After the quiz papers were handed out, the class quickly came to an end.
As the bell approached, sighs echoed through the classroom once again, as everyone seemed to feel they hadn’t performed well.
Evelyn glanced casually at the collected papers, and her expression immediately darkened.
“Tsk, how could anyone get this wrong…”
“Wasn’t this quiz supposed to be easy? Did any of you actually review at home?”
Her face stern, she swept a cold gaze across the room. “We’re already halfway through the semester, and you’re still showing no improvement. Do you want me to fail you all? Let me remind you, it’s not unheard of for an entire class to fail under me. If you want to graduate, you’d better get your act together and master the course material!”
The students’ faces grew even more despondent.
However, Evelyn’s expression eventually softened, and she turned with a rare smile toward the window seat.
“Although the overall results are disappointing, I’d like to commend a few students, such as Luo Wei.”
Luo Wei blinked in surprise.
“Look at him! Even while hospitalized, he managed to keep up with his studies! Not only did he help the police solve a major case, but he also maintained his academic progress. The only question he didn’t answer was the last one on the quiz! Everyone, take a moment to reflect. Think about why you worked so hard to get into Callen University in the first place! Do you still want to make something of yourselves or not?!”
Most of the students hung their heads in shame, while a few cast admiring and envious glances at Luo Wei.
Luo Wei, however, simply shook his head with a humble smile, as if he didn’t think he’d done anything extraordinary.
Of course, he had done well—after all, Evelyn had been tutoring him every night…
With such a renowned teacher guiding him, he had already outpaced the entire class in the field of magic studies from the starting line…
Though, to be fair, Evelyn was usually too lazy to push him to study. It was Luo Wei who had insisted on her help…
If she taught well, she’d get a reward.
If she didn’t…
Well, she’d still get a reward. Evelyn wasn’t the type to settle for less.
After school, Luo Wei and Evelyn “coincidentally” boarded the same steam bus.
Despite repeated assurances that steam transportation was safe, the bus was nearly empty.
With plenty of seats available, Luo Wei cheerfully took the one next to Evelyn.
Evelyn shot him a glare. “Could you stop staring at me like that during class?”
“Huh?” Luo Wei feigned confusion. “But I’m a student. Who else am I supposed to look at during class?”
His logic was sound, and Evelyn was momentarily speechless.
But the memory of Luo Wei’s intense gaze during class, filled with unspoken desire, made her cheeks flush.
Her face turned stern again. “No! Don’t change the subject! That wasn’t the look of a student! It was… it was lecherous! If you keep that up, how am I supposed to teach?”
“How was it not the look of a student?” Luo Wei protested, putting on a serious expression. “My eyes were filled with a student’s passion for knowledge! It was admiration and respect for the best teacher, Evelyn! Why are you always thinking about such inappropriate things? Or maybe… you’re the one with the dirty mind, always jumping to those conclusions?”
“You little brat!” Evelyn glared at him. “Enough with the smooth talk! Behave yourself in class from now on, or I’ll fail you!”
Luo Wei grinned and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Evelyn sighed, unsure if he was taking her seriously, but there was little else she could do.
With strangers all around, Evelyn quietly rested her head on Luo Wei’s shoulder.
“It’s been so long since I last taught… I’m exhausted…”
A faint, enchanting fragrance filled the air as Luo Wei glanced at Evelyn, who seemed to have something on her mind but remained silent.
Luo Wei savored the quiet moment, gazing out the window as Saint Callen slowly regained its former vitality.
Suddenly, Evelyn asked softly,
“That night at the banquet… after I got drunk, I didn’t say anything strange, did I?”
Luo Wei noticed her stealing a glance at him, her expression cautious.
He couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, you said a lot of things!”
Evelyn immediately sat up, her face filled with panic. “What? What did I say??”
Luo Wei adopted a solemn expression. “You said, ‘I really like Xiao Wei! I like him so much! I can’t live without him!’ And then you clung to me, acting all silly…”
“What?!”
