NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Chapter 35
**Chapter 35: Can't Wake Up Someone Pretending to Sleep**
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened as he replied curtly to the person in charge of the Great Fighting Soul Arena.
"I find this highly inappropriate. I was attacked and injured in your arena, yet instead of capturing the attacker and demanding an apology, you're expelling me—the victim. Are you not afraid of disrespecting the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family?"
The person in charge sighed, his tone turning more serious.
"Second Young Master Yu, I strongly advise you to leave. The individual who attacked you has a background far higher than yours. To put it bluntly, they're someone we in the Great Fighting Soul Arena cannot afford to offend."
Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted. 'Higher than my background?" Could the attacker be from the Haotian Sect or the Qibao Liuli Sect? Or worse, from the Spirit Hall?
If it was someone from the Haotian Sect or Qibao Liuli Sect, the matter could be resolved diplomatically by having his father mediate. However, if the attacker were from the Spirit Hall, it would be much more complicated. Their enmity with the three great sects meant they wouldn't hesitate to kill someone like him if they wanted to.
Yu Xiaogang's tone softened as he asked tentatively, "I see. Since you cannot act against the attacker, I won't pursue the matter further. However, may I at least know who hit me?"
The person in charge gave him a strange look, raising an eyebrow.
"You mean… you don't know?" he asked incredulously.
Yu Xiaogang frowned at the odd response. The man sighed before continuing.
"The one who hit you with a stick today is the same woman who wiped your mouth yesterday. She's also the one who knocked you out with a chair. Haven't you asked around enough already?"
His blunt answer landed like a thunderclap.
Yu Xiaogang's expression twisted in disbelief. "Are you mocking me? The one who attacked me yesterday was clearly that scoundrel I confronted at noon. He admitted it himself! How could it have been her—the gentle, kind woman who wiped my blood and gave me her handkerchief? If you keep slandering her, I'll fight you to the death right here!"
His anger surged. How could they tell such lies about her?
To him, Bibi Dong was the epitome of kindness and grace. Her angelic beauty and innocent demeanor made her incapable of such cruelty. The accusations against her were nothing more than jealous fabrications from those trying to sabotage his connection with her.
Shameless. Truly shameless, Yu Xiaogang thought angrily.
The person in charge of the arena stared at him, speechless. 'You can't wake someone pretending to sleep,' he thought. No matter how plainly he stated the facts, Yu Xiaogang refused to see the truth.
For Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong existed only as the kind-hearted woman who had tended to him after his injury. Nothing could shatter that image. Even if he saw her knock him unconscious with his own eyes, he would have found a way to rationalize it.
Exasperated, the person in charge gave up.
"Do as you please, then," he muttered, turning to leave.
As the door closed behind him, Yu Xiaogang sneered. 'They think I'm a fool?'
He prided himself on his ability to read people, and he was confident that Bibi Dong's clear, pure eyes could belong only to someone of genuine kindness. Those spreading rumors about her were clearly jealous of his good fortune.
"They want to break us apart," he whispered fiercely. "But I won't let them succeed."
His heart swelled with determination. He would not allow lies and deceit to separate him from the angelic woman who had captured his heart.
Yu Xiaogang tried to rise from the bed, intending to find Bibi Dong and confess his feelings. But as pain shot through his body, he fell back with a groan.
'I need to recover first,' he thought begrudgingly. 'Only then can I pursue her properly.'
As he pictured her graceful figure, his heart raced with anticipation.
---
After spending the afternoon shopping, Zhao Ling and Ah Yin eventually returned to the Great Fighting Soul Arena.
As Bibi Dong had mentioned earlier, she wasn't scheduled for any matches that afternoon. After winning 15 consecutive individual matches in the morning, the arena had decided to give her a break—a testament to her sheer dominance.
The other Spirit Hall elites, however, had been given some afternoon matches. Watching their performances, Zhao Ling noticed something interesting.
The Spirit Hall team's record was exceptional, even beyond Bibi Dong's undefeated streak. Most of their members had lost only two or three matches at most, which had drawn considerable attention from the arena's betting community.
This success came with a downside, however. By the afternoon, the odds for Spirit Hall participants had dropped dramatically. Betting on them now offered far less profit than betting on their opponents.
Zhao Ling frowned. If this trend continues, what will happen when Bibi Dong returns to the ring tomorrow?
Given her undefeated record, the odds for her matches would likely plummet even further, rendering any potential winnings negligible.
If this were the original novel, he mused, the arena would probably upgrade her Iron Soul Badge to a Silver Soul Badge, just like they did for Tang San.
Such an upgrade would undoubtedly increase her value in the Great Fighting Soul Arena but could also slow her progression to the Gold Soul Badge level. This meant Zhao Ling's chances of making substantial gains from her matches were growing slimmer by the day.
He sighed. 'I need a better plan if I'm going to capitalize on this.'
As Zhao Ling pondered his next move, Ah Yin tugged at his sleeve, breaking him from his thoughts. Her playful smile and soft voice were enough to brighten his mood.
For now, Zhao Ling decided to focus on enjoying the moment.
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(End of Chapter)