Winner

The Taekwondo coach stood to the side and blew his whistle.

"It's time for the semiannual sparring tournament again. Same as always, the competitor who takes first place can receive a five-hundred-yuan prize of their choice, while second and third place will receive special gifts prepared for you by the gym. Now, let the matches begin!"

Everyone lined up neatly and sparred with each other according to the coach's random draw.

Lin Zhengran watched just like that as Little He Qing defeated every opponent one by one.

She was nothing like the girl who had always been bullied a few years ago.

Her presence, strength, and gaze had all become fundamentally different.

Before Fairy He departed, she fought in the arena, Fairy Sword in hand, a match for a thousand, her presence remarkably strong! It seemed as if she wanted to tell you that even if she returned to her sect, she would not forget the time she had spent with you, nor the days you had cultivated together. Her powerful bearing now was proof.

Only before that final victory, you saw a strange trace of concern in her expression. Perhaps this would affect the final result.

Little He Qing had already fought her way to the final round. Only four people remained on the mat.

After finishing her match with the second-to-last boy, she was suddenly thrown to the ground by him. Though she still defeated her opponent in the end.

But Little He Qing was clearly in some pain at the time.

The coach asked if she was all right. Little He Qing shook her head, indicating she was fine.

After checking that she was indeed unharmed, the coach blew his whistle. "Take a short break. The final match will begin right away! Little Qing versus Xiao Long!"

During the break, Lin Zhengran walked over to her. Little He Qing pursed her lips and reported her results. "I won again."

Lin Zhengran checked her over too and asked what had happened.

"You won, sure, but why did you suddenly space out in the middle of the fight just now? What were you thinking about?"

Whenever Little He Qing faced Lin Zhengran, her voice always turned soft and timid. She lowered her head halfway. "Nothing. It's just, do you still remember when we were in kindergarten..." The last few words came out in a chirping mumble.

Lin Zhengran's face was full of question marks. "What are you muttering about?"

Little He Qing rubbed her arm, mustered her courage, and asked with a red face, "It's just, do you still remember what you promised me with a pinky swear back in kindergarten..."

"I thought it was something serious. Of course I remember." Lin Zhengran looked speechless. "You mean the thing about me telling you to follow me for the rest of your life, right?"

Little He Qing's pupils trembled, shimmering with light, as if she could hardly believe it. "You actually didn't forget?"

After saying that, Lin Zhengran lightly knocked her on the head.

Little He Qing closed her eyes and let out an "ah."

Lin Zhengran said irritably, "I've only ever pinky-sworn with you that one time. It's not like I'd forget it that fast, right? Besides, you're in the middle of a match. You spaced out just because you were thinking about something unimportant like that? You almost got yourself hurt!"

Little He Qing thought that this was not something unimportant at all. She looked at him timidly and explained, "Sorry. I don't know why either. I just suddenly thought of it and spaced out. I definitely won't in the next match."

The mentally exhausted Lin Zhengran said nothing, but he did not continue blaming her either.

He reached out and, under Little He Qing's shocked gaze, stroked Little He Qing's head.

For the first time.

"Keep it up. Beat Xiao Long and today's championship is yours. I believe you can win."

Little He Qing had never felt such clear encouragement before. Her face flushed bright red, and goosebumps even rose all over her. In her memory, this was the first time Lin Zhengran had ever encouraged her like this.

Her heartbeat quickened, and she nodded hard like a chick pecking at rice. "Okay! I'll definitely win!"

Little He Qing at this moment was too strong. Her aura was practically twice as powerful as usual.

After she walked onto the stage, even the sturdy and tall Xiao Long was startled. "What's with that expression of yours?"

Little He Qing pursed her lips. While radiating a powerful aura, she also firmly remembered what Lin Zhengran had told her before the match.

When facing Xiao Long, do not smile, do not show any expression. Just keep staring at him! Stare until he loses his nerve!

Only then could she defeat him in terms of aura!

