“Wasn’t it because you tried to ram into us first?” Jiang Mianmian retorted coldly, her tone sharp. “And by the way, your teammate tried to scratch my arm when I was grabbing her name tag.”

“Luckily, Nanye reacted quickly. Otherwise, my arm would’ve been left with several scars.”

Her voice was icy, her expression colder. The striking beauty of her face left everyone in stunned silence, and the sheer force of her presence made the entire field fall so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

“And one more thing,” Jiang Mianmian continued, her tone scathing. “Calling someone ‘stutterer’ instead of their name is the height of rudeness and immaturity. Are you proud of attacking someone’s flaws?”

Ming Yao, caught off guard by her barrage, stood speechless, his mouth agape as if he had been struck mute.

He never imagined that the Jiang Mianmian who used to cater to his every whim could reprimand him so harshly.

It was as if she had transformed into an entirely different person. She had told him she no longer liked him, and she had meant it. Years of childhood affection were severed, just like that, with no intention of looking back.

For the first time, Ming Yao realized that he didn’t feel indifferent toward her as he had thought. How could he? They were childhood sweethearts, having grown up together for over a decade. It was impossible not to have feelings for her.

“Jiang Mianmian… do you have to treat me like this?” he asked angrily, his voice trembling.

“What does he have that I don’t?”

Her words had pierced his pride, and he couldn’t hold back his frustration.

“Oh, he’s better than you in every way,” Jiang Mianmian replied nonchalantly.

She said it as a matter of fact. Besides a good family background and decent looks, Ming Yao didn’t have anything worth admiring in her eyes.

“You!” Ming Yao was so furious he couldn’t find the words to retort.

He wanted to storm off, but the next competition was tennis, his forte.

Suddenly, a plan formed in his mind: I’ll crush that stutterer in front of Jiang Mianmian.

Meanwhile, Zhou Nanye, having heard Mianmian declare that Ming Yao was no match for him, felt a warm surge of happiness despite knowing that too much pride could be harmful.

He couldn’t help but feel his heart swell with joy.

As for Zhou Ling’er, embarrassed by her failed scheme and nearly having her facade of kindness ripped apart, she decided to tread carefully and keep a low profile.

Thus, the incident of Zhou Nanye knocking them over was brushed aside. Ming Yao, though unwilling to admit defeat, knew he was in the wrong and resolved to redeem himself in the tennis match.

Tennis was a sport he played regularly for leisure.

On the other hand, Jiang Mianmian had only spent a week training Zhou Nanye, teaching him the basics. Zhou Nanye, being intelligent and hardworking, had not only practiced diligently but also studied professional tennis videos to refine his technique.

During their training, Jiang Mianmian noticed that Zhou Nanye learned quickly and adapted even faster.

However, knowing that Ming Yao was a seasoned player, Jiang Mianmian didn’t pressure Zhou Nanye to win. Based on their cumulative points, she and Zhou Nanye were already comfortably in first place.

But Zhou Nanye, when facing Ming Yao, was filled with an intense desire to win.

He didn’t want to lose—not to Ming Yao. The feelings he harbored for Mianmian, though unclear even to him, drove him to prove that he was better than Ming Yao, that he was the one more deserving of her.

“Wham!”

Ming Yao served the ball aggressively, aiming it directly at Zhou Nanye.

Though Zhou Nanye reacted quickly, he was just a fraction of a second too slow.

The ball hit the ground.

He hadn’t returned it in time.

Zhou Nanye gazed at the ball, his head slightly lowered.

On the surface, he appeared disheartened and frustrated. But in reality, he was replaying the ball’s trajectory in his mind, analyzing what he could have done differently to return it successfully.

Ming Yao, seeing Zhou Nanye fail to return his serve, was practically bursting with glee.

“Ha! Is that all you’ve got?” he sneered.

“Jiang Mianmian, I’m going to show you that I, Ming Yao, am far superior to this stutt… transfer student!”

Ming Yao had almost blurted out “stutterer” but remembered Mianmian’s earlier scolding just in time to stop himself.