...
Xuan Hao awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth:
"That was just a joke... and I knew you would definitely find me beforehand, it was just a little teasing."
"But in this situation... it's inappropriate for a man and a woman to be dressed so scantily, isn't it?"
"Not quite right?"
Bibi Dong gently swirled the red wine in her glass, a playful smile curving her lips.
"Hasn't someone been living a very carefree and romantic life in Tiandou City all these years?"
"Surrounded by beautiful women, always flirting with other girls. What, now you're coming to me pretending to be an innocent little boy?"
Xuan Hao was immediately speechless, feeling even more wronged than Dou E:
"Teacher, who are you listening to gossiping about?
Don't portray me as some kind of womanizer!"
"Which of those girls is easy to deal with?
They're all incredibly cunning.
Besides, with that little housekeeper Na'er keeping a close eye on me every day, and me busy cultivating in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, where do I have the time and energy to get involved in all that messy stuff?"
"I've only seen the beautiful spring scenery, but I haven't actually tasted a single bite!"
"real?"
Bibi Dong narrowed her beautiful eyes, looked him up and down, and let out a soft snort full of suspicion.
She knows this brat too well.
He has never been a virtuous gentleman who could remain unmoved by temptation!
From childhood to adulthood, this kid has always been shameless, like a clingy cat, always wanting to snuggle up to her, his groping actions are second nature to him.
When it's late at night, he's even more audacious, using the excuse of being afraid of the dark and cold to recklessly crawl into her bed.
It can be said that her unique indulgence and almost bottomless patience towards Xuan Hao were mostly due to this brat taking advantage of his young age and thick skin, which he had worn down!
"Teacher, if you really don't believe me, you can always ask your senior sister!"
Seeing Bibi Dong's suspicious expression, Xuan Hao helplessly spread his hands and poured out his grievances:
"She's been cultivating at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well all these years, so we're practically inseparable.
She knows better than anyone how I've been living these past years—it's been like an ascetic life!"
Bibi Dong paused slightly, then her hand holding the wine glass paused gently, a hint of realization flashing in her eyes.
Actually, she did believe Xuan Hao to some extent at this moment.
Just recently, when Hu Liena returned to Wuhun City from Sunset Forest to report on her duties, Bibi Dong took the opportunity of casual conversation to subtly inquire about the current progress of the two's relationship.
After all, the two siblings had been extremely close since childhood.
In addition, Hu Liena was a few years older than Xuan Hao.
Although Xuan Hao was domineering and lawless in front of outsiders, he still retained some of the obedience and indulgence of a "younger brother" in front of Hu Liena.
Hu Liena, on the other hand, had been secretly eyeing her gifted junior brother since childhood, and her little schemes were impossible to hide from Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong remembers it clearly: that day, Hu Liena sprawled on the sofa in a completely unladylike manner, complaining angrily to her:
"Teacher! The trick you taught me doesn't work at all!"
"I've tried everything, even resorting to underhanded tactics, several times!
Pretending to be drunk, raiding him at night, I practically tied him to the bed! And what happened?
I failed every single time!"
"Your strategy of forcing him to make it a fait accompli is a good one, but it can't withstand having a top-notch bodyguard around the clock!
Every time it comes to a crucial moment, that brat Na'er seems to have super hearing; she always finds an excuse to pop up and sabotage things!"
Thinking of Hu Liena's gritted teeth and helpless expression at the time, Bibi Dong couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
Of course she knew that Na'er felt the same way about Xuan Hao.
That's a little dragon that's very protective of its food.
How could it just stand by and watch someone steal food right under its nose?
Bibi Dong never expected that Xuan Hao's seemingly blissful life, surrounded by flowers and springtime beauty, was actually a battlefield of unrequited love.
To put it bluntly, it's because too many girls around him are interested in him, and each of them is proud and ambitious, and everyone wants to seize the opportunity to be "number one".
As a result, the girls kept each other in check and guarded against each other, leaving Xuan Hao, the main character, completely out in the cold.
The ultimate result of mutual distrust is that no one gets to eat!
"Pfft—"
Having figured out the key point, Bibi Dong couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Her originally noble and aloof image instantly crumbled, and amidst the trembling of her body, the stunning curves beneath her purple robe became even more eye-catching.
"So that's how it is..."
"So after all that, not only did you not get any meat, you ended up being roasted over a fire by these little girls?"
"Oh, my good apprentice, your love life... it's a sweet torment."
