From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

At the entrance of the academy, a dense crowd of people surged about, bobbing and churning like a pot of boiling porridge.

Shouts and questions rose and fell, deafening and almost tearing the roof off the academy.

The air was thick with tension, like a taut string that could snap at any moment.

Yan Ruyu and Xu Nanzhu pushed through the crowd and saw a group of students who were agitated and waving their arms like a swarm of angry bees.

Some students, unaware of what was going on, lingered on the edge, their faces filled with confusion and unease.

People whispered among themselves, glancing at Yan Ruyu from time to time, pointing and whispering as if they were discussing some earth-shattering gossip.

"What's going on? Why is it so chaotic?" Yan Ruyu frowned, her voice clear yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

The male protagonist shielded her behind him, his cold gaze sweeping across the crowd as he tried to find the source of the riot.

He pursed his thin lips, exuding a cold aura that was completely different from his usual gentle and refined demeanor.

From the crowd, an elderly man with white hair and beard slowly walked out; he was none other than Confucius, a senior scholar of the academy.

His face was ashen, his eyes blazing with fury. He pointed at Yan Ruyu's nose and his voice boomed, "You! You vixen! You're disrupting the academy's atmosphere and corrupting our sage teachings! Get out of here at once!"

Beside Confucius, Young Master Bai also jumped out, pointing at the male protagonist Xu and shouting, "And you! Young Master Xu, as a student of the academy, you actually colluded with such a vixen, you have utterly disgraced our academy!"

Yan Ruyu sneered, meeting Confucius's gaze without fear: "Confucius, I respect you as a senior, but don't act superior just because you're old. The introduction of new ideas will only inject new vitality into the academy, how can it be considered corrupt? Are you perhaps afraid that new ideas will shake your position?"

"You...you're being insolent!" Confucius was so angry that his beard trembled and his finger pointing at Yan Ruyu shook uncontrollably.

"I'm being presumptuous?" Yan Ruyu raised an eyebrow, glanced around, and then fixed her gaze on the students who had been incited. "Who exactly is being presumptuous? Who is spreading rumors and inciting people here?"

The students around them looked at each other, some intimidated by Confucius's authority, others inspired by Yan Ruyu's imposing presence, and began to whisper among themselves.

Yan Ruyu took a deep breath, preparing to continue her counterattack, when she saw Xu Nanzhu gently take her hand and whisper in her ear, "Yu'er, calm down."

He turned to Confucius, his tone calm but with a hint of warning: "Confucius, you keep saying that Yu'er is corrupting the academy's atmosphere, but do you have any evidence? If it's just baseless accusations and empty talk, then I have no choice but to..." His gaze fell on the young master Bai behind Confucius, "and ask the dean to judge this matter."

Young Master Bai's expression changed, and he subconsciously took a step back.

Confucius was also slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the male protagonist to be so assertive.

"Evidence? Hmph!" Confucius snorted coldly, about to speak, but was interrupted by Yan Ruyu.

"Confucius, instead of arguing here, let's talk about the history of the academy..." Yan Ruyu's lips curled into a mysterious smile, "I wonder if you have ever heard of..."

A confident smile played on Yan Ruyu's lips as her clear, resonant voice echoed through the bustling academy gate: "Confucius, do you know that when this academy was first established, it did not merely uphold one school of thought? The contention of a hundred schools of thought was the very foundation of the academy! Yet now you reject new ideas, are you not betraying the original intentions of the sages?" She skillfully cited some little-known anecdotes from the academy's history, pointing out that the academy had once embraced various schools of thought and was even a cradle of new ideas.

Each time she presented an argument, a buzz of discussion arose around her.

Some students who had originally sided with Confucius began to show hesitation.

They were all well-read people, so they naturally understood that what Yan Ruyu said was true.

Confucius's face grew increasingly grim, as if he had swallowed a fly.

He originally thought he could suppress Yan Ruyu with his prestige, but he didn't expect her to know so much about the history of the academy, leaving him speechless and unable to refute her.

Among the crowd, Miss Ye's eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.

She clenched her fist excitedly, thinking to herself: Miss Yan is absolutely right!

No wonder he's the person I admire!

The male protagonist, Xu, stood behind Yan Ruyu, holding her hand tightly, his gaze as firm as a rock.

He could feel the warmth of her palms, as well as the confidence and strength emanating from her.

He knew that she needed his support at that moment, and he would always stand behind her, being her strongest backing.

Yan Ruyu felt the warmth from Xu Nanzhu's palm, and a warm current surged in her heart.

She turned around and smiled sweetly at him. Many people around them saw the two of them showing affection so openly, and they felt both envious and jealous. They thought to themselves: What a perfect match, a match made in heaven!

Yan Ruyu turned around, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, her voice even louder: "New ideas are not monsters; they simply provide us with a new perspective and a new way of thinking. We should accept them with an open mind, rather than rejecting them outright."

She paused, her gaze falling on Confucius, her tone meaningful: "Confucius, what do you say?"

Yan Ruyu looked around, a confident smile playing on her lips, like a queen in control of everything.

Her voice was clear and powerful, yet it nourished everyone's heart like a gentle spring breeze.

"Masters and students, new ideas are neither castles in the air nor monstrous floods. They are like a beacon, illuminating our path forward; they are also like a key, unlocking the treasure trove of knowledge." She passionately explained the essence of Xu Nanzhu's new ideas, sometimes quoting classical texts, sometimes speaking eloquently, and sometimes uttering witty remarks, like a highly skilled orator, showcasing the charm of new ideas to the fullest.

The students who were initially skeptical of the new ideas are now beginning to think about them seriously.

Some of them frowned, some seemed thoughtful, and some showed expressions of approval.

In the crowd, Mr. Lu looked at Yan Ruyu, who was speaking eloquently.

"I don't mean to deny old ideas, but rather to integrate new and old ideas, taking the essence and discarding the dross, to develop the academy together and give it new life and vitality." Yan Ruyu spoke sincerely, her gaze sweeping over everyone before finally landing on Confucius. "Confucius, what do you think?"

Everyone was astonished, not expecting Yan Ruyu to be so magnanimous as to not demand an apology from the conservative school for their previous slander.

Confucius's face turned pale and then red, and finally he sighed and said nothing.

Dean Su

Just as the situation was gradually easing, a student suddenly stumbled in, pale-faced and panting, shouting, "Something terrible has happened! The library... the library is on fire!"

The crowd erupted in uproar, as if a drop of cold water had been poured into a hot oil pan, causing an immediate uproar.

Some people exclaimed in surprise, some questioned, and some looked around in confusion; the scene was chaotic.

Yan Ruyu and Xu, the male protagonist, exchanged a glance, both feeling a sense of foreboding.

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!" Xu, the male protagonist, made a quick decision, grabbed Yan Ruyu's hand, and ran towards the library.

Both of them were filled with doubt: Was this an accident, or was it done intentionally?

If it's the latter, then who are they targeting?

Thick smoke billowed from the direction of the academy, and flames soared into the sky...

Yan Ruyu gazed at the towering flames, her heart sinking, and murmured, "This fire..."