Chapter 1
When the notification from the dean of students came through, Chu Yunmiao was in the Flight Simulation Room doing combat practice with her friend Lin Mo. Their skill levels were evenly matched, and the fierce battle had dragged on for nearly half an hour. Chu Yunmiao glanced at the message during a brief lull, then steered her TG676 fighter straight into Lin Mo’s warship. Lin Mo clearly hadn’t expected her to pull a move like that; she could only watch helplessly as her warship exploded.
Without even looking at the “VICTORY” prompt that popped up on the screen, Chu Yunmiao turned off the cockpit and left the training room.
Lin Mo chased after her. “That was ruthless. Your death time was only 0.3 seconds later than mine. If this were a real fight, we’d both be dead, you know that?”
Chu Yunmiao wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel, not even lifting her head. “I know. I’m in a hurry.”
Lin Mo blinked in confusion. “Class doesn’t start until three this afternoon, doesn’t it? Where are you going?”
As she packed her things into her backpack, Chu Yunmiao answered, “Instructor Yu Hui has been transferred. The school found us a new instructor, and they want me to go help with the handover.”
Lin Mo was stunned. “Wasn’t Old Yu just on leave because of something at home? How did he get transferred all of a sudden?” She narrowed her eyes. “Who’s the new instructor? What rank are they?”
“I don’t know.”
Lin Mo let out a completely unladylike snort. “We’re already more than a month into the semester, and they’re just changing instructors like that? Does the school even care about us students at all?” She couldn’t help making the worst assumptions. “And it happened so suddenly. The new instructor is probably just some temporary replacement. Do you think the administration is going to grab a senior from fourth year to fob us off?”
Chu Yunmiao finished packing and slung her backpack over her shoulder. Compared to her friend’s indignation, she was much calmer. “I’ll go take a look first.”
Lin Mo hurriedly said, “Yunmiao, you’re the class monitor. If the new person is really that bad, you can’t agree to it.”
She pulled out her light-brain terminal and opened the class chat group. “Don’t worry. I’ll contact everyone right now. Our Class 1 is going to stand together; we absolutely can’t just sit back and watch the school do whatever it wants!”
Chu Yunmiao was amused by her anxious expression. “Don’t worry.”
Facing the exit, the light and shadow carved distinct lines across her features; the bright side was, as always, courteous and proper, while in the darkness there was a cold arrogance that looked down on all beneath the heavens, carrying the unyielding nobility she was born with. “I’ll make sure they give us an explanation sincere enough.”
With that, she turned and left the training room, leaving Lin Mo standing there in a daze for several seconds.
A vibrating light-brain terminal pulled Lin Mo back to her senses.
Just now she had @-ed everyone in the class chat group, and by now all the Alpha who had been lurking in Class 1 had surfaced.
【Lin Mo? What’s wrong?】
【What happened? You @-ed us and then went silent?】
【Say it quick if something’s up; I’m in a rush to train.】
Looking at the chat, Lin Mo moved her fingers and sent a message.
【Tsk. The class monitor is so cool.】
The class chat fell silent for a second, then was instantly flooded with unanimous praise.
【Did you really need to say that?】
【The Long Princess is the Empire’s most glorious light; I would follow her forever.】
【Ever since the “Emperor is whipped” persona was exposed, the Long Princess has been the only perfect idol in my heart. Monitor, you’re the best!】
【…】
Lin Mo had originally meant to tell them about the new instructor, but by then she had completely forgotten; she joined in the joking and bantering for a few lines instead. When she remembered the reason she had @-ed everyone in the first place, she suddenly felt there was no need to bring it up after all.
“Tsk.” She rolled her shoulders to loosen them. “I’m worrying for nothing. Who would dare make things difficult for Chu Yunmiao?”
After muttering to herself, she returned to the simulation room and pulled up the previous match to review it. Half an hour later, a howl rang out from inside the training room. “No way, you didn’t die?! You ejected from the cockpit before the ship exploded?! Screw you, with just 0.3 seconds left Chu Yunmiao, are you a demon? You still managed to survive that?!”
Unfortunately, Chu Yunmiao had long since left and couldn’t hear her shocked and furious outburst at all. Another half hour passed before the Class 1 monitor, carrying a heavy responsibility, arrived at the school administration building and lifted her hand to knock on the dean of students’ office door.
The dean of students came to open it personally, beaming as he ushered her into the office. The sofa was a three-seater with two single chairs. He gave the three-seater to Chu Yunmiao and tucked himself awkwardly into one of the single chairs.
“Ah, Student Chu, I already explained everything in the message. This new instructor is just arriving and really needs your help as the class monitor so she can take over the class as soon as possible. You’ll have to work hard for this period. Those who are capable have to shoulder more responsibility, haha, those who are capable have to shoulder more responsibility.”
Chu Yunmiao kept her basic courtesy, her expression not changing at all. Sitting properly on the three-seater, she asked, “The school should understand how much impact it has on a class to replace an instructor halfway through, shouldn’t it?”
“Yes, yes.” The dean of students nodded repeatedly. “So this is only being done because there’s truly no other choice. The administration has already done its best to secure the best possible new instructor for you.”
He paused, then looked at Chu Yunmiao and asked, “...May I ask if you have any hard requirements for the new instructor?”
