Chapter 36: Flender Loses Everything

"Dean, I'm betting on Zhu Zhuqing for this match. What about you?"

"I know it's not very fair to Xiao Wu, since they're from the same academy and all, but you saw the result of their sparring this morning. Do you really think Zhu Zhuqing would lose?"

Su Xiaoqi glanced around theatrically before lowering his voice. "Dean, don't forget—Zhuqing has that thing on her, and her spirit power is one level higher than Xiao Wu's."

"This doesn't feel right... They're both students from the same academy."

Clearly, Flender was tempted, but his pride was still holding him back.

"Dean, come on. It's just between us. If neither of us talks, who would ever know?"

"Besides, you're doing this for the academy. The money you win will go toward improving conditions for these students. If they knew, they wouldn't blame you—in fact, they'd be moved by your dedication."

"Why do you think Zhuqing and I came all this way to register even knowing Dai Mubai is here? It's because we respect your reputation."

In the end, Flender was completely won over by Su Xiaoqi's sweet talk. Grabbing his arm, he chuckled. "Xiaoqi, I admit I misjudged you before. You're right. I'm doing all of this for the academy. Come on, let's place our bets."

Internally, Su Xiaoqi couldn't have been more disgusted, but outwardly, he smiled. "Great! Let's clean up this round."

After Flender placed his bet, Su Xiaoqi waited until the dean was distracted double-checking his ticket. Then he sneakily bet all his own money on Xiao Wu and quickly messaged Zhu Zhuqing in the chat group, asking her to throw the match convincingly.

On the other end, upon seeing Su Xiaoqi's message, Zhu Zhuqing instantly understood that he was up to no good again. She didn't care about the outcome—Xiao Wu was no threat to her. The real problem was figuring out how to lose believably.

"Zhu Zhuqing, why did you register under that name?"

Across from her, Xiao Wu stood fuming, her voice laced with anger.

Snapped out of her thoughts, Zhu Zhuqing looked at her coldly. "I like eating rabbit. My Xiaoqi likes eating rabbit too. What, does that bother you?"

"I... you..." Xiao Wu was rendered speechless. She couldn't exactly reveal that her true form was a rabbit. "Rabbits are cute! You can't just eat them!"

Despite this, she kept up her stubborn front. "I don't care what you say! You're not using that name. Go re-register with a different one."

"If you don't, then don't blame me for being rude. This morning, I lost because I wasn't serious. I'm not afraid of you."

"Do as you please."

Zhu Zhuqing was increasingly convinced that Xiao Wu was mentally unwell. Getting this bent out of shape over a name? Still, she reminded herself that Xiao Wu was a soul beast in human form—animals and humans were fundamentally different.

More than anything, she felt relieved that she had joined the chat group. Without it, she might've ended up just like in the original story, hanging around with this bunch of weirdos.

The host briefly introduced their spirits before signaling the start of the match.

Xiao Wu activated her Martial Spirit right away. As much as she liked to talk big, she wasn't underestimating Zhu Zhuqing anymore. If she wasn't careful, she could lose just like she had that morning.

"Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing's strength lies in her speed. When the match starts, you have to strike first. If you don't, you won't stand a chance."

Xiao Wu remembered Tang San's warning from before the match and immediately lunged toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing smirked. Though she would eventually let Xiao Wu win, that didn't mean she wouldn't toy with her a bit first—just enough to give this foul-mouthed bunny a small lesson.

"How strange. Even without the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile boost, why does Zhu Zhuqing seem so much slower than she was this morning?"

In the waiting area, Tang San frowned. With his Purple Demon Eye activated, he was closely analyzing the match. Though Zhu Zhuqing was still dodging every one of Xiao Wu's attacks, her speed was clearly much slower than it had been earlier.

Dai Mubai patted his shoulder and chuckled. "Tang San, looks to me like Zhuqing's going easy on Xiao Wu to preserve their classmate bond."

Tang San didn't respond. Something about the whole situation felt off, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"If my Purple Demon Eye were at the Micro-level, I might be able to see the truth here…"

Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong snorted internally. "Going easy? Please. Zhu Zhuqing's wearing weighted gear. Without it, this match would've ended already."

Oscar sidled up to her and asked sheepishly, "Rongrong, you're closest to Zhu Zhuqing. Do you think she's really holding back like Dai Boss said?"

Ning Rongrong took two steps back and replied icily, "Oscar, stay away from me. I'm not interested in you. And kindly call me Ning Rongrong."

"I…" Oscar opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He sighed. "Got it."

"Xiao Wu!"

Tang San suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention back to the platform. Ning Rongrong looked up just in time to see Xiao Wu lying on the ground.

She cheered, "Nice one, Zhuqing! You're amazing!"

Tang San turned to her coldly. "Shut up, Ning Rongrong."

She stood tall and stared him down. "Why? It's okay for you to cheer for Xiao Wu, but I can't cheer for Zhuqing?"

The two locked eyes, tension crackling between them. Dai Mubai, sensing the escalating hostility, hurried to smooth things over.

"Alright, alright. Tang San's just worried about Xiao Wu. Let's not damage our team spirit."

"Besides, Xiao Wu isn't seriously hurt. Zhuqing must've held back. It's normal to get a little banged up in spirit fights."

Just as he finished speaking, a wave of shocked exclamations rippled through the audience.

"What's going on? That girl had the upper hand—why'd she suddenly fall down?"

Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, and the others all turned to look at the stage. They saw Zhu Zhuqing crouched over, clutching her stomach with a pained expression.

None of them had seen what happened in the last few seconds of the fight. They were completely in the dark.

And if they were confused, Xiao Wu was even more baffled. Wasn't I the one who got beaten up? Why is she on the ground?

Xiao Wu cautiously approached and asked, "Zhu Zhuqing, are you alright?"

Zhu Zhuqing staggered to her feet—only to immediately drop back down, groaning and holding her abdomen.

"I… forfeit."

The host, clearly bewildered, nevertheless maintained his professionalism. Since one of the fighters had voluntarily surrendered, he quickly stepped onto the stage and announced the match result.

And just like that, the match ended with Xiao Wu's unexpected victory. Those who had bet on Zhu Zhuqing began swearing loudly from the stands, while those who'd bet on Xiao Wu were elated. They didn't care what had happened—what mattered was the pile of gold spirit coins now in their hands.

As soon as the announcement was made, Zhu Zhuqing collapsed on the stage and pretended to faint, not forgetting to send a quick message to Su Xiaoqi: "Come get me—now."

Meanwhile, Flender looked as though he had lost his soul.

He had.

With Zhu Zhuqing's sudden forfeit, he had officially lost everything.

"…It's over. I've lost everything I had…"

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