Not a word was spoken through the night.
Upon learning the outcome, Changsun Qinghe also stayed awake all night. She didn't know whether or not to tell Zhou Hong about it, or how to even begin.
In the blink of an eye, dawn broke.
Today happened to be Saturday, and Zhou Hong and Qiao Xiaoyu stayed home, not going out.
Around ten in the morning, Qin Mengxue also arrived.
Qin Mengxue seemed to have dressed up specially today, wearing shorts on her snow-white thighs that reached the very top, which was extremely dazzling. It was unclear if she had done it intentionally, but it made Zhou Hong restless.
Helplessly, Zhou Hong simply asked them to change into sportswear and go to the park to practice martial arts together.
And so, a day passed.
Finally.
The Martial Cultivation Competition officially concluded, and Changsun Ruoyan, along with the dean and others, returned from the provincial capital.
"Zhou Hong, where are you?" The next afternoon, the dean called.
"In the park, is there something wrong?"
"We're back from the provincial capital."
"Oh." Zhou Hong nodded. He had returned earlier; otherwise, he would have come back with them today.
"We're planning a celebration at a hotel tonight. Do you want to come?" the dean asked on the phone.
"I think I'll pass."
"You're the champion; everyone wants you to come. Don't dawdle. It's at six o'clock at the Jinzhou Grand Hotel."
"Alright!"
Zhou Hong could only nod helplessly.
Qiao Xiaoyu quickly asked, "Where did the dean invite you to dinner?"
"Jinzhou Grand Hotel. Everyone who participated in the Martial Cultivation Competition is back, and the dean is arranging a meal for everyone tonight."
"Can I come with you?"
"Sure." Zhou Hong nodded without hesitation. Qiao Xiaoyu was his fiancée, so it was perfectly normal for him to bring her to dinner.
Qin Mengxue, standing nearby, wanted to say she wanted to go too, but then she thought that she wasn't anyone to Zhou Hong, so she could only look at Qiao Xiaoyu with envy.
At six in the evening, Zhou Hong arrived at the Jinzhou Grand Hotel.
"Zhou Hong!" The dean was personally waiting at the entrance of the hotel.
"Dean!" Qiao Xiaoyu walked up and politely greeted him.
"No need to be so formal. Let's go, we're in private room 308."
Zhou Hong asked, "Who else is here?"
"Just our classmates who participated in the competition."
"Oh!"
Upon entering the private room, they indeed saw seven or eight people already seated around the large round table.
"Zhou Hong, you're here! Please, have a seat." Seeing Zhou Hong arrive, the people in the room quickly got up to greet him.
"No need to be so polite, everyone!" Zhou Hong chuckled.
"Let me introduce everyone. This is my fiancée, Qiao Xiaoyu. I hope you don't mind me bringing her along to freeload a meal."
"Of course not, Sister-in-law, please have a seat." The male classmates present immediately flattered, calling Qiao Xiaoyu Sister-in-law, which made Qiao Xiaoyu a bit embarrassed. These were all geniuses from the Martial Cultivation Academy!
At this moment, Changsun Ruoyan, sitting to the side, looked at Qiao Xiaoyu with an indescribable feeling in her heart. Zhou Hong, such an excellent man, had found such an ordinary woman. Changsun Ruoyan truly wished she could snatch Zhou Hong away, because, in terms of matching him, she was undoubtedly more suited than Qiao Xiaoyu. Regardless of appearance, family background, or martial cultivation talent and future potential, in what aspect was she inferior to Qiao Xiaoyu?
Thus, the more Changsun Ruoyan thought about it, the more unwilling she became.
"Huh? Why don't I see Qian Jie and Tan Chao?" Zhou Hong scanned the room, not seeing the two of them.
"They heard you were coming, so they didn't participate," the dean said with a wry smile.
"Heh!" Zhou Hong couldn't be bothered to ask further. These two minor figures were not worth Zhou Hong's attention.
