Chapter 45: What Does It Have to Do With You? (2)

Ye Lang steadied himself, holding the book, and said unhurriedly, “I’m being serious too. No one else can help you with this. I’m not the god of matchmaking; you can only rely on your own efforts.”

“…Ye Lang, don’t tell me you never intended to help me in the first place. All this so-called support is just moral support?”

“Exactly! I support you with all my spirit!”

“…”

“You, drop dead!” Zhen Xiaoyan was incensed and threw something at him.

“Hey… Zhen Xiaoyan, can you please stop throwing things around?!” Another innocent bystander shouted, while Ye Lang pretended to know nothing about it.

“Fine, you win! Tomorrow you’re not getting any fish balls with coarse noodles!”

“Then I’ll have fish balls with rice noodles!”

“…”

Yet the next day, Zhen Xiaoyan still prepared food for Ye Lang. Whether it was out of habit or fear of it being stolen, the daily routine continued just as always.

But after that day, a new scene began to play out: Zhen Xiaoyan started preparing food for Young Master Mo Ya as well, for she was about to launch her campaign of love.

Because of this, Mo Ya and Sha Lan stopped meeting in the classroom. At first, they switched to meeting at the entrance of the Alchemy Academy, then to the cafeteria, and later they wandered randomly around campus, until finally, they returned to the cafeteria.

Why such changes? It was all thanks to Zhen Xiaoyan. No matter where they went, she would turn up. No one knew where she got her information. In the end, Mo Ya and Sha Lan resigned themselves to fate, realizing they couldn’t avoid her, and settled back in the cafeteria.

This made everyone realize one thing: love can make people go mad—mad enough to throw caution to the wind, to overcome any obstacle, and even achieve the impossible.

Zhen Xiaoyan was indeed mad. Mad in her pursuit of her dreams, she no longer cared about anyone’s opinions, including the feelings of Young Master Mo Ya himself.

“Ye Lang! This is all your fault!” Mo Ya and Sha Lan had lately taken to gritting their teeth and uttering this phrase. Though they resented Zhen Xiaoyan, they hated Ye Lang, the instigator, just as much.

If not for Ye Lang, Zhen Xiaoyan would never have gone so wild. If not for Ye Lang, Zhen Xiaoyan wouldn’t have brushed aside the feelings of those involved, crushing them with a simple, “My feelings are my own, and have nothing to do with you!”

…

“Don’t look at me with those burning eyes—I’m innocent!” Ye Lang waved his hand, speaking offhandedly to Sha Lan, who was glaring at him.

“Hmph!”

…

This situation dragged on for quite some time. Opinions among the crowd were mixed: some disdained, some scorned, some approved, some cheered her on…

But everyone agreed on one thing: Zhen Xiaoyan’s spirit was admirable. Many began to wonder if, when they met someone they liked, they ought to take a page from her book.

As time passed, Sha Lan’s resentment toward Zhen Xiaoyan only deepened, while Ye Lang seemed to fade from her focus—after his initial comments, he’d taken no further action and hadn’t helped Zhen Xiaoyan at all. His support really was only spiritual!

Perhaps it was because of this that Sha Lan took a step that placed Zhen Xiaoyan in a deadlock.

“What?! You entered the beauty contest?” Ye Lang stared at Zhen Xiaoyan in astonishment when he heard the news.

“What beauty contest? It’s the ‘Royal Academy’s Talented Lady Matchless Competition,’” Zhen Xiaoyan corrected him.

“Same thing. They call it a contest of talent, but every contestant is a beauty. They judge your talents, but also your looks and virtue. There’s not much difference from a beauty pageant,” Ye Lang said indifferently.

Every three years, the Royal Academy held such a competition—no, not a beauty contest, but the Talented Lady Matchless Competition. Every time, it drew a huge audience, becoming not just a campus event, but a citywide spectacle, even attracting people from afar.

Why did it attract so many? As Ye Lang said, it was a beauty contest in all but name. Most contestants were stunningly beautiful, with extraordinary temperament and skills, the daughters of noble families.

Usually, one would never even glimpse these young ladies, but the competition brought them all into the spotlight—naturally drawing countless eyes and crowds.

But this meant that, should Zhen Xiaoyan take part, she would be making a public appearance before a vast audience. With her attributes, it was sure to cause a sensation—albeit a negative one!

“Why would you enter that? Isn’t it just setting yourself up for humiliation?” Ye Lang asked bluntly—what everyone was thinking, though none would say so outright.

“Mo Ya and Sha Lan said that only if I enter and win this competition can I be with Mo Ya!” Zhen Xiaoyan replied, her feelings complex. Perhaps she knew this was only a trick to humiliate her, but she agreed nonetheless.

Perhaps this would be her last struggle, her last madness. She believed that after this, she would finally give up and stop dreaming.

“So that’s how it is. Did she say you only needed to beat her, or that you had to win the whole competition?” Ye Lang’s opinion of Zhen Xiaoyan rose another notch; he was beginning to admire her.

“I don’t know, but I suppose it’s all the same,” Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head.

“Yeah, either way, you’re doomed.”

“…”

Slightly irritated, Zhen Xiaoyan said, “Can’t you give me a little support?”

“Support? Oh, right—I remember there’s betting on this beauty contest. I’ll go place a wager on you. But before that, I want to know: can you sing, dance, or play any instruments?” Ye Lang asked.

“No, none of them!” Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head.

“Any other talents, besides cooking?” Ye Lang pressed.

“None!” she replied.

“I remember your noble etiquette is pretty sloppy too—you’ve barely studied it.” Ye Lang looked at Zhen Xiaoyan. In this academy, she was a bit of an oddity. Even among the alchemy students, who weren’t known for being refined, most had at least some training.

“That’s right…” Zhen Xiaoyan admitted sheepishly.

“Excellent. I’ll go bet a hundred thousand gold coins on you to win—see how much I support you.” Ye Lang declared, starting to leave.

“A hundred thousand gold coins?” Zhen Xiaoyan was stunned. The sum shocked her—it seemed excessive even for support. She knew Ye Lang was a bit of a spendthrift, but even so, this was no small thing. She was, after all, nothing to him—there was no need for him to go this far.