EBE Chapter 326
Chapter 326
A song ended.The whole venue erupted in thunderous, prolonged applause.
Host Zhai Weitong walked onto the stage, her voice full of emotion: "Thank you to the two students from Tianxingjian Class for that wonderful performance. Next, let's welcome student Sato and the international student group from Sakura Country to perform a traditional Sakura dance. Let's give them a warm welcome."
The Sakura Country student group led by Sato performed a traditional dance full of Eastern charm. Paper umbrellas spun lightly, the rhythm of the wadaiko drums was powerful, and sakura petals scattered with their steps, drawing another round of thunderous applause from the audience.
As the performance ended, Sato did not immediately leave the stage. Instead, he suddenly took the microphone from Zhai Weitong's hand, walked to the center of the stage, took a deep breath, and suddenly spoke in fluent Chinese: "Before I leave the stage, there's something important I want to say."
Given the occasion and the atmosphere, the young people in the audience immediately caught on.
The crowd instantly erupted in cheers.
"Confession! Confession!"
"Brave people, confess and enjoy love now!"
Sato looked toward the audience and spoke loudly: "I do want to confess. From the first time I saw you, I was deeply attracted. Your talent, your beauty, your pride—I couldn't take my eyes off you. Today, I want to express my feelings in front of the whole school. I like you. Please accept my pursuit, Rong Yu!"
The entire venue was in an uproar, with cheers rising from all sides.
"Did I hear that wrong? He dares to confess to the number one on the campus beauty list!"
"That's insane. I respect him, that's truly bold!"
"Is the campus beauty here? Is she at the scene?"
"Yes, here! The campus beauty is here!"
A spotlight suddenly swept across the audience, locking precisely onto Rong Yu, who was sitting in the back row. Her cold expression appeared on the big screen.
"Student Rong Yu, this is a sakura necklace I designed myself, symbolizing my most sincere feelings," Sato said, opening a gift box to reveal an exquisite necklace. "Please accept my pursuit!"
The whole venue erupted once again.
"Oh my god! This is so romantic!"
"Say yes! Say yes!"
"How could anyone not say yes?"
The waves of cheers grew louder. Several Sakura Country international students even pulled out a banner that read in Chinese: "Please let Rong Yu accept Sato-kun."
Rong Yu curled her lips.
This Sato was like a fly, appearing everywhere she went. It was disgusting.
If she didn't fight back, he would really think she was a pushover.
She stood up and walked toward the stage.
The students in the audience immediately parted to make way for her.
She walked straight onto the stage.
Zhai Weitong, standing on the stage, grabbed her and whispered, "Junior Rong, don't let the public pressure get to you. I can..."
"Thank you, senior," Rong Yu said, gently squeezing Zhai Weitong's hand before stepping directly in front of Sato. She slightly raised her lips. "Student Sato, are you putting on a show of emotional blackmail?"
Sato was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a response.
Rong Yu let out a cold laugh and continued: "In a public setting, using the crowd's cheers to pressure someone into responding to your feelings—is this what you people from Sakura Country call sincerity?"
The crowd that had been cheering fell silent instantly.
Sato's expression changed slightly: "Rong, I truly like you. I just wanted to express my genuine feelings. Don't be so cold-hearted..."
"Genuine feelings?" Rong Yu sneered. "Your genuine feelings mean putting a girl in an awkward position in front of everyone? Or do you think that as long as it's romantic enough, the girl should be moved and accept?"
She was firm in her heart. This incident wouldn't bring any negative impact on her.
But if it were Yu Kexin, she would definitely have succumbed to the crowd's pressure and agreed inexplicably.
And if it were Xue Yun, even if she could refuse, she might endlessly beat herself up over it afterward.
She looked around, her gaze sweeping over those who had just been cheering: "Since when did confessions become tools to force others? And when did rejection become heartlessness?"
The noise from the audience stopped abruptly.
Rong Yu stared coldly at Sato: "I only have one request for you: from now on, don't appear within my sight. I hope you can make that happen. Otherwise, I will report you to the school for sexually harassing a female student, and they will take disciplinary action against you!"
She turned and walked off the stage.
Some in the audience began to cheer.
"Some little guy from a small country dares to dream about the campus beauty? What a pipe dream!"
"We young people today don't do ethnic discrimination, but this behavior is truly worth condemning."
"Guys who confess in public deserve to be dealt with like this. Don't ruin the atmosphere at Huaqing University!"
"Shouldn't the guy on stage get lost?"
"..."
Sato stood there dumbfounded, threw the microphone back into the host's hands, and slinked offstage in shame.
Zhai Weitong quickly regained her sweet smile: "Thank you, student Rong Yu, for giving us the most shocking lesson of the night. In my view, when a girl stands in the spotlight, what deserves praise is not someone confessing to her, but her courage to say no. We girls are always told that being liked is lucky, that public confessions are romantic—but who ever asks the person being confessed to whether she wants to be the protagonist of this romance?"
"Tonight, student Rong Yu has shown us through her actions that a woman's will should not be kidnapped by applause..."
Rong Yu, who had just walked off the stage, stopped in her tracks.
This senior, aside from being a bit of a hopeless romantic, was truly excellent in other ways. In less than a minute, she had put together such a powerful string of words that struck straight to the heart and resonated deeply.
"True respect is not about piling up flowers and gifts to create a spectacle. If the person confessing can't even give that basic respect, then what right do they have to demand acceptance... So, let's give another round of applause to Rong Yu, thanking her for teaching us how to beautifully defend our boundaries..."
Rong Yu raised her hand to clap.
Suddenly!
She froze!
A screw rolled to her feet.
She was standing at the edge of the stage, only a few meters away from Zhai Weitong. She clearly saw screws one by one falling from the massive electronic screen stand behind the stage.
Zhai Weitong was unaware, about to invite the next group of students to perform.
"Watch out!"
Without a moment to think, Rong Yu shot onto the stage like an arrow from a bow. In the nick of time, she violently shoved Zhai Weitong to the side.
"Boom!"
The half-ton display screen crashed down onto the spot where they had been standing half a second earlier, shards flying everywhere.
Screams erupted throughout the venue.
In the dust, Rong Yu supported herself with one hand on the ground, the other still protecting the senior's head. Panting, she asked, "Senior, are you okay?"
Zhai Weitong was in severe pain all over.
After dazed for a while, she spoke hoarsely, "Thank you, junior Rong, but... my leg hurts so much..."
Rong Yu looked down. The broken glass from the screen had pierced into Zhai Weitong's calves and thighs, leaving seven or eight wounds.
Many students in the front rows had also been scratched by the fragments.
The welcome party ended because of the accident.
"Rong Yu, you're hurt too!" Sheng Ciyuan rushed over in a flash. "The back of your neck—there's such a big gash. Can't you feel it yourself?"
He forcefully helped Rong Yu to her feet. "You need to go to the hospital too."
Rong Yu wiped her hand across her face—it came back covered in blood. She really was injured.
She looked up at the fallen screen, her brows furrowing. Somehow, it didn't seem like an accident.