Stopping the basketball!

Within fifty meters of Mino Court, not a sound could be heard. Everything was deathly still.

Wei Caijun's friends stared at the scene in stunned disbelief. It was as though fish bones had lodged in their throats, choking off everything they wanted to say as an unquenchable shock surged through them.

The male passersby who had been watching so eagerly rubbed their eyes numbly. Those taking pictures dropped their phones without a sound. Clearly, deep down, they simply could not believe what they were seeing.

The girls who had been gossiping earlier widened their eyes, both shocked and relieved. They were shocked that Zi Hanyan would show such a bashful expression to an ordinarily dressed young man. Before this, she had never shown any boy an expression that betrayed the slightest emotion.

They were relieved, however, that Zi Hanyan was not competing with them for Wei Caijun. That meant they still had a chance of winning him over.

Looking at Zi Hanyan beside Jun Wangchen, Wei Caijun felt something crack like an eggshell deep inside him, leaving his heart utterly cold.

Why?

Why would the girl he liked invite... invite some nobody?

Was he dreaming?

Was today April Fool's Day?

Meanwhile, Jun Wangchen stared at the blushing beauty before him, looking rather dazed himself.

This wasn't right. According to the script, wasn't Zi Hanyan supposed to approach the campus heartthrob?

How had she ended up approaching... him instead?

"Just as I thought!" Beside him, Wang Nuli snapped his fingers with a look that said, "There is only one truth." (Cue Conan's signature background music.)

First, Zi Hanyan rarely wandered around campus alone. Her unexpected appearance today clearly indicated that someone important enough to warrant searching for occupied a place in her heart.

Second, although Wei Caijun was the campus heartthrob, no one had seen him walking around campus with Zi Hanyan in the past three years. Clearly, the two had little connection, much less one that would prompt a goddess like her to invite him somewhere.

Finally, and most importantly—Jun Wangchen had saved Zi Hanyan!

As the saying went, if a boy appeared beside a girl at her most desperate and helpless moment and brought her out of danger, that girl would unquestionably label him an unrivaled hero in her heart.

In conclusion, while Zi Hanyan's invitation to Jun Wangchen was unexpected, it made perfect sense. After all, once every impossibility had been eliminated, whatever remained, however unbelievable, had to be the truth!

Detective Conan: Every sentence of that analysis was nonsense, yet somehow still padded filler. It sounded like cheeky bullshit, with a dash of twisting the facts. Could this be... the legendary art of pulling shit out of your ass?

While Wang Nuli was immersed in his world of deductions, Zi Hanyan waved a hand in front of Jun Wangchen and asked somewhat shyly, "Um... Jun, do you... have time?"

"Time?" Jun Wangchen paused, then frowned in thought. "I think I still have an English class this afternoon. I might..."

"Might, my ass!" Before Jun Wangchen could finish, Wang Nuli rapped him hard on the head with his knuckles.

Before Jun Wangchen could react, Wang Nuli dragged him aside and lowered his voice, exasperated. "Are you a fucking idiot? The campus belle is inviting you out! How could an English class possibly be more important? Go with her. I'll take care of your afternoon English class."

"Oh, right, right. Thanks, Number Two." Jun Wangchen nodded hastily, then returned to Zi Hanyan. "Zi, I have time now."

"Wonderful! Come with me, Jun!" Beaming with delight, Zi Hanyan took Jun Wangchen's hand and happily led him toward the campus gate.

Watching them, Wang Nuli was overcome with envy.

What use... was this iron staff of mine?

What good... were these transformations?

Still restless, still forlorn... their lovey-dovey display had reduced me to dust!

Behind them, Wei Caijun's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. Watching Zi Hanyan laugh and smile with that utterly unremarkable young man, he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He had thought Zi Hanyan had come specifically for him. Only now did he realize how naive he had been.

He had been pursuing Zi Hanyan since his freshman year, yet she had never smiled at him even once, let alone invited him anywhere.

But now?

The girl he liked had actually taken the initiative to invite an ordinarily dressed, completely unremarkable young man out?

Ha. What kind of fucking joke was this?

Was he really worth less than some ordinary-looking guy?

Wei Caijun was confused and jealous, but above all, he was filled with boundless rage.

Seeing this, his friends exchanged glances. One tall young man nodded, then abruptly hurled the basketball in his hand straight at Jun Wangchen.

"Oops, threw it the wrong way! Watch out up ahead!" The moment he threw it, the tall young man pretended it had slipped and shouted in apparent panic.

His accomplices shouted as well, but a cold glint flashed through all their eyes.

Just as Wang Nuli was about to leave, he spotted a basketball hurtling toward the back of Jun Wangchen's head. His expression changed instantly, and he shouted, "Number Four, watch out!"

Ahead, Jun Wangchen stopped short. He felt a gust of wind whipping toward him from behind, fast and drawing closer by the instant.

Hearing the shout, Zi Hanyan abruptly turned around. When she saw the basketball about to hit Jun Wangchen, she instinctively stepped in front of him.

