Chapter 227: Isn’t the Hero Supposed to Fight the Dragon Before Marrying the Princess?
What does real love mean?
Well, it’s definitely not just saying sweet words. It should be shown through real actions.
Xia Changyu wasn’t someone who liked to talk big and do nothing. As an adult, he clearly knew what he could do to help the girl he liked stand up for herself and win back her dignity.
So, what is love?
Does it mean you have to beat up the enemy to show how much you care?
Xia Changyu didn’t think that was necessary.
Love could also mean using your own skills to deal a serious blow to the people who hurt her.
He got a bottled coffee for Lin Yibai, then walked to the group and said calmly, “Let’s see how the school handles this first. If Baiyi is happy with their response, then we’ll leave it there. But if they think they can just walk all over her, then we won’t go easy on them.”
Lin Yibai couldn’t help feeling a little moved when she heard this. But she still tried to stay calm and reasonable. She asked, “If this turns into a big deal, won’t it cause a lot of trouble later?”
Xia Changyu chuckled softly at her words.
A moment later, Lin Yibai seemed to understand something and smiled too.
She realized she had been worrying too much. That’s why she always felt so restricted, tied down by all kinds of things. But once she looked beyond the surface and saw the bigger picture, she felt more at ease.
She took a deep breath. “Whew…”
After slowly breathing out, Lin Yibai gave a slightly embarrassed smile and said, “Maybe I really am overthinking things. A lot of what we call ‘restrictions’… maybe they only apply to most ordinary people. For someone with real ability, these so-called rules might just be chains that don’t really matter.”
Restrictions only hold back ordinary people. That’s one of the basic truths about how the world works.
What seems like a heavy chain to most people might not even count as a chain at all to someone strong enough.
The difference was that Lin Yibai used the thinking of an ordinary person, so she naturally felt bullied and pressured by the school and the company, which could lead to problems that most people simply couldn’t handle.
But when she tried to understand things from Xia Changyu’s point of view, even from her “love rival’s” perspective, she slowly said,
From Xia Changyu's perspective, Lin Yibai tried to understand her “love rival's” mindset. She slowly said,
“You… really could be a great person. You’re someone brave enough to speak out when the school does nothing, or when the company treats people unfairly. You have money and connections, you can ask internet influencers or media outlets to expose what happened. You even have time to hire a lawyer and fight them if needed. And you’re doing all of this because it’s the right thing. That’s what makes you a real hero.”
Just then, an employee smiled and asked, “Then… whose hero is the boss, really?”
Lin Yibai understood what they were hinting at, and she didn’t try to hide anything. She answered openly, “This all started because of me. So of course, he’s my hero.”
The staff got excited, their eyes lit up, and they couldn’t help teasing her, “Then? Baiyi, what do you want to say to your hero? We all know the boss has been chasing after you for a long time now!”
Lin Yibai tilted her head and looked at her “love rival.”
She saw that even though Xia Changyu was scolding them for messing around, he was clearly hoping for something. He wanted to hear something from her. He clearly wanted it, but was also holding back, unsure if this was the right time.
Maybe he was worried that it looked like he was using this situation to pressure her, that just because he helped her, she would feel forced to accept him. Was that selfish?
Xia Changyu gave a shy smile, about to explain that he didn’t mean it like that.
But then…
He saw the faint smile on the girl’s face. A small, happy curve at the corners of her lips.
Lin Yibai gave a smile that wasn’t mocking but soft and full of warmth. Her eyes also sparkled with something more than just amusement, something gentle and sweet that made his heart skip a beat.
Lin Yibai’s smile deepened as she looked at him, and though she tried to act serious, there was no hiding the affection in her voice.
“You’re so obvious, your thoughts are practically written on your face. But I don’t misunderstand you, okay? I know this thing between us isn’t some deal where you help me and I owe you. But still, there’s something I need to say.”
Xia Changyu, both nervous and confused, asked, “Say… say what?”
Lin Yibai leaned closer and said in a quiet voice, “A real hero defeats the dragon before marrying the princess. Since when do you get together with the princess before you even fight the dragon?”
Xia Changyu: “Huh?”
