Chapter Sixteen

“Zhang Yi!”

Zhang Yi turned around, and the person's appearance stirred up a turmoil of emotions within him—there was no escape even if he wanted it. Zhou Jiajia stepped forward, seized his collar, and exclaimed, “Did you break up with me on purpose just because you thought I was a spendthrift?”

“What are you talking about? You were the one who brought up the breakup. How is it my fault?” Zhang Yi released Zhou Jiajia’s grip on his collar. It was indeed Zhou Jiajia who had initiated the breakup; it had nothing to do with Zhang Yi.

Zhou Jiajia recalled and realized it was true—she had been the one to bring it up. The expression on her face from before faded away.

“So… can you—”

“No!” Zhang Yi refused instantly. He knew what she wanted—to get back together now that she knew he was wealthy. But as Lin Zimo had said, a girl like her wasn’t worth it.

“Can’t you give me another chance?” Zhou Jiajia pleaded.

“No. You only approached me because of my family’s money. We have nothing more to say to each other. Please stay away from me—I don’t want to see you.”

Zhang Yi’s string of words left Zhou Jiajia stunned. Seeing he no longer cared for her, her former confidence faltered. She had always believed no one could resist her looks—not even Zhang Yi. But today, he was different.

A breakup is often the greatest growth; learn from past failures, await the next love, for perhaps that is the one you’re truly searching for.

Zhou Jiajia continued, “Have you forgotten what you once told me? That you always liked me?”

“Aya!” Zhang Yi was exasperated. To say such things aloud—did she think he would forget? He saw through her completely now; she truly had no shame.

“I know I said those things, but I regret it. Please, give me another chance.”

“Give you a break! Get lost. Who would want someone like you? Anyone who likes you must have been cursed for eight generations.” Without looking back, Zhang Yi strode away, determined to leave before the crowd of onlookers grew any larger, which would only embarrass them both.

Suddenly, Zhang Yi found himself unable to move; he looked down to see Zhou Jiajia clinging to his legs, refusing to let him go.

“Everyone, look! He found another woman and abandoned me! Please, judge for yourselves!”

Her shout drew the attention of everyone in the mall, who gathered around, many criticizing Zhang Yi for mistreating Zhou Jiajia, for cheating on her, urging him to change his ways. Zhang Yi was speechless—he was the victim here! He saw Zhou Jiajia’s plan was about to succeed.

Helpless, Zhang Yi called his three teammates for help. They had never met Zhou Jiajia, but Zhang Yi had a plan. It would take them a while to arrive.

About half an hour later, Yu Xingyue, Huang Feifan, and Xiao Jian arrived. Spotting the dense crowd, they hurried over.

“Zhang Yi, we’re here!” The trio squeezed through the throng, finally reaching Zhang Yi. Seeing the situation, Xiao Jian and Yu Xingyue quickly came up with a solution.

Yu Xingyue shouted, “Zhang Yi, hurry to the hospital—your wife—!”

Zhang Yi widened his eyes at Yu Xingyue, puzzled by her act.

“Everyone, please listen! Our friend Zhang Yi is a married man. We’ve never seen this woman before. We came to find him because his wife is about to give birth—she sent us to fetch him, but we couldn't find him, so here we are.”

The crowd fell silent, all stunned. Even Yu Xingyue, Zhang Yi, and Huang Feifan were taken aback—since when did Zhang Yi have a wife, let alone one about to give birth? Zhou Jiajia, in particular, looked incredulous.

But the people believed Xiao Jian’s words and started berating Zhou Jiajia for her shamelessness. Zhang Yi could only give Xiao Jian a thumbs-up—his solution was brilliant.

“Please step aside, everyone. We need to take him to the hospital.”

Zhou Jiajia, shamed by the crowd’s rebukes, finally released Zhang Yi’s leg. The four made a quick escape, dashing out of the mall and into the open air.

“You even conjured up a wife about to give birth—bravo, senior!” Zhang Yi said, catching his breath.

Xiao Jian laughed. “It was the only way to make that green tea let go.”

“Her expression was priceless just now,” Yu Xingyue chuckled.

Huang Feifan had nearly burst out laughing at Xiao Jian’s performance. It was all made up, but Xiao Jian had made it seem so real.

“Thank you all for coming. Otherwise, I have no idea how long I’d have been stuck there.”

Yu Xingyue replied, “We’re brothers. When one is in trouble, all come to the rescue.”

“To thank you, I’ll give you all the gifts I bought today!”

“That’s too generous,” Huang Feifan protested, though his actions betrayed his words.

To show his gratitude, Zhang Yi treated them to a lavish meal. The four laughed and feasted together, and Zhang Yi soon pushed thoughts of Zhou Jiajia far from his mind. What mattered was being with his brothers.

