thefictionvixens Chapter 106: Xie Xie: Hehehe, you didn't want this either...
Chapter 106: Xie Xie: Hehehe, you didn't want this either...
Silent all night.
The competition officially began the next day.
The first round of the individual competition was held this morning.
Since it was only the preliminary round, the opponents were generally not very strong.
After Yu Chen, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie took to the stage, they all easily won and advanced smoothly thanks to their solid basic skills and combat qualities far superior to their opponents.
In the afternoon, the first round of the three-person team competition took place. Led by Wu Changkong, the five students from Class Zero headed to the dedicated competition venue.
Given the opponent's relatively weak strength, Wu Changkong, in order to train the team, did not arrange for the strongest players, Yu Chen and Gu Yue, to start. Instead, he had Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan, who were substitutes, form a three-person team with Xie Xie to fight.
The outcome of the match was entirely predictable.
Although it was the first time Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan had teamed up with Xie Xie in a formal team competition, the month of training and practice between the three of them had paid off.
Tang Wulin provided direct control, Xu Xiaoyan provided timely interference, and Xie Xie used his speed advantage to find opportunities. With smooth teamwork, they quickly defeated their opponents who were poorly coordinated and lacked offensive power, easily securing their first victory in the team competition.
"Brother Chen, they... are really weak."
On the way back to the players' preparation room, Xie Xie couldn't help but complain to Yu Chen.
"Were those really three Great Soul Masters? They seemed far weaker than the simulated opponents we usually face in training."
Tang Wulin, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement: "Indeed, their practical experience and adaptability are quite average."
Yu Chen nodded and analyzed:
"They are indeed not strong. The cultivation of a Great Soul Master is just the foundation. True combat power is reflected in the application of soul skills, practical experience, and teamwork. Teacher Wu's high-intensity practical training for us over the past month has yielded obvious results. So, everyone should have confidence in yourselves; our training has not been in vain."
"Um!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin smiled and said with high spirits,
"Let's work together and sprint towards the championship!"
"Hmph, champion? Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew!"
Just then, a cold, angry female voice suddenly came from behind them.
The students from Class Zero turned around and saw that Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi had reappeared at the entrance of the passage at some point.
When Xu Lizhi saw Tang Wulin, a complex expression of apology and helplessness appeared on his face, and he quietly waved his hand.
Ye Xinglan, on the other hand, had a look of gritted teeth, her cold eyes fixed on Tang Wulin, the anger burning in her eyes almost tangible, as if Tang Wulin was her irreconcilable enemy.
Strangely, she seemed to completely ignore Yu Chen, who had defeated her yesterday, and focused all her firepower on Tang Wulin.
"What's wrong, Wu Lin?"
Xie Xie nudged Tang Wulin with his elbow, lowered his voice, and asked with a gossipy look,
"Did you do something heinous to her last night? Look at the resentment in her eyes, it's even deeper than when Brother Chen drew that turtle yesterday!"
"I...I don't know either!"
Tang Wulin looked innocent and bewildered, trying hard to recall.
"Last night, the chubby boy insisted on treating me to a big meal to express his apology..."
"I thought about what Brother Chen said and felt that I shouldn't get too close to the Shrek people, but I didn't want to refuse directly, so I went."
"I didn't say anything during the meal, it was just normal conversation."
"When it came time to pay the bill, I remembered Brother Chen's instructions and felt I shouldn't owe anyone a favor, so I insisted on paying my share and then left. They... shouldn't be hostile towards me because of this, right? I even saved them money..."
The more he talked, the more wronged he felt. He had meant well, so why was he being resented?
"You! You shameless thief who skipped out on your bill!"
Hearing Tang Wulin's "innocent" explanation, Ye Xinglan became even more furious, her voice trembling with anger.
It turned out that Ye Xinglan discovered Xu Lizhi was missing again last night. After searching everywhere, she finally found him at a well-regarded restaurant that served soul beast ingredients.
She originally planned to grab Xu Lizhi by the ear and leave, but when it came time to pay the bill, she discovered that neither of them had enough money on them (or rather, they didn't have the habit of carrying money at all)!
Ye Xinglan immediately flew into a rage: "If you don't have money, how can you afford a fancy meal?!"
When she learned from Xu Lizhi's stammering explanation that the meal was an invitation from Xu Lizhi to express his apology to his "new friend" Tang Wulin, and that after Tang Wulin left midway through the meal, the bill fell on their shoulders...
