Half an hour later—

"Su Zhi!" "Su Zhi!"

"That’s enough... Let me down..."

Liu Yuhang had his head, Cao Mingyu had his rear, and Shao Ya had his feet. The three of them were tossing Su Zhi into the air and catching him.

Though Su Zhi was protesting, he had a playful grin on his face, enjoying his friends’ enthusiasm and the rush of air past his ears.

A steady stream of onlookers came over to join in, wanting to see for themselves what the legendary God Su felt like.

Eventually, a huge crowd was tossing Su Zhi around, and the scene was exceptionally lively...

"Damn it! Who touched my ass?"

"My friend Su Zhi, I swear on my honor, it absolutely was not me."

"Did I ask you? So you’re just confessing, are you!"

The air below the arena was filled with joy.

Yu Bao had been sitting to the side, craning his neck and looking around for a long time. When he finally saw Big Brother Xiaoyue coming down from the stands, he bounded over, all Bling Bling, and stuck close.

’Big Brother Xiaoyue! I won! I’m the champion!’

"Meow-wu-wa-meow."

’Alright, alright, you’re pretty amazing.’

Xiaoyue lifted a paw with its pink pads and patted him on the head. Seeing Yu Bao’s ecstatic state, he looked on with fond exasperation.

’So what if he won the championship? He’s still a silly little puppy who’ll never grow up.’

’He still needs his big brother to look after him...’

The crowd finally dispersed, and Su Zhi was back on solid ground. He happened to see the two little guys, and a smile couldn’t help but touch his eyes.

BRRRING! His phone rang. The caller was his old man.

Su Zhi answered, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Xiaoshu, your mom and I saw your final match. You were amazing!"

On the other end of the line was Su Mao’s voice, calm but with a hint of excitement.

It was as if he had always believed his son could do it, but seeing it actually happen still moved him.

Wang Sujuan, on the other hand, sounded like she was crying with happiness, sniffling as she muttered things like, "Xiaoshu is incredible," and "My son has the bearing of a Great Emperor."

’So your true personalities are the opposite of what they seem...’ The corner of Su Zhi’s mouth twitched up as he said gently,

"Yeah. It’s been tough on you guys, too!"

Su Zhi had been staying in a dorm during the city league.

His parents called him every night to check in, chatting about what they ate and any interesting things that happened that day.

But they never asked about the competition, worried it would pressure him, even though they were silently following his progress the whole time.

They wouldn’t interfere with his choices, but whenever he needed them, they would always offer whatever support they could.

’With parents like these, how could I not win?’

"It was nothing! Okay, son, we’ll see you at the award ceremony later!"

"Haha, sounds good!"

"Oh, right, son, your dad has a surprise for you. You should find out what it is soon."

"A surprise?"

"Gotta go, bye."

’So mysterious. What kind of surprise could a writer come up with...’ Su Zhi shook his head with a laugh, a quiet sense of anticipation building within him.

The first-year finals were the last to be held among the three grade levels.

Now, the city league tournament schedule was complete, and staff were methodically setting up the venue. The award ceremony would be held here in a few minutes.

Catching a faint, pleasant scent, Su Zhi turned his head.

The white-haired, blue-eyed girl was standing behind him, studying him quietly, her eyes brimming with a smile.

"Congratulations!" she said, tilting her head.

"Didn’t you sleep well?" Su Zhi immediately noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Only then did he realize that Shao Ya had seemed a bit exhausted these past two days.

"Maybe~ The schedule has been so tight, no one’s been getting good rest."

"That’s true. We’re heading home tomorrow morning, so get a good rest tonight."

They looked at each other, then simultaneously turned to gaze at the award podium that had been set up in the distance.

Their adjacent hands drifted toward each other, but just as they were about to touch, they quietly fell back to their sides.

"Let’s go, together!"

"Okay!"

Ten minutes later, at the award ceremony.

Su Zhi stood behind the highest champion’s spot, while Fang Yuan stood behind the slightly lower runner-up’s spot. The city league didn’t have a third place, so Liu Yuhang stood behind a top-four spot next to Fang Yuan, and Shao Ya’s top-four spot was beside Su Zhi’s, perhaps by coincidence.

