Chapter 496 — Zhao Ying's Phone Call

"Oh? What did he say?" Yang Xutang asked from behind.

"He's set it for noon two days from now—that is, the day after tomorrow at noon, in the school gymnasium, for the challenge match! Whoever loses follows the rules we agreed on beforehand!" Chen Shutang said.

"Good. Have Jiajia reply and accept it for me—tell him I agree to that time!" Yang Yuting nodded and said.

"All right, I'll post the reply right away!" Zhou Yanning said.

Zhao Ying, too, heard almost at once that Fan Ce meant to challenge Yang Juehuan! After all, she was the heroine of the post in question, and no sooner had the thread begun to heat up than a classmate from her graduate cohort called to tell her about it.

At first Zhao Ying hardly believed it, but the classmate's evidence was so solid that she began to have doubts. Then Wang Yanqiu called as well, telling her about the challenge post, and only then did Zhao Ying believe it completely. She hurried to turn on her computer and log into the school forum, and sure enough, there was the challenge post!

She had never expected that Yang Ce had already accepted Fan Ce's challenge! This left Zhao Ying both glad and worried! She feared Yang Ce would act rashly and come to some harm... but then she thought of Yang Juehuan's identity—he was an agent; his skills were surely extraordinary. How could he possibly be no match for Fan Ce?

At that thought Zhao Ying settled down again, though she was still uneasy, wondering what Chen Shutang would think once she learned of this, whether she would grow suspicious, whether she would try to stop Yang Ce. Fearing Chen Shutang might come to call her to account, Zhao Ying stared at the post on the forum, hesitating over whether to phone Yang Ce and ask.

Such was Zhao Ying's nature—whenever anything happened, she could never make up her mind. It was precisely this that had made the road of her love with Yan so rugged, and now that things had finally come right, Zhao Ying did not want any new deviation to appear...

She could not withstand any storm at all! She would rather be a lover who could never see the light of day than be parted from Yan because of some unforeseen mishap! So in Zhao Ying's eyes there was no need whatsoever to pay Fan Ce's challenge any mind. So what if he pursued her? She did not like him in the least. At most it was a little troublesome—she need only refuse him. But the moment Yang Cenbin replied to accept the challenge, was that not as good as admitting to everyone that she and he were involved?

Zhao Ying did not want this to affect the love she had only just begun to build with Yan, so at last she made up her mind, gritted her teeth, and called Yang Ce.

Yang Ce was driving when his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw Zhao Ying's number, and could not help but start. Then, a little guiltily, he glanced at Chen Shutang and the other two in the rearview mirror. Seeing that all of them were absorbed in the post on the forum, he relaxed slightly and answered: "Hello, Sister Ying?"

Zhao Ying was taken aback at Yang Juehuan's form of address. Had Yang Yongjin begun calling her "Yingying" or "Zhao Ying"? Why was he calling her "Sister Ying" again?

But Zhao Ying was no fool. Hearing Yang Cenbin speak that way, she realized at once that Yang Juehuan must have others beside him and could not reveal his relationship with her. So, heedless of whether anyone else could hear her voice over the phone, Zhao Ying changed her tone and said: "Yang Ce, Fan Ce has challenged you?"

"Yes. You saw the post too?" Yang Yanchuan said.

"I did. Yang Ce, how could you agree to him? He's just being unreasonable—ignore him and that's that. If you accept, what if something happens?" Here Zhao Ying lowered her voice. "You're a man with a girlfriend now. Does Chen Shutang know about this? Will she allow you to go and fight? If anything should go wrong with you, how would I answer to her?"

Zhao Ying's words were stern enough, but Yang Ce could hear the deeper meaning beneath them: what if Chen Shutang found out about the relationship between Zhao Ying and himself? That was why Zhao Ying had made this call.

"Heh, Mengyan and the others are in the car too, and we all think this Fan Ce has gone too far. If he isn't taught a lesson, he'll only get worse in the future, so we may as well take this chance and tame him properly!" Yang Hengye said with a smile. His words were fair and aboveboard, but Zhao Ying could read the hint within them well enough: Chen Shutang knew about this matter, and Chen Shutang was at this very moment beside Yang Juehuan!

He was also reminding Zhao Ying not to say anything too intimate, lest there be trouble!

How could Zhao Ying fail to understand? But hearing that it was Chen Shutang's idea, she said no more about it. Her only worry had been that Chen Shutang would brood over it once she knew; but since it was Chen Shutang's own plan, there was no need to worry—she could set her heart entirely at ease.

"All right, since that's how it is, be careful, then!" Zhao Ying said. "If I have time the day after tomorrow, I'll come and watch, but don't get hurt, and don't force yourself. If it really comes to it, losing is losing—it's no great matter!"

"All right, Sister Ying. You must come and cheer for me when the time comes!" Yang Hengye said with a smile. "That's all for now, then. I'm hanging up."

"Yes. Goodbye!" Zhao Ying said nothing more than that.

After hanging up, Yang Yanzhou said: "It was Sister Ying on the phone, asking me how I meant to answer Fan Ce!"

"Sister Ying is worried about you—she doesn't want you hurt. What's wrong with that?" Chen Shutang said. "Sister Ying cares about you very much. Though this business is all for her sake, she doesn't want you fighting either, does she?"

"That's right. Sister Ying said as much—told me to pay him no mind. But it's nothing much, just a small effort on my part!" Yang Hengye said with a smile.

"Listen to you—anyone would think you were some great master!" Chen Shutang said, though she knew very well that Yang Juehuan was indeed formidable. Even back in high school, Yang Ce's title of "King of Fights" had been known throughout the school, and afterward he had become an agent, his skills advancing by leaps and bounds. How could the likes of Fan Ce compare with him?

Yang Ce parked the car in the courtyard of the school's family housing area, then led Chen Shutang, Lin Yanhe, and Zhou Yanning upstairs and rang the bell at Liu Yan's door!

After the New Year, Yang Ce had visited Liu Yan once, and after that he had been busy with all sorts of odds and ends and had not called on him again. Seeing the familiar door, Yang Ce was overcome with feeling. It had been more than half a year since he first came to know Liu Yan—how the time had flown. The first time he came here, he had been with Lan Ling...

Lan Ling—he wondered how she was doing now. Are you well? That time at the airport... who on earth was that man beside you?