Gu Xiaoyue was not the only one with Gu Chengyun’s number!
Gu Xiaoyue stumbled for a moment before trying to reach out and snatch the phone away, but it was already too late. A sweet voice could be heard on the other end. “Hello? Is this Big Brother Xiao Lin?”
Gu Xiaoyue glared at him.
Xiao Lin smiled softly before saying in a gentle voice, “Chengyun, your sister wants to talk to you.”
“Ah! Is my sister there as well? That’s great!” Gu Chengyun’s voice was filled with surprise and emotion, causing Gu Xiaoyue to reveal an ashamed expression.
Gu Xiaoyue obviously loved her sister very much. She worked so hard all the while, putting her own life on the line, all for the sake of curing her sister’s legs. However, because of that, she would occasionally forget the more important things. To Gu Chengyun, her disability was not the most important. What that girl really needed was her only family.
Xiao Lin handed the phone over to Gu Xiaoyue and waved his hand for a bit before a small sound bubble appeared around Gu Xiaoyue. The others in the bus could not help but glare at him, as they had all perked up their ears, curiously wanting to listen to what that usually cold woman would say to her sister.
Gu Xiaoyue did not express any gratitude, and instead glared at him again because that sound bubble might have excluded everyone else in the bus, but it did not exclude Xiao Lin. That guy had unashamedly put himself in the barrier, and could hear everything.
The conversation did not last that long. Gu Xiaoyue was not a great conversationalist. However, Chengyun and her were really close sisters, and they were also the only family that the two of them had left. The short phone call even caused Gu Xiaoyue’s eyes to redden.
Xiao Lin sighed as he thought about Gu Xiaoyue’s lifespan again. Before that problem had a solid solution, each call with Gu Chengyun could very well be her last. Xiao Lin believed that the sisters both knew that. Xiao Lin felt some pity, and could not stop himself from holding Gu Xiaoyue’s little hand. Her palm was quite cold.
Gu Xiaoyue looked at Xiao Lin in shock, but did not scold him like she wanted to. A very faint ‘thank you’ could be heard from her lips.
…
The journey to America took quite a while. After calling their families, everyone started to rest. They only had one day to acclimatize themselves after arriving at Judge Academy, so they needed to grasp every bit of time they could to adjust their own condition, which was one of the disadvantages of being the away team.
It was already late at night when they arrived in America, but none of them stopped anywhere or bought anything. They went on another private plane, and flew straight to the American division in Los Angeles. Judge Academy’s staff was already waiting there, and under their guidance, Dawn Academy’s representatives got in the spatial carriage that night and arrived at Judge Academy.
The unrelenting journey had caused everyone to be exhausted, but that also meant that everyone had gained an extra half a day of rest.
It was not the first time Xiao Lin had been to Judge Academy, but for the others, it was the first time they were at another academy, so they would naturally be curious of the sights.
“If you wish to, we can send someone to give all of you a tour.” The American representative was a golden-haired and blue-eyed young lady with very American features. She looked like she was either in her first or second year.
“There’s no need. We’re here to compete,” Xiao Lin rejected, glaring at a few of the monitors who had wanted to agree.
“Very well. Do any of you have any special dietary needs for these two days?” The woman was incredibly polite. She spoke fluent Mandarin, and her well-mannered demeanor and attractive looks made everyone feel at ease.
“Thank you, but we have no special requirements. If there’s nothing else, please bring us to the meeting room. According to the regulations, your academy must have arranged somewhere for us to use.” Xiao Lin rejected it plainly.
“Very well.” The woman was a bit regretful, but still politely answered.
In Judge Academy’s private space, it was still the evening. They decided to wait until nighttime before they rested. That way, they would be able to adjust to the time zone difference easily. The vice president was a third-year senior student, and was rather easygoing, but did not seem like someone with power. This time, he came mainly to handle the daily affairs. In terms of the actual fighting, he had no authority on it.
The vice president also knew his job, so when he saw Xiao Lin preparing for a meeting with the others, he left. He was in charge of communicating with Judge Academy’s student union for matters such as training halls and equipment.
“Let’s not talk about anything else. Our opponents are very strong this time. I trust all of you have a deep impression of the recordings.” After entering the meeting room they had been specially assigned, the American beauty left, and told Xiao Lin that the room was absolutely sound proof.
The other monitors mumbled for a bit and slowly quieted down. No matter what, Xiao Lin was currently the leader in charge of this group, and could very well be the year leader in the future. Everyone knew of the contents of this meeting; it would definitely be to determine the line-up for the tournament.
Normally, this should have been Yu Mei’s decision to make, but that woman had passed on the authority to Xiao Lin. Before coming over, she encouraged Xiao Lin to boldly make the arrangements. It was fine if they lost, as he could just take it as a chance to accumulate experience.
Xiao Lin obviously did not want to lose. The group matches would be held in simulated spaces, and dying there would still cost them ten years of their lifespan. Suddenly making him decide on the line-up had caught Xiao Lin off guard, and he had constantly been thinking about the problem on the way. As everyone gathered in a circle, his gaze fell on Gu Xiaoyue.
Xiao Lin remembered the call she had with Gu Chengyun, and remembered Chengyun’s emotions. If Gu Xiaoyue died, then her sister might actually lose all her happiness.
The line-up would need to be handed in a bit later, and Judge Academy would announce their line-up as well. The line-ups could not be changed at all once they were announced, so the academies were required to use their own judgement and predictions to arrange their compositions. Normally, academies would choose the most balanced teams if they did not know their opponents, but if that was the case, it would also be much more difficult to win if there was a gap in skill.
