Seeing that Shen Qinghan had taken the initiative to volunteer, Han Yuanfeng had no reason to refuse, so he let her go up for the first match.

Very quickly, under everyone’s gaze, Shen Qinghan stepped onto the martial stage.

Because of her outstanding looks, the senior boys from Second-Year Class 6 all had their eyes light up the moment they saw her.

Some with livelier personalities couldn’t help but cheer and joke from below the stage, yelling at their classmate to go easy since the cute little junior sister was just too adorable!

They kept yelling nonstop.

Until their homeroom teacher glared at them harshly, only then did they quiet down.

“Hanhan, you got this!”

“Teammate, take her down!”

Below the stage, Li Chuxin and He Yu shouted encouragement for Shen Qinghan.

Shen Qinghan smiled faintly at them in response, but her smile was clearly a bit forced, devoid of fighting spirit.

She knew just how weak she was, she knew that once the fight started she would definitely be beaten one-sidedly by her opponent.

No matter how much others cheered her on, it wouldn’t change that fact.

In fact, the more others cheered, the heavier the pressure felt, suffocating her.

“Are you both ready?”

On stage, the third-party teacher acting as referee saw that the two had taken their positions and loudly asked.

““Ready.””

Shen Qinghan and the senior sister answered at the same time.

The referee raised his right hand, then swiftly chopped it down.

“Match, begin!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the senior sister charged forward with an explosive step toward Shen Qinghan.

Shen Qinghan had already been prepared for this, quickly raising her arms to guard her body and brace for the hits.

The whole time she only defended, barely counterattacking.

Not because she was cowardly, but because she knew well that there was no way she could win.

The only thing she could do was last as long as possible, to consume her opponent’s stamina.

The senior sister saw she was using a turtle-style defense, taking hits without fighting back and grew impatient. She unleashed her full power, fists and kicks raining down on her.

It lasted for just over three minutes.

Shen Qinghan couldn’t endure anymore and with a running Iron Shoulder Strike, the senior sister knocked her off the stage.

She landed painfully.

But she didn’t show much of it on her face, simply getting back up quietly and walking back to her class lineup.

“Qinghan, well done. Knowing to focus on defense to wear down her stamina was smart.”

Han Yuanfeng gave her a thumbs up, full of approval as he praised her.

Shen Qinghan just smiled faintly and quickly walked toward Lin Zichen.

Lin Zichen, seeing her approach, smiled and reassured her, “Not bad. Facing a senior who’s trained a whole year longer and still lasting more than three minutes is a big improvement.”

“Not really an improvement, I only managed it by being a turtle and taking the hits.”

“Progress is progress, don’t belittle yourself.”

Saying that, Lin Zichen pulled her to sit by his side, carefully checking her body to see if she had injuries.

After all, she had just taken a full-force beating from the senior sister, there were bound to be bruises.

“Ah, that hurts!”

Shen Qinghan suddenly cried out in pain—it was where Lin Zichen pressed the wrong spot.

Lin Zichen immediately shifted, shielding her from others’ gazes, lifting her shirt slightly to reveal a big bruise on her waist.

“I’ll apply a cold compress to stop the bleeding first, then tomorrow you can use heat to disperse the bruise.”

“Mm, I got it.”

Shen Qinghan nodded obediently.

Lin Zichen pulled a cold compress patch from his bag and gently placed it on her bruise.

As she felt his touch and warmth through his fingers, Shen Qinghan’s face turned faintly red.

Their actions were so intimate, especially in front of so many people, she felt embarrassed.

Lin Zichen didn’t think much of it, continuing quietly to check for more injuries.

Several girls from their class saw this and their faces filled with envy and even jealousy.

They thought how lucky Shen Qinghan was, to have been born next door to Lin Zichen and grown up together with him.

Otherwise, with her grades, could she even have the chance to talk to him?

She’d probably just be a slightly pretty roadside wildflower, destined for a mediocre life.

Being examined by Lin Zichen, Shen Qinghan sensed the envious gazes from the girls.

In the past, she would have enjoyed those looks of envy or jealousy.

But as she grew older, realizing the gap between her and Lin Zichen and the resentment it brought, she had come to fear those gazes.

She constantly felt unworthy of Lin Zichen, living under great pressure every day.

* * *

Meanwhile, the second match had already begun on stage.

The one going up was the girl who Han Yuanfeng had originally assigned to the first match.

Her surname was Wen, her name was Yuntong.

Wen Yuntong had a fiery personality and hated turtle-style defense. As soon as the match started, she rushed at the senior sister, kicking fiercely at her face.

She thought that if someone like Shen Qinghan could last three minutes against this senior sister, then the senior sister must be trash and she could easily end it in one kick.

However, the petite senior sister was not the trash she imagined.

When Wen Yuntong’s kick came, the senior sister only sidestepped slightly, dodging with uncanny precision.

Then, before Wen Yuntong could pull her leg back, the senior sister threw a punch at her face, leaving her dazed and stumbling.

Seizing the chance, the senior swept her legs out, knocking her to the ground, then quickly pinned her, leaving her struggling to breathe.

The referee declared the senior sister the winner.

Standing above her opponent, the senior sneered down coldly.

“Heh, only attacking without guarding? Are you looking down on us ordinary class students? I may not be as talented as you, but I’ve trained a year longer. What makes you think your current strength is greater than mine? Train another year and then try me again!”

“…”

Wen Yuntong said nothing, just rose silently and left the stage.

Han Yuanfeng frowned and immediately scolded, “Yuntong, what was that strategy? Only attacking with no thought for defense. Did you forget everything I taught in class?”

“Teacher, I was arrogant. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

Wen Yuntong admitted her fault straightforwardly.

Since she confessed, Han Yuanfeng didn’t press further.

He only thought to himself.

‘This Wen Yuntong isn’t even as good as Shen Qinghan. At least Shen Qinghan lasted more than three minutes.’

* * *

Soon, the third match began.

This time it was Li Chuxin.

Her strength ranked third to last in the class, only stronger than Shen Qinghan and Wen Yuntong.

“Hanhan, let me avenge you. Watch me crush that senior sister!”

“Mm, good luck.”

“Just watch, I’ll beat her in less than five minutes!”

With that, Li Chuxin confidently stepped onto the stage.

And she did exactly as she said—within five minutes, she defeated the senior sister.

From below, Shen Qinghan watched enviously, whispering, “Xiao Chen, Chuxin is amazing.”

“You’re amazing too. If you hadn’t worn down the senior’s stamina first, Chuxin couldn’t have won so easily.” Lin Zichen reasoned as he praised her.

Shen Qinghan knew it wasn’t true, that he was only saying it to comfort her. But still, she felt happy, as if she wasn’t so useless after all.