"Brother, what about tomorrow's match?"
"Uncle-Master is discussing the rules for tomorrow's match with Chairman Zhong. We just need to wait."
"But... Brother, I really have no confidence!"
Li Yurou said with a sob, "I feel like I can't possibly win against Lin Fan."
The tears in her eyes glistened under the moonlight.
Li Yusheng, beside her, was flustered and tried to comfort her, "Sister, don't cry. We haven't even competed yet, we might not lose."
"Do you even believe what Uncle-Master said?"
Li Yurou said dejectedly, "Lin Fan has already won fourteen points, and we only have nine, a whole five points behind!"
Tears fell like pearls. "I've calculated it. Unless we get seventeen points, we can't win. That means tomorrow, we can only win the last match with a huge advantage of eight to two to beat him."
Li Yurou looked up, her voice filled with sorrow. "Brother, do you think that Lin Fan guy could possibly only get two points? If he gets one more point, we lose."
Their conversation was overheard by Lin Fan, who was sitting on a long bench.
Lin Fan turned his head, using a drink bottle to shield his face, so tense he dared not move.
He hadn't expected this brother and sister to come to West Lake as well.
And here they were, crying and wailing as if he had bullied them!
Buzz~ Buzz~
His phone vibrated incessantly. Looking down, he saw that Wang Ying had replied, followed by Tian Mengyao, and then Su Yurou.
Lin Fan's phone buzzed non-stop, almost slipping from his grasp.
The commotion startled the brother and sister.
Li Yusheng glanced over, but in the dim moonlight, he didn't recognize Lin Fan.
"Let's go back first. Uncle-Master might have already discussed the competition rules with Chairman Zhong, and we need to prepare early."
After Li Yusheng spoke, he noticed his sister staring with wide eyes and an open mouth, almost large enough to swallow an egg.
"Lin Fan!"
Li Yurou, with her sharp intellect and photographic memory, recognized Lin Fan sitting there at a glance.
"What?"
Li Yusheng was shocked and quickly turned his head to look closely.
"Hi~ you guys are here too."
Lin Fan gave an awkward smile. "I was thinking of leaving in a couple of days, so I thought I'd come and enjoy the night view of West Lake while I had the time. Uh... sorry."
Compared to him, the brother and sister felt as if a kaleidoscope of emotions had been stirred within them.
Li Yusheng frowned and quickly recalled their recent conversation, fearing Lin Fan had overheard any secrets they might have shared.
Li Yurou lowered her head, extremely embarrassed.
It was over!
Completely over!
There was no point in even competing now.
If Lin Fan were to spread the word that they had been crying their eyes out by West Lake, the Liqi Sect would become a laughingstock the next day.
Li Yurou's slender feet, like jade lotuses, dug into the soles of her shoes, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Silence, so profound that the falling of a needle could be heard.
Lin Fan didn't know whether to leave or stay.
"Well, I can pretend I didn't see anything, and I didn't hear anything."
"Don't worry, no outsider will ever know."
Lin Fan said, then stood up to leave.
"Uh, thank you..."
"Wait!"
Li Yusheng started to thank him, while Li Yurou raised her hand to stop Lin Fan.
"Is there anything else?"
Lin Fan looked at Li Yurou, whose eyes were still red, and felt a pang of sympathy.
"You know, don't you?"
Li Yurou stared blankly at Lin Fan, her gaze unfocused.
"Huh?"
Lin Fan's mind raced. He held up two fingers, pointed at the siblings, and whispered, "If you're talking about that, then yes, I do know."
Hearing this, Li Yurou's limbs went weak, and her face turned ashen.
But the next moment, a sense of relief washed over her.
It was as if a burden she had carried for a long time had finally been lifted.
"What... what did you say?"
Li Yusheng suddenly felt as if he had been stripped bare and stood before Lin Fan.
"Brother, he knew during the match," Li Yurou said, her voice filled with despair.
"What?!"
Li Yusheng's eyes widened as if he had heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Lin Fan had seen through their siblings' trick during the match?
Then why hadn't he exposed them on the spot?
If he had revealed it then, he would have won immediately!
Moreover, their master, Lin Xingnan, would have to bear responsibility and would most likely be expelled from the sect!
As for his sister...
The thought of the terrible consequences made Li Yusheng tremble uncontrollably.
"Don't worry, I won't say anything," Lin Fan quickly reassured them, seeing how terrified they were.
Li Yusheng looked at Lin Fan with disbelief, his expression incredibly complex.
Just moments ago, they had been discussing how to win the final match, and unexpectedly, Lin Fan had already possessed a surefire way to win.
It was just that he hadn't used it.
"Thank you." Li Yurou murmured.
"You're welcome," Lin Fan grinned.
It was a fair competition, regardless of the opponent's gender. There was no need to dwell on such things.
"Thank you." Li Yusheng said solemnly.
He smiled, then gritted his teeth and said, "I will explain the situation to Uncle-Master when I get back. Tomorrow's match, we will concede."
Upon hearing this, Li Yurou immediately clutched the corner of her clothes, nearly biting through her lip.
The Lizi room had waited for decades for this opportunity. She couldn't imagine the blow their Uncle-Master would suffer upon learning of this.
"Actually, it doesn't have to be this way."
Lin Fan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is this match very important to you?"
"Yes." Li Yurou nodded softly. "It's really important, it concerns our... forget it, it's just very important."
She didn't want to tell outsiders the inner workings.
Li Yusheng slumped, "We weren't as good as you anyway, so conceding isn't a big deal."
"How about we think of a way to draw?" Lin Fan suggested.
"What did you say?"
The siblings' eyes widened instantly, looking at Lin Fan as if he were an idiot.
Lin Fan paused, then continued, "We could, you know... secretly discuss it and have a draw tomorrow. Then both sides would be satisfied."
"Why would you do that?" Li Yurou asked, suspecting a trick.
"Are the Northern and Southern Sects fighting all the time? Is that interesting?" Lin Fan explained, "I've spoken with Zhong... Master. The dispute between the Xing Shi Sect and the Li Qi Sect only began in the Republic of China era. Although they had different factions before, they all acknowledged that the other's learning was consistent with their own principles, with no distinction in superiority."
Li Yurou nodded slightly. "That's true, but the problem is, now both your Xing Shi Sect and our Li Qi Sect insist on proving who is superior..."
Lin Fan waved his hand, interrupting her. "Then not only will we draw this time, but we'll draw every time. They won't have anything to say then, will they?"
"This..."
The siblings were each more bewildered than the other.