nownovels Chapter 107 Ignoring and Taking the Initiative
Chapter 107 Ignoring and Taking the Initiative
Xia Anqi gazed at Lu Yuan, a carefully calculated smile slowly curving her lips—a smile that blended smugness and a sense of certainty.
She had absolute self-confidence, which could even be described as blind arrogance.
Now that things have come to this, she has firmly grasped the situation. Even if Lu Yuan refuses on the spot, it will be difficult to truly change the opinions of the entire school's teachers and students.
In the eyes of most people, to receive the public favor of a girl like Xia Anqi, who comes from a privileged family and has outstanding looks, is an absolute honor, like having one's ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke.
She thought Lu Yuan was a smart man. After weighing the pros and cons, even if he didn't agree immediately on the surface for the sake of saving face, he would never dare to really block this path in private.
Xia Anqi was in no hurry to force Lu Yuan to nod immediately. After all, the "surprise" came too suddenly, and people needed some time to process it.
Her only goal now is to make a big fuss about it, to make it a public spectacle, and to use public opinion as an invisible shackle to force Lu Yuan to face this "heavy" love.
At No. 1 High School, a prestigious high school, making a big fuss about things is not only risk-free for Xia Anqi, but actually an advantage.
She was the "apple of everyone's eye" in the eyes of the school leaders and a top student who was the focus of the teachers' protection. Once the situation escalated, public opinion and the teachers' scales would naturally tip in her favor, to take care of the feelings of this favored daughter of heaven.
Under the watchful eyes of hundreds and thousands of people, Lu Yuan, at the center of the storm, displayed a chilling calmness.
He didn't make a scene as Xia Anqi had expected, nor did he show any panic or retreat.
He merely curled the corners of his mouth in disdain, let out an extremely contemptuous sneer, casually uttered the word "boring," and then turned and strode away.
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone looked at Lu Yuan as he drove away, puzzled and confused.
Xia Anqi's smile froze.
She had thought that even if Lu Yuan refused, he would be angry at being schemed against in public, and might even say something harsh in a fit of rage. But what happened? He just said "boring"?
These two words were like an invisible slap in the face, striking her meticulously arranged stage.
This turned her meticulously planned confession into a farcical one-woman show, which ultimately had to end abruptly.
Isn't this going too far?
"Lu Yuan, what do you mean?"
Xia Anqi finally came to her senses. Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, she suddenly stood up and shouted at Lu Yuanyuan's departing figure, her voice shrill with excitement.
Lu Yuan didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head. He simply waved his hand casually with his back to her, as if shooing away an annoying fly, before disappearing from everyone's sight without a trace.
"You won't agree?"
"Oh my god, Xia Anqi's confession was rejected?"
"Has Lu Yuan lost his mind? He's so ungrateful!"
A torrent of voices swept in, a cacophony of noise, shock, bewilderment, and even schadenfreude.
These voices pierced Xia Anqi's ears, making her feel utterly humiliated like never before.
She was so angry that her breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently, and her carefully prepared makeup looked particularly ironic against her distorted expression.
She had imagined countless possible endings.
She had imagined that Lu Yuan would refuse, and then fly into a rage, accusing her of having malicious intentions, so that she could play the victim and gain sympathy.
She had also thought that Lu Yuan would be flattered and agree, after all, this was a marriage that others could only envy.
Whether he agreed or refused, Lu Yuan had actually given a "response," which made the whole scene complete.
The only thing I didn't expect was that he chose the most embarrassing way for her: to ignore her.
His nonchalant attitude made it seem as if everything Xia Anqi had painstakingly orchestrated was nothing more than a joke to him, as if the whole affair had no impact on him whatsoever.
Lu Yuan did it on purpose.
He knew very well that Xia Anqi's greatest skill was manipulating people's hearts and creating public opinion, and she tried to coerce him into submission through this kind of moral blackmail.
Whether Lu Yuan refuses or agrees to her face, the result is that he will be at the center of the conversation and become the talk of the school, which is exactly Xia Anqi's real purpose.
Instead, Lu Yuan ignored her advances, turned around and left, cutting off any possibility of interaction with an extremely indifferent attitude. This minimized the heat of the topic and made the farce seem dull due to the lack of interaction between the two.
Of course, this cannot completely break the deadlock, but it can preserve a certain advantage in the confrontation.
This farce is far from over.
When Lu Yuan returned to the boys' dormitory, he found the atmosphere somewhat strange.
Many unfamiliar boys came, ostensibly to "visit," but really to "gossip."
They eagerly asked him what exactly happened between him and Xia Anqi.
Among these people, some were simply curious about what unknown past the two had;
Some were Xia Anqi's ardent pursuers or secret admirers, their eyes filled with resentment and even a hint of hostility, wanting to see what kind of extraordinary abilities this guy who rejected the school beauty had, or perhaps they wanted to "learn from her" how to attract Xia Anqi's attention.
"Lu Yuan, you're something else, aren't you? You don't even fancy the beautiful Xia?"
"Seriously, did you already have a girlfriend? Or are your standards just out of the blue?"
Faced with a barrage of questions, Lu Yuan felt a headache coming on.
He was so annoyed that he sternly kicked all of them out of the dormitory.
But it's not over yet.
When Lu Yuan went to class in the afternoon, he found that the situation was even more out of control.
Where he walked, the once noisy corridor would suddenly fall into a brief silence, followed by hushed whispers.
Those gazes were like needles pricking him, filled with scrutiny, jealousy, and resentment.
Now, the topic has escalated to an outrageous level.
