Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

Gao Jie stood there, his lips moving slightly, as if countless words were struggling to burst forth.

His brows were furrowed, a deep knot forming between them, his expression filled with a conflicted feeling of wanting to say something but holding back.

His heart was in turmoil, a thousand words surging like a turbulent tide, roaring and churning within him. But after only a moment of silence, those words seemed to be abruptly pushed back by an invisible and powerful force, swallowed whole.

This scene unfolded before Xu Rourou's eyes, filling her with bewilderment and confusion.

Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, like two willow leaves trembling in a gentle breeze, while her eyes were filled with concern and doubt, like a clear lake reflecting Gao Jie's complex expression.

"What's wrong with you?"

Xu Rourou asked softly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, yet revealing an undisguised worry.

She leaned slightly closer to Gao Jie, her gaze sweeping over his face inch by inch.

"I get the feeling that you're carrying a huge problem in your heart, and your worries are written all over your face."

The anxiety in her tone only highlighted how much she cared about Gao Jie.

Gao Jie slowly raised his eyes, his gaze meeting Xu Rourou's earnest eyes. His lips moved again, as if something was stuck in his throat, but in the end, he didn't make a sound.

Seeing this, Xu Rourou became even more anxious and continued, "If you really encounter a difficult situation, you might as well talk to me about it. Look at the current situation, it's really troublesome!"

As she spoke, she gently shook Gao Jie's arm, trying to get his attention.

"I don't want to see you waste your time worrying alone. Let's think of a solution together. It's better than you carrying it all alone."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, her gaze sincere and ardent, as if she wanted to transform all her heartfelt care into tangible warmth and convey it all to Gao Jie.

"I know in my heart how much effort you put into this competition, how many days and nights you stayed up. Everyone has seen it."

Xu Rourou sighed softly, a long and heavy sigh filled with regret.

"During those nights of burning the midnight oil, you meticulously considered and refined every detail. Everyone knew how important this competition was to you. But no one expected that so many unexpected situations would arise midway through, with one variable after another, like a sudden storm that shattered all the previous plans."

She paused for a moment, as if gathering enough courage, her chest heaving slightly, before slowly speaking again.

"I will explain things to the principal. No matter what the final outcome is, I just hope that you can forgive me and not take all the blame on yourself. This is not your responsibility alone."

A faint smile appeared on Gao Jie's lips, a smile as light as mist, fleeting in an instant, carrying a hint of relief and indifference.

He waved his hand lightly, his movements casual and unrestrained, as if these major events, which would be enough to crush others, were to him nothing more than a wisp of smoke that would drift past his eyes and dissipate with a gust of wind, not worth mentioning.

After all, the current situation is already clearly laid out before everyone, like a chaotic painting unfolding before our eyes. Dwelling on what has already happened will only add to the troubles. It's better to let go gracefully.

Looking at Xu Rourou again, she was clearly in a depressed state, her shoulders were drooping slightly, and she seemed to have lost some of her energy.

Gao Jie saw this and felt bad. He thought that keeping her so sullen wasn't a solution. If this continued, Xu Rourou might make herself sick.

Just then, he didn't have anything else important to do, so he had a sudden inspiration and found an excuse to take Xu Rourou out for some fresh air and a change of scenery. Maybe a change of environment would brighten her mood.

Huang Xu, who was standing nearby, had very sharp ears. As soon as he heard that they were going out, he immediately became interested, his eyes shining like two little light bulbs, and he wanted to take off to follow. But Huang Muran was quick as lightning and grabbed his arm like a pair of pliers.

"You've finished all your homework? You still have a ton of lessons to catch up on, why are you joining in this commotion!"

Huang Muran scolded her irritably, her voice unconsciously rising a few decibels, sharp as if it were about to pierce the air.

"The principal specifically instructed me to keep a close eye on you. If you still don't understand and keep slouching like this, I might really teach you a lesson, understand?"

As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Huang Xu, increasing the force of his grip. Before Huang Xu could have a chance to argue, Huang Muran pulled him forcefully.

"Stop dawdling and come with me!"

Huang Xu could only be dragged away unwillingly, muttering some unintelligible complaints, his steps dragging as if he were pulling a thousand-pound iron chain.

Gao Jie and Xu Rourou walked side by side toward the garden, the atmosphere somewhat somber along the way.

Before Gao Jie could organize his thoughts and figure out how to break the silence, Xu Rourou spoke first, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation, yet also a sense of relief.

"Actually... I don't want to hide anything from you. But things have come to this point, and it's not good to keep things to myself. So, I'm going to be honest with you about the current situation."

