367 Its You (2/2)

”Xiao Luo?”

A startled voice came from someone among the crowd—the man, ”Crane,” took off his head protector to reveal a decent-looking face with a gentle countenance. He was sweating, and his head was drenched from the vigorous sword fight, and he was, unmistakably, someone that Xiao Luo knew—Guo Qinghe.

Xiao Luo was a little startled, but he quickly regained himself and nodded with a half-smile. ”So, it's you, class head.”

Xiao Luo suddenly recalled that Guo Qinghe was a keen kendo practitioner even back during university days and had the character 'Crane' embroidered on his tasset. He should've expected to see Guo Qinghe in a place like this.

Class head?

Senior brother Qinghe knows this guy?

The kendo students were surprised, and those who initially wanted to express their opinions immediately held back. They wanted to know Senior Brother Qinghe's stand before they decided for themselves which side they would take.

”Yes, of course. You didn't tell me that you're coming to Xiahai; it seems like you have no intention to see me.”

Guo Qinghe patted Xiao Luo's arms as he made the snide remark. It seemed like he was chiding Xiao Luo for not contacting him—like it was ragging during university days. When he saw Xiao Luo, he had mixed emotions, and he was not happy about meeting him again. He turned to look coldly at the man, ”Fly,” and asked, ”Liu Fei, what happened just now? Why are you shouting?”

Liu Fei had a nasty scowl on his face and was gritting his teeth, but from the look in his eyes, it was apparent that he was in awe of Guo Qinghe. He was feeling miserable after losing the duel 0 to 10, but, at the same time, he feared Guo Qinghe for the very same reason. He cautiously recounted the incident, albeit with some embellishments to justify his innocence. According to his version, Su Xiaobei wasn't looking as she ran wildly about the gym, and she was the one who bumped into him. Taking the moral high-ground, he even raised Xiao Luo's part in not exercising his responsibility as her guardian.

”It's a child's nature to be active. If she wasn't looking at where she was running, couldn't you avoid her? Liu Fei, you can't be shirking away from the blame now, have some sense and take more responsibility!” Surprisingly, the girl whom Su Canye liked, stepped forward, and criticized Liu Fei. But of course, her reaction was an emotional one, as she was merely taking Guo Qinghe's side on the matter. She expected that Guo Qinghe would know how to defend Liu Fei.

The others nodded in agreement.

”Yeah. You're too petty, Liu Fei. How can you argue with a child?”

”Thank goodness, she's fine. Had you hurt her, Senior Brother Qinghe should punish you.”

”Just because you lost the duel, that doesn't mean you can vent your anger on a child.”

Liu Fei was red-faced as the crowd launched into a tirade condemning his actions. Even his ears were flushed a deep red, and his nostrils were steaming up.

Guo Qinghe frowned, waved his hand, and said, ”Perhaps, it's not Liu Fei's fault.”

When he said that, the students of the kendo gym, and especially Liu Fei, were taken aback. Wasn't Senior Brother Qinghe and the man before them ex-classmates? Why was he siding with Liu Fei instead?

Xiao Luo was dumbfounded, and he snorted audibly.

Guo Qinghe smiled and said aloud, ”The kendo gym prohibits the entry of children under the age of five. This rule aims to allow our kendōkas to train with peace of mind and avoid accidental injuries. Since a child had been brought in here, her parent should be responsible for looking after her and not letting her run around. Therefore, from this perspective, Liu Fei wasn't at fault; it is the fault of this old classmate of mine.”

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