I have a way!

Jiang Xiaobai!!!

Hearing Jiang Xiaobai's words, Li Zhiwei involuntarily tightened the hands hidden in her sleeves.

This man was simply too infuriating!

But she had no choice. She could only hold her expression steady and say softly, "Young Master Jiang, since you already know how I feel, why keep avoiding me?"

As she spoke, Li Zhiwei reached out, as though she truly meant to embrace Jiang Xiaobai.

Yet at that very moment...

Jiang Xiaobai recoiled as though something had frightened him, stepping sharply backward and dodging with remarkable decisiveness. "Miss Li, you mustn't!"

"I, Jiang Xiaobai, would rather die than submit!!"

At his shout, the surroundings fell silent for another instant, before everyone's eyes widened.

Not far away, Zhou Chaomian watched the scene, the smile on his face long since vanishing completely.

In its place was an indescribably stiff, ugly expression.

Clearly, the scene before him had dealt him no small shock.

As for the young women standing beside Li Zhiwei, they, too, were already staring dumbfounded.

Lin Qinrou in particular had eyes full of astonishment and bewilderment where there had once been cool indifference.

Yes, she could not understand it!

She truly could not understand it!

Li Zhiwei was so outstanding. How could she have fallen for the ignorant, uneducated heir of the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate?

There was something wrong with this man's head!

And something even worse wrong with that guard following him!

As for Li Zhiwei, confronted with Jiang Xiaobai's retreat, the embarrassed fury in her clear eyes was all but spilling over.

This man... was going to drive her to an early grave!

He was the one who had asked her to play along.

Yet the moment she approached, Jiang Xiaobai actually dodged her?

And... so outrageously, too!!

For a moment, Li Zhiwei's face beneath her veil grew noticeably redder.

Only this time, it was not entirely from embarrassment. It was mostly anger.

Seeing Li Zhiwei's embarrassed fury, Jiang Xiaobai knew this was precisely the right point to end the performance. If he kept going, this woman might truly explode.

He immediately said, "Miss Li, ah... very well. Let's find somewhere else to talk!"

With that, Jiang Xiaobai walked away, looking deeply troubled.

Li Zhiwei was desperate to leave. Seeing Jiang Xiaobai depart, she hurried after him at once.

Only long after the two had left, one after the other, did the people around them finally recover their senses.

Some were envious.

Some still could not believe it.

And of course... some were grinding their teeth.

Who was Li Zhiwei? She was the pure, bright moon in the hearts of countless scholars.

But now, that moon had actually fallen from the sky.

How could they not be sour with jealousy?

How could they not be angry!

Zhou Chaomian stood there, his expression growing faintly darker.

Just a short while ago, he had solemnly assured Jiang Xiaobai that Li Zhiwei would never fall for anyone over a few lines of poetry.

Yet in the blink of an eye...

Li Zhiwei had admitted with her own lips, before all these people, that she liked Jiang Xiaobai.

It was undoubtedly like a slap landing squarely across his face.

Unfortunately, with so many eyes around him, he could not even vent his anger.

Elsewhere.

Jiang Xiaobai led Zhang Xinnian to a secluded corner of a corridor before finally stopping and letting out a long breath of relief.

Yes, that performance had caused quite a stir.

But its effect had also been even better than he expected.

Just as he finished exhaling, a voice straining to suppress its anger came from behind him.

"Jiang Xiaobai!"

The moment his name rang out, Jiang Xiaobai knew who had arrived without even turning his head.

An instant later, Li Zhiwei strode up to him.

Her once-clear eyes now looked ready to spit fire as she glared straight at Jiang Xiaobai. "I need an explanation!"

"Well... don't be angry just yet."

Jiang Xiaobai gave an awkward laugh first.

"Don't be angry?"

Li Zhiwei nearly laughed in fury at that. "In front of all those people, you said I was clinging to you relentlessly! You even said I... liked you so much I was practically going mad!"

"And after I finally managed to play along with your act, you actually dodged me?"

"Now you're telling me not to be angry?"

By the end, Li Zhiwei's voice had distinctly taken on a teeth-grinding edge.

Clearly, she truly was furious this time.

"I had no choice. That was how this performance had to go."

Jiang Xiaobai smiled helplessly and slowly said, "Think about it. What would happen if I stole all the limelight during my imperial audience tomorrow?"

Those simple words made Li Zhiwei freeze.

Seeing her reaction, Jiang Xiaobai continued, "But things are different now."