Evelyn’s face turned bright red in an instant.
“I… I…”
She stammered, utterly flustered.
“I really said that? How could I say something like that?! Damn it!”
She buried her face in her hands, mortified. “I knew I shouldn’t have drunk so much! I’ve never had alcohol before! What was I thinking?! I’m so embarrassed! I could just die!”
She looked up abruptly. “Luo Wei, don’t take any of that seriously! I was just drunk and rambling!”
But Luo Wei was staring at her, his lips twitching as he tried to suppress a laugh…
“You…”
“You tricked me!!”
Evelyn lunged at him, furious.
“You’re always fooling me! How could I be so gullible?!”
Luo Wei raised his hands in mock surrender. “Teacher, I was just trying to spare your feelings. Look how lively you are now! Isn’t this better?”
“Spare my feelings? Why would I need that?”
“If I told you the truth, you’d definitely be embarrassed~”
Evelyn froze.
Wait…
Did she really say something she shouldn’t have that night?
Her cheeks burned as she covered her face, too ashamed to speak.
I swear, if I ever drink again, I’m a dog!
...
Amid their playful bickering, the steam bus came to a stop at Riverside Road in the East District.
As they walked home together, Evelyn suddenly complained, “We really need to buy a car… commuting takes so much time. It’s such a waste…”
“Sure,” Luo Wei agreed. Saint Callen was a big city, and getting around wasn’t easy. A car was definitely a good idea.
“But just so you know, I don’t have any money!” Evelyn quickly added.
“I know…” Luo Wei gave her a wry look.
Evelyn, despite being a vampire, was perpetually broke. Her salary from the university was spent entirely on beauty products, shopping, bags, and clothes…
“With more people living at home now, we can’t get something too small…” Luo Wei mused. “It needs decent power, too… and comfort is important. Helena gets carsick easily…”
As he pondered, his gaze drifted to the house across the street.
“You know, our neighbor’s car seems pretty nice. Maybe we should get something like that…”
Though “neighbor” was a stretch—their house was over five hundred meters away, but it was the closest one to the old mansion.
Mention of the neighbor suddenly jogged Luo Wei’s memory.
He and Evelyn exchanged a glance.
Their eyes widened in unison.
“We never returned the car!!”
But that car had long since been destroyed in the chaos of the Lower District…
Luo Wei recalled the sorry state of the once-pristine vehicle, crumpled and shattered… Its only value now was as scrap metal, though perhaps the steam engine could fetch a decent price…
Fortunately, the commendation ceremony had come with a hefty reward, so Luo Wei wasn’t short on funds. He could always buy the neighbor a new car…
When Luo Wei and Evelyn knocked on the neighbor’s door with guilty expressions…
The neighbor opened the door, saw Luo Wei, and immediately recoiled in fear.
“Ah! We don’t have a car anymore! Please go ask someone else!!”
It seemed that the memory of Luo Wei brandishing a revolver had left a lasting impression…
Luo Wei waved his hand helplessly, "I'm not here to borrow your car this time, but to return it..."
The neighbor scrutinized him carefully and, seeing that he wasn't carrying a gun, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"If that's the case... then there's no rush..."
"Oh, right! There's one more thing—I almost forgot!"
The neighbor looked at Luo Wei, suddenly slapped his forehead.
"My memory! Wait here for a moment!"
With that, he turned and rummaged through the cabinet by the entrance. Luo Wei and Evelyn exchanged puzzled glances as they watched his back.
A moment later, the neighbor returned holding an exquisite envelope.
"A few days ago, when no one was home at your place, a postman dropped this off. This kind of letter requires a personal signature upon delivery, so it was left with me."
"A letter?" Luo Wei was taken aback, then accepted it.
Who would send me a letter? Why not just come find me directly?
Luo Wei frowned as he examined the envelope, then flipped it over.
The moment he saw the sender's information...
His gaze froze.
"Wegner Empire, Southern District, Brugge City, Heglais Town."
"Tilis"
The sender was...
Miss Witch.