Chapter Twelve: Faintly Selling One's Soul

  For two or three days, Wen Qian's performance has been astonishing Ning Xiaoyi. Whether it's his boldness in intercepting the ball, accuracy in shooting, or speed in breaking through, his defense is almost flawless, and his coordination and flexibility are among the best Ning Xiaoyi has ever seen. Not to mention his physical fitness, Ning Xiaoyi was accidentally bumped by him two days ago and still feels a dull ache in her shoulder.

  During the training session, the glass door of the basketball court was pushed open and four tall boys walked in. One of them, with a face full of arrogance, cursed as he walked: "I want to see who is blind enough to occupy the training ground of the physical education department!" As soon as he saw the faces of the two girls clearly, his eyes lit up, and a self-satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face. "Haha, I said so, it's the beauty who has arrived, this court should be given up, should be given up."

  This guy has a bad gaze, only to notice Wen Qian next to him after finishing speaking. Everyone comes from playing basketball and understands the relationship between this dark-skinned kid and the two beauties just by looking at their positions. His face changed again, and he said with a stern face: "Which department are you from? The basketball gym has been occupied by our sports department recently, and idle people can't come in, hurry up!"

  The change is so fast, fully illustrates a truth, in this era, the charm of single beauties surpasses that of married young women. But in later generations, the gap between singles and married people will no longer be so obvious, with each having a huge audience.

  Ning Xiaoyin and Xu Yaowei continued to drink water, wipe their sweat, and didn't even stand up. Wen Rong smiled wryly and came out to act as a firewall: "We are freshmen from the Foreign Language Department, we saw the door open and just came in to play for a while. Brother, don't misunderstand us, we really didn't know this was your Physical Education Department..."

  The two women behind him let out a heavy hum.

  The burly man saw Wen Rou's gentle and soft demeanor, the disdain at the corner of his mouth was visible from three thousand miles away. A guy with a sly appearance behind him whispered: "What an idiot, this year beautiful women have all gone blind." He deliberately tried to disgust Wen Rou, pretending to lower his voice, but his tone was just loud enough for Wen Rou and the two girls to hear.

  The burly man originally wanted to shoo them away, but after hearing the lewd man's words and seeing the two beauties glare at the soft-boiled egg with anger in their eyes, it was clear that they were dissatisfied. He suddenly changed his mind: "Oh, so you're my junior from the first year? I wondered why these two beauties looked familiar - it turns out we've never met before. Actually, this matter is easy to settle; the venue is big enough, a few more of you won't make a difference... but..." After finishing his sentence, he glanced sideways at the two women on the ground, and the lewd man immediately added: "If these two female classmates can accompany us for a round of karaoke, then everything will be fine."

  Karaoke has just risen in Qingzhou, not to mention professional indoor venues, every night, even the streets and alleys are crowded with men and women holding broken microphones, following the MTV beauties on TV who are all wearing swimsuits, singing loudly, soon becoming one of the three major holy places for picking up girls, along with dance halls and bars.

  Ning Xiaoyu suddenly stood up, immediately exposing her two long legs that were as smooth as jade under her shorts to the gaze of everyone. The muscular man was stunned and swallowed hard. They were used to being arrogant in school, so seeing a beautiful girl teasing them was just an instinctive reaction, not really thinking about doing anything. In this era, the quality of university students is generally good, but these four muscular men were admitted to the Normal College through sports special recruitment, and their cultural course scores directly determined their personal cultivation. They had never met anyone like Ning Xiaoyu and Xu Yao before, so when they saw them, they lost control and started talking without restraint. One of them stared at Ning Xiaoyu and said: "Beauty, as long as you're willing to sing a song with us once, we'll make sure no one dares to bully you in this college again." He then pointed at Wen Qian and sneered: "You see how she's so obedient now? She follows him wherever he goes without being bullied?"

  This time, Xiang Yu also stood up. Ning Xiao'ning pretended not to hear and only gave Wen Chen a cold glance before taking a step forward, ready to strike. As a military family's daughter, she had never been afraid of anything. Behind her, Wen Chen's lazy voice came: "I suddenly feel that the air quality here has become very poor since you all arrived!"

  Ning Xiaoyin knew Wen Qian's skills and hummed a sound as she loosened her fist, quietly standing still.

  Wen Cheng originally wanted to get rid of this group of people, prioritizing safety on someone else's turf. Unexpectedly, this university student spoke without measure, enraging Wen Cheng, who walked over with a smile. Xu Yao stood aside, fanning her nose with her hand and scrunching up her cute nose, saying: "It's not just very bad, it's downright stinky!"

  Wen Qian gave a faint praise and said: "Brother Shifu, you'd better go wherever you came from, this place has been occupied by our Foreign Language Department."

