Glottis started his car and drove to school. He first had a detour to make since he was not alone.
"Young Master, how come you offered me a ride today?" Annie asked in curiosity. It was the first time he ever did that. She would never refuse the chance to get to school in a luxurious car rather than on a bus, so she agreed.
"You said so yourself, I got up early today. It means I have free time and I'm in a good mood, so why not?" Glottis said as he slowed down the car.
"No, I said you are late, just less than usual," she corrected him, "It means you don't have any free time."
"Potato potahto. If I do well with how things were, why do I need to go early only because I was up?"
"It's not early, it's less late," she corrected again.
"Potato potahto."
"You already said that. Anyway, Young Master, why have you been driving so slowly ever since we neared the campus? Do you like showing off your car that much?"
Annie bit her lower lip as she tried to complain without being rude. She enjoyed the ride, and she even liked the idea of having many people see her get out of it in front of the gate, but most students were inside at that hour. Inside the very same ongoing classes that she was late for.
"No, I just want to see if there's a girl I want to hit on. They always like it when I hit the honk."
"Young Master, nobody likes that, they just like the car."
He turned his head and she looked back at him, understanding what he wanted to say. "Fine, it's the same thing," she stopped him before he could mention potatoes again. "But let's go faster, the girls won't be impressed if you already have me in the car, they will think you are a pig. You can hit on them on your way back."
"What are you talking about? It's easier to explain we are doing a threesome if you are here," he laughed and hit the gas, crossing the last hundred meters in a heartbeat before hitting the brakes to make the wheels screech.
"You can go now, the stage is yours," he smirked.
She smiled back and opened the door slowly. If anyone in the area missed the shiny car, they all stared at it after Glottis' little stunt. She got up from the seat slowly, basking in the jealousy of the pedestrians.
"Thank you, Young Master. I will make you some of your favorite dishes for dinner," she left with a big beaming smile.
"Wait, airhead, you didn't close the door!"
"Aiya…" he shook his head and got out to do it himself. He circled around the car to the other side to close the door, but right when he did, his eyes crossed with a student at the school. The two gazed at each other for a moment before Glottis shrugged and drove away.
'Why is he here?' Glottis pondered. 'I guess he wanted to avoid trouble?'
He lost his appetite for girls and hit the gas, distancing himself from the place quickly. Ironically, it made many more girls look his way compared to his usual antics.
---
'How can I annoy Mike further and ruin his state of mind?' Glottis mused as he walked into his class. He had missed the entire first lesson, entering a few minutes after the beginning of the second.
"Young Master Glottis Sonora, I'm glad you made it today," the teacher smiled brightly as soon as he saw the newcomer.
"Oh, good morning, Mr. Likaz," Glottis nodded at him and continued to the seat next to Sheela.
"Jake Ov, what are you doing next to Sheela Petit? You already know this seat is taken," Likaz scolded the boy whose seat Glottis had taken.
Jake only gave Glottis one resentful gaze before wearing a fawning smile and leaving for another seat.
"Hello, Beauty, missed me?" Glottis whispered not so silently to his neighbor.
"No, I could learn better when you weren't around here."
"Don't be so cold. You said you would date me once I worked things out with Mike. I have good news, we worked it out. Want to sleep over at my place tonight?" Glottis got nearer than he should.
"No, and you're too close. I can smell the onions you ate this morning."
"Oh? Can't give up on Mike even after he gave up on you?" Glottis asked in fake surprise.
"What do you mean?" She frowned, confused. Mike had bothered her almost every day since he saw her bathing, it was unlikely that he gave up on wooing her.
"Didn't you hear? After I exposed him last night, he decided to change schools. I saw him today attend another school, probably a trial day or something to see if he can be accepted."
"Change schools?" Sheela repeated after him. His whole sentence consisted of information she did not understand. "Last night? What happened last night?"
"He was hitting on his cultivation master, telling her he loves her and whatnot. While he was trying to prey on her, I happened to pass by and tell her about the way he pesters you and talks about taking responsibility for what he had done to you. Obviously, she kicked him out, forsaking him both as a master and as a woman. I guess he doesn't want to find trouble with me anymore now."
Sheela raised an eyebrow before shaking her head, "Young Master, you can bullshit me as much as you want, but I'm not buying all this crap. I saw the way he treats me, he is not the kind of guy who would hit on another girl while wooing me. He was sincere with me, I could feel it." Sheela chose not to believe Glottis' words. After all, the young man wasn't known for his honesty and honor.
"Aiya, how do I know that he barged into your bathroom while you were bathing a few nights ago if I didn't hear it when he tried to explain to the other woman why he wants you?"
"You! You… what do you know?" The belle stuttered when she heard Glottis' gloating voice.
"I know you have a big booty and delicious-looking thighs," the young man smiled lewdly.
"He said that?"
"No, I did."
"Ah… we will talk about it later. I want to listen to class right now," Sheela chose to temporarily ignore him and shift her attention back to the teacher. Likaz was doing his best to pretend there was no chatty pair of students at the front of the classroom, and he could finally let out a breath of relief when he heard her.
"In our last session, we explored how 'The Qi of Her' intertwines Qi cultivation with the evolving romance of Liang and Mei. Today, let's delve deeper into the symbolic elements the author uses to enrich their story. Notice how the novel's setting shifts with the progression of their relationship – from the bustling energy of the city to the serene, nature-infused countryside. This change in setting isn't just a backdrop; it mirrors the internal journey of our protagonists, from chaos to tranquility, reflecting their growth in Qi cultivation and love."
"Don't worry, Mr. Likaz will give you private tutoring if I ask him to. If he won't, I will hire the best teachers for you, so talking to me would never harm your studies," the rich kid bragged, making the teacher even more nervous than before.
"I pity your parents. I wonder how they feel knowing that all the wealth they acquired will be squandered by you as soon as they leave this world," Sheela sighed.
"I'm sure they will be fine. There's enough money for three generations of squandering. Surely, at least one capable person will be born in this timespan to save the family, it just won't be me," Glottis patted her shoulders with a proud smile that reflected his trust in his family and genes.
The class soon ended, and he was forced to leave Sheela alone, unwilling to look desperate and needy.
"Hey, Glottis, do you know Harvey?" Duke, one of his two friends, wrapped his arm around Glottis' neck and led him away. Gabriel, the other guy of the pair, was walking by their side.
"Come, come, he is over there," Gabriel pointed at Rosemary's class.
"No, who is he?" Glottis raised an eyebrow, "Are we just picking on him for fun?" It wouldn't be the first time, but he thought they out outgrown this habit.
"No, how could righteous men like ourselves do such a thing? We are picking on him, but it's not for fun; it's for the sake of teaching him to tell right from wrong. It's for his own good!" Duke waved his palms in front of his chest in denial.
"His own good, huh? What had he done?"
"You know Mike, right? Of course you do, you hate him! Mike and Harvey here are good friends – I heard Harvey even agreed to work under Mike in the future for some empty promise. We must open his eyes to the truth that Mike is too poor to employ someone!"