Chapter 15: Yaoxing Academy 15

“Now, I declare the 49th Winter Sports Meet of Yaoxing Academy officially open!”

With the principal’s command, several streams of colorful smoke shot into the sky, bursting into a brilliant and dazzling display. A flock of drones twinkled and danced, rearranging into the spectacular shape of the school emblem.

The Back Mountain of Yaoxing Academy had shed its usual desolation. Athletes, referees, spectators, and media personnel bustled about in a frenzy of activity. Each competition venue stood ready, while several helicopters lifted off to handle the live broadcast of the entire event.

At the check-in area for the Ice Marathon event, the place buzzed with crowds. To allow everyone to focus on the subsequent competitions without worry, the Ice Marathon—the longest and most participant-heavy event—had been scheduled for the first day.

Lu Zhou changed into his athletic uniform and looked around for Xun Ji. A fiery red head hurried past him, and he grabbed it.

“Lin Yule, have you seen Young Master Xun?”

Lin Yule impatiently shook off his hand. “I’m looking for him too!”

“What do you need him for?” Lu Zhou frowned.

“It’s all that unreliable Yan Qian’s fault,” Lin Yule grumbled. “He ate something bad and ended up in the hospital with a stomach issue. The Ice Hockey Team is short a player now, so I need to get A Xun to fill in.”

“Young Master Xun didn’t sleep well last night and is resting in the indoor rest area,” came an oily, slick voice from behind.

Lu Zhou turned his head, and his eyes darkened slightly.

“Yan Feng, have you seen A Xun?” Lin Yule asked the newcomer.

Yan Feng nodded. “Yu Ge, want me to take you to him?”

Lin Yule grabbed him and hurried off. “Quick, quick.”

Lu Zhou followed silently but was stopped by Yan Feng’s outstretched hand.

“What’s it got to do with you, Lu Zhou?” Yan Feng’s tone dripped with provocation. “Young Master Xun said no idle people are to disturb him.”

“The Ice Marathon starts in half an hour. I need to bring him for check-in,” Lu Zhou replied unmoved.

Yan Feng sneered. “Stop pretending to care. You mooch off Young Master Xun’s house every day, yet you can’t even take proper care of his health.”

“A Xun isn’t feeling well?” Lin Yule asked nervously.

Yan Feng could trash-talk Lu Zhou freely, but he didn’t dare exaggerate to Lin Yule. He quickly explained, “Young Master Xun said he was a bit sleepy and wanted to nap.”

Lu Zhou’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. He sneered coldly at Yan Feng. “A stray dog who can’t even step through Young Master Xun’s door has nothing left but its bark.”

“You!” Yan Feng glared furiously, but his expression softened as he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed a set of Ice Marathon gear from a nearby supply truck emblazoned with the “Lin Conglomerate” logo and tossed it to Lu Zhou.

“Lu Zhou, instead of trading barbs with me, why don’t you thank Yu Ge first?” he mocked. “Without the Lin Conglomerate’s sponsorship, you probably couldn’t even afford the gear for the Ice Marathon, right?”

This year, the Xun Conglomerate hadn’t sponsored the Winter Sports Meet; instead, Lin Yule’s Lin Family had stepped in. The Lin Family had its own professional sports brand and had prepared full sets of professional gear for all athletes. For the Ice Marathon, that included the latest Ice Claws, Cold-Proof Masks, Goggles, Quick-Dry Clothes, Windproof Jackets, Knee Pads, and more.

Of course, Yaoxing’s young masters and misses mostly had their own gear and didn’t care much for the sponsorship. But for Lu Zhou, it clearly saved him a significant expense.

“Enough, you two stop bickering. Hurry up and take me to A Xun,” Lin Yule said impatiently, smacking Yan Feng on the head.

Yan Feng didn’t dare slack off. He smiled and led the way. Lu Zhou clutched the gear bag tightly and followed.

Xun Ji was indeed sleeping, his long legs awkwardly curled up on the small bed in the rest room. When Lin Yule pushed him awake, his eyes still held a dazed look.

“A Xun, don’t sleep anymore!” Lin Yule anxiously explained the Ice Hockey Team’s manpower shortage.

“You have to come save the day!” Lin Yule’s eyes turned deep and sharp, his tone brooking no refusal.

Xun Ji sat up and let out a massive yawn. A single word shattered Lin Yule’s domineering act.

“No.”

Lin Yule deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping softly against Xun Ji’s legs. He grabbed Xun Ji’s hand and began whining. “Please, please, A Xun, A Xun~”

Lu Zhou grabbed Lin Yule by the collar and tossed him aside. He stepped forward to help Xun Ji out of bed.

“We need to go for check-in.”

