The tall, flame-red figure who appeared in front of them was none other than Huo Wu of Blazing Academy.
When she blocked their path, everyone from Shrek Academy instinctively turned toward Lin Jie, who had now fully recovered.
Huo Wu glanced at the Shrek team, who had just secured their sixth straight win. She bit her lip slightly, her heated gaze locking onto Lin Jie with no attempt to hide it. But this time, her eyes held none of the frustration or defiance they once did—only a complex, difficult-to-describe expression.
"Miss Huo Wu, is there something we can help you with?" asked Dai Mubai, stepping forward as team captain.
Huo Wu gave him a brief glance before looking back at Lin Jie. Her voice was soft. "Lin Jie, I'd like to speak with you. Alone."
Everyone turned toward Lin Jie in surprise, not understanding what was going on.
Lin Jie noticed the curious looks, especially Zhu Zhuqing's questioning gaze. He looked at Huo Wu, brow slightly furrowed. "What do you need to talk about?"
Huo Wu's eyes seemed to burn with an inner flame. She replied gently, "Just something I want to discuss privately."
Lin Jie was a little startled by the heat in her gaze. Wait a minute, don't tell me this girl's… fallen for me? Sure, he knew he was handsome and powerful, but he didn't believe in love at first sight nonsense. Could Huo Wu have been hit so hard she's lost her mind?
Well, objectively speaking, she was indeed very attractive. At nineteen, she had blossomed into a stunning beauty, her figure honed to perfection through rigorous training. She was over 1.8 meters tall, with long, toned legs, a slender waist, graceful curves, and skin so fair it glowed with a rosy undertone. Her oval face, slender eyebrows, small cherry lips, and exquisite nose all came together under a pair of expressive, fiery eyes that seemed to glow with life.
Dai Mubai blinked in surprise as well. Even he could tell what Huo Wu meant by asking to speak alone. As someone who had long moved through crowds of admirers, he certainly wasn't unfamiliar with these signs. To him, Huo Wu had always been a woman worth pursuing—gorgeous, strong, and proud.
He had tried to get close ever since the qualifiers, but Huo Wu had only ever paid attention to Lin Jie—never sparing him even a glance. And since Lin Jie had arrived, Dai Mubai had noticed that he himself was no longer the one receiving all the girls' attention.
The rest of the Shrek team had noticed too. Ever since Lin Jie defeated her in the qualifiers, Huo Wu hadn't taken her eyes off him. No one could quite figure out why.
It wasn't until later that they realized—what affected her wasn't admiration, but the blow to her pride. Huo Wu had always been treated like a princess, never once facing true failure. She was competitive to the core, and Lin Jie's victory over her had carved a deep mark in her heart.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang looked at Lin Jie and said calmly, "Go ahead. Just come back afterward."
Lin Jie nodded, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing and the others with a soft smile. "You all go ahead. I'll be back soon—don't worry."
Since everyone knew Huo Wu couldn't possibly harm Lin Jie, no one was too concerned. Only Ning Rongrong looked visibly annoyed, glaring at Huo Wu with a pout. She clearly wanted to say something, but ended up holding back. She tugged Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu away toward their rest area.
Huo Wu's gaze softened slightly as she looked at the calm Lin Jie in front of her. "Come with me," she said quietly.
Lin Jie wasn't the least bit afraid, and followed her into the rest area.
They stopped in a quiet corner of the resting room. Since the matches were still ongoing outside, the room was nearly empty—and this corner was remote enough that few people ever came here.
Once she stopped walking, Huo Wu looked at him and asked softly, "Your injury… is it better?"
"It's completely healed," Lin Jie replied with a nod. He understood his body well. The damage from Huo Wu's earlier attack wasn't much of a concern.
"I'm glad." Huo Wu visibly relaxed.
"You didn't ask me here just for small talk, did you?" Lin Jie said flatly.
Huo Wu felt slightly deflated. She knew full well how beautiful she was. Most people dreamed of even exchanging a few words with her. Yet this man in front of her didn't seem affected in the slightest.
"…Do you dislike talking to me?" she asked, a trace of her usual fire returning to her voice.
"Not really," Lin Jie replied. "Your temper's a bit hot, but you're a good person. And you're very beautiful."
She was just about to get irritated again when his last sentence caught her off guard. For some reason, his compliment made her feel… happy.
She glanced up, her voice softer now. "Do boys like you prefer gentle girls?"
"Hm… not necessarily," Lin Jie said thoughtfully. "Depends on the person, I guess. Personally, I think you're kind of cute the way you are."
"Cute…" Huo Wu froze, stunned. She had never thought that's how Lin Jie viewed her.
Seeing her fall into thought, Lin Jie added, "If there's nothing else, I should get going. There's a match tomorrow—I need rest."
He turned slightly to leave.
"Wait!" Huo Wu said hurriedly. "I want to ask you one more thing."
Lin Jie paused. She was standing eye-to-eye with him, and her expression was deadly serious.
"Ask away," he said calmly.
Huo Wu locked eyes with him and said firmly, "That day… why did you shield me from that attack? I was trying to hit you."
"…That's what you wanted to ask?" Lin Jie raised an eyebrow.
She nodded.
Lin Jie shrugged. "We're opponents, not enemies. It was just a split-second decision. And well… you're a beautiful girl. I wouldn't want to see someone like you die right in front of me."
"That's it?" she asked blankly.
She hadn't expected that answer at all.
Ever since that day, when Lin Jie had taken the hit meant for himself to protect her, Huo Wu had thought about it over and over. Her first assumption, naturally, was that Lin Jie had feelings for her. After all, she was beautiful—and there were plenty of people who liked her, Feng Xiaotian included.
But now, the man in question had just said it was "a spur-of-the-moment" choice.
Not romantic. Not meaningful. Just casual.
She couldn't help but feel disappointed. There was something about Lin Jie that made her heart stir, something she couldn't explain.
Lin Jie could tell she was zoning out. He thought about Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong and figured it was better to return quickly. He'd noticed earlier how Rongrong had glared daggers at Huo Wu—she looked like she wanted to club her with a stick.
Sure, Huo Wu was beautiful, but Lin Jie already had two stunning girls by his side. He didn't want to complicate things.
Just as Huo Wu stood frozen in silence, Lin Jie turned to leave.
"Lin Jie!" Huo Wu suddenly snapped out of her daze and called after him.
He'd only taken a few steps when she dashed forward. Caught off guard, they collided.
Huo Wu instinctively raised her hands to her chest to brace herself, which ended up pressing her palms against his chest.
Lin Jie, trying not to fall backward, reflexively reached out and grabbed her smooth, delicate shoulders.
They were now face-to-face, so close they could feel each other's breath.
From this distance, Lin Jie could see every exquisite detail of her face: her smooth forehead, willow-leaf eyebrows, eyes like shimmering autumn lakes, graceful nose, soft pink lips, and the elegant curve of her chin. She really was stunning.
Lin Jie snapped out of it and said softly, "Be careful."
But at that moment, Huo Wu made a decision.
She bit her lower lip, then suddenly reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck—and before Lin Jie could react, her soft, crimson lips pressed against his.
He froze, utterly stunned. Their faces had been so close already, and now, Huo Wu had completely closed the gap.