In the university town of Blackthorn City, Andrew was walking alone, dragging his luggage under the scorching sun.
At the same time, he was talking to his mother through his Bluetooth headset.
"Mom, are you sure you want me to live with a girl? Is that really appropriate?"
"Then what do you want to do? Live alone? Stay up all night, skip classes during the day, and completely waste your four years of university?"
"Am I really that hopeless in your eyes?"
Andrew pouted and muttered a complaint.
Today was the day he was supposed to register at school, but luck wasn't on his side.
Due to campus reconstruction and increased enrollment, dormitory resources were limited, and he unfortunately wasn't assigned a room, meaning he had to live off-campus.
Originally, he planned to rent a place by himself, but his mother, Alexa, was worried and arranged for him to live with a female professor.
"Don't worry, she was my student before. She's a very nice person. You two will get along well. Your dad and I are still traveling. I'm hanging up now."
"Wait a minute! Hello?"
Beep beep beep—
Listening to the beeping sound, Andrew sighed helplessly. "She could have at least told me her name. That way, I could greet her properly."
Sometimes, Andrew truly felt like he was just an extra expense to his parents.
He followed the address forward. Near the entrance of a residential complex, he saw a white Audi parked by the roadside.
Andrew glanced at it, feeling it was somewhat familiar, but didn't pay much attention and continued walking.
He didn't know that a woman in a white dress had stepped out of the Audi behind him and was now following him.
Suddenly, Andrew's phone rang again. He thought it was his mother calling to give him more information.
But when he looked, it was a call from his godson, Ethan.
"Andrew, I'm telling you, this is terrifying!"
As soon as he answered, Ethan's voice was filled with extreme panic.
"What's wrong? Did you see a ghost?"
"Much scarier than a ghost."
"What on earth happened? Tell me."
Andrew had no idea what Ethan was talking about.
"Do you remember the English teacher who substituted for our class for one semester when we first started our senior year of high school?"
Andrew recalled for a moment and instantly felt a chill run down his spine. "Of course I remember. I still remember her name was Scarlett."
If a person's personality or appearance is exceptionally striking, it leaves a deep impression on others.
And Scarlett was outstanding in both aspects. She was beautiful, but there was something chilling about her.
During that one semester, Andrew never saw Scarlett smile. Her face was always cold, and the most frightening thing was her gaze, which seemed capable of killing.
One male student was glared at by Scarlett, called to the office, came back weeping, and was subsequently put on medical leave.
A tall, grown man went in fine but came out crying. This had a huge impact on Andrew.
Since then, many rumors about Scarlett spread among the students. The most common one was that she had suffered some trauma that resulted in psychological issues, perhaps even a slightly yandere and perverse personality.
Andrew didn't dare to meet Scarlett's eyes, afraid he'd be the next one to get crushed.
Given Scarlett's fierce temperament, she would probably dominate even in a 'fight'.
"Yes, yes, that's the she-devil who would slap any dog that passed by. She's actually the English teacher at Blackthorn University and is teaching our class!"
"Holy crap, aren't we dead then?"
Andrew instantly felt like the sky was falling.
"Exactly! I even suspect this crazy woman probably get bored tormenting her own man at home, so she came here to torture us students."
"Scarlett has a partner?"
"I don't know, I'm just guessing. Anyway, if she has a partner, he must be the submissive type, someone who enjoys being dominated by this woman. Otherwise, who would dare to be her boyfriend?"
"That sounds quite enjoyable."
"Damn it, Andrew, you aren't secretly into that, are you?"
"Don't talk nonsense! How could I possibly be?"
Andrew cursed.
"I'm hanging up first. I haven't reached my place yet. I'll talk to you later."
Andrew stepped into the complex and followed the address until he reached Room 206 in Building One.
He stopped at the door but didn't knock right away, hesitating as he tried to figure out how to greet the person inside.
They were going to be living together from now on. It would be best to start things off on good terms.
But Andrew had no experience with this kind of situation. Forget dating, he could barely hold a conversation with girls. He had no idea what to say.
And after what Ethan had just told him, his imagination was already running wild, picturing the girl inside this room as Scarlett.
"No way… it can't be her. If I end up living with Scarlett, I won't even survive the first night."
While he was still muttering to himself, a calm, cool voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Are you Andrew?"
"Y-Yes… hello."
He quickly turned around, ready to greet her, only to see an incomparably exquisite and beautiful face.
A high, straight nose bridge, thin pink lips, and deep, bright eyes.
The cool temperament, combined with her graceful and curvaceous figure, gave people an elegant and stunning feeling.
But the moment Andrew recognized her, his blood ran cold.
He stumbled back until his back hit the wall. "T-Teacher Scarlett… why are you here?"
Without answering, Scarlett took out her key and unlocked the door to Room 206, "I live here."
Andrew felt his heart drop. Of all the possible outcomes… the most terrifying thing had happened.
He was actually going to live with this woman whose eyes could kill. If he were locked inside the room, he was afraid he'd be tied up and whipped?
'No, no, this is too scary! I'd rather sleep on the street than live here!'
Andrew shook his head violently, about to slip away, when Scarlett's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Where are you going? Aren't you coming in?"
A chill ran down his spine. He slowly turned back, forcing a stiff smile, already trying to come up with an excuse.
But when he met Scarlett's icy gaze, the thought of escape immediately disappeared.
Scarlett leaned against the doorframe, her cold face staring at Andrew.
Andrew had a terrifying feeling that if he refused… He would definitely die a miserable death.
"I was just a little dizzy just now, so I walked in the wrong direction."
Andrew explained with an awkward smile and dragged his suitcase into the room.
The sound of the door clicking shut behind him made Andrew's heart sink.
'That's it. I'm done for. I'm really going to live with this she-devil. Now my life and death are up to fate.'
"Your room is on the inner side."
"Your room is inside," Scarlett said, gesturing down the hallway.
"O-Okay… Thank you, Teacher Scarlett."
Andrew nodded quickly, then hurried into his room as if escaping for his life, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.
"No… I need to call for help."
He immediately pulled out his phone and tried calling his mother, hoping there was still a way out of this situation.
But the line was busy, completely extinguishing Andrew's last hope.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Scarlett stood by the window, talking on the phone with Alexa.
"Letty, did you meet Andrew?"
"Mhm, he's already in his bedroom."
"How are you two getting along?"
Scarlett's eyes flicked toward the closed bedroom door.
She recalled the content of Andrew's phone call she overheard on the road… and the way
he looked like a frightened rabbit just now.
Scarlett, and his panicked appearance just now.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Andrew is quite interesting."