Psychological Warfare

Although she had already lost face, it didn't stop Zhou Yi from continuing to be stubborn.

Everyone ignored the words of this lunatic. Dozens of male students rushed toward Xia Linyuan in unison, intending to toss him into the air in celebration, only to be knocked flat by Xia Linyuan in a few swift moves.

Watching as everyone wailed on the ground despite him not having used any heavy force, Xia Linyuan calmly said, "Please conduct yourselves with dignity," before leaving Shrek Plaza.

Until Xia Linyuan's back disappeared around the corner, the others who hadn't been knocked down remained dazed, staring blankly in the direction he had left.

Although everyone hadn't been very serious just now, it wasn't as if no one had wanted to subdue him. To take down dozens of people with his bare hands—and all of them boys at that—wasn't this combat power just a little too absurdly strong?

It was from this moment on that the male students who had still harbored designs on the class monitor position completely gave up on the idea.

Besides, listening to Xia Linyuan's intuition seemed to be quite a good thing...

Returning to the dormitory, Xia Linyuan, who hadn't broken a sweat despite running for four hours, didn't plan on rushing to take a shower. Furthermore, he had to go to the outer courtyard's Soul Guidance Department to forge later, so he was in even less of a hurry.

Feeling the incredibly intense gaze from behind him the moment he entered, Xia Linyuan sighed softly. He turned his head to look at Tang Wulin and asked, "Wulin, is there something dirty on me? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh..." Caught red-handed by the person in question, Tang Wulin scratched her hair in embarrassment.

Although she felt embarrassed, the moment she thought of Xia Linyuan's performance just now, Tang Wulin felt somewhat excited. "Linyuan, you were just so cool!"

The composure and unyielding attitude Xia Linyuan had displayed from the very beginning, along with his later outstanding leadership, made Tang Wulin unable to help but cheer for him.

Perhaps it was because in her memories, her father was also this composed and unyielding, so when she saw Xia Linyuan display similar behavior, Tang Wulin was filled with a sense of reverence for him.

Coupled with the fact that most women possess a psychological tendency to admire the strong, Tang Wulin felt nothing but endless goodwill toward Xia Linyuan, without a shred of malice.

If Xia Linyuan knew what Tang Wulin was thinking, he would likely only find it laughable.

Although he was twisted in his ways, lacked moral integrity, enjoyed being sarcastic, and was selfish to the extreme, he certainly didn't want to be equated with a hypocrite.

"Oh?" Xia Linyuan let out a sound of confusion. His fingers subconsciously interlaced to support his chin, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. "Cool?"

Watching Xia Linyuan's majestic sitting posture, which resembled a long-reigning emperor, and the special charm radiating from his entire being, it seemed that one might accidentally fall deep into it and be unable to extricate themselves after just one more glance.

Tang Wulin's heartbeat quickened. "Yes, very cool!"

Xia Linyuan didn't know that his current sitting posture was full of aggression; all he could think about was Tang Wulin's evaluation of him as "very cool."

"What's wrong?" Tang Wulin felt that Xia Linyuan's attitude was a bit strange.

"No, it's nothing." His narrowed golden eyes returned to normal, and Xia Linyuan said calmly, "After all, besides my parents, this is the first time someone has said that to me."

Tang Wulin was suddenly stunned.

Xia Linyuan recalled his life up to this point and how those "people" had described him, causing him to chuckle softly. "After all, they used to call me things like 'demon,' 'you will pay for your actions sooner or later,' or 'Devilish Heresy'."

These were the nicer things Xia Linyuan chose to mention; the insults those "people" had hurled at him were as vicious and wicked as they could possibly be.

However, Xia Linyuan didn't care much about that, and he could even express understanding, because he was there to destroy the world, not to save it; this was all just retribution for his actions.

Besides, they were all dead now, having died by his hand.

Tang Wulin just stared at Xia Linyuan, stunned.

She never imagined that Xia Linyuan, who acted with such composure, was so unyielding, and possessed such outstanding leadership, would be evaluated in such a way. A nameless anger suddenly welled up in her heart, filling her chest as if it could erupt at any moment.

"That's not true!"

"No, it is." Xia Linyuan's golden eyes narrowed slightly. "The reason lies with me, and I won't deny it."

"But Linyuan, you were clearly, clearly..." Clearly so gentle, so considerate of others.

The words reached her lips, but she couldn't bring herself to say them.

Xia Linyuan stood up, walked over to Tang Wulin, and patted her little head. "When you find out about my past actions in the future, you won't think that way anymore."

Hearing these words, and hearing them from Xia Linyuan himself, Tang Wulin felt as if something in her heart had collapsed, and she felt incomparably sad.

If even someone like Linyuan could make mistakes, then, then...

Thinking of this, Tang Wulin was suddenly filled with panic.

She was like a drowning person, desperately trying to grab onto a straw, but she couldn't catch it at all; instead, the more she struggled, the further away it drifted.

Seeing Tang Wulin like this, Xia Linyuan knew that his psychological gamble had paid off.

He hadn't said those things without purpose; he had guessed certain things based on the micro-expressions on Tang Wulin's face. He had said it intentionally to probe her attitude toward certain matters, which concerned his future arrangements.

"Hahaha!" Xia Linyuan patted her shoulder with amusement and said, "I'm kidding. Did you forget I'm only eleven? How could I possibly do such things?"

Hearing Xia Linyuan say that his words just now were a lie, the tears of Tang Wulin, who had been on the verge of crying, instantly receded.

"Xia Linyuan! Is lying really okay!" Tang Wulin was furious.

"I was joking."

Tang Wulin's voice already carried a hint of a sob. "I don't think it's funny at all!"

At this, Xia Linyuan finally panicked. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have lied to you."

Please provide the text you would like me to translate or revise. Once you provide the Chinese source text, I will ensure it is converted into natural, punchy English while strictly adhering to your formatting and paragraph constraints.

"I hate you!"

"Wulin!" Just as Xia Linyuan was about to say something, Wang Dong's voice suddenly came from outside, though judging by her tone, her mood didn't seem very pleasant.

Tang Wulin wiped the corners of her eyes, calmed her emotions, and then opened the dormitory door. "What's wrong, brother?"

Seeing Tang Wulin's red-rimmed eyes, Wang Dong, whose face was livid, froze, then flew into a rage and questioned Xia Linyuan, "Xia Linyuan, did you bully my Wulin?"

"I suppose so. I made a joke that I thought was a joke, and then..." Xia Linyuan shrugged his shoulders.