The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chapter 199: Tiao Tiao Yu Lan thanks the "drunkard" Xia Chenghao

"Yu Lan," Cen Jiexiao paused, as if she was organizing her words, or as if she was calming down her emotions. Her voice was a little hoarse, "In fact, this operation was thanks to Xia Chenghao, otherwise..." She coughed lightly a few times, her face pale, but she couldn't hide the complicated look in her eyes.

"I understand," Yu Lan said. "If Crown Prince Xixiang hadn't arrived in time, we would have been..." She trailed off, still terrified by the memory. The assassins surged forward like a tide, each strike deadly. If Xia Chenghao hadn't blown the Moon Wolf Whistle, summoning the archers for support, they would have perished.

"So," Cen Jiexiao took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, "I would like to ask you to go to Prince Xixiang's inn on my behalf and thank him on my behalf." Her voice was very soft, but it revealed a hint of unspeakable bitterness, and a trace of imperceptible loneliness flashed in her eyes.

"Dean, are you saying that you want me to go...go thank Prince Xixiang?" Yu Lan widened her eyes and looked at Cen Jiexiao in disbelief, wondering if she had heard it wrong.

Cen Jiexiao smiled helplessly and gently patted the back of Yu Lan's hand, as if comforting an anxious child. "Yes, I know this is a bit sudden, but this time, it is indeed thanks to Xia Chenghao. If he hadn't arrived in time and summoned those crossbowmen with the Moon Wolf Flute, even if we won, it would have been a pyrrhic victory."

She didn't say anything else, but Yu Lan understood her meaning. Those assassins were exceptionally skilled, their moves ruthless, clearly meticulously trained warriors. Without the support of the crossbowmen, even if they managed to escape with their lives, they would have paid a heavy price. The thought of this filled Yu Lan with a wave of dread, yet also a sense of gratitude towards Xia Chenghao.

"But, Dean, between him and me..." Yu Lan hesitated, unsure how to begin. Cen Jiexiao knew all about the grudges between her and Xia Chenghao. She didn't know how to face Xia Chenghao if she were asked to thank him.

Cen Jiexiao naturally understood Yu Lan's concerns. She said softly, "Yu Lan, I know there are some misunderstandings between you and him, but this time you're going to express your gratitude, and you're doing it on behalf of Zhao Yin Academy. Don't think too much about it. Just think of it as being for the academy, okay?"

Yu Lan was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, Dean, I'll go." She knew she couldn't refuse, and shouldn't refuse.

"Thank you, my Yu Lan." Cen Jiexiao looked at Yu Lan with satisfaction, her eyes full of gratitude and trust. "Don't worry, I will go to explain everything to him in person later." She promised with a firm tone, as if she was telling Yu Lan, and also as if she was telling herself.

After Yu Lan left, Cen Jiexiao's expression instantly became much more solemn. She leaned weakly against the headboard of the bed, her mind constantly recalling every detail of her time with Xia Chenghao.

After leaving Cen Jiexiao's room, Yu Lan's heart remained restless for a long time. On the way back, her mind was filled with Cen Jiexiao's words and Xia Chenghao's sharp features. Returning to her room, Yu Lan sat down in front of the bronze mirror, looking at her slightly haggard face, and sighed softly. She couldn't refuse Cen Jiexiao's request, nor did she want to refuse. But the thought of facing Xia Chenghao made her heart swell with an indescribable bitterness.

"Forget it, let's just think of it as the academy," Yu Lan said silently to herself. She stood up and opened the wardrobe, her eyes sweeping through rows of colorful dresses until she finally settled on a simple, elegant white gauze dress. This gauze dress was a birthday gift from Sister Cen Xiao. It was white, but in reality, it was more like transparent. The thin fabric was as light as a cicada's wing, allowing the skin underneath to vaguely show through.

Yu Lan gently stroked the soft touch of the gauze dress, and Cen Jiexiao's words at that time emerged in her mind: "Yu Lan, you are just like this gauze dress, pure and flawless, kind and gentle. One day, you will find someone who truly knows how to cherish you."

"Cherish my people..." Yu Lan murmured to herself, a trace of loneliness flashed in her eyes, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"Never mind," Yu Lan shook her head, pushing those chaotic thoughts aside. She changed into the white gauze dress, which clung gently to her slender figure, accentuating her beauty. Her slender curves, faintly visible beneath the light garment, resembled a piece of fine mutton-fat jade, radiating a lustrous luster.

Facing the mirror, Yu Lan carefully dressed herself up, tucking her long, shiny black hair into a simple bun and inserting a white jade hairpin, which made her look even more elegant and refined, like a banished immortal. Looking at herself in the mirror, a bitter smile appeared on Yu Lan's face.

"Dean, you know very well what's going on between him and me..." Yu Lan said silently in her heart, but didn't say it out loud. She knew that Cen Jiexiao did this for her own good.

After packing up, Yu Lan, along with several students from the Zhaoyin Academy's music and dance department, set off for Xia Chenghao's temporary residence. These students were specially arranged by Cen Jiexiao, firstly to increase their presence, and secondly to avoid any awkwardness when Yu Lan and Xia Chenghao were alone.

As soon as she stepped into the door of the museum, a strong smell of alcohol hit her nose, making Yu Lan frown slightly.

In the courtyard, Xia Chenghao was dressed in black leather armor, his sleeves loosely rolled up, revealing his sleek arms. The stone table before him was filled with wine jars, and many empty ones lay scattered on the ground, clearly having drunk a lot.

At this moment, he was holding a jar of wine, tilting his head back and drinking it down, as if he was drinking to drown his sorrows.

"Your Highness, you are in such a refined mood!" Yu Lan chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. The whole yard was filled with the smell of alcohol, and if you didn't know, you would think it was the backyard of a tavern!

Xia Chenghao seemed to have not heard her words and continued to drink until he had finished the wine in the jar without leaving a drop. Then he threw the jar to the ground with a "bang". The jar rolled on the ground several times and hit the stone steps in the courtyard with a dull sound. He looked at Yu Lan with drunken eyes, his eyes blurred and misty, as if covered by a layer of fog, making it difficult to see clearly. There were bloodshot in the corners of his eyes and his cheeks were abnormally flushed. It was obvious that he was already about 70% drunk.

"Beauty? Who are you?" He stood up unsteadily, his steps somewhat unsteady, like a branch swaying in the wind, ready to fall at any moment. He reached out to touch Yu Lan's face, mumbling incoherently, "Don't... don't go. Accompany... accompany me for a drink..." A strong smell of alcohol hit her face, forcing Yu Lan to take a few steps back.

"Snapped!"

Yu Lan quickly slapped his hand away and said coldly, "Your Highness, please respect yourself!"

Xia Chenghao was stunned for a moment, seemingly still not realizing what had happened. He looked at Yu Lan dazedly, his eyes full of confusion, as if asking, "Who are you? Why did you hit me?" He burped, and a stronger smell of alcohol gushed out of his mouth.

After a while, his eyes gradually became clear, as if he saw the dawn from the fog, and gradually, a trace of clarity returned to his eyes.

"You... who are you?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse, like the sound of dry branches blown by the wind.