Chapter 31

Chapter 32: Challenge

"Ziyan, you're so lucky!"

Ding Lingling still wore an exaggeratedly happy expression, her long legs clad in black stockings crossed as she said, "Brother, you're so biased. You always bring flowers when you see Ziyan, but this time you brought too few. In the past, you always brought 999 roses, but today you only brought one. I'll punish you by making you make up the difference tomorrow, no, double the flowers."

The surrounding students shuddered, but also secretly admired the Ding family's wealth and power.

Du Ziyan first reflexively glanced at Zhao Heng. Seeing his calm expression, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that the third young master of the Ding family liked and pursued her, and her parents had a certain fondness for him. He was well-mannered, capable, and knew how to please elders, making him one of the best among the young generation in Huahai.

However, she had no romantic feelings for the third young master, only a vague sense of brotherly affection. Therefore, she had never accepted his pursuit, even going so far as to make excuses to visit her grandmother to avoid his attentions. She had even changed the address on her admission notice to her grandmother's house to prevent the third young master from delivering it to the Du family and then to Huazhou.

Of course, she also wanted to share the joy of her university admission with her grandmother.

She thought that being cold for a month would make him give up, but he was still as passionate as ever.

"Thank you!"

Du Ziyan smiled politely but did not take the beautiful rose. "This flower... Third Young Master, you should give it to the girl you love." She spoke with measured words, not allowing the third young master to follow the topic, and then added, "Third Young Master, I won't chat with you anymore. I need to go shopping with my friends!"

The third young master's eyes revealed unhidden affection. He wanted to grab Du Ziyan's hand and announce to everyone that she was his favorite, but after taking two steps, he realized that such behavior would be too ungentlemanly and shallow. He forcibly suppressed his impulse and asked, "Go shopping with friends?"

Du Ziyan nodded lightly and slightly inclined her head toward Zhao Heng, "Yes, I'm going out with my friends."

The third young master slowly turned and glanced at Zhao Heng. His gaze held no hostility or anger, only a fleeting disdain and well-concealed contempt. He then resumed his polite demeanor and bowed slightly to Zhao Heng, "Hello! I'm Ding Jialiang, a third-year student at Huahai University. May I ask for your name, junior?"

"He's surnamed Zhao! From General City, a mountainous area!"

Ding Lingling didn't wait for Zhao Heng to answer. She succinctly threw out two sentences, her eyebrows raised in anger. She was already furious that Zhao Heng didn't listen to her warning, especially when she heard that Du Ziyan was going to wander around with him. Her hatred grew even stronger, so she revealed Zhao Heng's humble background to the crowd.

Tu Honggang and the others smiled even more widely. It turned out he was from a mountain village. Du Ziyan also tugged at Zhao Heng's sleeve and smiled, "Third Young Master, his name is Zhao Heng. He helped me find my admission notice on the train. I met him on the way today, so I decided to take him back to school."

By calling him "Third Young Master," she clearly wanted to distance herself.

"I see!"

The third young master maintained his gentle smile and bowed again to Zhao Heng, "Hello, junior!"

The experienced flirt, Ding Jialiang, knew that to win the heart of a beauty, he had to be impeccable. Many rich young men were despised by beautiful women because they were too direct and revealed their true nature too early. So he extended his hand to Zhao Heng and smiled, "I'm glad to meet you. Thank you for helping Ziyan."

The last sentence was deeply meaningful. He then turned his gaze to Tu Honggang, his smile becoming more solemn and cold, "Tu Honggang, what were you doing just now? What kind of conflict? Are you special students bullying the weak again? Do you want me to report your behavior to the school?"

The third young master placed himself on a moral high ground, winning the silent approval of many.

"Third Young Master, we really didn't bully the weak!"

Tu Honggang pointed at Zhao Heng and tried to defend himself, "He was too arrogant, publicly insulting us special students in the Southwest Canteen. He then used brute force to destroy our football. What's even more hateful is that he not only refused to admit it but also hid behind Du Sister and let a woman take the lead."

Du Ziyan quickly interjected, "There was a misunderstanding..."

