Chapter 69: MATCH.
All twenty-five members of the gym club were gathered inside the training hall, the air thick with excitement and a hint of nervous energy. The remaining five members had already quit earlier, not wanting to participate in the upcoming Inter-Region Competition.Hua Rong, clipboard still in hand, scanned the group with a troubled look.
"So... which ones do we choose?" she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for the others to hear.
Xu Wenhan, standing next to her with arms casually crossed, threw out a suggestion,"Let's make them compete against each other. Winner stays."
"Good idea!" Hua Rong brightened, quickly nodding."One-on-one matches. Half of them will be eliminated this way."
The boys started murmuring among themselves, some stretching nervously, some punching the air dramatically as if already imagining themselves victorious.But one student — Yu Feilong — raised his hand, his face a mixture of panic and confusion."Wait!" he blurted. "There are twenty-five of us! How are you going to split that evenly?"
Xu Lingwei rubbed the back of his neck, pretending to think deeply."Ah, that's a problem, isn't it?" he said, barely hiding his amusement.
Hua Rong snapped her fingers like she'd solved a grand mystery."Fine! The extra one will just fight Xu Lingwei. Problem solved!"
The room fell completely silent for a second — then exploded."NOOO!"All twenty-four students shouted in unison, looking at Xu Lingwei as if she had just asked them to jump off a cliff.Hua Rong blinked in confusion and turned to Xu Lingwei, who was watching the scene unfold with a smug little smirk, hands tucked leisurely into his pockets.
"Fine, then! Xu Wenhan will fight instead!" she announced.
Once again —"NOOO!"The same thunderous objection echoed through the hall.
Hua Rong threw up her hands. "Why still no?" she demanded, genuinely puzzled. "Is there something wrong with Xu Wenhan too?!"