AIBBFSCITMLA Chapter 6

Five seconds passed before the crowd finally reacted, erupting with a chorus of “What the hell!”

The entire playground was in chaos.

He Tang’s teammates stared blankly at her, then at Li Yang, who had fallen to the ground on the opposite side. It finally dawned on them—He Tang was a pro!

If the first hit when Li Yang provoked He Tang was just a lucky powerful strike that knocked Li Yang down, then the last move could only have been executed by someone who had trained in volleyball.

It wasn’t brute force.

Oh my god, this girl is amazing. They wanted to recruit her for their team. From then on, district matches, provincial matches—none of them would be a problem!

The live stream chat exploded at that moment, with bullet comments flooding the screen.

[What the hell, what the hell, what the hell, this is He Tang? He Tang?]

[Was that a counterattack just now? Oh my god! In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed a counterattack that only happens in TV dramas and anime?]

[What? The sweetest name paired with the fiercest moves?]

[Is Li Yang just too weak, or is He Tang too strong? I’d rather believe Li Yang is weak. There’s no way He Tang, with her small arms and legs, could do that!]

[Goddess Nuwa, look at this. That fair, delicate-looking girl standing on the playground can actually knock someone down? Did you mess up the recipe?]

[To be honest, that was way too cool!]

Meanwhile, Li Yang finally snapped out of it. She had been hit by He Tang again—damn it! She had meant to hit He Tang, so how did she end up getting hit instead? It had to be an accident!

Li Yang quickly got to her feet, ignoring the pain in her body, and wanted to continue the match.

The teacher watching from the sidelines couldn’t take it anymore. “Li Yang, stop playing. Rest first. You can play another time.”

“I’m fine! Injuries happen in matches. Don’t make a big deal out of it. I’m saying this now—everyone can hit as hard as they want in this match, and no one is allowed to cry out in pain! He Tang, do you dare to continue?” With that, she glared fiercely at He Tang.

She had been careless earlier. She didn’t expect He Tang to have hidden skills. She wouldn’t underestimate her opponent now. Today, she was going to knock He Tang down!

He Tang responded to her words with a light and airy tone. “Sure.”

Then she smiled, melting countless hearts.

The match continued. Li Yang gave it her all, her expression fierce as she gritted her teeth. Everyone around could sense the ruthlessness in her.

They were all terrified. Then they watched as He Tang, one after another, slammed the ball onto Li Yang’s body, face, and head.

The audience was unusually silent. No matter how intense the match became, no one dared to make a sound, as if they were dreaming.

After several consecutive hits, the teacher finally stepped in to stop the match. The teacher looked at Li Yang’s bruised and swollen face with sympathy, instructed her teammates to take her to the infirmary, and then turned to walk over to He Tang.

“This classmate, have you learned volleyball before?”

He Tang smiled and nodded.

“Would you be interested in joining our school team?” The teacher was very excited. Although the match just now wasn’t a standard competition, the teacher could still tell that He Tang had excellent skills—a promising talent.

“Sorry, teacher, I’m a senior in high school.”

“Ah, what a shame. Our school has never had a student who plays this well,” the teacher said regretfully, looking at He Tang.

The teacher praised He Tang without reservation, analyzing all the moves He Tang had used against Li Yang and giving her high recognition.

These words of recognition were broadcast to everyone through the live stream.

[What? He Tang hit someone and got praised?]

[Isn’t this teacher Li Yang’s coach? Why isn’t he checking on his own player? This is hilarious.]

[Li Yang has really embarrassed herself. She said everyone could hit as hard as they wanted, and they really did, hahaha.]

[I didn’t expect He Tang to be this good. From what the teacher said, is she actually quite professional?]

[That’s strange. Has He Tang played volleyball before?]

[Do they have to tell you whether she’s played or not? Hilarious.]

[But don’t you guys think He Tang seems different from before?]

[Yes! Very much so! She’s changed since the day she confessed her feelings.]

[Is the person above living under a rock? It wasn’t a confession to Gu Jingfeng, it was to Pei Yubai, the founder of Fengjian Technology! Gu Jingfeng’s cousin!]

[So, is He Tang still single?]

[Uh… I don’t know.]

[Um, I really want to pursue her, but I don’t dare.]

Gu Jingfeng glanced at the barrage of comments indifferently, turned off his phone, and continued burying his head in his science comprehensive paper.

But the question echoed uncontrollably in his mind: So, is He Tang still single?

If not, does that mean she’s with his cousin?

What exactly was He Tang doing? What does she want to do?

The more Gu Jingfeng wrote, the more irritable he became, his frown deepening. The classmate next to him could clearly feel the suppressed emotions radiating from him and was too scared to move.

Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. He Tang walked briskly toward the academic building, alone.

Today’s volleyball match had been easy for her. She had been an all-around athlete in the past. If it weren’t for the fact that her current body was a bit weak, she could have knocked Li Yang to the ground and kept her there.

On her way back to the classroom, He Tang clearly noticed the probing looks from everyone around her. She casually glanced back at them, and they immediately turned away, pretending not to have been looking at her.