No one knows who started it, but the rumor has evolved into that he and Xia Anqi were actually childhood sweethearts, and this confession was just a flirtatious exchange between the two, or that Lu Yuan was playing hard to get.
This is exactly the situation Xia Anqi wanted to see.
For a girl, her shamelessness is simply astonishing.
The more others discussed her ambiguous relationship with Lu Yuan, the smuger she became.
She believed in the power of "three men can make a tiger," and that as long as public opinion fermented to a certain extent, falsehoods would become truths, leaving Lu Yuan no choice but to admit it.
She even thought to herself that although this process would be incredibly troubling and even painful for Lu Yuan, once he got through this phase, he would most likely "happily accept" her "good intentions" in order to get rid of this trouble, and thus naturally be with her.
During the break between evening self-study sessions.
Tong Xiaowei held a review book in her hand, took a deep breath, and went to Class 1 to find Xia Anqi.
"Anqi, can you come out for a moment? I have a few questions from some materials that I'd like to ask you." Tong Xiaowei made up an excuse.
Xia Anqi was idly twirling her pen when she heard this. She looked up, saw that it was Tong Xiaowei, and readily agreed.
The two went to the corridor outside the classroom. The evening breeze dispelled the heat of the day, but it could not dispel the gloom in Tong Xiaowei's heart.
Tong Xiaowei witnessed Xia Anqi's actions throughout the entire day.
This left her with mixed feelings. After hesitating for a long time, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Anqi, why are you dating Lu Yuan? I remember you used to hate early relationships the most. In your eyes, people who dated early were idle and self-destructive."
"People change, you know." Xia Anqi leaned against the railing, looking at the streetlights below, her tone relaxed, as if she weren't the one who was publicly rejected today. "The past is the past, and the present is the present. Didn't you see how quickly Lu Yuan's grades improved after he started dating Ye Yixian? That shows that good relationships are a catalyst. Most importantly, Lu Yuan is a very special person, and I admire him a lot, so I want to give it a try and date him."
Tong Xiaowei frowned and lowered her voice, saying, "You know he and Ye Yixian are dating, so why are you still doing this? Aren't you afraid Ye Yixian... she'll hate you? Or rather, aren't you afraid Lu Yuan will think you're ruining someone else's relationship?"
Regardless of whether Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian have actually established a relationship, many people now assume they are a couple. However, Xia Anqi's interference could easily cause resentment among the parties involved.
In Tong Xiaowei's opinion, Xia Anqi's actions were not only inappropriate, but also somewhat domineering and selfish.
Xia Anqi, however, remained unconvinced. She brushed a stray hair behind her ear and said nonchalantly, "So what? Did Ye Yixian publicly confess her feelings to Lu Yuan? Or did Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian admit it in front of the whole school?"
She turned her head, her eyes sharply fixed on Tong Xiaowei: "Nothing. Since it hasn't been made public, it means the relationship isn't settled yet. If Lu Yuan really likes Ye Yixian, or Ye Yixian really likes Lu Yuan, they should openly and honestly confess, instead of secretly engaging in ambiguous relationships. In my opinion, I like Lu Yuan more than Ye Yixian, and even more than that Xu Lingjing, and I am more worthy of him. Therefore, it should be me and Lu Yuan who date; it's fair competition."
Despite Xia Anqi's eloquent and logically consistent arguments, she still failed to convince Tong Xiaowei.
Tong Xiaowei opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but felt her throat go dry: "But... feelings can't be stolen..."
"There aren't so many 'buts'." Xia Anqi interrupted her, suddenly placing her hands on Tong Xiaowei's shoulders, her eyes becoming unusually serious, even carrying a hint of aggressiveness: "Xiaowei, your biggest flaw is that you don't know how to fight for things. You need to know that some things need to be fought for; they won't fall from the sky."
She paused, her tone becoming even more resolute: "Compared to Xu Lingjing and Ye Yixian, I'm a latecomer. If I were to be as hesitant and wait for Lu Yuan to discover my worth like they are, would I have a chance? Definitely not. So I need to be more proactive. I need to firmly grasp the initiative in my own hands, even if it means using harsher methods. As long as the result is good, the process doesn't matter."
"Why!"
Tong Xiaowei was speechless and could only sigh, but she felt vaguely uneasy.
Xia Anqi's theory is too forceful and completely disregards other people's feelings.
"Wait a minute, Xiaowei," Xia Anqi suddenly changed the subject, looking at Tong Xiaowei suspiciously, "Why aren't you happy for me at all? Why do I feel like you're always thinking about Lu Yuan? And even worried about Ye Yixian?"
Tong Xiaowei's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a little flustered. She quickly shook her head and denied it: "No, I'm not targeting you personally. I just think it's not good for a young woman like you to make such a big fuss about this, letting it become the talk of the town. What if it sounds bad when word gets out?"
"What era are we living in? The Qing Dynasty is long gone!" Xia Anqi didn't care about worldly opinions at all, and even had a bit of arrogance. "Only useless women need to passively wait for men to pursue them. I, Xia Anqi, am different. I go straight for the men I like. If I set my sights on someone, I will definitely get them."
At this point, she seemed to think that Tong Xiaowei was too "clueless", and earnestly advised her: "Xiaowei, you need to be more proactive. If you meet someone you like, go for it. Don't always be so timid."
"What...I like?"
Tong Xiaowei was taken aback and subconsciously repeated it.
Her mind went blank. After thinking for a while, the last thing that came to mind was Lu Yuan's image.
For a moment, her heart skipped a beat.