"After that little scene, no matter how brilliantly I perform later, everyone's first reaction will only be..."

"That you helped me behind the scenes, rather than that I, Jiang Xiaobai, genuinely have that ability!"

Once Li Zhiwei came to her senses, she said nothing more.

Yes, she was not stupid.

If everyone already believed that her feelings for Jiang Xiaobai were deeply rooted...

Then no matter how dazzlingly Jiang Xiaobai performed during his imperial audience tomorrow... others would credit it all to her.

They would think she had coached Jiang Xiaobai beforehand.

They might even believe that the Li Family behind her was secretly supporting him.

That way, Jiang Xiaobai himself would actually draw less attention.

At that thought, the anger roiling in Li Zhiwei's heart finally began to subside.

But calming down was one thing.

Whenever she remembered what she had said in public just now, her face beneath her veil still burned in waves.

"Then... you still should have told me beforehand. At least you should have let me prepare myself, shouldn't you?"

"If I'd told you outright beforehand..."

Hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai could only smile helplessly. "Would you have agreed?"

"I..."

Li Zhiwei immediately faltered.

Indeed.

If Jiang Xiaobai had told her beforehand that he wanted her to admit she liked him in front of the entire Imperial College, and even say such embarrassing things...

Wouldn't she have refused him outright at the first opportunity?

At that thought, some of Li Zhiwei's righteous confidence inevitably ebbed.

But even so, she still felt somewhat aggrieved. In the end, she could only lift her eyes and glare fiercely at Jiang Xiaobai.

"Oh, right."

Jiang Xiaobai knew they had more or less settled things, and tactfully changed the subject at once. "Didn't you say the Elder Princess would come? Why didn't I see her?"

"Oh, I just asked about that. The Elder Princess left after taking the essay!"

Li Zhiwei said, "Apparently, she even praised you a little before she left. She said she absolutely had to meet the author behind it!"

"Heh, does she think an heir like me is that easy to meet?"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled faintly.

Despite saying that, he did want to meet this Elder Princess.

It was a shame he had missed her this time, but... he believed there would be another chance!

At that thought, Jiang Xiaobai looked at Li Zhiwei and said, "By the way, weren't you going to introduce me to the previous Top Graduate?"

"In that case, let's go meet them now!"

"Ah!"

Hearing this, Li Zhiwei suddenly seemed to remember something and let out a soft cry. "She was over there just now."

"But I left in such a hurry that I... forgot to tell Sister Qin'er."

"Qin'er?"

At that name, Jiang Xiaobai first froze, then his expression turned peculiar. "Wait."

"This Sister Qin'er you're talking about... wouldn't happen to be Lin Qinrou, would she?"

"Yes."

Li Zhiwei nodded, but soon noticed something amiss. She looked at Jiang Xiaobai in surprise. "You know her?"

"..."

Standing there, Jiang Xiaobai's expression became quite a spectacle for a moment.

He had just been wondering who exactly the previous Top Graduate Li Zhiwei wanted to introduce him to might be.

But who could have imagined...

That it was actually Lin Qinrou?!

This had become rather awkward!

Zhang Xinnian, standing beside him, also gave a dry cough and looked elsewhere.

"You..."

Seeing Jiang Xiaobai's expression, Li Zhiwei felt that something was off. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Xiaobai said, "Ahem, I've heard of her, but I don't really know her!"

"Oh!"

Li Zhiwei did not think much of it and explained, "Sister Qin'er is upright and strong-willed. She believes women are no worse than men, so she disguised herself as a man and earned the title of Top Graduate!"

"But Great Hua doesn't allow women to hold office. Out of consideration for Elder Lin, though, they let her stay at the Imperial College as a teaching assistant."

"So that's how it was."

Jiang Xiaobai wore an expression of dawning understanding. No wonder Zhou Chaomian had suspected Lin Qinrou of writing "On the Teacher."

Anyone who could become the Top Graduate was bound to possess substantial literary learning.

But remembering their earlier clash, Jiang Xiaobai grew awkward again. "Ahem, I just remembered I still have something to do, so I'll be going now!"

"No. Since you're already here, you should at least meet her."

Li Zhiwei stopped Jiang Xiaobai and said with a serious expression, "You have your imperial audience tomorrow. You have to take this seriously!"

"All right, then!"

Knowing he could not escape, Jiang Xiaobai smiled wryly. "But there are so many people over there. It wouldn't be appropriate for the two of us to go over together like this, would it?"

"I have a way. Follow me!"