Lan Xinyu bit her lips in despair. A small trace of blood colored her lips. She took in a deep breath and slowly walked to where Ling Chuxi's stood in the ring. Despair surrounded her heart. Her pride and reputation were in tatters at this moment. But what she felt the guiltiest about was that the Lan family's reputation was going to be ruined because of her!
Just as Lan Xinyu was about to fulfill her end of the bet in despair, Ling Chuxi turned to her and began speaking with a smile. Her voice rang out clearly throughout the entire venue. She was clearly using her Battle Qi.
“Oh? Was there such a thing? How come I didn't know about it?” said Ling Chuxi from the middle of the fighting ring with a smile as beautiful as flowers. Her bright smile enraptured the crowd. She continued, “Who was it who spoke just now? I don't see the humor in that joke. It's really too humorless.”
Lan Xinyu stood still in a daze. She gaped at Ling Chuxi who was still radiant with a smile as beautiful as flowers, not daring to believe her own ears. What was Ling Chuxi doing?
The audience before the stage quietened down. n.o.body spoke a word. Pei Qianqian raised her head in astonishment to look at Ling Chuxi and met with her sharp and sweeping gaze. The sight of it surprised her so much that she felt p.r.i.c.ked by her own guilty conscience and immediately lowered her head again.
“The one who said those words just now was you, wasn't it? I see that you are quite attentive to such petty matters. Why don't you come up here so I can fulfil your desire? I'll let you roll out of White Stone City smoothly. What do you say?” said Ling Chuxi as she pointed a slender, fair finger in the direction of a man in gray who was hiding in a corner.
The crowd turned to look in the direction Ling Chuxi was pointing in and saw a man whose face had already paled. He obviously didn't think Ling Chuxi would have been able to perceive that he was the one who had spoken that statement earlier. Furthermore, he never thought Ling Chuxi would purposefully attract attention to him like this.
Shu Yuanfeng took a look at the man and frowned slightly. He knew him. Not only was he a White Stone Academy student, but he was also Pei Qianqian's admirer!
“Oh. Haha. I was just kidding. That was just a joke,” said the man awkwardly with a wave of his hand. As a witness of the duel between Ling Chuxi and Lan Xinyu earlier, he was of course, very aware of the fact that he was no match for Ling Chuxi.
“Like I said, I don't find this joke the least bit funny,” replied Ling Chuxi as her gaze chilled. In a mere split second, her body seemed to radiate an imposing aura that felt like the sharp blade of a sword, making people shudder despite the contrasting temperature. “The next time there is such a joke, I'll oblige you and take it seriously.”
The man shrank back, the shade of his face alternating between a deathly white and sickly gray. He forced a smile and then promptly whirled around and nudged his way through the crowd to run away.
Ling Chuxi chuckled then turned around to walk out of the fighting ring. When she pa.s.sed Lan Xinyu by, she lightly invoked a proverb, “There will always be a higher mountain, Lan Xinyu. What are you considered as now? You should be grateful you have a good grandfather. If you are not convinced, I will wait for you to come look for me. If you have the ability to do so, you can also try your best to humiliate me. However, I honestly feel you never will get such an opportunity.”
Lan Xinyu clenched her fist with a deathly grip. Her eyes were practically spitting fire. She turned around and stared after Ling Chuxi in hatred. The taste of defeat and her hatred was so unbearable, the toxic mix of it burned like a fierce fire within her. Yet, it seemed as though something was different. 'I must become stronger. There will definitely come a day where I will be able to win over you, Ling Chuxi. The shame you bestowed upon me today will definitely be returned to you! I will most certainly return this offhanded favor to you!”
“Aren't I such a good person, Little White?” muttered Ling Chuxi to herself once she left the fighting ring. She tickled Little White's chin as she said this. “See how magnanimous I am? I gave her the motivation to improve herself. However, in this lifetime, she can forget about surpa.s.sing me. Oh, no… She shouldn't dream about it even in the next lifetime!”
