Coming to her senses after that wonderful sensation, Su Yuan felt a strong urge to resist. Her face turned cold as she looked around at the people like an iceberg.
There were looks of surprise, whispered conversations, and a few girls standing in the distance, pointing at her. The hubbub was too noisy for her to make out what anyone was saying, but Su Yuan regretted letting things get out of hand this time—or, more accurately, letting someone else make a mess of things!!
She never expected the kind of scenario found in novels to play out in her own life: the campus beauty looking for a human shield, then falling for the protagonist's tenderness. That was all nonsense. Only people who read so many novels they could no longer tell reality from fiction would think something like that was perfectly reasonable.
Su Yuan had always been practical and simple, and had never hoped for her life to become exciting. In that respect, she had the self-awareness of a protagonist. After all, unfamiliar settings that went beyond one's daily routine usually brought unpredictable consequences.
But back to the point. Seeing that she had become the center of the storm, Su Yuan calmed herself and took a quiet look around.
There was no denying that Xiao Yiyan was beautiful, a goddess in the eyes of everyone. And that kiss just now had stirred her heart; it was definitely worth savoring. Maybe if this had happened before her body changed, she would have been overjoyed and lost her ability to think clearly. But now... she was no longer who she used to be. She had to consider the matter with a relatively cool head.
As soon as she thought it over, a strong sense of incongruity washed over her. What was happening seemed like an incredibly stupid game.
Xiao Yiyan came from a more distinguished background than most people. Her arrogance and aloof bearing had been clear from the very first time they met. The woman might have been flawless, but most of the time, she was impossible to appreciate. She had the air of a proud hero who had lain low in the world. What felt incongruous was that such a quality, something found only in ancient martial arts stories, could exist in an ordinary modern setting.
This was a puppet show, after all. Would Xiao Yiyan, the star and director, really act so carelessly? She had kissed Su Yuan in front of everyone. Did she really think that was no big deal? Su Yuan couldn't help frowning.
A human shield? She had no doubt about that.
As for why Xiao Yiyan had chosen her, perhaps she found Su Yuan relatively easy on the eyes. Or perhaps she thought she could easily get rid of her once she'd served as a shield.
Whatever Xiao Yiyan's reasons, Su Yuan was thoroughly annoyed at having been stripped of control.
Even a loser needed a chance to make a comeback. Su Yuan knew she needed to let loose!
Come when called and leave when dismissed—that was a dog!
The fierce clash everyone had expected never happened. Su Yuan felt relieved, but also disappointed; in the end, nothing that followed gave her a chance to let loose. The crowd gradually dispersed. Su Yuan vaguely remembered the menacing look Lin Jun had given her before leaving, and it sent a chill down her spine.
She ignored Xiao Yiyan, who was smiling brightly with relief, and left without a word, her face expressionless.
Some people and some things weren't worth saying more about.
It felt like punching a soft cotton ball. Su Yuan felt wounded.
"Su... Su Yuan..." A soft voice called out. She turned around and saw a girl following her. Was that... Yan Bing?
She was a shy, introverted girl in the External Relations Department, a little timid and not much of a talker. She had a pretty face, like a doll's.
"Is something wrong?" Su Yuan turned to ask.
"Um, be careful from now on. That Lin Jun..."
Su Yuan smiled and waved her hand. "I know. I'll try to avoid him from now on." She started to leave.
"No, that's not it," Yan Bing said urgently. "His father is the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau..."
Her heart lurched, and Su Yuan stumbled, nearly twisting her ankle. No, she had twisted it—just not too badly. She stared wide-eyed. "His father is a deputy director?"
Yan Bing nodded firmly.
Looking up at the vast, hazy sky, with the clouds seeming ready to collapse, Su Yuan knew things might get bad. Damn it! Xiao Yiyan had caused her a truly enormous mess. If she'd been thinking of showing Xiao Yiyan and Lin Jun her "strong will" with the dashing attitude that had sprung to mind earlier, reality had made one thing painfully clear: thank goodness she hadn't!
