Lin Yu~ (in a tearful voice)

Early in the morning, bombarded by a relentless string of phone calls, Lin Yu struggled to crawl out of bed.

Lin Yu had gone to sleep very late last night, his mind completely consumed by that one fleeting glimpse.

Of course.

What troubled Lin Yu wasn't the curve and color that possessed the fullness of milk jelly, nor was it the wondrous texture that trembled gently with every breath.

It was primarily that bruise hidden in a private area.

No!

Not primarily!

It was entirely about that!

Lin Yu felt a bit perplexed.

To leave a bruise in a place like that, it was one hundred percent certain that only someone who had been intimate and naked with Tao Yaoyao could have done it.

There was simply no other possibility.

So, does that mean...

Tao Yaoyao has a boyfriend?

Or does she have a girlfriend?

Come to think of it, they play pretty wild, don't they?

He wondered if Tao Yaoyao liked it that way, or if her partner did...

Forget it. What did their business have to do with him?

Lin Yu raised his hands and rubbed his face vigorously, trying to rouse some spirit.

Something like that had to be consensual.

Tao Yaoyao wasn't stupid. If she didn't like doing things like that, she had legs—she would have run away long ago.

There was absolutely no need for him to be a busybody, meddling in other people's affairs like a dog trying to catch mice.

With Tao Yaoyao's family background being so well-off, surely she couldn't be under someone's coercion, right?

Having rationalized this point, Lin Yu stretched his back, let out a huge yawn, turned his body, and prepared to put on his shoes to wash up and head to the arena.

Sitting sideways on the edge of the bed, Lin Yu looked down at the floor.

After spotting his slippers, Lin Yu scooted his butt outward a bit and extended his foot to hook the hotel's disposable slippers.

Lin Yu's foot extended forward, then inexplicably stopped.

After hovering there for a few brief seconds, Lin Yu slowly retracted his foot.

Blinking twice, Lin Yu's brow gradually furrowed tight.

Upon thinking of that particular possibility, Lin Yu couldn't help but suck in a sharp, cold breath.

Why was he so certain that Tao Yaoyao's family background was good?

What if she was a kept woman—a sugar baby?

"Holy crap..."

This thought was like a thunderclap over a night lake, instantly jolting Lin Yu awake.

All the details he had previously picked apart now surged up like waves, fitting together with eerie perfection...

...

"Makka Pakka, Akka Wakka, Mikka Makka moo."

"Makka Pakka, Appa Yakka, Ikka Akka ooo..."

The phone ringtone rang out once again. Lin Yu grabbed it and saw it was Tao Yaoyao calling. Checking the time, Lin Yu was instantly filled with tension.

Damn it!

He was going to be late!

He'd better save those thoughts for after the match to mull over slowly!

Besides, when it came down to it, all of that was just his own conjecture. After the match, he needed to find an opportunity to test Tao Yaoyao and see.

throwing on his clothes, not even sparing time to wash his face or brush his teeth, Lin Yu rushed frantically to the arena.

The previous match was just coming to an end. It was almost time for him to go on, so Lin Yu hurriedly changed into his gear and put on his protective equipment.

Using the few minutes while changing to steady his breathing, he finished just as the referee announced the competitors' entry.

Standing once again on the Sanda stage, Lin Yu looked at Qi Fei opposite him, trying hard to adjust his state of mind and prepare for battle.

With the referee's command, Lin Yu began to slowly approach his opponent, probing for openings.

The opponent's footwork was agile, and his distance control was excellent. Lin Yu couldn't find an opening, but he didn't rush; he just slowly wore him down.

Finally, after taking two whip kicks that were neither light nor heavy, Lin Yu seized a moment when the opponent couldn't disengage in time. He delivered a fierce whip kick straight to Qi Fei's thigh.

Qi Fei's stance was knocked askew by Lin Yu's kick, and he grimaced in pain, clearly unable to handle the force of Lin Yu's attack.

The kicks landing on Lin Yu didn't hurt much, while one kick from him had the opponent baring his teeth in pain. It looked like an advantage, but Lin Yu couldn't find it in himself to smile.

Because the judges scored on points. The opponent's two effective strikes were two points; his one heavy kick was only one point. He was clearly at a disadvantage.

Moreover, because the opponent was now on guard and knew he couldn't match Lin Yu in strength, he began using skilled techniques to control distance, kite, and defend.

Stealing a point here and there, he made things incredibly difficult for Lin Yu.

By the end of the first round, Lin Yu had lost without any suspense.

The point difference was nearly double.

If he kept fighting like this, he would lose for sure.

During the break, Lin Yu took the water Tao Yaoyao handed him, gulped down a few mouthfuls, adjusted his mindset, and stepped into the ring again...

...

