"That night, it wasn't Tan Bingbing who defeated me, but you, right?" André lowered his voice and slowly asked.
Endymion was slightly startled. This guy actually figured it out?
"You're wrong. Everyone in Notting Academy knows I can't pilot a mech, so there's no way I was the one who beat you that night." Endymion denied it outright.
"I'm very familiar with Tan Bingbing's combat style. The last three minutes simply weren't hers." André shook his head. "Actually, you don't need to deny it. I just want to talk to a real expert."
"Believe it or not, that entire time, it was Tan Bingbing piloting the mech." Endymion pondered for a moment.
A flicker of surprise passed André's eyes, but he soon detected a hidden meaning and smiled faintly. "I think I understand what you mean."
"That's good." Endymion didn't want to argue further. "By the way, thanks for your help yesterday."
"I said you're my friend. As a friend, that's what I should do." André said calmly.
Friend? Endymion felt a strange emotion welling up. In four years at Notting Academy, André was the first to treat him as a friend.
"Maybe you don't see me as a friend yet, but in my eyes, you already are one." André added. "You deserve it."
From those words, Endymion sensed André's pride. For some reason, he felt no annoyance—on the contrary, he admired André.
"You're definitely my friend too. But being my friend doesn't seem like an easy thing." Endymion stood and extended his right hand.
"It's my honor to be your friend." André stood and shook his hand.
Their eyes met, both smiling brightly.
"Two grown men acting all chummy—what's this?" A cold voice suddenly interrupted.
Turning around, Tan Bingbing had appeared, with Fang Yang beside her.
Endymion and André were both embarrassed and quickly released their handshake—otherwise, it might give people the wrong idea about their orientation.
"I need to talk to you!" Tan Bingbing looked at Endymion and then turned and walked away.
Endymion paused but followed her.
André and Fang Yang, showing perfect tacit understanding, stayed behind. Once Tan Bingbing left, Fang Yang immediately tried to buddy up with André.
"Bro, you're friends with Endymion, and Endymion's friends with me, so that makes us friends too, right?" Fang Yang grinned.
"That's one way to put it." André looked puzzled, unsure what Fang Yang was aiming at.
"Friends share happiness, right?" Fang Yang went on.
"True." André nodded.
"So, can you introduce me to some beauties? You've got so many admirers—you can easily spare me ten or eight…" Fang Yang gave a lecherous grin.
André was speechless. What kind of guy was this?
"Why have you been avoiding me?" At a secluded spot in the academy, Tan Bingbing glared at Endymion.
"I'm not avoiding you!" Endymion was annoyed. Though he didn't know how to face her, he wasn't deliberately running away. Whatever happened, he wouldn't evade it.
"Then why haven't you come to find me?" Bingbing snorted.
"I was worried you'd still be mad." Endymion started to say she hadn't asked him to come, but caught himself and changed the explanation.
"Then why did you sneak away last night?" Bingbing pressed on.
"I wasn't sneaking! You were practicing, so I couldn't disturb you!" Endymion defended himself.
"I have a match tonight. You have to help me!" Bingbing suddenly said.
"Huh?" Endymion was momentarily confused. Those two sentences seemed unrelated and abrupt.
"Don't want to help? You have to help!" Bingbing glared at him.
"You really want me to help?" Endymion asked cautiously. "Like last time?"
To be honest, helping Bingbing like that was a pleasure for any guy.
"Nonsense!" Bingbing was displeased. "Tonight I'm facing Liu Qinglin, and I can't lose!"
Liu Qinglin—the super beauty Fang Yang mentioned?
"Can you tell me honestly something?" Endymion hesitated but decided to ask.
"What?" Bingbing asked casually.
"What exactly is your relationship with Fang Yang?" Endymion was troubled. This question had been bothering him for a while.
"Don't you already know?" Bingbing looked at him strangely. "I'm his fiancée!"
"So if that's the case, what about us and Fang Yang..." Endymion looked at Bingbing.
"What about him?" Bingbing gave him an innocent look.
"Come on, miss, do you really not get it or are you pretending? You're his fiancée, and yet you're like this with me. Doesn't he have a problem with it?" Endymion was frustrated.
"What problem could he have?" Bingbing pouted. "He's secretly delighted!"
"You mean he doesn't want to marry you?" Endymion began to understand.
"Exactly. He's scared of me and wishes he could escape!" Bingbing looked a bit smug. "But I'm not going to let him off that easily—I haven't finished tormenting him yet!"
"Do you have a grudge against him?" Endymion was amused.
"No, but I have to keep him in check. I promised his parents I'd discipline him." Bingbing said matter-of-factly.
Endymion wanted to ask more, but Bingbing was impatient. "Enough questions. Now go to my place. Tonight we go to the arena together."
Before Endymion could object, she added, "You stole my first kiss—you have to take responsibility!"
Endymion was speechless and could only obediently follow her home.
Though in his heart he muttered, "It's just a first kiss. Why so serious?"
Endymion had spent so much energy at the mech training center that morning. Even though he ate a lot, exhaustion lingered. After arriving at Bingbing's house, he couldn't resist the overwhelming fatigue and collapsed on the sofa, quickly falling asleep.
When he woke up, he found himself lying on Bingbing's bed. She must have carried him there after he fell asleep.
A note lay by the bed:
"If you wake up, come to the arena immediately!"
Endymion jumped up, looked at the time—it was already 7:30 pm. Bingbing's match had started.
On the way home, Bingbing had explained she was competing because Liu Qinglin had challenged her and she had to accept.
Though Endymion heard Liu Qinglin was in the same class, he didn't know her personally. But someone daring to challenge Bingbing must be very strong. Bingbing asking for his help showed she didn't feel confident about winning.
"Hope Bingbing doesn't lose—otherwise she'll definitely scold me." Endymion ran toward the arena, silently praying.
Rushing to the arena entrance, Endymion nearly bumped into Bingbing's arms.
"Already finished?" He asked carefully, seeing her displeased expression.
"Obviously!" Bingbing rolled her eyes.
"So... you lost?" Endymion pressed. From her look, it seemed certain.
"Hmph. I'll win next time!" Bingbing lifted her chin, undaunted by defeat.
Endymion breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't mad at him.
Just then, a group of people crowded around a beautiful young woman. Her lovely eyes and radiant gaze rivaled Bingbing's, and her sexy figure matched hers as well. Unlike Bingbing's icy demeanor that made people keep distance, this girl exuded an inviting warmth that made everyone want to get close.