Please, I'm Trying to Study, Your Highness! - chapter 11

The negative emotions triggered by the message from Su Wanqing were ultimately suppressed once again.

The reason was simple.

The Goblin Hero skill gave me the greatest confidence to face any unknown head-on.

I was no longer the weakling from three years ago, powerless and forced to accept fate passively.

If Su Wanqing really crossed a thousand miles to appear before me…

Hmph, then let her come!

If soldiers come, I’ll meet them with generals; if water comes, I’ll block it with earth.

Avoid her sharp edge?

Once I figured this out, my mindset returned to the track of “ordinary high school student Lin Hui.”

The next few days, campus life was surprisingly uneventful.

Xia Shiyu’s gaze no longer lingered on me.

Occasionally, when we met in the corridor or classroom, she would habitually flash me a sweet, well-practiced smile.

And I would immediately put on the mask of a self-abasing, awkward virgin.

My eyes would dart away nervously, my body stiff and unnatural, switching into the flustered mode whenever I encountered the goddess.

After a few times, even the last trace of curiosity in her eyes faded away completely.

Clearly, I was a “toy” too monotonous and boring to play with, so she tossed me straight into the junk box.

That was exactly the result I wanted.

Another Friday afternoon, PE class.

The autumn tiger in the south lingered in the sky, radiating scorching heat.

After the routine two laps of slow jogging, I found a step under the shade of a tree to continue working on the physics problems I hadn’t finished in the morning.

Wang Lei and Zhang Yuan, those two jokers, stuck to me again.

“Xiao Huihui, big news, big news!”

Monkey’s acne-covered face was brimming with the excitement of spreading gossip.

“Xia Shiyu skipped class again!”

“Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes. During the break, a black sports car stopped at the back gate of the school, and Xia Shiyu got right in.”

Wang Lei chimed in, having just run over from the basketball court, drenched in sweat.

He was fanning himself with the hem of his uniform, “The driver was Zhou Ziang, the school’s heartthrob from senior year.”

“Zhou Ziang?” Monkey smacked his lips, eyes full of jealousy and wicked fantasies.

“Damn! That guy’s a rich, handsome dude. I heard his family’s in real estate.”

“Those two… probably headed straight for a hotel, right? Tsk tsk, wonder what the goddess is like in bed.”

I leaned against the railing, half-listening to their vulgar banter.

Occasionally, I’d respond with a few words to keep up the appearance of fitting in with these two Goblins.

My gaze drifted to the empty soccer field in the distance, unfocused.

The juicy gossip they were talking about was no different to me than the news that the bottled water at the convenience store downstairs had gone up by fifty cents.

All just irrelevant background noise.

Monkey was about to go into more detail about his baseless speculations on the “hotel” scene.

A familiar mix of sweat and cheap perfume wafted over.

The two companions beside me, still snickering lewdly, suddenly froze like chickens with their necks grabbed, laughter stuck in their throats.

I lifted my eyelids and saw Li Yaowen’s dark face.

A sinister, cold smile hung on his lips, his eyes locked onto me.

Behind him were three or four other Class Eight guys in basketball jerseys, all looking rough.

They spread out in a semicircle, surrounding the three of us, each with a malicious, spectator’s expression.

“Yo, who’s whispering over here? Isn’t this the King of Trash Talk, Lin Hui?”

Li Yaowen’s voice was hoarse, deliberately emphasizing the words “King of Trash Talk.”

“What’s up, you’ve been quiet these days. Thought you’d gone mute.”

Last time, I’d been verbally played for a fool and had to slink off to buy drinks in front of the other students.

Clearly, that incident had become a thorn in Li Yaowen’s heart.

Under the shade, I leaned against the railing, not even changing my posture. “What do you want?”

“Damn, still acting tough.” The blond lackey beside him sneered.

Li Yaowen waved his hand to stop his underling.

He stepped forward, towering over me with his height.

“Kid, I admit, a few days ago you beat me at trash talk. In that field, you really are a pro.”

Li Yaowen spoke word by word, the malice in his eyes almost overflowing. “But this is the basketball court! My turf! If you’ve got guts, stop playing dead and face me.”

“Let me see what you’ve got besides that mouth.”

He slammed the basketball at my feet with a “bang.”

The ball bounced high and fell again, echoing dully.

Looking at the basketball rolling at my feet, I frowned ever so slightly.

So troublesome.

If you’re not chasing after Xia Shiyu, what do you want with me?

“Don’t joke around, Li.”

I lowered my posture, speaking in a weak tone. “With my build, I can’t even hold the ball steady. How could I play against a pro like you?”

That was the truth.

My limited energy wouldn’t allow me to waste time on such meaningless sports.

“I admit defeat, okay?”

I surrendered proactively, hoping to end this farce in the most energy-saving way.

“Brother Hui really can’t play basketball,” Wang Lei mustered his courage and said shakily.

“Yeah, yeah, you challenging him is just bullying,” Monkey also plucked up his courage to help explain.

Li Yaowen glared fiercely at the two.

That shut Wang Lei up instantly, swallowing the rest of his words, not daring to make another sound.

