In the world of romance novels, when the female lead encounters setbacks, the male lead usually doesn't appear immediately. First, a supporting female character must pave the way, relentlessly mocking and putting down the female lead in front of everyone. Just when the female lead's mood hits rock bottom, the male lead makes a dashing entrance, slaps down the supporting female character, defends the female lead, and then extends a helping hand to rescue her from her predicament, executing a magnificent turnaround.
As a wildly popular novel on the market, "The Domineering Him, The Pure Love" naturally follows this plot.
"Sakura, sakura, a-ni-ta-i-yo, i-ya-da-ki-mi-ni-i-ma-su-gu..."
It's the familiar "Sakura Sakura I Want to See You" again, the familiar shower of pink cherry blossom petals, the familiar cloyingly sweet cherry blossom scent that makes you dizzy...
At Scott High School, no one but Shen Wandān, the cherry blossom-loving Mary Sue enthusiast, would do such a thing.
Zhu Yaya lifted the lid of her fruit box. Well, the female lead and the supporting female character are here, now just waiting for the male lead, Murong Beichen, to show up and put her in her place.
Shen Wandān was wearing a smoky pink Western-style courtly ball gown with a train, adorned with many pink gemstones arranged into cherry blossom patterns. Her long pink curls cascaded down, a diamond princess tiara perched on her head, flanked by a multitude of pink cherry blossom-shaped hair clips. A small cherry blossom sticker was pasted on her forehead, and she wore lipstick in a lethal shade of Barbie pink.
Zhu Yaya: Ah~, this outfit is truly marvelous! That lethal Barbie pink lipstick—truly worthy of the woman who walks at the pinnacle of fashion at Scott High School!
Shen Wandān wore large gemstone rings on both hands—four on the left, three on the right. Seven gemstone rings in seven different colors. They looked heavy.
Zhu Yaya: ...
Speaking of which, isn't Shen Wandān supposed to perform a piano solo? Why wear so many rings? Can she even press the piano keys like that?
On either side of Shen Wandān stood a black-suited bodyguard, each holding a small basket and mechanically scattering cherry blossom petals from within. Behind her, another bodyguard held a bubble machine, while yet another was on the ground picking up fallen petals.
Zhu Yaya was somewhat astonished.
Wow! Impressive, Shen Wandān's entourage has gotten even grander.
Zhu Yaya had thought Shen Wandān would immediately start attacking Xu Chun upon arrival, but instead, Shen Wandān lifted her noble head high: "Who is the host for the New Year's Eve gala?" Her tone was haughty.
"Me, me, me!" Wu Jie, dressed in a dark blue suit, came running over, his face flushed.
Shen Wandān lifted her eyelids slightly to glance at him and snorted coldly: "Are you responsible for the script for my segment?"
Wu Jie, who had been swelling with excitement at the sight of his goddess, immediately deflated. He fixed Zhu Yaya with a gaze full of resentment, pointed at her, and said to Shen Wandān, "Goddess Dandan, it's her. She's responsible for the script for your segment."
Zhu Yaya understood Wu Jie's inner resentment.
Originally, Teacher Wang had assigned Wu Jie to deliver the script for Shen Wandān's segment, but Wu Jie was so infatuated with Shen Wandān that he would stammer and blush even when just reading the script for her act. Teacher Wang couldn't bear to watch, so she assigned Zhu Yaya to read Shen Wandān's segment script instead.
Ever since then, every time Wu Jie saw Zhu Yaya, he would glare at her with eyes full of resentment.
Only then did Shen Wandān notice Zhu Yaya by the dressing table. She shot her a look mixed with two parts disdain, three parts contempt, and five parts disgust, raised her chin high, and walked toward her.
Zhu Yaya: !!!
What does she want to do?
Also, won't she trip walking with her head tilted that high?
"Thump!"
Shen Wandān fell to the ground. Wu Jie and the four bodyguards immediately rushed over to help Shen Wandān up—
"Goddess Dandan!!"
"Miss!!"
Zhu Yaya: Oh dear, she wasn't thinking anything. This has nothing to do with her.
Although she had taken a tumble, Shen Wandān, ever committed to maintaining her noble and elegant public image, managed to get up from the ground with some difficulty. She gently brushed off nonexistent dust from her clothes and, having learned no lesson, raised her chin again to address Zhu Yaya: "So it's you." A flash of displeasure crossed her eyes.
Zhu Yaya: ...
Why must Shen Wandān raise her chin every time? Does she know that from Zhu Yaya's position right in front of her, she can see right up her nostrils!
Zhu Yaya struggled to suppress her wildly twitching lips, pretending to be serious: "Can I help you?"
"Read out the script for my segment."
Zhu Yaya: What's this about?
Nevertheless, she recited: "The piano, its sound heavenly, its notes tinkling and flowing into the heart, is hailed as the 'King of Instruments.' Next, let's give a warm welcome to Shen Wandān from Class 1, Grade 11, who will passionately perform a piano solo, 'The Love of Cherry Blossoms.'"
Shen Wandān snorted coldly, giving Zhu Yaya a clear view of the nose hairs in her nostrils: "Wrong?"
"Senior Shen, what part is wrong?"
The facts proved that Zhu Yaya's professional ethics were quite solid! Teetering on the edge of bursting into laughter, she managed to maintain a serious demeanor and even politely inquired of Shen Wandān.
Shen Wandān's eyebrows shot up: "Listen, you tasteless groundhog. My name today is Shen Wounded Dream Enchanting Charm Hathaway Rose Tear Feather Spirit Evil Child Phantomhive Wandān. Please recite my full name when reading the script for my segment!"
She raised her chin again: "Hmph, you groundhog, I forgot. Such a noble and elegant name—do you even have the capacity to remember it?"
Ha, you underestimate me!
Zhu Yaya put on a professional fake smile: "Alright, as you wish, Shen Wounded Dream Enchanting Charm Hathaway Rose Tear Feather Spirit Evil Child Phantomhive." But inwardly, she was cursing up a storm.
After repeatedly confirming that Zhu Yaya could accurately recite her name, Shen Wandān elegantly adjusted the small crown on her head, raised her noble head once more, and walked toward Xu Chun.
The moment she turned away, Zhu Yaya covered her mouth in silent, hysterical laughter.
Shen Wandān looked Xu Chun, who was not yet fully dressed, up and down with a smug air: "Well, well! If it isn't our Young Master Chen's new flame? Did you sign up for a performance too? Looking like that, what could you possibly perform? I really don't know what Murong Beichen sees in you."
Xu Chun hung her head low, her expression hidden.
Shen Wandān twirled a strand of her pink hair around her finger: "By the way, what are you performing? No, I should ask, what can you do? I imagine someone like you doesn't have any talents, right? You're not going to perform cleaning on stage, are you?"
"I heard you overestimated yourself and signed up for a dance. Pfft, do you even know how to dance? You don't even have a dance costume, wearing that shabby old cotton-padded jacket like a clumsy penguin. Are you sure you're not going on stage to perform a comedy skit?"
Zhu Yaya noticed Xu Chun's hands clenching tightly into fists.
Shen Wandān seemed to lose all control, relentlessly mocking Xu Chun. Xu Chun's head sank lower and lower.
"Enough, you vile woman! I, Murong Beichen, son of the world's number one tycoon, command you to shut your mouth now!"
Murong Beichen's figure appeared at the backstage entrance.
Alright, the show is about to begin.
Zhu Yaya quietly opened the fruit box.