Bibi Dong shifted to an even more languid pose, her long legs crossed, her fair ankles shimmering dazzlingly under the light. She teased, a half-smile playing on her lips:
"However, you can't blame anyone else.
Who told you to be so promiscuous and flirtatious?"
Bibi Dong stretched out her slender hand and began to count them off one by one on her fingers:
"Look at all the romantic entanglements you've gotten yourself into.
Let's not even talk about your senior sister Hu Liena; there's Ning Rongrong, the pampered little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School; Dugu Yan, the precious granddaughter of that old poisoner Dugu Bo; Ye Lingling, the aloof and elegant woman from the Nine Heart Begonia family; and then there's your ever-present little sister, Na'er..."
"Which of these five girls is easy to deal with?"
Bibi Dong shook her head with schadenfreude:
"This is just the beginning, and they've already started fighting amongst themselves.
Wait until they're all grown up... ugh, you'll be in for it! Your own backyard will be in chaos, let's see how you handle that!"
Faced with Bibi Dong's teasing, Xuan Hao felt a sudden toothache.
He touched his nose guiltily and muttered something under his breath:
"Actually... well, there are more than just these few."
"..."
The air in the hall suddenly became eerily quiet for a moment.
Bibi Dong abruptly stopped swirling her wine glass, her smile gradually fading, and her eyes instantly turning extremely dangerous. "Oh?"
"besides?"
Bibi Dong's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling undertone:
"You've really grown bold, haven't you, Xuan Hao?
When did you find someone new behind my back?"
"hiss--"
Sensing the almost tangible killing intent, a chill ran down Xuan Hao's spine, and his survival instinct kicked in instantly.
He waved his hands frantically, trying to distance himself from the situation:
"No! I definitely didn't do it behind your back!"
"Teacher, calm down!
Well... actually, you know this already! You know them!"
"I know him?"
Bibi Dong frowned slightly, her mind rapidly filtering through the prominent ladies of Tiandou City who had interacted with Xuan Hao.
Suddenly, a name flashed through her mind like lightning.
"Could it be... Tang Yuehua from Yuexuan?!"
Bibi Dong's gaze turned somewhat strange.
She recalled that a few years ago, when Yue Guan returned to Wuhun City to report on his work, he had mentioned the situation in Tiandou City to her.
Xuan Hao was too arrogant and domineering in Tian Dou City.
He would beat up the noble children who offended him until they were black and blue.
When he was a child, things were fine.
Everyone saw him as a gifted kid, and even if he was beaten up, those nobles couldn't bring themselves to stoop to the level of a little brat.
However, as Xuan Hao grows up, his domineering and arrogant style is likely to arouse public anger in Tian Dou City, and may even bring unnecessary trouble to Qian Renxue, who is disguised as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
Therefore, in order to improve Xuan Hao's personal image, Qian Renxue insisted on packing him into Yuexuan, the most prestigious academy of etiquette in the Tiandou Empire.
The idea was to let him learn court etiquette and cultivate his character there.
Preparing him there to gild his resume and present himself as a refined and elegant noble genius would indeed be more beneficial for Xuan Hao in assisting Qian Renxue's infiltration plan in Tiandou City.
When Bibi Dong heard this report, she thought Xue Qinghe had made the right move.
Xuan Hao's wild nature really needed a woman like Tang Yuehua to temper him.
But...
"That's not right!"
Bibi Dong found it increasingly absurd, staring wide-eyed at the silver-haired boy in front of her who had just shed his youthful naiveté.
Who is Tang Yuehua?
That's a direct descendant of the Haotian Sect, and the top noble etiquette master in Tiandou City!
Most importantly, Tang Yuehua is from the same generation as her! In terms of age, Tang Yuehua might even be two or three years older than her!
How old was Xuanhao when he went to Yuexuan? At most, he was just over ten years old!
He actually flirted with a mature woman like Tang Yuehua?!
But as soon as this absurd thought popped into her head, Bibi Dong looked at Xuan Hao's face, which was filled with guilt and a hint of helplessness, and instantly felt relieved.
"This... wait, this brat doesn't care about any of that!"
Bibi Dong cursed inwardly.
Others might care about the age gap, but would that little bastard Xuanhao care?
He has always liked mature, feminine women since he was a child!
He dared to sneak into his bed in the middle of the night, the Pope's bed, and dared to grope and molest her, his nominal teacher... What wouldn't he dare to do?!
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