Xun Ji nodded and said to Lin Yule, “Find someone else. I have to do the Ice Marathon.”

Lin Yule turned away, squatting on the ground and drawing circles, his whole body radiating sulky vibes.

Xun Ji found it amusing. He walked over, bent down to comfort him, but in that instant, his vision went black.

“Young Master Xun!”

“A Xun!”

Several hands steadied his falling body.

“What’s wrong? Dizzy?” It was Lu Zhou.

“Where the hell are you putting your hands, Lu Zhou? Move!” It was Yan Feng.

“A Xun, are you okay? Want to sleep more?” It was Lin Yule.

“Shut up, all of you.”

Xun Ji waved them off, clutching his faintly aching head as he sat back on the bed. He sensed something off with his body.

Lu Zhou placed a hand on Xun Ji’s forehead and jolted back from the heat.

“Call the medical team quick. He has a fever.”

Yan Feng’s face changed. Forgetting to curse at Lu Zhou, he rushed out to fetch help.

Lin Yule looked worried. “What happened? Did he catch a chill from sleeping?”

Lu Zhou’s face was ashen, a flicker of regret passing through him. Xun Ji had been coming home late these past few days, busy with who-knows-what. Lu Zhou hadn’t pried, focusing instead on training at night for the gold medal, and had overlooked Xun Ji’s discomfort.

The Winter Sports Meet had a professional medical team. Yan Feng soon led a team doctor over, who gave Xun Ji a quick check-up.

“Fever at 38.5°C, likely from catching a chill. Recommend medication and bed rest. Go to the hospital if symptoms worsen.”

But Xun Ji’s instincts told him something wasn’t right. He’d been fine before sleeping. How did he suddenly spike a fever?

He mentally pinged the System. “System, is there any way to check my physical condition?”

【The System has a full-body scan function, requiring 100 Points to unlock. Proceed?】

Black-hearted System. Xun Ji cursed inwardly but honestly paid the Points.

【Full-body scan in progress. Results forthcoming.】

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” Lu Zhou said gravely.

“What hospital? There are competitions.”

“You’re like this and still thinking about competitions?” Lin Yule fretted.

“Young Master Xun, your health matters more than any competition,” Yan Feng advised.

Xun Ji looked left and right, then sighed helplessly.

“Fine. I’ll have Brother Wang come pick me up for the hospital.”

The three started to protest, but Xun Ji cut them off.

“Ice Hockey and the Ice Marathon are about to start, right? Go on, don’t bother me.” He stuffed himself back onto the narrow little bed, pulling the blanket over. “I’ll wait here for Brother Wang.”

The broadcast announced reminders for athlete check-ins. Lin Yule tossed out, “A Xun, I’ll come see you after my event,” and rushed off.

Xun Ji felt a gaze lingering on him from behind. He turned over, poking half his head out from the blanket toward the still-standing Lu Zhou. “Don’t you want that gold medal?”

Yan Feng smirked insincerely beside him. “Lu Zhou, go on. Young Master Xun’s fine with me taking care of him.”

Lu Zhou’s lips parted, but in the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.

The rest room fell silent. Moments later, Xun Ji got up and started changing into his athletic uniform.

“Young Master Xun, why are you getting up?” Yan Feng exclaimed in surprise.

“To compete.” Xun Ji replied curtly.

“But your body…”

“Yan Feng.” Xun Ji was in a foul mood and had no patience for debate. “My business is none of yours.”

A complex glint flashed in Yan Feng’s eyes. He murmured lowly, “Yes.”

“Have you handled what I assigned you?” Xun Ji asked.

“It’s done,” Yan Feng replied. “Don’t worry, Young Master Xun. I avoided all Back Mountain surveillance last night—no one will find out. Any investigation afterward will just blame it on errors during the venue setup.”

Xun Ji nodded and was about to step out of the rest room when Yan Feng suddenly spoke from behind.

“Young Master Xun, why… even though you’re not feeling well, do you insist on joining the Ice Marathon?”

Xun Ji paused. Naturally, it was because this was the Key Plot Point Task—he had to oversee it personally. But he couldn’t tell Yan Feng that, so he brushed it off vaguely. “I made a bet with Lu Zhou.” With that, he strode out without looking back.

In the rest room, Yan Feng hung his head and opened his phone’s photo album. He stared at the image for a moment, his fingers clenching tightly.

It showed two figures in down jackets—one black, one white—with the black one pressed intimately against the white one.

The glowing phone screen illuminated his twisted expression. Yan Feng murmured a name. “Lu Zhou…”

He laughed, the smile growing wider and wider. “After today, there will be no more Lu Zhou at Yaoxing Academy.”