Chapter 9

Xie Junyan saw Ning Lingyu turn around, and when he finally saw her delicate face, which was like a pear blossom with dew, his pupils constricted, and his breath caught in his throat!

Ning Lingyu's clear and graceful beauty, like the freshness after a rain in the mountains, was something that the stunningly beautiful Cao Shanshan and the frivolous Zhuang Meina did not possess!

This was precisely the reason why Ning Lingyu could attract Xie Junyan, making him obsessively infatuated and determined to win her at all costs!

Xie Junyan quickly masked the greed in his eyes and, in the blink of an eye, put on a caring smile. He said to Ning Lingyu, "Lingyu, why are you crying? Meina doesn't know how to speak, don't take it to heart..."

His flattery was evident in his words.

Zhuang Meina had hoped that Xie Junyan would speak up for her and counter Ning Lingyu, but when she heard Xie Junyan say this, she was instantly furious and angrily huffed, pulling her arm away from Xie Junyan's embrace.

"Hmph, so that fool is your brother? I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

No matter what, Zhuang Meina had achieved her goal of hurting Ning Lingyu, and she was quite pleased. She deliberately raised her chin at Ning Lingyu, her face, covered in foundation, showing a look that begged for a slap, and said indifferently,

"Zhuang Meina, I never wanted to be your enemy, don't think I, Ning Lingyu, am afraid of you! I'll say it again, my brother is not a wimp, please respect yourself in the future!"

Zhuang Meina's face was full of disdain as she sneered, "Your brother is not a wimp? Did your brother get the last place again this time? Is he always being beaten? Always being mocked? Still trying to chase after Cao Shanshan? He should take a look at himself in the mirror! Hmph, if this isn't a wimp, I don't know what a wimp is!"

Zhuang Meina, not letting up, kept calling Ning Lingyu's brother a "wimp," not even using his name, clearly having found Ning Lingyu's weakness and taking full advantage of it to mock and ridicule her.

Ning Lingyu felt a surge of anger: "You!..." She wanted to say something in defense of Lingyun but had no way to counter.

Because Zhuang Meina had indeed hit her sore spot, leaving her with no defense.

"Alright, alright, Zhuang Meina, say less. We are all classmates, you should consider Lingyu's feelings..."

Xie Junyan saw the classmates gathering around with unfriendly expressions, fearing that Zhuang Meina would anger everyone, and quickly intervened.

Ning Lingyu, though from a poor family, studied very hard. She was not only beautiful but also the class study committee member, always helping the weaker students in the class. Therefore, she was very popular and respected in Class 1 of Grade 3.

One could say that Ning Lingyu was the dream goddess in the hearts of most of the boys in Class 1 of Grade 3. Seeing her being attacked by Zhuang Meina, they all looked displeased.

Zhuang Meina, however, thought differently. Relying on her family's wealth and her own charm, she believed no one would dare to touch her, so she became even more arrogant and aggressive.

"Xie Junyan, are you my boyfriend or hers? Are you helping me or her? What's wrong with me saying her brother is a wimp? Hmph, wimp, toad!"

Ning Lingyu's eyes turned red with anger. She bit her lower lip tightly, her breathing rapid, her body trembling violently. She pointed at the arrogant Zhuang Meina, so angry she couldn't speak!

Seeing Ning Lingyu's angry face, Xie Junyan felt a perverse sense of pleasure in his heart, "Hmph, pretending to be a saint in front of me, if I didn't want you to fall madly in love with me, I would have had ten girls like you at my disposal!"

However, Xie Junyan's face still showed concern for Ning Lingyu and helplessness towards Zhuang Meina. He frowned in pain, about to speak, when he heard a commotion from the adjacent Class 2 of Grade 3!

"Place your bets, place your bets! I, Tang Meng, the little gambling god, am taking bets on how many laps that fatso can run. One lap pays one, two laps pay two... five to ten laps pay five, ten laps or more pay twenty! If you guess wrong, you lose, no refunds!"

Tang Meng, the "little gambling god" of Class 2 of Grade 3, the son of the deputy director of the Qingshui Public Security Bureau, and one of the four notorious students of Qingshui No. 1 High School, was a natural gambler. He idolized the gambling god from the movie and called himself the "little gambling god."

Since high school, he had almost gambled on every possible event!

Including exam results, the championship of the school sports meet, and football and basketball matches between classes, he had gambled on everything!

This guy was tall and muscular, wearing a floral shirt and jeans, with a cool hairstyle like Chen Hao Nan from the movie. He was rebellious and free-spirited. Although he skipped classes, fought, gambled, and chased girls, he rarely bullied the weak.

Since Tang Meng idolized the gambling god, he valued his gambling ethics. When he won, he made a fortune, but when he lost, he paid up without hesitation.

Therefore, many students, though they despised his spoiled nature, admired his gambling ethics.