Ye Xinglan's anger reached its peak instantly!
She naturally assumed that this was a scheme deliberately set up by Tang Wulin to trick the naive Xu Lizhi into paying for the meal, and then skip out on the bill himself, in order to humiliate the Shrek Academy students!
Despite Xu Lizhi's repeated explanations that Tang Wulin was not that kind of person and that he seemed to have paid his own money, Ye Xinglan, who was in a fit of anger and felt that "Shrek Glory" had been challenged once again, was not listening to any of it.
Her obsessive desire to "uphold Shrek's dignity" took over again, and she completely lost the ability to make calm judgments.
In the end, because they couldn't pay for the meal, the owner "kept" them washing dishes for nearly two hours. It wasn't until Teacher Shen Yi, who had been waiting for a long time, finally found them and paid the bill, ending this incredibly humiliating "dishwashing experience."
Therefore, Ye Xinglan's resentment towards Tang Wulin has erupted like a volcano, far exceeding the loss she suffered at Yu Chen's hands yesterday.
In her view, Yu Chen defeated her head-on, and strength is paramount. Although it was humiliating, she could still accept it (barely).
Tang Wulin's "despicable deception and skipping out on the bill" is an insult to his character and is even more unforgivable!
"Brother Chen, let's go quickly."
Seeing Ye Xinglan's blank stare, burning anger, and clearly abnormal appearance, Xie Xie's expression hardened, and he said in a low voice.
Based on Yu Chen's analysis yesterday, he has defined Ye Xinglan's condition as "illness".
The onset of the disease is not scary; what is scary is that Yu Chen said this "fanaticism and paranoia" might be contagious!
That's terrifying!
Xie Xie dared not imagine what it would be like if he contracted this disease, coupled with his big mouth...
Tsk, that scene is too beautiful, he dares not think about it, he'd probably die a horrible death.
"You! Stop right there!"
Seeing that Tang Wulin wanted to leave with the group, Ye Xinglan actually took a few steps forward and reached out to grab Tang Wulin's arm.
When Xu Xiaoyan saw this "bad woman" about to touch her boy, she immediately panicked, her big eyes widened, and she habitually used her "summoning spell":
"Xie Xie! Quick! Get her away from Wu Lin!"
"Cough cough..."
Xie Xie coughed twice, choked by Xu Xiaoyan's self-righteous "ordering," but feeling the threatening look in Xu Xiaoyan's eyes that seemed to say "Do you dare disobey?" and the pressure from Gu Yue's indifferent gaze, he could only accept his fate.
"Okay, okay, I'll give it a try..."
Xie Xie sighed, slowly walked in front of Tang Wulin, and stood between Ye Xinglan and Tang Wulin, maintaining a "safe distance".
He cleared his throat, mimicking an accent he'd picked up from some miscellaneous book, and spoke slowly in a volume only Ye Xinglan could hear:
"Ahem, Shrek's chosen one... you don't want people to know that you were forced to wash dishes for two hours yesterday at the 'Seafood Restaurant' because you couldn't pay, do you?"
Ye Xinglan's body stiffened abruptly, her anger instantly replaced by terror. She clenched her teeth, her knuckles turning white, and forced out a few words through gritted teeth:
"Shut up! How...how did you know?! Don't say another word! If you do, I'll kill you!"
Xie Xie smiled smugly to himself. Last night, after Tang Wulin returned to his dormitory, he casually mentioned having dinner with Xu Lizhi.
Xie Xie keenly sensed the "gossip" and immediately slipped out under the pretext of "I also want to try the food at that restaurant."
After a simple disguise, he found the "Seafood Fresh" restaurant.
Sure enough, through "casual" inquiries and subtle probing, he learned a shocking scoop from a restaurant waiter—a genius student from Shrek Academy had actually dined and dashed, and the owner had kept him on as a dishwasher to pay off his debt!
Is this a distortion of human nature or a decline in morality? Xie Xie was overjoyed at the time and silently noted down this "dark history".
"Um?"
Xie Xie raised an eyebrow, revealing a smug smile.
"You have something on me, and you still dare to threaten me? Be careful, or I might 'carelessly' turn this into a story and let the whole of Donghai City... no, let everyone who came to participate hear it! Shrek Genius Washing Dishes to Pay Off Debts, tsk tsk, that's a sensational headline, isn't it? Then, hmph..."
"No...no! You can't do this!"
