In order to realize the scene in his fantasy, Lin Ming knew he had to lay the groundwork.
As the saying goes, to gain strength, one must first endure hardship. To move a girl emotionally, he first needed to lower himself to the depths of despair.
He needed to pretend to be hurt by the indifference of the two women, feeling completely despondent.
When the truth came to light, and the two women felt moved and guilty, perhaps he could experience the thrill of being pursued by a goddess!
Although Lin Ming still didn't understand why the two women currently disliked him, he thought it was no big deal.
Aside from weaving a few tales between the two girls and spinning some fabrications, he hadn't done anything particularly wrong.
With plans and hopes in mind, Lin Ming took action as soon as class ended.
He rushed to the front of the classroom, coughed twice to capture the students' attention, and then fixed his gaze on Xia Xinyan.
Lin Ming bent slightly and lowered his head.
"Class Monitor Xia, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused!"
"Thanks to your selfless support, my grades have gradually improved."
"Although I'm unsure of what I did to make you hate me, I still want to sincerely apologize!"
"I will respect your decision."
"I won't bother you anymore!"
Listening to Lin Ming's clear and resolute voice, even the top student who was focused on his paper couldn't help but glance up. After a moment of silence, murmurs began to spread through the classroom.
Everyone thought his words were odd. Why did they sound so much like a couple breaking up? Yet, upon reflection, it didn't seem unreasonable.
Among the audience, the little fat man was stunned.
What was going on with his buddy? What had triggered this change?
Before, he made bold remarks to slap everyone in the face, but now he publicly declared to a classmate that he wouldn't bother her anymore, maintaining a forced smile.
But just earlier in class, he had been staring dreamily at the class beauty!
We were all seniors preparing for the college entrance exams soon, so could he please stop causing trouble? Can't he just lie low like me?
Of course, some began to suspect Lin Ming had ulterior motives, especially Xia Xinyan's deskmate, Lili.
"Lin Ming, what scheme are you plotting? Don't say you're quitting while still trying to get close to Xinyan!"
"Don't worry, I was too arrogant before, and I won't do it again."
Lin Ming, who was questioned, spoke in a despondent tone and apologized to Lili.
"I disturbed you before, Classmate Lili. I'm truly sorry!"
"Tch, who knows if you're being sincere? Maybe you're just trying to gain an advantage by retreating! You toad, don't even dream about eating swan meat!"
Hearing Lili's accusations, Lin Ming lowered his head.
But inside, he was laughing maniacally.
"Haha, challenge me, mock me, insult me!"
"Every word you utter will become a sharp arrow to breach Xia Xinyan's defenses and serve as a catalyst for our love!"
"When we get married, I'll invite you to join us."
"Only then will you realize who the wise one is and who the fool is!"
Lin Ming felt the voices of the audience were music to his ears at that moment.
Xia Xinyan watched Lin Ming, feeling as if everyone was judging him, unable to decipher his true intentions. She decided to soften her previous indifference and spoke gently to him.
"It's fine. From now on, you need to focus on your studies and work hard. You can sit down now."
Hearing that Xia Xinyan had finally stopped telling him to "go away," Lin Ming felt secretly delighted but masked it with a plain "thank you" as he returned to his seat, pretending to be "embarrassed."
When lunch break arrived, Lin Ming went to the teacher's office.
"Teacher Liu, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused!"
"Thanks to your dedicated guidance, my grades have gradually improved."
"Although I don't know what I did wrong to make you dislike me, I still want to apologize!"
"I will respect your decision."
"I won't bother you anymore!"
...
After laying the groundwork for everything, Lin Ming finally reached the end of school. He quickly headed to the cafe, pretending to browse.
Sure enough, he spotted Wang Haoran arriving first, followed by Liu Yunshuang and Xia Xinyan.
"Damn! When did their relationship become so close?!" Lin Ming ground his teeth in frustration.
However, the stall owner across from him was even more frustrated.
"I'm just selling sausages! Do you really need half an hour to decide?"
One stick costs three yuan, two sticks cost six yuan, and three sticks cost ten yuan! Buy more for discounts! If you don't want to buy, stop taking up space!
Just as the stall owner fought the urge to stuff a sausage into Lin Ming's nostrils for the forty-fifth time, Lin Ming finally left.
The vendor seethed with anger.
Are you sure you don't want to buy anything?
Seeing the car in front of him drive off, Lin Ming hurriedly chased after it.
Why hadn't he waited at the unfinished building in advance?
First, chasing after the car would make him look more determined, as if he was putting in extra effort.
Second, letting the surveillance cameras capture his heroic appearance would allow Liu Yunshuang and Xia Xinyan to "uncover" his identity later.
After all, when he was "accidentally" revealed through his injuries, he would undoubtedly "coldly deny" it. By then, Xia Xinyan and Liu Yunshuang would definitely be suspicious and think of checking the surveillance through their connections.
As a result, they would witness him, the Lin Ming they despised, sprinting after them as they were kidnapped—
"Wuwu, why don't you admit it? Is it because we hurt you too deeply before? I'm sorry!"
"Lin Ming, we will do everything to make it up to you!"
"Including our bodies!"
Imagining this scene, Lin Ming felt his legs grow even stronger.
As the sun began to set, Lin Ming ran with all his might behind the car.
His speed was so fast that the smile on his face resembled an old red-brown chrysanthemum, blooming in the wind.