Chapter 32

The second day, when Cai Wei saw Li Luo, who had risen early, she noticed that his eyes were slightly dark and he looked a bit listless, as if he hadn't slept well the night before.

"What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well?" Cai Wei asked with concern.

Li Luo shook his head and smiled, "There's a preliminary exam going on at the academy recently, so I've been under a bit of pressure."

He didn't mention that he was going to compete with Song Yunfeng today; it wasn't necessary.

Cai Wei nodded slightly, her smooth and beautiful oval face showing an encouraging smile, "Cheer up, you can do it."

"By the way, Yan Lingqing asked about you yesterday, saying you didn't go to Xiyang House."

Li Luo quickly ate a few mouthfuls of congee and said, "After the preliminary exams are over, I'll focus on Xiyang House for a while. If Sister Lingqing misses me, I'll spend more time with her then."

Cai Wei smiled slightly, "Why didn't you say that to her face?"

"Of course, I'm afraid she might beat me up."

Li Luo said honestly, then wolfed down his breakfast, said goodbye to Cai Wei, and quickly ran out.

Cai Wei looked at Li Luo's hurried back with a helpless smile, shook her head slightly, and then maintained her elegance, eating her breakfast slowly.

...

"Li Luo."

When Li Luo just arrived at Nanyang Academy, he heard a clear voice from the side and saw Lü Qing'er standing under a lush, green tree on the right.

Today, Lü Qing'er was wearing a black skirt uniform, and her skin, like snow and ice, stood out even more against the black. Her slender waist and the long, straight legs below the short skirt attracted the attention of many nearby young men, who pretended to talk to their companions but couldn't help but glance over.

Li Luo heard Lü Qing'er's greeting and walked over, smiling at her.

"I heard you ran into Song Yunfeng today?" Lü Qing'er asked, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Li Luo nodded with a smile.

"What do you plan to do?" Lü Qing'er asked.

Li Luo thought for a moment and said frankly, "I'll probably just admit defeat."

Lü Qing'er chuckled lightly, but without any mocking intent, and nodded seriously, "That's a very rational choice. You don't need to compete with him at this time. With your talent in physiognomy, the gap between you and him will gradually narrow."

Li Luo nodded, "I think so too."

Lü Qing'er paused for a moment and said, "This incident might also have something to do with me. I'm really sorry."

Li Luo smiled, "Actually, you're just a minor factor. The main issue is the conflict between the Song family and Luo Lan Manor. Of course, I think there's one important point... Song Yunfeng is afraid."

"Afraid?" Lü Qing'er blinked her almond eyes.

Li Luo smiled faintly, "He's afraid that I'll become like I was back then, and he'll only exist in my shadow. If that happens, all his efforts over the years will be a joke."

If others heard this, they might laugh at Li Luo for being overly confident, after all, Song Yunfeng's reputation at Nanyang Academy was much stronger than Li Luo's.

But Lü Qing'er was thoughtful, because she knew very well how glorious Li Luo had been at Nanyang Academy back then, a level that even she found hard to reach, let alone Song Yunfeng.

"So, he wants to take advantage of the time before you fully rise to crush you and use it to strengthen his own resolve?"

Li Luo nodded, "That's probably it."

Lü Qing'er's face turned slightly serious, "If that's the case, he probably won't let you admit defeat easily today."

Li Luo said, "I hope not. If it really comes to that..."

He waved at Lü Qing'er and then headed towards the Second Academy, his voice faintly echoing.

"There's nothing I can do about it."

Lü Qing'er watched his back, somewhat surprised, because Li Luo's demeanor didn't seem like he was truly helpless. Could he have another way to avoid the competition with Song Yunfeng?

...

Li Luo's first match ended without any surprises, and his second match was scheduled as the last one of the preliminary exams.

It was like a final battle.

The square was bustling with people, a sea of black heads swaying.

On a high platform, the old Dean Wei Cha, along with Xu Shanyue, Lin Feng, and other Nanyang Academy mentors, were watching the match.

"Hehe, I didn't expect Li Luo to run into Song Yunfeng. Do you think they'll actually fight?" the old dean asked with a smile.

Lin Feng smiled faintly, "Dean, what's the point of such a match?"

Xu Shanyue sighed, "It's unlikely they'll fight. In such an uneven match, it's better to admit defeat directly. There's no need to continue, and it's not embarrassing."

Although Li Luo was from the Second Academy, Xu Shanyue couldn't pretend to be overly supportive, as this was a situation with no chance of a comeback.

The gap between them was too large, and there was no way they could fight.

The old dean nodded and sighed, "Li Luo has already made it into the top twenty, and his progress has been very fast. If given more time, catching up to Song Yunfeng shouldn't be a problem, but at this stage, he still lacks some experience."

Lin Feng remained noncommittal. In his view, the only way Li Luo could surpass Song Yunfeng was through his talent in physiognomy, but Song Yunfeng also had a seventh-grade physiognomy, which was an advantage Li Luo couldn't match. Therefore, for Li Luo to catch up to Song Yunfeng, it wouldn't be that easy.

As they were talking, the time for the match arrived quietly amidst the waiting.

Song Yunfeng's figure rose gracefully and landed on the stage, his tall and handsome appearance exuding a noble and dignified aura.

As Song Yunfeng appeared, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers, showing his current popularity and reputation at Nanyang Academy.

On the other side of the stage, Li Luo also ascended amidst the attention of the crowd.

"Wow, he's so handsome, even more handsome than Song Yunfeng!"

Although Li Luo didn't have a flashy entrance, when he stood on the stage, he drew many sighs of admiration from the girls. After all, inheriting the excellent genes of his parents, Li Luo's appearance was indeed top-notch, easily surpassing Song Yunfeng.

However, both men on the stage had strong mental fortitude and chose to ignore the external factors.

Li Luo stared at Song Yunfeng and raised a hand.

But before he could speak, Song Yunfeng said coolly, "Are you planning to admit defeat directly?"

Li Luo smiled, "Are you going to try to provoke me with words next?"

Song Yunfeng raised an eyelid and said indifferently, "I'm not trying to humiliate you. I just think that with a son like you, your parents are somewhat overrated."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd fell silent, as no one expected Song Yunfeng's words to be so sharp.

Li Luo was also taken aback, but then he gave Song Yunfeng a thumbs up, "Impressive, a fatal blow."

"Since it's come to this..."

Li Luo twisted his neck and smiled at Song Yunfeng, but his white teeth looked somewhat cold.

"Come on, Song family's puppy, I'll give you a chance, but whether you can bite or not depends on your ability."