"Shit!" In the distance, the tall young man who had thrown the ball clearly had not expected Zi Hanyan to block it for Jun Wangchen. Cold sweat broke out all over him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Zi Hanyan was the girl Wei Caijun liked. If his basketball injured her, then given Wei Caijun's methods, he probably would not survive another half chapter of this book!

"We're screwed!" Sweat beaded on his accomplices' foreheads as they silently cursed their luck.

Wei Caijun's pupils contracted, and his expression changed drastically. He wanted to rush forward and stop the ball, but there was no time.

The watching boys' hearts leaped into their throats. If that ball actually hit Zi Hanyan, it could do serious damage to her face.

The female passersby, however, all smiled with malicious delight. Deep down, they were eager for the basketball to hit Zi Hanyan, and the harder, the better. Ideally, it would disfigure her. Then they would have one less formidable rival.

Zi Hanyan's mind was blank. She did not regret stepping in front of Jun Wangchen, because he had stood in front of her like this last night and driven away the darkness. But as the rushing air from the basketball brushed her cheek, her heart still trembled, and she instinctively closed her eyes.

Perhaps it was fear and dread of the pain!

Just then, a hand suddenly wrapped around Zi Hanyan's waist and pulled her beneath its owner's protective body. He let the basketball strike his back without allowing her to suffer the slightest harm.

The expected pain of the basketball's impact never came. Instead, she felt herself fall into a warm embrace. Zi Hanyan froze, then immediately opened her eyes.

What greeted her was a young man wearing a warm smile. His features were well-proportioned and sharply defined, and though his hair was short, it looked exceptionally windswept.

Lying in his arms felt like being in the safest place in the world, comfortable and warm.

Ignoring the burning pain where the basketball had struck his back, Jun Wangchen asked the beauty in his arms with concern, "Zi, are you all right?"

"I... I'm fine!" For some reason, Zi Hanyan's pretty face suddenly flushed, and she hurriedly slipped out of his right arm.

Jun Wangchen sighed in relief. He rubbed his back, glanced at the tall young man, and frowned.

The guy kept claiming he had thrown it in the wrong direction, but when the ball came flying toward him, Jun Wangchen had distinctly sensed that its trajectory was aimed specifically at him.

He was just about to speak when Zi Hanyan's expression turned cold. She snapped at the tall young man in displeasure, "Don't you think that was going too far?"

As the daughter of a powerful figure in the East District underworld, she was no mere pretty face. Some things were obvious to her at a glance.

The tall young man's gaze darted away as he replied guiltily, "Sorry. I didn't control my strength properly while playing, and the ball slipped out of my hands. It wasn't intentional."

"You know perfectly well whether it was intentional." Zi Hanyan gave a cold laugh and an icy glance at him, but said nothing more to him.

"Jun, let me take you to get some medicine applied first."

With that, Zi Hanyan took Jun Wangchen's hand and led him toward the infirmary by the campus gate. From beginning to end, she never once looked at Wei Caijun.

Wang Nuli looked at the pair ahead, then at the tall young man, before finally settling his gaze on Wei Caijun. Shaking his head, he sneered to himself, "What a world we live in. Some people can't win over the campus belle, so they have their lackeys play dirty tricks. How disgusting."

Having said that, he strolled away, paying no heed to Wei Caijun's ugly expression.

The tall young man panicked. He had meant to help Wei Caijun teach Jun Wangchen a lesson, only to shoot himself in the foot.

He was just about to turn and explain himself to Wei Caijun when a fist grew larger in his vision and slammed hard into his face.

Thud!

The heavy sound rang out jarringly. The punch sent blood streaming from the tall young man's nose, and he staggered and fell to the ground.

"If you ever do that again without my permission, I'll take your head off!" Wei Caijun glanced at him, his voice ice-cold.

"I'm sorry, Caijun!" The tall young man did not dare protest. He hastily nodded, trembling, then stood to one side wiping his bloody nose in silence.

"Does anyone know that guy's name?" Ignoring the tall young man, Wei Caijun glanced at the two figures ahead and narrowed his eyes as he questioned his friends.

His friends all shook their heads. Realizing this was his chance to make amends, the tall young man hurriedly took out his phone, snapped a distant shot of Jun Wangchen's profile, and sent it to a group chat. A reply soon arrived.

Reading the message, the tall young man hurriedly told Wei Caijun, "Caijun, that guy's name is Jun Wangchen. He lives in Dormitory Room 520 in the Tree-Back Dormitory. Apparently, he did really well in the exchange match between Tai Chi Fist and Taekwondo at noon today. He's a Tai Chi Fist expert."

"A Tai Chi Fist expert? Ha!" Wei Caijun's gaze turned cold. With a sneer, he walked straight to the rest area, took his phone from his bag, and dialed a number.

"Look someone up for me. His name is Jun Wangchen. I want everything you can find on him!"

Wei Caijun hung up with a cold expression. Watching the two figures, now far in the distance, he clenched his fists tightly.

Jun Wangchen, was it?

No one could take the woman he wanted!