Friends

Finding Oscar took much less time than Le Bai had expected.

After asking around, he learned that Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun had been watching the match from the stands. Seeing Le Bai covered in blood and looking terrifying, they had rushed over immediately.

Upon learning that Le Bai only looked scary but was actually fine, Oscar hurried off to find Tang San and Xiao Wu.

According to Le Bai, to ensure his own victory, he had left no room for mercy. In the worst-case scenario, Tang San and Xiao Wu might have ended up with a few broken bones.

In the end, it was hard to tell if Le Bai had overestimated himself or underestimated the physical toughness of Tang San and Xiao Wu; neither of them had any broken bones, and after two of Oscar's sausages, they were basically fine.

The seven of them walked out of the Soto Great Soul Arena together and found Zhu Zhuqing waiting for them at the entrance.

With nothing else to do, the eight of them prepared to head straight back to the Academy.

On the way, Tang San admitted that his skills were inferior and didn't blame Le Bai for being too heavy-handed. However, Xiao Wu expressed that she was very unhappy and vowed to get revenge given the chance, something even Tang San couldn't talk her out of.

Le Bai felt he was in the wrong and didn't know what to say, so he could only try his best not to give Xiao Wu any opportunities.

Ning Rongrong remained silent the whole time, her gaze darting back and forth—looking at Le Bai, then at Oscar, then at Tang San and Xiao Wu—making it impossible for anyone to guess what she was thinking.

Back at the Academy, everyone except Ning Rongrong headed toward their respective dormitories.

Le Bai pushed open his door but didn't step inside, because he noticed the person following him hadn't left and even seemed prepared to follow him into the room. Helpless, he turned around and asked, "Miss Ning, I'm home now. If you have something to say, can't it wait until tomorrow?"

The moonlight was bright tonight, allowing Le Bai to clearly see Ning Rongrong's expression, which was unexpectedly calm: "I've already come all this way, aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"

"No, no, no, no, no!"

Le Bai shook his head repeatedly: "Don't even joke about something so terrifying! If I dared to let you in, do you believe that the Title Douluo your father arranged to protect you in the shadows would have your entire family's experts here in a heartbeat?"

"Hmph, so you know how to be afraid now!"

Although Ning Rongrong snorted, her tone wasn't cold, nor did she sound angry: "Back at the Soto Great Soul Arena, you lectured me quite happily, didn't you?!"

"The nature of the situation is different."

Le Bai shook his head helplessly and walked over to the makeshift Training Ground on the side of the room, where he had built wooden tables and chairs specifically for resting: "Since you insist, let's sit and talk about it slowly."

Ning Rongrong walked over and sat down: "Go ahead and tell me, how is the nature different?"

"Back at the Soto Great Soul Arena, I dared to reprimand you because that is what Sect Master Ning would want—don't misunderstand, I've never met your father. But since he let you leave the sect, he must be worried that you were too pampered at home and developed the bad habit of being spoiled and arrogant."

Le Bai continued: "By the way, in my hometown, this kind of behavior is called 'Princess Syndrome'. Those who suffer from it believe the whole world revolves around them, and that everyone should obey them and pamper them as a matter of course."

"Is that so."

Ning Rongrong didn't show much expression, her reaction very faint: "How is that different from letting me into your room?"

"I'm a man, you're a woman, and it's nighttime. If you enter the room, we are just a man and a woman in a relatively enclosed space—that's something only people in an intimate relationship do. I feel my relationship with you is even more strained than it is with others, and to put it mildly, we aren't anywhere near that level."

Le Bai consciously kept his distance: "Your father might hope you find an intimate partner sooner, but that definitely isn't now. If the people protecting you in the shadows have any excessive misunderstandings about our relationship, the elders in your sect who dote on you will definitely come to cause me trouble."

"Sect Master Ning this, my father that—someone who didn't know better would think you knew him well."

Ning Rongrong felt the distance in Le Bai's attitude and felt a bit uncomfortable: "I don't even want to enter the room of a training fanatic like you; it's probably full of the smell of sweat anyway."

"Even if you say that about me, I won't say something like 'No it's not, go in and see for yourself'."

Le Bai remained vigilant: "Also, it's really late now, you should rest. The blood on me has already clotted, and I want to take a good shower, change my clothes, and get some sleep."

"Who told you to push yourself so hard..."

Ning Rongrong muttered under her breath, then immediately returned to her normal volume: "I just wanted to ask you, when the two-on-two soul battle ended, you said you didn't dislike me and that most men would like me—is that true?"

"It's true."

Le Bai looked serious, with a hint of disdain: "Although your personality is quite poor, it hasn't reached the point of being truly malicious. And you are indeed very beautiful, with talent and a family background that are top-tier on the continent, which is impeccable. With your conditions, any normal man would like you."

"You said before that although you look down on me, you don't dislike me."

Ning Rongrong looked at Le Bai: "Does that mean you're also a normal man who likes me?"

"If I had to choose between liking or disliking, then it's liking."

Le Bai regained his composure: "But that's just a person's appreciation for something beautiful, not the kind of feelings between a man and a woman."

"I didn't say it was that kind, either."

Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes: "Fine, I've found out what I wanted to know. Hurry up and get back to your room. This young lady is going back to the dormitory to sleep too."

"Yes, yes~"

Le Bai stood up and returned to his small room.

As he opened the door and stepped halfway inside, Ning Rongrong's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Le Bai! Can you be my friend?"

"Wait until you produce results that actually impress me."

Le Bai said, waving his hand at her without turning around. He closed the door and let out a sigh of relief, muttering to himself: "What a troublesome young lady, talking about friends at a time like this... If I didn't already consider you a friend, why would I have said so much?"

"Hmph, so that's how it is!"

Ning Rongrong suddenly pushed the door open, her eyes squinting into a smile like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

Le Bai was expressionless: "Didn't you leave?"

"Nope~ You just thought I left and then closed the door on your own. I heard your door doesn't lock, and it seems that's true."

"...I really need to rest, hurry back!"

"Alright~ goodnight, my fri~end!"

"Shut up! Don't use that tone to say things like that! Some terrible memories are starting to surface!"

A short while later, the people secretly protecting Ning Rongrong began to discuss:

"How should we report this matter between Le Bai and the young miss to the Sect Master?"

"How else would we report it? Isn't he just the first friend of the opposite sex and the same age that the young miss has made?"

"Heh (a cold sneer)! Do you believe that there can be pure friendship between a man and a woman!?"

"The young miss and he are both children."

"That Le Bai is 14 this year, and the young miss is 12. They are both Soul Masters, so they aren't that young anymore. It's not impossible for them to cause a life-altering situation!"

"If something like that were to actually happen, the Sect Master would be the one causing a life-altering situation."

"That's why I'm asking you how we should report it!"

"Are you trying to stir up trouble?"

"I am not!"

"Then report it as friends."

"Fine..."