Chapter Seventy

Zhang Yi exclaimed excitedly, “Hahaha! Believe me, I’ll soon grasp the secret of the Scattered Fighter’s Quick Strike. When it comes to me, I’ll make sure it flourishes.” With this conviction, Zhang Yi practiced even more diligently, not wasting a single moment. Suddenly, the floor beneath his feet began to tremble—he knew instantly that the reason was visitors arriving at his home.

He quickly dressed and went to the living room. He already knew someone was in his room; just moments ago, he had been standing on the roof, which was right above his room. There was no need to guess who it could be—aside from Li Li, no one else would visit him by entering his room.

As soon as he opened the door, Zhang Yi saw Li Li directly. The two locked eyes in silence, neither saying a word, until a knock at the door broke the stillness. The door wasn’t locked, so the visitors entered unannounced—it was Wang Tianqi and Yu Li, who had come searching for Li Li. Seeing the stranger in Zhang Yi’s room, Yu Li guessed this must be the Li Li that Wang Tianqi had mentioned.

Zhang Yi sized Li Li up and down and said, “So, you’re really out of the hospital this time and not just sneaking away. You haven’t let me down, Li Li.”

Li Li replied, “After hearing your story, I only stayed and accepted treatment out of pity for you. Now that I’m out, do you have anything to say to me?”

Zhang Yi scratched his head and grinned, “Honestly, I have nothing to say. Seeing you like this, I can only wish you well. In any case, happy discharge.”

Li Li simply let out a dry chuckle and said no more, moving to the sofa and glaring at Zhang Yi with such intensity that Zhang Yi felt deeply uncomfortable, as if he were being hunted by death itself.

Fortunately, Wang Tianqi and Yu Li arrived, or the conversation would have stalled. Wang Tianqi said, “So she really did come to you, Zhang Yi. Care to explain why she’s in your room? Could it be that you two…” Wang Tianqi began to speculate about the relationship between Zhang Yi and Li Li, and even Yu Li, influenced by her, started to think the same way.

Annoyed, Zhang Yi protested, “Don’t you know what kind of person I am? Do you really think I’d be so depraved as to take advantage of someone who just got out of the hospital?”

His argument made some sense, but Wang Tianqi remained unconvinced. Her only lead was Li Li, so she decided to ask her what Zhang Yi had done, confident that the truth would come out. In reality, Zhang Yi hadn’t made a move on Li Li, so it all depended on how Li Li would respond.

And Li Li answered, “Our conversation wasn’t long, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened. Just now, he tried to take advantage of me, and I resisted—then you two showed up. Tell me, is that too much?” Tears glistened in the corners of Li Li’s eyes; she looked pitiful, though it was all an act meant to prank Zhang Yi.

Hearing Li Li’s fabrication, Wang Tianqi glared at Zhang Yi with undisguised hostility. Yu Li, seeing Wang Tianqi’s reaction, didn’t fully understand but joined in, both of them fixing Zhang Yi with accusing stares.

Feeling their harsh gazes, Zhang Yi hastily tried to explain, “Don’t believe her! She’s just trying to confuse you! I’m really not that kind of person!”

“I never thought you’d be like this, Zhang Yi. I really misjudged you!” Wang Tianqi flexed her arms, clearly preparing to mete out some punishment. Yu Li, too, readied herself, wearing a terrifying smile that Zhang Yi would never forget.

Zhang Yi hurriedly said, “Fine, hit me if you must, but… not the face!” Before he could finish, Wang Tianqi knocked him to the ground with a punch, and Yu Li followed up with a kick. The two pinned Zhang Yi to the floor, beating him in a scene that looked just like a case of school bullying.

While the two were busy “teaching him a lesson,” Li Li had slipped away at some point, but not before leaving a note to explain the situation and prevent further misunderstandings. Upon reading the note after finishing with Zhang Yi, Wang Tianqi realized they’d been tricked by Li Li and had unjustly beaten Zhang Yi. His current expression was a mix of frustration and amusement, stuck somewhere between laughter and tears.

Feeling embarrassed, Wang Tianqi tried to smile. “Sorry, I didn’t realize Li Li was lying. Is your face okay?” She reached out to touch his face, and Zhang Yi yelped in pain, “Ouch!”

“You two really didn’t hold back. I guess I shouldn’t have called Lin Zimo a violent girl—if anyone deserves that title, it’s you two,” Zhang Yi muttered irritably.

Realizing he’d said something he shouldn’t have, Zhang Yi knew that mentioning “violent girl” would instantly set Wang Tianqi off, but he didn’t care. Calmly, he returned to the rooftop to resume his Scattered Fighter’s Quick Strike practice. As long as he moved quickly enough, Tianqi couldn’t do anything to him.

Yu Li knew their reaction was indeed a bit much, but she couldn’t help herself. If she’d really thought a girl was being assaulted, she wouldn’t have hesitated to beat the guy senseless.

Zhang Yi wiped the bruises left by Wang Tianqi and Yu Li and muttered, “Looks like I really got played, and didn’t even have a chance to fight back. That was a pretty clever way to have someone else do the dirty work…”

…

May 20th passed quickly, and soon it was May 21st—the day the former Sky Source Team would reunite. The gathering spot was the team’s old dojo. It was a day off, so people like Huang Feifan, Zhang Yi, Wang Tianqi, and Yu Li wouldn’t be present.

The first to arrive were Yu Xingyue and Lin Ling. Having received a message from Xiao Jian, they knew the others would be along soon, so they passed the time on their phones as they waited.

As expected, the first to arrive was Xiao Jian—someone they saw every day, so there was no need for formal greetings. Five minutes later, Wang Chaolin walked in. Seeing him, Yu Xingyue exclaimed excitedly, “Hey, Chaolin, it’s been ages! You’re even more handsome than before,” and gave him a big hug.

Wang Chaolin laughed, “You too, Little Guoguo. Ever since you retired, I haven’t seen you at all. Now you’re not a kid anymore—you’re a real handsome guy.”

After hugging him for a while, Yu Xingyue scratched his head and said, “I’m still the same as before, so let’s skip the ‘handsome’ bit. Besides, I don’t go by ‘Yuguo’ anymore—call me Yu Xingyue.”

Wang Chaolin patted Yu Xingyue’s shoulder. “No matter what, you’ll always be Little Guoguo to me. But I respect your right to change your name. I also heard about Zhang Yan—I'm sorry I couldn't attend his funeral.”

Xiao Jian stepped forward to comfort Wang Chaolin. “Senior, it’s not your fault. Some things can’t be changed, and everyone’s been busy…”

Just as they were feeling somber, another person arrived—a former female member of the Sky Source Team and their previous captain. As soon as she walked in, Lin Ling ran up and embraced her. “Oh, Captain Xu, you finally made it! You have no idea how much I missed you.”

The woman, known as Captain Xu, replied, “Of course I missed you all too. Time really is a butcher’s knife—we’re not the people we used to be.”

Captain Xu’s full name was Xu Yaya, and at twenty-two, she was now the oldest among them. Lin Ling was the second oldest and was once the coach’s most promising protégé, but had been forced to retire due to health issues. Even now, her condition wasn’t great, and she couldn’t be exposed to ultraviolet light, which was why she wore UV-protection glasses.

Now only one person had yet to arrive. The five of them sat together, reminiscing about the old days, and genuine emotion shone through as they shared memories. The past few years had been nothing short of an ordeal for them.

“I can’t believe I’m the last one here. Looks like I’m still habitually late,” came a girl’s voice. At her arrival, everyone rushed forward to embrace her.