After waking up late, Yang Chen took a quick mont to freshen up before heading down the stairs. The sll of breakfast already drifted through the house, and he knew it was ti to join everyone in the dining hall.
When he stepped into the room, he saw that all the won were already seated around the long table. "All of you are here already?" Yang Chen asked while pulling out his usual chair.
He sat down and added with a touched look on his face, "Were you perhaps waiting for ?"
Nobody answered. They simply turned their eyes toward him with cool, quiet stares. It was obvious they had been sitting there for quite a while, and the silence felt heavier than any scolding words could.
Yang Chen coughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry… for making you wait," he said in an embarrassed voice, fully aware now that he had kept them hanging.
A short while later, Xinran walked in carrying several plates and dishes. She set everything down carefully on the table, and soon the sound of forks and knives filled the room as everyone started eating.
Yang Chen sliced off a piece of fluffy pancake, popped it into his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully before speaking again. "Yulan, did the talk with Fu Ting go well?"
Lin Yulan paused to finish chewing her bite, then answered calmly after a mont. "I'm not sure. I just taught her a technique to help control her divine power."
She took another small bite, swallowed, and continued. "If her talent is as strong as you described, she should be able to stabilize her ntal state by relying on her divine energy."
Yang Chen leaned forward slightly, hope shining in his eyes. "Is that so? How was her control over the divine energy?"
Lin Yulan noticed the eager look on his face. She gave a small shake of her head and said gently, "Sorry to disappoint you, Yang Chen, but it was… horrible."
The mont those words left her mouth, Chen Miya, who had been quietly listening from the side, imdiately sat up straighter. "Aunt Lin, you're lying!" she burst out, unable to accept what she just heard.
Lin Yulan propped her head on one hand and looked at the girl with a playful little giggle. "Miya, tell now. Why would I lie about sothing like that?"
Chen Miya opened her mouth, then closed it again. She had no good answer. It was genuinely difficult for her to believe that her genius friend Fu Ting could actually be bad at anything.
Lin Yulan saw the disappointnt clouding Miya's face and softened her tone. "Don't worry about your friend," she said kindly. "This is exactly why your dad asked to teach her in the first place."
She offered a gentle smile and added, "I'll teach her well. Don't doubt that."
Chen Miya's expression brightened right away. "You are the best, Aunt Lin!" she said with a big, grateful smile. She knew she had been a bit rude just now by accusing her, but Lin Yulan didn't seem bothered at all.
Among all her aunts, Lin Yulan had always been the most gentle and caring one. That warm nature made it easy for Miya to feel safe around her.
Yang Chen watched the exchange with a faint smile before speaking up again. "Speaking of Fu Ting, how about you three help with one thing?" He looked directly at Chen Miya, Zhu Jia, and Xie Qingyi as he said it.
A few minutes later, after he had explained his plan, Zhu Jia stared at him with a cold expression. "Are you seriously asking to sabotage my own team?"
Yang Chen shrugged casually, already prepared for her reaction. "Hey, you should know it too, right? At this rate, it's impossible for the Red team to win."
His blunt words made Zhu Jia's eyes flicker. She clenched her fists tightly under the table. Deep down, she knew he was telling the truth, and that fact stung.
Yang Chen noticed the change in her face and quickly added, "That is unless Fu Ting uses her real talent."
A few quiet monts passed. Zhu Jia kept her gaze lowered, clearly wrestling with herself. Finally she looked up at him with a hesitant expression. "…I'll do it," she said softly. "But only because it's… you who asked ."
The announcer's microphone crackled to life, and Lin Yulan's bright, enthusiastic voice filled the entire gymnasium. "Students! The long-awaited basketball match is about to begin!"
She leaned forward in the comntary booth, her eyes sparkling with excitent. "As it stands right now, the Blue team is leading by a whopping 140 points!"
She paused for dramatic effect, letting the number sink in for the crowd, then turned to the man sitting right beside her. "The Red team must secure a victory in this match if they hope to stage any kind of coback!"
Lin Yulan added cheerfully. She tilted her head toward Yang Chen with a curious little smile.
"What do you think, Principal Chen? Can the Red team turn this around, or will the Blue team just continue their total dominance?"
Yang Chen stayed quiet for a few seconds. His gaze slowly swept across the packed stands, searching row by row for any sign of Fu Shi.
When he couldn't find her familiar figure anywhere, he let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh.
"Hm," he finally said, his voice calm and thoughtful. A small, easy smile appeared on his face.
"The ga is still up for grabs, in my opinion. If the Red team really wants to win, they'll need to seize control right from the opening tip-off and never let go."
Even though he sounded composed and confident on the outside, a quiet thread of disappointnt tugged at his heart.
He had been so sure that Fu Shi showing up would put enough pressure on Fu Ting to finally force her to tap into her real talent. Without her mother watching from the stands, though, that push might never co.
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