The cheerleaders, who had been pushed away, were still in shock from witnessing Song Juyao's kick. They stood with open mouths, gazing in admiration and awe at her back while she walked past the whispering crowd and into the tennis court.
Hunching her shoulders, Li Zhao followed closely behind, looking up at Song Juyao with a mix of admiration and concern. Would she be alright? The piercing stares from those around them were far from friendly, and there was also Jin Yao...
Approaching Ming Shu, Song Juyao asked with concern, "How are you? Can you walk?"
Tears streamed down Ming Shu's face as she looked at Song Juyao. She was unable to speak, but her nods and shakes of the head conveyed her happiness at seeing Song Juyao there.
"Zhao Zhao, take her to the school infirmary," Song Juyao instructed Li Zhao.
Li Zhao nodded and immediately went to help Ming Shu.
"Stop." Before they could leave, a low, hoarse, and cold voice interrupted. "Did I allow her to leave?" It was Jin Yao.
Song Juyao turned around to meet his amber hawk-like eyes, which held a wild, untamed brilliance.
Jin Yao looked down at Song Juyao from above the net.
“Whatever the reason, it's justified to beat a girl like this,” Song Juyao expressionlessly looked at him.
“Is that so? Then what are you going to do about it?” Unfazed, Jin Yao pressed the net with his racket and pointed directly at Song Juyao's nose. His gaze turned dangerous, "Are you gonna seek justice for her? Song Juyao?"
After staring at him for a few seconds, Song Juyao averted her gaze and turned to Ming Shu and Li Zhao, "Let's go."
Jin Yao looked at Song Juyao's back who didn't take him seriously, his face showing anger at the insult to his dignity. He shouted, "Close the door!"
The door of the tennis court was immediately shut.
"Since you want to play the hero so badly, Song Juyao, I'll give you a choice. Either you catch the ball instead of her, or you kneel down and apologize to me in her place. Otherwise, don't think about leaving," Jin Yao's menacing voice sounded like a demon.
Li Zhao looked at Song Juyao with anxiety, while Ming Shu shrank back in terror. She realized how foolish she had been to think of following Jin Yao in some school idol drama plot. He was a monster capable of such cruelty towards a girl. How could anyone go through with this!
She couldn't help but look at Song Juyao and some worries crept into her heart involuntarily. Obviously not too long ago she was fretting over how to make Song Juyao suffer.
"Okay, I'll play with you. Let them out first, they're just getting in the way here." Song Juyao said to Jin Yao.
Jin Yao's anger was now directed towards Song Juyao, and he no longer cared about Ming Shu. He signaled to the gatekeeper to release the others. The two of them anxiously stayed behind and peered through the iron wire fence.
Song Juyao picked a racket that felt comfortable in her hand and walked onto the court.
It was a continuation of the match between Jin Yao and Ming Shu that had been interrupted earlier, so it was now Song Juyao's turn to serve. The yellow ball bounced twice on the ground before she held it in her delicate hand.
【Oh no, I'm scared! Song Juyao is going to get hit!】
【I have mixed feelings. It's strange. I used to hate her, but now I'm starting to worry about her.】
【She looks so fragile. Her bone structure looks even smaller than Ming Shu. I hope her bones don't break on the first serve.】
【Jin Yao is disgusting for hitting women. He's going to become a domestic abuser in the future.】
【Everyone, please calm down. The live stream has just started and we haven't seen enough yet. Remember that in the real world, she killed a teenage boy on impulse and lust!】
Song Juyao executed her serve with a perfect posture, sending the yellow ball flying over the net with skillful precision. It was evident that she was an experienced tennis player.
However, the onlookers expressed concern as they discussed the match.
"Jin Yao has been playing tennis since he was young. If it wasn't for his family's wealth and influence, he could have been a professional player."
"I can't watch this. I've started to like Song Juyao," another one chimed in.
"I don't mind as long as he doesn't hit her face. I'm a fan of Song Juyao's face."
"Jin Yao is too strong. Even guys can't handle his shots with one hand. With Song Juyao's small arms, it's going to be even worse…" another one commented.
"......"
"Bang!"
The serve was ordinary as the yellow ball was hit out. Jin Yao, with a sneer of disdain, easily dodged to the side and effortlessly hit the ball back. However, his shot was malicious and the ball directly scraped Song Juyao's cheek as it passed by. The rough texture of the ball combined with its velocity made it feel like her cheek had scraped against concrete.
"Bang!" The ball smashed into the fence with a loud noise.
A red bruise instantly appeared on Song Juyao's fair cheek.
Jin Yao said, "I advise you to kneel down and beg for mercy."
Song Juyao ignored him. She remained unfazed and continued to serve the ball calmly.
Watching her, for no apparent reason, Jin Yao felt a wave of irritability wash over him and he tightened his grip on the racket.
This ball was the same as the last, with identical spin speed and angle, and hitting it back for Jin Yao was no more difficult than before.
"Bang!"
The ball once again grazed past Song Juyao's cheek, this one containing a playful taunt as it left a parallel scratch below the previous one.
There were six serves in a round. Throughout the round, Song Juyao served each ball exactly the same, resulting in distinct scratches on her arms, thighs, and neck.
As he hit the final ball back, Jin Yao suddenly realized that this could not be a coincidence. If it were not intentional, it would be impossible to hit six balls exactly the same. Anyone with even a basic understanding of tennis would know that the contact area, angle, swing, and even the force used to strike the ball could all affect its spin direction. Therefore, if it were not a deliberate act by a professional player, it would be impossible for every ball to be the same.
