Chapter 42
Ning Xi took off her hat, her sunglasses, and the facekini that covered her entire face.
“It’s me, Ning Xi!”
Fu Zhi: …
Fu Zhi looked at Ning Xi, who was wrapped tightly from head to toe, and closed his eyes.
How was this any different from having a ghost standing behind him?
On the other side, Wei Xuan looked at Jiang Sheshe behind him. He suddenly frowned, then leaned over to help her tie her shoelaces.
Jiang Sheshe looked down, only then realizing that her laces had come undone at some point.
“Thank you, Brother Xuan.”
Jiang Sheshe’s face was full of sweetness.
Wei Xuan patted her head dotingly. “I’ll protect you later, but you should also do what you can. Don’t let yourself get hurt.”
Jiang Sheshe nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of trust as she looked at Wei Xuan.
Although their feelings weren’t mutual, their behavior toward each other was always considerate.
For a moment, the shippers were excited again.
[Even though Jiang Sheshe has a bad temper, Wei Xuan is willing to indulge her.]
[And Wei Xuan seems to protect and take care of Jiang Sheshe unconsciously. He’s usually such a good-tempered person, but last night, thinking Jiang Sheshe had been hit, he directly confronted the other person. He became completely unlike himself.]
[Ning Xi: I’m that ‘other person’ you’re talking about, the ultimate scapegoat.]
Fu Zhi looked at the atmosphere between Wei Xuan and Jiang Sheshe, which was so sweet it was practically bubbling, and became lost in thought.
He took a deep breath and turned back to see if the “ghost’s” shoelaces were loose.
“Heh heh heh, luckily my shoes don’t have laces. I’ll never be tripped up.” Ning Xi looked at the pair opposite her and proudly showed off her shoes.
Fu Zhi calmly turned his head back, feeling like he had just been looking for trouble for himself.
The Two-Person Dodgeball match officially began.
Ning Xi took the lead and launched an attack on Jiang Sheshe.
Unfortunately, Wei Xuan shielded Jiang Sheshe so thoroughly that the ball couldn’t touch her at all.
“My turn!” Jiang Sheshe picked up the ball and threw it toward Ning Xi with eager anticipation.
Ning Xi’s movement was flexible, and with Fu Zhi blocking in front of her, she wasn’t hit either.
After several rounds, Ning Xi got the ball again and realized she had to change her strategy.
She looked at Jiang Sheshe, who was hidden securely on the other side, and then at the gap between Wei Xuan’s spread legs-
“Take this!”
Jiang Sheshe saw the ball flying toward them from a distance and hurriedly grabbed Wei Xuan’s waist, pulling him back.
She pulled, he retreated, and so-
Ning Xi’s shot, which was originally supposed to pass between Wei Xuan’s legs, somehow struck the area just below Wei Xuan’s lower abdomen.
Wei Xuan: ?
Netizens: ?
Ning Xi: …
[Hahahahahahahahaha, my head is about to fall off from laughing!]
[With this laugh, ten years of my good karma are gone.]
[What a ‘bloodline-ending’ ball!]
“Hiss.” Wei Xuan clutched his legs in pain.
Seeing him in such agony, Jiang Sheshe, who was hiding behind him, suddenly became anxious.
“Brother Xuan, what’s wrong? Where did you get hit? Does it hurt?”
Wei Xuan’s face was pale as he shook his head. “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”
Jiang Sheshe didn’t believe him. “Really? Do you want me to help you check if it’s bruised or purple? It hurts a lot to be hit by the ball.”
Wei Xuan’s expression became even more complicated. “…No need.”
Jiang Sheshe immediately glared at Ning Xi. “Why did you use so much force?! You hit him so hard he can’t even stand up!”
Ning Xi looked at the oblivious Jiang Sheshe and the broken Wei Xuan, then rubbed her hands together like a fly as she apologized:
“Sumimasen, watashi really didn’t do it on purpose.”
“It’s too late to apologize now!”
Jiang Sheshe huffed, unilaterally declaring that she would not accept the apology.
In the dodgeball match that followed, as if trying to vent her anger for Wei Xuan, she stopped looking for angles to hit Ning Xi and specifically aimed all her strength at Fu Zhi.
[Fu Zhi waking up in the middle of the night: ‘Is Jiang Sheshe out of her mind?’]
