Tang Wulin stood frozen after hearing those words. He turned Huo Yuhao's cold analysis over in his mind and realized it made perfect sense. He looked at the clean, expensive clothes the little fatty wore and then at the massive crowd of elite students and staff filling the plaza. The impulsive heat that had urged him to help suddenly cooled down.
"You are right..."
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit foolish. He tucked his dried fish back into his bag, wondering why his sense of pity had flared up so easily. They were currently standing with the rest of the Donghai Academy group, surrounded by their own teachers and classmates. Not far from them, a tall girl around fourteen years old seemed moved by the little fatty's miserable acting.
Both Tang Wulin and Huo Yuhao recognized her immediately. She was a student in the Advanced Department of Donghai Academy and the daughter of Mu Chen, the President of the Donghai Blacksmith Association. Her name was Mu Xi. To be precise, she was the senior sister of both Tang Wulin and Huo Yuhao.
Mu Xi had a gentle look on her face as she reached into her storage spirit tool. She pulled out several packages of high-quality cream biscuits and walked toward the little fatty to offer them. The boy's eyes sparkled with joy as if he had found a lifeline in a storm. He thanked her profusely before tearing the wrappers open, shoving the food into his mouth as if he were actually starving to death.
He chewed loudly, mumbling thanks between bites, calling her a kind big sister. The look of gratitude on his round, chubby face was far too dramatic, but it worked. Mu Xi laughed softly, covering her mouth with her hand, clearly finding the boy quite charming and sweet.
Tang Wulin watched this play out and felt that Huo Yuhao had been far too cynical. He thought his friend had been overthinking things and seeing enemies where there were none. Nothing bad had happened at all. However, just as that thought crossed Tang Wulin's mind and before Mu Xi could even stop smiling, a sharp, arrogant female voice cut through the air: "Xu Lizhi!"
A girl dressed in the same green tracksuit as the fatty walked over. She looked to be about the same age. Her bright golden hair was pulled into a high ponytail. While her features were very pretty, her expression was filled with an unmistakable sense of pride. She reached out and snatched the half-eaten biscuit right out of Xu Lizhi's hand. She looked at it with disgust for a split second before tossing it onto the dirty ground.
She glared at the stunned fatty and began to scold him. "Xu Lizhi! How many times do I have to tell you? Do not take things from random people when we are traveling! Stop putting everything you see into your mouth! Who knows if these people put something dangerous inside that food!"
As soon as Xu Lizhi saw this golden-haired girl, he pulled his head down like a scared rabbit. He even stopped chewing the food in his mouth. He looked down at his feet and whispered in a shaky voice, "Sister Xinglan, I... I am sorry."
Mu Xi stood right there, her face turning pale with anger. As the daughter of Mu Chen, an eight-star saint craftsman, she had been raised with respect and care by everyone in Donghai City. She had never been treated with such blatant disrespect or suspicion in her entire life. She had acted out of genuine kindness because the boy looked hungry.
But this newcomer had not only been rude, she had thrown the gift on the ground and accused Mu Xi of trying to poison a child. This was a direct insult to her character. Mu Xi felt a wave of fury wash over her. She stepped forward to face Ye Xinglan, her face red with rage. "What is that supposed to mean? You better explain yourself right now!"
Ye Xinglan looked at her with total indifference. Her voice was flat and icy. "I meant exactly what I said."
"You... you...!"
Mu Xi was so angry she could hardly speak. Her chest moved up and down as she tried to catch her breath. She took a few moments to calm herself before speaking again, though her voice still trembled with indignation. "I saw he was hungry and wanted to help! Why do you make it sound like I had some evil motive?"
Ye Xinglan's face remained cold, looking as though she were better than everyone else in the plaza. She didn't bother looking at Mu Xi again. Instead, she shot a sharp look at Xu Lizhi, who was trying to find the courage to speak up. She let out a soft, mocking snort. "No one asked for your help."
She turned her eyes back to Mu Xi and spoke slowly, emphasizing every word. "It was simply you... being... nosy."
Because they were standing so close, Tang Wulin heard every single word of the argument. He stood there in total shock. He never expected a simple act of charity to turn into such a hateful confrontation. Tang Wulin looked over at Huo Yuhao. If his friend hadn't stopped him, he would be the one standing there being insulted by that girl.
He noticed that even Huo Yuhao looked slightly surprised by the turn of events. It seemed that even someone as calculating as Yuhao hadn't expected someone to be this naturally arrogant. The two boys looked at each other and nodded. No matter what, Mu Xi was part of their academy, and they couldn't let an outsider bully her like this.
They walked forward together to stand by Mu Xi's side. Tang Wulin looked at Ye Xinglan and tried to keep his voice polite. "This is a major competition. Everyone here is a student or a teacher. We are all here to compete, not to hurt each other. Why would anyone poison food here? Don't you think you are being a bit too paranoid?"
Xu Lizhi looked up carefully and whispered, "Yeah, Sister Xinglan... she seems like a very nice person. There are so many people watching... I don't think anything bad would happen..."
Ye Xinglan reached out and tapped Xu Lizhi on the head with a soft thud. She looked at him sternly. "It is because we are here that we must be careful. What if these people are jealous of our talent? What if they want to ruin our chances before the fight even starts? You must always be on guard. Do you understand?"
Tang Wulin, Mu Xi, and Huo Yuhao all found her logic to be completely insane. Huo Yuhao finally spoke up, his voice dripping with cold sarcasm. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. We don't even know who you are. We certainly don't know anything about your supposed talent. Why would anyone be jealous of you enough to commit a crime? Do you really think you are that important?"
Ye Xinglan lifted her chin slightly, her eyes full of a natural, deep-seated arrogance. She looked at the three of them with disdain. "You might not know us, but surely you recognize the uniforms we are wearing?"
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion