The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 987 - 986

Chapter 987: Chapter 986

Qiao Yaning felt that Wang Shiwei was problematic. In front of Lu Mian, she was all praise, saying whatever sounded good.

But the moment she was out of Lu Mian’s sight, she started badmouthing this and that.

Classic two-faced behavior, double-dealing through and through.

Even though Qiao Yaning didn’t have a great relationship with Lu Mian, she refused to join Wang Shiwei in trash-talking her.

"Oh come on, Ning Ning, don’t be mad..." Wang Shiwei mumbled half-heartedly and slinked away awkwardly.

Qiao Yaning watched her walk over to a group of unfamiliar girls and start chatting with them enthusiastically.

She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but guessed they were probably trashing her now.

Another ten minutes passed, and with a loud shout of "The instructor’s here!" Qiao Yaning stood up from the ground, scanning for sight of the new instructor.

She froze when her eyes fell on a tall, striking silhouette.

Immediately, her gaze darted toward Lu Mian.

In her mind, there was only one thought: Power is everything.

Their new instructor turned out to be Lu Mian’s boyfriend!

This was straight out of a romance novel!

Qiao Yaning stared at Lu Mian in utter bewilderment, as if trying to detect any emotional reaction from the nonchalant, devil-may-care girl.

But even after half a minute, Lu Mian remained perfectly calm.

There was neither the unease of having punched the instructor nor the joy of her boyfriend unexpectedly showing up.

Indeed, Xiao Qimo had taken over the remaining military training responsibilities for the Applied Physics department.

Mo Nie had assumed he’d run off in a hurry to chase big money. But Mo Nie would’ve been stunned to know: this "Mr. Mo" donated an entire building to Qing University, gifted a set of exquisite cold-warm jade chess pieces to Jing Pei, and then came to Chixia Sect to train students.

Xiao Qimo hadn’t rested even a bit before showing up, evidently eager to see Lu Mian.

From a distance, he’d spotted her quietly standing under a tree. She seemed pretty composed, her emotions steady. Had she already processed everything internally?

This kind of self-digestion wasn’t good for her health.

Step by step, he approached, triggering a wave of screams and cheers.

The girls’ squeals especially were no less intense than at a meet-and-greet with a celebrity.

"Who is this brand-new idol? Oh my god, he’s SO handsome!"

"He’s the new instructor! Ah, I’m swooning! I’d willingly train 24 hours a day if he’s here!"

Lu Mian lazily lifted her head amidst the chorus of screams, her cool gaze softening, a glimmer of light dancing in her eyes as she smiled ever so lightly.

She wasn’t surprised at all.

Director Qimo was clingy—and wherever she went, he’d follow.

If he didn’t make a move, it would’ve been more unusual.

Lu Mian was already used to him showing up in her life in countless guises. Smiling faintly, she joined her classmates in assembling. She subtly tugged at her right sleeve to cover the band-aid on her fist.

In the entire class, apart from Qiao Yaning who’d seen Xiao Qimo before, no one knew about his relationship with Lu Mian.

Lu Mian said nothing, and Xiao Qimo didn’t elaborate either. He gave a simple introduction, saying his surname was Qi, and then told everyone to get into formation.

Cold! Taciturn!

An aura of icy aloofness instantly extinguished the romantic daydreams that had been running wild in the girls’ minds.

A flower on a high peak—unattainable.

Everyone thought that with such a serious and stern demeanor, their new instructor was bound to make the upcoming days miserable...

But reality couldn’t have been further from it...

Xiao Qimo’s style of management was extraordinarily lax. Even students scratching their heads or squirming while standing at attention weren’t reprimanded.

He didn’t care what they did. With hands behind his back, gracefully yet casually, he strolled through the lines of students.

His steps were slow, steady, and grounded.

When he reached the last row of students, he stopped behind one.

The students sneakily cast sidelong glances, their palms sweating nervously.

A few bold boys in the front rows turned to take a peek and immediately started whispering.

"Looks like the new instructor stopped by Lu Mian..."

"No way, right? Is he going to start picking on her? This is all so unfair to Lu Mian!"

"The new instructor looks fierce. Doesn’t seem like someone easy to get along with. What do we do? Should we help Lu Mian out..."

Xiao Qimo stood behind Lu Mian. The students next to her were so terrified that cold sweat dripped from their foreheads; they all stood rigidly at attention, not daring to move an inch.

Only Lu Mian remained as relaxed and unbothered as ever.

She could feel the man’s breathing behind her. Maybe it was due to the sweltering heat and intense sunlight, but even Director Qimo’s breath seemed scorching.

This wouldn’t do—it might lead to heatstroke.

Without hesitation, she pressed her lips together and candidly asked in a low voice, "Want some water?"

The effect of this question was no less impactful than when a boyfriend advises his girlfriend to drink warm water during her period.

Xiao Qimo’s thin lips formed a straight line as his sharp features hardened. He didn’t say a word but sighed softly by her side.

Leaning down, he lowered his voice near her ear with a faintly aggrieved tone: "Little troublemaker, not even excited to welcome me..."

Lu Mian: ...

Lu Mian couldn’t bear him whispering in her ear. That soft, ticklish breath always stirred odd feelings within her—emotions that were very much inappropriate for this public setting.

With her ears flushing red, she stiffened her posture, just about to retort, when the man behind her unexpectedly grabbed her hand.

Lu Mian furrowed her brow, unable to fathom his intention. Half a second later, she felt something in her palm.

By the time she figured it out, Xiao Qimo had already left.

In her hand was a piece of candy, and whispered softly alongside it was his deliberate, gentle reassurance: "Have some candy. Cheer up..."

Their exchange and actions were shared in secrecy, unnoticed by anyone else.

Terrified by Xiao Qimo’s sharp presence, the students around them remained stiff as boards, oblivious to his discreet gesture.

All they knew was that the new instructor came, and soon after, he left.

Then they noticed Lu Mian standing casually, holding an unorthodox military posture, and witnessed her unabashedly tearing into a wrapper right in front of the instructor and everyone else.

A curious student glanced over.

Turns out she popped a candy into her mouth!

Everyone: ???

Study genius, get your act together!

How could you dare eat in front of such a cold-blooded and intimidating person?!