70: Chapter 70

70

She sat down on the sofa, her lips curling into a smile: "Do you know how others are talking about you now?"

He shrugged.

There was no need to care about the words of the world; strength would prove everything.

"They all say you've hit a massive stroke of luck,"

Su Qingxue covered her lips with the back of her hand, a faint smile rippling in her eyes, "Some even suspect you and Chen Wenjun played a fixed match, that everything was just a scripted act."

"Let them talk."

Su Qingxue gave him a subtle glare.

This man truly didn't know how to carry a conversation; he shut down every topic as soon as he spoke, leaving one at a loss.

No wonder he was still single; he didn't even know how to seize an opportunity when it was right in front of him.

A hopeless blockhead, hmph.

"Um..."

Just as she was about to speak again, a sudden, heart-racing soft moan came from next door.

The sound gradually grew louder, mixed with the rhythmic thud of a bedboard hitting the wall.

Jiang Haojie and Su Qingxue were both stunned at the same time.

The moment their eyes met, they quickly looked away as a subtle embarrassment permeated the air.

"Mmm... ah..."

That sticky, coquettish voice came intermittently.

Jiang Haojie's face darkened. He raised his hand and knocked twice on the shared wall, signaling the other party to show some restraint.

This was the academy's dormitory area, not a hotel.

"Fuck! Who is it?!"

An angry shout immediately erupted from next door.

Hearing the voice, Jiang Haojie felt it was familiar, but through the wall, he couldn't immediately identify who it was.

When the knocking on the door next door sounded, Jiang Haojie was leaning against the headboard reading a book.

Soon, the sound of a door opening came from the hallway, and a familiar voice spoke—it was Bai Yang.

Jiang Haojie hadn't intended to pay any attention, but the moment he recognized the voice, he pulled open his own door.

"Keep it down."

Jiang Haojie stood by the door, his tone calm, "You're disturbing my rest."

Bai Yang clearly hadn't expected to run into him here. He was momentarily stunned, then his lips curled into a mocking arc: "Oh, isn't this our Top Scholar? What, staying in an empty room all by yourself? Lonely at night?"

He indeed hadn't known Jiang Haojie lived next door.

"Aren't you coming back yet?"

Xu Qing's voice drifted out from Bai Yang's room, tinged with a hint of urgency.

The smugness on Bai Yang's face almost overflowed. He glanced sideways at Jiang Haojie and lowered his voice: "Hear that? Your goddess is waiting for me."

Tsk, Xu Qing... she's truly as soft as water."

He leaned in half a step, his words laced with malice, "Jiang Haojie, you should thank me."

If it weren't for living so close, when would you ever have the chance in this lifetime to hear her like this..."

Before he could finish, a soft, slightly husky voice came from behind Jiang Haojie, cutting off Bai Yang's unfinished provocation.

"What's there to say to someone like that?"

The owner of the voice leaned halfway out, her wet hair draped over her shoulders, with only a bath towel loosely wrapped around her body.

She reached out and grabbed Jiang Haojie's wrist, gently pulling him into the room, "Come back quickly."

Bai Yang froze on the spot, watching helplessly as that woman—Su Qingxue—pulled Jiang Haojie back into the room, and the door closed before him.

The arrogant flame on his face instantly froze, as if someone had shoved a hard stone into his mouth, choking him until his face turned livid and he couldn't catch his breath for a while.

Inside the room.

Jiang Haojie looked at the towel-clad, flushed Su Qingxue before him and rubbed his brow with some helplessness: "Why did you have to do this?"

"Wasn't it to save face for you?"

Su Qingxue glanced at him, her tone casual, but the tips of her ears were bright red.

She lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously tugging at the edge of the towel, clearly far less calm than she appeared on the surface.

Jiang Haojie was momentarily speechless.

Even if she wanted to win an argument, there was no need to go this far.

Seeing that he hadn't moved for a long time, Su Qingxue bit her lower lip, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "What are you still standing there for?"

Before Jiang Haojie could react, Su Qingxue, feeling both shy and anxious, reached out and pulled him closer.

In the process, the already loose towel slipped to the floor.

A flash of dazzling white suddenly entered his vision, and Jiang Haojie instinctively closed his eyes.

Su Qingxue didn't go to pick up the towel; instead, she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her warm breath brushed past his ear, carrying the faint dampness and fragrance from her bath.

