Not long after Ye Chuan and Luo Xi sat down, a group of people walked in through the entrance of the large lecture hall. At that moment, someone exclaimed, "Huang Haotian from the taekwondo club is here!"
Many turned their heads to look. Coincidentally, this lecture was shared by Ye Chuan's class and Huang Haotian's, so when Ye Chuan saw Huang Haotian enter with his taekwondo club members, he raised an eyebrow.
Seems like a lot of people are paying attention to this duel, huh? Even walking into a classroom gets an announcement.
Weird. When he came in earlier, why didn’t anyone shout, "The mighty Ye Chuan has arrived!"
Tsk, no sense of discernment at all.
"Hmph." Huang Haotian noticed Ye Chuan sitting not far away as soon as he entered. His gaze lingered on Luo Xi for a while before he snorted and led Zhao Ruyan to his seat.
No rush. When the duel comes, Ye Chuan will be crushed under his feet.
Let the guy act tough for now.
Then he’ll smash that smug face in!
Daring to challenge the entire taekwondo club?
Putting on an act?
Keep pretending, punk.
"The duel is this afternoon?" Zhao Ruyan asked Huang Haotian after sitting down, glancing briefly at Ye Chuan before turning back.
Huang Haotian smirked. "Yeah, this afternoon. But who knows if that guy will even show up?"
The school newspaper crew had already caught wind of this. If Ye Chuan chickened out, the whole school would know by the next day—but that’d be fine too. Not only would it cleanse the taekwondo club’s shame, but it’d also show everyone what happens when you mess with Huang Haotian.
He had to humiliate Ye Chuan thoroughly to avenge the disgrace of being forced to smoke like a loser.
"Did you invite a lot of people to watch?" Zhao Ruyan frowned. "Won’t this blow up too much? The school will definitely step in."
"Tch, it’s a mutual agreement. If he didn’t want this, he shouldn’t have run his mouth online," Huang Haotian rolled his eyes. "Besides, what’s wrong with a friendly spar? Since when does the school interfere with that?"
Clubs spar all the time to hone their skills. It’s completely normal.
Especially when Ye Chuan had the audacity to say, "I’ll take on ten at once!"
"But—"
"Why are you always defending that loser? Don’t tell me you’re back with him?" Huang Haotian cut her off, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Don’t forget, I’m the one who stood up for you. That’s why things escalated like this."
"Of course not!" Zhao Ruyan glared at him.
But Huang Haotian wasn’t that interested in her anymore. His attention had shifted to the girl beside Ye Chuan—Luo Xi, he’d heard her name was.
Both her looks and figure were leagues above Zhao Ruyan’s.
Huang Haotian rubbed his hands. He’d have to find an opportunity.
…
Meanwhile, on Ye Chuan’s side—
"Chuan, are you really going through with this duel this afternoon? It’s a total setup!" Luo Xi couldn’t imagine how Ye Chuan could possibly win. She didn’t want to see him get hurt.
With those slender arms and legs, how could he possibly stand a chance?
"Relax, those guys are all flash, no substance," Ye Chuan chuckled.
Luo Xi bit her lip, gripping his sleeve but unsure what to say.
"Ye Chuan, maybe you should get insurance first," An Shiyu chimed in. "I’ll pay. After you get hospitalized and claim the payout, we’ll split it 50-50. Deal?"
Ye Chuan: "…"
Wow, neither of you has any faith in me?
And An Shiyu, do you even have a conscience?
How can you profit off my suffering so shamelessly?
"What if, hypothetically, I beat Huang Haotian and his crew into the ground?" Ye Chuan said.
An Shiyu gave him a look that screamed, Are you high? Taking on a dozen taekwondo club elites alone? Even Ultraman would get kicked around. Seeing his confidence, she propped her chin on her hand and smirked.
"Fine. Bet a thousand. For every guy you knock out, I’ll add another thousand."
"Oh?" Ye Chuan grinned. "Not afraid of going broke?"
"Hmph."
Her response was pure disdain.
"One, two, three…" Ye Chuan started counting.
Luo Xi watched him tally on his fingers curiously. "What are you calculating?"
"A thousand per challenger, plus Shiyu’s thousand. If I pull this off, I’m making over a hundred grand."
Luo Xi: "…"
A dozen people, a thousand each, plus Shiyu’s thousand…
How does that add up to over a hundred thousand?
But she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she started thinking about how to help Ye Chuan in the afternoon—maybe she could call in some favors with the teachers she was close to. If faculty were present, Huang Haotian wouldn’t dare go too far.
When class started, Luo Xi focused on the lecture, while An Shiyu played games. Ye Chuan listened for a bit before pulling out his phone to check on Bai Qianshuang.
[Bai Qianshuang practiced cultivation for a while.]
[Bai Qianshuang practiced cultivation for a while.]
[Bai Qianshuang snacked for a bit.]
[Bai Qianshuang started reading.]
[Bai Qianshuang got hungry.]
The chibi version of Bai Qianshuang paced around the room, giving Ye Chuan the odd feeling of raising a hamster. On impulse, he tapped the little figure’s head.
The next second, Bai Qianshuang tumbled to the ground. She scrambled up, drawing her sword and scanning the area warily.
Her chubby cheeks were scrunched in confusion.
[Bai Qianshuang is puzzled.]
After a few seconds, she sheathed her weapon, dismissing it as a weird sensation.
[Bai Qianshuang attacks the snacks.]
From then on, Bai Qianshuang devoured the snacks Ye Chuan had bought her. The chibi’s dopey, wide-mouthed grin as she munched away was nothing like her usual cold demeanor.
Only then did Ye Chuan notice the "Tenant Info" page displayed Bai Qianshuang’s favorability stats.
[Bai Qianshuang’s current favorability: 40 (Affects system rewards, her attitude toward you, behavior, etc.)]
[Bai Qianshuang’s current trust level: 70 (Affects her trust in you. If too low, she may leave.)]
A trust level of 70 should be pretty high, right?
Plus, Bai Qianshuang had sworn a Heavenly Oath. She wouldn’t leave.
"Kinda sleepy," Ye Chuan yawned. Even though cultivation kept his body from tiring, his mind still wore out—especially after text-based adventures.
"Didn’t sleep well last night?" Luo Xi asked, noticing his yawn.
"A bit. Scoot your legs together. Let me lie down for a sec." Ye Chuan patted her thigh.
"No way, there are so many people watching!"
But in the end, Ye Chuan still ended up resting his head on her lap.