CHAPTER 149: CHAPTER 17: LEAVING HUAZHOU CITY (SECOND UPDATE)

"I heard that you’re about to leave Huazhou City, so the three of us came to see you off." Yun Jing glanced at the people by Gu Qingqing’s side, smiled, and said to Gu Qingqing.

"Thank you." Although Gu Qingqing was a bit surprised, she expressed her gratitude for the three’s intentions.

"We should be the ones thanking you. The martial arts competition was very exciting, and each of us gained something different." Yun Jing looked at Zhao Cheng and Zhou Qi, his smile becoming even more radiant.

Gu Qingqing raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you’re grateful to me? Not holding a grudge?"

After all, she won against all three of them and took the Breaking Barrier Pill. Were they really that magnanimous?

Yun Jing was momentarily at a loss for words, a rare expression of awkwardness appearing on his face.

"Indeed, there’s some resentment, but competing with you made us see our shortcomings, so we should also be grateful to you." Zhao Cheng, who rarely saw such an expression on Yun Jing’s face, looked at him amusingly and answered Gu Qingqing’s question.

"That’s right, I rarely admire anyone. You’re the first!" Zhou Qi’s gaze drifted a bit, but he still said it out loud.

Gu Qingqing wasn’t too familiar with Zhou Qi’s personality, so she didn’t react much, but Yun Jing and the others knew Zhou Qi’s temper. This guy was notoriously stubborn and arrogant. For him to say such words meant he truly admired Gu Qingqing.

"I hope the next time you come to Huazhou City, we can spar again." Yun Jing only felt awkward for a moment before returning to normal, a smile back on his face as he spoke sincerely.

"Alright, it’s a deal." Gu Qingqing also appreciated opponents like Yun Jing and his companions. If she indeed returned to Huazhou City, she would certainly not miss the chance to spar with them again.

"We won’t take up any more of your time. Wish you a safe journey, and till we meet again!" Yun Jing cupped his hands towards Gu Qingqing, his expression suddenly turning much more serious.

"Till we meet again!" Gu Qingqing also cupped her hands.

After parting with Yun Jing and the others, Gu Qingqing and her companions continued walking towards their residence, meeting Zhou Ting waiting for them on the way.

Zhou Ting had heard from Zhou Qi that Gu Qingqing and the others were about to leave and thought of how Yue Zhao was also leaving. She panicked immediately. Knowing where Gu Qingqing and the others lived, she went straight there and waited halfway for them to return.

Just as Gu Qingqing and her companions were about to pass Zhou Ting, Zhou Ting directly blocked their path.

"Zhou Ting, what are you doing? We still have things to do." Yun Ran, being the person most familiar with Zhou Ting among them, directly stepped forward and frowned at her.

"Yun Ran, I’m not here for you today!" Zhou Ting’s gaze wasn’t on Yun Ran at all as she spoke directly.

Yun Ran was taken aback, only to see Zhou Ting walking past her and stopping next to Yue Zhao.

In an instant, everyone’s eyes focused on Yue Zhao and Zhou Ting.

"This young master, I am Zhou Ting from the Zhou Family in Huazhou City, and I admire you deeply. Is there any chance I could stay by your side?" Zhou Ting looked up, her heart and mind filled with Yue Zhao, with deep affection in her eyes.

She mustered all her courage, looked at Yue Zhao with great expectation.

Including Yun Ran, none of the others expected Zhou Ting to confess to Yue Zhao, but they all knew Yue Zhao’s demeanor well. On the surface, he seemed polite to everyone, but in fact, he only cared about people he was truly interested in.

There were many people like Zhou Ting whom Yue Zhao encountered, yet they never caught his eye.

As expected, Yue Zhao directly refused Zhou Ting.

"Young lady, I don’t have the habit of keeping anyone by my side. Thank you for your affection, but unfortunately, I’m not the right person for you. I ask that you forget me henceforth." Yue Zhao spoke with a gentle tone, yet his words were unrelenting.

When it came to emotions, he was always like this. He wouldn’t even spare a glance for people who came extra.

Zhou Ting’s expression froze, her eager emotion instantly vanishing, replaced by suppressed sadness.

Being able to confess to Yue Zhao publicly had taken all her strength. She had always been proud and wasn’t one to cling persistently. Holding back tears, she took a deep look at Yue Zhao, then turned and left.

She first walked quickly for a few steps, then broke into a run, disappearing from Gu Qingqing and her companions’ sight in no time.

"Tsk tsk, Second Brother is still as ruthless in rejecting people as ever. This is completely different from your style." Rong Ye remarked with a hint of regret, watching Zhou Ting’s saddened departure and then looking at Yue Zhao, whose face still bore a smile.

"What do you know? Second Senior Brother is doing it for that girl’s sake. If he isn’t ruthless enough, how can the other party sever emotional ties?" Nan Hua shook his head, disagreeing with Rong Ye’s words. He still admired Yue Zhao’s approach.

Although he himself used to be a wanderer among women, cherishing the fairer sex, he was always very honest. If he liked someone, he would be with them; if not, he would leave immediately without dragging things on. This was also the reason he was so popular with women over the years!