  The man was still immersed in the stunning moment just now, and he didn't react. The other three people who were staring at the two women behind him couldn't help but point at Wen Qian and scold her.

  "Fuck you, and you dare talk to me like that? You believe it or not, tonight I'll make you practice handstands in the dorm with your pants down."

  "Are you ready? Kid, today I'll show you what's what, and beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you!"

  "What's the point of talking nonsense? A slap in the mouth will make you honest."

  The man's face turned iron-green, the sports department had always been overbearing, and it had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to him like that in the teacher's college. He took a few steps forward, pointing at Wen Qian and scolding: "What are you, I'm talking to a beauty, and you're also worthy of speaking up?" As he said this, one hand went to grab Wen Qian's collar, and the other fist fiercely smashed towards his face. This move was swift and fierce, if it had hit its mark, not to mention being disfigured, at least it would have caused a nosebleed that lasted for half a day.

  Impulsiveness is the devil!

  Xu Yao and Ning Xiao Ying exchanged a glance, both seeing the unease in each other's eyes. Although Wen Chen was quite skilled, the four opponents were all tall and muscular, and being from the sports department, they were probably used to fighting. It was likely that they would be at a disadvantage. Ning Xiao Ying was about to rush over to help when Xu Yao pulled her back, her eyes fixed intently on the scene: "I know him, he definitely doesn't want us to take risks and get involved right now, don't worry, I believe in him!"

  Ning Xiaoyin looked at Xu Ya's determined and trusting eyes, and the icy bottom of her heart seemed to have a string touched. She turned her head to look at that ordinary black-haired boy and said softly: "Be careful!"

  "Wen Cen let out a soft cry, and his body dodged backward in a sorry state, just barely avoiding the incoming fist. He took advantage of the momentum to grab the man's wrist and gently pulled it forward. The muscular man only felt a surge of great force in his arm, and his body involuntarily leaned forward, Wen Cen having somehow bent his knee at just the right moment to block the man's path."

  Bang!

  His kneecap collided with his belly, producing a dull drumming sound effect. The muscular man's eyes widened, he covered his stomach with both hands, opened his mouth wide and let out a silent scream. His face contorted in an extreme expression that was unbearable to look at. But all of this couldn't compare to the shock and suffocation in his heart. This useless guy who had given up from the start, this guy who wasn't even worth looking at, was actually so formidable? The force transmitted through his arm couldn't be deceived, it was a kind of boundless power that didn't even allow him to struggle!

  He gently retracted his knee, and the muscular man thudded to the ground. He patted his hands together and smiled at the other three guys who were staring blankly: "I'm nothing special, just happened to be the guardian of two beauties..."

  "Pshaw!"

  The two women simultaneously scolded him, one with a smile and the other still icy, but both put their minds at ease.

  The man who answered the phone made a sly face at the other two, and the three of them shouted in unison, pounced on him together, and with a few swift punches and kicks, they knocked him to the ground. Then, they deliberately dragged the sly man in front of Ning Xiaoyu and said with a smile: "He was rude first, you can take revenge and vent your anger."

  "Don't dirty my hands."

  "Wait, actually some of the things he said make sense."

  Ning Xiao was silent and didn't make a sound, but Xiu Yao, who was holding her, was very interested: "Which sentence?"

  "You're so cheap, a slap will make you behave." Wen Jian's eyes flashed with a hint of severity, and he coldly slapped him.

  "Bang!"

  The lecherous man's face suddenly appeared with five blood-red finger marks, and his cheek was swollen high, but he didn't dare to resist again.

  Wen Jie kicked each of the four men in the buttocks, saying "get out", and they crawled up and limped away. When they reached the door, the muscular man turned back and said viciously: "You little bastard, wait for it, don't run if you have the guts!"

  Wen Qian made a move to chase, and the four of them suddenly ran away. Xu Yao didn't take it seriously, she had been practicing boxing since childhood, and the number of fights she had won was something Wen Qian couldn't match in two lifetimes. She picked up the ball and continued playing by herself. Ning Xiao Ning suddenly stood in front of Wen Qian, her pretty face flushed red, and coldly said: "Thank you!"

  She knew that Wen Chen was not a troublemaker, but he would fight for her and consider her feelings, deliberately slapping that person in the ear. This concern was something she had never felt before, except from Xu Yao.

  He smiled slightly and said, "You're welcome!"

  Xu Yao and Ning Xiao Ning sat on the ground beside them, drinking water. Wen Ze practiced his free throws alone, his serious expression making him all the more charming. The 16-year-old boy's movements were meticulous, with droplets of sweat rolling down his cheeks from his short black hair. As he jumped up and landed on the floorboards, it made a slapping sound. Xu Yao nudged Ning Xiao Ning and smiled lightly: "What are you looking at, Ning Ning? Don't you think this guy is a bit different now?"

