Chapter 10: Admit it, I Directed and Acted in This Myself!
Sheng Lan Academy, Senior Year Class 1.
The atmosphere in the classroom was incredibly heavy this morning, the air thick with the peculiar excitement and restlessness of onlookers.
As soon as Lu Shixuan stepped through the back door, he felt dozens of gazes hitting him like searchlights.
Disdain, mockery, and schadenfreude.
Only Chu Yaoyao, sitting in the corner, looked at him with eyes full of worry.
Lu Shixuan raised an eyebrow.
This atmosphere... something's not right.
He had just shown off his power at the school gate yesterday; by right, these people should be shivering in fear. Why did they all look like they'd been injected with chicken blood today?
He walked to his seat and was about to stuff his backpack into the desk drawer.
"Slap!"
A printed sheet of A4 paper was slammed onto his desk.
Leaning on crutches, Ye Chen stood in the aisle with an expression of righteous indignation, though his eyes betrayed an irrepressible ecstasy.
"Lu Shixuan, how much longer are you going to keep up this act?"
Ye Chen's voice was booming, instantly drawing the attention of the entire class. "Everyone, look! This is our so-called Young Master Lu! To pick up girls, he actually hired thugs to put on a show!"
Lu Shixuan glanced at the paper.
It was a screenshot of a pinned post from the school forum.
The headline was sensational:'Shocking Scandal! The Evil Young Master Lu Shixuan Directed and Acted in a Hero-Saves-Beauty Scheme; Needy Student Nearly Falls Victim!'
The post detailed an analysis of yesterday's "robbery," pointing out suspicious points such as Scarface and his gang running away too fast, Lu Shixuan's skills being unscientifically good, and the location being too coincidental.
The final conclusion: This was a meticulously planned "romance scam" designed to deceive the innocent new student, Chu Yaoyao.
After reading it, Lu Shixuan practically wanted to give Ye Chen a round of applause.
Brilliant!
This kid Ye Chen might have terrible character, but his ability to spread rumors is absolutely maxed out!
I was just worrying about how to explain why I knew martial arts and why I saved her yesterday.
Self-directed and self-acted?
This reason is just perfect!
As long as I admit to it, I can not only solidify my persona as a "hypocritical villain," but also make Chu Yaoyao feel disgusted so she stays far away from me.
I'll also naturally receive a major demerit, bringing me one step closer to being expelled!
The corners of Lu Shixuan's mouth curled up uncontrollably.
He tossed his backpack onto his chair, shoved his hands into his pockets, and scanned the room with extreme arrogance.
"That's right."
Lu Shixuan tilted his chin up, his tone dripping with contempt. "I did it. So what?"
The whole class erupted.
He admitted it?
He actually admitted it?
Without even trying to find an excuse?
"You... you're absolutely shameless!" Ye Chen hadn't expected Lu Shixuan to be so cooperative; he was so excited he nearly dropped his crutches. "Do you have any idea how much psychological trauma this could cause Student Chu? What do you take other people's safety for? A tool for your showmanship?"
Ye Chen grew more agitated as he spoke, sounding like the embodiment of justice.
Chu Yaoyao sat nearby, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
She didn't believe it.
How could that boy from yesterday, who had risked his life to protect her, have been acting?
The knife in Scarface's hand was real, and the swelling on Lu Shixuan's palm was also real.
If this was all an act, the price would have been far too high.
"Young Master Lu..." Chu Yaoyao was about to speak.
Lu Shixuan cut her off immediately, glaring at her fiercely. "Shut up, you stupid woman! This Young Master spent five hundred thousand to hire those extras just to see that pathetic, grateful look on your face! Well? Have you fallen in love with This Young Master? Hahaha, you're so easy to trick!"
Turning to Ye Chen, he said with a provocative look, "Ye Chen, are you jealous that I have enough money to make the devil turn the millstone? Too bad, this is the power of capital. If you're so capable, why don't you spend some money to hire people to beat me up?"
This wave of aggro-pulling was absolutely perfect.
The girls in the class showed expressions of disgust, while the boys looked on with disdain.
Lu Shixuan was ecstatic inside.
System, hurry!
With this combo of "deceiving emotions + flaunting wealth + despising classmates," there's bound to be a huge reward, right?
Besides, now that I've admitted it, the police won't open a case to investigate.
Yesterday, Scarface had a black snake tattoo on his wrist—that's the mark of the "Black Snake Gang" from the south of the city.
Those people are real desperados with blood on their hands.
If the police really got involved and pushed those mad dogs into a corner, they would definitely retaliate against the only witness, Chu Yaoyao.
This girl has no power or influence; she wouldn't even know how she died when the time came.