"I see that you’re pretty idle. When we get back, I’ll find you more work." Yue Zhao turned to look at Rong Ye, speaking while showing a perfect smile.

Rong Ye’s expression froze, not knowing what to do for a moment, while the others burst into laughter.

With no more interruptions, the group returned to their residence.

Nan Hua had previously set up a one-time transmission array here, allowing them to teleport directly back to the Lingxi Sacred Land. Once they were ready, they entered the transmission array, and Nan Hua activated the array. Outside the array, light flashed, and their figures disappeared instantly.

...

Zhou Ting returned to the Zhou Family in tears. Along the way, when the servants saw Zhou Ting, they looked as if they’d seen a ghost, while Zhou Ting ignored them, rushing straight to her room, driving out the maids, and locking the door from the inside, preventing anyone from entering. Then she cried sadly under the covers.

This was Zhou Ting’s first time liking someone, and also her first time putting everything aside to confess to someone. Even though she was prepared to be rejected, considering how outstanding the other person was, the heartbreak was still undeniable when she was truly turned down!

She was immersed in her own world, ignoring everything around her.

After seeing Yun Jing and bidding farewell to some others, Zhou Qi returned to the Zhou Family. Upon noticing the abnormal expressions of the servants, he inquired and learned that Zhou Ting had returned crying from outside. Zhou Qi immediately assumed someone bullied Zhou Ting, and with a grim expression, headed to Zhou Ting’s courtyard.

Zhou Ting’s courtyard was crowded with people at that moment. After all, Zhou Ting returning in tears was unbelievable for the Zhou Family. The Family Head, Mrs. Zhou, and Han Qianqian were all outside Zhou Ting’s room, having knocked on the door for quite a while but to no avail. They were pacing nervously outside.

"Qi’er, call your sister quickly, ask her to open the door. Whatever it is, she can talk it out. She shouldn’t lock herself in, it’s too concerning!" Mrs. Zhou urgently grabbed Zhou Qi’s arm the moment she saw him, speaking to Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi was taken aback, not expecting such a serious reaction from Zhou Ting, and immediately nodded.

He asked the others to step aside, did not call Zhou Ting but kicked open Zhou Ting’s door and rushed inside.

Zhou Ting was startled by Zhou Qi’s door-kicking, looking at Zhou Qi in shock with tear-swollen eyes and a blanket wrapped around her.

"Brother, why did you kick my door?" Zhou Qi’s voice still had a nasal tone, filled with discontent as she complained about Zhou Qi’s actions.

"You still have the nerve to speak, who bullied you, making you hide in the room and cry continuously? Dad and Mom called you for a long time outside, and you didn’t respond. I was worried about your safety, so I kicked the door!" Zhou Qi rolled his eyes at Zhou Ting, walked to the bedside, and seeing Zhou Ting starting to tear up again, furrowed his brows heavily, "Tell me, who bullied you. I’ll help you take revenge!"

This had always been the case since they were young. Zhou Ting had a spoiled nature, occasionally provoking others outside. Children don’t think as much as adults and sometimes get bullied by kids from other families. Zhou Ting would then ask Zhou Qi for help in seeking revenge. Zhou Qi was used to it.

While speaking, he took out a handkerchief to wipe Zhou Ting’s tears.

"Nobody bullied me," Zhou Ting shook her head, "I just, just fell for someone and then got rejected by them!"

Zhou Qi paused his hand, looking at Zhou Ting in surprise, "Who did you fall for? And he rejected you?"

He really couldn’t figure out when someone like this appeared in Huazhou City. You must know, Zhou Ting had extremely high standards. Even Zhao Cheng and Yun Jing, who had been known alongside him as the three young masters of Huazhou City over the years, weren’t good enough for Zhou Ting. How could she suddenly like someone? And the other party didn’t even reciprocate Zhou Ting’s feelings?

"It was a young lord beside Gu Qingqing. As soon as I saw him for the first time, I fell for him," mentioning Yue Zhao, Zhou Ting still felt a blush and a racing heart, but the thought that Yue Zhao had already rejected her, and being impossible for them, made her very sad again, "He rejected me, we can’t be together."

Saying this, Zhou Ting started crying again, interrupting Zhou Qi’s thoughts. Zhou Qi could only first comfort Zhou Ting and help her wipe away her tears.

He knew all the people around Gu Qingqing were incredibly outstanding. Even if he didn’t know their identities, their impressive demeanor was evident. It was quite normal for people to find them attractive, but he didn’t expect his sister to fall for one of them!

However, Zhou Ting’s rejection didn’t seem surprising. After all, Zhou Qi himself felt Zhou Ting wasn’t excellent enough. Compared to Gu Qingqing, Zhou Ting was far inferior, and those people could stay by Gu Qingqing’s side, indicating their relationship with Gu Qingqing was not simple. Watching someone like Gu Qingqing every day, how could they look at other women?

Zhou Ting’s secret crush was destined to be fruitless!

...

The transmission array was very fast. After about half a quarter of an hour, the disoriented feeling of space travel disappeared, and Gu Qingqing and her group’s figures appeared in Nan Hua’s residence within the Lingxi Sacred Land.

This was the most familiar place for Nan Hua, making it easiest to set up the transmission array!