Chapter 17: Teaming Up? A Complete Clash
As if afraid Jiang Chenyan hadn’t heard, Xie Huaijin repeated himself. “I said, I am willing to represent the entire student body and apologize to Classmate Jiang.”
The Vice Principal, oblivious to the tension, agreed with Xie Huaijinâs words. “Speaking of which, we have always hoped you two could ease your relationship. After all, you are both the future of the military academy.”
Jiang Chenyanâs brow was tightly knit. When things are this abnormal, there must be a catch.
“I never said I wanted him to represent the students and apologizeâ”
He was coldly interrupted by Xie Huaijin before he could finish.
“Why not use me?” Xie Huaijin sneered. “Haven’t you always wanted me to bow my head and admit my mistake?”
Jiang Chenyanâs expression shifted. In an instant, the atmosphere between the two plummeted to freezing point.
The school authorities also sensed it and secretly regretted agreeing to this decision so hastily. In the silence, the Vice Principal was the first to speak to break the deadlock. “Since Classmate Xie is willing to apologize, then Classmate Jiang will be responsible for fixing the forum.”
Jiang Chenyan: “If they truly realize their mistake, fixing the forum is naturally no problem.”
“Heh. My only fear is that Classmate Jiangâs skills are insufficient, and when the time comes, he won’t be able to fix it, wasting everyone’s time instead.”
Jiang Chenyan looked up at Xie Huaijin, his gaze icy. “You don’t need to worry about that. I will definitely be able to fix it.”
Xie Huaijin was moved to an angry laugh. He stood up abruptly and walked toward Jiang Chenyan step by step, his thin lips slightly parted. “Fine. Iâd like to see just how capable you are.”
Before the words had even settled, Jiang Chenyan felt his wrist tighten as it was grabbed by Xie Huaijin.
Xie Huaijin turned his head. “Let’s not delay the teachers from handling other matters. Let’s talk outside.”
Jiang Chenyanâs gaze was cold enough to form ice shards. He was practically dragged out the door. As soon as they reached the corridor, he violently shook off the hand. Suppressing his rage, he cursed, “Xie Huaijin, are you sick?”
Xie Huaijin released him, but his gaze went past Jiang Chenyan to land on Shen Shiyue not far away. He mocked, “Heh. Truly inseparable.”
Shen Shiyue walked over to Jiang Chenyanâs side with an expressionless face, his eyes deep.
Seeing the two looking as if they were facing a great enemy, Xie Huaijin let out a light “Tsk.” “Is it necessary? Shen Shiyue, do you loathe me that much?”
Shen Shiyue didn’t pick up Xie Huaijinâs thread at all, only saying, “Stay away from him.”
“Weâre in the same military academy. Weâll see each other whether we look up or down. How far do you want me to stay?” Xie Huaijin sneered. His gaze swept over Shen Shiyue and looked directly at Jiang Chenyan. “Jiang Chenyan, come here. I have something to say to you alone.”
Jiang Chenyan didn’t move. He glanced at Xie Huaijin; aside from annoyance, he felt no other emotion.
He also knew they would see each other constantly, and that the man wished he could force him and Shen Shiyue to drop out.
“If you have something to say, say it right there.”
It won’t be anything good anyway.
Jiang Chenyan couldn’t even be bothered to look at Xie Huaijin. How could Xie Huaijin not notice? His face darkened instantly, and his jawline tightened. “Fine, Jiang Chenyan, it had to be youâ”
He paused deliberately, a cold smile hooking his lips. “Do you know? The idea of representing everyone to apologize… was my own suggestion.”
Jiang Chenyanâs pupils contracted slightly. He was clearly stunned, but within two seconds, the surprise vanished from his eyes and he returned to calm.
“…”
As expected, it wasn’t anything good.
How was this “impenetrable” look any different from punching cotton? It made Xie Huaijin feel a wave of irritation in his chest. He clenched his fists, giving a skin-deep smile.
“It seems you truly don’t care. Jiang Chenyan, remember your current attitude. Don’t come back later and kneel to beg me.”
“Don’t worry.” Jiang Chenyan looked up to meet him. “That will never happen.”
Xie Huaijin felt his temples throbbing. With nowhere to vent his anger, he turned and left. Jiang Chenyan won’t be gloating for long.
Silence returned to the corridor. Jiang Chenyan was about to rush to class when he was grabbed by the arm by Shen Shiyue. Shen Shiyue couldn’t help but be worried that Xie Huaijin would do something else.
Jiang Chenyan patted his hand and told him not to worry. Things were already bad enough; could they get any worse?
“Let’s go. We’ll be late if we dawdle.”
“Mm. Let’s go.”
The two returned to the classroom for their lesson. They received a notice that at 9:00 AM tomorrow, all students were to gather at the school square for a general assembly.
