Chapter 260: Showing Off Their Love

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The 30 minutes of preparation time quickly pa.s.sed, and the debate compet.i.tion officially began.

“This debate is on…”

The emcee, who was in the middle, briefly introduced the debate to the audience below the stage. Murong Qiao and Huo Yichen, who were the most eye-catching, were sitting on the last seat on their respective sides.

“Then, let’s hear what the proposition side has to say.”

The debate started and a girl stood up.

“Thank you, emcee. Let’s talk about a few definitions first,” she said methodically. “Many people have certain standards and expectations of love before they fall in love, only to have them changed after falling in love.”

The girl’s gentle voice echoed throughout the hall through the microphone, expressing her opinion.

“Love isn’t something that a person should control.” This was Zheng Fang’s point of view.

Murong Qiao sat in her seat, her mind divided into two.

She listened attentively to the debates of the people in front of her, but she couldn’t help but be distracted by Huo Yichen, who was sitting opposite her.

The light from above shone on Huo Yichen, casting a shadow on the few strands of hair on his forehead, making his eyes look even deeper. Murong Qiao subconsciously wanted to look over and examine him.

After all, it was rare to see Huo Yichen dressed so formally, so she couldn’t help but look over.

Huo Yichen seemed to have sensed something. The moment Murong Qiao looked at him, he looked up and met her eyes.

Murong Qiao quickly looked away, but a guilty feeling that she had been caught flashed past.

“Opposition side’s turn.” It was Huo Yichen’s turn.

Under everyone’s gaze, Huo Yichen slowly got up from his seat, picked up the microphone, and began to speak.

“For today’s debate, we’ve already presented two perspectives.” He spoke confidently, each sentence rising and falling in a way that captured the audience’s attention.

As soon as he opened his mouth, the girls below could be heard screaming.

“However, this is unfair to the parties involved and also loses the true essence of love.”

Huo Yichen didn’t read the script. “The majority of the joy in love comes from each other, from the lively opponent in this battle of love.”

He didn’t look around, nor did he mobilize the audience’s emotions. Instead, he focused on Murong Qiao.

“But without an opponent, love loses its most essential meaning. If this love is only determined by one person unilaterally, then how can it be called love?” Huo Yichen’s words resonated with many people.

Although he said that, his heart was the opposite.

If he really had the ability to compel a person to love him, Huo Yichen felt that he would definitely not be able to resist using it.

In reality, at times he would entertain the idea of using his position of power or other means to secretly hide Murong Qiao away, placing her in a s.p.a.ce that belonged only to him, monopolizing all of Murong Qiao’s attention, ideally ensuring that her eyes held only him.

In the beginning, he had agreed to return to the Huo family because of Murong Qiao. Until now, this had never changed in his heart.

However, when he saw Murong Qiao’s face, he retreated and hid deeper, as if he was shocked by that beautiful and bright appearance.

He couldn’t stop talking. “Love should not be forced. Its existence is to give everyone a right to make their choice.”

Murong Qiao’s face was already red from his stare. When she heard him say this, her heart trembled as well. She looked at Huo Yichen with a burning gaze that seemed to burst out like a laser.

Huo Yichen understood that if he really did that, Murong Qiao would no longer be the Murong Qiao he liked.

She should shine, she should preserve her radiance and then shine under the most beautiful light.

The more he talked, the more he focused on Murong Qiao. He forgot all about the script, so he ended it early and sat down amidst the thunderous applause.

“Proposition side.”

Murong Qiao was woken up by the emcee.

“If I love him deeply, can my rationality decide to make myself not love him?” she posed the question.

Murong Qiao’s clear and transparent voice sounded, her gaze also turned towards Huo Yichen, as if she were preparing to refute his viewpoint, yet it also seemed like she was confiding in him.

“Even if I know that this person isn’t suitable for me, so what?” she asked with a smile.

Murong Qiao remembered that her Big Brother, Murong Chen, had told her not to get too close to Huo Yichen or she would get into trouble.

She had obeyed it at first, but the changes after going back to university were out of her control. Everything that happened was like pushing a boat along the current. Naturally, Murong Qiao couldn’t think of any reason to resist her feelings.

Perhaps Big Brother was right. Murong Qiao also knew that there would be a lot of trouble if she got together with Huo Yichen.

But if she were to return to that snowy day again, Murong Qiao felt that she would still agree to be his girlfriend.

“Being with the person you like, having them right in front of you and within your reach, turning the unpredictable into the manageable – that’s the essence of power.”

This debate ended with Murong Qiao’s opinion as the last speaker.

Compared to Huo Yichen who couldn’t follow the script halfway, Murong Qiao’s brilliant speech was more popular. Therefore, the final winner was her side.

Yang Xin’s eyes were sparkling. Seeing Huo Yichen and Murong Qiao standing together on the stage, she couldn’t help but tug Leng Yan’s sleeve.

“Although I didn’t really understand what they said just now, why do 1 feel like they’re publicly showing off their love?” She raised her voice and complained in Leng Yan’s ear.

Even though it was a serious debate, Yang Xin couldn’t help feeling like she was wearing tinted gla.s.ses. Otherwise, why would there be a constant illusion of these two people openly displaying their affection?

Leng Yan heard her reply clearly. “Trust your intuition. They must be putting on a show.”

The world of star students was not something they could understand. They could only smell the sour smell of love.

While everyone was immersed in the atmosphere of victory and cheers, Murong Qiao, who was the victor, was pulled into the storeroom backstage.

At this moment, everyone was cheering outside. No one paid attention to the situation in the storeroom.

“Ah—” Murong Qiao exclaimed.

She was caught off guard and the storeroom was cramped. Hence, her body was pressed tightly against Huo Yichen’s, and she could clearly feel his shocking heat.

Huo Yichen lowered his head. His hot breath sprayed on her neck, causing it to turn red.

Seeing that Murong Qiao’s earlobes were red, he chuckled. “Why weren’t you this shy on stage just now?”

Huo Yichen still remembered what Murong Qiao had said during the debate. His gaze fell on Murong Qiao’s cute earlobe and he had the urge to bite it.

It was clearly a serious debate, but he understood the meaning behind Murong Qiao’s words.

“Behave yourself.” Murong Qiao glared at him.

The hot breath beside her ear tickled her, causing her struggle to weaken, and her body went limp against Huo Yichen’s thick chest.

Actually, the views that she had just said on stage were all written by her in the dormitory. When she wrote them back then, she did not think that they would be so ambiguous.

However, when she went on stage and read out the words on the white paper, her originally serious words seemed to have a deeper meaning.

The words seemed to be interspersed with peach colors, giving off an exuberant spring feeling that pounced on Huo Yichen’s face..