Getting Caught Up In His Cycle Of Passionate Love - Chapter 29
“You’re Being Naughty”
As spring arrived, the weather gradually warmed up, but there was still a hint of coolness in the air. Xu Taoyue had been busy with Ye Wan, taking care of all the necessities for the cultural and arts festival for the past few days, and only now did she have a moment to relax.
Xu Taoyue sighed and began to complain to Lu Que: “Why does the cultural and arts festival happen twice, once in high school and once in college? Is this some sort of regular event?”
Lu Que comforted her, handed her a cup of milk tea, and continued to listen to her talk.
“I’ve now seen why Wanwan has so much to say about the people in the fashion department. They just don’t listen to reason. Things that were decided on have to be changed at the last minute. We’ve gone through more than a dozen proposals, and they were all rejected! But thankfully, I’m clever, and we finally got one approved.”
Lu Que pinched Xu Taoyue’s cheek: “Mmm. You’re the best.”
Xu Taoyue rubbed against him and then nodded proudly: “Of course.”
Xu Taoyue’s hand slipped under Lu Que’s clothes and she gave a little pinch. Lu Que’s expression turned cold, and he tightly gripped her hand: “What are you doing? Rebelling against me?”
Xu Taoyue had a “what’s wrong with that” expression on her face, and she applied a little more pressure with her hand. She then spoke to Lu Que seriously: “A boyfriend who won’t let you touch him will be disliked.”
“Who says?”
Xu Taoyue gave a mischievous smile: “I said.”
Lu Que sighed softly. A message from Ye Wan came in at that moment, and Xu Taoyue immediately sat up straight to answer the call.
“Taozi, there’s another problem.” Ye Wan’s tired voice came through the phone, causing Xu Taoyue to involuntarily raise her voice.
“What?? What happened, wasn’t it confirmed?”
Lu Que saw this and lowered his eyes in thought. Only after Xu Taoyue hung up the phone did he ask: “Was there another special situation?”
Xu Taoyue had a pained expression on her face. She buried her head directly into Lu Que’s neck, her hands wrapped tightly around him like a koala, not wanting to move. Lu Que didn’t rush her; he slightly tightened his grip to allow Xu Taoyue a comfortable position to stay in.
“What should I do, Lu Que~”
Xu Taoyue really couldn’t think of any other way to satisfy that group of people.
“Actually, have you ever considered that it’s not your problem?”
Seeing that Xu Taoyue was finally willing to speak, Lu Que revealed his thoughts.
“Huh?”
Xu Taoyue had thought about it, but she didn’t know how to communicate with the other party in this situation.
So Xu Taoyue once again threw herself into his arms and rubbed against his chest: “Ahh, I’m really angry now.”
Lu Que rubbed her head. Her hair was fluffy, and when she acted spoiled, she was just like a small animal.
Certain feelings that shouldn’t have arisen spread limitlessly at this moment. He extended his hand, lifted her head, and gently kissed her: “Ask me nicely.”
Xu Taoyue: “?”
“I’ll help you solve it.”
By the time Xu Taoyue arrived, Ye Wan had already had a big argument with the other party. Xia Xiangyang was standing behind her, supporting her, while the other person sat silently in a chair, glaring at Ye Wan resentfully.
Xu Taoyue quickly walked forward. She saw a faint redness in Ye Wan’s eyes. She reached out to rub them for her, then controlled her own emotions and asked Xia Xiangyang: “What’s wrong?”
Xia Xiangyang shook his head: “They said that we were the ones who were not meticulous or serious and that we were pushing all the responsibility onto them.”
Xu Taoyue: “…”
Hearing this, Xu Taoyue almost laughed from anger. Who was the one being sloppy and not serious? This version had already been changed dozens of times, and each time it was done according to their requirements, yet in the end, they were still accused of not understanding and not being meticulous.
The girl on the other side was named Zhou Yao. Because she was a sophomore, she felt entitled to be arrogant and assign the hard work to the freshmen.
“Excuse me, what’s the problem now? We have already submitted the complete activity plan to the leaders, and the approval has been granted. From now on, it’s completely your responsibility. Why are you making us redo it?”
Xu Taoyue spoke to the other party in a calm and polite tone, but the other person seemed to take her words as a provocation and began to respond with ill intent.
“You’re the ones with the problem, but you’re trying to blame us! I’m telling you, you’re dreaming!”
Xu Taoyue’s mood, which had just calmed down, was finally ignited by her few words: “No, you clearly confirmed it two days ago.”