Jiang Chenyanâs brow knit into a knot. He had a bad premonition.
The next morning, the square was already packed with people, and noisy discussions filled the air.
Jiang Chenyan and Shen Shiyue walked over. Just as they stood by their classâs position, the surrounding noise suddenly paused.
Several gazes swept over them. Someoneâs expression changed instantly, and they instinctively shifted aside, quietly creating distance.
Jiang Chenyan glanced at the evasive gazes around him. He felt no ripples in his heart; he had long since grown used to it.
On the rostrum, the leaders delivered their speeches one by one. Most of the content was standard warnings until the last leader took the microphone, his voice suddenly rising. “I want to emphasize one thing: in one month, our school will host a campus-wide battlefield simulation test. All students must participate. Preparation starts now!”
As the words fell, the square exploded. Discussions and exclamations mixed together.
One must know that the battlefield simulation test had always been the best stage to showcase one’s strength. If one could break into the top rankings, they wouldn’t just receive school-level commendations; they would be prioritized by various top-tier units.
This was a solid shortcut to a future career.
And if one accidentally took first place… one could say their ancestral grave was emitting green smoke from good luck.
Discussions rose and fell. Jiang Chenyan didn’t need to listen closely to know that this battlefield simulation test was crucial for everyone.
As he thought, a vague plot point flashed through his mind.
The simulated battlefield required a five-person team. At that time, the protagonist shouâs identity had already been exposed, and he was forced into a team by two protagonist gongs. After that, it was [censored] and [censored] all the way.
To escape, the protagonist shou was nearly killed by the enemy… and after being caught back by the protagonist gong, he was forced into heat and [censored].
It was a very perverted plot point.
His thoughts were interrupted by the figure beside him. Shen Shiyue was wearing the sharp military academy uniform. His collar buttons were fastened meticulously, and his profile was cold and abstinent.
Involuntarily, images of Xie Huaijin and Mu Si’an pinning Shen Shiyue down popped into Jiang Chenyanâs mind…
He violently shook his head, shaking out all that smutty waste. His ears were a bit hot. Feeling both angry and annoyed, he grabbed Shen Shiyueâs wrist. “Shen Shiyue, for this simulation test, you must team up with me.”
Shen Shiyue noticed his reddened ears. His cold eyes softened, and a faint smile hooked his lips. “Fine. Iâll only team up with you.”
The leader on the rostrum put away the microphone and scanned the crowd. “One more thing: Classmate Xie, please come on stage to say a few words.”
As soon as the words fell, a round of enthusiastic applause rang out.
Those not in the know frowned and nudged their classmates, asking in low voices, “Whatâs going on? Why is Xie Huaijin suddenly going up to speak?”
“You don’t know? This has been spreading privately for a while. You’ll know after listening.”
…
Xie Huaijin walked onto the stage with long strides. The moment he took the microphone, the discussions below quieted down significantly.
He swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes eventually fixing on Jiang Chenyanâs direction. A cold smile hooked his lips, and his voice transmitted through the speakers across the square. “I’m on stage today primarily to apologize to Classmate Jiang Chenyan on behalf of the students who posted on the forum. After all, it was our mistake first. And Classmate Jiang Chenyan has already promised to restore the forum as soon as possible.”
“We should thank him. Thanks to him, we know just how harmful cyberbullying is. Look, the disappearance of the forum is a living example.”
A massive uproar broke out. The wave of discussion almost drowned out the square’s speakers.
The teachers and leaders on the rostrum had subtle expressions, exchanging glances.
“I told youâthose two are completely incompatible.”
“Young Master Xie doesn’t intend to hide it anymore; he’s bringing the conflict right out into the open.”
“It seems Jiang Chenyan has truly pissed Young Master Xie off… heâs even resorting to sarcasm.”
“Iâm just curiousâwhose side are you on?”
“Nobodyâs. I’m neutral. No matter who pressures me in the future, it won’t work. I’m staying neutral.”
“…”
Compared to the noisy discussions elsewhere, the people around Jiang Chenyan were much quieter, though they couldn’t help but steal glances at him, quietly observing his reaction.
To everyoneâs surprise, Jiang Chenyan just lowered his eyes, his face showing no ripple of emotion. There was no anger at the provocation, nor embarrassment at being put on the spot. He looked like it had nothing to do with him.
Jiang Chenyan was standing near the front. When he looked up, he happened to lock eyes with Xie Huaijin on stage.
The moment their eyes met, he didn’t dodge or avoid. He only slightly moved his lips, silently uttering a few words.
Xie Huaijinâs eyes narrowed. He understood the mouth shape.
“Bring it on.”
The temperature in both of their eyes plummeted to freezing point.
