Ye Lang steadied himself and said leisurely, "I'm serious too. No one else can help with this, I'm not some god of love. You have to work hard and strive for it yourself."
"...Ye Lang, I bet you didn’t plan on helping me from the start, did you? Your so-called support is just moral support?"
"Exactly! I wholeheartedly support you morally!"
"..." "You, go die!" Zhen Xiaoyan got angry and threw something at him.
"Ugh... Zhen Xiaoyan, stop throwing things around!!" Another innocent voice cried, and Ye Lang pretended not to know what was going on.
"You're ruthless! I won't make fish balls for you tomorrow!"
"Then I want fish ball rice noodles!"
"..."
The next day, Zhen Xiaoyan still prepared food for Ye Lang, perhaps out of habit or perhaps out of fear of being snatched from, it was the same old story as always.
However, after this day, there was a new development. Zhen Xiaoyan also started preparing food for Mo Ya in her attempt to pursue him. Consequently, Mo Ya and Sha Lan no longer met in the classroom. Initially, they started meeting at the entrance of the alchemy academy, later moving directly to the restaurant, and finally to random spots on campus, eventually returning to the restaurant.
Why did this change occur? Needless to say, it was all due to Zhen Xiaoyan. No matter where they went, she appeared, and somehow she always knew their whereabouts, leaving them with no choice but to return to the restaurant.
This incident made everyone realize that love could drive someone to madness, to the point of ignoring everything and surmounting any obstacles, allowing for the achievement of the unimaginable.
Zhen Xiaoyan was crazed in her chase for her dream, paying no attention to others' opinions and criticisms, including Mo Ya. He also paid no attention to her!
"Ye Lang!! It's all your fault!!" Mo Ya and Sha Lan often gritted their teeth and muttered this recently. While they hated Zhen Xiaoyan, they equally resented Ye Lang for stirring up trouble.
If it weren't for Ye Lang, Zhen Xiaoyan wouldn't have gone mad. Without Ye Lang, how could she have ignored someone's attitude and used the phrase "It's my liking, none of your business" to devastate them?
...
"Don't look at me with those intense eyes, I'm innocent!" Ye Lang waved his hand, speaking offhandedly to Sha Lan staring at him.
"Hmph!"
...
This situation continued for a long time, and people had mixed feelings about it – contempt, disdain, approval, and support. However, everyone agreed that Zhen Xiaoyan's determination was commendable, and they also thought that when it came to someone they liked, maybe they should learn from her.
With the passage of time, Sha Lan's hatred for Zhen Xiaoyan grew deeper, and Ye Lang seemed to be neglected by her as well. After all, apart from his previous remarks, he had not taken any other action and had not helped Zhen Xiaoyan. It truly was just moral support!
Perhaps it was because of this that Sha Lan did something to trap Zhen Xiaoyan in a dead end.
"What?! You entered a beauty pageant?" Ye Lang, upon receiving the news, looked at Zhen Xiaoyan with a face full of astonishment.
"What beauty pageant? It's the 'Royal Academy's Unrivaled Talented Women Competition,'" Zhen Xiaoyan corrected Ye Lang's words.
"Close enough, they may call it a competition for talented women, but everyone who participates is a beauty. While they observe your talent, they also judge your appearance and conduct, not much different from a beauty pageant," Ye Lang said indifferently.
Every three years, the Royal Academy would hold a talent competition, or rather, an Unrivaled Talented Women Competition, which attracted numerous people to come and watch each year. This was no longer just a campus event, but a city-wide event, and it even attracted some people from far and wide who specifically came to watch the competition.
The reason it attracted so many people, as Ye Lang mentioned, was because it was a beauty pageant where most of the talented women were stunningly beautiful, with exceptional elegance and talent in various arts.
These ladies usually never appeared in public, but due to the competition, they would all make an appearance. Naturally, this would attract many spectators and create a bustling atmosphere.
At the same time, this situation also indicated one thing: if Zhen Xiaoyan were to participate, she would be appearing in front of many people. With her condition, it would undoubtedly cause quite a stir, of course, in a negative way!
"Why would you participate in this? Aren't you just asking for humiliation by going up there?" Ye Lang asked directly, a question that everyone would think of, but only he would ask so straightforwardly.
