After the fake young master left home, he discovered that it wasn't raining at all outside.

Xu Zhiyuan's gaze fell on the boy surrounded by the Huanyu Academy.

He was tall and slender, with a dignified demeanor and handsome appearance, but he didn't seem to smile much.

"Hey, the match's started." Shen Yan, not knowing what Xu Zhiyuan was staring at so intently, patted him on the shoulder to remind him, and then left alone.

Xu Zhiyuan snapped out of his reverie and absentmindedly walked toward the waiting area of ​​Shangjing Middle School.

An Yixuan?

Why did he come along too?

Xu Zhiyuan couldn't understand why he could be found everywhere he went.

No, I can't let him find out about me.

He walked over to Shen Yan and his teammates in a daze, and Xu Zhiyuan suddenly spoke up, "I'm not playing in today's game, call a substitute."

Shen Yan: ?

"What's wrong with you? Aren't you usually the most enthusiastic?" Shen Yan had just warmed up when he heard Xu Zhiyuan suddenly say that he wanted to quit.

"It's nothing, I'm just not feeling well." Xu Zhiyuan didn't tell the truth and made up a lie.

"Are you alright? Should we call the medical staff?" The coach didn't notice anything wrong with Xu Zhiyuan and assumed he was genuinely unwell, so he dutifully showed concern.

"It's nothing, I'll be fine after a rest." Xu Zhiyuan said, while intentionally or unintentionally hiding behind the crowd.

Shen Yan didn't say anything more.

It's better if I don't play; that way, my master will only have eyes for me.

During regular matches, Xu Zhiyuan always stole the show, causing quite a stir with his superb skills and captivating presence.

Although Shen Yan was not as good as him, he was not jealous of Xu Zhiyuan.

After all, you have to accept that you're not as skilled as others.

The whistle blew and the match started quickly. Right from the start, Shen Yan noticed the provocative smiles of the players from Huanyu Academy on the other side, as if they were determined to win.

Meanwhile, in the audience seats—

"Hey, Brother Yan, it seems Brother Yuan didn't play." Lu Ze was still looking for Xu Zhiyuan, but he couldn't find him anywhere.

"Yes, I saw it." Zhu Yan also noticed it.

"This doesn't make sense. Didn't he just say he was going to show off his skills?" Lu Ze asked, looking at the match absentmindedly with a puzzled expression.

Without Xu Zhiyuan, the game loses its passion.

"Let's watch the game. He might be up to something again." Zhu Yan couldn't figure it out either, but given Xu Zhiyuan's unreliable nature, no one could have imagined that he would do something so outrageous.

"Haha, Brother Yuan is being quiet, he must be up to something." Lu Ze thought about it and realized that no one could figure out what Xu Zhi was thinking.

If Xu Zhiyuan were here, he would definitely feel extremely wronged.

He really didn't intend to cause any trouble; he was just trying to avoid someone.

Xu Zhiyuan sat in the audience watching the situation on the field, and the outlook was not optimistic, as his team was far behind in the score.

It's not that the substitute player is weak; the main problem is that Xu Zhiyuan has been playing alongside them all this time, and the substitute simply can't keep up with his teammates' pace.

In the first half, Shangjing Middle School made numerous mistakes and fell behind Huanyu Academy.

"With this level of skill, what's the point of you even participating in the competition?" The people from Huanyu Academy deliberately came up to Shen Yan and his group to show off.

"Haha, if you're bad at this, practice more. Don't embarrass yourself."

"Sigh, I thought they were so great, but they still lose to us every year. They're our defeated opponents."

……

Fortunately, Shen Yan remained calm and was not affected by the mockery of the group in front of him, but his teammates could not hold back.

"What did you say?! Say it again if you dare!"

Shen Yan's teammate rushed forward, intending to fight the people from Huanyu Academy, but Shen Yan reacted quickly, grabbing his teammate and pushing him back.

"Do you want to be suspended?"

Shen Yan's words brought his teammates back to their senses.

The members of Shangjing Middle School watched as disdainful smiles swept past them, their hands clenched tightly.

"Brother Yuan, are you badly injured? Are you really unable to play? I really can't stand those people from Huanyu anymore, they're too arrogant!" The team member complained to Xu Zhiyuan as soon as he returned.

"Exactly, they think they're so great. We're the ones who give in to them every year."

The team members expressed their dissatisfaction one after another, while Xu Zhiyuan sat in his chair, listening silently without saying a word.

"What did you see that made you so scared? You're such a coward." Shen Yan didn't complain. Instead, he sat down next to Xu Zhiyuan, unscrewed a bottle of water, and took a sip.

Shen Yan knew that Xu Zhiyuan wasn't uncomfortable at all. One second he was joking around with Zhu Yan, and the next second he must have seen something, and he turned into a coward.

"Scared? What a joke." Xu Zhiyuan couldn't sit still when he heard Shen Yan call him a coward. "I'm just afraid that if I go on the field, they'll lose so badly that they'll cry."

"Pretending." Shen Yancai didn't believe his nonsense. "You were the one who said you wanted to win the championship, and you were the one who ran away at the last minute. How can you be so contradictory? How could the master possibly look favorably upon you?"

Shen Yan looked down on Xu Zhiyuan even more because of his sudden change of heart, and even used the banquet as an excuse to attack him.

When Zhu Yan was mentioned, Xu Zhiyuan fell silent. He was avoiding that person because of Zhu Yan!

No, it's still An Yixuan's fault. Otherwise, he would be the one on the field, full of vigor, while Zhu Yan is watching from below, completely mesmerized.

Of course, this is just Xu Zhiyuan's personal conjecture.

"Really not going? Are you willing to accept that?"

Shen Yan asked one last, tentative question.

"I'm not going." Xu Zhiyuan's attitude was firm. He would rather lose the game than let An Yixuan find out about him.

Fine.

Shen Yan didn't try to persuade him anymore, but instead prepared for the second half of the game. Winning or losing really wasn't important to him.

"Oh no, Yuan-ge! Our substitute was sulking in the bathroom and kicked the wall, and now he's injured his foot and can't play!" A player rushed in and said urgently to Xu Zhiyuan, "The coach has already gone to take care of it, but the game is about to start! What do we do?!"

Looking at the group of teenagers in front of them, they really wanted to win. Moreover, when the team was formed, it was Xu Zhiyuan who proposed to win the championship, but he abandoned the entire team for his own reasons.

Moreover, he knew that what these teenagers wanted to win was not the competition itself.

Rather, it is the mountain called "rights".

In every previous competition, no one dared to stand up and say, "What bullshit is this 'Global Championship'? Just beat them and that's it."

Until Xu Zhiyuan appeared, giving them this hope.

But now, Xu Zhiyuan has destroyed it with his own hands.

Alas, forget it.

Xu Zhiyuan eventually softened.

At worst, we can just take An Yixuan aside and talk to him alone, and make sure Ayan doesn't run into him.

"I'll take over for the second half."

Xu Zhiyuan's words reignited the bright smiles on the faces of these teenagers.

In the second half, Xu Zhiyuan made a strong comeback, and the audience's enthusiasm indeed increased significantly, with them constantly chanting Xu Zhiyuan's name.

Xu Zhiyuan lived up to expectations and quickly brought the score back.

But at this moment, in the waiting area of ​​the Universal Academy, a burning gaze never left Xu Zhiyuan.

"A-Yuan, I've found you."

An Yixuan's lips curled up, her eyes revealing no trace of affection.