"For the first-year division top four—from Huai City First Middle School, Shao Ya!"

Amidst a tide of applause, Shao Ya stepped onto the podium and gave a sweet smile for the cameras, trying her best to hide the dark circles under her eyes.

Knowing many people were watching, Xiaoyue sat beside his master with elegance, dignity, and grace, exuding the air of a high-class cat.

However, no one was paying attention to him. The livestream chat was flooded with a "ten-thousand-person blood petition" begging Miss Shao Ya to show her red-eyed form again.

"For the first-year division top four—from Huai City First Middle School, Liu Yuhang!"

Liu Yuhang and Xue Li also stepped onto the podium amidst applause.

After his crushing defeat in the semifinals, his face had shown confusion and self-doubt. But now, there was only determination.

The applause for Liu Yuhang wasn’t the loudest, but it was the most enduring.

Besides, the ducky is really cute too!

"For the first-year division runner-up—from Huai City Second Middle School, Fang Yuan!"

Amidst the applause, Fang Yuan stepped onto the podium, but 004 was nowhere to be seen. It was customary for the Pet Beast and Beast Tamer to take the stage together, unless one was unable to for some reason.

Su Zhi noticed that Fang Yuan’s expression was also quite grim.

There were murmurs of speculation in the crowd, but they were faint. After all, the runner-up rarely gets much attention. Everyone’s focus was already on the man of the hour—

"For the first-year division champion—independent contestant, Su Zhi!!"

To the most fervent cheers and applause, Su Zhi stepped onto the champion’s podium, taking the highest spot.

The organizing committee chairman, Peng Kai, personally presented the awards to the four of them.

Bronze, silver, gold.

Su Zhi looked at the shiny Gold Medal in his hand, then at Yu Bao, and held it to his mouth.

Yu Bao nibbled it carefully, leaving a faint little tooth mark. Master and pet looked at each other and both broke into smiles.

The award ceremony moved on to the next item on the agenda: the champion’s acceptance speech.

Su Zhi took the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below the podium.

Liu Junpiao was there, and Zhou Shengfa had also come as his advising teacher. He had specially worn a wig today and looked quite spirited.

Noticing that Su Zhi was a little shy to begin, Zhou Shengfa offered a smile and an encouraging look.

’It’s okay, just say it!’

Su Zhi nodded and looked toward the cameras.

"First, I want to thank my parents. They fed me, clothed me, sent me to school, and taught me things that are even more important."

"Without their silent support, I wouldn’t have become who I am today, and I wouldn’t be standing here."

CLAP CLAP CLAP! Fervent applause broke out.

Liu Junpiao held back a laugh.

Zhou Shengfa’s smile was a little awkward. He felt a bit jilted.

Su Zhi chuckled softly and looked toward his homeroom teacher and his senior.

"Next, I want to thank my homeroom teacher, Teacher Zhou Shengfa, and my senior, Liu Junpiao."

"I’m not the kind of student who likes to do things by the book. I always have my own audacious ideas."

"When Teacher Zhou found out, he didn’t criticize me. Instead, he gave me his utmost support and even invited my senior, Liu Junpiao, to help me cover my bases."

"Teacher, thank you for your tolerance. Senior, thank you for your guidance. I will continue on this path, and I will go even further!"

Applause rang out again. Zhou Shengfa clapped along, his reddened eyes filled with a smile.

At this moment, he was even happier than when he saw the words "Got it."

"There are so many people I want to thank. My classmates, my friends, everyone who has ever helped me... and also all of my opponents."

"I always thought of myself as a lone wolf who didn’t fit in—but in reality, I have the whole world."

"Thank you all."

This would have been a natural place to end, but Su Zhi paused and looked toward the top-four spot beside him.

As if sensing his gaze, the girl with the brilliant white hair turned her head, and their eyes met.

The corner of Su Zhi’s mouth lifted, and he raised the microphone again.

"Finally, I also want to thank my deskmate, Shao Ya."

"Thank you for bringing me food when I forgot to eat."

"Thank you for comforting me when I was treated unfairly."

"Thank you for staying by my side when I hit rock bottom."

