Chapter 99: If You Don't Provoke Me, I Won't Provoke You. You're the Real Clown
Ma Hongjun turned his head again, looking toward Lin Qingmo's table and Tang San's table, his eyes filled with urgency.
The meaning was obvious: if you're brothers, come over! If there's a fight, we fight together!
However—
Tang San sat alone at his small table. From beginning to end, he didn't even lift his head.
All his attention seemed fixed on the bowl of plain rice in front of him.
Or rather, the corner of his eye was tightly locked onto Xiao Wu's smiling figure seated beside Lin Qingmo.
As for the conflict over there?
He didn't care in the slightest.
He even found Ma Hongjun and the others noisy and irritating, disrupting his "observation" of Xiao Wu.
As for Lin Qingmo's table…
Lin Qingmo was leaning slightly toward Ning Rongrong, saying something that made her cover her mouth and laugh softly.
He casually swirled the wine in his glass, looking as relaxed as if he were sunbathing in his own backyard.
Regarding the tense atmosphere that was about to erupt into violence on Ma Hongjun's side, he didn't even bother lifting his eyelids.
It was as if what was unfolding there was nothing more than a dull farce.
"Hey! Lin Qingmo! Tang San!"
Ma Hongjun finally couldn't hold it in and shouted directly, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction and urgency.
"What are you two doing? Pretending you don't see this?"
"We're the Shrek Eight Devils—one prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer!"
"Now someone's stepping on Shrek's face, and you're just sitting there watching?"
Those were heavy words.
He had directly escalated a personal conflict into an issue of academy honor.
Other diners in the hall turned to look as well, all clearly entertained by the spectacle.
Being called out by name, Lin Qingmo finally reacted.
He slowly lifted his head, his gaze cool as it swept over Ma Hongjun.
There was no warmth in that look, only the faint impatience of someone dealing with an unruly child.
"What else would I be doing?"
His tone was calm, without the slightest ripple, almost as if it were an obvious question.
"Eating. Drinking. Chatting."
He paused briefly, his eyes shifting toward Ma Hongjun and the Blue Sunshine Academy students beside him, the corner of his lips curling faintly.
"Or should I be like you, so full I've got nothing better to do than stir up trouble?"
"You!"
Ma Hongjun choked on the words, his face flushing red.
"We're defending the academy's dignity! This is a confrontation. If you're a man, you stand up!"
He tried to cloak his behavior in a layer of righteousness.
Lin Qingmo set his wine cup down.
The ceramic base lightly tapped against the wooden table, producing a crisp, delicate sound.
"Dignity?"
When he spoke again, his tone had noticeably cooled.
"You were the one who walked over and used a flirtatious tone to harass a girl in their group."
"You were the one who started the provocation, spouting nonsense and dragging your own low-level impulses under the academy's name."
Lin Qingmo's voice was clear and steady, carrying through every corner of the hall.
"My principle is simple."
"If you don't provoke me, I won't provoke you. I don't cause trouble, but I'm never afraid of it."
"In this situation, you, Ma Hongjun, were the one who 'provoked' them first."
His gaze sharpened, locking onto Ma Hongjun.
"You cause trouble yourself, then expect everyone else to jump in and clean it up for you? To take the hit and fight your battles?"
"What kind of logic is that?"
His conclusion was firm and decisive.
"If you start something, you take responsibility for finishing it. That's called accountability."
"Handle your own mess. Don't drag others down with you."
When he finished speaking, the hall fell silent for several seconds.
Quite a few observing soul masters nodded subtly, their gazes toward Lin Qingmo tinged with appreciation.
Young as he was, his mind was clear, and his reasoning sound.
Ning Rongrong's eyes brightened.
She had grown up in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and had seen countless spoiled young masters relying on power to bully others.
What she hated most were people like Ma Hongjun, who had no ability but caused trouble everywhere.
Zhu Zhuqing gave a slight nod.
Cold by nature and focused on efficiency and strength, she likewise disapproved of pointless conflicts and teammates who dragged others down.
Lin Qingmo's clear boundaries and emphasis on personal responsibility suited her perfectly.
"…."
Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun's expressions could no longer be described as merely ugly.
It was a dark mixture of humiliation, anger, and embarrassment.
Especially Ma Hongjun.
His face burned as if he had been slapped repeatedly in public.
Lin Qingmo's words had torn away his last shred of dignity, exposing his petty motives and his attempt to shift blame under the bright lights of the hall.
Meanwhile, the tall youth leading Blue Sunshine Academy cast Lin Qingmo a deep look.
The anger in his eyes faded somewhat.
Arguing further with a scoundrel like Ma Hongjun would only lower their own standing.
On the contrary, this young man, about his age, clear-headed and fair, was rare.
He turned back to Ma Hongjun.
"We, Blue Sunshine Academy, will remember today's matter."
His tone remained cold, but the hostility had lessened, replaced by contempt.
"I hope you and your companions learn something from that brother's words."
"Not everyone is willing to pay for your foolishness."
After speaking, he no longer spared Ma Hongjun and the others another glance.
Instead, he gave a slight nod toward Lin Qingmo in acknowledgment.
Then he led the Blue Sunshine Academy students to an empty table on the other side of the hall, calmly called for a waiter, and sat down to order food.
Watching Blue Sunshine Academy students leave so decisively—
Ma Hongjun stood frozen in place.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to leave or stay.
He abruptly turned to look at Lin Qingmo.
But Lin Qingmo had already withdrawn his gaze, now listening to Xiao Wu speak, a faint smile lingering on his lips.
That indifferent, detached composure felt like a sharp thorn stabbing into Ma Hongjun's heart.
If not for his own actions, how could he have made such a fool of himself?
His whole body trembled faintly with anger. His breathing grew heavy, and his fists clenched with audible cracks.
But what could he do?
Rush over and attack Lin Qingmo?
He couldn't beat him.
Keep shouting and arguing?
That would only make him look more ridiculous.
The frustration and resentment clogging his chest nearly made him explode.
In the end—
He could only let out a heavy snort through his nose, like a defeated rooster, and shuffle back to his table.
He dropped into his seat, grabbed the wine jar, and tilted his head back, gulping it down.
The fiery liquid scorched his throat, but it couldn't extinguish the wicked flames in his heart.
"Drink, drink, what the hell are you still drinking for?"
Dai Mubai cursed under his breath, his face equally unpleasant.
"Fatty, why the hell did you go and provoke that girl for no reason? Is your brain full of lust?"
"Now look, we've lost all face!"
He felt the entire day had been cursed.
First, he had been snubbed by Zhu Zhuqing.
Then he watched Lin Qingmo surrounded by beauties, laughing and chatting, jealousy gnawing at him.
And now he had been dragged into humiliation because of Ma Hongjun's stupidity.
Ma Hongjun stiffened his neck and muttered quietly, "H–How was I supposed to know they'd take it so seriously? It was just a joke…"
But in his heart, all his resentment shifted toward Lin Qingmo.
'Lin Qingmo! It's all because of you! If you hadn't undercut me, we might've already beaten those Blue Sunshine Academy guys flat. Then we'd be the ones in the spotlight!'
'You did this on purpose. Just wait.'
Oscar didn't join in their mutual blaming.
He simply let out a quiet sigh.
He had embarrassed himself in front of Rongrong again.
Tilting his head back, he drained the strong liquor in one gulp.
After the burning sensation faded, only bitterness remained in his mouth.
End of Chapter