He Tang smiled, ignored it, and continued walking toward Class 5 of the senior year.

On the way to Class 5, she had to pass by Class 6, where Gu Jingfeng was. When He Tang’s fair face appeared by the window of Class 6, the students there began whispering among themselves.

“She looks so delicate and weak, how can she be so fierce?”

“She went pretty hard on Li Yang. I heard the school infirmary sent Li Yang to the People’s Hospital.”

“Is this how He Tang used to be? I remember she used to be such a pushover.”

Although they deliberately lowered their voices, every word still reached Gu Jingfeng’s ears. Before he could even frown, a male student tapped him on the shoulder and leaned in with a mischievous grin.

“Classmate Gu, give me a straight answer. You’re not interested in He Tang, right?”

Gu Jingfeng frowned, somewhat impatiently. “Of course I’m not interested.”

“You said it. If you don’t like her, I’m going for it.”

“Whoa, Li Chang, take a look in the mirror. Would He Tang even fancy you?” Another male student also leaned in, teasing.

“Why wouldn’t she? Do you still think she’s the same He Tang as before? Her family went bankrupt and owes a ton of debt. She’d probably be more than happy to have me,” Li Chang continued, smirking.

“Whoa, did you see how she went after Li Yang today? Can you handle that?”

“Pfft, what do you know? That kind of woman, with a bit of spice, is the most interesting!” Li Chang’s smile grew even more lecherous.

Gu Jingfeng’s brow remained deeply furrowed. He looked up and cast a cold glance at Li Chang before speaking. “What are you planning to do?”

“What else? Pursue He Tang, of course. If I succeed, I’ll be solving a problem for you too, Classmate Gu. I mean, you said you’re not interested in her,” Li Chang said ingratiatingly, looking at Gu Jingfeng.

Gu Jingfeng pressed his lips together. Of course, he wasn’t interested in He Tang, and he had no standing to interfere with Li Chang’s actions.

It’s just that the way Li Chang spoke was far too flippant.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Gu Jingfeng still added, “Don’t do anything rash. Be mindful of the consequences.”

“Don’t worry, Classmate Gu. I’m a proper guy,” Li Chang replied with a grin.

Meanwhile, He Tang had already returned to her own classroom. As soon as she entered, the entire class fell dead silent.

He Tang calmly walked to her row. The two students sitting at the outer edge immediately stood up to let her pass. Only Lin Min pressed her lips together, happening to look up at He Tang.

Two seconds later, Lin Min stood up, just like the two students in front, and stepped aside to clear the aisle.

A small curve formed at the corner of He Tang’s mouth. She walked smoothly down the wide aisle and sat down firmly in her seat.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lin Min’s clenched fingers and the unwillingness in her eyes.

Interesting. One volleyball match, and Lin Min was already scared?

That’s the ultimate example of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

But at least Lin Min wasn’t shrieking and yelling like before, it was much quieter. He Tang was a bit tired after playing ball, so she simply laid her head down on the desk and fell asleep.

As soon as she put her head down, the previously silent classroom buzzed with whispers. Those who didn’t dare to speak out loud vented their shock in various group chats.

“Damn! The aura she had when she walked into the classroom just now was so strong!”

“For some reason, I’m scared to talk. I think I might have treated her badly before. She won’t hold a grudge, will she?”

“I didn’t expect Lin Min to obediently stay quiet. He Tang is really intimidating this time.”

“Come on, don’t you think you’re overreacting? Hitting someone with a volleyball is normal. She just hit her a few extra times. At most, it shows He Tang has good skills. It’s not as scary as you think, is it?”

“Agreed. Li Yang was out of line to begin with. He Tang probably isn’t that violent. She was just a cornered rabbit that bit back.”

“We’ve never bullied her. At most, we’ve just joked around with her.”

“You’re really overthinking it. She only managed to hit that hard because she used volleyball skills. Her arms are so thin, if she actually hit someone, it wouldn’t be that powerful.”

Everyone chattered back and forth. Although they gradually calmed down and didn’t think He Tang’s actual fighting ability was that great, they no longer dared to openly mock her or trip her up like before.

Better to be cautious and observe a bit longer.

With this atmosphere, He Tang’s life over the next few days went fairly smoothly.

Except for one rather annoying suitor.

He Tang had received quite a few love letters, but most were sent secretly. Few people had ever pursued her so openly.

And now… He Tang looked at the bouquet of roses on her desk, the amusement in her eyes fading slightly.

This guy named Li Chang was really over the top. He sent a big bouquet of roses every day, placing them ostentatiously on her desk, completely ignoring school rules.

He Tang picked up the bouquet with disdain, walked to the trash can at the back of the classroom, and threw them straight in without even glancing at the cheesy confession written on the card.

She had clearly placed a large note on her desk stating that she didn’t like flowers and had no interest in dating. Yet this guy still had no self-awareness. So she couldn’t be blamed for being ruthless.

After He Tang threw away the roses for three days in a row, Li Chang finally couldn’t sit still anymore.