Ketchup Counterattack

Gu Yue's Empty-Plate Declaration post was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending ripples through the small circle of the "group of eight." The first to be stirred was Xie Xie, who was up to some sneaky mischief in an unknown corner.

Besides showing off, his greatest hobby was finding entertainment. Out of habit, he pulled out his phone to see if there was any fresh gossip, only to immediately lock onto Gu Yue's victorious post, complete with a V-sign gesture.

"Whoa!" Xie Xie's eyes lit up as though he had caught the scent of prey. His fingers flew across the screen, accurately locating Ye Xinglan's profile picture before launching into his signature, recklessly provocative behavior.

His very first comment opened fire with murderous intent:

"Yo, isn't this our noble little Princess Xinglan? First thing in the morning, and the air already reeks of your cheap ketchup's sourness. What, Gu Yue's ribs smelled so good they kept you awake, so now you're eating dry bread dipped in stomach acid?"

Every word in that comment was barbed, every sentence aimed for the heart. It mocked Ye Xinglan's predicament while implying that her stomach troubles came from jealousy.

On Ye Xinglan's end, she had only just forced down that ketchup-dipped bread, and the discomfort in her stomach had yet to fully subside when she saw the comment. Staring at the screen, she felt her temples throbbing as a nameless fury shot straight to the top of her head.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to fling her keyboard away, and tapped out a reply:

"Xie Xie, mind your own business. Do you think everyone is like you, only good at running your mouth in the comments, yet unable to beat even a Soul King in actual combat?"

Though it sounded like a personal attack, she was really reminding Xie Xie not to forget the old grudge between them.

Back then, the two of them had clashed more than once in all sorts of situations.

Rather than getting angry when he saw her reply, Xie Xie was delighted. He could practically picture Ye Xinglan's face turning pale with rage while she still had to pretend to be calm. It put him in a wonderful mood, making the exhaustion from days of training vanish without a trace.

He immediately pressed his advantage, posting a second comment along with a smug tongue-out emoji:

"Oh my, you're mad, you're mad! Did I hit the mark? I knew it. With that little body of yours, you already train like your life depends on it, and you still don't eat properly. How could your stomach not hurt? Tsk, tsk, poor thing. How about I ask my mom to send you two cases of nutrient solution? Oh, right, you definitely don't lack that. You're one of the academy's elites, after all. I just wonder whether you grew up on nutrient solution or dry bread dipped in ketchup."

Those words were like frantically rubbing salt into Ye Xinglan's wounds. He not only continued attacking her diet, but also took a jab at her status, implying that she had no idea how ordinary people lived.

Ye Xinglan's fingers hovered over the screen for a full ten seconds, her knuckles white from clenching them. She felt like a small beast forced into a corner, with nowhere left to retreat and no choice but to bare her fangs. She typed rapidly, every word seeming to squeeze out through gritted teeth:

"Xie Xie, this is all you amount to. Hiding behind a screen and trying to provoke me with that pitiful vocabulary of yours. Do you really think I'm like you, wasting all my time figuring out how to annoy people? I'm busy—busy leaving you far behind, so far that you won't even see my taillights. The next time we meet, I hope your movement techniques are faster than my sword."

Her counterattack preserved the pride of a powerhouse while subtly issuing a challenge. It was both offense and defense in one.

But who was Xie Xie? He was practically the embodiment of thick-skinned. After reading Ye Xinglan's reply, not only did he fail to back down, he found it even more entertaining. To him, this was his favorite kind of harmless war game, and he was holding an absolute advantage.

He sent a wicked "hehe" emoji, then wrote:

"Trying to leave me behind? Sure, I'll wait. But before that, I suggest you make an appointment at the infirmary. You look pale as a ghost, and your forehead is practically dark with bad luck. If you don't get a decent meal soon, I'm afraid you'll be meeting the Duke of Zhou first. When that happens, don't blame me for not warning you. I wouldn't mind reserving a hospital appointment for you."

The moment those words appeared, the atmosphere beneath the post instantly froze.

Everyone knew that cultivation was the most important thing in Ye Xinglan's life right now. Xie Xie's words had gone beyond simple teasing and risen to the level of a curse and provocation. Even through the screen, everyone could feel Ye Xinglan's volcano-like fury on the verge of erupting.

