Chapter 15

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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For several days, nothing much happened at school. I continued to skip military training, sitting under a tree every day, playing with my phone. In fact, my head injury had long healed, but I didn't remove the bandages, so I could continue to enjoy my special privileges. Every noon and evening, I went to deliver meals to Monkey and Huang Jie. Fortunately, my family's conditions were good, or I wouldn't have been able to support them. I had advised them to stop playing games, but they wouldn't listen, spending every penny they had on game memberships.

Wang Yao still brought the Thirteen Roses to play with me every day, sometimes five or six, sometimes seven or eight. I was always surrounded by a group of beautiful girls, living in the envy of others. Under Wang Yao's lead, they often teased me and Lin Ke'er, making Lin Ke'er blush every time. As for me, my focus was still on Lin Ke'er, but sometimes I couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Wang Yao. After each glance, I felt ashamed, and it was a very uncomfortable feeling.

One evening during self-study, they were all playing and joking in the hallway. Wang Yao pulled me aside, her expression mysterious. My heart raced, but I tried to act as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey, when are you going to get together with Lin Ke'er?"

It turned out she was asking about that.

I sighed and said, "I want to, but Lin Ke'er is still thinking about it."

"You're so stupid. When she says she's thinking, it's just a way of being coy. You need to be more aggressive, to get things moving. Not to cook rice, but to cut the Gordian knot." Wang Yao made a slip of the tongue and stuck out her tongue, a cute gesture that made my heart skip a beat.

"Mainly, we still need to take revenge. I want to put love aside for now."

Wang Yao frowned. "When are you going to take revenge?"

"After the military training ends. I trust Wang Yao a lot, so I told her straightforwardly."

Wang Yao thought for a moment. "I understand. It won't be long. I wish you success!"

She then extended her hand. I was a bit surprised but extended my hand as well, giving her a high-five. Her hand was soft and smooth.

Wang Yao giggled. "You guys should finish quickly. I'm eager to see Lin Ke'er get married. It's not easy to find a good man! But if you dare to bully Lin Ke'er, just wait and see what I'll do to you!" She pinched my waist hard.

This was the first time I had such intimate contact with Wang Yao. I should have been thrilled, but looking into her innocent eyes, I felt ashamed of my own thoughts. She was so open and honest, while I was having all sorts of inappropriate thoughts!

I decided not to think about Wang Yao anymore and to focus solely on Lin Ke'er. This girl deserved my protection. As for Wang Yao, I would keep her in my heart and appreciate her as a friend.

When I got back, everyone was still playing and joking. Lin Ke'er quietly asked me, "What did Wang Yao say to you?"

I blinked. "She's urging us to get things done quickly."

Lin Ke'er blushed and lowered her head. I reached out to touch her hair, but she gently dodged.

That night, back in the dorm, I lay in bed, counting the days. There were only three days left until the end of military training. After three days, it would be our time to strike back. I hoped nothing would happen in these three days.

The lights were turned off, and Ma Jie finally came back. He lay in bed, and soon his sobs could be heard.

At first, I thought he was crying for no reason, maybe over a breakup?

But his sobs grew louder, and even under the covers, I could hear his mournful cries.

I couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "What are you crying about, you crybaby!"

The sobs stopped, and I was just about to fall asleep when they started again. I jumped out of bed, furious. "What's wrong with you, crying in the middle of the night? If you don't stop, I'll throw you out!" Ma Jie stopped crying, and I went back to bed, but the sobs started again. I couldn't take it anymore and rushed over, pulling off Ma Jie's blanket. "If you cry again, I'll throw you out!"

Ma Jie sat up, his face streaked with tears, and sobbed, "Brother Feifei, Zhou Kun asked me for two cartons of Furong Wang cigarettes. If I don't give them to him tomorrow, I'll be in trouble!"

I laughed. "You and the Ninth Prince are good friends, right? You even asked Zhou Kun to beat me up last time. Why is he asking you for cigarettes now?"

Ma Jie continued to cry. "He asked me to buy spicy sticks, but he said they were too spicy and slapped me twice. He also asked me to buy cigarettes. Two cartons of Furong Wang cost over 400 yuan, and I don't have the money."

I knew Zhou Kun was deliberately making trouble for Ma Jie. Ma Jie was weak and useless, and to stay by Zhou Kun's side, he had to pay a price.

Ma Jie and I had no family ties or close friendship, so I didn't want to get involved. "I can't help you. I don't have the money either," I said and went back to bed. Ma Jie continued to cry, and I thought he would eventually stop, but he cried until 1 a.m. I got up to use the bathroom, and he was still crying. It seemed he could be renamed "Little Wife."

