"Bibi Dong, explain yourself! What exactly happened between you and Teacher Xin back then?"
"I thought about it all night, tossing and turning, and after much deliberation, I could only read two words from your actions: man-eater!"
"Teacher Xin usually keeps his distance even from me, as if he doesn't understand romance at all, but with you, there seemed to be no barrier; you chatted and laughed freely. Did you perhaps… do something to Teacher Xin?"
As the morning sun rose from the east, casting a faint golden glow over the academy, and before morning lessons had even begun, the elegant and graceful Qian Renxue knocked on the door of Heart of Fire Pavilion.
But there was no response from inside.
Qian Renxue frowned slightly and gently pushed the door open.
It wasn't locked.
The room was empty.
Clean.
Neat.
So clean that it felt like no one had ever lived there at all.
Her golden eyes swept across the room quickly, her expression changing.
This was wrong.
Normally at this time, Bibi Dong would already be up, preparing wash water, organizing lesson materials, or heading toward the teaching hall to assist in early preparations.
But today… she was gone.
Only a faint trace of lingering fragrance remained in the air.
And on the dressing table—
A letter.
Qian Renxue's heart tightened inexplicably.
She stepped forward, picked it up, and opened it.
Inside were two sheets of paper.
She began reading silently.
At first, her expression was calm.
Then gradually, her brows tightened.
Then—
Clang!
The letter slipped from her hand.
Qian Renxue staggered backward as if struck by an invisible blow.
Her vision blurred for a moment before she collapsed heavily onto the floor.
"…What?"
Her voice was hoarse.
"…She left?"
Her golden eyes trembled.
—
Meanwhile, at the Heart of Fire Dean's office.
Xin sat quietly, holding the letter Bibi Dong had left behind.
He read it once.
Then again.
The room was silent.
Only the faint rustling of paper could be heard.
His expression, usually calm and composed, had become slightly dimmer than usual.
Not anger.
Not panic.
Just… quiet emptiness.
A kind of loss that was hard to name.
He lowered the letter slowly.
"I see…"
His voice was very soft.
People who had been with him for a long time would have noticed something unusual.
His tone was steady—but there was a faint tremor hidden beneath it.
A rare hesitation.
A rare sense of being unprepared.
He leaned back slightly in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
Bibi Dong had left.
Just like that.
Without warning.
Without confrontation.
Without even waiting for a proper farewell.
Xin exhaled slowly.
"It seems…"
His fingers tightened slightly around the paper.
"…I really didn't understand her thoughts."
He paused.
Then lowered his gaze.
A faint, self-mocking thought surfaced in his mind.
Could it be…
My teaching method is fine…
But my personal charm… has a problem?
Outside the window, cherry blossoms drifted down silently.
The academy remained as peaceful as ever.
But somewhere within that quiet peace—
something had quietly shifted.