Xu Rourou lowered her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, as if trying to muster her courage.

"This matter isn't a big deal, but it's also quite troublesome right now. It's like there's a breath stuck in my chest, I can't go up or down, it's so uncomfortable, I feel uneasy all day long, and I feel really awkward."

Gao Jie was completely confused and became even more puzzled. He subconsciously stopped walking, and the stone pavement under his feet seemed to sense his urgency, making a slight "clattering" sound.

His gaze was fixed on Xu Rourou, his eyes filled with urgency, as if he wanted to see right through her, and he impatiently pressed for an answer:

"What's going on? Stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me."

Xu Rourou pursed her lips slightly, as if she had made a great decision, before slowly and carefully explaining the situation.

As Gao Jie listened, his eyes widened, and the look of disbelief on his face deepened. He never imagined that the reality was so different from what he had imagined.

It turns out that Xu Wanwan had disappeared for quite some time, as if she had vanished into thin air without a trace.

Strangely, every now and then, a sum of money would be delivered to Xu Rourou, and no one knew what method she used to get it to her.

Xu Rourou knew that her sister was taking on all sorts of strange and unusual tasks, sometimes to help people vent their anger or to get a little revenge on their enemies.

Sometimes she would run errands for trivial but troublesome little things. Although these things were in a gray area, Xu Rourou thought that as long as her sister was safe, she didn't ask too many questions.

However, a bolt from the blue struck – my sister had gotten involved with loan sharks!

When Xu Rourou heard the news, she felt as if her heart had been struck by a heavy hammer. Her heart was filled with a mixture of unease and worry, which almost swallowed her whole.

She had talked to her sister once, hoping to get some answers and comfort from her. However, her sister gave a completely different answer, insisting that she did not do these things at all and that she herself was also frantically searching for the mastermind.

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie felt a buzzing in his head, his thoughts instantly becoming a jumbled mess, as if someone had suddenly stuffed a sticky paste into his head, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

He hurriedly and anxiously gestured for Xu Rourou to stop, his hand waving frantically in the air like a drowning person struggling desperately.

He scratched his head with his other hand, his fingers digging deep into his hair, his brows furrowed, his face full of confusion and bewilderment, muttering to himself:

"I don't quite understand. Do you have other sisters? This is getting more and more complicated. I was just starting to get the hang of it, but then it suddenly went into a dead end. It's all so confusing."

As he spoke, he shook his head vigorously, as if trying to clear his jumbled thoughts, but his furrowed brows and bewildered eyes betrayed his helplessness.

"What on earth is going on? The more I listen, the stranger it seems. It's like listening to gibberish; I'm completely lost and can't make sense of it at all."

Xu Rourou looked at Gao Jie scratching his head and smiled slightly, but there was an indescribable bitterness hidden in that smile, like a bitter fruit coated with sugar.

She lowered her head slightly, then slowly raised it again, and said softly:

"I won't hide it from you, the truth is that there's an older sister among us sisters. Do you understand now?"

Her voice was soft and slow, with a hint of helplessness, as if she was waiting for Gao Jie to bombard her with another round of questions.

Gao Jie's face instantly darkened, as if a clear sky had suddenly been completely shrouded by thick dark clouds, dark and gloomy, without a trace of light.

His eyes widened in disbelief; he never imagined things would develop in such an unexpected direction.

Just now, he was going through all the possibilities in his mind like flipping through a deck of cards, but he overlooked this crucial detail.

For a moment, he involuntarily frowned deeply, a prominent "川" character squeezed out between his brows, and the muscles on his face trembled slightly due to excessive tension. The complicated situation in front of him had far exceeded the boundaries of his imagination, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

Especially when examining the current situation, which is as tangled and complex as a tangled mess, he felt that this mess was hundreds of times more complicated than he had previously considered.

Gao Jie frowned again, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening, his gaze so heavy it seemed to drip water, as he stared directly at Xu Rourou, carefully confirming her words, one by one:

"So, the one who did all this mess was actually your other older sister, not both of you sisters, right?"

Seeing Xu Rourou nod slightly, he swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and then asked again.

"Your sister might be looking for this other sister, but she still has no clue, is that what you mean?"

Xu Rourou nodded silently again, her expression full of helplessness and exhaustion, as if she were tightly entangled in the net of life and unable to break free.

"Gao Jie, I don't want to hide it from you, that's really what I meant."

Xu Rourou tilted her head slightly, her eyes sincere and earnest, as if her gaze could pierce through Gao Jie's eyes. She bit her lip, and a row of shallow teeth marks instantly appeared on her lower lip, as if she had mustered up a great deal of courage before continuing to speak.

