19 Chapter 19: True Friends

If anyone was expecting Si Nan to hire a bunch of thugs to harass and assault me, or the guy himself to approach me of his own accord and threaten me to stay away from Mu Zi Xing, they would be disappointed.

Indeed, I had entertained the possibility and steeled myself for the confrontation, but just like with the police, nothing happened. Instead…

"Ugh! I hate math! I can't do this!"

Mu Zi Xing was whining as she slumped on her desk, defeated. Her math homework was open up in front of her, barely filled in. there were a few scribbles here and there, but none of them seemed legible. They bore no resemblance to the mathematical equations that she needed to replicate in order to answer the questions.

"Xiao Xing," Si Nan said with a heavy sigh. "You have to keep practicing. Gao Kao is just a few months away. If you don't do well, you can't get into a university."

"Eh…that's…"

Mu Zi Xing looked as if she was going to burst into tears.

"Ha ha ha!" Si Nan's close friend, Ding Yi, laughed cruelly as he lingered close by. "Xiao Xing, you can't bear to be away from your beloved Si Nan, can you? I wonder what will happen if you fail to make it into the same university as him?"

"Who…who's my beloved?!" Mu Zi Xing cried out, throwing a pen at Ding Yi, who ducked as he chortled. Her face was completely red in embarrassment. "I…I just need to keep an eye on him! To make sure no other girl falls victim to his seduction!"

"Seduction? What the f…?!" Si Nan threw his hands up in annoyance. And for good reason. Despite his good looks, athleticism and popularity, he had remained single all his life. The hot jock had rejected all of the girls who had confessed to him. Naturally, Mu Zi Xing wasn't among them, and knowing them, it would take her a while to realize her feelings. "Where did you hear such nonsense from?!"

"Ah…that's…er…"

Mu Zi Xing trailed off and looked away nervously, avoiding his gaze. Si Nan sighed and covered his handsome face for a moment.

"Anyway, let's get back to math." He leaned forward and began writing in her workbook. "To solve this quadratic equation, you'll need to factorize…"

"Ugh…can you not use such complicated language?!"

"I'm already using the simplest language I can! Have you been paying attention in class?!"

While the trio carried on with their antics, I continued walking past their classroom. Yeah, this sounded like the typical shoujo manhua story of slow, bittersweet love. Innocent, cheerful, ditzy and pure heroine, and a cold, brooding but hot and handsome male lead. The guy was already possessive of her while she remained blissfully oblivious of his affections.

And we all know how that was going to turn out.

"Not going to intervene?" Tong Xue asked with a smirk. I flashed him the middle finger.

"What exactly do you want me to do? Be the second male lead and help her with her romance? Fuck that. I might be a nice guy, but I'm not going to go out of my way to help people with their love lives. I have better things to do."

Like training to increase the proficiency of my Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths and watching out for demonic cultivators. Not to mention, I had my own Gao Kao to worry about. I planned on earning admission into a prestigious national university. I already had my eye set on the reputable literature and history department in Guo Jiao University. From there, I would embark on my path to becoming a writer.

My final year of high school was drawing to a close, after all. My present goal was to graduate, score well in the Gao Kao – high school examinations that were meant to test students' abilities to get into a university – and apply for a renowned university. My parents had constantly nagged me on this, and even if they hadn't, I would have done so anyway. This concerned my future and decide the career that I would embark on eventually.

Being an arts student, I naturally gravitated toward the humanities. I liked reading (to the point where I ended up becoming shortsighted and requiring glasses) and writing, so I aimed to get into the literature department. My parents were hoping that I would become a doctor or a lawyer, but I was afraid that I would have to disappoint them. Since I wanted to be a novelist, naturally I aimed to study literature and history.

This was my career, my life and my future. Not theirs. Only I could decide my own path.

"Well…what if I say that I want you to NTR Si Nan and seduce Mu Zi Xing?"

I gaped at the mischievous Tong Xue who was following me along the corridor, not sure if I had heard him right.

"Hell, no."

"Even if I give you a hundred thousand yuan in return?"

"Fuck you." I showed him the middle finger again. "I'm not going to cuckold some other guy and steal his girl no matter how much yuan you bribe me with. Besides, Mu Zi Xing is not an object or a trophy to add to my collection. I will never toy around with the feelings of maidens just for my own benefit. Have a bit more respect for ladies, would you?"

Tong Xue burst out laughing, waving his hands good-naturedly.

"Don't worry. I was just teasing you. But it's still heartening to know that you will stick to your values and refuse such a tempting bribe. Si Nan is lucky to have a friend like you."

I shook my head wearily. "I'm not Si Nan's friend. I don't even know the guy, nor have I ever spoken to him before."