  Ning Xiaoyin nodded slightly, and suddenly said: "Yao Yao, tell me again what happened after you got to know each other. I didn't listen carefully before." Xu Yao had already told Ning Xiaoyin about the various things that had happened since she met Wen Qian, but at that time Wen Qian was a completely virtual existence, and Ning Xiaoyin hadn't paid much attention, only investigating Wen Qian with an attitude of being responsible for Xu Yao, after which the subsequent trial event occurred.

  Xu Yao gazed at Wen Qian's back, a faint smile on her face, and said: "That day I went to No. 7 courtyard to find Cloud Auntie, just happened to bump into a silly kid jumping around under the scorching sun..."

  Xu Yao's voice was soft and sweet, seemingly savoring the memory, yet also seeming to be in a daze. When talking about the jewelry store robbery incident, there would be a hint of fear in her eyes. When talking about playing by the reservoir, a faint blush would appear on her cheeks. On that day, the two of them had let go of their worries and sped down from the mountaintop, like two rays of light etched into this colorful season, never to be erased.

  Ning Xiaoyi looked at Jian Yimu's simple and unassuming appearance, but suddenly felt a sense of melancholy in her heart. She thought about how Gu Jia had shamelessly pushed Gu Wenyan into Class 7, and it seemed that their elders were also pleased with the arrangement, which made her feel even more annoyed. In the eyes of most people, Gu Wenyan was handsome, tall, and elegant in his speech and actions, rarely showing the usual spoiled brat behavior. His grades at school weren't exceptional, but they were passable. Such a person would naturally gain the affection of friends and elders.

  Compared with him, to put it bluntly, he's simply rubbish!

  Ning Xiaoyi wasn't actually very clear about the shady things Gu Wenyan did in private, she had only heard rumors, but that didn't stop her from looking at Gu Wenyan with disapproval. This was unreasonable, women, oh no, young girls also believe in intuition, every time she saw Gu Wenyan's warm smile and handsome face, she couldn't help but want to spit on him fiercely.

  But Wen Ze gave her a different feeling. At the first meeting, Wen Ze had flattered Xu Yao and heavily offended Ning Xiao Ying, so at the second meeting in the restaurant, Ning Xiao Ying taught him a lesson in her own way. When they met for the third time and forced him to leave Xu Yao, Wen Ze's disdain in his eyes, the sarcasm at the corner of his mouth, and even the scolding that rained down on him made Ning Xiao Ying so angry that she was about to spit blood. However, after thinking about it later, she found that Wen Ze's words were neither servile nor overbearing, every word was reasonable, especially the sentence "My heart may be cheap, but a municipal party secretary is not worth it!" was even more striking and impressive.

  Ning Xiaoyi suddenly realized that Wen Qian was not just a little different, but rather, he was worlds apart from his peers. He could fight with thugs to save a low-ranking employee, and also make jokes that would leave people speechless; he could protect Xu Yao under his wing and face death calmly, yet also turn around and leave decisively when misunderstood. Sometimes he was charming and carefree, while other times he was bold and unapologetic. This kind of guy may not be able to compare with Gu Wenyan in terms of family background, looks, or prospects, but it couldn't be denied that he was more genuine than Gu Wenyan, and also more interesting.

  "Comrade coach, what's wrong with you? Why are you staring blankly like that?"

  Ning Xiaoyin hummed and lifted her head, only to find Wen Qing standing in front of her, bending down to examine her. The strong masculine scent on his body wafted up, making her feel dizzy. From this angle, his clear black eyes, straight nose, and dark eyebrows that were not too thick, but rather gentle, made him look less stern. His hair was wet from exercise, with a few drops of sweat almost touching the tip of her nose. Ning Xiaoyin's face flushed red, and she leaned back, barely avoiding the falling water droplets. She scolded: "What are you doing standing so close? If you squeeze me again, I'll kick you to death..."

  Wen Cheng was stunned for a moment, and the tone of this sentence sounded like Xu Yao no matter how he listened. He exchanged a glance with Xu Yao, and the two burst out laughing at the same time.

  Ning Xiaoyin also sensed the subtle change in her mood, and suddenly thought of something, bursting out laughing. Having known each other for so long, this was the first time Wen Qian saw her smile: lightly scolding and slightly angry, all were charming, cleverly smiling and faintly captivating.

  (4,000 words chapter, today over 7,000 words, sorry to the bro who voted with 7 tickets of 12,000 updates yesterday, I tried my best, but the distance between ideal and reality is so far apart...)