"Are you saying we should admit defeat outright, grandfather?"
Inside Mingde Hall, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stared wide-eyed. Before them stood Jing Hongchen, his hands behind his back as he faced the window.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen felt as though their bodies had fallen into an Ice Cave, chilled to the bone.
Just moments ago, their respected grandfather had summoned them to his office, saying he had something to discuss. They had thought it would be good news, but the matter had turned out completely differently from what they expected.
The draw for the Round of 16 had just ended, and they had been terribly unlucky to draw the Sea God Family. Yet not a single person on the team had any thought of retreating. Even though the Sea God Family was strong, they had decided to give it their all. This was their home ground, and they did not want to disappoint their fellow countrymen.
But now, their grandfather was telling them to admit defeat outright and send the Sea God Family into the quarterfinals.
Jing Hongchen's expression was incomparably complicated. He sighed, turned around to face his grandson and granddaughter, and said, "This is His Highness the Crown Prince's order. We must obey."
"Why?!" Xiao Hongchen's face flushed red as he nearly roared, "Five years ago, we lost to Shrek Academy. From that moment on, Meng, the others, and I kept thinking that we had to work harder so we could win it back. Because of that belief, we trained desperately over these past years. How many injuries did we suffer? Wasn't it all so that today, fighting on our home ground, we could give the Empire citizens who supported us a perfect answer?"
"Why does His Highness the Crown Prince want us to admit defeat