"You can always start by befriending him now."

"Oh, screw you." I rolled my eyes and pointedly ignored the rascal.

After leaving class 3-7 behind, I proceeded to my own classroom, with Tong Xue in tow. I spotted Shi Xiao Nian hurrying to her desk, hugging a scrapbook. She looked kind of down.

Before I could approach her, Jin Bai He showed up and embraced her best friend from behind.

"Are you okay, Xiao Nian?"

"Y…yeah."

She didn't sound okay. Jin Bai He glanced in the direction of the neighboring classroom and I suddenly understood the reason why Shi Xiao Nian was upset. She had passed by class 3-7 and saw how chummy Si Nan and Mu Zi Xing were. Remembering that Shi Xiao Nian had a crush on Si Nan, I understood why her mood had soured.

"I'll be fine." Shi Xiao Nian opened up her scrapbook and began doodling in it. Jin Bai He smiled and shook her head.

"You draw really well."

"Not really…"

"Trust me, I can't draw like that." Jin Bai He studied Shi Xiao Nian's pictures. "They look really cool, like a…comic?"

"Ah…I want to be a cartoonist in future." Shi Xiao Nian blushed and shut her book. "I'm not sure if my parents will approve of it, though."

"Your parents never approve of anything you do," Jin Bai He said with a sigh. Shi Xiao Nian continued to hide her scrapbook away.

"Enough about me. What about you, Bai He? Are you ready for your tournament this weekend?"

"Oh, that's right!" Ban Zhang hurried over. "Jin Bai He, you're representing the taekwondo team, right?"

"That's right!" A female classmate exclaimed, clasping her hands. "Let's go support her!"

"N…no need for that!" Jin Bai He raised both of her hands, flustered. "It's just a minor tournament. You guys don't really have to come. I'll be fine on my own."

"What are you talking about?" Shi Xiao Nian looked at her sternly. "This will be your final high school tournament. It's your last chance to be champion!"

She then gestured to the rest of the class, eager and excited.

"Let's all support her during the weekend!"

"I'm down for that!" Tong Xue agreed enthusiastically. The rest of the class nodded. Even I found myself roped in, finding their mood infectious.

"Me too. Taekwondo, huh? This will be cool."

Since I was practicing martial arts myself, I would love to see others. It might help me in my training. Even if it didn't, it didn't matter to me. Jin Bai He was a good friend and classmate and I wanted to support her in any way I could. I still remembered her standing up for me when Qi Fu Ren barged into the classroom the other time.

I was going to do my best to cheer her on.

"There…really is no need to!" Jin Bai He insisted, her cheeks pink. "You're just going to give me more pressure!"

"Don't be shy!"

"Yeah, you'll do well!"

"We want to watch you fight!"

"I know you actually appreciate the support." Shi Xiao Nian held her friend's hand. "Just let us come cheer for you, okay?"

"B…but isn't it the basketball tournament also this weekend?" Jin Bai He looked away shyly. "Are you really all right with not cheering on Si Nan?"

"Si Nan has his childhood friend and the girls from all over school cheering for him. Not to mention, the entire basketball team too." Shi Xiao Nian sulked. "I can't leave you all alone!"

"Yeah! We'll watch the taekwondo tournament instead!" Ban Zhang declared.

"It'll be more entertaining," Tong Xue agreed. I nodded silently.

"It's decided then," Shi Xiao Nian announced with a smile. "We're all coming to watch you this weekend! Make sure you win, Bai He!"

Easier said than done. When the weekend came, we gathered in the hall reserved for the taekwondo tournament. Like Shi Xiao Nian said, this was the last high school tournament for Jin Bai He, which made her more nervous than usual.

Despite her nerves, Jin Bai He managed to win her way to the finals, dispatching her opponents with a flurry of ferocious kicks. She delivered an unrelenting barrage of attacks, her legs a blur as she kicked them over and over again, breaking through their guard and not giving them an opportunity to relax. Her aggressive style saw her score points over younger and fresher opponents.

"Yes! Bai He made it to the finals!" Shi Xiao Nian cheered.

In addition to our class, the taekwondo team was there. Class 3-8 and the juniors of the taekwondo team gathered around a perspiring Jin Bai He, who was taking a break and drinking water. It would be only a few more minutes before the final match.

"Great job, Senior Bai He!"

"As expected of the Prince! You're so cool!"

"I'm falling in love with you again!"

"That was amazing, Bai He!" Shi Xiao Nian said excitedly. She was clutching her scrapbook, having drawn some panels in an attempt to record her best friend's matches. "I knew you can do it!"

