The entire auditorium fell silent, leaving only Xi Cheng’s clean, crisp, and pleasant voice.
Even the soft whispers from before had vanished.
Unlike the principal’s speech, which followed a rigid, formulaic pattern.
He was genuinely speaking off-the-cuff, sharing some of his own story.
His parents were both with the Imperial Research Institute. Growing up surrounded by their work, he developed a love for experimentation and research, eventually publishing multiple patents and papers of his own.
It was no exaggeration to call him a young prodigy.
Jiang You thought to herself, ’Of course the male lead of a novel is a total badass.’
Xi Cheng calmly continued, speaking about the failures and difficulties he had faced along the way, and how he overcame them.
He concluded by encouraging everyone not to be afraid of hardship, to persevere, and they would achieve the results they desired.
He used himself as an example, sharing his experiences to motivate them, hoping everyone would work hard to improve themselves during their time at the school and become outstanding in their own right.
Jiang You listened, and that was it.
No matter how nice or encouraging Xi Cheng sounded up there, he was still an extremely cold person at his core.
Those in high positions were often cold and unfeeling, and Xi Cheng was no exception.
As the gentle, intelligent, high-IQ representative of the "F4," he often participated in various innovation competitions alongside the equally outstanding female lead.
Unlike Xi Cheng, who was a refined egoist, the female lead possessed a passionate heart that drove her to help others regardless of her own interests—a trait he found somewhat foolish. It made him take a second look, and from there, he was drawn in and fell for her.
But none of that had anything to do with Jiang You, the villainous supporting character.
When Xi Cheng finished his speech, thunderous applause erupted.
Next up was the question-and-answer session.
"If any of you have questions or concerns, you can ask me now." Xi Cheng’s calm, silver eyes swept over the crowd, his voice composed and accommodating. "I will do my best to help clear up any confusion."
Although he was a teenager just like everyone else, his demeanor was far more mature. His edge was completely hidden, with only a hint of sharp acuity visible in his silver eyes.
’It’s time, it’s time.’
Jiang You’s fingers nervously clenched the fabric of her skirt, the pads of her fingers turning slightly red. According to her mission, she had to confess to him in public, only to be rejected.
’Social suicide! This is total social suicide!’
’Confessing in public? She’d never done anything like that in her past life, okay?’
’And she had to do it with extreme confidence. Right, extreme confidence.’
Just as Jiang You took a deep breath to steel herself and was about to raise her hand, a girl not far from her stood up.
Jiang You quietly lowered the hand she had been about to raise.
"Mr. Xi, you said that hard work pays off. In that case, for someone with my color brooch, can hard work really get me what I want?" The girl’s voice was firm and resonant.
’Such a distinctive, unique voice...’
Jiang You’s pink eyes shifted, her gaze falling on the girl in the distance.
She had black hair and a thin, petite frame. Her Rose Liss school uniform looked dusty and gray, as if she had rolled on the ground. There were even some dirty, gray marks on her back that looked like footprints. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides.
’The female lead, without a doubt.’
"Where the mind leads, action will follow," Xi Cheng said crisply, his gaze serene. "The labels the world gives you should not define you. The labels you wear should be written by you alone."
The female lead’s gaze seemed to tremble for a moment. She said, "Thank you, Mr. Xi," and sat down.
Watching this scene, Jiang You sighed internally.
’As expected of the male and female leads. Theirs is a resonance of souls.’
’As for a shallow villainess like me, who only thinks about handsome men and dating, how could I ever become the female lead?’
"What’s with that scholarship student? What about the brooch color? She’s a low-class commoner who deserves to wear that gray brooch. How dare she dream of crossing class boundaries? She must be dreaming."
"Exactly. She must have said that just to seduce Mr. Xi."
"Who does she think she is? Is Mr. Xi someone she can even fantasize about? A stinking pauper!"
...
Hearing the voices of the three minions next to her and others around them, Jiang You couldn’t help but cringe. ’This must be one of those aristocratic novels where all the female cannon fodder characters mindlessly hate on the female lead.’
She couldn’t be bothered to comment. When the next turn for questions came, she took another deep breath and prepared to raise her hand, but before she could, another girl in front of her raised her hand first.
Jiang You once again quietly lowered her hand. ’It’s my own fault for hesitating. While I was hesitating, the opportunity just slipped away.’
’This is bad. If I don’t confess now, I’m going to fail the mission.’
A miserable expression appeared on Jiang You’s face.
’Next time, I absolutely have to raise my hand without any hesitation!’
"Mr. Xi! I like you!" The girl’s voice was a little shy, but it rang out clearly in the auditorium. "W-will you be my boyfriend?"
Jiang You was stunned for a moment. ’How could someone confess before me?’
"That’s hilarious. What kind of trash is she? With just a red brooch, she dares to fantasize about Mr. Xi?" Chen Yu sneered.
"Exactly. She should take a good look in the mirror. What gives her the right? Is Mr. Xi someone she can aspire to?" Lin Xue mocked.
"A bitch like that has no self-awareness. She’s just asking for humiliation," Yu Lin jeered.
"Right, Sister You?" The three of them looked at Jiang You as if seeking validation.
Jiang You: "..."
’I don’t feel any resonance with them at all,’ she thought. ’In fact, it feels like I’m being insulted too.’
Even though she hadn’t confessed yet, she felt like she was being lumped in with the girl who just did.
For a moment, Jiang You really didn’t want to confess in public anymore. But the mission still had to be completed.
"I’m sorry, but I don’t have any intentions of that kind," Xi Cheng tactfully rejected her. "I hope you will focus your energy elsewhere and work on improving yourself."
The girl sat down in shame, burying her face in her hands.
"A new semester brings a new start. I hope all of you will work hard to improve yourselves in the coming years and make the most of your youth," Xi Cheng said, his pale lips moving.
This was clearly his closing remark.
Jiang You’s heart sank. ’I haven’t even completed my mission yet, and the Q&A is already over?’
[Auxiliary System Reminder: Mission failure will result in a one-minute electric shock.]
Jiang You cursed the system in her head. ’Hurry, hurry, hurry! Are you trying to kill me?!’
Xi Cheng heard that mechanical voice again.
’Who is the one who has to complete a mission?’
Xi Cheng’s silver eyes flickered, and his movements slowed slightly.
Suddenly, a petite figure shot up from the audience.
Her pink hair was incredibly striking.
Xi Cheng’s gaze instinctively landed on the girl.
She had long, silky pink hair, an exceptionally beautiful face, and pink eyes that were both pure and seductive. Her figure was delicate yet curvaceous, stirring thoughts that were difficult to speak aloud.
There was something sensual about her looks.
Xi Cheng’s cool fingertips twitched.
He had seen her just a little while ago on the way to the auditorium. The girl had been surrounded by two or three people as she walked, her beauty so intense it was almost bewitching. As her slender, pale-pink fingers brushed through her hair, a pearl and diamond hair clip had fallen to the ground.
Xi Cheng had been passing by and saw the hair clip lying forlornly on the ground. For some reason, he had reached out and picked it up.
That pearl and diamond hair clip was still in his pocket.
Just then, the girl’s proud yet syrupy-sweet voice reached his ears:
"Xi Cheng, this young lady has taken an interest in you. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be my boyfriend."