“Jiang Sheshe, are you out of your… Did you even look at where you were aiming!”
Fu Zhi had been pelted hard several times, with one ball even flying straight at his forehead. He could no longer keep his temper in check.
Seeing Fu Zhi’s reaction, Wei Xuan’s expression immediately soured. “It’s just a game. Getting hit is normal. There’s no need for you to intimidate a girl like that, Mr. Fu.”
Fu Zhi gritted his teeth. “Stop acting so high and mighty. It’s easy for you to say when you’re not the one being hit!”
Wei Xuan’s face darkened.
Fu Zhi turned directly to Ning Xi. “Ning Xi, listen up. Hit them back as hard as you can later. If you can’t hit Jiang Sheshe, hit Wei Xuan. I’d rather be pelted to death than suffer this indignity!”
Ning Xi: …
Have you ever risked your life for someone?
Ning Xi felt that Fu Zhi was currently in that exact state of mind.
“Alright, the match continues!” Xie Lanchen spoke up coldly, cutting off the trash talk between the two teams.
Fu Zhi and Jiang Sheshe instantly entered a state of combat readiness, both looking as if they couldn’t wait to pelt the other to death.
[Good, good, good. One game and they’ve become mortal enemies.]
Watching the state of the match, Ning Xi was suddenly reminded of the times she used to play games with Fu Zhi.
Whenever Fu Zhi’s emotions fluctuated wildly, he was prone to dropping the ball.
Because of this, she used to deliberately provoke him in the past to secure a victory.
“You…”
Ning Xi opened her mouth, wanting to tell Fu Zhi to calm down.
“Ning Xi, watch out!”
At the same time, Xie Lanchen’s urgent voice rang out from the sidelines.
It turned out that in Fu Zhi’s desperation to win, he saw Jiang Sheshe’s ball flying toward him and instinctively performed a sliding dodge to the side, completely forgetting about Ning Xi behind him!
Upon hearing Xie Lanchen’s warning, Ning Xi moved quickly to dodge, but the ball still grazed her shoulder.
“Ning Xi and Fu Zhi’s team is out!” Xie Lanchen announced.
Ning Xi: “!!!”
Fu Zhi gave Ning Xi a guilty look. “Sorry, I forgot just now…”
[Ning Xi, whatever you do, don’t hit him. I’m afraid Fu Zhi might actually enjoy it.]
[I’m honestly speechless with Fu Zhi. No wonder Ning Xi doesn’t like him.]
[Getting so worked up over a game that he forgot his teammate… Fu Zhi deserves to be sentenced to a lifetime of being single.]
Ning Xi gave a calm smile. “It’s fine. After all, people like you are rare-only four out of every thousand. I understand.”
Fu Zhi was already too guilty to think straight. He followed Ning Xi’s lead and cautiously agreed, “Is that so? Then who are the other three?”
Ning Xi: “Heh.”
As the winning team, Jiang Sheshe and Wei Xuan moved on to the final showdown against Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai.
Because Wei Xuan and Jiang Sheshe had exhausted too much energy in the previous round, Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai ultimately emerged victorious.
“Youai Butler: Congratulations to the team of Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai for winning the championship! The two of you receive 100 yuan in transportation funds and can take a taxi to the outdoor location.
As the new guest, Referee Xie Lanchen has 30 yuan in funds and can travel with Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai’s team.
Jiang Sheshe and Wei Xuan receive 50 yuan in funds and can reach the location by carpooling with other passengers.
Ning Xi and Fu Zhi receive 20 yuan in funds and can reach the location through a combination of bus and subway.”
Ning Xi had originally thought the third-place team would have to walk there. Finding out they could take the subway was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
“But from this villa to the location you mentioned, the subway fare for two people is already 22 yuan!” Fu Zhi checked the map and frowned.
Ning Xi also frowned, realizing the Program Team had set another trap.
Sure enough, the Program Team sent another message:
“Youai Butler: If the funds are insufficient, the two of you can choose to walk for a portion of the journey to save on costs.”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh. Always with the ‘ohs.’ Not a single word you say is something I want to hear.”
Fu Zhi rolled his eyes and complained about the Program Team.
Meanwhile, Ning Xi was looking at the subway app, searching for a solution.
Right then, the previously quiet Xie Lanchen suddenly spoke up:
“Can I choose to go with Ning Xi and Fu Zhi’s team?”