Soon, the waiter began serving dishes.
"Dear students, you have all worked hard in this Martial Cultivation Competition. Especially Zhou Hong and Changsun Ruoyan, who respectively won the championship and third place, bringing infinite glory to our Jinzhou University Martial Cultivation Academy. Here's to Zhou Hong and Changsun Ruoyan! Let's all raise a toast to them." The dean raised his glass first.
"Good!" everyone responded enthusiastically.
Thus, the dinner lasted until ten in the evening. Everyone was tipsy. Even the dean, after drinking several bottles of baijiu, couldn't hold on.
Except for Zhou Hong, almost no one was sober. Even Qiao Xiaoyu's face was flushed. Although she drank very little, her alcohol tolerance was low. After a few cups, her face began to turn red.
Zhou Hong, however, seemed completely unaffected.
"Zhou Hong, I didn't expect your alcohol tolerance to be so good! You've even made the dean pass out. The dean is a strong cultivator of level sixty-plus!" the classmates said with smiles.
"Heh, everyone has had enough to drink. Let's call it a night and get some good rest." Zhou Hong chuckled.
"Oh, right, Zhou Hong. Tomorrow morning, the mayor will be visiting our school to hold a commendation ceremony. You need to be there early," the dean quickly instructed.
"A commendation ceremony?"
"Yes, you won the championship of the Martial Cultivation Competition, which is not only an honor for Jinzhou University but also for our Jinzhou City. The city will naturally give you rewards. As for what the rewards will be, you'll find out tomorrow. However, I believe that with the high value of the Martial Cultivation Competition championship, the rewards will surely not be small."
"Alright!"
Afterward, Zhou Hong and Qiao Xiaoyu left the hotel, arm in arm.
Changsun Ruoyan watched Zhou Hong's departing back, lost in thought.
Soon, Changsun Ruoyan also returned to her home.
"Sis, I'm back!" Changsun Ruoyan called out immediately.
"Ruoyan, congratulations on winning third place! The family already knows and has sent their congratulations." Changsun Qinghe heard her sister's call and quickly emerged from her room, smiling and congratulating her.
"Mm!" Changsun Ruoyan nodded, seemingly not in high spirits. Images of Zhou Hong and Qiao Xiaoyu kept replaying in her mind.
"Ruoyan, what are you thinking about? Why do you look unhappy? By the way, I also have something to tell you." Changsun Qinghe hesitated for a moment, preparing to tell her sister about Zhou Hong's identity. Zhou Hong hadn't told anyone yet.
"Sis, I also have something to tell you!" Changsun Ruoyan said quickly.
"Then you go first." Changsun Qinghe smiled and was not in a hurry.
"Do you know who Zhou Hong came with to the dinner party tonight?"
"Who?"
"Qiao Xiaoyu."
"Uh!" Changsun Qinghe froze for a moment, unsure why her sister was suddenly bringing this up.
"When I saw them acting so intimately, I felt a pang of unease."
"Why?"
"That Qiao Xiaoyu, although she is indeed beautiful, is only beautiful. In terms of family background, we come from a prominent family in Kyoto. Forget about this Jinzhou City, even the provincial capital of Jiangnan can't compare. And Qiao Xiaoyu's family is considered third-rate even in Jinzhou City. In terms of beauty, I'm no weaker than her, and in terms of martial cultivation talent, that's even less of a comparison. So I'm very unwilling. Why should she get such a good man?" Changsun Ruoyan's face showed a clear expression of discontent.
"Ruoyan, could it be that you've fallen for Zhou Hong?" Changsun Qinghe asked quickly. At this moment, she also felt a mix of emotions. Originally, she had planned to tell her sister that Zhou Hong was the fiancé she had been betrothed to as a child, and she wanted to consult her sister's opinion on how to get Zhou Hong, her fiancé, back, as he rightfully belonged to her.