Finals

The lounge waiting area was silent. Dong Qianqiu sat on a bench, watching Lan Mengqin, who had just been berating Chen Ming, looking completely bewildered. It was clear she had no idea what had just happened.

Chen Ming was also looking at Lan Mengqin in confusion. That outburst of scolding had almost felt refreshing; it was like a little girl chirping at him in a milky voice—it lacked even a shred of aggression.

Lan Mengqin covered her eyes with both hands, though the gaps between her fingers failed to block anything at all. Her eyes were glazed as she stared at the plastic cup in Chen Ming's hand; the milky-white solid inside didn't seem to be what she had imagined.

"...What is this?"

Only then did Lan Mengqin realize she might have misunderstood, but she still pressed for an answer.

"Ice cream."

Chen Ming's gaze deepened. He realized what she had been thinking. To have such a massive reaction and blush so deeply—there was definitely something wrong.

"So... were you guys just talking about ice cream?"

Lan Mengqin's entire body stiffened instantly. The heart that had been hanging in her chest finally died. It was over! She was going to be disgraced!

Chen Ming looked at Lan Mengqin, whose toes were curled so tightly she could have dug a hole through the floor of Tiantou Technology Academy. She hugged her chest, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What else could it be?"

Lan Mengqin felt like she was dying of shame. Being stared at by Chen Ming and Dong Qianqiu with those strange expressions, she felt she would never be able to lift her head again for the rest of her life.

"I... I was just talking about ice cream! I absolutely didn't mean anything else!"

Lan Mengqin snatched the ice cream from Chen Ming's hand and sat down next to Dong Qianqiu, eating it as if no one else were around.

The taste was indeed good—very delicious—but she felt her skin crawl under the gazes of Chen Ming and Dong Qianqiu.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

In the next second, Chen Ming leaned in slightly, pinning Lan Mengqin against the wall. She was startled, and the ice cream in her hand nearly went flying.

The two locked eyes. Lan Mengqin looked into Chen Ming's deep, black pupils, guiltily averted her gaze, and then met Dong Qianqiu's eyes.

Dong Qianqiu looked on, puzzled and filled with curiosity. She had lost her memories as a child and couldn't recall her past; she had grown up in an orphanage and hadn't been exposed to that kind of knowledge, so she remained quite innocent.

She didn't understand why Lan Mengqin had reacted so strongly, but the atmosphere felt off, so she didn't say anything.

Lan Mengqin felt even more guilty under her gaze and turned her face away, but then she saw Chen Ming leaning in slowly. She shuffled backward until her back and head were pressed against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

Chen Ming brought his face right up to her ear, his warm breath hitting Lan Mengqin's delicate earlobe, instantly staining it a deep crimson.

"Pervert."

Just as Lan Mengqin held her breath, her heart pounding violently, Chen Ming's voice suddenly rang out. It was crystal clear as it entered her ear, still carrying his warmth, leaving Lan Mengqin feeling weak all over.

However, Chen Ming's words hit Lan Mengqin like a lightning bolt. Her face flushed bright red, and she glared at Chen Ming, gritting her teeth, completely unable to voice her anger.

After saying those two words, Chen Ming elegantly straightened his body and sat down in the seat opposite them.

Dong Qianqiu was also a soul master and naturally heard the two words Chen Ming had said. Looking at Lan Mengqin's flushed face, she wanted to speak but hesitated. So, had Sister Mengqin been thinking about something inappropriate just now?

And the subjects were herself and Chen Ming? But why? How could eating ice cream lead Sister Mengqin to connect it to something lewd?

The innocent Dong Qianqiu was like a child in front of two veterans, even though her actual age was likely not even a fraction of the combined age of Chen Ming and Lan Mengqin.

After that, the contestant waiting area quieted down. The last contestant seemed to be recovering and hadn't arrived yet.

In the waiting area, Lan Mengqin bit into the ice cream again and again, as if she were biting Chen Ming himself, taking one fierce bite after another.

Soon, the break ended. Both contestants took the stage, and Chen Ming and Lan Mengqin stood on the competition platform, facing each other.

As the referee announced the start of the match, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and snowflakes began to fall. Chen Ming raised his hand, and a wooden spear appeared in his grip.

"Ice Shard Blade!"

Dozens of Ice Shard Blades flew toward him. Chen Ming swung his spear, parrying them all, before hurling the wooden spear with force, aiming it straight at Lan Mengqin.

An ice wall rose to collide with the wooden spear. With a loud crash, ice crystals and wood splinters flew everywhere. Lan Mengqin channeled her soul power again to freeze all the wood splinters.

"You're out of options now."

Lan Mengqin's eyes narrowed. Dong Qianqiu had lost to this move that morning, and by freezing the wood fragments, Chen Ming would surely be unable to control them.

"I have more than one way to deal with you."

Chen Ming raised a hand and gripped it, and a wooden sword appeared in his hand. At the same time, a fishing rod appeared in his other hand. With a flick of his wrist, the fishhook flew straight toward her.

Lan Mengqin seized the moment, first using an Ice Spike to knock the hook down, then freezing it to the ground.

At the same time, Chen Ming closed the distance, his wooden sword slashing downward. Lan Mengqin raised her hand, and layers of Ice Spikes instantly erupted from the ground.

Watching the incoming spikes, Chen Ming slashed his sword down, shattering countless Ice Spikes into icy dust.

"Ice Spear!"

Lan Mengqin raised her hand and clenched it; five Ice Spears instantly flew toward Chen Ming. With a few booming sounds, ice crystals and mist splashed out, obscuring Chen Ming's figure.

Lan Mengqin watched the location of the ice mist vigilantly, involuntarily taking a few steps back to create distance, staying alert for a surprise attack from Chen Ming.

When the ice mist dissipated, Chen Ming's figure had vanished without a trace. Lan Mengqin was stunned, and everyone watching the match was stunned as well.

"Where is he? Left? Right? Behind?"

Lan Mengqin immediately scanned her surroundings, trying to find where Chen Ming was hiding. But in the next second—

A hand suddenly reached out from the floor tiles beneath Lan Mengqin's feet, grabbing her calf wrapped in a small white stocking, and Chen Ming's voice rang out simultaneously.

"Below."

Lan Mengqin shuddered, abruptly lowering her head to look at Chen Ming, whose hand had reached out from beneath the ground, her eyes filled with shock as she let out an exclamation.

"What! Ah!"

A massive force struck, dragging Lan Mengqin directly into the ground, leaving only her head exposed, while Chen Ming emerged from the earth right in front of her.

He immediately scooped up soil and used his intent to surround them both, forming a sealed space to block any line of sight.

The previously pitch-black scene suddenly brightened as Chen Ming placed a torch on the ground, squatting down to look at the incredibly disheveled Lan Mengqin with a beaming smile.

"You lost."

Lan Mengqin struggled repeatedly, but after realizing it was useless, she gave up the resistance and immediately said helplessly:

"I concede..."

"No way, I haven't gotten my revenge yet."

Chen Ming shook his head, rejecting her surrender, and then, under the bewildered gaze of Lan Mengqin, he moved behind her...

PS: The first update for February 28th, two thousand words. I returned from my hometown today; after sitting in a car all morning, there will be fewer updates.