Tang Yiyi's character was laid bare for everyone to see.
Her classmates began to call her out, "Tang Yiyi, tell your sister to stop! Are you just going to watch her take off Young Master Feng's hand?"
"Exactly! In the end, Young Master Feng was fighting for you. How can you just stay silent like this? That's so disloyal."
"Such a heartless and ungrateful person. Young Master Feng really stood up for her for nothing."
Facing their accusations, Tang Yiyi, to preserve her image, reluctantly stepped forward, despite her unwillingness.
She couldn't believe Tang Xiaomin would actually dare to cripple Liu Feng.
Tang Yiyi braced herself and walked onto the stage.
"Sister, please don't make things difficult for Young Master Feng. You're not injured, so there's no need to be so aggressive."
Tang Xiaomin had thought Tang Yiyi would remain passive below.
Now, being forced out by so many people, the feeling was finally hers.
And it wasn't enough.
A playful smile curved Tang Xiaomin's lips.
"Since you're pleading for Liu Feng, I can spare his hand, and I don't need him to kowtow to me. But this fight can't be for nothing."
"I have a small request, as long as you can fulfill it."
Upon hearing this, the crowd didn't bother to ask what it was and urged Tang Yiyi to agree.
"Tang Xiaomin is willing to back down. Any request is better than having Young Master Feng's hand removed."
"Right, Yiyi, agree to it."
"She's your sister, she won't do anything to you."
Liu Feng silently watched Tang Yiyi, observing her hesitant demeanor.
His heart, inevitably, grew cold.
For her, he was about to lose a hand.
And she was still hesitating.
Was this woman truly worth his unwavering devotion?
Under the pressure from everyone, Tang Yiyi had no choice.
"What is it?"
Tang Xiaomin smiled, her expression growing increasingly audacious.
"Kneel down and say you're sorry. It's that simple."
A gasp swept through the crowd.
They had always heard rumors that Tang Xiaomin and Tang Yiyi were at odds.
Now that Tang Xiaomin was demanding Tang Yiyi kneel and apologize, it seemed the rumors were true.
This was outrageous; it was a blatant insult!
But then, they reconsidered.
Kneeling and apologizing was nothing compared to losing a hand.
Tang Yiyi glared fiercely at Tang Xiaomin, her eyes filled with malice.
Those below the stage chimed in,
"Yiyi, just kneel and apologize."
"Yeah, let's save Young Master Feng's hand first."
"It's just kneeling to your sister, it's no big deal."
"Young Master Feng was injured defending you. Now, for his hand, just kneel."
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
The crowd egged her on,
Cheering her on,
Happily enjoying the spectacle.
All for the sake of loyalty!
Tang Yiyi looked at the crowd below, flustered. Her heart resisted.
She had become the target of everyone's scorn, lost and biting her teeth in frustration.
Why should she kneel to Tang Xiaomin?
Hesitating, resisting, she refused to kneel and apologize.
Minutes ticked by.
Liu Feng saw through Tang Yiyi's true colors, his heart utterly chilled.
It was laughable how he had put himself in this predicament just to vent Tang Yiyi's anger.
"Heh."
Liu Feng let out a self-mocking cold laugh.
He no longer harbored any hope for a reciprocal response from Tang Yiyi, nor any delusion that she would reciprocate his devotion. So be it.
One had to pay the price for their actions.
As Tang Yiyi remained undecided, Liu Feng resolutely raised the knife in his hand.
The scene was heroic, tragic.
Liu Feng was not one to accept defeat. In full view of everyone, he no longer hesitated, and with his hand, he fiercely brought the knife down towards his own left hand.
"Young Master Feng!"
"Liu Feng!"
"Ah!"
"No!"
Clang!
The knife fell to the ground.
After a clear sound, the air suddenly became still, as if time had frozen.
As expected, the scene of blood splashing on the stage did not occur.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Tang Xiaomin had appeared in front of Liu Feng.
No one saw how she had disarmed Liu Feng, making the knife fall by his feet.
Liu Feng looked at Tang Xiaomin in surprise, this girl who was not to be underestimated and possessed extraordinary skill.
The crowd below secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Feng stammered,
"You... you... what do you mean?"
Tang Xiaomin's objective had been achieved, and she had no interest in Liu Feng's hand.
Besides, Liu Feng had already been taught a lesson. Their accounts, from past lives and this one, were all settled.
Tang Xiaomin smiled slightly, said nothing, turned, and left.
Tang Yiyi stood frozen, trembling, her expression a complex mixture of emotions.
Tang Xiaomin's disdainful gaze swept over her, and in a voice audible to everyone, she said,
"I wanted to give you a chance to prove yourself, how could I possibly want you to kneel to me."
"Heh."
The final laugh was utterly dismissive.
Tang Xiaomin shook her head and walked off the stage without looking back, put on her shoes, and left the martial arts hall.
Her graceful retreating figure appeared harmless.
Only then did Tang Yiyi realize that she had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Tang Xiaomin.
By the time she recovered, Tang Xiaomin was already far away.
Tang Yiyi turned to look at Liu Feng on the other side.
"Liu... Liu Feng, are... are you alright?"
A bitter smile, filled with unspoken meaning, curved Liu Feng's lips. He shook his head.
Ye Lingyun stepped onto the stage and personally helped Liu Feng leave.
They didn't even glance at Tang Yiyi as they walked away.
Below the stage, the onlookers looked at Tang Yiyi with disdain.
No one said anything, but everyone knew the truth.
Tang Yiyi, this young lady of the Tang family, the campus belle and goddess in their hearts,
Was actually such a heartless and ungrateful person.
Without a word, they began to disperse from the martial arts hall.
Shu Ya and Lin Keke, her close friends, now looked at Tang Yiyi with disappointment and distance.
They were all gone.
Only Tang Yiyi stood alone on the stage, enduring their contemptuous and disappointed gazes.
"Shu Ya, Keke, wait for me!"
Tang Yiyi chased after them in a panic.
"Shu Ya, Keke, you have to let me explain!"
Shu Ya and Lin Keke stopped. Shu Ya said dismissively, "Tang Yiyi, do you have anything else to say?"
Tang Yiyi desperately tried to explain, "That was Tang Xiaomin's scheme! She was deliberately making things difficult for me!"
By this point, everyone was no fool.
Tang Xiaomin had indeed deliberately targeted Tang Yiyi today.
But what about Tang Yiyi?
She had accepted Liu Feng's intervention, but when Liu Feng lost and was about to cripple himself, Tang Yiyi remained unmoved.
Watching Liu Feng draw his sword to harm himself, her heart was truly cold.
Who would want to be associated with such a heartless and ungrateful person?
What if one day they became Liu Feng, and Tang Yiyi remained indifferent?
What was the point of dealing with such a person?