CH 29.1

Do You Still Hate Her? 19 – Audio Leak / Hot Search

Xia Yuan’s sudden confession left Shang Lu speechless.

She felt as if she had become deaf.

Are she and Xia Yuan familiar with each other? It could only be considered a distant acquaintance.

Yu Su wouldn’t lie to her either. Yu SU had specifically informed her that Xia Yuan had a girlfriend. So, there were only two possibilities: either Xia Yuan was lying, or he had just recently ended his previous relationship, and even Yu Su was unaware of it.

And him claiming to have liked her for a long time was obviously a lie.

More importantly, even though he seemed to be confessing to her, she didn’t feel the slightest hint of love from him.

His acting skills… were not even as good as Jiang Yi’s.

Shang Lu looked at Xia Yuan again and mentally labeled him as a ‘sweet-talking scumbag.’

So, Shang Lu asked, “You say you like me?”

Xia Yuan nodded, “Yes, I do.”

Shang Lu acknowledged his response and then said, “Then first, go back and write a 10,000-word essay analyzing my different qualities from at least three perspectives. The plagiarism rate should not exceed five percent.”

Xia Yuan: “……?”

Xia Yuan already felt that Shang Lu was teasing him with playful jokes, and he helplessly said, “Isn’t this too much?”

“You won’t even write ten thousand words for me? Your affection is too perfunctory.” Shang Lu’s expression immediately changed, and she became serious, saying, “In that case, I refuse you.”

Xia Yuan was taken aback, clearly not expecting Shang Lu’s attitude to change so quickly. He then said, “I just wanted a chance to pursue you.”

Xia Yuan’s words were just nonsense, but he believed that he could handle girls with this approach.

After all, he didn’t say they had to be together; it was just a chance. The question itself was meaningless. Whether the other person wanted to be pursued or not was their own business, so it was not easy to reject him outright.

But gaining the other person’s consent before pursuing them was a gentlemanly act that could increase the other person’s goodwill.

Shang Lu looked at him with a puzzled expression and said, “I have already refused. I’m not interested in you, so let’s not waste each other’s time.”

Shang Lu’s attitude completely caught Summer off guard, prompting him to ask, “What’s wrong with me? Please tell me, and I’ll change.”

After thinking for a moment, Shang Lu said, “You’re a few months younger than me, right? I don’t like relationships where the girl is older.”

Xia Yuan fell silent for a few seconds, then replied, “I lied about my age when I debuted. Strictly speaking, I’m at least five years older than you.”

Shang Lu : “???”

Shang Lu had just randomly given a reason that couldn’t be changed, but she didn’t expect that Xia Yuan had actually lied about his age. Surprisingly, this wasn’t a problem? No wonder she felt uneasy every time she met him!

But what made Shang Lu even more speechless was, “You’re older than me, yet you keep calling me ‘Sister’?”

How shameless.

Xia Yuan : “……”

Is this the main point?

“Fine, then it’s a clash of auras1.” This time, Shang Lu directly blocked Xia Yuan’s attempt to refute it, saying, “You can’t reincarnate, can you?”

Indeed, Xia Yuan couldn’t change this aspect, so he reverted to the first problem, asking, “If I’m willing to write that ten-thousand-word thesis, can you give me a chance?”

“No,” Shang Lu refused, then explained, “That was the price one minute ago.”

Xia Yuan : “…… Then what about now?”

“100,000 words, and I’ll reluctantly consider it,” Shang Lu replied.

Xia Yuan : “?”

He probably hadn’t written a total of 100,000 words in his entire life.

After Shang Lu stated the problem he couldn’t change and the gave the requirement of 100,000 words, Xia Yuan realized that she wasn’t just being playful but genuinely rejecting him.

Xia Yuan found it somewhat incomprehensible. Why did Shang Lu’s reaction differ completely from what he had imagined?

Even if she didn’t like him, shouldn’t she still feel flattered by the top star’s confession? Why couldn’t he see any trace of such emotions on her face?

As a popular top star with handsome looks, Xia Yuan had been ranked as the number one male artist that the entire entertainment industry wanted to marry. He was used to women’s adoration and pursuit. It was the first time he had encountered someone as strange as Shanglu.

