But no one listened to her words.
Once she left. Yun Qing patted her chest and muttered,
"Good. I never knew there was a snake hidden between us. Thank god she was arrested."
Meng Hao turned toward Han Xiaoyu and raised an eyebrow,
"You were taking Zhao Lili’s side, are you a snake too?"
Han Xiaoyu laughed awkwardly and said,
"Haha! What are you saying? I just...I just fell for her words. That is all!"
Instructor Luo sighed and continued,
"Alright, everyone, I have an announcement. Before this training ends, there are two more programs left.
Some exchange students will arrive the day after tomorrow for a friendly alchemy competition. And we will have to go to England for an exchange program."
The heavy gloom settled over the group seemed to fade a little.
Instructor Luo continued,
"Also, please make sure not to use your strength completely. Am I clear?"
Concealment was the best defense. Especially since they were still not standing on the international platform.
"Yes." Everyone nodded, though excitement was visible on their faces.
"Gu Jin, you have to take care the most." Instructor Luo warned her.
For all he cares, he knows that Gu Jin was a genius! One in a decamillennium.
Gu Jin nodded. She was always alert for any problem she might face.
After returning to the dorm room, Yun Qing checked her phone with a hopeful expression and finding no message on her phone, she sighed.
Lin Yue asked nonchalantly,
"Are you waiting for something?"
Yun Qing became a little red in the face and quickly shook her head.
"N-No. Just checking for updates," she said, trying to sound casual.
Lin Yue looked at her for a moment but didn’t press. "Alright," she said, going back to folding her blanket.
Gu Jin watched the exchange from her bed. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. There was something fishy about Yun Qing’s reaction, but Gu Jin didn’t like to poke into others’ business unless it mattered.
Qiao Feng had already left earlier with Team 2. Something about a party and snacks.
So now, the dorm room was quiet, with just Gu Jin, Lin Yue, and Yun Qing inside.
Gu Jin stretched and was just about to sit down cross-legged to start her cultivation when—
Yun Qing’s phone lit up, and the ringtone echoed in the room.
Yun Qing jumped a little and rushed to pick it up. Her cheeks turned pink the moment she saw who it was.
Without saying a word, she walked out of the room quickly, almost like she was running away.
She didn’t mean to listen—but the walls were thin, and her senses were sharper than most people’s.
From outside the door, she heard Yun Qing’s soft voice.
"Did you miss me today? ...Hehe, you’re so silly! I missed you too..."
"...Really? You were thinking about me during training? So cheesy~"
"...If I were there, I’d hold your hand the whole time..."
Gu Jin opened her eyes slowly, her expression frozen in place.
"...What am I hearing?" she muttered, stunned.
She quickly withdrew her spiritual sense, feeling like she had just stepped into someone’s dream diary.
She sat in silence for a moment, then suddenly, a thought slipped in.
She hadn’t heard from him in two weeks. Not a word.
He wasn’t her boyfriend. He wasn’t even her friend right now. She still hadn’t forgiven him for the things he had done in the past. For the secrets. For the pain.
But sometimes... just sometimes... she felt a strange itch in her heart.
Was he really going to give up? Was he done chasing her?
Her fingers twitched.
She bit her lower lip.
Should I call? Just to check? Just once?
"No," she said firmly and grabbed a pillow.
She hugged it and stared at the ceiling.
"I don’t need Long Yifan," she muttered. "I don’t need him. I’m fine on my own."
It was good that he had given up on her!
She could live a peaceful life now!
.......................
Gu Jin and others assembled in the hall.
The hall was colossal, it could easily fit more than 400 people.
Just as they were wondering why they were assembled in the hall, they heard footsteps and soon enough, Instructor Luo arrived in front of them.
Seeing them, he smiled and said,
"I have some good news and some bad news, which one would you all want to hear first?"
"Bad news." Everyone said simultaneously.
Instructor Luo burst into laughter,
"Alright then. The bad news, the alchemy competition has been delayed for some reason, and now it will be held 6 months later."
