Overwhelming Momentum

The next day.

In the faint morning light, Jiang Yunlu walked down the street, feeling an endless surge of energy throughout her body. Her steps were so light she felt she could almost float.

The true qi within her body coursed through her limbs and bones, sharpening her five senses along with it.

She even had a gut feeling that if she were to run into that provincial badminton champion again, she could beat them into the ground in just a few moves.

As soon as this thought popped up, that face uncontrollably leaped into her mind.

She couldn't help but think of how Lin Mo looked when he first played against her.

Back then, she really was an absolute fool.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yunlu couldn't help but let out a silly giggle.

When she returned to the classroom, she noticed something a little off.

Wang Qin was acting strange.

Very strange.

Normally, a bottle of Vitasoy would be sitting immovably on her desk, and she would be taking small sips while leisurely looking over her test papers.

But today, her desk was completely empty. Wang Qin just sat there stiffly, her head bowed, hands folded on her lap, looking like a soulless statue.

That oppressive aura could be felt from several meters away.

Jiang Yunlu frowned, walked over, set down her backpack, and gently touched Wang Qin's arm.

"Qin, are you okay?"

Wang Qin jolted as if pricked by a needle. Looking up and seeing it was Jiang Yunlu, the light in her eyes flickered briefly before quickly dimming. She hurriedly waved her hands.

"No, it's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night and spaced out for a bit."

"Are you sure?" Jiang Yunlu stared into her eyes.

Wang Qin avoided her gaze and waved her hands again, though her tone sounded a bit weak. "I'm really fine. Everyone has their own little troubles."

Of course, there were also big troubles.

It was just that she didn't have the courage to say those words out loud.

Knowing the kind of person Jiang Yunlu was, with her meticulous mind, she saw right through Wang Qin's hesitation and forced helplessness.

She didn't press further, but just nodded, her tone turning more serious.

"Don't carry everything on your own. Tell me, and I'll definitely help you."

The promise was firm and resolute.

Just this one sentence nearly shattered Wang Qin's mental defenses.

Her lips moved, her eyes grew hot, and she was just about to speak.

But suddenly, a voice came from the doorway.

"I suspect the snow crab we ate last night wasn't fresh."

"Wouldn't that give you a stomachache?"

"Not really. I had the family doctor take a look, took some medicine, and I was fine by this morning."

Ye Minghui and Zhou Nianqian walked in through the door with their arms around each other's shoulders. Their boisterous voices were just loud enough to carry across half the classroom.

And right on cue, it completely stuffed the words Wang Qin was about to say back down her throat.

Her gaze subconsciously drifted toward the tall boy.

One second, two seconds.

Zhou Nianqian's eyes remained on Ye Minghui the entire time. The two were still laughing and cursing over the fate of a crab, and he didn't even spare a glance in her direction.

Jiang Yunlu didn't notice this scene.

Instead, it was Xie Yuling, sitting in the back, who first noticed something was wrong.

Although she appeared to be reading a book, the entire class was actually within the range of her spiritual sense.

Everyone's heartbeat, every twitch of a micro-expression, played out frame by frame in her mind like a slow-motion movie.

She easily caught the unease of Wang Qin in the front row.

It was an emotion mixed with fear and humiliation, like a rabbit targeted by a hunter, even her breathing carried a tremor.

Her spiritual sense shifted to Zhou Nianqian and Ye Minghui in the back. The two instigators were exchanging what they thought was a hidden, smug glance.

Childish tricks.

Xie Yuling evaluated inwardly, though a bit of coldness crept in.

It seemed this Zhou Nianqian and Ye Minghui had already started targeting the people around Jiang Yunlu.

Ring, ring, ring!!

The bell for the end of class finally rang.

Jiang Yunlu stretched and got up with her water bottle to go to the water dispenser at the end of the hallway.

The moment she left, Wang Qin pulled out her phone.

The screen lit up, showing a text message that had popped up earlier.

It was a message from Zhou Nianqian, which read:

"Although I have quite a bit of patience, it is limited. I hope you make the smart choice. Oh, and a quick reminder: my family's business is much larger than Jiang Yunlu's."

A naked threat, not even bothering to disguise it.

Wang Qin's fingertips were ice-cold. She could almost picture the contemptuous look on Zhou Nianqian's face when he sent this text.

She took a deep breath, caught sight of Jiang Yunlu walking back in from the corner of her eye, and immediately turned off the screen.

She shoved the phone back into her desk cubby, her movements somewhat frantic and messy.

On one side was a good friend she had known for a year; on the other was a colossal entity she simply couldn't afford to offend.

It felt like an even harder choice now.

To be a dog or to be a human—it really was a difficult choice.

This multiple-choice question was harder than the final question on any math test she had ever taken.

Wang Qin didn't know that her struggle was entirely taken in by someone else's eyes.

Xie Yuling's spiritual sense was simultaneously watching Zhou Nianqian and Ye Minghui.

Sure enough, these two were up to no good.

As for what Zhou Nianqian's goal was, that was even easier to guess.

Wasn't it just because of this girl, Jiang Yunlu?

Boring.

Xie Yuling tapped her fingers lightly on the desk, one, two, with a clear rhythm.

Suddenly Chu Miaomiao spoke up, "Yuling, the way you just moved looked a lot like Lin Mo."

It was only then that Xie Yuling realized she had unconsciously picked up some of Lin Mo's little habits.

She hadn't even noticed herself that Lin Mo's shadow had already run so deep in her heart.

Jiang Yunlu, who had just sat down, stiffened her back and couldn't help but turn her head, her gaze shooting straight at Xie Yuling like two sharp swords.

Xie Yuling looked up and calmly met her gaze.

One probing, full of suspicion.

One indifferent, deep and unfathomable.

The four streams of sight clashed in the air; there were no sparks, but there was a silent wrestling of wills.

Jiang Yunlu's heart sank.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

Xie Yuling definitely knew Lin Mo's secret!

Anyone else who knew the inside story should have had a reaction when faced with her intense stare, even if it was just the slightest bit of guilt or evasion.

But Xie Yuling didn't.

She didn't even blink an extra time.

Those eyes were as calm as an ancient pool, instead reflecting Jiang Yunlu's own fluster and impatience.

The standoff lasted three seconds.

The first to look away was Jiang Yunlu.

She turned her head back almost in a panic, her heart pounding.

What was going on?

Among the three of them, she was actually the first to back down.

Was this right?!

This was indeed not right, but Xie Yuling, who cultivated spiritual sense, could clearly see that Jiang Yunlu's physical fitness was getting stronger and she could probably fight.

This, conversely, was Xie Yuling's weakness.

Although this silly girl's attitude toward her wasn't great, the other party was coming for this silly girl anyway, so she had to give her a couple of warnings.

So after thinking about it carefully, Xie Yuling took out her phone and asked Jiang Yunlu to meet her alone after school in the afternoon.