“I didn’t confirm it, did I? What’s the meaning of submitting it to the leaders without my consent? Now our clothes and your current style are completely different. Whose responsibility is this?”
Ye Wan couldn’t listen anymore and rushed out to argue with them: “We sent it to the leaders only after we had communicated and agreed on it!”
“Do you have any proof?”
Lu Que stopped Xu Taoyue, who was about to rush forward. He took a step forward, shielding Xu Taoyue, and then his sharp gaze fell on those few people: “If I’m not mistaken, this is the 10th version you’ve changed?”
“Is your communication ability that weak? What’s the point of coming here if you can’t even express what kind of effect you want to achieve?”
When Lu Que had a cold face, it made Xu Taoyue have a hallucination of when the two of them first met a year ago.
But it has to be said that a campus heartthrob like Lu Que is good at handling things. He left the other party speechless with just a few words.
Xu Taoyue sighed: “We didn’t come here to escalate the conflict; we wanted to solve the problem. If you’re not here with the same purpose as us, then let’s talk another time.”
“If you’re not willing to communicate with us seriously, our theme is already set. The rest is your responsibility, and we don’t mind not getting involved in anything else after this.”
The few people were left speechless. After Xu Taoyue finished speaking, she led Ye Wan away, leaving a final message: “Everyone is too emotional right now, and that’s not good. If you’ve thought it through, feel free to contact us.”
After they left, the group of people led by Zhou Yao glared at them resentfully.
“Sister Yan, what should we do?”
“What can we do! Since they have already reported it to the leaders, we have no choice but to let it be.”
“Then our clothes…”
“Just use the first version. They’re all pretty much the same anyway.”
Xu Taoyue breathed a sigh of relief after they were far away. She pulled Lu Que and swallowed: “That was so scary…”
Lu Que laughed and chided her: “Weren’t you so tough just now?”
“Even if I’m tough, I can’t handle being treated like that…”
Lu Que hugged Xu Taoyue and rubbed the back of her head: “It’s okay, it’s okay. Xu Taoyue is the best.”
Ye Wan saw the two of them like this and silently walked away with Xia Xiangyang, not wanting to disturb them.
Xia Xiangyang put his hand behind his head and raised an eyebrow at Ye Wan: “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“What do you mean? Even a cornered rabbit will bite! We can’t let them bully us like this forever!”
Xia Xiangyang was amused by her words and nodded: “Mmm, it’s their fault.”
“They don’t even communicate with us properly! Every time we say something, they just nod and smile, telling us that it’s good, but in the end, they reject us again and again. Do they think we’re pushovers!”
Xia Xiangyang continued to agree with her: “Mmm, they’re truly despicable!”
“And…”
Ye Wan finally expressed all the anger she had in her heart throughout the night, and Xia Xiangyang felt much better. After all, it’s always better to get everything off your chest.
Ye Wan was tired from talking. There was a cup of water beside her. She picked it up and started chugging it down until it was all gone.
Xia Xiangyang was stunned. She was drinking his water…
“Drink slowly, be careful not to choke.”
Right after he said that, Ye Wan started coughing: “Cough, cough…”
Xia Xiangyang: “…”
Ye Wan looked at Xia Xiangyang: “Shhh… You jinxed it.”
Xia Xiangyang: “…”
Well, his good intentions were once again not appreciated…
No matter how much they argued, the festival would come as scheduled. Xu Taoyue was so nervous on that day that she felt as if something big was going to happen.
Lu Que was comforting Xu Taoyue: “Don’t be nervous, it’s definitely going to be perfect.”
Xu Taoyue nodded: “With our Lu Que~ of course it will be perfect.”
Lu Que was used to her playful banter. It had been a few days since he last heard it, and he was actually starting to miss it.
“Mmm, say a few more nice things.”
Xu Taoyue hugged Lu Que’s waist: “Mmm, Lu Que is the best! I love our little Classmate Lu the most.”
Lu Que was pleased; his lips curved into a smile. Xu Taoyue handed him her backpack: “Help me hold this.”
Lu Que obediently took it, watching Xu Taoyue take out strawberry milk from her backpack and hand it to him.
“This is for you. You’ve worked so hard these past few days, running around with me.”
“Is this my reward?” Lu Que shook the milk in his hand. The liquid inside sloshed around with Lu Que’s movements.
“Mmm, a reward for you.” Xu Taoyue unwrapped the straw for him and handed it to him: “Does our little Classmate Lu still like strawberry milk?”
