One could say that the error made in deducing Han Yu's target taught Hua Shu a valuable lesson. Specifically, she swore to herself that she would never again underestimate the sheer depth of human shamelessness.
'Well, I should probably do the same regarding human stupidity...', Hua Shu thought to herself, watching the reactions of the dozens of onlookers around them. To her, it was truly astounding how easily they were being led by the nose.
Was Han Yu's gesture really something to cheer for? Setting aside the fact that it was hard to believe in the depth of feelings from someone professing their love to a person they hadn't even exchanged a word with until that moment, Han Yu had been pursuing another girl just a week prior. How could someone switch the object of their affection overnight? Hua Shu told herself that one could find more sincerity in a stray dog following you down the street while you're eating a sandwich.
To make matters worse, his former "great love" was actually Liu Fengying's half-sister. Sure, there was nothing illegal about what he did, but it could hardly be called moral; it was as if he were trying to instigate a fight between sisters over him.
'And most likely, that's the image most people will form—that Fengying stole her sister's admirer... What a scoundrel!', Hua Shu began to curse Han Yu in her mind for his irresponsibility. Even if Liu Fengying were to firmly reject him, Hua Shu feared that negative rumors would still surface.
However, these weren't the only reasons Hua Shu was so angry. Truth be told, what annoyed her most was the very thing she had to give Han Yu credit for: his formidable ability "to paint cakes" (to create irresistible offers).
While she was certain Liu Fengying hadn't been tempted by his promise to place the Han family's influence at her disposal, Hua Shu knew that for most girls in a similar situation, the offer would have been hard to refuse. Han Yu had managed to play the role of the Prince Charming to perfection—indulgent, loyal, and ready to protect the girl who had "stolen" his heart from any storm.
To be honest, after witnessing Han Yu's "brainwashing" methods firsthand, Hua Shu's opinion of Liu Zihan actually improved. She figured that Liu Fengying's half-sister must have had at least a bit more discernment than the rest and was more emotionally mature, seeing as she hadn't been impressed by Han Yu at all, despite him spending a whole month trying to get close to her.
That being said, it was quite obvious that Hua Shu found the situation created by Han Yu utterly insufferable; if she remained even slightly rational, it was only enough to stop herself from beating him up. It was no surprise, then, that as soon as the surroundings grew quiet enough for Liu Fengying to give Han Yu an answer, Hua Shu went on the attack.
"Truly touching. I imagine that since Prince Pang—who they say never married because he couldn't find the owner of a lost handkerchief whose scent had captivated him—there hasn't been a young man until this very moment capable of such profound affection...", Hua began to clap slowly, her intent to mock Han Yu being painfully obvious.
Standing right next to Liu Fengying, who was the focus of everyone's attention, Hua Shu's reaction was impossible to miss, and a strange silence suddenly fell over the crowd.
Perhaps the most confused of all was Han Yu himself; he would have expected a boy to try and ruin his plans, but not a girl. Could she be jealous, seeing him confess to someone else? Although this scenario seemed the most likely to Han Yu, he couldn't find a shred of evidence to support it. Not only did he not remember her ever taking the initiative to interact with him, but the way she looked at him now held no trace of affection or jealousy. It was pure hatred and disgust, as if she were looking at a cockroach.
Another problem for Han Yu was that, having been at the school for only a few months and in a different department than Hua Shu, he hadn't heard of her reputation for having a "venomous tongue." Still, wasn't Hua Shu a beauty? Why, then, hadn't Han Yu taken any interest in her? Well, the reason was simple: Hua Shu was a "little" beauty—and not in the sense of mediocre beauty, but literally small in stature. Han Yu preferred girls who were tall and, ahem, more "endowed," radiating a more mature aura.
However, most of Han Yu's "brothers" who had come to support him knew exactly who they were dealing with, so they rushed to intervene and shut her down.
The first to speak up was actually one of her recent opponents—someone she had a heated argument with a year ago during the sports competition week:
"Hua Shu, can't you really help yourself from ruining a happy occasion? What did our brother Han ever do to you that you have to trample all over his sincerity? Even if you have something against him, you should at least quiet down for your classmate's sake; after all, this moment will remain one of the most special in her entire life..."
But one could say this was a double-edged sword for Han Yu. Although this boy was more determined than anyone to silence Hua Shu, his lingering grudge against her—and perhaps a desire to seize the opportunity for revenge—made him overlook the fact that she seemed to be on good terms with his friend's target. Lacking any trace of delicacy, his attitude was blunt and aggressive, setting a tone of general hostility among those who followed:
"Who asked for your opinion?"
"Our brother Han is such a catch. You're probably just envious that someone of his caliber would never even look at you..."
"Yeah, it's exactly like the fox who can't reach the grapes and says they're sour!"
And so, all sorts of accusations began to fly at Hua Shu. The hallway filled with such an uproar that it looked more like a brawl was about to break out than a confession in progress.
...............
"Should we intervene to calm things down?" asked one of the two security guards standing in a corner of the hallway, about thirty meters from where the confession was taking place.
Since both they and their colleagues had been warned by the school administration to let Han Yu have his way, the two guards in charge of the hallway had chosen to act like statues in the least frequented spot; they didn't want to meet the questioning gazes of the students—especially those they had reprimanded countless times for breaking school rules.
"Why? Did you forget what the assistant principal said? That we should pretend we don't see the confession? If things aren't going well, that's just how it is..." replied the other guard, who, unlike his partner, wasn't worried at all. In fact, one could say he was having a good time; the only thing he lacked to fully savor the moment was a handful of melon seeds.
The guard who had started the conversation huffed, showing his exasperation. It wasn't that he hadn't expected such a reaction from his older partner; the man was quite a spiteful type. Being forced to "bend" the rules for someone made him feel as though all the seriousness he had put into his work until then was being mocked, so he was actually happy to see Han Yu hit a snag.
Still, he didn't share his colleague's cynical attitude; his opinion was that they should at least ensure no unpleasant incident took place.
"But so many boys have started ganging up on one girl. What if she starts crying? Even worse, she might end up traumatized..." he tried to sway his colleague.
However, his words not only failed to have the desired effect but also made the older guard look at him as if he were staring at a fool.
"What? Am I wrong?" the younger guard confronted him, revolted by the reaction.
Initially, the veteran felt irritated by his partner's accusing tone, but telling himself that he too had once been young and unskilled at judging people, he managed to keep his cool.
"Well, it's clear you haven't been working here for long..." he finally uttered.
The younger guard was overcome with confusion at his colleague's resignation. What did he mean? That he was getting too emotionally involved?
Then, another possibility occurred to him: perhaps his colleague meant that the girl being attacked from all sides had a special identity—like being the secret daughter of some big boss.
"What do you mean?" he asked for clarification, unable to figure out which conclusion was closer to the truth.
Fortunately for him, this time the older guard wasn't so tight-lipped; perhaps remembering a past event, he felt like gossiping:
"Most girls would probably start crying in this situation, maybe even a good number of young men; at least you, I think that's what would happen to you. But this girl... well, you could say she was born for moments like these. More precisely, arguments are her natural element; the more heated the conflict, the more her 'powers' grow—her voice becomes more piercing, and her retorts sharper.
She might have been quieter lately, but I doubt her talent has dulled; she probably just hasn't had the opportunity to show it. Just wait a few more moments. I'm sure you'll witness a show you'll never forget..."