The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chapter 161: The Conflict with Xia Chenghao

Just as Cen Jiexiao was about to blow out the candle, she felt a gust of wind coming from behind her. She instinctively moved aside, only to see a tall figure standing in the room. In the dim candlelight, Cen Jiexiao could see who it was and frowned slightly, her tone hinting at displeasure. "What are you doing here?"

The man who came was Xia Chenghao. He was dressed in night clothes, and his face showed a trace of fatigue from the journey, but he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes. "I heard that Princess Jue Ling went to Zhaoyin Academy today. I was worried that she would embarrass you, so I rushed here overnight."

Cen Jiexiao sneered, her tone filled with sarcasm: "How could Her Royal Highness embarrass me? I'm just a small academy dean, how could I possibly catch Her Royal Highness's eye?"

Xia Chenghao felt slightly unhappy when he saw her unfriendly tone, but then he thought about how gentle Cen Jiexiao usually was and how she must have been wronged for being so uncharacteristic today. So he patiently explained, "Miss Cen, I know you're angry, but Princess Jue Ling is of noble status. The fact that she came to visit you personally today shows how much she values you. Therefore, everyone around her could be your enemy. The more she values you, the more likely someone will see you as a thorn in their side."

"Attention? I think you know me a little bit. Do you think I would value this 'attention'? As for the so-called enemies, I don't care." Cen Jiexiao seemed to have heard a funny joke and couldn't help laughing.

Xia Chenghao was speechless at her words. He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to refute her. Cen Jiexiao was right. With her intelligence and ability, she didn't need to rely on anyone, and she wouldn't compromise for the sake of so-called "attention."

"Go away, I'm tired." Cen Jiexiao no longer paid attention to Xia Chenghao, walked straight to the bed, sat down, and began to untie her shoelaces.

Seeing this, Xia Chenghao became even more anxious. He walked a few steps to Cen Jiexiao and said pleadingly, "Miss Cen, I know you've been through this and have some resentment in your heart, but this matter is not as simple as you think. If you need any help, I can find a way to help you. You must not act on impulse and put yourself in danger!"

Cen Jiexiao stopped what she was doing, raised her head, and looked at Xia Chenghao with cold eyes. She said word by word, "Your Highness, instead of wasting your time here, you should think about how to please your Li Lingxuan! It's not your turn to meddle in my affairs!"

"You..." Xia Chenghao's face turned pale at her words. He had never expected that Sister Cen Xiao would say such hurtful words. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Miss Cen, you know my feelings for you, why do you still treat me like this?"

"Degrading you?" Cen Jiexiao seemed to have heard something unbelievable. She stood up suddenly, pointed at Xia Chenghao's nose, and said angrily, "Do you deserve it? Even if I, Cen Jiexiao, were blind, I would never fall for a hypocritical villain like you! And you're my enemy."

"Hypocritical villain?" Xia Chenghao was completely enraged by her words. He grabbed Cen Jiexiao's wrist and shouted angrily, "I'm sincere to you, and you actually call me a hypocrite?"

Cen Jiexiao forcefully shook off his hand and sneered, "Xia Chenghao, stop pretending to be a romantic! Your so-called sincerity is nothing but wishful thinking! I'm telling you, I only feel disgust towards you, not even a shred of affection!"

Xia Chenghao's heart was pierced by her words. He looked at the woman in front of him who had moved him, his eyes filled with pain and despair: "Cen Jiexiao, are you really so cruel?"

"Heartless?" Cen Jiexiao sneered, "I'm heartless? Who is heartless? Who pushes me into the abyss time and time again? Who is willing to sacrifice me for their own benefit?"

"I..." Xia Chenghao wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Cen Jiexiao.

"You don't have to say anything, I don't want to hear anymore!" Cen Jiexiao turned her back and said in a cold tone, "Go away, and don't come to me again!"

Xia Chenghao looked at her back, his heart filled with bitterness and helplessness. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. He knew that there was an insurmountable gap between him and Cen Jiexiao, and this gap was called "trust."

Xia Chenghao walked out of the room in a daze. Cen Jiexiao slowly turned around, looked at the empty doorway, and a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry..." She murmured to herself, her tone filled with bitterness and self-blame, "I can only keep you in the dark about this drama for the time being..."

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind howled, as if wailing for this relationship that was destined to have no result...

At this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a familiar voice sounded in Cen Jiexiao's ears: "Dean, what's wrong with you?"

Cen Jiexiao was startled and hurriedly wiped the tears from her face. She turned to look at the person who came, but saw Yu Lan standing at the door with an anxious look on her face, her eyes full of worry.

"Why are you here?" Cen Jiexiao asked with forced calmness.

"I heard some noise in your room and was worried that something might have happened to you, so I came to check on you." Yu Lan said, her eyes falling on Cen Jiexiao's face. Seeing that her face was pale and there were traces of tears in the corners of her eyes, she immediately understood. She walked forward, gently held Cen Jiexiao's hand, and asked softly, "Is Xia Chenghao here?"

Cen Jiexiao shook her head, not wanting Yu Lan to worry about her, and forced a smile, "It's okay, I just..."

"Just what?" Yu Lan asked, her eyes full of concern.

Cen Jiexiao opened her mouth, but didn't know how to start. She couldn't tell Yu Lan that she had just had a fight with Xia Chenghao and said a lot of hurtful things, right?

"Yu Lan, do you think I'm a failure? Whenever someone treats me well, but I break up with him, my heart still hurts." Cen Jiexiao hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to pour out the pain in her heart.

Yu Lan looked at Cen Jiexiao distressedly, gently hugged her in her arms, and comforted her softly: "Silly, you have done very well. Some things can never be forgotten just by saying so."

"But he is no longer the same Xia Chenghao... He has changed. He has become Prince Xixiang, a stranger to me, even scary..." Cen Jiexiao's voice choked.

"I know, I know everything... Don't worry, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side and will never leave you." Yu Lan gently patted Cen Jiexiao's back and comforted her softly.

Cen Jiexiao hugged Yu Lan tightly, letting her tears flow freely. At this moment, she finally understood what a true friend was, what a true support was...

The conversation between Cen Jiexiao and Yu Lan was blown away by the night wind outside the window, as if it had never happened. However, in a corner that they could not see, a pair of eyes were watching everything closely.

Mo Lei, a secret envoy sent by the Liaodan Kingdom, now masquerades as an ordinary student at Zhaoyin Academy. His ordinary appearance would go unnoticed in a crowd, yet this serves as his perfect disguise. Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, he waits for his chance to strike, solely to complete his current mission: to uncover everything about Cen Jiexiao.

He observed Cen Jiexiao, a woman with a toughness and wisdom that belied her appearance. Her every word and action, every frown and smile, touched Mo Lei's nerves. He needed to find her weakness, to uncover her deepest secrets.

Mo Lei recalled the instructions given by his master, Xiao Tuo: "Sister Cen Xiao is definitely not someone you can just walk into. We must find out her background and remember not to alert the enemy."

He was fully aware of the importance of this mission, and even more so, what Cen Jiexiao meant to Xiao Tuo. If this person could be used by the Liaodan Kingdom...