"Regarding these related issues, I also want to tell you the truth. After all, you've seen the current situation, and there's no point in hiding it anymore."

She paused, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the force, and said with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"If you can help me find that sister this time, I will agree to whatever you ask."

At that moment, she was like a drowning person, clinging to Gao Jie as her last lifeline.

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie shook his head vigorously, waving his hands repeatedly. His refusal was written all over his face, clear and glaring.

"I have no intention of doing that, and I don't want to take on this task of finding sisters for others. Let whoever wants to go go."

As he spoke, he took a small step back, the pebbles under his feet making a "clattering" sound. His eyes began to dart away guiltily, his mind frantically calculating how to get out of this troublesome situation as quickly as possible.

At this moment, he truly wished he could sprout wings and fly away from here immediately. He didn't want to look at the complicated problems in front of him for even a second longer; every second felt like torture.

After all, given the current situation, how much does this matter have to do with him?

With this mess in front of us, what is there left that is worth digging into and investigating?

He didn't want to get dragged into this mess for no reason.

Besides, who knows what kind of power those mysterious sisters have behind them? If they get into trouble, it would be a real loss.

He was already overwhelmed with his own affairs, and he was so busy dealing with the things at hand that he had no time to care about these unclear matters.

Seeing this, Xu Rourou didn't say anything more, but just sighed softly, and the light in her eyes dimmed a little more.

She knew in her heart that Gao Jie really had no other choice at the moment, nor did he have the inclination to do so.

The two remained silent for a while, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive, before starting to chat casually in an attempt to break the awkwardness.

Before long, a deeper worry suddenly appeared on Xu Rourou's face, and her brows furrowed again as she spoke of something she was even more concerned about.

"Actually, I didn't think there was much of a problem at first, but now I suddenly feel that the situation is very tricky, and something is wrong everywhere."

She sighed softly, a long and heavy sigh, as if she were venting all the sorrow in her heart.

His gaze was somewhat vacant as he stared into the distance, his eyes unfocused.

"How can we change all of this? I promised the principal that I would do everything in my power to help you defeat the Jinling Mage class, but given the current situation, it's simply impossible."

Her voice carried a hint of frustration and a deep sense of powerlessness; each word was heavy, crashing into the silent air.

Gao Jie looked at Xu Rourou, raised his hand and scratched his head, trying to comfort her:

"Actually, I think you don't need to think so much. Anyway, things have come to this point, and thinking about it more won't do any good. It's just making things harder for yourself."

He patted Xu Rourou on the shoulder, his eyes resolute.

"Perhaps we should take a more relaxed view now. After all, the path ahead of us is the one we truly need to walk. Don't you think so?"

He paused, then added.

"I know you've talked to the principal a lot. Don't worry, I'll do my best to help you achieve the terms you discussed. You can always trust me on that."

Gao Jie said this, but in fact, he had already made up his mind that he would never give up, but now was not the time to reveal his true intentions.

Huang Xu watched helplessly as the notification that his account had been banned popped up on the screen. His eyes instantly reddened, and he almost burst into tears. All the grievances and frustration welled up inside him.

He angrily yelled into the microphone, "How could you do this! You just report me like that? I was just trying to help you out by using a cheat!" But all he got in response was silence. It seemed the girl on the other end had already blocked him and left.

Huang Xu then turned his anger towards Gao Jie, complaining in a tearful voice:

"Hey, what are you doing? Didn't you take a girl for a walk? Why are you back here? What's going on?"

His tone contained both resentment towards Gao Jie for disrupting things and a hint of frustration that he had nowhere to vent.

Gao Jie scratched his face somewhat embarrassedly, realizing that turning off the computer just now was a bit rash.

He pulled up a chair, sat down next to Huang Xu, cleared his throat, and said:

"I'm not doing anything wrong, I just wanted to have a quick chat with you. I want to ask you something, could you please explain in detail?"

His eyes revealed seriousness, and a hint of urgency.

Huang Xu sniffed and said irritably, "What's wrong? Just say it. I'm feeling really down!"

Gao Jie ignored his attitude and continued asking on his own:

"If we 'take care of' the players now, do you think there won't be any problems during the match?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the dormitory instantly became heavy. The rustling of leaves in the breeze outside the window sounded like some kind of ominous premonition.

Huang Xu paused for a moment, and a thoughtful expression gradually appeared on his face, which was originally full of childlike innocence. He frowned, as if he was weighing the pros and cons and risks of this matter in his mind.