The field was crowded with students of Blue Tyrant Academy.
One by one, their eyes lit up with the fire of gossip, surrounding the field.
Yu Xiaogang stood in the center of the field, opening his heart to the beautiful mature woman Liu Erlong who was approaching.
Waiting for her to leap into his arms.
But then, her icy words dumped a bucket of cold water over his head.
Although it was the height of summer, it felt as if it was the dead of winter.
"Why did you even come back," Liu Erlong said, her expression cold, her voice icy.
The smug look on Yu Xiaogang's face instantly froze, and his outstretched arms had nowhere to go.
"Why did I come back?"
"Of course, because I missed you."
Liu Erlong was not swayed by this at all, her pretty face turning frosty.
"Miss me?"
"Heh, Yu Xiaogang, don't you think it's too late?"
"Now you know to miss me?"
"What were you doing earlier?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed, his eyes deep and distant, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Erlong, who doesn't make some mistakes when they're young?"
"My mistake was not cherishing you when I had the chance, you are the only woman in this world worth protecting."
"Now I've come to a realization, knowing you've been waiting for me all these years."
"I'm sorry, I came back late."
"Come back, come back to my embrace, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."
Liu Erlong looked at Yu Xiaogang in silence.
Whispers spread through the crowd of onlookers.
"This guy seems to really love our Principal Erlong."
"Since he's so sincere, of course, she should forgive him."
Someone glanced at the previous speakers and shook their head with a sigh.
"Forgive him? Are you dumb?!"
"Alas, they're just freshmen, too naive."
"You folks overflow with sympathy after a little acting."
"It's a trick, the play of a scumbag, don't you get it!"
"If he really loved our principal that much, I think kneeling down to apologize would be more sincere."
"Yeah, I also think kneeling to apologize is better," people unanimously murmured in agreement.
"His apology is so half-hearted, just moving his lips and it's done, our Principal Erlong has suffered for so many years, it should count for something more concrete, right?"
"Exactly, exactly."
"A real man would kneel and apologize to Principal Erlong!"
"Kneel and we'll believe you're sincere!"
Someone led the chant, egging others on, and soon it was echoed by everyone.
The shouts from the field swelled, loud and powerful.
"Kneel, kneel, kneel!!"
Hearing the roaring shouts around him, Yu Xiaogang was stunned.
Of course, he wouldn't kneel, and he really wanted to roar back at them.
To curse these kids for needlessly causing trouble, but he didn't dare.
The calls for him to kneel continued.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Liu Erlong, who remained silent before him, and forced a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Haha."
"Erlong, I didn't expect these kids from your academy to have such a sense of humor."
Liu Erlong, watching Yu Xiaogang's lack of reaction amid the cries, felt a deeper disappointment in her beautiful eyes.
"Maybe, the eyes of children are clearer."
"All these years of waiting, perhaps I was just torturing myself like a clown."
"Completely unworthy."
Yu Xiaogang quickly shook his head and hurriedly explained, "Erlong, how can you say that, it's not what you think, I love you."
In the crowd of students, a young man and woman stood.
"I feel like throwing up, what about you?"
Luo Yu turned with a smile, only to find that Bi Bidong wasn't looking their way.
"What's wrong, Dong'er? With such a poignant drama playing out on the field, why are you looking at the academic building instead?"
Bi Bidong pursed her lips in disgust, "I could look anywhere else, just don't make me watch this, I feel sick seeing him."
Luo Yu said curiously, "I wonder if Yu Xiaogang ever said these words to you back in the day."
Bi Bidong turned her head and glared, "You jerk, why bring up what's better left unsaid, just thinking about it makes me nauseous."
"I almost fell for his nonsense."
"Fortunately, I met you just in time, otherwise I might have regretted it for life."
Bi Bidong's gaze towards Luo Yu was filled with tenderness and relief.
Relieved that the man had appeared at just the right time, to take the pure and wholehearted her into his arms.
The chants on the field grew louder, with the students clearly siding with Liu Erlong.
"Kneel and apologize, and we'll recognize you as a real man!"
"You've owed Principal Erlong for so many years, kneel and we'll believe you're sincere."
