The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Xia Chenghao carefully examined Cen Jiexiao's injuries and discovered a faint purple scar on her arm. Although it had been treated, the severity of the injury was still evident. The scar, like a venomous snake, snaked across her fair skin, a shocking sight.

"Do you remember who hurt you?" Xia Chenghao's voice turned cold, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Those who dared to hurt him, Xia Chenghao, must be tired of living! His voice, like coming from the depths of hell, was chilling to the bone, making people shudder.

"They're just some small fry, nothing to worry about," Cen Jiexiao said calmly, her tone tinged with coldness, as if she were discussing something insignificant. However, her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed her uneasy heart.

"Little minions?" Xia Chenghao sneered, his tone full of disdain and murderous intent, "Anyone who dares to hurt you deserves to die!" Every word he said seemed to be sentencing those people to death, which made people shudder.

"Oh, that's enough!" Cen Jiexiao suddenly shook off Xia Chenghao's hand, jumping back as if she had been electrocuted. Her tone was filled with a hint of panic and a subtle anger that she herself didn't even notice. "Xia Chenghao, could you please stop shouting about fighting and killing at every turn?" She frowned slightly, as if dissatisfied with his words. "This is Zhaoyin Academy," she paused, her tone carrying a hint of emphasis and warning, "not your Xixiang Palace!"

Xia Chenghao felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if he had been stabbed with a knife, blood dripping from his chest. Yes, how could he forget that this was Zhaoyin Academy, Cen Jiexiao's territory, the Cen family academy she had meticulously built, and he would not be tolerated from doing what he wanted. Here, she was not a weak woman at the mercy of others. She was the dean of Zhaoyin Academy, a mastermind who could win battles from afar, the respected dean of the Cen family, not a little girl he could scold at will.

"Cen Jiexiao, I'm sorry, I just..." Xia Chenghao wanted to explain, wanted to tell her that he was just worried, just afraid of losing her, but when the words came to his lips, he didn't know how to say them. He was afraid that his explanation would sound like a weak excuse to her, and would only make her more disgusted.

"Go ahead. I'm tired and want to rest." Cen Jiexiao turned away, not looking at him. Her tone was filled with a hint of fatigue and a sense of loneliness that she herself hadn't noticed. She didn't know how to face him, facing this emotion that weighed heavily on her, yet she couldn't let go.

Xia Chenghao looked at Cen Jiexiao's back and opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. He wanted to stay with her and tell her that he would always protect her, but he also knew that at this moment, his staying here would only make her more uneasy and more resistant.

Xia Chenghao was silent for a moment, the light in his eyes gradually dimming, like a candle about to go out, with a hint of loneliness and helplessness. He let go of Cen Jiexiao's wrist, as if what he was holding was not warm skin, but a handful of fading moonlight, so cold, so unreal.

"Jie Xiao," he called her name softly, his tone carrying a subtle bitterness and a hint of pleading. "I know you blame me, blaming me for always thinking in my own way." He paused, as if mustering up immense courage. "But have you ever thought about why I do everything?"

Cen Jiexiao turned her back to him and said nothing. Xia Chenghao's words echoed in her ears, each word like a stone dropped into the calm lake of her heart, stirring up ripples.

Of course, she understood Xia Chenghao's feelings. From the first time he stepped into Zhaoyin Academy, he was dusty and undeniably domineering, but in front of her, he softened his edges and displayed rare patience and gentleness. For her, he repeatedly lowered himself, dealing with those pedantic court officials, even going so far as to oppose Xi Xiang's interests, just to give her a chance of survival.

From how he repeatedly tolerated her willfulness and indifference, how he embraced all her thorns with a broad heart, and how he melted the ice in her heart with his ardent love, she clearly understood that his feelings for her were as warm and sincere as a traveler in the desert longing for an oasis. But what good was it to understand?

The better he treated her, the deeper her guilt became, and the more she felt the unbridgeable gap between them. It was the national hatred and family feud between the Great Zhou and the Western Xiang, the inevitable conflict between the Great Zhou and the Western Xiang, and the heavy responsibility she shouldered and the inseparable feelings for her country and family.

"Jiexiao, why don't you come back to Xixiang with me." Xia Chenghao's voice sounded again, with unquestionable firmness and a hint of imperceptible pleading. He knew how difficult this was for Cen Jiexiao, but he still couldn't help wanting to fight for it, wanting to give her a safe haven, a harbor where she could unload all her burdens and rely on with peace of mind.

"I will build you an academy even bigger and better than Zhaoyin Academy, where you can pursue your dreams without fear, and no one can stop you or hurt you." He would devote all his wealth to building her the ivory tower of her dreams, where she could escape the turmoil of the court and focus on pursuing her educational ideals. There, she would be the sole empress, ruling the halls of knowledge and culture in Xixiang, radiating a dazzling light.

Cen Jiexiao's body trembled slightly. She slowly turned around and looked at the handsome and domineering man in front of her with complicated eyes. His eyes were so hot and sincere that it seemed as if he wanted to melt her whole body in his deep affection.

For a moment, Cen Jiexiao was really shaken.

She was tired of the endless fighting and the treacherous court. All the intrigues and deceptions made her feel exhausted.

She just wanted a place where she could find peace, away from the chaos, to quietly pursue her passions: teaching and educating people, and passing on her culture. And Xia Chenghao seemed to be the man who could give her all that. He was powerful and domineering, yet gentle and considerate. He understood her ambitions and was willing to support her, allowing her to pursue her dreams without fear.

"Xia Chenghao..." Cen Jiexiao's voice was a little hoarse. She wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.

Cen Jiexiao's cold voice was like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the fire of hope that had just ignited in Xia Chenghao's heart.

He looked at the woman before him, a woman so gentle on the outside yet so strong on the inside, and felt a mixture of emotions. He couldn't understand why she was so obsessed with such ethereal things, those ideals that could never be achieved. Were power, status, wealth, the things everyone pursued in this world, worthless in her eyes? Could it be that Xia Chenghao's sincerity was no match for those cold dogmas and ideals?

Xia Chenghao looked at Cen Jiexiao, trying to find a hint of hesitation, a hint of response to his feelings in her eyes. But he was disappointed. Cen Jiexiao's eyes were clear and firm, like a bottomless pool of water. Beneath the calm surface, hidden was an unshakable determination.

"Jie Xiao..." Xia Chenghao's voice trembled, with a hint of hurt and confusion, "Why? Don't you have any feelings for me at all?"

Upon hearing this, Cen Jiexiao's body trembled slightly. She avoided Xia Chenghao's burning gaze, and her tone was a little flustered and evasive: "Don't ask me these questions, I... don't want to answer."