However, even after a month of devil training, Little He Qing still had not learned how to look fierce.

Lin Zhengran watched Little He Qing's cute, silly look from below the stage and covered his eyes, too embarrassed to look.

But who could have known that beneath Little He Qing's adorable expression...

When Xiao Long struck Little He Qing's arm during the match, he was shocked by the way Little He Qing still kept that cute little stern face, lips pursed, stubbornly refusing to change her expression.

That adorable look actually made the chubby Xiao Long grow shy, throwing him into confusion.

He thought, She... she's so cute. How can she be this cute?

Little He Qing pretended to be domineering and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Again!"

Xiao Long attacked forward with a red face, and He Qing clearly realized that his punch had suddenly lost its strength, soft and limp.

So she seized the moment and threw Xiao Long down with a shoulder throw, winning the match amid the coach's whistle.

Little He Qing was utterly surprised, while Xiao Long, lying on the ground, was blushing furiously. "I lost. You really are both cute and amazing."

"I won?" Little He Qing excitedly raised her hand. "I won!"

She excitedly waved toward Lin Zhengran below the stage, her eyes full of light as if saying, the method you taught me really worked.

In the second half, he suddenly had no fighting power at all. What an amazing method.

Lin Zhengran had of course seen clearly why she had won so quickly, and he had no strength to comment.

But even if the other side had not been charmed by He Qing's cuteness, the final victory would definitely have belonged to He Qing. The little girl's aura in the last round was far too strong; Xiao Long could not beat her at all.

After the match ended, Little He Qing got the reward she had wanted.

She named the place and led the coach to the mall.

When the young lady at the dessert shop saw He Qing coming, she waved from far away. "Little sister, you're here again? It's already the end of the month. Are you here to look this time, or to take it away?"

Little He Qing was wild with joy. "I want to buy it!"

"Oh? Looks like you really won?!"

"Mm!"

The coach took out his phone to pay, and the young lady packed the item up and handed it to Little He Qing. "Please take care of it, dear customer. That'll be four hundred and ninety-nine yuan. We hope to see you again."

"Thank you, older sister!"

Holding the chocolate dessert, Little He Qing was extremely careful, her face full of happiness.

Night gradually deepened. Little He Qing and Lin Zhengran sat on the steps below the residential building in the neighborhood, the sunset glow on the horizon bathing everything around them in a dim yellow.

She placed the chocolate cake on her lap.

"Lin Zhengran, this is the champion's prize!"

"Chocolate?" Lin Zhengran did not feel much about it. "It really is a prize for kids."

Little He Qing held the cake out to him with both hands. "It's for you."

"Hm? For me?"

"Mm. I wanted this so I could give it to you. That time, when Dad gave me chocolate, you didn't take it. I know it was because you saw I didn't want to part with it, so you didn't snatch it from me. This time, I specially picked a pretty one to give you as compensation."

Lin Zhengran's expression went blank. The ultimate manifestation of being speechless was laughter.

"There's really something wrong with your brain. That piece of chocolate back then had already gone bad. How was I supposed to take it?"

Lin Zhengran did not refuse her kindness. Instead, he simply opened it directly.

He broke off one of the swan's wings and handed it to Little He Qing, while he ate the other wing himself.

"Here, let's eat it together."

Little He Qing took it with her small hands, and only started eating after she saw Lin Zhengran eat first.

It was sweet.

She happily chewed the chocolate, the heels of her little feet lifting and dropping, her ponytail bouncing along with them.

Lin Zhengran asked, "Are you really planning to come back for middle school? There isn't anything good here, is there?"

Little He Qing swallowed the chocolate. "Mainly to come find you. Oh right, when I go back to my hometown, can I call you?"

Fairy He won the match and unexpectedly gave you a piece of exquisite top-grade Black Blood Paste filled with sentiment. You shared it with Fairy He and gained Strength +3, Charisma +2, Level +1

Lin Zhengran said, "Suit yourself. Call if you want, but I might not answer."