Ke Feng sensed that something was off with Qi Ningze, but he said nothing and let Qi Ningze return to class.
Qi Ningze stood at the classroom doorway. The teacher, seemingly aware of his difficult predicament, did not make things hard for him and directly let Qi Ningze come inside.
Standing in front of the podium with a solemn expression, the head teacher scanned all the students in the class, cleared his throat with a pretense of formality, and spoke with exaggerated seriousness: “Students, I have a big announcement to make.”
The students all looked up at the head teacher with curiosity, while a few mischievous ones shouted out loud: “What is it? Don’t make us guess, just tell us directly!”
The head teacher let out a soft laugh and wrote a few large characters on the blackboard: [Commoner Selection Tournament].
The students collectively let out a disdainful “Tch!” as they discussed among themselves down below:
“The Commoner Selection Tournament has nothing to do with us anyway. People like us are just cannon fodder at best.”
“Did you know? Yang Le’an from the other class seems to have always attached great importance to this event.”
“So what if he values it? I reckon he’s the only figure in our school who can actually put up a fight.”
“Ke Feng is pretty good too, but I guess with his temperament, he wouldn’t be interested in these things.”
“I heard the format changed this year, it seems three people have to form a team to compete, and the winning group gets to vote for one member to enter the aristocratic academy.”
“Saying so much, what use does it have for nobodies like us?”
Sitting below, Qi Ningze realized why Yang Le’an had wanted to team up with him last time, he must have had this in mind all along.
The head teacher briefly explained the competition rules from the podium: the event content would be chosen by organizers designated by the aristocratic academy, auditions would be held at a set time, and the final winning group could select one person to enter the aristocratic academy.
Hearing these details, Qi Ningze could not help but tap his fingers lightly on the desk, lost in thought.
After class ended, harboring a mix of strong determination and trepidation, he eagerly went to find Yang Le’an.
The moment they met, before Qi Ningze could even discern the expression on Yang Le’an’s face, he asked involuntarily: “Yang Le’an, are you willing to team up with me?”
Yang Le’an was visibly startled for a moment. Looking at Qi Ningze, his gaze resembled a pool of stagnant water.
In a raspy voice, he said: “I thought you wanted to reject me last time. Do you want to team up with me now? If you team up with me, then in the end, you must choose me.”
When he had initially sought out Qi Ningze to form a team, it was precisely because he favored Qi Ningze’s personality foolish and simple-minded, incapable of betraying others or being tempted by fame and fortune.
Qi Ningze nodded, his gaze firm: “Mm, I’m willing. As long as it makes you happy.”
Hearing those words, a smile bloomed across Yang Le’an’s face. He pulled Qi Ningze into a tight, forceful embrace, whispering: “Thank you. Without you, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”
As they embraced closely, Qi Ningze could clearly feel the other’s breath and warmth, yet he also sensed a faint chill emanating from the hug.
He could not understand why someone as outstanding as Yang Le’an would be so obsessed with a single competition.
However, as a cannon fodder, he had to fulfill Yang Le’an’s wish for the sake of the rewards upon task completion, and for his own future dream.
Qi Ningze let out a deep sigh, whispering carefully right beside Yang Le’an’s ear: “As you wish.”
No matter how Yang Le’an chose to use him in the future, he would hold no grievances in his heart.
From then on, the two successfully formed a team. However, a three-person squad still lacked one spot. Who should fill this remaining position?
“Our group is still missing one person. Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?” Yang Le’an asked.
A genuinely sincere smile finally graced his face, revealing a touch of youthful high spirits.
“A candidate for the competition?” Searching through his mind, the figure of Ke Feng silently surfaced in Qi Ningze’s heart.
If they could team up with Ke Feng, paired with the protagonist’s own natural halo, victory would be well within reach.
Over these days, Qi Ningze had also come to realize that Ke Feng possessed formidable backing behind him and was an exceptionally capable person in his own right.