Xiao Hen silently sipped his tea, unaware of how much restraint and longing was contained in that one glance of hers.
...
Elsewhere, Xiaoshun bid farewell to the headmaster of Tianqiong Academy and took the opportunity to say goodbye to his newly acquainted "friends," Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan.
Xiaoshun could have waited for Gu Jiao to come over and "get to know" her as well, but even he understood that he and Gu Jiao couldn’t have any overt association.
Speaking to Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun was already the limit of what could be done openly.
"Headmaster uncle, I’m leaving. I’ll come and find you again when it’s time for the next competition!"
The headmaster smiled and patted the child’s head, "Alright, be sure to come next time."
Clutching the large empty bowl that once contained fruit, Xiaoshun resisted his strong longing for Gu Jiao and left with great resolve.
The headmaster led Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan away from the stands and went to the entrance of Lingbo Academy to meet Gu Jiao and the others.
"You won’t always be this lucky."
It was a cuju player from Wuyue Academy.
He was taunting Gu Jiao, Mu Qingchen, and a few others.
Mu Chuan laughed contemptuously, "Whether we’re lucky or not, I don’t know, but it seems Wuyue Academy isn’t very fortunate, huh? Eliminated in the first round!"
Yuan Xiao delivered the coup de grâce, "Wuyue Academy doesn’t rely on luck; it relies on strength."
Strength that had led to their loss.
What kind of a soul-crushing truth was this?
The people from Wuyue Academy were so furious they almost toppled backward, fuming as they walked away.
"Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!" Mu Chuan waved with a laugh, "Ah, at last we can hold our heads up high. Those bastards used to bully us badly. It’s just a pity we didn’t face them today, otherwise we would have beaten them into a complete retreat!"
Mu Qingchen looked at him speechlessly, then asked Gu Jiao, "Are we taking the carriage or riding horses?"
"Horseback."
It’s stifling in the carriage.
Mounting their horses, they waited for Gu Yan and the headmaster to board the carriage before they all left Lingbo Academy together.
"Are you doing alright?" Gu Jiao asked Gu Yan.
"Well, if there’s nothing else, we’ll be going," said the headmaster.
"Until next time," Second Master Jing replied with a smile.
The headmaster glanced at Gu Jiao to the side and said, "Let’s go."
The procession crossed paths with the carriage of the Duke Residence.
Unexpectedly, the Duke in the wheelchair suddenly clenched his brow, and from seemingly nowhere, he lunged at Second Master Jing with a thud.
"Ah!"
Second Master Jing, caught off guard, toppled out of the carriage, tumbling on the ground; by sheer luck, he landed right in front of Gu Jiao’s horse.
Truly, he had nearly suffered the same fate as Nangong Lin under the horse’s hooves.
Big brother, did you really have to sabotage your own sibling like this?
Gu Jiao looked oddly down at Second Master Jing sprawled on the ground, then over at the Duke who had fallen from his wheelchair.
The Duke lying there unable to move suddenly contorted his mouth and skewed his eyes.
It was as if he was saying, "I’ve fallen, oh how tragic!"
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