After class, he saw Lingyun running on the playground with a sandbag, and he was so excited that he shouted out loud!

His voice was so loud that the entire floor of the senior high school building heard it, and students from each class quickly gathered around.

"Brother Tang, I bet fifty on one lap..."

"I bet a hundred on two laps..."

"Eighty on one lap..." "Two hundred on one lap..." "One hundred and fifty on two laps..."

...

As the class monitor of Class 1, Xie Junyan was headache-ridden trying to resolve the conflict between the two school beauties. Seeing that everyone was drawn to Tang Meng's gambling, he felt a sense of relief.

He pulled the smug Zhuang Meina and said with a playful smile, "Let's go and see."

Zhuang Meina, like a victorious rooster, glanced at Ning Lingyu with a look of disdain and said, "What's there to bet on? That wimp hasn't even run half a lap, he'll be lucky to run one lap!"

Xie Junyan, with his back to Ning Lingyu, immediately put on a sinister smile and whispered, "So, Tang Meng won ten thousand from me last time. This time, I'll make him pay it all back with interest!"

The words "So" seemed deliberately said for Ning Lingyu to hear, just loud enough to reach her ears.

Ning Lingyu, who had been attacked by Zhuang Meina's harsh words, now heard Xie Junyan's "unintentional" contempt, and her anger boiled over!

Ning Lingyu, who had refused Xie Junyan countless times, knew very well that although there were four notorious students in the school, even combined, they were not as bad as Xie Junyan, the son of the vice mayor of Qingshui City, the top spoiled brat in Qingshui No. 1 High School!

The four notorious students were bad on the surface, but Xie Junyan was a smiling tiger, bad to the bone, two-faced, and a ruthless character who could kill without a knife!

She hesitated for a moment, then looked at the determined figure on the playground. Her beautiful eyes flashed with determination, and she walked towards Tang Meng.

She was going to bet that her brother would run more than ten laps. Although she knew she would definitely lose, she wanted to show her support for her suddenly determined brother in this special way!

As long as her strong, caring, and protective brother could stand up again, she was willing to give everything!

No one would have believed that Ning Lingyu, who appeared like a delicate orchid in a secluded valley, had such a strong and resolute heart!

"Tang Meng is opening a gambling session again, and this time it's about our classmate, Lingyun. Shanshan, do you want to go and see the commotion?" Seeing several students from her class heading towards Class 2, the mischievous Zhang Ling immediately started to persuade Cao Shanshan.

Although Cao Shanshan appeared calm, her heart was like a storm, with waves continuously crashing against her mind and body!

She knew her own identity and that she and Lingyun could never have any connection, so her only feeling towards Lingyun was indifference, just like with most boys.

This morning, she was inexplicably caught up in the rumors about Lingyun, which made her quite angry, but later she thought it was probably just a gimmick by some bored people at school, so her anger had mostly subsided.

Her tough talk after class was just to maintain her dignity in front of Zhang Ling.

But when she saw Lingyun running on the playground with a sandbag, she immediately thought of her brother, Cao Tianlong.

Lingyun's determination, his unwavering focus, his relentless fighting spirit, and the strong willpower he displayed were so similar to her proud and excellent brother!

"Let's go and see!" Zhang Ling, who was afraid that Cao Shanshan wouldn't join the commotion, was about to use her silver tongue to persuade her, but then she heard Cao Shanshan say this.

She was momentarily stunned... Why was Cao Shanshan acting so differently? Could it be? Is there really some chemistry?

"Wow, what wind is blowing today? A small gambling session has attracted all three school beauties! Ladies, are you all here to place bets?"

Tang Meng, surprised that his shout had attracted the three school beauties, was momentarily stunned.

"What, Tang Meng, since you opened the betting, are you not welcoming our bets?"

Cao Shanshan smiled brightly, like a blooming peony, captivating all the boys around her, who were completely lost in admiration.

"Welcome, of course, warmly welcome. I didn't expect our school beauty to be so interested in this fatso..."

Tang Meng's face showed a playful and ambiguous expression, subtly hinting at the morning rumors.

"Cut the crap, Tang Meng. I bet 2000 yuan that the wimp can only run one lap!" Zhuang Meina, seeing that Cao Shanshan had come, felt her own spotlight being stolen and became impatient.

Tang Meng glanced at Zhuang Meina and said calmly, "Alright, school beauty Zhuang bets 2000 on one lap. If you win, you earn 2000 yuan!"

Then, his gaze shifted from Zhuang Meina to Xie Junyan, becoming more intense. "What about you, Prince Xie? Want to play a round and win back what you lost last time?"

Tang Meng's challenging gaze was domineering and sharp. Xie Junyan's eyebrows twitched, and the sharpness in his eyes flashed before he shrugged. "Alright, I'll play a round with you!"