As it turned out, Ye Qian had already noticed Zhao Ya's file on the top of the pile on Director Huang's desk earlier. So he knew that the girl next to him was Zhao Ya. However, since she had caused him such worry, he felt it was only fair to tease her a bit. After all, she was so pretty that she made him mistakenly think she might be unattractive.
"What?" Zhao Ya shouted in surprise at Ye Qian's words. She scrutinized him from head to toe, almost "shocked beyond words." Could her father really have such poor judgment? Every year, countless outstanding young men and wealthy heirs tried to win her father's favor, but they were all rejected. And now, he wanted to marry her off to this bumpkin? Had he lost his mind? Zhao Ya felt she needed to talk to her father as soon as possible. Marrying someone like Ye Qian would be humiliating. Just look at him—he was neither fit for the kitchen nor the parlor. How could she introduce him to others? Her friends would laugh at her.
Unable to control her reaction, Zhao Ya's voice drew the attention of the entire class. Being the school beauty, many boys admired her, and hearing her shout naturally caught their attention. All their hostile glares turned to Ye Qian, assuming he had done something indecent. They thought, "This old guy must be trying to prey on the young." They wanted to beat him up.
Qin Yue was furious. Her first impression of Ye Qian was already bad, and now, on his first day, he was causing a disturbance in class. First, he shouted inexplicably, and then Zhao Ya followed suit. She felt disrespected. Glaring at Ye Qian, Qin Yue nearly shouted, "Ye Qian, please pay attention to your classroom behavior. If you continue to disrupt the class, you'll have to leave."
Feeling wronged, Ye Qian looked at Qin Yue and said bitterly, "It wasn't me! I'm innocent, more innocent than Dou E! Why would her shouting be my fault?"
"If it wasn't you, who was it? Do you think she's mentally ill, shouting for no reason?" Qin Yue shouted back, forgetting her role as a teacher.
Ye Qian stared at her, then said, "Fine, it's my fault. I'm a beast, a brute. Is that okay?"
Qin Yue was stunned by his defiant response, trembling with anger. Realizing she was in class and it was inappropriate to argue with a student, she said through gritted teeth, "Ye Qian, come to my office after class. We need to talk."
Ye Qian was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Sure, I'll be there. I have some things to discuss with you too." He emphasized "discuss," making it sound ambiguous.
Qin Yue glared at him before turning back to the class.
Once Qin Yue looked away, Zhao Ya glared at Ye Qian and whispered, "Ye Qian, explain what you mean!"
Ye Qian pretended to be puzzled and said, "Why are you so worked up? Nowadays, people believe in free love and marriage. Even if Zhao Ya's father arranged for her to marry me, you could still compete fairly. Don't worry, I won't use her father's order to pressure her. Besides, I don't even know what she looks like. She might be an ugly duckling, in which case I'll hand her over to you."
"You're the one who's an ugly duckling! Who do you think you are to give people away like objects?" Zhao Ya retorted angrily.
Ye Qian, feigning confusion, said, "I didn't mean you. I was talking about Zhao Ya."
"I'm Zhao Ya," she said, her voice betraying a mix of annoyance and inexplicable discomfort at the idea of him passing her off.
"Really? You're Zhao Ya?" Ye Qian pretended to be shocked, opening his mouth wide. "You're kidding, right? You're so beautiful, how could you be Zhao Ya? Don't joke around."
"I'm not joking. I am Zhao Ya. If you don't believe me, you can call my dad," she replied.
Ye Qian squinted, studying her closely. Zhao Ya, feeling uncomfortable under his lecherous gaze, felt a strange sense of fear. "What are you doing? I warn you, don't try anything. I'm a Taekwondo black belt," she said.
Ye Qian clicked his tongue and said, "I never thought you'd be so pretty. Your figure... perfect. If I had known, I would've asked your dad to marry you off to me directly."
Hearing his compliment, Zhao Ya felt a small sense of pride. Who doesn't like being called beautiful? But remembering her father's arrangement, she felt uncomfortable again. Glaring at Ye Qian, she said, "Don't even think about it. I'll never marry you. Go find whoever agreed to this arrangement."
Ye Qian laughed and said, "Ya'er, take a good look. Don't you think we look like a perfect couple?" He leaned in closer as he spoke.
Zhao Ya pushed him away in disgust, her face flushing with a mix of embarrassment and anger.