Seeing the three people laughing so happily, Lei Xirui's eyes were filled with envy.
She had never had such good friends with whom she could joke around, participate in friendly matches, and encourage each other. This time, she had won a ranking for her school. Although it was only because someone had forfeited, it was still a good thing.
Yet, no one congratulated her. Instead, she was mocked near the restroom.
Those people, out of respect for the Lei family's reputation, dared not say anything to her face, but their subtle actions behind her back were never absent.
She knew her family was very busy and had never mentioned to them that she was unhappy at that aristocratic girls' school...
Tarik also witnessed this scene, clenching his fists at his sides.
Xia Qingyu and the fish she kept were truly beaming!
What about him?
He either faced verbal warnings or direct over-the-shoulder throws. The bruises on his shoulders and lower back had not even faded yet!
It wasn't until the match truly began that Tarik, watching Xia Qingyu fight a much larger opponent without being at a disadvantage, her every move swift and fierce, was somewhat stunned.
Was this still the same Xia Qingyu who needed his rescue when encountering hooligans in the park?
Seeing Xia Qingyu execute a counter-grapple, seizing the opponent's left shoulder, immobilizing their movements, and then performing an over-the-shoulder throw that sent the person crashing down unconscious, Tarik had to face a fact: Xia Qingyu had held back when she had thrown him before.
After the referee declared Xia Qingyu the winner, the crowd finally erupted in applause.
Xia Qingyu smiled, flicked her ponytail, and nimbly leaped off the ring.
The opponent's strength was indeed considerable, but as Li Xiaozhong had said, many of her injuries had not fully healed. By finding the right opportunity and controlling her strength, she won the match without much difficulty.
"Top three are secured!" Li Xiaozhong and Shi Xingwu excitedly high-fived Xia Qingyu. "Well done."
"Heh heh." Xia Qingyu's eyes curved into crescents as she grinned, then cheered Shi Xingwu on as he prepared to step onto the stage.
"Don't worry," Shi Xingwu flexed his bicep, showing off his muscles. "Leave it to me."
The fighter Vincent sent out was an old rival of Shi Xingwu: a young man with short blonde hair, lake-blue eyes, a broad face, and a narrow forehead. His appearance was quite pleasing by Eastern aesthetic standards, but a three-centimeter scar on his jaw looked somewhat menacing. His gaze was dark and fierce, fixed intently on Shi Xingwu, giving the impression that he was determined to fight to the death.
"Hi~ Jonah~" Shi Xingwu waved at his opponent.
The last time they had fought to the bitter end in a friendly match was between them.
Last time, Shi Xingwu had arrived in the dead of winter, caught a cold on his first day, and lost the match.
Shi Xingwu didn't think much of it.
Victory and defeat were common in battles; it was just a friendly match, and he hadn't taken it too seriously.
But Jonah remembered.
He believed that falling ill before such an important match showed Shi Xingwu's lack of seriousness towards the competition and towards him.
Shi Xingwu had not been able to compete with his true skill, which made Jonah's victory feel undeserved.
In his long career of martial arts, this was a great humiliation, his only humiliation.
He had gathered all his strength, wanting to seize this opportunity to avenge his disgrace.
"Shi, you're not sick this time, are you?" Jonah's Mandarin pronunciation wasn't perfect, but it was understandable.
"No, I'm great this time, thanks for your concern." Hearing Jonah's concern, Shi Xingwu smiled, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "How are you doing? Friendship first, competition second!"
"Hmph." Jonah looked at Shi Xingwu's pearly white teeth and sneered.
Soon, he would make sure Shi Xingwu couldn't smile anymore.
"Say goodbye to your teeth," Jonah turned around to prepare for the match.
"Huh?" Shi Xingwu didn't understand what he meant and turned to look at Li Xiaozhong, who shrugged. He hadn't understood either.
"Probably some kind of blessing," Shi Xingwu chuckled to Li Xiaozhong. "This little foreigner is quite polite."
"Here, we're the foreigners..." Li Xiaozhong said speechlessly. "Stop messing around and get ready for the match."
"Oh..."
This match for Shi Xingwu was much tougher than Xia Qingyu's. Jonah was clearly fighting with anger, focusing his attacks on the head, face, and armpits. Fortunately, Shi Xingwu managed to block them in time.
While he joked and bantered, Shi Xingwu was serious once on the ring. But Jonah was no pushover either; his extensive training made him experienced, his strikes fast, accurate, and powerful.
Clearly, the match had reached a stalemate.
Xia Qingyu knew that prolonging the fight wouldn't benefit Shi Xingwu. In terms of stamina, he might not be able to match the opponent, and he was at a disadvantage in terms of strength. He could only rely on clever tactics and fleeting opportunities. "Don't prolong the fight!"
Hearing Xia Qingyu's words, Shi Xingwu frowned. He didn't want to prolong it either, but this little foreigner was incredibly tenacious and strong.
Li Xiaozhong was also biased. When Xia Qingyu was up, he analyzed every detail clearly.
But when it was his turn, Li Xiaozhong hadn't said anything serious...
In a moment of brief distraction, Shi Xingwu took a solid punch to the left side of his ear.
The blow made his ear ring, and half of his face went numb with pain.
Seeing this, Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong's expressions simultaneously darkened, their brows furrowed.
"!" Lei Xirui felt her heart clench. Her eyes widened to the fullest, staring at the stage in disbelief.
Fortunately, it was only a momentary lapse. Shi Xingwu was experienced in being hit and adjusted his state with the utmost speed.
When he was hit, he had noticed that Jonah, unable to break through his defenses, had become anxious, his footwork and rhythm thrown off.
With a swift dodge, Shi Xingwu immediately lunged to Jonah's front, evading his blocking elbow, and directly grappling upwards along the arm to pin it down. Then, he kicked Jonah's knee joint.
As the opponent stumbled downwards, Shi Xingwu delivered a hook punch, returning the blow he had just received on his left side.
After taking this punch, Jonah became even more enraged. He quickly got up and lunged directly at Shi Xingwu. Shi Xingwu leaned back, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, and used Jonah's momentum to kick him out of the ring.
After falling to the ground, Jonah, unwilling to accept defeat, grabbed the edge of the ring and tried to jump back up to continue fighting Shi Xingwu, with even the referee unable to restrain him.
Finally, Vincent spoke in a cold voice, "Jonah, you lost."
Only then did Jonah feel as if he had plunged into an ice cellar. After a long moment of stunned silence, he resentfully punched the edge of the ring, glared fiercely at Shi Xingwu, and ran off.
Shi Xingwu had won a great victory.