"Thank you, once again, for choosing Shizi High!" the principal exclaimed, signalling the end of the first-year students' orientation.
"As a small gift, proceed with an early break. The classes shall resume after the morning break," he announced.
As the students fled out of the auditorium, excited chatter filled the air.
Yuze's powerful words still lingered in Kai's mind. That was also his goal—to become a champion.
Lost in his thoughts, Kai was jolted back to reality when someone unexpectedly wrapped their arms around his bicep.
He turned to find a girl looking up at him with mischievous eyes.
Her chest rested against his bicep, the soft globes dangerously pressing close. Her skirt was also hiked up in a way that would make any awkward encounter even more uncomfortable.
She had long, sleek black hair with bangs, and her ears were adorned with a pair of flashy hoop earrings. Her lips, painted cherry red, moved enticingly as she chewed on what seemed to be cherry-flavored gum.
Kai froze in surprise. Aside from his mother, no other woman had ever gotten this close to him!
"Honeybun, you didn't tell me you were also going to go to Shizi High!" she exclaimed with a playful grin, still chewing the bubblegum in her mouth.
Kai's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Did he have a girlfriend he didn't know about in this life?
"Uh, do I know you?" Kai respectfully asked, trying to peel the girl's arms off from his bicep.
She laughed loudly, leaning even closer to him.
"Oh, Honeybun, you're so funny! It's me, Eva! You transferred to our school last year, remember?"
"Right," Kai said, pursing his lips. "Almost forgot."
"How could you forget?" she exclaimed. "We even met at a restaurant once. You tied my shoelaces for me."
"I did? Right, I did," he quickly added. "Well, do you need anything?"
Eva pouted, her lower lip adorned with a glossy sheen of cherry-flavored lip gloss, looking cheeky.
"I like it when you act cold to me," she smirked. "You're the first guy to ever do that."
Kai shifted uncomfortably as her fingers graced over his bicep. "My, my, Honeybun, looks like someone's been hitting the gym. Your body's even bigger than before," she teased.
Kai, not entirely comfortable with the unexpected physical examination, subtly maneuvered away from Eva's touch. "Yeah, well, I've been lifting... onions," he quipped.
Eva laughed loudly, not taking him seriously.
"Aww, you're so cute!" she exclaimed, slapping his chest in the process.
"Look, I think I have to go—"
Just as Kai was about to bid farewell, a voice, authoritative and icy, cut through the chatter of the open hallway.
"Eva!"
They both turned to see a fuming young man striding toward them with an air of entitlement.
Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Jinping," he muttered, recognizing the guy who almost beat him to death on the first day of his transmigration.
Trailing behind him were his two lackeys, whose glares matched Jinping's anger. The trio commanded the attention of the surrounding students, turning heads and sparking whispers of gossip.
"Honeybun, it's been a while," Jinping sneered, his eyes flickering between Kai and Eva.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
Eva smirked and turned toward Kai, her tone suggestive. "Oh, Jinping, just catching up with an old friend. You remember Kai, right?"
Jinping's eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched as he looked at Eva's arms wrapped around Kai's bicep.
Then, Kai finally realized what was happening.
Eva—this must be the girl he was accused of seducing.
With that thought, Kai quickly yet gently pried himself away from the pretty girl.
"I better head back," Kai said, about to walk away from the scene. He really didn't want to be involved in a lover's quarrel.
However, before he could head back, Jinping placed his arm on Kai's shoulder, squeezing tight.
"Oh gosh. Are they going to fight on our first day?"
"Heck yeah. This is what I was looking for."
"It's a good thing I came to school today."
"I heard Kai can't fight since he's on probation."
"Will that stop him though?"
The students started whipping their phones out, ready to record the brawl between the two.
Kai and Jinping stood face to face, and that was when Kai realized that Jinping was tall too—only about two inches shorter than him.
Yuan and Hui exchanged glances, looking uneasy about the situation.
Yuan hesitatingly walked up to Jinping and tapped his shoulder.
"Boss, we can't fight him today. It's our first day," he whispered.
"Yeah," Hui chimed. "And I honestly don't think we can beat him with a fistfight."
Jinping pursed his lips and shrugged off their hands.
"You heard them," Kai smirked. "I'm going back to the classroom. I'm not in the mood to fight."
'Please, just let this go,' Kai muttered repeatedly in his mind. He didn't know anything about fighting!
Murmurs of disappointment were heard from the students watching.
"Aww, are they not going to fight today?"
"I came to school for nothing."
"If I was Jinping, I would have landed a punch already."
"Yeah, why would he start something he can't even finish?"
Jinping heard their statements and pursed his lips in embarrassment. He couldn't let the matter go, so he decided to speak again.
"Fine," Jinping conceded. "Let's not fight. But we settle this on the court. You can't escape me there."
Kai frowned while Eva chuckled.
"The court? Like a court of law? Why are you such a loser?" she asked.
He didn't respond to Eva's question and continued gazing at Kai.
"The basketball court."