Unless…

Xia Yuan asked, “Do you have a boyfriend now? Could it be Ye Lu?”

Xia Yuan didn’t see Yu Su as a competitor at all.

In Xia Yuan’s view, he didn’t believe that Shang Lu genuinely found Yu Su handsome. It was either a way to catch his attention or simply a publicity stunt.

According to Xia Yuan, unless Shang Lu already had a boyfriend and a stable relationship, it was impossible for her to have no feelings for him at all.

Otherwise, why would she have helped her fans bring flowers to him last time? She had taken the initiative to approach him; there was no reason for her to suddenly change her attitude.

“Firstly, I don’t have one,” Shang Lu naturally denied the matter. Then, he expressed some confusion, saying, “Secondly, why is it any of your business?”

Shang Lu’s attitude was already far from amiable.

But Xia Yuan was not the kind of person to give up easily. Before coming to this variety show, he had already analyzed Shang Lu.

As the pampered daughter of a wealthy family, she probably hadn’t experienced many setbacks in her life, but her relationship with her fiancé wasn’t going smoothly.

Girls like her were the easiest to deceive. After experiencing difficult relationships, they tended to long for true love and were more willing to invest more in love.

They often start with strong guard but it’s just paper tigers. As long as he persists, he can easily win.

Since Shang Lu is single now, her attitude should be a form of self-protection from being hurt by Jiang Yi in the past.

So Xia Yuan quickly calmed her emotions and looked at Shang Lu with gentle comfort: “I know you’ve been through bad experiences and encountered bad people, but as long as you’re willing to give me a chance, I will make you understand that I’m different from those people, and I’ll protect you.”

Shang Lu was actually quite annoyed.

She hated it when people spoke as if they ‘knew her’ especially when they weren’t even close.

Shang Lu didn’t give Xia Yuan any face and straightforwardly replied, “Never mind that I don’t need your protection, but I don’t think you’re a good person either. Strictly speaking, this is only our second meeting, and your affection doesn’t seem to be worth much.”

Almost involuntarily, Lin Yanyan’s words she once wrote in her palm came to Shang Lu’s mind, and she looked at Xia Yuan again, adding seriously, “I heard that idols who date will be beheaded, so you better live well and not disappoint your fans.”

Shang Lu’s words left Xia Yuan unsure of how to respond.

Though what she said seemed right that idols getting into relationships can be seen as a failure in their image, as long as it’s not known to the public, it should be fine, right?

They are human beings, and it’s normal to have normal physiological needs and relationships. Ordinary people date, let alone handsome and beautiful celebrities in the entertainment industry. Where would they find so many pure and innocent virgins in the entertainment industry?

What she said was not directed at his idol’s identity, clearly it’s directed at him.

Xia Yuan knows a secret, a secret that must be very important to Shang Lu.

So he no longer talks about pursuing Shanglu, showing a helpless expression and smiling bitterly, “Your words really make me sad. I suppose it’s because your fiancé had caused you a great deal of harm, that’s why you can’t trust other men.”

Shang Lu : “…?”

Why did Xia Yuan suddenly bring up Jiang Yi? Does Xia Yuan want to hurt her by mentioning Jiang Yi? But bringing up that matter won’t hurt her anymore.

Facing Shang Lu’s puzzled eyes, Xia Yuan felt more certain—

See, she’s indeed interested.

So he continued, “Seeing how they hurt you, I truly felt heartbroken, and that’s why I initially developed a favorable impression of you. That’s why Ning Lin’s current situation serves her right. But do you know about Ning Lin’s current condition?”

First, he expresses understanding from her perspective, bridging the gap of rejection between them.

Then he brings up a topic she’ll definitely care about, arousing her interest and easing their current relationship.

Shang Lu truly feels puzzled.

Why is everyone, first Tang Qingqing and now Xia Yuan, coming to talk to her about Ning Lin?

What? Did Ning Lin also help when Xia Yuan was sexually harassed? Is Ning Lin the embodiment of justice?