Ding Lingling interrupted her friend, "Ziyan, don't cover for him."

"Regardless of right or wrong, Ziyan's friend is my friend."

As Ding Lingling stomped her foot in protest, the third young master pushed up his glasses and said, "Tu Honggang, I'll take responsibility for this today. Whether it's compensation or an apology, it doesn't matter. Just don't block the school road, affecting the school's reputation and causing panic. How about we settle this?"

"We were just trying to teach him a lesson."

Tu Honggang's face showed a hint of a smile as he spread his hands, "But since Third Young Master is taking responsibility, we admire your courage and character. We can handle this simply!" He then looked at Zhao Heng, "We'll take five shots. If you can save one, the matter is settled."

"After all, we need to give an account to all the sports students who were insulted."

Clearly, they intended to use football to humiliate Zhao Heng. When Du Ziyan frowned, the third young master sternly said, "Tu Honggang, are you being unreasonable and not giving face? Zhao Heng comes from a mountainous area and studies hard every day to get into Huahai University. Where does he have time to play football? How can he save your shots?"

His words were venomous, and his intentions were despicable!

Zhao Heng, who didn't want to cause trouble with fellow Huahai students, smiled with a hint of ridicule. Indeed, after the third young master's words, the surrounding students looked at Zhao Heng with more amusement. Tu Honggang also smiled and spread his hands, "Taking shots is just a formality, a show of attitude. Save one shot, and all grievances will be resolved."

Du Ziyan was slightly worried, "What if he can't save it?"

She already knew that these were special sports students who were skilled at football, so she was worried that Zhao Heng wouldn't be able to handle it. Tu Honggang had anticipated this and replied generously, "If he really can't save it, it doesn't matter. As long as he treats us 36 people to a meal in the canteen..."

"We'll let him off."

Just as the third young master was about to say something, Zhao Heng patted his clothes, "Alright, I accept your conditions!"

Tu Honggang and the others immediately laughed, and Ding Lingling secretly sneered. This Zhao Heng was truly fearless. With Tu Honggang's skills, Zhao Heng would likely be kicked around by the five shots. It would be good to let him lose face in front of so many people and show Ziyan how incapable Zhao Heng was.

Unfortunately, Lu Meng wasn't there; otherwise, he would have known that the more Zhao Heng compromised, the more dangerous he became.

Without much ado, Zhao Heng stood in front of a goal, which was five meters wide and 2.4 meters high.

Tu Honggang waved for five footballs to be brought over. Besides himself, he also chose four teammates with impressive builds and skills, preparing to give Zhao Heng a lesson he would never forget. The special students indeed had a certain presence. When they stood in front of the goal with the balls, their dominance was evident.

Du Ziyan frowned slightly, her eyes full of worry. The third young master smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry, Zhao Heng should be able to save one shot."

Ding Lingling also chimed in, "Don't worry, I've already told Tu Honggang to go easy on him."

As Du Ziyan's complex expression turned to a smile and the crowd watched with wide eyes, Zhao Heng suddenly said to Tu Honggang, "You five, kick the balls together."

The crowd was stunned, and Tu Honggang was furious at Zhao Heng's arrogance.

The third young master sighed, "Heaven's will can be defied, but man's will cannot..." He subtly gestured to Tu Honggang, who immediately understood. He then shouted to his four teammates, "Brothers, this guy is putting on a show. Let's satisfy him and kick him around."

The four responded in unison, "Alright!"

Sunlight poured down, making the entire field golden and blinding.

Five people, from different angles, faced Zhao Heng like five sharp arrows ready to pierce him. Zhao Heng didn't even bend his body. In the sunlight, his not-so-strong but resilient figure and the smile on his lips were visible. That smile, however, contained a cold sharpness that made people shudder.

"Stop showing off!"

Tu Honggang roared, "Shoot!"

The five people ran at two-second intervals, their feet lifting one after another.

They exerted force, shot...

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**Author's Note:**

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{PiaoTian Literature www.PiaoTian.com}

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**End of Chapter 32**