Lin Yibai blushed and pouted. “Huh what? Are you really that dense? Are you a blockhead or what?”
Xia Changyu: “But I—!!”
Lin Yibai let out a loud “hmph,” turned, and walked off, saying, “Ugh, I don’t want to talk to you anymore. So annoying! Hmph! (˶˃⤙˂˶)”
A huge wave of happiness rose in Xia Changyu’s heart.
He knew clearly, this wasn’t about helping someone and getting rewarded in return. This wasn’t a deal where she agreed to something because he solved her problem.
No, this was something that naturally happened over time.
After chasing her for so long, it was finally leading somewhere.
This whole incident… was just the trigger.
And his coworkers? Well, they weren’t done teasing him yet.
Of course, since she’s a girl, she was too shy to take the first step, so it was better for Xia Changyu to be the one to make a move!
But right now, he needed to focus on finishing the current task.
Xia Changyu tried to calm himself down and confidently told his team, “Everyone, let’s work hard. I won’t forget your efforts, believe me… and Baiyi won’t forget either. I might not be able to promise a super bright future for all of you, but I swear, as long as you stick with me, I’ll make sure none of you will be treated unfairly. Right now, the most important thing is to help Baiyi settle this matter.”
Of course, salaries would go up.
Bonuses? How about an extra month’s pay at the end of the year?
This got everyone fired up. These young people weren’t afraid of working hard or being tired. But if they had the chance, who wouldn’t want a better job?
So they put all their energy into the task. Just as Xia Changyu expected, the school side started playing the “delay” game. After all, there were deep connections between the school and the recruiting company.
The school just wanted to stall for time. They were hoping the storm would pass. Maybe in ten days or half a month, when no one talked about it anymore, the issue would disappear.
The school would give a vague explanation, and that shady company would come back next year to bully more students.
But how could that be allowed?
No reaction on the first day? Fine.
No action on the second day? Alright, that’s just being slow.
But by the third day… a popular local content creator from Fucheng suddenly had a video go viral on a major platform:
【The Worst School in Fucheng, A Company Hires “Slaves” and Then Gets Offended by Them?】
This creator only had a few hundred thousand followers. Maybe the video was just a small paid post, worth a little over a thousand yuan.
But thanks to its funny and sarcastic style, it quickly spread across university circles in Fucheng.
This was a full-on school scandal. It was just as bad as that time a company went to a university’s tea department to hire karaoke girls for a KTV.
Spending four years in college just to get a job like that? Four years in school to be treated like a “slave”?
Xia Changyu lightly tapped his fingers on his office desk as he browsed the school forum. The place had already exploded. He had successfully stirred up the students’ emotions.
He let out a sneer and quietly said to himself, “This is just a little welcome gift. Just like how on day one and day two, you didn’t give my Baiyi any kind of answer. So today I start with a video creator. Tomorrow it’ll be a hot topic on Zhihu (Quora-type website in china). The day after, we’ll go on Weibo. Then we’ll bring in more online influencers.”
This is the difference between him and regular people. He had so many ways to stand on the side of justice and fight back for the girl he loved.
They tried to stall the problem. He would solve it fast.
In the face of rising public anger, who do you think can afford to wait?
The business school wasn’t the only department at this university. Why should students from other departments be dragged down by them?
As expected, Xia Changyu’s guess was right. The school, more specifically, the business school, started to panic. They tried to contact Lin Yibai and get her to explain things.
But Xia Changyu wanted to protect her. He helped her completely distance herself from the issue. Lin Yibai wrote a vague, unclear statement, and the school posted it publicly.
Then Xia Changyu gave the green light to the PR team, and they got busy right away.
【Why only a statement from the girl?】
【If I remember right, it was the company bullying people at the campus recruitment. Now suddenly the girl has to release a statement? Sounds shady to me.】
【Can’t punish the company, so now you go after the student instead? 💩💩】
【Attacking the weak instead of solving the real problem!】
【Heh, this is my so-called alma mater?】
The school forum was full of conspiracy theories. Luckily, Lin Yibai wasn’t the type to go for violence. Because if she were, Xia Changyu wouldn’t have minded starting a fight for her.
Not long after, the school forum was shut down.
They were panicking now, weren’t they?