasn’t a single person looking at their phone, as if everyone feared Lin Yanqiu might suddenly lash out.

Suddenly, Hua Qian’s expression turned pale.

Sweat beads formed on her forehead.

This feeling…

For some reason, she truly felt like she was being watched.

Was it Lin Yanqiu?

Hua Qian looked toward Lin Yanqiu’s direction, but Lin Yanqiu was not looking at her.

She was bent over, focused on her laptop and projector controls.

If it wasn’t Lin Yanqiu watching her, then who was?

She silently glanced back.

Chen Zhiyan in the back row tilted his head in confusion at her sudden look, as if he had no idea why she had turned around.

The sense of being watched seemed to fade somewhat.

Could it be that she was just overly sensitive because she hadn’t been feeling well these past couple of days?

Memories flashed through her mind, and Hua Qian’s expression grew even darker.

That familiar, intrusive feeling.

She had experienced it a year ago.

Whether walking down the street… eating in the cafeteria… or sitting in class…

She always felt someone was watching her, spying on her.

Occasionally, anonymous messages would be sent to her phone.

In the end, Hua Qian couldn’t bear it anymore and asked Lin Yanqiu to help her deal with it.

But even Lin Yanqiu couldn’t find out who it was.

Fortunately, perhaps because the other party feared Lin Yanqiu, Hua Qian no longer felt those strange gazes or received harassing messages after that.

Maybe it was just her nerves acting up recently.

Hua Qian comforted herself with that thought.

She withdrew her gaze and turned back to look at Lin Yanqiu.

Since it was the first class, Lin Yanqiu didn’t jump straight into the lesson.

Instead, she went through the familiar routine of self-introduction, class rules, and course overview.

“I’m the teacher in charge of Evidence Law starting today. My surname is Lin.”

“I hope we can get along well this semester.”

With that, Lin Yanqiu stepped onto the podium and began flipping through the folder she brought.

“Let’s take attendance.”

She flipped through the list while scanning the names.

“There are 82 people on the roster.”

“I roughly counted heads just now, and it seems no one is absent today. All 82 are here. Keep it up.”

She paused, her smile cold and forced as she continued:

“I don’t want to see absences showing up midway through my class.”

“So, I will be counting people randomly from time to time…”

Her sharp eyes swept the classroom once again.

Those who met her gaze awkwardly lowered their heads, unwilling to look her in the eye.

No one doubted that Lin Yanqiu could back up her words.

“Alright, let’s begin attendance.”

“… I hope that the faces I see in the future will be the same as the ones I see today.”

Her voice was emotionless, but it carried an inexplicable chill.

After the initial moment, Lin Yanqiu barely glanced in Hua Qian’s direction again.

This made Hua Qian breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

If Lin Yanqiu kept looking at her, it would be very stressful.

She hadn’t expected Lin Yanqiu to be like this at work.

Luckily, she was already used to her usual self, or else she would definitely have been scared.

If it were more timid classmates, they might have even cried.

“Chen Zhiyan.”

“Present.”

A clear voice came from behind.

It was Chen Zhiyan.

Then, Hua Qian felt Lin Yanqiu’s gaze fall squarely on her.

“…”

She looked up and met her eyes.

From Lin Yanqiu’s reaction upon entering earlier, she probably didn’t know Hua Qian had chosen this class.

Although Lin Yanqiu had printed the roster, she hadn’t actually looked at the names.

So when she saw Hua Qian sitting there in the classroom, she was clearly surprised.

“…Hua Qian.”

Hearing her name, Hua Qian raised her hand and responded normally with “present.”

In class, they were, of course, just teacher and student.

After calling out the last few names, Lin Yanqiu put the roster away.

For the remaining time, she opened her PPT and began introducing the Evidence Law course.

She had already created a class group chat, and textbooks could either be ordered together or purchased individually.

Time passed without notice until the class ended.

“Alright, that’s it for today’s lesson. Class dismissed.”

Lin Yanqiu didn’t believe in dragging out class; once the bell rang, she wouldn’t speak another minute.

“Hua Qian, come to my office.”

Before leaving the classroom, Lin Yanqiu directly called out to Hua Qian.

Because they were still in a public space, she didn’t use any nicknames.

“But…”

But she still had another class later.

Feeling Lin Yanqiu’s increasingly cold stare, Hua Qian swallowed her words.

Obediently, she stood up and walked toward her.

Before leaving, she glanced at the back row.

It was already empty—Chen Zhiyan had left long ago.

Looks like her plan to help deliver something wasn’t going to happen.

Yet, why did she feel relieved?

Was it because she wouldn’t have to deliver love letters and bouquets under Lin Yanqiu’s watchful eyes?

“Don’t worry. Your next class’s teacher is sick today.”

A cool voice came.

Lin Yanqiu knew what Hua Qian was worrying about and was easing her concerns.

Surprised, Hua Qian took out her phone and checked the class group chat—the class rep had indeed posted that the next teacher wouldn’t be attending.

“Perfect. I don’t have any more classes today either.”

Lin Yanqiu said lightly.

This meant Lin Yanqiu and Hua Qian would have plenty of time to interact.

Thinking this, Hua Qian wiped the nonexistent sweat off her forehead.

The two had already left the teaching building and were heading toward the administrative building where Lin Yanqiu’s office was.

“Looks like you’re recovering well?”

Lin Yanqiu scanned Hua Qian’s body from head to toe.

Though her complexion was still pale, she was definitely much better than the barely-alive state she’d been in yesterday.

Hua Qian could only nod.

“Remember what I told you before?”

Lin Yanqiu smiled, but it was a smile without any warmth.

[Wait until your body recovers a bit more, and I’ll give you a proper scolding.]

Hua Qian vaguely recalled it was something like that.

Judging by Lin Yanqiu’s expression, things weren’t looking good for her today.

Following Lin Yanqiu, she first put away the documents back at the office desk, then was led into an empty meeting room.

Sitting on the chair and looking up at Lin Yanqiu towering over her, Hua Qian felt an overwhelming pressure she could barely resist.

“But I really didn’t expect to see you again just a day later, little An.”

Lin Yanqiu’s lips curved into a slight smile.

Hua Qian took a deep breath, calming her emotions inside.

“But I want to see you every day, sister.”

She looked up and spoke in a coaxing tone.

Showing a shy smile directed at Lin Yanqiu.

“I chose this course because the teacher was you.”

That was a lie.

But at the moment, Hua Qian’s priority was to cheer Lin Yanqiu up, so she’d suffer less later.

“Flattering won’t help.”

Despite saying that, Hua Qian could tell Lin Yanqiu actually appreciated such sweet talk, and her mood was decent.

“You really should learn your lesson.”

“No more going to those remote, dangerous places from now on.”

Hua Qian nodded obediently, signaling she understood.

But she still would go—after all, that was part of her job.

Lin Yanqiu pulled a thin teaching pointer from the bag she had brought.

Hua Qian’s pupils contracted.

Noticing Hua Qian’s reaction, Lin Yanqiu raised her eyebrows.

“Stand up and roll up your pant legs.”