Chapter 871 - 873: Smoke Arises on the Arena_1
By the time Bai Ruozhu hurried back to the competition arena, thick smoke from an upwind vantage point had already drifted into the central area. Fortunately, the upwind side was not where the audience sat, sparing many from choking on the smoke, but it still caused a good number of people to panic and leave their VIP seats.
At that moment, Jianqi returned to her side and whispered, "Master, everything has been taken care of, the organizing committee has already sent someone to investigate, and our people have concealed our tracks, so they won’t be discovered."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "I’ll head back to the delegation now, be careful, and adapt to the situation if anything arises."
"Yes," said Jianqi.
When Bai Ruozhu returned, she purposely showed a shocked expression, "What happened? Where is all this smoke coming from, did a water pipe burst?"
"No idea, the competition has been suspended by the organizing committee, and they have sent people to check," said Tu Ying.
Bai Zepei was already walking towards the team, and Bai Ruozhu noticed that his complexion was really bad, already looking like he could tumble over at any moment. She hurriedly stepped forward to support her brother, quietly stuffing a pill into his mouth and whispered, "Big Brother, don’t talk, sit down and rest for a bit."
Bai Zepei sat down and closed his eyes to rest. Although the head of the literary institute and the others were worried, they knew he needed to rest and didn’t bother him, only having someone stand by to support him, lest he fell from his seat.
"Due to a minor accident, this morning’s Chess Skill finale will be postponed to the afternoon, and everyone may return to rest for now," announced a person in charge from the organizing committee.
Bai Ruozhu let out a huge sigh of relief, thankful that the plan had succeeded.
Tu Ying patted her chest, whispering, "That’s great, otherwise your brother might not have been able to hold on." As she spoke, she suddenly looked surprised, her eyes wide as she turned to Bai Ruozhu and whispered, "Did you just..."
"What are you thinking? I just went to relieve myself, and I even ran into that Xu Panrui. She caused Gu Xue’an to twist her ankle, so I helped apply some medicine to it and then hurried back," Bai Ruozhu scolded her lightly.
Tu Ying smiled awkwardly, wondering if she was just overthinking things, but the timing of the smoke was indeed perfect.
"We’ve done well today, let’s not go back to our lodgings for lunch, how about we eat at the restaurant nearby? My treat," suggested the head of the literary institute, glancing over at Bai Zepei, worrying that travelling back and forth might tire him out.
Everyone agreed, and a few praised Tu Ying, saying she was as capable as any man.
At that time, Jiang Yichun also came over from the VIP seats and went to the restaurant with them.
As soon as they arrived, Bai Ruozhu paid a high price to the shopkeeper for a private room, helped her brother into the room to rest, and decided he needn’t attend the lunch. Food would be brought to him, giving him more time to recoup.
After examining her brother and applying a set of needles, his complexion had improved significantly. Looking up at Bai Ruozhu, he asked, "This was your doing, wasn’t it?"
Bai Ruozhu knew she couldn’t deceive her brother, so she replied softly, "Don’t make a fuss, I haven’t even told Tu Ying. Arson is a jailable offense."
Bai Zepei frowned, "Don’t take such risks in the future. After all, it’s only about coming in second."
Bai Ruozhu said nothing, feeling it wasn’t about being first or second, but rather that her brother would definitely grit his teeth and push through, likely collapsing immediately after the competition. She had promised her parents to take good care of her brother and couldn’t let anything happen to him.
When I emerged from the house and returned to my seat, I saw Chancellor Wen holding Dengdeng in his arms, with Jiang Yichun sitting beside him with a cold expression. I couldn’t tell if he was unhappy about the child being held by Chancellor Wen, or if that big vinegar jar was feeling jealous again.
I walked over and sat down next to Jiang Yichun, smiling as I said, "Second Brother will feel a bit better after some rest."
Jiang Yichun responded with a cold hum. Heh, sure enough, he was jealous again. Bai Ruozhu found it amusing in her heart. Why was he even jealous of her brother?
Thinking that Jiang Yichun just had a cold temperament, Chancellor Wen, while holding Dengdeng, said to Bai Ruozhu, "This child is very smart and not afraid of people. He will definitely achieve great things in the future."
Bai Ruozhu was very pleased to hear this and said, "Thank you for the praise, Chancellor Wen. Then we must certainly cultivate him well."
Soon, the dishes were served one after another, and everyone ate merrily. Chancellor Wen also specifically instructed the waiter to send some soft, easy-to-digest dishes to Bai Zepei.
Grateful, Bai Ruozhu’s impression of Chancellor Wen improved even more.
The conversation among the company turned to the afternoon competition. Mr. Zhang, somewhat worried, said, "I don’t know if Zepei will be able to persevere in the calligraphy competition after competing in chess this afternoon. Ah, it’s not easy for that child."
Dang Youshen, feeling annoyed, muttered, "Everyone has come all this way. Bai Zepei’s constitution seems too weak, doesn’t it? Isn’t his sister a doctor? Why doesn’t she treat him properly?"
As soon as he heard this, Mr. Zhang slapped the table and said sternly, "Dang Youshen, control yourself. We are now in Jiangnan, and we are all on the same side. Why should we target each other and give the other teams something to laugh about?"
"I’m just telling the truth. You’re being too protective, Mr. Zhang." Dang Youshen had little fear of Mr. Zhang. Mr. Zhang wasn’t his teacher, nor was he of higher status than his father; in fact, he even looked down on Mr. Zhang somewhat.
"Bai Zepei was shot in the chest, with damage to his internal organs. If it hadn’t been for Lady Jiang’s exceptional medical skills, he might not have been able to participate in the competition at all. His condition was almost better, but because of Qin Kaichang’s disappearance and his excessive worry, his illness recurred. Bai Zepei didn’t mention it because he didn’t want everyone to worry. But as his classmates, if you don’t care about him, then why make such sarcastic and scornful remarks here?" Mr. Zhang could not contain his anger and revealed the incident of Bai Zepei being shot with an arrow.
Everyone was taken aback, as they had thought that Bai Zepei was merely suffering from a cold. Even when Dang Youshen had spoken, some had felt Bai Zepei was a bit delicate.
Now that the truth was known, the company looked at Dang Youshen with less courtesy. With everyone sharing a common enemy, there was no need for infighting.
At that moment, several women approached, and one of them greeted Bai Ruozhu with a smile, "Miss Bai, we meet again. These are the members of your Beiyu Study Palace’s delegation, right?"
Bai Ruozhu turned her head and saw Xu Panrui, whom she had met before. She didn’t like Xu Panrui, but one doesn’t hit a smiling face, so she stood up and replied with a smile, "Indeed, we are having a meal here before heading back to participate in the competition."
Xu Panrui glanced over the people at the two tables and, puzzled, asked, "Where is the young master who is competing in today’s final with Tang Feng? Isn’t he from your Beiyu Study Palace?"
Tu Ying also disliked Xu Panrui and said with an unpleasant tone, "Bai Zepei is Ruozhu’s second brother. He’s resting due to feeling unwell."
Xu Panrui, however, covered her mouth and chuckled, "Is it that he’s too nervous about facing our Tang Feng, so he’s hiding away looking for chess manuals, trying to seek Buddha’s help at the last minute?"
"You..." Tu Ying’s eyes widened as she was about to speak, but Bai Ruozhu pulled her back. The others were also quite displeased, but since Xu Panrui was a woman, it was inappropriate for the men to argue with her, so they held back.
Yet Bai Ruozhu responded to Xu Panrui with an enchanting smile and asked, "Our Tang Feng? Miss Xu, are you a relative of Mr. Tang?"