Ye Xinglan's voice began to tremble, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She could accept losing a battle, and even have a turtle drawn on her face, but she absolutely could not bear such a socially damaging incident involving "face" and "academy reputation"!
The thought of that scene made her feel suffocated.
"Hehehe..."
Xie Xie let out a strange laugh uncontrollably.
"Now you're scared? When you ask for a favor, you need to have the right attitude! If you explain it in a way that satisfies me, I might consider... keeping it a secret for now, okay?"
Ye Xinglan's psychological defenses completely collapsed at this moment.
Proud as she was, she had to lower her head to protect the "face" and "academy's reputation" that were more important than life itself.
Her eyes were unfocused, and her voice was weak and trembling:
"Please...please...just keep it a secret...I...I'll do anything you ask..."
At this moment, she no longer resembled a proud and privileged woman; all that remained was helplessness and panic.
"Hmm... this attitude is alright."
Xie Xie casually stroked his chin, then waved his hand dismissively, as if to send someone away.
"You can leave now. You're not welcome here for the time being. But we'll let you off this time."
"Today?!"
Ye Xinglan suddenly looked up, her eyes blazing with renewed anger.
"You broke your promise! You said you'd keep it confidential!"
"?"
Xie Xie spread his hands innocently.
"I clearly said 'consider,' you must have misheard me, right? And..."
He suddenly leaned closer, lowered his voice, and gave a wicked smile.
"I'll keep this secret for the rest of my life! Hehehe..."
That signature grotesque laugh rang out again.
In the end, Ye Xinglan was completely exhausted, her eyes were empty, and she was completely lost. She was almost helped away by Xu Lizhi, who looked guilty and worried.
Clearly, her spirit and pride were completely shattered by Xie Xie's "manipulation".
"Tap, tap..."
"you……"
When Xie Xie turned around triumphantly, ready to receive the "admiring" gazes of his teammates, he found that Yu Chen, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, and Xu Xiaoyan all took several steps back, looking at him with a mixture of shock, disgust, and wariness, as if he were some kind of terrifying infectious agent.
"Xie Xie... the way you were just now, you looked like a villain from a storybook..."
Tang Wulin hesitated before speaking, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"And the villains... usually die a terrible death in the end."
"And what you just said! 'You didn't want to...' Ah! You! You're a complete pervert! A scoundrel!"
Xu Xiaoyan's face turned bright red (from both anger and embarrassment). She pointed at Xie Xie with a look of disgust, then tightly grabbed Tang Wulin's arm and pulled him closer to her, further away from Xie Xie.
She felt a wave of fear wash over her.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie are roommates and have such a good relationship. What if... what if Wulin goes astray with him and uses similar words to "threaten" her? Should she agree, or...?
"Pah! Pah! Pah! What am I thinking!"
Xu Xiaoyan quickly shook her head to shake off the strange images in her mind, but her cheeks turned even redder.
She stole a glance at Tang Wulin's sunny and handsome profile, imagining him saying those kinds of things with a roguish smile...
Good heavens! This contrast is unbelievable!
"And that last line, 'I'll eat you for the rest of my life'...tsk tsk."
Gu Yue added insult to injury indifferently, her purple eyes filled with a look of "I can't bear to look," while she tightened her grip on Yu Chen's arm, as if to declare, "My one is perfectly normal."
"Are you... are you even human?!"
Seeing his companions' "distancing" attitude, Xie Xie clutched his chest, took a few exaggerated steps back, and wailed in grief and indignation.
"You were the ones who sent me to deal with her! Now that I've completed my mission, is this how you treat your hero?! Is there no justice left?!"
He glanced at Tang Wulin and realized that his good brother was already firmly "controlled" by Xu Xiaoyan and couldn't be relied on, so he placed his last hope on the team leader:
"Brother Chen! Brother Chen, you be the judge! Say something!"
Yu Chen hesitated for a moment, and was just about to speak to smooth things over when he felt Gu Yue gently pinch his arm.
"Um?"
Yu Chen immediately understood, cleared his throat without changing his expression, and said to Tang Wulin:
"Wu Lin, it's getting late. We should go back and prepare. The first round of the blacksmith competition is tonight."
After saying that, he naturally took Gu Yue's hand and walked out of the preparation room first, completely ignoring Xie Xie's desperate look.
"boom!"
Xie Xie felt his world had turned gray. Looking at the two couples before him, and then at his own loneliness, a deep sadness welled up within him.
"One Class Zero! Two couples! Isn't this the biggest betrayal of our still-single dance teacher?!"