At this moment, sparks were flying.
A cold laugh escaped Xie Huaijinâs throat. He said no more, dropped the microphone, and walked off the stage.
The leaders on stage looked at each other, extremely embarrassed.
After a long while, someone stepped forward to clear their throat and took the microphone to smooth things over. “Alright, todayâs assembly ends here. Everyone, go back and prepare well for the battlefield simulation test. Also, finalize your team lists as soon as possible and report them.”
The assembly ended, and students had no desire to stay, leaving in small groups.
Jiang Chenyan was about to leave with Shen Shiyue when he was called by a professor.
The professor led him to a quiet spot. “Classmate Jiang, regarding the conflict between you and Classmate Xie, and the forum restoration… how about you reconsider? Don’t be too impulsive.”
“Professor, I know what you want to say,” Jiang Chenyan interrupted him. “The importance of the test, the schoolâs concernsâI know the weight of these things.”
The professor was stunned for a moment, then exhaled in relief. He smiled and patted his shoulder. “Haha, as long as you know. I was worried youâd be stubborn.”
Jiang Chenyan spoke flatly: “If thereâs nothing else, I’ll head back first. By the way, regarding the forum restorationâyou should find someone else. Classmate Xie doesn’t believe I can fix it. If I go and fix it now, wouldn’t that make me look desperate? So why should I bother?”
The professor was rendered speechless by those words. “…”
They’re both so stubborn.
Jiang Chenyan twitched his lips. “If thereâs nothing else, I’ll leave.”
“Go on.” The professor sighed and waved him away.
Jiang Chenyan turned and left. Just as he reached the corner, he saw Shen Shiyue leaning against the wall waiting for him.
“What did the professor say to you?” Shen Shiyue approached, naturally helping him straighten his collar that had been ruffled by the wind.
“What else? He was persuading me to fix the forum.”
“But now isn’t the time to think about that. The most important thing right now is to find the remaining three teammates.”
Shen Shiyueâs steps paused. He looked sideways at Jiang Chenyan. “Do you have candidates in mind?”
“I was just about to ask you. Do you have suitable candidates on your side?” Jiang Chenyan chuckled. “Mainly because I haven’t been doing well socially; aside from you, I don’t know anyone.”
Not only do I not know anyone, I’ve offended everyone.
Shen Shiyue: “What a coincidence. Aside from you, I don’t know anyone either.”
Jiang Chenyan let out a soft sigh. “It seems thereâs no other way. Iâll just have to grit my teeth and look in our class. Iâll find someone eventually.”
During the break that afternoon, Jiang Chenyan asked around in class. As a result, his classmatesâ gazes were evasive, and they didn’t dare look at him.
After a while, a few people spoke in low voices: “Sorry, Classmate Jiang, Iâve already agreed to join someone else.” “A friend asked me to team up long ago; I really can’t join you.” “Me too.”
After hitting a wall with teaming up during the day, Jiang Chenyan felt more annoyed the more he thought about it back at the dorm. He decided to try posting a recruitment thread online that night.
Maybe heâd run into someone online who didn’t mind.
Just as he clicked on the schoolâs official website, he found that the school had actually fixed the forum.
Upon opening it, he was nearly repelled by the densely packed, lagging pop-ups and chaotic layout. He spent a long time just looking for the “Post” button.
Browsing the front page, it was full of complaints: [What kind of junk is this fix? It takes three minutes to click a thread!] [What kind of ghost did Jiang Chenyan fix?]
[Person upstairs, Jiang Chenyan didn’t fix it. The school just hired someone random to fool us.]
Jiang Chenyan ignored the chaos of the forum and quickly typed out a recruitment post.
However, even after he sat and refreshed the post for a long time, the pageâaside from occasional laggingâdidn’t have a single reply.
Just as he was refreshing in frustration, an anonymous comment suddenly jumped out: [You’ve been blacklisted by Young Master Xie. Who dares to join a team with you?]
Jiang Chenyan stared at that comment for two seconds. Before he could reply, the other personâas if afraid of troubleâdeleted the comment cleanly the next second.
Thatâs pretty bad…
While he was staring blankly at the empty floors of the thread, his optical computer beeped, and a notification for a new email popped up.
He clicked it open. The email only had a few sentences: “Jiang Chenyan, I said it beforeâI want you to kneel and beg me. If you don’t want to be left out, come and see me. I’m at XXX.”
XXX was a somewhat chaotic red-light district not far from the school.
Jiang Chenyan: “…”
Recommended Reads
![[ABO] After Accidental Marking, I Became Everyone’s Darling](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ABO-225x300.jpeg)
![The League’s Hei Yueguang Has Fought His Way Back [E-sports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hei-214x300.jpg)
