Chapter 117: Luo Xing's Slap

Xu Yuxiao finally threw the door open!

His eyes blazed with fury, his voice trembled slightly with rage, and his fists were clenched tight as he rushed out to confront Gu Shiyan.

Luo Xing, who was standing in front of Gu Shiyan, moved almost at the exact same moment.

Gu Shiyan firmly caught the fist Xu Yuxiao swung at him. Immediately after, a sharp slap rang out.

Luo Xing's palm landed squarely on Xu Yuxiao's face.

It stung fiercely.

Not only was Xu Yuxiao stunned, but even Gu Shiyan was caught off guard, momentarily freezing as he held Xu Yuxiao's wrist.

Xu Yuxiao was beside himself with rage. "Gu Shiyan! This kind of thing happens in every circle. Why do you have to go out of your way to oppose me?!"

He refused to believe that Gu Shiyan, growing up in his social circle, had seen any less of these rigged championships than he had. And now he was putting on an act of moral superiority!

"I've seen plenty, but I've never done it myself, nor do I tolerate others doing it to me," Gu Shiyan said, tossing his hand aside. "Unfortunately, you are destined to lose it this time."

Qi Changbai spat on the ground nearby. "Isn't your family rich? Is it really worth stealing this? The prize money is only a hundred thousand—that's probably less than a month of pocket money from your dad."

Xu Yuxiao desperately suppressed the fury rising in his chest. Fame and fortune were two entirely different things.

His father was a nouveau riche businessman; what he lacked most wasn't money, but social prestige.

For this competition, his father had already bragged to the CEOs of various major companies, promising to host a grand banquet to celebrate if his son won the gold prize. It was all for the sake of saving face.

But now, not only was the championship gone, but he was also branded with the stigma of cheating and bribery! When he returned home, let alone a celebratory banquet, he would be beaten half to death first. Once a reputation was ruined, it was nearly impossible to rebuild.

He didn't believe any of the students here had the clout to pull this off—inviting two titans of the physics world and making the organizers willingly change the rules. The only ones capable of such influence was the Gu family.

Xu Yuxiao glared coldly at Gu Shiyan. "I thought you despised your family's fortune. To pull off something of this scale, do you expect me to believe you didn't use your family's connections? In the end, aren't you still relying on your family?"

Gu Shiyan nodded calmly. "You're right. I don't have much ability myself, so I rely on my family. However..." Gu Shiyan paused and pointed to the screen behind him.

It displayed the recalculated scores.

Without the two judges deliberately lowering the scores, the team in first place held a total of 770 points, followed closely by Xingda's Team Six.

"I'm only fighting for a fair playing field. If you actually had the ability, you wouldn't have needed to spend so much money, would you?" Gu Shiyan said softly.

The slight curve of his lips made Xu Yuxiao flush with embarrassment and shame.

Qi Changbai scoffed. "I remember some news report calling you a physics genius from Jing University. Is a genius really that insecure?"

Xu Yuxiao's advisor walked over, looking at him with eyes full of disappointment.

Xu Yuxiao's lips trembled as he tried to explain, but he found himself defenseless. "Professor, I..."

Professor Qin sighed deeply. "Even without your father's intervention, with your abilities, it wouldn't have been difficult for you to win."

Xu Yuxiao knew he had the talent. His eyes grew red, and a wave of regret washed over him. "I... I was just afraid that, what if..."

"More than winning, you need the courage to lose." Professor Qin had been furious, but seeing his student hanging his head, tears of regret dripping down, he could not bring himself to scold him further.

"Once we return, you should leave the team," Professor Qin said with a soft sigh, feeling a deep sense of pity. How did such a promising student turn out like this?

No matter how unwilling Xu Yuxiao was, there was no turning back. Everyone knew. It was even questionable whether he could remain at Jing University after returning home.

Meanwhile, the group that won the gold prize was rewarded by the university with a three-day trip in the United States before heading home.

...

"Huo Xingzhou! Over here!" A woman with a brilliant smile stood on the other side of the street, waving at him.

"Xiaoxiao." Huo Xingzhou's tense expression softened significantly upon seeing her beautiful smile.

He glanced at the green light and walked across the street toward her.

Xiaoxiao threw her arms around him in a hug. "Mr. Great Attorney, do you have time to have dinner with your girlfriend?"

Huo Xingzhou patted the top of her head. "What are you doing here?"

Holding him tightly, Xiaoxiao's smile faltered for a fraction of a second. "Oh, I came to buy some things. What's that in your hand?"

Huo Xingzhou looked down at her. "A client's files. Come on, let's get some dinner."

Xiaoxiao's eyes flicked over the briefcase in his hand, and she smiled. "Great! I want steak! A proper feast!"

Huo Xingzhou wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her toward a restaurant ahead.

Xiaoxiao's family background wasn't well-off, and she had relied entirely on her own hard work to get to where she was today—now working as an attorney at a private law firm.

Huo Xingzhou ordered two of the most expensive steaks on the menu.

Xiaoxiao rested her chin in her hands. "How generous of you, Attorney Huo!"

"Take a look. Is there anything else you'd like?" Huo Xingzhou handed her the menu.

Xiaoxiao scanned it and ordered a salad.

"What have you been busy with lately, Attorney Huo? We haven't had dinner together in ages." Xiaoxiao reached across the table, and Huo Xingzhou immediately lifted his hand from his lap to press his palm against hers.

"Just handling some client matters," Huo Xingzhou replied concisely.

Xiaoxiao kept smiling, her eyes clear. "You never seem to talk about your clients with me. I don't even know what you're worrying about from day to day..."

She sounded a little hurt. "Every time I see you so busy that you skip meals, I want to help lighten your load, but I have no idea what you're actually doing."

Huo Xingzhou lowered his eyes, his smile fading slightly. "I can handle those things. Don't worry too much about it."

He patted her hand gently.

Xiaoxiao pouted. "Fine. I almost thought you didn't trust me, which is why you never mention your clients."

Whenever clients were mentioned, Huo Xingzhou's expression grew serious.

He looked at Xiaoxiao. Her smile was as bright as ever. He never mentioned his clients to those close to him, which was actually a way of protecting them. After all, Elder Gu's status was far too sensitive; the more one knew, the more dangerous it became.

Huo Xingzhou had intentionally kept his distance from Xiaoxiao over the past few days. For one, he truly had no time, and for another, he feared that Gu Ming might refuse to give up and target the people around him.

"Do you still have work tonight, Attorney Huo?" Xiaoxiao rested her fork against the corner of her mouth, chatting merrily.

"Well..." The attorney smiled, hesitating for a moment. "I am busy—busy keeping my girlfriend company tonight!"

Hearing this, Xiaoxiao leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

Huo Xingzhou's ears flushed red at her playfulness. "Where do you want to go tonight?"

"A colleague recommended a movie to me today. How about a movie?"