Jin Yao narrowed his eyes. Sensing a conspiracy afoot, he decided to put an end to this farce immediately.
He aimed his racket towards Song Juyao and declared, "It's my turn to serve. You've had plenty of chances already. This time, I won't be merciful."
Song Juyao slightly raised the corner of her lips.
Jin Yao tossed the tennis ball high into the air and prepared to strike it with his racket. However, as soon as his racket made contact with the ball, he felt a jolt of electricity run through his arm muscles, and a strong stimulus hit his brain. The force in his hand suddenly unloaded, causing the ball to be struck lightly.
What?!
Song Juyao sprinted a few steps, swung her racket, and easily returned the lightly served ball.
Everyone was caught off guard and hadn't fully processed what had just happened, leaving them all confused.
"She...did she just receive Jin Yao's serve?"
"Song Juyao...managed to catch the ball and win?"
"What happened to Jin Yao? Did he suddenly go easy on her?"
"He wouldn't do that. Then why?"
The ball rolled towards Jin Yao's feet, and his expression turned grim. "What did you do?"
Song Juyao smiled and explained, "Each serve I made was either a topspin or backspin ball. Despite appearing ordinary, the spin angle was very deceptive. Underestimating it would make it difficult to get the ball over the net. You're an excellent tennis player and quickly discovered the spin's secret. You adjusted your posture and hit the ball back accurately, but failed to notice the damage to your wrist extensor muscles. Especially since you put so much force into hitting every ball back, it puts a great burden on your muscles. After only six serves, they would send sharp pain signals to your brain."
Since she couldn't break through Jin Yao's skills head-on, Song Juyao had to resort to a different approach. Fortunately, Jin Yao's overconfidence gave her an opening. While her tennis abilities were average at best, Song Juyao possessed exceptional foresight honed for such time through consistent training in serving the ball.
【Although I don't understand, it seems pretty impressive!】
【Wow, suddenly feeling so passionate!】
【Although I don't understand, it seems like Song Juyao outsmarted Jin Yao and won.】
【Awesome! High intelligence is truly impressive!】
【Song Juyao is really cool!】
【She is so clever!】
Jin Yao realized what had happened and laughed in anger. "I didn't expect Song Juyao to resort to such despicable tactics."
"Jin Yao, do you only challenge others with your strengths and not allow them to use their own strengths to respond to your challenge?" Song Juyao pointed to her head and met his gaze fearlessly.
Something in Song Juyao's eyes seemed to provoke Jin Yao, and he suddenly became furious, jumping over the net and approaching her.
The entire audience was stunned, expecting to witness Jin Yao beat up Song Juyao, and no one dared to make a sound for a while.
Jin Yao grabbed Song Juyao's chin and stared down at her condescendingly, asking, "What are you so proud of? Are you also worthy of looking down on me? Who do you think you are?"
His hand was large, and her face seemed small in comparison. Song Juyao's chin was on the verge of being crushed, and the pain made her eyes turn red instantly. She reached out to grab his hand, but it was as immovable as a pair of pliers. A hint of wolfishness appeared in her gentle eyes, and suddenly she forcefully turned her head and opened her lips, taking his finger into her mouth.
The soft touch of her lips and the wetness of his finger were particularly distinct, and Jin Yao was stunned for a moment before intense pain hit him.
The bite from Song Juyao was so fierce that it felt like a wolf had sunk its teeth into his thumb and was about to tear it off. Jun Yao immediately released her and violently pulled his hand away.
"You!" Jin Yao looked incredulously at his thumb, which had been bitten with a circle of blood marks, and stared at Song Juyao in disbelief.
Song Juyao's eyes were slightly red, and she wiped her lips with the back of her hand, "Violence can't solve any problems, but if student Jin Yao dares to touch me again, don't blame me for being impolite."
After speaking, she turned and left. The student guarding the gate was shocked and didn't dare to stop her.
Li Zhao and Ming Shu had been waiting outside for her. When they saw her coming out, they met up with her and left together.
Ming Shu looked at Song Juyao with a complicated expression. Song Juyao was covered in bruises, and the thumbprint on her chin was shocking. She couldn't believe someone had gone to such lengths to help her. Even in reality, she had never met someone like this. It turned out to be such an overwhelming feeling to be offered a helping hand in a moment of despair.
"Thank you." Ming Shu said tearfully.
As Song Juyao looked at her, her still slightly angry eyes softened as if they had melted. She took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.
"Come on, let's go see the doctor."
Song Juyao smiled, and under the sunlight even though she looked a little bit embarrassed, nothing could stop the radiant soul inside of her from shining brightly.
That's right, the feeling of someone reaching out to help you in moments of despair is very warm, isn't it? Very moving, right? At this moment, you feel like you want to repay the other person with the whole world, don't you? The other person seemed like an angel, right?
In the previous life, she had also been subjected to this kind of attack. Despite wanting to avoid drawing attention to herself, she still stood up to save her classmates. However, she didn't realize that several beatings she received for the sake of being a savior were all orchestrated by the very classmates she had tried to protect.
Now the tables had turned, and experiencing this feeling of being saved by someone else felt good.
Jin Yao held his thumb, staring at Song Juyao's retreating figure for a while. Eventually, he noticed that many people in the audience were still staring at him. He angrily shouted, "What are you looking at? Get out of here!"
The students hastily got up and scattered.