Zi Ye twitched the corner of her mouth, suppressing the urge to complain, and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Blan, and thank you, Teacher Tang Wen."

Tang Wen’s expression finally softened upon hearing those last four words, and the super-signal instantly cut off. His face immediately grew a shade grayer. Blan caught the shift in his demeanor, walked up to him, and looked at him with the gaze one reserves for a pitiable puppy. "School starts soon; you'll see her then."

Tang Wen shot him a disgruntled glance. "Who wants to see her?"

Blan couldn't help but chuckle. Tang Wen wouldn't admit it, so Blan certainly wouldn't press the issue, though he secretly mused about how to coax Zi Ye over. He truly didn't want to keep dealing with Tang Wen's foul moods!

Zi Ye, carrying the cultivation box with Little Sprout trailing behind her, followed the red-haired woman to Kaga.

This time, as soon as the red-haired woman boarded the shuttle, she claimed the co-pilot's seat, leaving the captain's chair for Zi Ye.

Zi Ye raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? Turning over a new leaf?"

The red-haired woman crossed her legs and leaned back languidly. "My current status is a teacher at Kaga. If I'm piloting, it will be Kaga's shuttle. You can handle the Interstellar Federation's shuttle."

Zi Ye glanced at her sideways, mocking, "I didn't think you were so savvy."

The red-haired woman shrugged and abruptly changed the subject. "Little Stink, want to take my course?"

Every student had to take two elective courses offered by the Kaga Basic Education Center each semester. Last semester, Zi Ye randomly chose two: Interstellar Physics and Intelligent Technology. However, due to one month of military training and two months spent at the research institute, she only attended the first lecture and the final exam for both.

This semester, Zi Ye hadn't considered electives yet, but she decisively shook her head at the red-haired woman's proposal. She felt that standing next to this woman would surely bring endless trouble.

She shook her head like a rattle drum. "No way I'm going! I'd rather not!"

The red-haired woman looked displeased. "You won't even come to support me?"

Zi Ye chuckled mischievously. "When selecting courses, the instructors' photos are available in the selection system. I'm certain the ten Kaga colleges will have countless male students signing up for your class. I won't disturb your reign of terror over them."

The moment the words left her mouth, she was grabbed by the collar. She hastily pleaded, "Fine, fine, I'll sign up! But I won't actually attend class. You have to cover for me."

As they spoke, they had already arrived at Kaga.

Zi Ye realized she could finally escape the clutches of the red-haired woman, and her eyes curved with happiness. "Red Hair, which space station are you at? I'll drop you off."

The red-haired woman leaned against the seat and drawled slowly, "No need. Just stick with me wherever I go."

Zi Ye’s forehead instantly darkened with lines.

Damn it, she really wanted to punch that nose flat. And not apologize!

She felt it was absurd for her to accompany the red-haired woman, so she simply activated her super-signal, searching for contacts. She needed to rope a few others into this. Without question, the first choice was Alexbent.

He was fun and playful, and since he was from the Angel Domain, hanging out with the red-haired woman alongside him would be pressure-free.

The twins had already returned to school. Upon receiving Zi Ye's message, they happily rushed over. They were greatly surprised to see Zi Ye accompanying a stunning beauty around Kaga.

In fact, in terms of temperament and external appearance, the red-haired woman outshone Zi Ye by far! The red-haired woman aimed for an effect where men would be paralyzed upon sight, whereas Zi Ye possessed a serene temperament; her unique appeal only emerged after spending time with her.

The red-haired woman appeared much more mature than the students but younger than most professors. Alexbent couldn't quite place her and called out, "Hello there, beautiful!"

The red-haired woman smiled charmingly and introduced herself clearly and concisely, "I am Zi Ye’s older sister. My name is Zihong. I am currently a Combat instructor at Kaga. Are you two interested in signing up?"

Alexbent and his twin said in unison, "Combat class?"

The red-haired woman smiled captivatingly. "You don't believe me?"

Alexbent exchanged a suspicious glance with his brother, then appraised the red-haired woman from head to toe. She was quite tall, but in the eyes of the exceedingly slender Alexbent, she was still somewhat petite. Moreover, her exposed skin was incredibly delicate, showing no trace of muscle. If she had been wearing an evening gown today, they probably would have believed her if she claimed to be a Etiquette instructor.

Combat? Don't joke!

Seeing Alexbent's look of disbelief, Zi Ye secretly rejoiced. What would their faces look like if they knew the red-haired woman was a master who could challenge An Junlie to a duel? She was so looking forward to it.

