Archrival Tormented to Tears: How Much Longer Do You Plan to Take Advantage of Me?

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Lu Jiayan was the first to react. He frowned at Shao Enci. "So are you two together or not?"

"No," Shao Enci answered truthfully.

Lu Xiaoxiao's heart trembled, and her fingertips curled inward. I'm done for. My lie is about to be exposed.

Ms. Wen and Lu Yifei both looked at her, their expressions plainly confused.

"Xiaoxiao," Ms. Wen said, setting down her teacup, "didn't you tell your father and me that you two were together?"

Shao Enci froze. He looked at her in confusion, his clear black-and-white eyes lingering on the girl's face for two seconds. From her panicked expression, he could tell she had a reason she couldn't help.

The more flustered she became, the more he blamed himself. He thought it was his fault for never taking the initiative to make their relationship official, forcing her to lie to her family.

"Professor Wen," Shao Enci said, looking away and clasping his hands tightly, "it's my fault. I've never formally made our relationship official with her."

He pursed his lips and turned to Lu Xiaoxiao. Gazing at her with burning eyes, he asked, his voice a little tense, "Starting now, would you be willing to date me?"

Lu Xiaoxiao said nothing. She couldn't give him a direct answer.

But her silence only made him more anxious.

Shao Enci lowered his eyes and fixed them on her, his gaze dark and full of unmistakable affection.

"Lu Xiaoxiao, I've never dated anyone else, and I don't have any female friends either. I can promise you in front of your family that if you're with me from now on, I'll never let you suffer any grievance. Otherwise..." May I die a horrible death.

Before he could finish, Lu Xiaoxiao stood up and cut him off. "Enough!!"

Her voice was loud. It was the first time she had let her emotions explode in front of them.

All four stared at her in shock.

She dug her nails painfully into her palm, her eyes filled with a deep sense of helplessness. "Shao Enci, I'm sorry," she said mercilessly. "I've never liked you."

The moment the words fell, it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the living room.

He sat quietly on the sofa, the light in his eyes fading bit by bit. Even breathing became difficult.

"Hold on," Lu Jiayan was the first to speak, his voice full of bewilderment. "If you don't like him, why did you force a kiss on him at the basketball court? And why were you hugging and kissing him at the airport today? Lu Xiaoxiao, has all the water been drained out of your brain?"

Ms. Wen's expression grew grave. She asked with concern, "Xiaoxiao, tell me the truth. Is something wrong with you?"

Lu Xiaoxiao didn't dare look Shao Enci in the eye. Clenching her hands tightly, she pulled at the corners of her mouth and said, "But he's outstanding, and there are lots of girls pursuing him. I wanted to get the moon first by being closest to the water, to mark him as my private property. Once I came to like him, I'd officially make our relationship official."

Saying it out loud, she sounded far too much like a scumbag.

"Absurd!" Lu Yifei, who had been silent for a long time, slammed his hand on the table and scolded her. "As a girl, you should know even better to respect yourself and observe proper boundaries. How is what you did any different from playing with someone's feelings? He treats you sincerely, but all you want is to take every advantage without accepting responsibility. How can you face him after he's given you his whole heart?"

"Xiaoxiao, Mom said I supported you dating, dating," Ms. Wen said, helplessness and disappointment in her voice. "But you can't take advantage of someone when you haven't even made the relationship official."

"Lu Xiaoxiao," Lu Jiayan said, looking at her with his beautiful peach-blossom eyes, unable to keep himself from scolding her too, "have you considered his feelings?"

Her family began lecturing her one after another, and Lu Xiaoxiao buried her face low.

She listened to their words without offering a single word in rebuttal.

She couldn't even think of how to refute them.

Suddenly, she felt a little lost.

She had lived her life over again, but what had all this fuss been for?

Not only had she suffered social death and been laughed at by her classmates, but now she had disappointed her family too.

Shao Enci still hadn't recovered from his disappointment. Enduring the pain in his heart, he spoke in her defense. "You don't have to blame Lu Xiaoxiao like this. I was at fault too. I didn't know how to say no to her. I was the one who read too much into it and thought she liked me."

The young man's shoulders trembled, his voice so hoarse it was heartbreaking. "Blame me for not being able to make her like me. When she played with me, I was willing, so it wasn't her fault."

He laid himself bare until he was bleeding, yet he still couldn't bear to let her suffer the slightest grievance.

Lu Xiaoxiao's heart clenched sharply, aching with a sour, swollen pain.

Only then did she understand that she had been reborn to discover the treasure that was Shao Enci.

She had discovered that beneath his cold, arrogant, sharp-tongued exterior, he was hard-mouthed but soft-hearted. Of course he was the one who could hide his feelings so well.

"Sorry for disturbing you today." Shao Enci stood up, his deep-set eyes somewhat hollow and lifeless. He looked at her family, avoiding her alone. "I'll head home now."

Ms. Wen stood up too and followed behind him, a jumble of emotions in her heart. "Enci, we misunderstood you. We're truly sorry."

"Stay and have dinner before you go," Lu Yifei said, his attitude changed as he began to feel sorry for the boy.

"I'm sorry. I was impulsive today." Lu Jiayan's face was full of apology. He felt he had wronged him terribly.

Shao Enci was clearly the victim, yet he had taken a beating for nothing.

Shao Enci had already stepped one foot outside the door, but after a moment's thought, he drew it back and turned to them. "It's all right. Please don't blame her anymore. From beginning to end, the fault was all mine."

This time, the young man left without hesitation, leaving only a gust of cool wind behind.

Lu Xiaoxiao felt as if something had tugged her along, her body moving before her mind.

She hurried after him, her skirt brushing the doorframe. Her slipper knocked against the floor in the entryway, and she nearly tripped.

She chased after him despite the pain. When she reached the entrance to the building, she pressed herself against his back and wrapped both arms tightly around his waist.

"Shao Enci, don't go."

The young man didn't turn to look at her. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he took a deep breath, not wanting her to see him in such a sorry state.

She clearly no longer disliked him, so why was he still not satisfied? Why did he still dare to hope for her affection?

Shao Enci's throat tightened. He was too upset to speak, afraid his voice would tremble if he did.

He lowered his eyes and tried to pry her hands away from his waist, but his body's attraction to her left him unable to resist her.

The young man was angry with himself. His Adam's apple bobbed several times before he said coldly, "How much longer do you plan to take advantage of me?"