"Qian Jie, why did Lin Yu lose?"

Below the stage, Zhou Yise asked in confusion.

It clearly looked like Lin Yu had the upper hand, chasing the other guy around, yet the judges declared the other guy the winner!

Was this a rigged match?

Even though he had been publicly humiliated by this woman a few days ago, Qian Jie still didn't dare offend his goddess's sister. He could only explain with a hint of schadenfreude toward Lin Yu:

"What's the use of him chasing people around?"

"The judges look at points."

"Lin Yu's Sanda skills are far inferior to Qi Fei's. He simply can't score many points."

"Huh?"

Zhou Yise, who knew nothing about Sanda, finally understood and asked anxiously:

"Then doesn't that mean it's very hard for Lin Yu to win?"

Just as Zhou Yise's voice fell, a dull thud echoed from the Sanda stage.

People attracted by their conversation immediately turned to look at the stage, only to see Lin Yu fallen on the mat, struggling to get up.

Hu Hao, standing to the side, had seen the whole thing. He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"He was in a rush to go in and get points, got caught by the opponent, and took a high whip kick right to the head. Now he doesn't need to rush anymore."

Qian Jie nodded beside him, echoing:

"Yeah, definitely no need to rush now. One knockdown equals an effective high kick score. The gap is completely widened now. No need to watch, Lin Yu has lost for sure."

Although their back-and-forth commentary stated facts, the gloating tone in their voices made the others furious.

No matter what, he was fighting for the school. Why were they so happy that he was losing?

What kind of people were they!

At this critical juncture, the group didn't have the heart to scold the two. They shot them a look of disgust and turned their attention back to the Sanda stage.

After watching the match for a while, Qian Jie sighed, shook his head, and spoke in a tone that was irritating no matter how you heard it:

"Sigh."

" rushing again."

Even without Qian Jie saying it, the few people who didn't understand Sanda could see Lin Yu's impatience. After crawling up from the floor, he was rushing to attack, but it looked like he had completely lost his discipline.

Just like before, L University's Qi Fei seized the opportunity and launched another high whip kick, heading straight for Lin Yu's chin, seemingly about to recreate the glorious moment of knocking Lin Yu down just moments ago.

In that split second.

Lin Yu unexpectedly leaned back into a deep duck, dodging the high whip kick by a hair's breadth.

Seeing Lin Yu dodge the kick, the gloating smile on Qian Jie's face remained unchanged as he mocked:

"Dodging it is useless. With the little time remaining, he can't catch up in points..."

Qian Jie's words weren't even finished when his expression suddenly changed, and he instantly went mute.

On the stage, after dodging the whip kick, Lin Yu quickly threw a punch, striking Qi Fei on the thigh.

Immediately following that, seizing the opportunity while his opponent was off-balance, Lin Yu gave him no time to react. A left-right combo of straight punches smashed into his face.

Qi Fei hit the floor in response, falling into an infant-like slumber.

KO.

Lin Yu wins.

Qi Fei had won one round, and Lin Yu had won one. According to the rules, there should have been a third, tie-breaking match.

However, Qi Fei was sleeping so soundly that he simply didn't wake up, so Lin Yu was declared the winner by default.

As he stepped off the Sanda ring, Tao Yaoyao rushed over to meet him. Her eyes were filled with genuine distress and concern as she looked at the injury at the corner of Lin Yu's mouth.

She helped him sit down on a chair and opened the first-aid kit provided by the organizers, preparing to dress his wound.

While Tao Yaoyao was getting things ready, Lin Yu subconsciously wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand.

There was no blood, but it stung. Still, it wasn't too bad; it didn't count as a serious injury.

"Makka Pakka, Akka Wakka, Mikka Makka moo."

"Makka Pakka, Appa Yakka, Ikka Akka oo..."

A childish, comical ringtone rang out abruptly in the empty rest area.

Recognizing it as his own phone, Lin Yu stood up and walked over to his gym bag to retrieve it, glancing at the caller ID.

Tang KuaiKuai?

Seeing this ID, Lin Yu's heart gave an uncontrollable tremble.

Why was she calling?

Behind him, Tao Yaoyao held a cotton swab dipped in iodine and said with concern:

"Take the call later. Let's treat the wound first?"

Lin Yu turned his head slightly to glance at her, but he didn't listen.

Tang Manman rarely called him directly. Unless it was something urgent, she would absolutely never use voice calling.

Swiping his finger across the screen, Lin Yu answered the call and brought the phone to his ear.

"Lin Yu..."

Hearing the trembling voice coming through the speaker, Lin Yu felt his heart clench.

In the span of just a few breaths, the voice on the other end collapsed completely, dissolving into incoherent weeping as she sobbed out:

"I'm sorry..."