I ignored him and continued to sleep, but his sobs grew louder, as if he was right next to my ear. I turned around and saw that Ma Jie was standing by my bed. No wonder I could hear him so clearly!

"Brother Feifei, please help me," Ma Jie sobbed, almost fainting.

I was eager to sleep and said, "Okay, okay, go to sleep." I thought I would find a reason to refuse him the next day, but in the morning, while eating breakfast, Ma Jie brought Zhou Kun to my table.

"I heard you're going to stand up for Ma Jie?" Zhou Kun, the long-haired guy, sneered at me.

I hadn't seen him since Monkey beat him up and sent him to the hospital. He looked much better now. I was stunned for a moment, remembering that I had indeed said I would help Ma Jie. Now I was in a bind. If I said no, it would make me look weak.

I said, "Well, maybe we can just let it go. Ma Jie is just a student and can't afford two cartons of Furong Wang."

I thought if Zhou Kun said no or asked what it had to do with me, I could back off, saying we were in the same dorm and I was just trying to help, but if he didn't want to, that was fine.

But Zhou Kun didn't give me that chance. He knocked my bowl of food to the ground.

"Who the hell do you think you are to speak up for him?"

I was immediately angry. He was forcing me to make a big deal out of it!

I had always disliked the long-haired guy. He had beaten me four times a day back then! Without a word, I slapped him, then stepped onto the table and kicked him in the neck. Zhou Kun fell to the ground. I jumped down, pounced on him, and mimicked Monkey's moves, which were also Donnie Yen's signature fighting style, pounding him with my fists like cannonballs.

After about ten punches, Zhou Kun was completely unresponsive, his nose and mouth bleeding. I had already assessed my own strength and knew I wasn't afraid of anyone in a one-on-one fight! Fortunately, it was early morning, and Zhou Kun didn't have any friends around. A crowd gathered, but they were just there to watch.

I didn't want to stay long, in case some prince came to help him. I wiped the blood from my fists on Zhou Kun's clothes and said, "Do you think I have the right to speak up for him now?"

I stood up and said to the stunned Ma Jie, "Let's go!" The crowd immediately parted, and I walked out, feeling incredibly cool.

As we left the cafeteria, Ma Jie followed me, repeatedly saying, "Brother Fei, you're so cool, Brother Fei, you're so cool."

I was also very pleased. The fight had been impressive, and the long-haired guy hadn't even had a chance to fight back. Since I had eaten breakfast first, I went back to the dorm to wash up. Ma Jie quickly made my bed and cleaned my dirty shoes, which had been sitting for a few days. He washed them so well that they looked brand new. I was amused and gave him the nickname "Little Wife," making him do all sorts of tasks for me. Ma Jie officially became my little brother.

However, despite my satisfaction, I knew I had caused a big problem. Zhou Kun was one of the Nine Princes and wouldn't let this go. Monkey had repeatedly warned me not to provoke the Nine Princes, and Wang Yao had even gone to speak to Big Cat. We could have made it through the end of military training without any trouble, but now, with only three days left, this happened.

I called Monkey and told him what had happened. Monkey said he knew and that he and Huang Jie were on their way.

I hung up and sat under a big tree to wait. They had already started training, so Zhou Kun wouldn't come at this time. The training lasted 40 minutes, enough time for Monkey and Huang Jie to arrive, so I felt quite at ease.

But I didn't expect that even during the break, Monkey and Huang Jie still hadn't shown up. I knew they were probably playing games and had forgotten, just like when I first called Monkey to fight, waiting from noon until evening!

I quickly called Monkey again, but it was too late. The long-haired guy had already brought four or five students over.

He had been beaten badly, his mouth swollen, but his eyes were still arrogant. "You're pretty good."

"It's not that I'm good, it's that you're weak." At this point, I could only talk back, secretly cursing Monkey for being unreliable.

Liu Yina ran over and stood in front of me. "Zhou Kun, what do you want?"

Lin Ke'er, standing nearby, also ran over. "Zhou Kun, Big Cat said he wouldn't bother Zuo Fei anymore. What do you want?"

The long-haired guy laughed. "I heard you found the Thirteen Roses as your protectors. It's true, no wonder you're so arrogant!"

To be honest, Lin Ke'er and Liu Yina's support was touching, but it also made me feel very embarrassed. No man wants to be protected by a woman! The long-haired guy was probably using this to taunt me.

Knowing it was a trap, I still had to fall for it. "Move aside, I can handle it." In reality, I couldn't handle it at all. How could I fight so many people?

The long-haired guy laughed even harder. "Right, right, ladies, move aside. This is a man-to-man fight."

Liu Yina, seeing she couldn't control the situation, said, "Why don't we call Wang Yao to talk to you?"

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