"Moya and Sha Lan said that only if I participate in this competition, and win, can I be with Moya!" Zhen Xiaoyan said with mixed emotions. Perhaps she herself understood that this was just a ploy to embarrass her, but she still agreed.
This might be her final struggle, her last bit of madness. After this time, she would probably give up and stop dreaming about anything!
"I see. Is she saying that as long as you beat her, or that you win this competition?" Ye Lang started to admire Zhen Xiaoyan a bit, raising his opinion of her a notch.
"I don't know, but I think it's the same," Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head.
"Yeah, anyway, you're already doomed!"
"..."
Zhen Xiaoyan was a bit annoyed and said, "Can't you give me a little support?"
"Support? Oh right, I remember that there will be bookmakers for this beauty pageant. I will go place a bet to support you. But before that, I want to confirm something: singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument, which one?" Ye Lang asked.
"I can't, I can't do any of those!" Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head.
"Then do you have any other talents, besides cooking?" Ye Lang asked again.
"No!" Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head.
"I remember your aristocratic etiquette is also very sloppy, you basically haven't learned much," Ye Lang said, looking at Zhen Xiaoyan. In this academy, she was also quite unconventional. Even the people in this alchemy academy, while not particularly strict, still at least learned and practiced such things.
"Yes..." Zhen Xiaoyan responded, feeling embarrassed.
"Alright, I'm going to bet a hundred thousand gold coins to support you. However, before that, I want to make sure of something. Which one, singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument?" Ye Lang asked.
"I can't, I can't do any of those!" Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head in response.
"Well, it's a good thing then. I was worried I'd have to watch you embarrass yourself!" Ye Lang said casually.
"Then why would you participate in this, you're just asking for humiliation by going up there," Ye Lang asked directly. It's a question that everyone would think of, just that no one would ask it so directly.
"Moya and Sha Lan said that only if I participate in this competition, and win, can I be with Moya!" Zhen Xiaoyan said with mixed emotions. Perhaps she herself understood that this was just a ploy to embarrass her, but she still agreed.
This might be her final struggle, her last bit of madness. After this time, she would probably give up and stop dreaming about anything!
"I see. Is she saying that as long as you beat her, or that you win this competition?" Ye Lang started to admire Zhen Xiaoyan a bit, raising his opinion of her a notch.
"I don't know, but I think it's the same," Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head.
"Yeah, anyway, you're already doomed!"
"..."
Zhen Xiaoyan was a bit annoyed and said, "Can't you give me a little support?"
"Support? Oh right, I remember that there will be bookmakers for this beauty pageant. I will go place a bet to support you. But before that, I want to confirm something: singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument, which one?" Ye Lang asked.
"I can't, I can't do any of those!" Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head in response.
"Well, it's a good thing then. I was worried I'd have to watch you embarrass yourself!" Ye Lang said casually.
"I remember your aristocratic etiquette is also very sloppy, you basically haven't learned much," Ye Lang said, looking at Zhen Xiaoyan. In this academy, she was also quite unconventional. Even the people in this alchemy academy, while not particularly strict, still at least learned and practiced such things.
"Yes..." Zhen Xiaoyan responded, feeling embarrassed.
"Alright, I'm going to bet a hundred thousand gold coins to support you. However, before that, I want to make sure of something. Which one, singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument?" Ye Lang asked.
"I can't, I can't do any of those!" Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head in response.
"Well, it's a good thing then. I was worried I'd have to watch you embarrass yourself!" Ye Lang said casually.
"I remember your aristocratic etiquette is also very sloppy, you basically haven't learned much," Ye Lang said, looking at Zhen Xiaoyan. In this academy, she was also quite unconventional. Even the people in this alchemy academy, while not particularly strict, still at least learned and practiced such things.
"Yes..." Zhen Xiaoyan responded, feeling embarrassed.
"Great, I'm going to place a bet supporting you with a hundred thousand gold coins. Enjoy my support," Ye Lang said as he prepared to leave.
"A hundred thousand gold coins?" Zhen Xiaoyan was a little stunned. This amount surprised her – she didn't think that such a large sum was necessary, even for support.
Although she knew that Ye Lang tended to be extravagant, this amount was still quite surprising. She wasn't connected to him in any way, and didn't need this kind of support.