"Thank you." Jin Bai He giggled. She was dressed in her white gi, and having attained black belt, she was proudly wearing it. She looked a little battered after several matches, but she was raring to go. She puffed her chest out proudly. "I'm going to graduate from being a prince and become the God of High School!"

"Are you going to change your name to Jin Mori then?" I asked jokingly. She shrugged.

"Maybe. I'll have to win first."

"Good luck!" her juniors called out, mobbing her. "Please win!"

"Do your best!" Shi Xiao Nian added. The class added their encouragement. Jin Bai He smiled and swept her confident gaze across everyone before she turned around and returned to the arena. Before she stepped into the ring, she held up a hand and flashed us a thumb's up.

Her opponent was also a third year veteran like herself. Both girls took their places at the opposite ends of the ring and waited for the referee to signal the start of the match. At the whistle, Jin Bai He launched herself at her opponent.

She didn't wait for the other girl to put up her guard. Pivoting on one foot, she threw a kick that nearly took her opponent by surprise. Even though her fellow veteran managed to guard against the kick, Jin Bai He didn't pause. She whirled around to deliver a follow-up kick, delivering the same unrelenting barrage of swift, fierce kicks that had taken her all the way to the finals.

Her opponent was no pushover, though. She blocked, parried and retreated before responding with a counterattack of her own.

For a second, Jin Bai He was forced to let up on her unceasing barrage of kicks and block. Believing that she had forced an opening, her opponent closed in and tried to ram her knee into Jin Bai He's midriff.

Jin Bai He managed to block the knee with both her hands, but she allowed the momentum of the knee strike to propel herself backward. Skidding back, she then twisted around and snapped her leg up in a kick that almost caught her opponent in the head.

"Hah!"

"Ugh!"

Her opponent was just as skilled, retreating after she parried the blow. Even so, Jin Bai He's foot managed to graze her temple and left a bruise. Shaking her head, the other practitioner charged forward again.

Standing her ground, Jin Bai He threw out a flurry of kicks, almost as if she was using her attacks as a screen to keep her opponent at bay. Her opponent weaved through the barrage of kicks and darted to the side, launching a kick of her own from Jin Bai He's blind spot. The girl with the ponytail immediately flipped away to avoid the kick before spinning around with a kick of her own.

At the same time, the other girl responded with a kick and their legs clashed with a resounding thud. Undaunted, both girls continued to assault each other, trading kicks after kicks. Their bodies almost turned into blurs of white, their legs whipping up like a whirlwind and colliding fiercely.

Despite the impact, neither of them budged. Their stances were flawless, their feet planted firmly on the ground and their balance perfectly maintained despite throwing out a massive number of kicks.

"Incredible," Shi Xiao Nian whispered, tightly clutching her pencil and scrapbook. She dropped them and raised her hands to cup her mouth. "Come on, Bai He! You can do it! Don't lose!"

The other girls on the taekwondo team cheered as well, and class 3-8 joined in, yelling whatever encouragement we could.

If Jin Bai He heard us, she showed no sign. However, her attacks became fiercer and fiercer, and her opponent found herself yielding ground. Unfortunately, for an instant, it appeared that Jin Bai He had gotten tired and her movements slipped.

Her experienced opponent could not fail to spot the opening. Dropping to the ground and taking Jin Bai He by surprise, she kicked at the taller girl's chest.

However, it turned out to be a feint. I saw the smile on Jin Bai He's face as she slid to the side, allowing her opponent's kick to sail past her. Before the other girl could react, Jin Bai He kicked her while she was still on the ground, knocking her to the side.

The opponent tried to reform her guard, but Jin Bai He was relentlessly hammering her once more with those trademark kicks of hers, mercilessly pounding her one kick at a time. The opponent attempted to withdraw, but Jin Bai He seized an opening to plant a foot on her midriff and knocked her back to the ground.

The referee blew his whistle and swung his hands. Apparently that was match point. Jin Bai He had won.

For a moment, Jin Bai He stood there in disbelief, helping her opponent back to her feet. She turned to look at us, dazed, but she then disappeared under a mob of girls. The juniors from her taekwondo team were screaming in delight and hugging her.

At the edge of the ring, Shi Xiao Nian stopped and kept her distance, but she was so overjoyed that she couldn't stop crying. Smiling, she wiped the tears from her eyes and watched the taekwondo team celebrate.

"That was awesome!" Tong Xue exclaimed. I nodded, mesmerized by what I had seen. This was going to be a match I would always remember. And one I would learn from. Smiling, I watched the stunned Jin Bai He get dragged about by her ecstatic juniors and agreed wholeheartedly.

"Yeah, it was."