Chapter 2445 — A Failed Plan; She Was Certain She Did Not Like Kang Jinglong—Even After He Had Stepped Forward and Been Beaten, Wang Xinyan Felt Only Gratitude and Pity for Him; It Was Essentially Impossible for Her to Develop Any Fondness for Him.

Wei Zhao had not expected Wang Xinyan to make such a bold move right there on the bus with Kang Jinglong present. His heart was filled with surprise and joy, but also a measure of confusion—every sign suggested that Wang Xinyan liked him, yet why would she not accept his confession?

She claimed the reason was that she already had a fiancé, but her actions gave her away. If she truly regarded Kang Jinglong as her betrothed, how could she be so close to him, Wei Zhao? And how could she fail to step forward and show any concern after Kang Jinglong had been beaten?

"Phew..." Only once the bus reached its destination did Wei Zhao finally recover his physical strength and true qi. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, even as he secretly smiled bitterly to himself. The Crazy Fire Eight Trigrams Palm truly was formidable—now he could even injure an expert of the early Heavenly Rank. But a single use of it drained an enormous amount of stamina!

Wei Zhao had only triggered the sixth and seventh forms, yet it had already wrung dry every ounce of physical strength and true qi in his body. It seemed impossible to unleash the seventh form twice in a row. He might manage it during practice, but in actual combat it was likely out of the question.

As things stood, Wei Zhao possessed formidable martial techniques yet could not fully unleash them, which was, admittedly, a kind of sorrow. He was clearly capable of contending with early Heavenly Rank experts—even those at the peak of the early Heavenly Rank—but because his own level was too low, he could only choose to retreat.

Still, Wei Zhao shook his head. He really was the snake trying to swallow an elephant in his greed. With the strength of a late-stage Earthly Rank at its peak, he already had the ability to fight an early Heavenly Rank opponent and had gravely wounded an early Heavenly Rank expert. Such a battle record was surely unprecedented and unsurpassed?

Though he could not use it frequently, he could still treat it as a final life-saving measure and trump card. Its power might not match that of a true qi bomb, but it was far easier to trigger than one. Even if he could not achieve instantaneous release, he could still unleash it whenever the need arose.

Several buses arrived at the destination almost simultaneously—the Jidun City Natural Ski Resort. Although the bus Wei Zhao was riding had run into a bit of trouble along the way, the driver had managed to catch up with the buses ahead.

December was the ideal season for skiing, and the resort was a tourist spot with no shortage of visitors. At least two or three schools had chosen this place for their winter outings, including a high school.

After the driver had parked the bus, he called out that everyone could get off. Watching his classmates disembark, the driver wiped the sweat from his brow. What rotten luck this whole trip had been—running into two groups of robbers. The second group, at least, had been relatively weak, and one of the students knew how to fight. He had driven them off before they could board the bus; otherwise, things would surely have turned nasty.

The students, of course, had none of the driver's worries. Having reached their destination, they were all in high spirits. The unpleasantness of earlier was long forgotten; their energy had returned, and they were excitedly discussing the scenery and attractions of the ski resort.

There were exceptions, of course—Kang Jinglong and Right Panhu's group among them. Kang Jinglong's face was a sickly color, his features contorted in pain. Though the wounds on his backside and face had mostly healed, his testicles still ached abominably! That was not something that would heal anytime soon!

Right Panhu was frantic with anxiety. He had to phone home to confirm whether the experts his family had sent were indeed the two that Wei Zhao had crippled!

Wei Zhao, Han Jingyi, and Wang Xinyan got off the bus, while Bai Weituo and Zhao Shengji also disembarked together with He Meiyue and Chai Xiaoling.

"We lost quite a bit of time on the road, but in the end everything turned out fine. You must all be starving by now, right? I've reserved several tables of food at a nearby restaurant. Let's all go have a bite first—only with a full stomach will we have the strength to ski!" Leader Bai said once all the students had gotten off.

At Leader Bai's words, the students realized they truly were hungry. It was already past noon, nearing afternoon, and combined with the fright on the bus, their stomachs were long since empty. They all voiced their agreement.

Although this winter outing was organized by the department, once at the ski resort, each major actually conducted activities on its own. After all, no resort or hotel here could accommodate all the students of the Biology Department under one roof, so the task of leading the students' meals and lodging fell to the department chair, while Leader Bai had arranged for food at a restaurant.

The students came together to a small restaurant nearby. Though it did not look especially fancy, it had a rustic charm, and it was full of customers. Leader Bai had clearly made arrangements in advance, for as soon as everyone arrived, the dishes were quickly served.

They were all ordinary farmhouse dishes, but each was exquisitely prepared, enough to make one's mouth water.

After Wei Zhao, Han Jingyi, and Wang Xinyan had settled into their seats, who should appear but Kang Jinglong, who plunked himself down on Wang Xinyan's other side! That seat had originally been meant for He Meiyue; only because He Meiyue was a step slow had Kang Jinglong snatched it first!

Wang Xinyan was now sandwiched between Wei Zhao and Kang Jinglong. Her expression stiffened almost imperceptibly. Inwardly, she silently scolded herself—why was she still sitting so close to Wei Zhao? Was she not just making trouble for him? And now, sure enough, here came Kang Jinglong.

Somewhat helplessly, He Meiyue walked over to Kang Jinglong's side. "Senior Kang," she said, "you're sitting in my seat."

"This is your seat?" Kang Jinglong feigned surprise. "When we came into the restaurant just now, didn't Teacher Bai say we could sit wherever we liked?"

"But Wang Xinyan and I are good friends. You wouldn't make a girl stand here all by herself, would you?" He Meiyue blinked, having decided to lend Wei Zhao and Wang Xinyan a hand.

"Junior sister, it's not that I don't want to give up the seat for you—it's that I'm an invalid, you see. Look, I'm covered in injuries all over. You wouldn't be so unfeeling toward your senior, would you?" Kang Jinglong smiled bitterly, putting on a pitiful air.

"This..." He Meiyue was momentarily speechless. She had not expected Kang Jinglong to pull out that excuse, but it was one she truly could not refuse!

"How about you and Wei Zhao switch seats? He's no invalid—fit as a fiddle. He even drove off two robbers just now!" Kang Jinglong kicked the ball straight over to Wei Zhao.

"Forget it then..." He Meiyue was somewhat at a loss for words. What would be the point of moving Wei Zhao away?

Kang Jinglong himself had not expected his status as an invalid to prove a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, had He Meiyue asked him to switch seats, he really would have been hard-pressed to find a suitable excuse to refuse.