Chapter 63: She Will Win
A Restless Training Session
In the Fu family’s training room, Fu Qingyue trained as diligently as ever, never slacking for a single day.
But today, she was noticeably distracted.
Wind blades swirled chaotically around her, tinged with a hint of frustration, mirroring her unsettled mood. Unlike her usual self, where focusing on controlling her abilities could erase all discontent, today was different. The image of Yu Li holding hands with the blonde girl lingered in her mind, unshakable.
Bang—
Fu Qingyue looked up, dazed. A training dummy had gotten close to her. Though its fist was easily blocked by her wind shield, it was the first time since leaving the main Fu household that a dummy had reached her unnoticed.
Ignoring the dummy still pounding against her shield, Fu Qingyue frowned, her hand gently touching her chest. A strange, incomprehensible feeling stirred there, making her restless.
She couldn’t grasp the source of her unease, just as she couldn’t understand the meaning behind Yu Li’s smile when they parted.
Bang, bang, bang—
The dummy kept hammering at her shield, each strike seeming to echo in her heart, amplifying that strange emotion.
Her hand tightened unconsciously on her chest, a flash of anger in her purple eyes—whether at the dummy or something else, she didn’t know.
In the next moment, a powerful gust surged around her, instantly destroying all the training dummies.
“Miss…”
Liang Bo’an, the butler, furrowed his brow, concern flickering in his eyes as he watched Fu Qingyue vent.
As her butler, he could tell something was clearly off with his young lady. But knowing the stubborn Fu Qingyue, who had been headstrong since childhood, he was certain she wouldn’t listen even if he told her to rest.
“Next round.”
As expected, Fu Qingyue showed no intention of stopping. She lowered her head, standing silently, waiting for the next round to begin.
“Miss… sigh…”
Hesitation flickered in the butler’s eyes, but he ultimately relented, preparing to start the next round.
“Wait.”
Hearing Fu Qingyue’s cold voice, the hesitant butler immediately stopped, looking up in surprise. Fu Qingyue walked to the side, picking up her phone, only to set it down with a hint of disappointment.
Her screen flashed with unread messages—not from the fox-avatar girl she hoped for.
“Nothing… start.”
Fu Qingyue, unusually, ignored the message from Ye Sheng, instructing the butler softly, her voice colder than before.
“Yes… Miss.”
As the butler spoke, new training dummies appeared in the room, charging toward Fu Qingyue the moment they materialized.
At the same time, Fu Qingyue swiftly conjured wind blades, firing them almost instantly at the new batch of dummies.
She wasn’t unaware of her butler’s concern, but she refused to stop training.
Because she had promised Yu Li.
Pushing aside the strange feeling in her heart, she vowed not to make such basic mistakes again. She would win today, and tomorrow… too.
She would win and claim her reward from her Li Bao.
Lan Yi’s Doubts
At the Lan household, Lan Yi sat quietly by her bed, hugging her knees, her blue eyes clouded with confusion.
“Is this… really okay?” she murmured to herself.
She recalled Yu Li’s words: everything stemmed from her being too weak…
Faced with Yu Li’s near-mocking words, Lan Yi felt no resentment, only agreement.
Because she was too weak, she was easily framed by Ye Sheng. Because she was too weak, she feared dragging her family down. Because she was too weak, her junior had to step in to help her.
Lan Yi’s eyelids drooped, her eyes filled with lingering uncertainty. She murmured again, “Is this… really okay?”
She wanted to reject Yu Li’s proposal but couldn’t bring herself to say the words. She didn’t want to be a useless senior who left everything to her junior, yet she couldn’t refuse Yu Li.
She wanted to help Yu Li, because her junior seemed… so exhausted.
Knock, knock, knock—
Her bedroom door was tapped, followed by a boy’s voice.
“Sis, come down for dinner. Dad got your favorite blueberry cake.”
Snapped out of her thoughts by her brother’s call, Lan Yi responded instinctively, “Got it, coming!”
Shaking her head to clear her confusion, she slipped on her slippers and hurried downstairs, not wanting her family to worry alongside her.
A Warm Family
Downstairs, she saw her father cutting the cake, her mother carrying dishes, and her brother’s eyes sparkling with anticipation. The warm atmosphere brought a slight smile to Lan Yi’s lips.
Lately, her family had been subtly attentive to her mood. Her parents always wore gentle smiles around her, almost cautious, as if afraid to pressure her. Even her brother had become more mature, studying on his own without her help and no longer stealing her pudding from the fridge.
With more free time, Lan Yi wasn’t sure if they had noticed something, but she knew her family was changing.
And she wanted to change too. She was tired of running away.
She wanted the girl who had saved her twice to stop looking so weary.
Looking at her warm family, Lan Yi mustered her courage, a gentle smile spreading across her face. She knew what she had to do.
The Day of the Duel
The next day, the school, still reeling from the attack incidents, didn’t resume classes. Instead, it completed the checkups for all advanced department students in batches.
To keep students from panicking, the school withheld details of the incidents, distracting them with other matters.
The topic of Zi Xing and Ye Sheng’s duel seemed perfect for diverting the gossip-hungry students’ attention.
Originally meant to be a quick, private match, the school spread the news, drawing a large crowd of spectators and even assigning teachers as referees and commentators.
Fu Qingyue’s Focus
As a participant, Fu Qingyue struggled to focus on the arena. Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for that black-haired figure.
Yu Li didn’t disappoint. She waved at Fu Qingyue from the crowd.
Seeing her, Fu Qingyue’s tense heart calmed, the strange feeling in her chest fading. The blonde girl wasn’t by Yu Li’s side.
Mouthing silently to Yu Li, Fu Qingyue gestured, “Wait for me… I’ll win.”