Chapter 40 Reconciliation
And so, the group went to the boxing gym on the second floor.
Pei Ci and Jing Lin sat in the audience seats, while Lu Ran and Ye Qingyu walked onto the stage and stood on either side.
They didn't change into professional attire because their purpose in coming here wasn't to engage in fair fighting.
At this moment, Ye Qingyu, dressed in her uniform, was putting on boxing gloves.
“Brother Lu’s boxing is pretty good,” Jing Lin said. “He comes here often, and even his coach can’t beat him.”
Seeing that Pei Ci didn't react, Jing Lin looked at her and asked, "Miss Pei, Xiao Yu won't have been crippled by Brother Lu, will she?"
Pei Ci glanced at Jing Lin indifferently. Jing Lin was wearing the black and white uniform of Anta Academy, but his shirt and jacket were unbuttoned, revealing a V-shape. The pink color of his hair had mostly faded, leaving a pinkish-yellow gradient. The corners of his mouth were upturned, with his usual frivolous and smiling demeanor.
"What's wrong, Miss Pei?" Jing Lin waved his finger in front of Pei Ci and teased, "You've discovered I'm not bad looking, have you?"
To be fair, Jing Lin is indeed good-looking. Unlike Lu Ran's aloof and handsome appearance, he's a striking pretty boy, probably because his family is in the entertainment industry, and his taste in clothing is quite good. Even in his school uniform, he manages to create a harmonious and eye-catching sense of style through his accessories.
Pei Ci wasn't looking at him mainly because he was handsome, but because she was thinking about her mission.
This time, she wanted Lu Ran to gain Ye Qingyu's forgiveness. To be fair, Lu Ran's behavior so far had greatly exceeded her expectations.
What about this time when you got beaten up?
No matter how much compensation he offered Ye Qingyu, Lu Ran wouldn't care. But now he was being genuinely beaten.
Well, to be on the safe side, we should prepare for failure.
"Jinglin, if it's really as you say," Pei Ci called his name, "would you stop Lu Ran?"
Jing Lin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Miss Pei, are you able to order me around so easily?"
Pei Ci remained silent.
But Jinglin couldn't wait to say, "Of course, I'm always very obedient."
After discussing it with Jing Lin, Pei Ci went to see the arena. Ye Qingyu, wearing gloves, walked towards Lu Ran, who stood still. But to Pei Ci's surprise, Lu Ran was looking at her.
—Don't look at me.
He said it silently.
Aside from that kidnapping incident, Lu Ran had always acted recklessly. He had never been beaten before, especially not in front of Pei Ci; Lu Ran still couldn't stand it.
This action naturally caught Ye Qingyu's eye, and Ye Qingyu said calmly, "Lu Ran, guess why I asked Pei Ci to come along?"
Lu Ran pursed his lips, a shadow falling over his deep and handsome features, his hands clenched into fists.
"Can't even handle this?" Ye Qingyu paused for a moment. "I'm going to start."
Her fist swung at him.
Lu Ran's pupils contracted sharply, and his body instinctively moved to block. But at the moment of blocking, Lu Ran saw Ye Qingyu's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but were not.
This punch didn't actually use much force.
But amidst Ye Qingyu's mockery, Lu Ran lowered his hand.
"Bang--"
The punch landed on Lu Ran's face, and the force of the impact made Lu Ran take half a step back.
Lu Ran quickly regained his balance.
His face burned with pain, and Lu Ran felt humiliated, a humiliation he had never experienced before. He wasn't unfamiliar with fighting, but he had never been so pathetic. So pathetic that he couldn't even fight back, forced to passively accept his fate. If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but Pei Ci was still there.
What will she think of me?
Do you think I'm stupid?
Or do you think I'm useless?
The drugs numbed his nerves, reducing nerve activity and making him drowsy.
He tried to analyze the current situation.
No one likes a weakling.
Nobody likes a weakling who's been beaten black and blue.
Everyone admires strength.
So, what does Ah Ci think of me?
His head was about to explode. He could no longer see Ye Qingyu's face clearly. In a daze, Ye Qingyu had turned into a huge black shadow that was about to devour him.
Lu Ran was emotionally charged but physically sluggish, like an iron ball encased in flames. He was sweating profusely, and the sweat slid down his dark eyebrows and over his swollen, purplish-blue wounds.
No, we can't do that.
We cannot lose.
With his gaze fixed on Lu Ran, he was about to throw a punch. However, at that moment, Lu Ran suddenly felt an unprecedentedly intense gaze from behind.
That is...
That was A-Ci's gaze.
Lu Ran had never felt such a burning gaze from A Ci before.
His body stiffened, and his clenched fist loosened.
"Smack—"
The punch landed squarely on Lu Ran's jaw. The immense impact tore at the corner of Lu Ran's mouth, and blood welled in his throat. He arched his body, panting, again and again.
Compared to the pain in his body, and the urgent desire to retaliate, it seemed as if another strange force was pulling him, and he followed his heart and leaned back.
At that moment, he saw Pei Ci.
He only looked at Pei Ci.
He wasn't mistaken. That burning gaze did indeed come from Pei Ci. But that gaze was definitely not one expecting him to win.
What she wanted to see was Lu Ran losing to Ye Qingyu.
It was Lu Ran, who was badly injured by Ye Qingyu.
That's his goal.
Lu Ran's gaze suddenly cleared.
If at first he still had an instinctive resistance, considering it a shameful thing, now it's different. He's completely relaxed, his arms hanging naturally, his face, with its cracked lip and bruised brow bone, held high, like a withered tree radiating vitality.
