People say being beaten by a beauty is a kind of happiness.
Being beaten by several beauties at once? Li Chang'an could confirm—that's called domestic violence.
Even the shy little sister came over at the end to give him a token kick, just to vent.
"All right, we've hit him enough. Let him sleep alone tonight," Hu Liena said, twirling the VIP card she'd snatched from him with a wicked grin. "Ladies, dinner's on me."
"Yay, let's go!" Xiao Wu, Meng Yiran, and the others whooped and swept out in a noisy wave, dragging the hesitant Mu Xi and the kitten along on their way out.
"Hey, you beat me up and still take my card? Isn't that a bit much?" Li Chang'an muttered through a thoroughly battered face.
No one answered. The door swung shut.
"What is this even… Is it a crime to like a pretty girl?" He sighed, though the outcome wasn't bad. At least they all knew his intentions now—a seed planted for recruiting Huo Wu later.
And Huo Wu's worried expression hadn't been faked. At minimum, his "hero-saves-the-beauty" objective had landed.
Just as he was about to circulate soul power to erase the wound lines, the Miao Ling slipped back in.
"Aren't you going to that big meal with them?" he asked, a touch moved. At least someone cared enough to come back for him.
"Um, young master, I just came to grab my bag. Bye!" She snatched the pouch off the table, apologized, and vanished.
Bleak. Thoroughly bleak.
Flat on the bed, he raised a hand toward her retreating back, then let it fall, defeated. Right now he just wanted to sing: "Men cry, cry, it's not weakness…"
To keep a low profile, Li Chang'an chose to rest for two days. In his absence, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Meng Yiran carried most of the fights. Hu Liena did step in twice—releasing her martial soul but not her soul rings.
On the third day, Li Chang'an began showing up again—strictly in the spectators' area, not on the field. The message was clear enough: he was almost recovered.
On day four, after Crimson Rose dispatched the mysterious Plant Academy, Huo Wu blocked their path. Her eyes lingered on Li Chang'an, complicated and unreadable.
"Can we talk alone?"
"Sure," he said lightly, moving to go with her.
Xiao Wu pressed a hand on his chair and smiled at Huo Wu. "Miss Huo Wu, what do you need with my brother? He hasn't recovered yet."
As she spoke, she gave Li Chang'an a discreet, warning pinch in the back.
That's what you get for fooling around—now she's here at our door.
Huo Wu's smile turned wry. She bent deeply. "I'm sorry. I truly came to apologize—nothing else. Please believe me."
"Come on, little sister, let them talk," Meng Yiran said, looping an arm through Xiao Wu's and tugging her away—pinching Li Chang'an hard as she passed.
"Hmph," Zhu Zhuqing snorted, delivering her own sharp pinch before leaving.
"Take care of yourself, Chang'an," Mu Xi murmured, giving him a small wave—then, after thinking twice, pinched him too and hurried off.
Huo Wu led him to a quiet corner of the rest area. The advancement matches rumbled on outside; most students were watching. This "rest area" was really just a cordoned-off section of camp, and at the moment, it was nearly empty.
She stopped and turned to face him, her features far softer than before. "Are your injuries better?"
He nodded. "Basically fine."
In truth, he'd barely been hurt. The shock had left his chest tight for half a day at most—nothing more.
Huo Wu let out a breath. "Good."
He tilted his head, feigning mild confusion. "You called me over… just to ask that?"
Her heart sank a little. Since childhood, she had chased strength with relentless discipline—but she had also been confident in her looks. No boy had ever shown impatience in front of her. Yet here was Li Chang'an, doing exactly that.
"Do you really not want to talk to me?" That familiar temper of hers started to stir.
"It's not that," he said calmly. "But you've always disliked me. What is there to discuss?" He rose, moving as if to leave, steps deliberate and slow—while silently counting down.
Five seconds. She'll call out within five…
"Wait!" Huo Wu blurted. "Am I that unbearable to you? Fine—go if you want, but answer one question first."
Facing the fiery beauty in red, Li Chang'an kept his expression cool and his delight to himself. "Ask."
Locking eyes with him, Huo Wu spoke in a low, steady voice. "That day—why did you save me? Why use your own body to block the attack when I was aiming at you?"
He blinked, as if surprised. "That's your question? That's why you wanted to see me?"
She nodded. "More or less."
He sighed lightly, as though put upon.
"You were my opponent, yes—but not my enemy. You launched that attack to win, not because we had some deep grudge. And you're a woman. If you died, what good would that do me? It would only worsen tensions between our academies. If I took the hit, I wasn't going to die. So saving you was… logical."
"That's it?" Huo Wu stared at him, dazed. This was not the answer she'd expected.
After he saved her and got hurt in her place, she'd thought about it over and over. The first conclusion that came to mind—guided by no shortage of admirers like Feng Xiaotian—was that Li Chang'an liked her.
She hadn't needed him to spout sweet nothings. Even a hint of preference would have matched her expectations.
Instead, he spoke in terms of interests and consequences—as if the whole scene meant nothing to him.
Seeing her falter, Li Chang'an knew he was halfway there. He turned and began walking away again.
"Li Changsheng!" Huo Wu snapped back to herself and hurried after him.
He glanced back reflexively—just as she lunged too quickly.
They collided—full-on, boobs to chest.