The room, which had been full of hope just a moment ago, suddenly felt heavy and dull.
"We practiced so much," Han Xiaoyu mumbled.
"For what? More waiting?" Yun Qing groaned, leaning her head on Lin Yue’s shoulder.
Lin Yue didn’t push her away, but her eyes looked tired too.
Even Gu Jin felt a little disappointed, though she didn’t show it on her face. Six more months? That was a long time ago.
Instructor Luo clapped his hands to get their attention again.
"Now, now, don’t look so down. I haven’t told you the good news yet!"
Meng Hao raised his hand, "Then hurry up and tell us the good news, Instructor! We’re dying here!"
Instructor Luo grinned and said,
"Alright! Because of the delay, something special will happen. The International Championship will now be held together with the Alchemy Competition!"
The students blinked.
"...Wait, what?" Meng Hao asked.
"You heard me," Instructor Luo chuckled.
"That means the National Team will also be going to England at the same time as you all. Not only that, they would be coming here for the exchange program too."
"W-Wait. You mean everyone from the National Team?" Lin Yue suddenly asked, her voice sounding strange.
Instructor Luo nodded, "Yes. Everyone."
Lin Yue, who was always cold and quiet, suddenly froze.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"Long Yifan... will be there too?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
Yun Qing and Han Xiaoyu both turned their heads sharply to look at her.
Even Gu Jin stared in surprise.
"L-Lin Yue?" Yun Qing blinked. "Did you just—?"
"I didn’t say anything!" Lin Yue turned her head quickly, her ears turning red.
But Han Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled like stars.
"Wait, wait, if Long Yifan is going to be there, then—ahhh! I need to prepare! I want to dress up nicely!"
Yun Qing covered her face, clearly blushing too. "Don’t say weird things! But also... maybe I’ll do some skincare tonight..."
Gu Jin blinked. She was speechless.
She looked at the three girls around her—one blushing, one jumping in excitement, and one shyly fixing her hair.
"...Since when did everyone get so excited about Long Yifan?" she asked slowly.
Yun Qing turned to her with wide eyes. "You don’t know?!"
Gu Jin tilted her head. "Know what?"
Yun Qing gasped dramatically.
"The National Championship! It was broadcast! And Long Yifan’s true strength was exposed! He’s not just some normal mage—he’s a Heaven Rank Mage!"
Han Xiaoyu jumped in, nodding fast.
"That’s not all! He has six elements, Gu Jin! Six! Do you know how rare that is?!"
Gu Jin rolled her eyes internally.
From what she knows, he had definitely more than 6 elements.
"Six?" She pretended to be surprised.
"YES!" Yun Qing said.
"Most Heaven Rank mages only have three elements at most. Even those from the capital, using all kinds of special potions and treasures, barely reach five.
But Long Yifan—he has six! And one of them is already at Heaven Rank too!"
Han Xiaoyu added quickly,
"And he’s only 23 years old! That’s crazy! Plus—he just became the head of the Long family."
Yun Qing leaned in, whispering like she was sharing a big secret.
"His net worth was exposed. He’s worth around $100 billion."
Gu Jin blinked again.
Taken over the Long family?
Why had so much happened in the past 2 weeks?
Han Xiaoyu giggled. "Who wouldn’t fall for a guy like that? Rich, handsome, powerful, and now, the whole nation is crushing on him!"
Gu Jin didn’t know what to say. She remembered a time when most girls said Long Yifan was a waste of space.
A good-for-nothing who never showed his strength, always hiding in the background.
Gu Jin sighed and muttered under her breath,
"...The world sure changes fast."
Suddenly, she understood why he didn’t contact her,
’So now he has stardom and women throwing themselves at him, why would he remember me?’
Great. Just great. If he loves them, then so it be.
She doesn’t want him anyhow!
There was nothing that would have happened in between them anyway.
"Gu Jin, as far as I remember, you are his fiancée, right?" Yun Qing suddenly asked.