She had offended Xiao Yiyan and angered Lin Jun at the same time. We ordinary people don't understand the rich. A moment's pleasure could bring an endless string of troubles... This was the sort of thing the weak had to consider when dealing with the powerful.
"Thank you."
She smiled gratefully, straightened her back, and limped toward the dorm.
Once she got there, she spread her arms and slumped onto the desk, exhausted.
"Su Yuan, come look! You're on the campus forum!" Gao Jun shouted.
"Mm. It was what I expected." Su Yuan reacted coolly.
The campus forum was buzzing. Posts included "The Goddess Xiao's Mysterious Boyfriend Appears!", "A Loser's Comeback: A Real-Life Romance Between a Commoner and a Princess!", and "The Goddess Publicly Forces a Kiss on a Shy Boy!" Several posts about the incident had appeared on the same page.
There was even a perfectly angled photo with great lighting, capturing the moment Xiao Yiyan had forced a kiss on Su Yuan. Xiao Yiyan's face wasn't visible, but Su Yuan's shocked expression had been captured in full.
Su Yuan clicked on the page and propped her head up, unable to help wondering maliciously if the person who took the photo had it in for her. She looked like an idiot in the picture.
Su Yuan's popularity skyrocketed!
As the subject of the scandal, she was admired, gawked at, and resented by the masses.
"This is bad..." After reading the posts, Su Yuan felt even more troubled.
"Su Yuan, you have to hang in there." Ji Yehao had somehow appeared behind her, looking at her with deep sympathy.
People feared getting too big for their boots, and Su Yuan wasn't merely famous now—she was infamous, with her hatred meter maxed out!
Su Yuan waved a hand and slumped back onto the desk. "Ye Hao, bring me some pork chop rice for dinner. I figure Heaven has given me a great responsibility. Now that my name's out there, I should take some time to rest and recuperate. I'll survive this ordeal first, then see what comes next."
"Su Yuan, this ordeal might be hard to get through. I think you're in for a rough time," Gao Jun suddenly cut in.
Su Yuan shot him a sharp, hateful look and scolded him, her brows raised. "You jinx!" But thinking about it, she really had suffered a calamity out of nowhere.
That evening, while she waited for Ji Yehao to bring back dinner on an empty stomach, Su Yuan was in the middle of eating her pork chop rice when her phone rang with a pleasant chime. Her first tribulation had arrived.
She picked up her phone and saw an unfamiliar number. Su Yuan tossed it aside and went back to her food.
But the caller seemed determined to make her answer. The phone kept ringing loudly. Su Yuan frowned, reached over, picked it up, and answered.
"Hello!"
"Are you Su Yuan?"
She frowned. "Who's this?"
"Tell me if you're Su Yuan!"
"So what if I am? What's wrong with you?"
She hadn't done anything to him, but he had such a nasty tone. Su Yuan immediately hung up.
"What's wrong, Su Yuan? Someone you've got a grudge against?" Ji Yehao asked, puzzled.
"I don't know. I don't recognize the voice. He was talking all high and mighty, like he owned the place. It can't be anything good!"
Her phone rang again, as if the caller didn't want her to finish her pork chop rice.
"You should answer it," Gao Jun suggested. "Find out what's going on. You can't let him keep calling forever."
After hesitating, Su Yuan decided to listen to Gao Jun. She glanced at the number and grinned, then made a gesture to Gao Jun and Ji Yehao. "He actually changed numbers to call me."
"Su Yuan, get to the field at Back Mountain right away. I'll be waiting there. If you don't come, you'll regret it!" It was the same voice as before. He hung up without waiting for Su Yuan to answer.
"Who does this guy think he is?" Su Yuan stared at her phone for a moment, but decided to stick to her plan... and keep eating her pork chop rice.
At the field at Back Mountain, a boy in a white tracksuit crouched on a metal piece of exercise equipment, smoking and blowing rings of smoke as he watched them drift slowly upward. "Damn it, it's been half an hour. Even if that Su kid crawled here, he should've made it by now. Why isn't he here?"
"Shit! That bitch wouldn't stand me up, would she?!"
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