"I've already gone this far,"

Her voice trembled slightly, yet she insisted on continuing, "Do you still want me to take the initiative?"

Jiang Haojie sighed: "Are you for real?"

"What do you think?"

Su Qingxue buried her face in his shoulder and said muffledly, "Going out like that just now, they'll definitely guess what we're going to do."

Now... they're right next door listening.

If there isn't some noise, who knows how they'll mock you."

"You're being ridiculous."

"I was already thrown into chaos by you long ago."

A moment of silence.

"Don't regret it."

...

A soft, low moan escaped from the crack in the door, faintly drifting into the hallway.

In the room next door, Bai Yang and Xu Qing heard the sound at the same time.

The two looked at each other, their faces darkening, and neither spoke again.

A fire smoldered in Bai Yang's heart. He couldn't understand why Jiang Haojie, that recognized trash, deserved to have such a dazzling presence like Su Qingxue.

He had exhausted his efforts only to end up with mediocre women; he truly couldn't swallow this insult.

Xu Qing was equally full of resentment. Jiang Haojie had already fallen so low, yet someone was still desperately throwing themselves at him; this world was simply absurd.

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, falling onto the messy bedding.

Jiang Haojie opened his eyes. Su Qingxue was curled up in his arms, her breathing light, like a cat that had retracted all its claws.

He gazed at her serene sleeping face, a trace of indescribable trance crossing his heart—did this mean they were now bound by some invisible tie? He then gave a self-deprecating twitch of his lips; with such a beauty taking the initiative to show her affection, he actually felt some pointless hesitation. It was truly laughable.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss as light as a feather on her smooth forehead, then quietly got up and walked toward the bathroom.

The moment the door softly closed, Su Qingxue's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes, her cheeks already flushed crimson.

She had actually woken up earlier, but not knowing how to face this brand-new morning and the Jiang Haojie who had changed after last night, she chose to feign sleep.

Her fingertips gently brushed the spot on her forehead he had touched, and a faint, sweet curve involuntarily climbed onto the corners of her mouth.

By the time Jiang Haojie finished washing up and came out, the room was empty, and the bed had been tidied meticulously.

He understood; the extremely subtle sound of Su Qingxue leaving hadn't escaped his perception.

He didn't point it out, leaving her some space to organize her thoughts.

Once he was ready, he pushed the door open and stepped out. At the end of the hallway, Bai Yang and Xu Qing also happened to walk out with gloomy faces.

"You two... didn't seem to rest well last night?"

Jiang Haojie noticed the heavy dark circles under their eyes, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

The two of them snorted coldly at the same time, neither actually responding. They walked straight past him, their backs radiating a stiff detachment.

Jiang Haojie didn't mind. Just as he was about to move, another door nearby opened, and Su Qingxue walked out.

Their eyes met, and Su Qingxue was instantly so embarrassed she didn't know what to do with herself.

The courage she had mustered last night had long since been exhausted. She had wanted to avoid him, but happened to run right into him in this narrow hallway. "Go... let's go eat breakfast."

Jiang Haojie spoke composedly, naturally taking her hand and walking toward the stairs.

Her hand was wrapped in his warm, dry palm, and the bit of anxiety in Su Qingxue's heart was gradually replaced by a secret sweetness.

Jiang Haojie calmly led her into the cafeteria, instantly attracting countless gazes.

Most of the girls looked on with curiosity, while the boys' gazes were much more complex—envy, jealousy, and resentment intertwined. The looks cast at Jiang Haojie were almost like physical blades, wishing they could take his place.

In a corner of the cafeteria, Ma Bin was buried in his meal. A lackey beside him nudged him with an elbow, gesturing for him to look toward the door.

Ma Bin looked up. When his gaze hit those two tightly held hands, his pupils suddenly contracted, and a cold murderous intent erupted from his eyes.

He wanted nothing more than to rush up and tear Jiang Haojie to pieces, but the setting was wrong; he could only suppress his rage.

Finally, he slammed down his chopsticks, stood up with a grim face, and left, leaving behind a table of almost untouched breakfast.

Jiang Haojie acted as if he hadn't heard any of the surrounding commotion.

He calmly finished breakfast with Su Qingxue and then headed to the gymnasium together.

Today's matches started exceptionally early. Not long after they arrived, the contests on the arena stage had already kicked off.

Jiang Haojie leaned lazily against the back of his seat in the audience, his gaze casually sweeping over the contestants going back and forth on the stage.

