Rejecting the Goddess

Thinking on a way to escape the impending marriage situation, Bing Meifeng could only conjure one solution. It was a flimsy plan at best, but she hoped it would be enough to shame Long Qingquan. That solution was to find a pretend boyfriend. She knew that if word got around that the person he was about to marry was already in a committed relationship, it would diminish his reputation. However, finding a suitable candidate for the role proved a problem in itself. Bing Meifeng had few close relationships with the male students in her class.

"Who could I ask?" she pondered. Suddenly, she remembered Tie Zhu. He had caught her eye, gazing in her direction for a prolonged period of time. Perhaps he would be willing to help her in her hour of need. "He seemed interested in me, so he wouldn't refuse my request, right?" she mused. "If I explain my situation and offer to compensate him, there's no way he would decline." Bing Meifeng nodded to herself, determined in her decision.

With newfound purpose, Bing Meifeng stood and made her way over to Tie Zhu's table. The other students watched in shock, wondering what could possibly bring the Frost Queen to approach Tie Zhu.

However the next words that came out of her mouth made their jaws drop wide open, as the room soon filled with murmurs of disbelief.

"I'm sorry for my harsh words earlier," Bing Meifeng said with a cool demeanor. "I've been under a lot of stress lately, and I was hoping to talk to you about a favor after class."

"WHAT! The goddess is actually apologizing to him and asking him for a favor!! Why is he so lucky!" many students exclaimed at the same time cursing at both Tie Zhu and their own luck.

Tie Zhu was taken aback by her apology. It was out of character for Bing Meifeng to seek out the company of men, let alone apologize for her behavior. Nevertheless, he was intrigued by her request and agreed to hear her out.

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't a big deal, if you have a favor to ask just ask now" he replied curious of what she had in mind.

Upon hearing Tie Zhu's response Bing Meifeng breathed a sigh of relief however her cheeks suddenly flushed as she thought about her request she was about to make. She had no romantic feelings for Tie Zhu, but the idea of pretending to be in love made her anxious. This was because at home, her parents had always been constantly fighting, causing her view of relationships to be troublesome and unnecessary.

"I... I want you to be my boyfriend," Bing Meifeng said quietly, causing a collective gasp from the students in the room. What she had said was too unexpected, causing Tie Zhu to doubt his ears. In fact, she was about to say pretend boyfriend, but if the other students knew that it would not be convincing enough to trick her parents or Long Qingquan.

However, as he took time to consider her request, Tie Zhu was wary. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her request than meets the eye. "Why would she ask me to be her boyfriend all of a sudden?" he thought. "There must be an ulterior motive. She's a cultivator, and everyone knows that her family is extremely wealthy. If I get involved, there will undoubtedly be trouble."

Although he still somewhat admired Bing Meifeng's beauty, he would not risk leaking his secrets before he had embarked on his road to cultivation. "I can't get involved," he thought to himself. "Plus, I don't want to cause any misunderstandings with Tao Keke."

"I'm sorry, Meifeng," Tie Zhu said calmly, "But I have no romantic feelings for you. I'm interested in someone else, and you simply aren't my type." His words cut through the chatter of the class like a knife, leaving a stunned silence in their wake.

When Bing Meifeng heard his response she herself was taken aback. 'He actually refused me!' She thought angrily as embarrassment overwhelmed her emotions. 'What does he mean I'm not his type! He was blatantly ogling me before and he now says he is interested in someone else, Hmph all men are just liars!'

"Wait, can you let me explain it to you after class?" She responded trying to explain her situation and erase her embarrassment.

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can help you with your current problems. I think you are more than qualified to handle them yourself." He said, knowing that if she herself couldn't handle problems at the 7th stage on Qi Condensation he would likely not be able to do much.

"My God!! He actually rejected the Goddess not once but twice!!"

"WHAT RIGHT DOES HE HAVE TO REJECT THE GODDESS"

"He is going to regret this!"

"If she picked me I would have accepted any day of the week!" The students cried out.

Hearing the voices of her classmates Bing Meifengs' face instantly flushed a deep red. 'He didn't even let me explain myself and now everyone is laughing at me!' She thought angrily while dejectedly walking back to her seat. 'What can I do now? If only I was stronger I wouldn't have to put myself through this embarrassment. If only I can quickly advance to the Foundation Establishment stage I would be able to choose my own path but that's impossible to reach in such a short time. I wonder how much Spiritual energy my essence bottle has stored up. I'll have to check it later tonight, maybe with that I'll be able to advance my cultivation a bit.' She resolved to check it later that night, determined to find a way to regain her footing and cancel the unwanted marriage.