NOVEL NEXT Chapter 102 - The Competition 10
Mai Dongzi and the boy stayed up all night.
Before the school’s designated sleep time arrived in the first half of the night, two boys came to the treatment room together.
These two boys asked the medical staff about the condition of the students in the other two treatment pods, but their eyes kept glancing at Mai Dongzi.
The two boys had no intention of staying. After asking their questions, they left.
Because these two boys just came to check the situation in the treatment room and had no apparent ulterior motives, Mai Dongzi wasn’t sure if they were sent by someone with a specific intention.
However, no one else came to the treatment room after that, and the night passed quietly without any incidents.
The first person to leave was the boy’s girlfriend.
Although she had suffered, after a night’s rest in the treatment pod, her injuries had mostly healed, and she looked in better spirits than her boyfriend, who had stayed up all night.
Probably aware of Mai Dongzi, she chatted with her boyfriend for a moment before coming over to ask if she could add Maidongzi as a friend.
Given the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Mai Dongzi accepted her friend request.
The girl, feeling sorry that her boyfriend had waited for her all night, hurried back to let him rest, so she didn’t say much to Mai Dongzi.
As soon as this couple left, Zhuang Huiya also emerged from the treatment pod.
Zhuang Huiya’s injuries were more severe than the girl’s, but after taking the special energy potion from Mai Dongzi, not only had all his injuries healed, but his cultivation had also advanced from the late-stage Level 4 to the mid-stage, almost catching up with Wang Yiyi.
“Sister!” Zhuang Huiya’s eyes sparkled when he saw Mai Dongzi.
“You’ve had a hard night!” Zhuang Huiya said somewhat shyly, his previous gloom entirely gone.
This wasn’t a good place for a conversation, so Mai Dongzi nodded to Zhuang Huiya and led the way out.
Once outside the treatment room and into a more private area, Mai Dongzi said to Zhuang Huiya, “You should still call me ‘Captain.’ Don’t let others know about our relationship.”
Zhuang Huiya’s expression tightened, and his eyes revealed determination. “I’m not afraid.”
If it were half a month ago, he might have thought Mai Dongzi looked down on the Zhuang family and was unwilling to acknowledge them. But now, he didn’t think that way anymore. If his cousin didn’t want to acknowledge them, why would she stand up for them and have the Xi family compensate the Zhuang family?
If she didn’t want to acknowledge them, why would she keep helping him advance in cultivation? He knew very well how effective the energy potion she gave him last night was, so he wasn’t ignorant of its value.
Seeing that he was resolute and not afraid of being a burden, Mai Dongzi didn’t want to dampen the boy’s spirits. Instead, she informed him of the danger posed by the lurking spies that couldn’t be communicated through bodyguard Su, so that Zhuang Huiya and the Zhuang family could be prepared.
“Just knowing in your heart that we are cousins is enough; there’s no need to show it,” Mai Dongzi said softly.
Zhuang Huiya, realizing that publicly revealing their relationship might bring danger to both sides, reluctantly agreed to call her ‘Captain’ instead.
“Captain, how much did that energy potion you gave me last night cost? I want to pay you for it,” Zhuang Huiya said.
Zhuang Huiya had never thought of taking advantage of her, so Mai Dongzi naturally accepted the payment.
With the five billion in compensation, the Zhuang family emerged from the predicament of needing loans to support Zhuang Huiya’s education and became a moderately wealthy family.
Mai Dongzi also gave Zhuang Huiya ten more of the same energy potions, instructing him to take one every five days or after intense battles.
Zhuang Huiya had experienced firsthand how effective these energy potions were. Although he knew he was getting a good deal from his cousin, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
As Mai Dongzi said, he needed to grow stronger to protect his loved ones and to support his cousin, who was alone in the Xi family.
The last time Mai Dongzi helped Zhuang Huiya level up using sound therapy, only Zhuang Huiya knew about it, while the other four teammates were unaware.
However, this time, Mai Dongzi publicly had Zhuang Huiya take the new energy potion. The effects were so remarkable that even after just a small upgrade, Zhuang Huiya’s strength had visibly improved.
Others who were unrelated to Mai Dongzi watched with envy but could do nothing, but Wang Yiyi and the others looked at Mai Dongzi eagerly.
“If you can take one of these new energy potions every ten days, your cultivation speed will be a third faster than usual. Especially in cases like Zhuang Huiya’s yesterday, taking the potion can lead to some improvement in cultivation,” Tony Li said, glancing at Zhuang Huiya and omitting the part about the high cost.
Mai Dongzi guessed that Tony knew Zhuang Huiya’s tuition was paid through loans and assumed Zhuang Huiya couldn’t afford the new energy potions, which is why he refrained from mentioning the cost.
Mai Dongzi had only recently learned that Tony was of royal blood, though his father was a rather fallen branch of the family, separated from the ancient monarch by four generations.
Tony later became an elite among the royals due to his detected 2A cultivation potential and received excellent training.
Given this background, Tony had a relatively good relationship with Zhuang Huiya.
After half a month of interaction, Mai Dongzi had a favorable impression of Wang Yiyi and Tony, but as they were a team of six, she couldn’t favor some over others.
Anyone who had watched Mai Dongzi’s survival livestream knew she had a supply of new energy potions. She sold them to Wang Yiyi and the other three for 250,000 credit coins each.
Zhuang Huiya, who could only afford them at 150,000 each, remained silent and looked like a struggling student unable to pay.
When Yu Lan and Jin Zhongxing transferred money to Mai Dongzi, and she received the new energy potions, she looked at Zhuang Huiya with a disdainful expression, as if seeing a poor beggar.
These two seldom spoke to Zhuang Huiya and, when they did, their tone was often unfriendly.
Seeing that Zhuang Huiya’s cultivation level had rapidly risen within just half a month, moving from being on par with them to being nearly as advanced as Wang Yiyi, the top student, the two of them couldn’t hide their envy and jealousy.
Despite Wang Yiyi and Tony having better family backgrounds, their attitudes towards Zhuang Huiya were notably respectful and friendly.
No wonder Zhuang Huiya had a somewhat gloomy expression when they first met; it was a sign of how long he had been looked down upon. It was remarkable that he had only looked gloomy.
Perhaps because there were people like Jin Zhongxing and Yu Li, as well as those like Wang Yiyi and Tony who were relatively kind to Zhuang Huiya, the youth hadn’t become overly self-deprecating.
For instance, when Mai Dongzi saw Zhuang Huiya’s few classmates and his mentor last night, they were all quite supportive.
But after learning that Mai Dongzi was his cousin and that his family’s ongoing misfortune was due to others’ schemes, Zhuang Huiya’s demeanor had completely transformed, becoming vibrant and full of energy.
The real Zhuang Huiya was completely different from the one who was oppressed and impoverished. It seemed that his long-standing desire to make a name for himself and provide a better life for his parents had fueled his aspirations.