At that critical moment, a new comment split the uproar like a blade of judgment.

Yuanen Yehui usually did not speak much and had a steady temperament, but when it came to protecting her friends, she never held back. Her profile picture lit up, and a simple period carried the weight of a mountain.

Her comment contained only a few short words, yet the entire comment section's temperature seemed to plunge to freezing:

"Xie Xie, shut up."

There was no punctuation, no emoji, not even a needless interjection. Yet those three words were like an invisible sledgehammer crashing down on Xie Xie's playful heart.

The smug smile on Xie Xie's face froze. He stared at those three words again and again, a chill rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Yuanen Yehui's "shut up" was not the same as Ye Xinglan's furious threat. Her "shut up" usually meant a planned, deliberate reckoning with very serious consequences.

I'm done for. Xie Xie's heart sank. He had taken it too far.

He panicked. The energy he had just had, the urge to stir up trouble, disappeared without a trace. In its place was the pure terror of an elementary school student facing a homeroom teacher.

He frantically tried to delete his earlier comments, only to realize that it was far too late. Every record was still hanging online in plain sight, irrefutable evidence.

What should he do? Waiting online. Urgent!

Xie Xie's fingers shook wildly over the screen as he deleted and rewrote, rewrote and deleted. Trying to salvage the situation, he posted a new comment:

"Cough... um, Yuanen, listen to my explanation! I was just joking around, trying to liven up the atmosphere! Look, isn't everyone having fun?"

Yuanen Yehui ignored him. At a time like this, any explanation was just an excuse in her eyes.

Xie Xie panicked even more. His eyes rolled, and he decided to bring out his trump card—playing the victim while shifting the blame. He immediately tagged Tang Wulin and wrote:

"Boss! Save me! Yuanen is going to kill someone! I was just messing around with Xinglan, and she's already talking about beating me to death! You know I've got a loose mouth, but I was just trying to ease the mood! Sister Gu Yue, help talk her down too! Otherwise, if I die, who's going to provide you all with so much entertainment?"

That move was downright shameless. He had dragged both Tang Wulin and Gu Yue into it, trying to use personal ties and public opinion to pressure Yuanen Yehui.

Tang Wulin quickly replied with a helpless emoji: "Xie Xie, pray for yourself. But... next time, remember not to joke about other people."

Gu Yue was even more direct, sending an emoji of clasped hands: "Amitabha, how merciful. Xie Xie, I'll treat you to a good meal later to calm your nerves?"

Their replies appeared to be attempts at mediation, but they both silently confirmed that Xie Xie was at fault. Gu Yue's words about calming his nerves especially confirmed that Yuanen Yehui teaching him a lesson was practically set in stone.

Xie Xie felt like crying without tears. He felt like a rabbit surrounded by wolves, with surrender as his only way out.

With trembling hands, he posted his final—and most sincere—comment. This time, there was not the slightest trace of his usual joking manner. He had even used the most formal Song typeface:

"Yuanen, I was wrong. I truly know I was wrong. I shouldn't have made fun of Ye Xinglan. I apologize to you, and I apologize to Ye Xinglan. I'll delete those upsetting comments right now. Please, let me off this once! I promise I'll never dare do it again! If I do, you can deal with me however you want!"

After posting the comment, Xie Xie stared fixedly at the screen like a prisoner awaiting judgment.

One minute passed...

Two minutes passed...

Just as he was about to despair, Yuanen Yehui's profile picture moved. She did not reply with words, merely sending a calm OK-hand emoji.

Right afterward, Ye Xinglan updated her own post. She ignored Xie Xie's apology and simply reposted Gu Yue's empty-plate photo with one caption:

"Next time, I hope I can make it while it's still hot."

That seemingly plain sentence was the best possible conclusion to the farce just now, as well as a silent declaration for the future.

Looking at that OK gesture and Ye Xinglan's repost, Xie Xie let out a long breath. His entire body collapsed onto the bed as though he had just finished a life-or-death battle.

"That scared me to death..." he muttered. "I'm never casually provoking Yuanen again... Before I successfully confess to her, I can't let her have a bad impression of me."

Meanwhile, far away in her dorm room, Ye Xinglan took the last bite of her dry bread. Looking at Xie Xie's utterly humble plea for mercy on her phone screen, the corner of her lips finally curved into a barely noticeable smile.