Chu Yunmiao did not beat around the bush. “The new instructor’s rank and personal ability cannot be weaker than Instructor Yu Hui’s.”
The dean of students visibly relaxed. “No problem! In those two aspects, she’s stronger than Yu Hui. She won’t let you down.”
Chu Yunmiao raised a brow at that.
Yu Hui, who had previously led their class, was among the top instructors in the entire year. The requirement she had just named was one that, across the whole school, only a handful of instructors could meet.
So she hadn’t expected the dean of students to give her such an answer.
It was like quoting an absurdly high price and waiting for the other side to bargain, only for them to wave a hand and say, “Deal.”
Chu Yunmiao thought about it and tested the waters. “If the new instructor is that capable, then they shouldn’t need my help, should they?”
The dean of students gave a guilty little laugh. “They do, they do.”
“She’s relatively young, and she hasn’t been teaching for long. With you helping on the side, she’ll get up to speed faster.”
Hearing the new instructor’s shortcomings, Chu Yunmiao’s taut nerves relaxed by seventy percent. If what the dean of students said was true, and the only issues were youth and lack of experience, then that was completely within her tolerance. After all, the Special Military Administration Academy was not like an ordinary university. Although an instructor’s position was roughly equivalent to a homeroom teacher’s, their role was very different. As long as they had exceptional personal strength, things like teaching experience were basically minor details.
“I understand.” Chu Yunmiao nodded in satisfaction. “I’ll do my best to cooperate with the school’s arrangements.”
The dean of students smiled until his eyes nearly vanished into slits. “Wonderful. With your class’s approval, everything can be settled. I knew you wouldn’t care about experience and the like; that’s all surface-level resume stuff. It proves nothing. Rank and strength are the most important standards.”
As he spoke, he operated on the light-brain screen a few times; it seemed he was approving some document.
Seeing this, Chu Yunmiao asked casually, “What’s this new instructor’s name? Has she arrived at the school yet?”
“She has, she has. Her name is...” Halfway through the sentence, a communication came through on the dean of students’ light-brain. After a brief chat with the other party, he hung up and smiled at Chu Yunmiao. “The new instructor is in the administration building to get her Instructor Card; she’s just outside. Want me to take you to meet her? Once you’ve met, you can start working together.”
Chu Yunmiao nodded and stood up from the sofa.
She had no insistence on hearing the name first, because even if the dean of students told her now, she probably wouldn’t remember it. Learning it during a face-to-face introduction would make it easier to remember.
It wasn’t until she followed the dean of students out of the office and into the administration building lobby, and then looked in the direction of his gaze to see the figure standing in front of the screen, that she realized what price she would have to pay for that momentary lapse.
The kindly dean of students failed to notice the Imperial Crown Princess’s emotional shift and cheerfully made the introductions for them.
“Student Chu, this is the new instructor I mentioned to you. Her name is Yu Changning. Come to think of it, you should have heard of her, right? The person at the very top of the school’s honor roll profile is her! Instructor Yu is also your senior. She extended her studies for two years, so she’s still a fourth-year student at our school, but her credits are already completely sufficient; she’s only waiting to graduate. Over the next academic year, she’ll be fully responsible for teaching Class 1 of first year.
“Instructor Yu, this is Student Chu. Student Chu doesn’t need any introduction, right? Hahaha, the Empire’s glory, Long Princess Chu Yunmiao. She’s Class 1’s monitor, and from now on she’ll help you adapt to the work.”
The Empire’s glory was wearing a cold expression at this moment, her entire body radiating an even chillier aura than smog.
The new instructor in front of her had her long hair simply twisted up at the back of her head. She did indeed look very young, but her bearing was stern, her frame upright and slender as bamboo; no one would dare underestimate her just because of her age. If one had to name a flaw, it would be that she was beautiful; too beautiful. Looking only at Yu Changning’s face, those alluring peach blossom eyes would only bring to mind the goddess who lingered in one’s heart on sleepless nights, not a serious instructor.
She took the initiative to extend a hand to Chu Yunmiao and opened her lips in greeting. “Long time no—”
Before she could finish, Chu Yunmiao raised her hand and gripped it hard.
She used seven or eight parts of her strength in that instant, even forcing several veins up on her wrist. At the same time, she coldly cut off the other woman’s words and seized the initiative. “Instructor Yu, a pleasure to meet you.”
Even the dean of students beside them was stunned for a moment.
Chu Yunmiao knew that this behavior was rude; it was not something a dignified Imperial Crown Princess ought to do. But she couldn’t help it. She had no way of being warm and friendly to this person.
Yet Yu Changning’s expression did not change; she seemed not to feel the slightest dissatisfaction.
Chu Yunmiao’s attention was entirely on her face, trying to spot any real change in her emotions, when she suddenly felt the palm in her own hand move.
She thought the other woman wanted to pull away, and stubbornly refused to let go, instead adding another point of strength. But the next moment, she felt a faint itch against her palm; only then did she realize Yu Changning had no intention of releasing her at all——
On top of that, right under the dean of students’ nose, the new Instructor Yu moved her fingertips and, as if coaxing her, gently rubbed the soft pad of her finger against the Imperial Crown Princess’s palm.
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Author’s note:
The novel is starting~
Happy New Year~ Happy Valentine’s Day~