“Tianle, listen to me—it really wasn’t me—”
“Apologize.”
“What… did you say?”
“I said apologize to her! You shoved her!”
“I didn’t push her! She—”
“I saw it all! If my word means nothing, how about theirs?” Xia Tianle stepped back, revealing the group behind him. He tugged Liu Yiyi aside, still holding her hand.
Lu Zixuan wanted to speak, but multiple eyes pinned her in place. She stood utterly alone—no ally to shield her, no voice to clear her name.
To them, it seemed Xia Tianle’s group had only witnessed Lu Zixuan jerking Liu Yiyi’s arm away.
But there *was* a reason!
“I—”
“I’m totally fine! Sister Zixuan didn’t mean it! Please don’t be hard on her, okay?” Liu Yiyi cut her off, looping her arm around Xia Tianle’s. She pressed her modest chest against his arm, pitching her voice sweet and trembling—dripping with faux innocence and wounded sincerity.
She wasn’t just using her voice. Deliberately, she angled her swollen wrist into view. A faint red mark from when she’d braced herself after bumping into Lu Zixuan.
Compared to Lu Zixuan’s actual injuries? Barely a feather’s weight. But by showing it first, she seized the narrative—playing the victim perfectly.
“Yiyi?! How’d you get hurt?! Are you okay? Does it hurt?”
He gently cradled her hand, stroking it. A blush bloomed on her cheeks; she didn’t pull away.
Lu Zixuan lifted her own hand, hoping to redirect his gaze. But his eyes stayed locked on Liu Yiyi’s wrist—completely ignoring Lu Zixuan’s pale lips.
She wanted to scream. To rage. But anger felt distant, words hollow.
Last night with Chen Yaoyi had been the most emotionally raw she’d been since childhood.
“Apologize *now*!” Xia Tianle roared. His lackeys echoed the demand.
“Do you have any idea the trouble you caused? By all rights, as a Lu, you should know better! Understand?!”
Unaware he defended a fraud, he jabbed a finger at her nose.
“No! Stop! Sister Zixuan probably slipped! She’s not bad! Really—just… apologize and it’s fine!” Liu Yiyi cooed, all kindness. But that last line was a blade. Her teary eyes and perfect tone earned Xia Tianle’s approving smile—*You’re so good-hearted*. He couldn’t even hide it.
“No, I—”
“Don’t speak! You hurt Yiyi, and *she’s* defending you? Have you no shame? Isn’t your usual bullying enough?!”
No chance to explain.
The crowd closed ranks behind Liu Yiyi and Xia Tianle. Few had truly been threatened by Lu Zixuan—she never bullied anyone. Someone else must’ve used her name. Still, several were kids from allied families. More scolding awaited. They’d report back. Many loved watching Lu Zixuan fall.
“No! Tianle! Let me explain! I didn’t push—”
“Still making excuses? This isn’t about the shove anymore. Refusing to own your fault—where’s your responsibility?”
He cut her off again. No patience. No mercy.
This was his moment. Lu Zixuan, the untouchable ice queen—admired from afar, never flawed, never reachable. Even as his fiancée, her perfection felt like rejection.
He ranked second academically. Only surpassed her in sports—and that felt hollow, thanks to innate advantage.
So yes, he relished this.
“Do you even deserve to be my fiancée? Or… does it even matter anymore?”
“No! Wait! I—”
“Since you won’t see reason… face the consequences.”
Xia Tianle turned, guiding Liu Yiyi into the crowd. Eyes followed them. Lu Zixuan stood frozen—like a dog left out in the rain—staring blankly at their backs.
Scattered mocking whispers lingered. But one figure remained: the mastermind who’d summoned her here.
When the last onlooker vanished, Chen Yaoyi emerged against the tide, medical kit in hand.
Lu Zixuan erupted the moment he approached.
“Come to mock me too? …*You* told me to come here. You set this up, didn’t you?”
Before she finished, Chen Yaoyi covered her mouth. They locked eyes. Slowly, tears welled—wronged, furious, uneasy, resentful. *He* caused this. Yet Xia Tianle’s blind loyalty to Liu Yiyi stung deeper. Her palm ached. Her heart shattered.
That single drop of blood hitting the ground felt less like blood… and more like a tear fallen straight from her soul.