She had felt quite helpless about the red-haired woman earlier, but now she thought, hmm, life should be full of amusement.

To support Zi Ye’s "sister," Alexbent promptly signed up for the Combat class, becoming Zi Ye's classmate.

Of course, Alexbent didn't enroll for free. With great mutual understanding, they asked Zi Ye to register for another course: Ade's Psychological Counseling.

Watching Zi Ye press 'confirm,' the twins were overjoyed inside. Finally, someone would suffer alongside them! Simultaneously, they silently prayed that Zi Ye wouldn't hate them later. Ade was practically a twisted demoness! They brothers, along with the Twins and numerous other students from the Angel Domain, were tormented by having to take one of Ade’s classes every semester!

After touring the campus, Zi Ye, acting quite "gentlemanly," sent the red-haired woman to Kaga Space Station No. 3 before returning to her apartment.

A new semester was about to begin.

Zi Ye gazed at the bright, relaxed expressions of the many students and sighed inwardly.

Sometimes, she felt her mental age was double theirs. Returning to school didn't bring relief; instead, it brought immense pressure. Her schedule was already crammed before classes even started.

At times, she wondered if she should relax, but if she relaxed, what would the Sprout Group sell? The quantity and variety of the group's products were still far below the average level, and stacks of orders were piling up.

Zi Ye pinched her forehead and declined the class gathering. Half the students in the Mecha Repair department were now strangers to her. Many students had switched majors when they enrolled, and this semester, they were formally moving to other departments. Last semester, because Tang Wen had accepted Zi Ye into the Mecha Repair department, that department had suddenly ascended to become one of the five major departments in the Mecha Academy, drawing in students from other less popular majors who switched to join the more sought-after fields.

People came and went, and the class size remained the same, but Zi Ye no longer recognized most of them.

She didn't really care. After all, gatherings were just about eating, drinking, and having fun. Her mindset was too old. She could no longer purely focus on flirting with some handsome guy or beautiful girl, watching a decent movie, or going to a nice restaurant...

However, she did meet up with Ling Yin and the others and gave each of them a refined silver Ober crystal as a gift. In return, she received a heap of miscellaneous small gifts, the most direct of which was Saxini, who waved her hand and treated them all to a session at a beauty salon.

Beauty wasn't for the sake of attracting men, but to make oneself more confident and resolute in pursuing one's career.

Seeing their increasingly mature ways of handling affairs, Zi Ye thought silently, was this a case of birds of a feather flocking together? It seemed all of them were quite the career women.

When she voiced this observation, they all burst into laughter. Perhaps after graduation, due to family pressure or personal circumstances, some of them would marry a man. But for now, their careers were what sustained them.

To ensure they had time to gather and mutually cover for each other when skipping class, the group decided to sign up for the same elective. Zi Ye felt a flush of embarrassment. "I’ve already registered for Combat with Teacher Zihong and Psychological Counseling with Teacher Ade."

Everyone looked at her with contempt. Why would a perfectly good girl sign up for Combat?

Thus, they unanimously opted for Ade's Psychological Counseling class. After all, Psychological Counseling was mandatory; if not at Kaga, they'd have to take it at Lings.

Once classes officially began, Zi Ye suddenly realized a crucial point: the most important course on her entire schedule was Tang Wen's, in addition to a full month dedicated solely to studying with her mentor.

Fortunately, the research institute was close to the Sprout Villa, allowing her to stay there during free time to develop her new product and monitor the technical team’s progress. After all, she and the little pervert needed excellent coordination for maximum efficiency.

Zi Ye stared at her schedule, contemplating whether to visit Tang Wen early.

Before she could make up her mind, Li Chunyu contacted her first. Considering Zi Ye had given him a robot model last semester, this semester he returned the favor with a grand gift: a Guzheng (ancient zither) crafted personally by Master Zhang of the Huaxia Legion!

Although Zi Ye knew nothing about the instrument or Master Zhang, the exquisite quality of the wood and the natural finish of the lacquer told her it was no cheap item. She held it, feeling it weigh a thousand pounds. "Senior Brother, this is too valuable; I can't accept it."

Li Chunyu had a baby face and looked exceptionally gentle; his speech felt like a spring breeze. "It's fine. I'm an internal source; I got it very cheaply. Didn't you say you wanted to learn an art form? I can teach you how to play in my spare time." He would never tell Zi Ye that when he mentioned wanting to gift a Guzheng to a female friend, Master Zhang had