Lu Xuan stepped out of the coffee shop, and the cool autumn breeze swept past, but it couldn't dispel the chill between his brows.
Zhang Yining, this chess piece, was originally intended to be discarded after her last bit of value was squeezed out.
As for her father, Zhang Jianguo, who worked in the Education Bureau, did he really think a light 'I can't control her' would absolve him? What a joke.
The words 'let it go' were not in Lu Xuan's dictionary.
Since you, Zhang Jianguo, say you can't control her, then I'll make sure you have no choice but to 'control' her.
Lu Xuan pulled out his phone, his fingertips quickly swiping across the screen, and the browser instantly loaded.
Typing in "Education Bureau Zhang Jianguo" as keywords, a slightly bloated official standard photo appeared prominently in the search results, belonging to none other than the Deputy Director.
Lu Xuan's lips curved into a cold arc, and he casually saved the image.
He tapped on the familiar black icon—the "Black Material APP"—and skillfully began to edit. The target was Zhang Jianguo.
Just as he was about to click "Upload," a hurried sound of footsteps came from behind him, accompanied by Zhang Yining's tearful shriek: "Brother Xuan! Brother Xuan! Please, give me one more chance! I can definitely help you! I definitely can!"
Zhang Yining rushed to Lu Xuan like a gust of wind, her hair disheveled, her exquisite makeup already streaked and ruined by tears, completely devoid of her usual charm as a candidate for the department's beauty queen.
At this moment, she didn't care about the growing crowd of onlookers or the mobile phone cameras that were already secretly raised; she stared fixedly at Lu Xuan as if grasping at a life-saving straw.
"Brother Xuan, please, don't post my dad's name. I... I'll go beg him again! I'll make him help you! Please!" Her voice was hoarse, filled with deep pleading, and tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.
Lu Xuan looked at her expressionlessly, his gaze as cold as ice: "I've already given you one chance."
He paused, his tone completely unruffled, "It's your own failure to live up to expectations, and it's your dad's refusal to know his place."
The surrounding whispers surged like a tide, growing louder and clearer.
"Damn, isn't that Lu Xuan, the ruthless guy who exposed his cheating girlfriend before? What's going on today?" A bespectacled boy nudged his companion, lowering his voice, full of excitement.
"The one next to him... isn't that Zhang Yining, who almost became our department's beauty queen? Why is she crying like this? Is she... dumped?"
"Looks like Zhang Yining is chasing Lu Xuan, right? But it's normal, haven't you seen how handsome Lu Xuan is? And last time I saw him driving a BMW M4, it seemed to be a limited edition! Which girl wouldn't be smitten by such a rich, handsome, and tall guy?" A fashionably dressed girl said sourly.
"Oh, stop looking, you can't learn from this kind of immortal fight." Another boy next to him shook his head, pretending to be profound.
In another corner, someone sneered: "Exactly, she's our unattainable goddess from back then, but now look, in front of a truly wealthy second-generation heir, isn't she just wagging her tail and begging like a pug?"
These harsh remarks were like needles pricking Zhang Yining's heart. She knew how pathetic and humiliating she looked at this moment.
But compared to her family's downfall and her reputation being ruined, what was a little dignity worth?
She looked at Lu Xuan's handsome but cold face, and her last shred of hope shattered.
This man truly meant what he said; he truly left her no room to maneuver!
She gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and no longer cared about dignity or face, or those flashing phone cameras.
With a dull thud, "Thump!"
Zhang Yining's knees buckled, and she fell directly onto the hard concrete ground at Lu Xuan's feet. The moment her knees hit the ground, she gasped in pain, but her face twisted into an even more humble plea.
"Brother Xuan! Will you please give me one more chance? Just one last chance! My dad, I... I'll even tie him up and drag him to do your bidding!" She clutched Lu Xuan's calf tightly, tears and snot smearing her face, her voice distorted, "Please, don't ruin me, don't ruin our family..."
This kneeling was earth-shattering!
The surroundings instantly fell into a dead silence, followed by gasps and uncontrollable exclamations.
"Holy crap! She... she knelt down?!"
"Oh my god! Zhang Yining actually knelt down to Lu Xuan! What kind of divine being is this Lu Xuan? Is he that charming?"
"Big news! Absolutely big news! Quick, take pictures, take pictures! I've already thought of the headline—'Yan University Saga: Former Goddess Goes Crazy for Love, Kneels in Public to Beg for Reconciliation!'"
"Your headline is too lame! It should be 'Shocking! The Mysterious Charm of Yan University's God Lu Xuan Makes the Department's Beauty Queen Candidate Bow Down in Public!'"
For a time, various phones and cameras were aimed at this dramatic scene, and the sounds of shutters and video recording notifications rang out in unison.
Those students who were originally hesitating whether to post on WeChat Moments, TikTok, Weibo, or Bilibili were now as if injected with adrenaline, their fingers flying, afraid of missing out on this year's biggest gossip.
The speed of internet dissemination is astonishing.
Just a few minutes ago, the anonymous post by Lu Xuan about #YanUniversityGoddessCollegeEntranceExamScoreForgery# had spread like a virus, once topping the hot search lists of major platforms, causing a huge uproar in the education circle and among the netizens.
However, at this moment, the tide turned!
Zhang Yining's shocking kneel, with its explosive visual impact and topicality, instantly overshadowed the previous academic misconduct scandal.
New trending topics, with faster speed and greater momentum, savagely dominated the hot search list:
#YanUniversityGoddessZhangYiningKneelsToBegForRelationship#
#YanUniversityGodLuXuan'sFeetSeeASycophant#
#YanjingUniversityAnnualRomanceDrama:TheFallOfTheGoddess#
#Lu Xuan:AManWhoMakesGoddessesKneel#
Those netizens who were previously righteously condemning academic corruption hadn't even had time to delve into who this person was.
They were blinded by this sudden hot search and flocked to the new battlefield, marveling, gossiping, and playing with memes, enjoying themselves immensely.
Lu Xuan looked down at Zhang Yining, who was clinging to his calf and crying hysterically, his eyes still calm and unruffled, as if this scene, enough to shock the entire school and even the entire internet, was nothing more than a boring farce.
He simply lifted his foot lightly, motioning for her to let go.
Zhang Yining felt the undeniable force, and the despair in her heart deepened.
