Chapter Six of "The Exchange Student Chasing Dreams"

　　Time seemed to freeze for a second, then the scene exploded—girls swarmed forward, everyone craning their necks to squeeze in, just to grab a spot in front of the "vampire." The
　　"Werewolf King's" territory instantly became deserted. Some even secretly took back the flowers they had thrown and joined the "vampire" clan.
　　Standing in the corner, Lu Fu was the least interested, watching this weekly drama unfold with a deep sigh before silently walking away.
　　The "vampire" table was already packed, the girls excitedly awaiting dinner, but when the "bats" opened the lids of each dish, terrified screams pierced the skyscrapers and reached the heavens.
　　Inside were dead rats, hairy spiders, caterpillars, cockroaches, and all sorts of disgusting creatures that made one's scalp crawl.
　　"Hahaha!" one of the "bat monsters" laughed loudly, saying, "How about it? As long as you hand over the skeletons you have, Count Matt will immediately release them."
　　As soon as he finished speaking, the students, controlled by fear, instinctively threw skeletons at Matt. In less than a minute, all the girls except for the "Werewolf King" and the "Tree Elf" had fled.
　　Matt, having collected flowers and skulls from all the girls, swaggered over to Xia Meng, who had been standing there dumbfounded for a long time.
　　"The outcome is decided," Matt said, "but you can start your punishment tomorrow, as a way of preserving your dignity."
　　"Despicable!" Xia Meng coldly retorted as he was about to turn away, "What's so great about bullying girls?" How dare he play like this!
　　"Hmph! This is a society of gender equality now, if you have the ability, you can bully boys too!"
　　"Don't be too happy yet, the festival isn't over yet." Matt smiled with narrowed eyes, "Then you'd better work hard."
　　Matt also sat back on the bench, showing great interest. In the dimly lit room, almost all the boys were waiting for Xia Meng, the "Werewolf King," standing in the center, to make her counterattack.
　　Xia Meng looked at the three sisters and nodded very seriously.
　　"Xia Meng, are you really sure?" Monica asked again and again, the three sisters not optimistic about Xia Meng's next alternative plan.
　　"We have no choice but to take a gamble!"
　　At this point, they had no other options.
　　They surrounded Xia Meng, making sure no one could see her.
　　Fifteen seconds later, a dark figure leaped out from the tree spirits.
　　The figure was dressed entirely in a tight-fitting black nightsuit, with a black hood covering its head, devoid of eyes, nose, and teeth, and instead adorned with blood-stained fangs. Only half of its face was covered in blood painted on with paint.
　　The figure charged towards the boys, howling. At first, the leap did indeed frighten a few timid boys, who threw away the skulls they held.
　　But when Matt turned on the classroom lights, everyone burst into laughter. That small, black figure, baring its teeth and claws, displayed a truly malevolent face, like a comedian, lacking any real terror.
　　How could this be? Xia Meng refused to accept the truth, so she took out various murder props and tried even harder to act.
　　She was clearly confident in her portrayal of the most mysterious and terrifying shadowy figure in this suspenseful horror film. Think about it, even the bravest person would be afraid of a ghost lurking around them, a constant shadow, right?
　　But as Xia Meng performed, the laughter grew even more ferocious. The
　　three sisters were so embarrassed they wanted to disappear into the ground. Phoebe tried to pull Xia Meng away, hoping she would stop.
　　Meanwhile, the news reporter, who had been terrified by Matt, rushed over, set up a camera to record Xia Meng, planning to edit it into a hilarious video with a huge number of views.
　　Xia Meng finally realized she had made a fool of herself and felt incredibly wronged. But then, something unexpected happened: an elderly man, seemingly sprightly and with an impressive bearing, walked into the classroom and clapped enthusiastically.
　　"Well done!"
　　Everyone looked over, and one of them echoed, making the applause even more enthusiastic. The boys began handing roses and skulls to the three sisters behind Xia Meng, deeply impressed by her courage. Some boys from other classes even declared themselves Xia Meng's fans from that day forward.
　　The old man slowly approached, and Xia Meng nervously leaned close to Rachel, asking about his background.
　　"You don't know?" Monica blurted out, her face full of surprise. "He's the owner of the mansion you're living in now, Mary's grandfather, Professor Thomson of Blue Maple Noble Academy!"