Yu Xiaogang's face grew ugly, and he cursed inwardly.
These little brats, daring to fan the flames here.
Just wait until your principal forgives me, and then I'll settle things with you slowly.
Brock's clenched fists relaxed, and he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looking to Liu Erlong for help.
"Our relationship doesn't need an apology like this, right?"
Liu Erlong nodded.
Brock's face lit up with joy, but it didn't last long.
Liu Erlong spoke, "Because—"
"Even if you knelt down, I wouldn't forgive you."
"No, no, you love me, you're just sulking, right?"
Brock looked panicked.
With a grit of his teeth and a stomp of his foot, he thudded to his knees in front of Liu Erlong, on display for the students to scrutinize.
The whole place fell utterly silent.
Seeing the crowd subdued by his gesture, Brock, although kneeling, stood tall in his heart.
You little brats, is that all you've got?
You're all still too green.
A true man can bend and stretch, what's this to me?
This time, let's see who dares to say I'm not sincere.
Who dares to say I'm not a real man!
Brock's heart was in turmoil, convinced that his strategy of kneeling to beg for forgiveness, a retreat to advance, was brilliant, and this should win him the support of the students around him.
However, the reality was completely beyond his expectations.
The young people who had first started the commotion shook their heads and sighed.
"Ah, why do I feel that, even when he was standing he might not have looked like much of a man, but at least he was still a person. Why does it feel like when he kneels, he looks like..."
"Like what?" the students asked, heads turning.
"What do you think?"
"A dog!"
"Damn it, don't be so harsh, can't you see the dog's so humiliated it's brought to tears?"
Brock's mentality exploded, his face distorting.
Luo Yu watched the drama unfold with crossed arms, a playful look on his face.
"Dong'er, if she knelt before you, would you forgive her?"
Bi Bidong's beautiful eyes glared sharply, her red lips close to Luo Yu's ear as she said coolly, "I would rather kneel before you and serve you, even give you a meal; I wouldn't want to see such a person flitting about in front of me."
"Sss."
Luo Yu took in a sharp breath.
Her words were cold, so why did they feel so hot to him?
He couldn't work out whether Bi Bidong was mocking Brock or flirting with him.
Perhaps it was both.
"Brother Yu, aren't you going to step in?" Bi Bidong asked.
Luo Yu continued to watch the clownish display of Brock kneeling in the arena, his lips curling into a smirk.
"No rush, let's wait until his performance is over."
Bi Bidong playfully scolded, "Brother Yu, you're so bad."
"But I like it a lot."
Luo Yu pinched her cute face, speaking nonchalantly, "Cough, cough, try that service you mentioned earlier for me tonight."
"Which one?" Bi Bidong asked, puzzled.
"Stop playing dumb." Luo Yu glared at her.
"Giggle."
Bi Bidong covered her mouth and giggled as a few of the students' gazes drifted over, their eyes filled with infatuation.
Even with her looks concealed, Bi Bidong's charm was incomparable.
Bi Bidong sensed their stares, her brows narrowing.
She gave a cold glare, and they immediately shuddered, reverting their gazes to compliance.
In the arena, Brock was on the verge of madness.
He wanted to tear apart these mocking students with his bare hands.
He suppressed his fury and looked at Liu Erlong.
"Erlong, I've already knelt down, won't you forgive me then?"
Liu Erlong gave him a glance.
"I already told you, even if you kneel, I won't forgive you. You're the one who chose to kneel."
"What?"
Brock stared with wide eyes, so he knelt for nothing and got mocked on top of that?
This wasn't the Liu Erlong he knew.
In the past, a few sweet nothings from him would have been enough to placate Erlong.
Why such a drastic change, where had it all gone wrong?
Brock's breathing became ragged, nearly delirious.
"Erlong, you must be just throwing a fit at me, right?"
Liu Erlong shook his head.
"Brock, just go, don't come back to hurt me anymore."
"Actually..."
"Actually what?" Brock urged tensely, "You actually still like me, right?"
Liu Erlong glanced left and right, then in front of all the academy's students,
Bit her red lip.
"Actually, I already have someone I like."