Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Jiang Qingli, Say Something

After Yu Chenglan finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow, expecting to see a hurt expression on Jiang Qingli’s face.

He had always taken pleasure in Jiang Qingli’s suffering.

This time, however, Jiang Qingli didn’t burst into tears as she usually did.

The disheveled girl froze for a second, then suddenly began to struggle even more violently.

Powerful splashes of water hit Yu Chenglan’s face repeatedly, and under the surface, she seized the opportunity to kick furiously at him.

The people on the shore were too far away and could only see Jiang Qingli flailing in the water. One of them quickly shouted, "She must have a leg cramp! Hold her steady! I’m coming right now!"

Yu Chenglan’s expression soured. He scowled and wiped the water from his face, his eyes filled with intense disgust.

’Jiang Qingli had just stabilized herself, how could she possibly have a cramp?’

’She must have enjoyed touching me just now and wants to keep going. What a disgusting female.’

Yu Chenglan lowered his voice and demanded, "Have you made enough of a scene?"

As he spoke, he reached for Jiang Qingli’s wrist, but she dodged him by turning to the side.

Yu Chenglan grabbed at empty air, which only infuriated him more.

’How dare Jiang Qingli dodge him?’

Yu Chenglan’s Superpower was of the Water Element, making the water his home turf. He didn’t take Jiang Qingli’s petty resistance seriously at all.

He narrowed his eyes, and two whirlpools instantly formed at Jiang Qingli’s feet, grabbing her calves and yanking her down!

But before the whirlpools around Jiang Qingli’s legs could exert any force, they calmed and dissipated.

At the same time, Yu Chenglan was suddenly dragged underwater by multiple forces. Water flooded his nose and mouth before he could react. He looked down and saw dozens of whirlpools pulling at him with immense force.

Compared to the force he had used to teach Jiang Qingli a lesson, these whirlpools felt like they were trying to kill him!

Using Superpowers within the academy was strictly forbidden. ’Who on earth is targeting me?’

Yu Chenglan glanced at the crowd of onlookers, his heart filled with alarm and suspicion. He didn’t dare openly use his Superpower to fight back, so he could only try to break free using subtle techniques.

Just then, the supervising teacher and Lin Xiyue arrived.

Lin Xiyue supported Jiang Qingli, while two teachers helped Yu Chenglan.

Just as they were about to reach the edge of the pool, another whirlpool suddenly latched onto Yu Chenglan’s calf and pulled him down again!

Acting on instinct, he reached for Jiang Qingli, who was closest to him.

RIIIP—

The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the indoor pool area.

A long tear was ripped in Jiang Qingli’s swimsuit. She screamed, kicked Yu Chenglan back into the pool, then planted her foot on his face and scrambled ashore.

The moment she was out of the water, a large white towel was draped over her from behind, and she was pulled into a clean, warm embrace.

"Don’t worry."

A gentle voice sounded by her ear as a large hand soothed her by gently patting her back.

Jiang Qingli looked up and met Baili Jing’s eyes, which reflected her own image.

"Don’t worry."

He repeated, his slender fingers gently brushing the wet strands of hair from her eyes and tucking them behind her ear.

It was just two words, but Jiang Qingli felt her eyes start to burn.

It was like a child who had fallen down.

Getting up on your own would have been fine, but after a parent’s gentle comfort, you suddenly feel wronged.

Jiang Qingli’s lips trembled. She clung to the towel with what little composure she had left, turned her face away, and said softly, "Thank you, I... I’m fine."

’How could she be fine?’

The girl’s eyes were downcast, her lashes, still beaded with water, trembled slightly. She coughed hard, trying to clear the water from her lungs, and the rims of her eyes and the tip of her nose were red. She looked utterly pitiful.

Baili Jing’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, aching painfully.

Lin Xiyue came over then, taking Jiang Qingli’s hand and comforting her in a low voice.

Baili Jing withdrew his hand and glanced toward the water, his fingers twitching slightly.

After being kicked back into the water by Jiang Qingli, Yu Chenglan was even more certain that she had been the one to secretly attack him. He pushed the teachers away, intending to get out of the pool gracefully on his own.

But before he could surface, the whirlpools reappeared, squeezing and pulling at him with a force even more frenzied than before, causing ripples to spread across the otherwise calm water.

’Who is trying to harm me?!’

Alarmed and uncertain, Yu Chenglan could no longer be bothered with school rules. He raised his hand and struck back with his Superpower.

WHOOSH—

A huge wave rose from the water, surging toward the poolside with furious momentum!

"AHHH—!"

The students screamed and scattered in all directions.

Jiang Qingli quickly covered Lin Xiyue with the towel. As she raised her hand to cover Baili Jing with the other side of it, she found he was no longer there.