He even smiled at Ye Qingyu, "Ye Qingyu, are you over it now?"
Their tone was much more relaxed.
Ye Qingyu frowned.
This shouldn't be happening; Lu Ran's condition should never be like this.
He must have been so angry and resentful that he lost his mind.
Why did it turn out like this?
Suddenly, he glanced at the figure beside him. Ye Qingyu had deliberately arranged for Ye Qingyu to observe from the sidelines in order to humiliate Lu Ran. But now…
Is it because of Pei Ci?
Because Pei Ci expected him to do so, he controlled his temper.
But clearly last time...
Ye Qingyu clenched his fists, and looking at Lu Ran's relieved expression, he felt only disgust.
The pain from the □□ had lost its effect on Lu Ran; in fact, every punch he landed on him became a badge of honor for him to demand a reward from Pei Ci.
And he...
It became nothing more than a tool to achieve his goals.
Ye Qingyu lowered her eyelids. Lu Ran shouldn't be so happy; he should be just like she remembered, a loser. Living a gloomy, moody, anxious, and insecure life in this world.
Anyone can receive the light's favor.
But Lu Ran cannot.
He had to find a way to get himself back into a worse situation than he remembered.
Suddenly, Ye Qingyu moved her eyes until they reflected a slender figure a few meters away.
*
Pei Ci was unaware of Ye Qingyu's gaze; she was completely focused on Lu Ran's movements.
Two minutes earlier, when she saw Lu Ran's resistance, her mood plummeted.
"Miss Pei, should I take action?" Jing Lin's voice rang in her ears at that moment.
Pei Ci did not answer, but stood up as Lu Ran's anger surged.
Pei Ci was prepared for failure.
Just as she was about to ask Jinglin to stop all of this, Pei Ci's eyes widened.
Lu Ran changed in an instant.
He had completely let down his guard.
Pei Ci didn't know why Lu Ran suddenly seemed like a different person, but this undoubtedly made her happy.
“Miss Pei, I’d better go and stop Brother Lu now.” Jing Lin was about to step forward.
Damn it.
Has Lu Ran really lost his mind?
Just as he was walking forward, Jinglin's body tensed up.
He looked back and saw that it was Pei Ci tugging at his sleeve.
Pei Ci, seated in her seat, had slender, fair fingers, delicate as cold jade. Her features were as beautiful as a painting. Especially her eyes, which possessed a liveliness that he could never capture in a lifetime.
And she was looking at him at that moment.
"Miss Pei... Miss Pei." He was a little out of breath.
"Okay," Pei Ci replied. "No need to go."
"ah?"
Pei Ci's gaze was fixed on Lu Ran on the arena.
The gaze that had finally landed on him vanished again.
Jing Lin could barely maintain his smile. His eyes widened, reflecting Pei Ci's face in his amber eyes, and he said in a serious tone, "Miss Pei, are you really sure?"
Do you believe in this monster?
Do you believe Lu Ran?
you……
Do you like Lu Ran?
Speaking of which, among the few people who are worthy of Pei Ci, Jing Lin is relatively less bothered by Lu Ran getting close to Pei Ci.
Because he's an idiot, he's the least likely to win over his young lady.
This was clearly a good guise; he devised strategies for Lu Ran, and with his help, Lu Ran was able to make progress in his relationship with Pei Ci.
But what if Pei Ci were to be attracted to a leather suit...?
Jinglin felt he was going crazy.
Unfortunately, Pei Ci was unaware of Jing Lin's thoughts. Even now, she still harbored some doubts about Lu Ran's mental state. But stopping him now would only lead to the mission's failure.
After a brief moment of thought, Pei Ci said, "Jinglin, please sit down."
"Jinglin?" Seeing that Jinglin didn't move, Pei Ci asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Jinglin: "..."
Jing Lin's expressionless face broke into his usual smile. "Alright, Miss Pei."
At this moment, the atmosphere on the stage changed once again.
"Clatter".
It was the sound of boxing gloves falling to the ground.
Ye Qingyu actually took off her boxing gloves.
This action stunned everyone on the field. Because up until now, less than eight minutes into the game, Ye Qingyu had only landed a few punches on Lu Ran.
What does Ye Qingyu want to do?
This is what everyone is thinking.
Unable to come up with a solution, Lu Ran asked, "...Do you want to try a different approach?"
As he spoke, he wiped away the blood seeping from his brow bone with his fingers, giving him a somewhat battle-worn appearance.
"No need." Ye Qingyu walked up to Lu Ran. He still maintained his aloof demeanor, but his expression was no longer as cold as before. She extended her hand to Lu Ran, "The grudge between us ends here."
"Um?"
Lu Ran frowned. To be honest, he and Ye Qingyu didn't really have any deep-seated hatred. But the fact that it had passed so easily made him feel unreal.
Although he didn't understand why.
"Yes," Ye Qingyu said calmly, "I have indeed seen your sincerity, and that is enough."
At this point, Ye Qingyu extended his hand to Lu Ran. He even smiled at Lu Ran, saying, "Lu Ran, from now on we're friends."
"Let me reintroduce myself, I am Ye Qingyu."
Seeing the smile on Ye Qingyu's face, Lu Ran frowned. He didn't know what Ye Qingyu was planning, but it was undoubtedly the result he wanted.
He grasped Ye Qingyu's hand and said succinctly, "Lu Ran."
What reward will he receive for successfully completing this mission?
Lu Ran was already looking forward to it.
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