Monkey lowered his head, pretending to be absorbed in studying how to tie his shoelaces.
Li Yaowen turned his head and kept staring, “Cut the crap! Lin Hui, if you don’t dare to fight today, don’t let me see you at school ever again!”

The atmosphere grew tense, and a few discordant voices interjected from not far away.

“Hey! Li Yaowen! What are you guys from Class Eight doing on our Class Three turf? Looking for trouble?”

The speaker was the class sports committee member, Xu Hao, also a member of the Basketball School Team.

He wasn’t as burly as Li Yaowen, but his face radiated righteousness.

Behind him were several other boys who also couldn’t stand Li Yaowen’s usual behavior.

“Enough already? Bullying our Xiao Huihui doesn’t prove anything!”

“Exactly! You think you can act all high and mighty at school just because you’re on the Basketball School Team? Who do you think you are?”

Looking at Xu Hao and his group, Li Yaowen’s face darkened even more. “Damn it! Xu Hao, this has nothing to do with you, get lost!”

“Xiao Huihui is one of us. If you mess with him, you’re messing with Class Three!”

Xu Hao stood his ground, “You only act tough because I was on leave a few days ago and wasn’t around.”

“If you want to prove yourself, do it on the court. Stop bullying people with your status!”

“Who the hell are you calling a bully?!” Li Yaowen snapped back, his temper flaring.

With Xu Hao joining in, the situation on the field shifted.

The argument grew louder, gradually drawing the attention of most students on the playground.

The girls from Class Three stopped chatting, the boys put down their soccer balls and badminton rackets and all gathered around.

Things escalated in the way I least wanted to see.

The focus of the conflict slowly shifted from “Li Yaowen provoking Lin Hui” to “a clash between classes.”

And I was the eye of this storm.

A sense of foreboding welled up inside me.

Sure enough.

As the two sides argued heatedly, Xu Hao suddenly pointed at me and rallied the whole class.

“Guys! It was Xiao Huihui who drove Li Yaowen away a few days ago, stopping that jerk from continuing to boss around and protecting Goddess Xia from being harassed.”

“Now they’re back again. Can we just stand by and watch our class hero get bullied by them?!”

“No way!”

No one knew who shouted first, but within seconds, a tidal wave of voices echoed from all directions.

“Yeah! We can’t let them bully anyone from Class Three!”

“Fight them! What are we afraid of?!”

“Xiao Huihui, go! We’ve got your back!”

More and more students gathered to watch the commotion.

Whistles and cheers rose and fell in waves.

With “big brother” Xu Hao joining in, the long-standing dissatisfaction in the class towards Li Yaowen’s domineering ways was ignited.

The cohesion known as “collective honor” reached its peak, and I could feel myself being swept away by this tide, unable to escape.

“Xiao Huihui, you get in there too!”

Xu Hao grabbed my arm, his tone leaving no room for negotiation, his face flushed with the excitement of youth.

“Last time you talked back to that guy, this time you have to show him that our class isn’t just tough with words, but with actions too!”

“Me?” I pointed to my nose, trying to make a last stand. “I can’t, I really don’t know how…”

“This isn’t just about you anymore, it’s about our whole class’s reputation! As long as you step onto the court, that’s the biggest support you can give us!”

Xu Hao cut me off and continued to guilt-trip me.

Damn! Couldn’t the class find another guy who can play basketball?

I felt like I was about to lose it.

“Lin Hui, get in there!”

“Go Xiao Huihui!”

“Beat Li Yaowen!”

The voices of encouragement from Class Three students grew louder and louder, each one higher than the last.

I was surrounded at the center, unable to back down.

My gaze swept quickly over the faces flushed with collective pride.

In this moment, with everyone hyped up and class unity at an all-time high, what would refusing mean?

It would mean I’d go from being the “loyal, shy guy who helps classmates” to a “cowardly, incompetent traitor who backs out at the crucial moment.”

All my previous efforts and acting would be wasted.

And I’d be isolated by the whole class, becoming someone even more despised than Li Yaowen.

This was completely against my “low-key survival” strategy.

Getting on the court might expose some skills and attract brief attention.

But if I refused, I’d never have peace again.

Between two evils, choose the lesser.

Looking at all the eyes fixed on me, I could only nod.

“…Alright.”

That single word was like a drop of water in a hot oil pan, instantly sending the atmosphere into a boil.

“Awesome! It’s settled then!”

Xu Hao pumped his fist excitedly, then shouted at Li Yaowen’s side, “Jerk! Three-on-three, dare to play?!”

Li Yaowen grinned viciously, taking off his jacket to reveal his muscular torso. “Why wouldn’t I dare!”

And so, under the feverish push of the whole class,

This three-on-three class basketball showdown, sparked by personal grudges, was hastily and irreversibly set.

As the organizer, Xu Hao quickly picked the players.

He was the main force, and chose the most agile basketball player in the class.

Me, Xu Hao, and another boy, against Li Yaowen and his two equally strong cronies.

My two “Goblin” buddies, Wang Lei and Monkey, were swallowed up in the cheering crowd,

Their faces showing a mix of worry and excitement as they cheered me on.