Before long, a familiar figure leaped onto the stage—it was Qin Qinglan.

She had also appeared yesterday, her opponent being a First-Order Awakened who surrendered immediately upon seeing her.

But today, standing opposite her was an opponent who had also reached the Third-Order.

As soon as the referee announced the start, a hazy glow rose around Qin Qinglan.

Amidst the shifting light and shadows, her form underwent a strange transformation, finally turning into an elegant and majestic Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. Her snow-white fur moved without wind, and nine long tails swayed slowly behind her, emitting a heart-pounding, powerful aura.

The moment Qin Qinglan's form changed, a series of low gasps sounded all around.

Fox-kin creatures were already known for being naturally enchanting, let alone the legendary Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox she had transformed into—a being that stood at the peak of bloodlines alongside the Five-Clawed Divine Dragon, far more noble than the Three-Clawed Ice Dragon inherited by Xu Qing.

Xu Qing watched the glowing figure on the stage, her nails silently digging into her palm, jealousy like fine needles pricking her eyes.

Not only did Qin Qinglan's awakened form surpass hers, but even her appearance was so bright it was hard to look at directly.

For a time, all eyes were focused on Qin Qinglan, especially the eyes of the young men, which almost burst with light.

Jiang Haojie, however, only faintly looked away. Rather than appearance, he cared more about the energy fluctuations in actual combat.

As a standout among the juniors, Qin Qinglan's strength had long since needed no proof. Although her opponent also came from one of the Top Ten Prestigious Schools, their talent and foundation were significantly inferior.

This duel held no suspense; the victor was decided in just a moment.

The subsequent matches had occasional highlights, but they failed to pique much of Jiang Haojie's interest.

It wasn't until Lu Baichuan and Song Gaoling took the stage that he focused his observation slightly.

The two's moves were steady and their rhythm restrained. Under the seemingly ordinary exchange lay hidden trump cards that hadn't been fully revealed—yesterday, he had already seen with his Eye of Discernment that both of them had entered the Fifth-Order realm.

In fact, there were quite a few hiding their true levels in this year's competition; there were five Fifth-Order Awakened alone, and more than twenty Fourth-Order ones.

Even Qin Bailan had quietly broken through to the Fourth-Order, though she still restrained her aura and hadn't been ostentatious.

All of this made Jiang Haojie realize once again that his previous assessment of this academy had been too shallow.

The schedule progressed, and before long, it was afternoon.

When Ma Chenyu's voice rang out through the loudspeaker—"Next match, Longcheng University's Jiang Haojie versus Beihua University's Bai Yang!"

Jiang Haojie, who was feeling a bit drowsy, suddenly twitched his brow, a very faint arc curling at the corner of his lips.

Bai Yang... what a coincidence.

As he walked toward the stage, Bai Yang opposite him was first stunned, then an unmasked smile bloomed on his face.

The opportunity had come at the perfect time. Today, he would make Jiang Haojie stop right here.

Once he dealt with this person, he could slowly plan things on Su Qingxue's side.

Whispers rustled in the audience. "This Jiang Haojie has quite good luck, managing to avoid Senior Ma in the first two rounds."

"Let's see how long he can last in this match."

"It'll be hard. Bai Yang has an S-rank Talent. Jiang Haojie probably won't pass this hurdle."

In the classroom of Longcheng University, all the students held their breath, staring at the live broadcast screen.

During this week when classes were suspended for the event, they had already become accustomed to gathering here to watch the matches.

Zou Wenlin gripped the armrest, his expression grave—yesterday's narrow victory for Jiang Haojie was already a stroke of luck; today's situation was likely to be fraught with danger.

And in the hospital ward, Bai Wenluo and Xu Jing also quietly watched the screen, the air filled with a silent tension.

The day before yesterday, they had woken up from a long coma.

As soon as they heard the school was about to hold that competition, they didn't even care about recovering from their injuries and hurriedly set up a TV in the ward to watch the live broadcast with their own eyes.

Bai Wenluo stared at the screen and suddenly frowned: "Madam, look at that Jiang Haojie... doesn't he look a bit familiar?"

"You think so too?"

Xu Jing was slightly startled, and then she also spoke of the vague sense of familiarity in her heart.

The two looked at each other, feeling something was wrong, yet unable to put it clearly into words.

In the spectator seats, Chen Wenjun clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on Jiang Haojie like a nail.