As long as I say I hired them, it's just a public order dispute that the police won't bother with. The Black Snake Gang will also think I'm taking the fall, so they naturally won't trouble Chu Yaoyao.
Sigh, to protect this silly desk mate of mine, not only do I have to play the villain, but I also have to pay out of my own pocket for Scarface's medical bills to keep him quiet.
I'm truly too great; I'm almost moved to tears by my own actions.
Chu Yaoyao, you'd better hurry up and hate me, then get as far away as possible. Don't stay here and cause trouble for This Young Master.
Chu Yaoyao suddenly looked up.
Behind her black-rimmed glasses, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
So that's how it is... The Black Snake Gang?
Desperados?
He admitted to everything not to show off, and not to humiliate me.
But to... cut off all the danger that might be directed at me?
He would rather bear the infamy of the entire school and let a petty person like Ye Chen criticize him from a moral high ground, just so he can shoulder all the risks alone?
Lu Shixuan, just how foolish are you going to be?
"Lu Shixuan! I'm going to report you to the Academic Affairs Office!" Seeing that the time was ripe, Ye Chen played his trump card. "This kind of behavior is a serious violation of school rules. You must be expelled!"
"Go ahead! If you don't go, you're a grandson!" Lu Shixuan looked completely indifferent, even making a "please" gesture.
Just as Ye Chen turned around, ready to go and take credit—
"Bang!"
A loud thud echoed.
Chu Yaoyao stood up abruptly, slamming both hands heavily onto her desk.
Even her Hermes insulated bag jumped from the impact.
The whole class fell silent, staring at this usually timid and submissive needy student.
Chu Yaoyao took a deep breath and removed her thick, black-rimmed glasses, revealing a cold and stunning face that could outshine the sun and moon.
Her gaze was like a blade, fixed firmly on Ye Chen.
"Ye Chen, is your brain filled with water?"
Her voice was crisp, yet it carried an unprecedented chill.
Ye Chen was stunned, momentarily dazed by Chu Yaoyao's beauty, before stammering, "Student... Student Chu, I'm trying to help you..."
"Help me?" Chu Yaoyao sneered, stepping out from her seat and closing in on Ye Chen. "Your so-called 'help' is to publicly slander your classmate based on a few baseless forum posts without any evidence?"
"But he admitted it!" Ye Chen argued desperately.
"He admitted it because he's too lazy to explain anything to an idiot like you!"
Chu Yaoyao pointed at Lu Shixuan, her voice firm and beyond doubt. "Yesterday, that knife was only a centimeter away from my face! Have you ever experienced that kind of killing intent, that kind of despair? If it were an act, who would risk their own life for it?"
"Ye Chen, when you were hiding in the bushes taking photos, did you ever think about coming out to help? Or even just calling the police?"
The class was in an uproar.
So Ye Chen was actually at the scene?
And he was secretly filming?
That changes the whole nature of the situation!
"I... I was doing that to gather evidence..." Ye Chen's face turned pale, and cold sweat began to pour down.
"Evidence? I think you were just there to watch a show!"
Chu Yaoyao turned around, not giving Ye Chen another glance, and walked up to the bewildered Lu Shixuan.
In front of the entire class, she reached out and gently straightened Lu Shixuan's crooked tie.
Her movements were gentle, even carrying a hint of claiming ownership.
"Young Master Lu doesn't want to explain because he is magnanimous."
Chu Yaoyao looked into Lu Shixuan's eyes and said softly, "But I cannot stand by and watch my savior be slandered. No matter what others say, I believe in you."
"And..."
She leaned in close to Lu Shixuan's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I know about the Black Snake Gang, and I know what you're afraid of. You fool, don't shoulder things like this alone in the future."
Lu Shixuan froze completely.
His mind went blank.
What the hell?
How does she know about the Black Snake Gang?
How does she know what I'm thinking?
And, big sister, why did you take off your glasses?
With this critical hit of beauty, you've stolen the souls of every boy in class. Who would ever dare bully you now?
Then how am I supposed to be your protector... no, I mean, your bully?
It's over; Ye Chen's face has turned green.
The plot has completely collapsed!
Lu Shixuan stared at the ceiling in despair.
Only Ye Chen stood in the aisle, watching Chu Yaoyao's gentle and submissive behavior toward Lu Shixuan while listening to the surrounding students whisper and point at him.
The jealousy and malice in his heart grew wildly like weeds.
"Lu Shixuan..."
Ye Chen clenched his fists so tightly his nails pierced his palms.
"Since the school can't finish you off, let's play a bigger game."
"At tonight's Family Charity Banquet, I'll show you what true despair feels like!"