She looked up and saw Baili Jing standing in front of her.

His fingers were pointed into the air, and a translucent Barrier spread out from their tips, holding back all the water. Not a single drop splashed past it.

The crowd had been focused on Yu Chenglan, only now noticing that Baili Jing was there too.

When they realized it was Baili Jing who had intervened, cheers erupted from the crowd.

"It’s Mr. Baili! Thank goodness, we’re saved!"

"That scared me to death! That wave would have hurt so much. Thanks to Mr. Baili!"

"Let’s see who dares say Brother Jing’s Superpower is useless again! It’s super useful, okay?! Guardian System males are the coolest, ahhh!"

"Brother Jing, I’m your fan! Can we get a picture together later?!"

On the other side of the Barrier, Yu Chenglan saw Baili Jing and met his gaze coldly.

’Was that Baili Jing just now?’

’No, that’s not right. Baili Jing’s Superpower is the F Level Low Level Superpower, ’Barrier’.’

’Barrier’ is a very special Superpower that can block an opponent’s Superpower attacks.

’But it has a fatal flaw: it can only block attacks from Superpowers of the same level as the user. And Baili Jing is only F Level, which is no different from being useless.’

’The only reason it blocked my Superpower just now is because I wasn’t using much force.’

’Most males only have one Superpower.’

’How could a good-for-nothing like Baili Jing possibly sabotage me with a Water Ability?’

-

After the wave subsided, Baili Jing withdrew his Superpower.

A fan approached Yu Chenglan and asked, "Chenglan, are you okay?"

"I’m fine." Yu Chenglan’s cold gaze fell upon Jiang Qingli.

She happened to be looking over at the same time.

The girl’s face showed none of the panic from her earlier "drowning." Her fair, pretty face was completely calm, and her dark eyes held a cool, faint mockery as they met his.

It was as if she were looking at something disgusting.

Yu Chenglan had always been adored and put on a pedestal. He couldn’t stand being looked at like that by his former sycophant, and he instantly grew furious.

’She dares to glare at me? She nearly kicked the breath out of me underwater!’

Yu Chenglan pushed through the crowd and strode menacingly toward Jiang Qingli.

Before he could reach her, a tall, slender figure blocked his path.

Baili Jing glanced coolly at Yu Chenglan before turning to the supervising teacher. "Teacher Lin, I recall that using Superpowers is forbidden in the academy, correct?"

"Ah... yes, that’s right!" Teacher Lin quickly replied.

Yu Chenglan frowned and was about to argue, but Baili Jing spoke first.

"Teacher Lin, Yu was likely emotional after choking on water and accidentally used his Superpower to attack Jiang. I was able to intervene in time, so no major harm was done." The elegant young man’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Let’s be lenient with the punishment this time. After all, it’s a first offense."

Even though he was damp, Baili Jing’s every move was exceptionally graceful.

Yu Chenglan’s expression instantly turned ugly.

With Yu Chenglan’s noble status and his legion of fans, he could have easily brushed this off with an excuse like "damaged pool equipment." But Baili Jing had to go and spell it all out in front of everyone!

’And what’s this about him attacking Jiang Qingli?!’

’Attacking a female is a much more serious accusation than just using a Superpower. A severe case could land him in the disciplinary chamber!’

’That damn sly fox did it on purpose!’

Furious, Yu Chenglan took a step forward. "You—"

"It’s alright." Baili Jing smiled, raising a hand to cut him off. Then, he raised his voice and addressed the other students, "Everyone can understand Yu’s situation, right?"

Baili Jing had been in the public eye for years, had served as the student council president at the academy, and was a prime example of both academic and personal excellence. His influence was far greater than Yu Chenglan’s.

The crowd nodded in unison, uniformly expressing their forgiveness for Yu Chenglan.

Yu Chenglan was so angry he nearly coughed up blood. Before he could say anything more, several people in student council uniforms walked in.

"We detected a Superpower fluctuation within the academy." Yuan Shiyao walked into the room, his gaze pausing briefly on Jiang Qingli as he passed. "Who is the perpetrator?"

Everyone pointed at Yu Chenglan.

Teacher Lin didn’t dare hide the truth and hurried forward to explain the situation in full detail.

The student council held immense power within the academy. Yu Chenglan’s face grew darker and darker, and when he heard himself being accused of "losing control and attacking Jiang Qingli," he finally lost his composure.

"On what grounds are you saying I attacked her! I didn’t! If you don’t believe me, ask her—"

Yu Chenglan turned to Jiang Qingli, only to find her with her head down, utterly silent.

Yu Chenglan was about to explode with rage. He raised his voice and roared, "Jiang Qingli, say something!"