　　"The butler only told me that Grandpa was away on a business trip attending an academic conference, I never expected..." Xia Meng was completely stunned.
　　Professor Thomson came to Xia Meng's side, kindly removing her hood and gently rubbing her forehead, his eyes filled with a warm smile.
　　"I've been watching you closely, Xia Meng, you're a wonderful girl!"
　　Receiving such sincere praise and recognition for the first time in her life, Xia Meng was overjoyed and kept saying "thank you," almost rushing to hug the French gentleman who had brought her such a pleasant surprise.
　　Professor Thomson stood between Xia Meng and Matt, who also politely greeted them.
　　"Regardless of the form of the competition, it's all about the contestant's personal charm and stage presence. As you've seen, Matt is far from satisfactory in terms of stage presence, so I declare Xia Meng the winner of this competition."
　　The three sisters hugged Xia Meng tightly, cheering for this unexpected result.
　　For the final celebration, Professor Thomson beckoned in the chefs hired from a five-star hotel who had been waiting outside. They served up the prepared supper, filling the long table Matt had brought.
　　While everyone was having a great time, Xia Meng realized that Lu Bin was nowhere to be found. After greeting Thomson, she quickly went out to look for him.
　　Xia Meng guessed where he might have gone, but in the gazebo in the back garden, she saw two people dressed as bats.
　　Xia Meng thought for a moment and went over. "Hey!"
　　The sudden noise startled the two sneaky figures.
　　They both turned around simultaneously, and Xia Meng immediately recognized them as the short, fat buddy who often followed Matt.
　　"What are you doing?"
　　"Can't you see for yourselves!" They were dealing with the "dark food."
　　Xia Meng shrugged and said, "I have something to ask you." Ignoring whether they wanted to talk to her, she continued, "Why does Matt hate me so much? Did I do something wrong? Someone told me Matt wasn't like this before." "I wonder if he's trying to force me away because of Mary?"
　　At this, the two finally reacted. The shorter one replied, "Don't joke around! Matt wouldn't even look at a girl like you!"
　　Xia Meng sensed something was wrong and was about to press for details when the other, fatter one, spoke up: "Matt's parents are getting a divorce recently. He overheard them arguing once, blaming each other and complaining about Matt's many bad habits. What's worse, neither of his parents wants Matt after the divorce."
　　The shorter one chimed in, "He works so hard, yet his parents still dislike him and even see him as a burden, so he's taking it out on you. Although we don't think you're that stupid, you just happened to appear when Matt was at his most painful."
　　The two left after speaking, and Xia Meng sat in the pavilion for a while until Lu Bin arrived.
　　Lu Fu was originally enjoying the breeze on the rooftop when he noticed Xia Meng acting strangely, so he came over to check on her. Sure enough, she looked dejected.
　　"Xiao Meng?"
　　"I don't know what to do. I'm the victim here," Xia Meng said, puffing out her cheeks, sounding aggrieved.
　　Lu Fu thought for a moment and said, "I've always believed that Xiao Meng should just be herself."
　　Cheerful and enthusiastic, resilient, and sometimes a bit carefree, but once she sets her mind on something, she'll go all out. Nothing can stop her from achieving her dreams. It's precisely these qualities that attract everyone to her.
　　"Okay, thank you, Lu Bin!"
　　Back in the classroom, Xia Meng approached Matt, offering to forgo the punishment, hoping he could give them a chance to get to know each other.
　　Xia Meng said sincerely, "Whether hard work pays off or not, not trying will definitely lead to regret. That's my attitude."
　　Matt remained unmoved, coldly replying, "What does that have to do with me?"
　　"Matt, I did come to Paris because of luck, but that shouldn't be a reason for you to hate me. I hope we can be friends!"
　　Xia Meng said, extending her hand to him with a smile.
　　Matt pondered the meaning behind Xia Meng's words, glancing at the awkwardness of his short, chubby sidekick, and his expression gradually cooled.
　　"What do you know?" Silence was tacit agreement, as no answer was received. Matt smiled, put down his knife and fork, wiped his lips with a napkin, and left without even glancing at Xia Meng.
　　Looking at her right hand clasped in the air, Xia Meng smiled indifferently, thinking: I tried, I fought for it, that's enough.