Lu Que nodded: “I like everything you give me.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Ye Wan saw the two of them being sweet and didn’t have the heart to interrupt, but it was almost time for Xu Taoyue to go on stage to make the announcement. No matter how much Ye Wan didn’t want to, she had to harden her heart and go take Xu Taoyue away.
“Classmate Lu, bring your girlfriend over. It’s almost time for Xu Taoyue to go on stage, and she hasn’t even put on her makeup or changed her clothes yet.”
Lu Que nodded and whispered in Xu Taoyue’s ear: “I’ll be waiting for you down here. Don’t be nervous.”
Xu Taoyue nodded and followed Ye Wan backstage.
Xu Taoyue’s costume was placed right in the middle of her seat. Ye Wan urged her to go change. As for makeup, Xu Taoyue’s skin was naturally good, so a simple layer of foundation was enough to make her look perfect.
Xu Taoyue smiled and opened the box. She picked up the clothes and gasped.
Ye Wan quickly walked over to see: “Taozi, what’s wrong?”
Inside Xu Taoyue’s clothes, someone had put small needles and razor blades. Xu Taoyue closed her eyes, endured the pain, and stopped Ye Wan from rushing out to confront the people from the fashion department.
“Don’t go out yet. Call our advisor and explain the situation. Take a picture of these clothes for the records. I’m going to go wash my hands. As for the costume for the stage, the teacher usually has a backup. On your way to find the advisor, please help me get it.”
Xu Taoyue calmly gave Ye Wan these instructions. Ye Wan nodded and was about to leave, but Xu Taoyue was still worried and added: “Don’t tell Lu Que yet. We’ll deal with it after I’m done here.”
Ye Wan thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. After she ran out, Xu Taoyue rushed to the restroom to carefully clean the wounds on her hands.
How despicable. Who could do such a vicious thing?
Xu Taoyue was indignant. After she was done, she went to practice her lines.
By the time Ye Wan came back with the other costume and the teacher, Xu Taoyue had almost memorized her lines. She quickly changed her clothes and went on stage. The students in the audience had no idea about Xu Taoyue’s difficult experience. Students began to discuss the arts festival.
Only when Xu Taoyue got on stage did Lu Que look up. He then keenly noticed the white bandage on Xu Taoyue’s hand, and his face instantly darkened.
Xu Taoyue’s gentle and soft voice came through the microphone: “In China’s history of over five thousand years, such a culture has emerged, one that showcases Chinese history with determination and gentleness, allowing us to witness the profound essence of Chinese culture.”
“This culture is gradually being lost in the modern world, but we will begin to pick up the lost traditions and let them reappear before the world.”
“Now, please enjoy the first act – the intangible cultural heritage of Su embroidery.”
After a round of applause, Xu Taoyue quickly ran backstage and sighed. After her part was done, there were many other parts of the show that she wasn’t involved in, so she could focus on handling the situation.
Her advisor and Lu Que were already waiting for Xu Taoyue offstage. Xu Taoyue’s advisor was also a young woman in her twenties. She was inexperienced and was panicking after encountering such a situation.
When Xu Taoyue saw Lu Que, her heart skipped a beat for a moment. For some reason, she felt a little guilty.
Xu Taoyue slowly moved to Lu Que’s side, and in a way to please him, she held his hand and drew circles on it. Lu Que still had a cold expression, but he didn’t reject Xu Taoyue. Instead, he lowered his head and began to examine the wounds on her hand.
Although they were treated immediately, the cuts were deep, and there was still a trace of bl00d on the clean white gauze, which seemed to have just seeped out.
Xu Taoyue’s hand gently squeezed Lu Que’s in a comforting manner. She couldn’t stand the current atmosphere either, so she took the initiative to break the deadlock.
“Teacher, I believe you have already heard what happened from Ye Wan. I would like to ask how you plan to handle this matter.”
She nodded: “This is a very serious matter. There’s a surveillance camera backstage. I have already asked the IT teacher to retrieve the footage. I believe the truth will soon come to light, and you will get justice.”
Xu Taoyue nodded: “Okay.”
After communicating with Xu Taoyue, the advisor ran to the surveillance room to help the IT staff find the suspicious person.
Now that the other people had left, Lu Que revealed his true emotions. He didn’t want to let Xu Taoyue off easily and stepped toward her, forcing her to retreat step by step: “You’re being very naughty…”
“You got hurt and didn’t tell me immediately?”
“How did you get hurt?”
Lu Que’s voice was hoarse as he asked patiently, but his eyes looked as if he wanted to tear Xu Taoyue apart and devour her, emitting an unhesitatingly aggressive gaze.