Chapter 375 - 254: Discovery at the Bottom of the Lake

"Great sparring with you~!"

"Let’s keep up the good work!"

"Good work."

"I-I’ll do my best too!"

At the entrance to the Battle Hall, the four of them high-fived and said their goodbyes.

Fang Yuan felt the sting of the high-fives as he slowly pulled his hand back. He used to hate this kind of thing, or at least, he wouldn’t have participated... But after getting to know Su Zhi, he’d gradually gotten used to it.

The air fell quiet for a moment.

Liu Yuhang and Katie were both looking at Xu Ruo.

Fang Yuan didn’t know what they were looking at, so he looked at Xu Ruo too.

"Um! Is there something you want to talk about?" Xu Ruo blinked, quickly hopping two steps away and turning her back to them. "Go on and talk! I won’t listen!"

Fang Yuan: "..."

"Pfft..." Katie couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh.

Liu Yuhang slung an arm around Fang Yuan’s shoulder and leaned in. "Can you tell your buddy how a quiet guy like you managed to hook such a fun girl?"

Fang Yuan said, expressionless, "We’re classmates. We just came to train together."

"Right, right, right."

Fang Yuan: "..."

He hadn’t thought anything of it, but Liu Yuhang’s dismissive tone made him feel a little flustered. ’And why does his expression and posture look so much like Su Zhi’s??’

"I’m just saying, we really committed to the act, you know. We even lost."

Katie blinked. "So what are we gonna do for the next month? We can’t really be banned from the Battle Hall, can we?"

"Don’t worry about that."

Fang Yuan glanced at the timid girl in the distance. "She’s not that smart. She’ll forget in a couple of days."

"Riiight, right~ You two are so sweet~"

Fang Yuan: "..."

’Criticizing someone’s flaws... is sweet? By that logic, weren’t Su Zhi and I even sweeter back then?’

This was just too weird.

"I’m heading off then. See you around."

"See ya!"

"Bye-bye~"

Liu Yuhang and Katie grinned and waved in unison, watching as Fang Yuan walked toward Xu Ruo, his pace even a little faster than usual.

"Old Yuan’s been corrupted," Liu Yuhang sighed wistfully.

Katie, on the other hand, nodded in satisfaction. "Relax. Ruoruo seems like a good girl. We can safely entrust Fang Yuan to her~"

Liu Yuhang facepalmed. "Why do you sound like his mom..."

But she did have a point. If the one hitting on Fang Yuan had been some delinquent girl with ghost-fire hair, dreadlocks, and tattoos, he’d have to have a serious talk with his good buddy.

As they spoke, Fang Yuan had already reached Xu Ruo. The boy was a head taller than the girl—the legendary perfect height difference.

The two of them seemed to be talking about something.

Xu Ruo was like a nervous little squirrel, glancing over at them from time to time.

"Third wheel! You’re interrupting their heart-to-heart! Let’s go, let’s go!"

"Ah, hey, alright, alright..."

Liu Yuhang reluctantly tore his gaze away and hurried off with Katie.

Liu Yuhang had always thought of Fang Yuan as a pure person, someone dedicated to his craft, a born Beast Tamer. After Su Zhi, Fang Yuan was the one who most inspired him to strive forward.

Who would’ve thought? The thick-browed, big-eyed one had actually betrayed the organization. You can never predict what life will throw at you.

’What’s so great about being in a relationship, anyway? I’m not in one.’

’It’s definitely better to be like me, a person who has risen above such base pleasures, focusing single-mindedly on Beast Taming.’

"Here, ice cream."

"Oh, oh, thanks!"

Even as Liu Yuhang was thinking this, he expertly took the ice cream.

It was sweet and delicious.

’That’s strange. I don’t remember liking ice cream this much before...’

「Back at the Battle Hall entrance.」

Xu Ruo watched the other two leave, then blinked and looked at Fang Yuan. "A-Aren’t you leaving?"

"I’m waiting for the bus."

"O-Oh, okay."

Xu Ruo nodded, lightly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you for training with me today. Bubble learned a lot... I’m really grateful you took the time to train with me!"

Fang Yuan nodded as well. "It’s nothing. Lilith also learned a lot."

"Chirp!" Lilith immediately raised a paw, as if to prove Fang Yuan was right.

"You were at the selection tournament a while ago, right?" Fang Yuan said suddenly.

Xu Ruo froze, as if she’d been struck by something.

"I remember you were on the doubles team for Yu County First Middle School. You faced our team’s Su Zhi and Shao Ya in the first round."

Fang Yuan gently patted her shoulder.

"They said... um, you fought well. It must have been tough."

Xu Ruo suddenly started crying, just like she had that day when she lost at the selection tournament.

Fang Yuan was a bit flustered, but he’d seen this happen once before, and this time, he came prepared.

So, he took out the tissues he had specifically bought when he got water and gently wiped away her tears.

"Thank you," the girl said between sobs, her arms lifting slightly before slowly falling again.

"It’s nothing."

Fang Yuan threw the used tissue into the trash can and put the rest back in his pocket.

The bus approached in the distance, getting closer and closer.

Xu Ruo suddenly lifted her head, looking at Fang Yuan with red-rimmed eyes. "Um, can I train with you again next weekend?"

"Sure," Fang Yuan said as he boarded the bus, giving a wave. "See you tomorrow."

The bus started to move.

Only then did it dawn on Xu Ruo... Monday was a school day, which meant she would see Fang Yuan tomorrow, not have to wait until next weekend!

"This is great!"

The girl, now smiling through her tears, jumped up and down on the spot, grabbing Bubble and covering it with kisses.

From the bus, the boy watched her from afar until she was completely out of sight. Only then did he look away, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

Lilith sidled up to him. "Chirp~?"

Fang Yuan avoided her gaze. "I just think Xu Ruo has a good personality. Training with her will improve my efficiency. She’s a little dense, but that’s not a big deal."

"Chirp, chirp, chirp~" Lilith nodded three times in a row.

As if she’d hit the nail on the head, Fang Yuan pouted, grabbed Lilith by the scruff of her neck, and gave her a light flick on the head.