thefictionvixens Chapter 32: Deciding to Join
Chapter 32: Deciding to Join
Although Hong Liguo knew the whole story, he did not want to cooperate with Sun Changlin. Therefore, he pretended not to know anything, did not take the initiative to find Sun Changlin, and did not ask Wu Jie to pass on a message to Sun Changlin.
Sun Changlin was very displeased that Hong Liguo had not responded for several days. He complained to Wu Jie behind his back, "Your brilliant plan didn't work at all! They completely ignored what we did."
Wu Jie said confidently, "It's not that it's ineffective, but rather that the timing isn't right. You should..."
Upon hearing Jie's words, Sun Changlin's brows relaxed, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Good, good, good! Wonderful, wonderful!"
Sun Changlin deliberately spread the word, saying, "I know why Liu Guochen transferred schools, but I don't want to talk about it now. I'll tell you the whole story when I feel like it."
Some nosy classmates kept asking Sun Changlin what the reason was. Sun Changlin deliberately said in front of Hong Liguo, "I'm in a good mood today, so I don't want to say anything. But if I'm in a bad mood one day, don't blame me. I'll let the whole school know what happened."
Hong Liguo understood, of course, that Sun Changlin was deliberately saying this to him. Although he disliked Sun Changlin, he had no choice but to go to him. Seeing his smug expression, Hong Liguo felt a surge of anger.
He stood there, hands in his pockets, a confident smile on his face, as if the whole world was under his control.
Hong Liguo hated his behavior, but after all, he had done what Hong Liguo wanted to do but couldn't, and he also had leverage over him. Hong Liguo suppressed his disgust and said, "Although I didn't ask you to do this for Liu Guochen, I still want to thank you."
Sun Changlin said with a proud look, "It was just a small favor, why should we use the word 'thank you' between us?" His tone was full of arrogance and disdain, as if in his opinion, teaching Liu Guochen a lesson was just a trivial matter.
Hong Liguo was silent for a moment, then said, "But I want to ask you for a favor..." Hong Liguo raised his head, looked into his eyes, and pleaded with him, hoping that he would grant his request.
"You? You're begging me? What's wrong?" Sun Changlin looked at Hong Liguo with feigned surprise, raising his eyebrows as if he was somewhat astonished that Hong Liguo would ask him for help.
"Don't tell anyone what I'm thinking, and don't tell anyone about why Liu Guochen transferred schools." Hong Liguo stared intently into his eyes, his gaze pleading, silently praying that he would keep the secret.
Sun Changlin smiled strangely at Hong Liguo's words, a smile that sent chills down Hong Liguo's spine: "Don't worry, I won't say anything recklessly. I know when I can say something and when I can't, what I can say and what I can't say. Whether you tell anyone or not depends on what you do."
His words carried a clear threat. Hong Liguo knew that if he didn't help him fight Long Hu..., he might expose his feelings for Qiao Shuang and how Liu Guochen was punished and transferred because he also liked Qiao Shuang. He would likely embellish the story and frame him, making him lose face in his class and even the entire township middle school. Thinking of this, Hong Liguo felt as if he were trapped in an inescapable snare.
Hong Liguo was silent for a while, then said to Sun Changlin, "After all, this isn't just my problem. I need to go back and discuss it with the brothers." Hong Liguo was trying to stall for time, while also hoping to find a solution with his brothers.
"Good, that's great! Whether it works out or not, I, Sun Changlin, will thank you." Sun Changlin patted Hong Liguo on the shoulder and said with a smile, but behind that smile was a deep meaning that was hard to fathom.
On his way home from school, Hong Liguo stopped Jun Ge, Fa Zi, and the others, and told them in detail about Sun Changlin's renewed request for their help.
Jun Ge and Hong Bo still agreed to join, but Yan Bin remained firmly opposed, feeling that they shouldn't offend people for Sun Changlin's sake.
Yanbin frowned, his eyes resolute, and said, "We can't put ourselves in this situation just because of Sun Changlin's words. Longhu... is so powerful; for us to compete with them would be like throwing an egg against a rock."
Fa Zi remained silent, neither opposing nor agreeing. Hong Liguo understood Fa Zi, and Fa Zi understood Hong Liguo. When Hong Liguo brought up the matter again, Fa Zi knew that Hong Liguo intended to help Sun Changlin and his group. In the past, whenever Hong Liguo made a decision, Fa Zi would almost always support him. His silence indicated that he was waiting for Hong Liguo to make his final decision.
Jay kept trying to persuade them, saying, "If Nine Dragons and One Phoenix loses in the sparring match with Dragon Tiger... they will definitely come looking for the Six Swordsmen to continue the competition. Rather than being defeated one by one, we should unite and deal with the Dragon Tiger brothers together. Don't be fooled by their individual strength; if we work together, we might just win."
Jay spoke with great passion, a glint of adventure in his eyes. This was completely different from the Jay of the past; Jay had changed drastically during this period. Before, he would always stay at the back when something happened and never offer any opinion.
Upon hearing Jie's words, Yanbin immediately retorted, "You yourself said it's possible, which proves that even if we join, we're not entirely confident of winning, so why take the risk?" Yanbin's voice rose a few decibels, and he was somewhat agitated; he clearly didn't agree with Jie's point of view.
Jay retorted, "When have we ever been absolutely certain of victory in a match? Don't we always adapt to the situation? Last time you faced Sun Changlin, were you 100% sure you'd win?"
Jay's words brought back memories for them all. In their last battle with Sun Changlin, they were indeed at a disadvantage. If Jay hadn't intervened at the crucial moment and turned the tide, they would have definitely lost.
Yanbin fell silent after hearing Jie's words. Indeed, without Jie's unexpected victory that day, they would have had absolutely no chance of winning. It was Jie's blow that preserved the reputation of the Six Swordsmen. Thinking of this, a hint of hesitation flashed in Yanbin's eyes, as if he was also considering whether Jie's words made sense.
After a moment of silence, Fa Zi spoke up: "Xiao Guo, you always end up making the decisions in the end. I'll listen to you on this. If you say do it, we'll do it without hesitation; if you say don't, we'll pretend nothing happened." Fa Zi looked at Hong Liguo with firm eyes, his tone full of trust and support.
Hongbo, Jun Ge, and Yanbin all expressed their willingness to listen to Hong Liguo.
Hong Liguo hesitated for a moment, then said decisively, "Jie, tell Sun Changlin tomorrow that we are willing to help him, but we need to participate in the details of the discussion."
Jay happily agreed with a "Okay," letting out a long sigh of relief, clearly relieved to have completed the task. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, as if he was pleased with Hong Liguo's decision.
Fa Zi and the others all said in unison, "Alright, let's have a spar. If we don't try, no one will know how good we are." Their eyes were full of fighting spirit and determination, as if they were ready to meet the challenge that was about to come.