"Thank you for your support, thank you for your companionship, thank you for your strength, and thank you for your belief in me."

"Thank you for being with me on this journey!"

Amidst the thunderous applause, the girl turned her head away with a charming coyness. Her azure eyes were misty with tears, yet they were clearly overflowing with a happy smile.

In that moment, she was even happier than if she had won the championship herself.

...

...

「In an apartment in a certain building in the city suburbs—」

Fang Lihua stared intently at the screen, his body trembling, his eyes bloodshot.

"FUCK!"

When he saw the scene of Yu Bao sending 004 flying, he finally lost control and smashed the screen with his fist.

A minute-long stream of curses echoed through the study.

A woman waited at the door, her hands folded, waiting in silence. Only when the cursing subsided did she push the door open and enter...

CRACK!

A teacup was violently smashed on the floor. Fang Lihua’s breathing was heavy, like a crazed beast’s. It seemed the mere sight of his wife inexplicably irritated him.

"Bastard! Useless brat!"

The woman tried to gently placate him. "The boy already did his best, we should still..."

SLAP!

The woman staggered back two steps, a bright red handprint appearing on her face.

"A doting mother spoils the son! This is all your goddamn fault!"

"He made such a fucking mess of the city league, now he can’t go to the summer camp! I worked my ass off to pave the way for him, and he just screws it all up like this!"

Fang Lihua pointed at his wife, fuming, then swept everything off the desk and onto the floor in one motion.

It wasn’t until the phone in his pocket rang that the arrogant husband reined in his tirade and went to the living room to answer it.

As he stormed off, the woman silently bent down to clean up the mess on the floor.

"Ah, your colleague is coming to visit? Yes, yes! Of course!"

In the living room, Fang Lihua’s face was wreathed in smiles as he spoke in a friendly tone.

The caller was a middle school classmate who was now an Alliance Member of the Holy Order Sub-Alliance of the Common Defense Alliance. Fang Lihua had previously consulted him to learn many ways to evade disciplinary inspections, which was how he became a principal.

"Who is it this time, Old Ma or... Hello? Hello?"

Only the dial tone of a disconnected call remained.

Fang Lihua blinked. His old classmate seemed to be in a hurry, which wasn’t a good sign.

But no matter. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to handle something like this.

’Just act polite, slip them a couple of cartons of cigarettes when the time is right, maybe treat them to a meal later, and everything will be fine...’

TAP TAP TAP.

A knock came at the door.

"Coming! Coming!" Fang Lihua opened the door, his face covered in smiles, and saw several capable-looking young people in the uniforms of Holy Order Alliance Members.

"Hello, hello!"

Fang Lihua enthusiastically shook the leader’s hand.

"Hello. You’re Fang Lihua, correct?"

"Ah, that’s me!"

The young man smiled and nodded, then pulled out a pair of shiny, limited-edition silver bracelets and cuffed him.

"?"

Fang Lihua was stunned. "Wait, comrade, this is..."

"Don’t call me comrade. You’re not worthy."

The young man pointed to the Alliance Member medal on his chest. A deep blue Beast Taming Light Array unfurled, and his previously amicable eyes instantly turned ice-cold.

"Fang Lihua, male, 47 years old... suspected of 18 crimes, including Endangering the Future of Blue Star and corruption. Following an investigation by our Alliance’s specialists, the evidence is conclusive and the impact is severe."

"I am Captain Guo Weidong, Alliance Member serial number 00313412. I am now leading the 11th squad of the Holy Order Alliance to lawfully arrest you."

"If you have anything to say, say it to the interrogator. From this moment on, if you dare say a single word, I have the right to execute you on the spot."

Fang Lihua opened his mouth, then looked at the other two young Alliance Members.

"Don’t look at me. I heard the author’s going to sacrifice you for a month of explosive updates, so the captain came without a second thought."

"For the sake of the author’s explosive updates, sorry. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for messing with the wrong people."

Under his wife’s stunned gaze, a completely bewildered Fang Lihua was cuffed and led downstairs...

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Tenth day of updating 10,000 words! [Habitual Burst] unlocked. Next goal: [Update 10,000 Words Daily]!