Yu Xingyue told Zhang Yi and Xiao Jian that Yuli wanted to join the team. With Yuli on board, they had five members—enough to enter the tournament. The grand prize was said to be one hundred thousand, second place fifty thousand, and third ten thousand.

They would need to train hard for the competition. Yuli, a five-year veteran, had no issues, but as for the other four, their skills were average at best. They agreed Yuli should be their coach, hoping she could elevate their gameplay.

…

After last night’s events, the four grew even closer, confiding in each other without reservation.

A week later, Yu Xingyue’s school resumed classes, and she returned to her studies.

Yu Xingyue and Lin Zimo together carried a television set. The school had begun televised lessons, inviting distant experts to teach. It was a boon for the school, though those less inclined to study thought otherwise.

Exhausted, they slowly set the TV down. Yu Xingyue wiped the sweat from her brow—summer had arrived, and the heat was oppressive.

“My skin’s about to dry up,” Lin Zimo complained.

“This damned sunlight, I swear.”

“Swearing isn’t appropriate,” Yu Xingyue admonished.

“Alright then—FUCK. No one here understands me anyway,” Lin Zimo retorted.

Yu Xingyue was speechless, wiped her own sweat, and continued lugging the TV back to the classroom. Lin Zimo’s shoelace had come undone; she stepped on it and began to fall toward the TV. Seeing this, Yu Xingyue grabbed her right hand, preventing her from crashing into the screen.

Had she broken the TV, Lin Zimo would have been in trouble—it was expensive, to say the least.

Feeling the warmth of Yu Xingyue’s hand, Lin Zimo wanted to pull away, but since she was so close to the TV, she didn’t dare move. Aside from her father, this was the first time she felt a boy’s hand—rough, not delicate, but strong. Lin Zimo blushed like a peach, though the heat made it hard to tell.

“Thank you…” she murmured.

Yu Xingyue pulled her upright and scolded, “You scared me half to death! Do you know what would have happened if you’d broken the TV?”

Lin Zimo’s mind was a whirl of expletives—so his only concern was the TV, not her. She realized she’d been overthinking.

“Hey! What kind of attitude is that?” Lin Zimo snapped.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. And the TV, too.”

“So the TV’s worth more than I am?”

“You have one life. A TV can’t be replaced. If you’d fallen on it, you’d be finished.”

“Forget it, I’m done talking to you. Let’s finish moving this thing.” Lin Zimo and Yu Xingyue each grabbed an end, struggling to return the TV to the classroom. The teacher rewarded them with ice cream for their effort.

It’s often said that women’s hearts are as deep as the sea. For Yu Xingyue, a man’s heart was more like iron—a straight man to the core.

After class, Lin Zimo, Yu Xingyue, and Xiao Jian gathered. Their coach had something to announce and summoned them to the gate. Coach Tiannan disliked texting and preferred to speak in person.

The three arrived to find Coach Tiannan already waiting.

“Coach, what’s so important you had to tell us face-to-face?” Xiao Jian asked.

“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to let you know you’ve advanced—be ready for the competition,” Tiannan said.

“Understood! We’re the strongest, just like you said,” Xiao Jian declared, thumping his chest.

“This time, your opponents are strong. That’s all I can reveal.”

“Don’t worry, Coach. We won’t back down,” they assured her.

Coach Tiannan nodded. They were confident, and her worries were unnecessary. Before leaving, she pulled Yu Xingyue aside—he didn’t need to compete. He’d been appointed a judge, handpicked by the president of the Taekwondo Association, who believed Yu Xingyue was the perfect candidate. His years in the arena made him more familiar with competitions than anyone.

Meanwhile, Yuli was climbing the ranks in her game. In a few minutes, she would reach 233 stars, ranking second server-wide. The top spot was at 246 stars, but Yuli was confident she could surpass it and claim first place.

When her match ended and she achieved 233 stars, Chen Siyu came looking for her.

Unable to sign, Chen Siyu wrote on paper: Please come with me.

Yuli shook her head, not wanting to go. She’d noticed no one had spoken to her all day. At first, she thought everyone was simply busy, but even Yu Xingyue ignored her. Growing irritated, she’d decided to ignore them all in return.

Seeing Chen Siyu approach, she seized the chance to vent her frustration on him.

Chen Siyu merely smiled, expecting this. Then he played his trump card.

He wrote: If you don’t come, your precious Brother Yu is mine.

Instantly, the mention of Yu Xingyue made Yuli leap from her seat. Chen Siyu smiled inwardly—Xiao Jian had been right: Yuli’s relationship with the team medic was indeed the closest.