CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 396 NO MORE LOVE FROM TEAMMATES

Qin Feng and Hu Yirun had already chased to the riverbank. They didn’t care whether the water was bone-chilling or not and dove in headfirst, swimming straight toward Lian Qi, one behind the other.

From Lian Qi’s perspective, their faces mid-breath looked hideously grim, like two ferocious crocodiles chasing their prey.

The worst part was, his little folding boat was a pain to row and its speed was even slower than the two of them swimming.

Lian Qi didn’t dare look back anymore. He buried his head down and rowed frantically, trying to escape.

If he didn’t get first place this time, Wei Lejun would definitely mock him to death when they got back.

"Traitor, stop!"

"Traitor, prepare to die!"

Taking advantage of the moment they surfaced to breathe, Qin Feng and Hu Yirun shouted at Lian Qi, but all they got in return was Lian Qi rowing even harder.

Lian Qi could judge by the sound alone that the gap between him and the two behind him was getting smaller and smaller. His arm movements became larger, almost leaving afterimages, but his hands were so sore they were going numb. He didn’t dare stop, though his gasping breaths had become so rapid he was on the verge of passing out.

The more anxious he got, the worse it became. Lian Qi was too focused on rowing and didn’t notice the protruding river rock up ahead. By the time he realized, he had already hit it head-on.

The boat flipped sideways in the water, and as he lost his balance, he swayed with the turning boat, almost falling out.

With the pursuers still chasing behind him, Lian Qi couldn’t spare a moment to catch his breath. He bent his body down, furiously paddling, trying to straighten the boat.

Lian Qi spent a great deal of time trying to right the boat. When the bow finally realigned, Qin Feng and Hu Yirun were already just a few steps away from him.

At this rate, given the speed difference, it was only a matter of time before they caught up.

The desire to win surged to its peak at this moment. Lian Qi’s only thought was to not let these two punks take his boat.

The urge to protect the boat immediately dominated his mind. In the heat of the moment, Lian Qi abandoned ship and jumped into the river, swimming while pushing the boat forward.

The few people watching from the riverbank were left speechless. Sang Ning glanced at Wei Lejun, mercilessly mocking, "Now do you regret helping such a moron?"

Wei Lejun rolled her eyes deeply, exhaling the frustration pent up in her chest before turning away from the chaos in the distance. Her voice was cold as she said, "I hope he sinks in the river so I don’t have to deal with him anymore!"

Wei Lejun had barely turned away when a sharp scream sounded behind her.

There was no need to think; it had to be Lian Qi, that rascal, finally getting caught.

In the icy cold river water, three men were entangled in a fiery mess.

Lian Qi’s legs were being held tightly on either side by someone. To keep from sinking, he had no choice but to clutch the little boat in front of him with all his might.

"Let go! Let go of me!" Lian Qi kicked his legs backward with force, struggling desperately to break free.

But rowing the boat earlier had already drained all his energy. Now that he was caught, as soon as his resolve wavered, his body felt like a deflated balloon with a gash popped in it, air leaking out faster and faster until there was none left.

"Help... help... me..."

This time, Lian Qi truly understood exhaustion. His legs stopped kicking, gradually slowing down like a slaughtered fish flopping its tail a few last times before laying still.

There was no changing the fact—he had been caught. To make himself feel a little better, Lian Qi let out a feeble groan, pressed down hard on the boat in front of him, and leaned his upper body onto it. The boat tilted under his weight as the other side of the bow rose sharply.

"Get back to shore already, will you!" Qin Feng’s impatient roar drowned out Lian Qi’s feeble resistance. Like a lifeless octopus floating on the water, Lian Qi was dragged mercilessly by his legs back toward the riverbank.

Damn it! Lian Qi weakly cursed in his heart.

This was the second failed escape attempt. Clearly, today was his unlucky day in the water.

By the time the three of them dragged Lian Qi back to the shore, they were all soaked to the bone.

During the earlier tussle in the water, Qin Feng and Hu Yirun had been so enraged, and Lian Qi so heartbroken after being caught, that none of them had paid attention to how their bodies felt.

Now sitting on the riverbank, feeling the wind brushing past, the three of them shivered and hugged their arms tightly. The biting cold hit them like a synchronized rhythm, making all three tremble uncontrollably.

They shook like sieves. By the time they finally hauled him ashore, Qin Feng and Hu Yirun were too cold to bother settling scores with Lian Qi. In fact, they even huddled together for warmth.

Watching their chattering teeth, Sang Ning had no doubt that if this kept up, they’d knock out both rows of their teeth.

Men—they always paid the price for their immaturity.

Sang Ning couldn’t bear to watch anymore. If no one helped these three, they were going to freeze to death.

So she led Huang Chengzi and Sun Bangyu to make a fire for the three of them, grateful that their backpack still had a lighter to come in handy.

Sang Ning knew Wei Lejun’s hatred for Lian Qi must have peaked by now. Asking her to help start a fire was out of the question; she was probably hoping Lian Qi would freeze to death.

But once the fire was set up, just as Sang Ning was about to ask Huang Chengzi to call over the three pitiful idiots, Wei Lejun went over to call them herself.

Sang Ning stared closely at Wei Lejun—please don’t tell me she’s feeling soft-hearted seeing Lian Qi about to turn into a popsicle.

But, as it turned out, her concerns were unwarranted.

Wei Lejun walked over and immediately kicked Lian Qi, breaking the fragile stability of their tight embrace.

As Lian Qi fell backward, Wei Lejun didn’t spare him so much as a glance. Instead, she gently helped Qin Feng and Hu Yirun up, her tone uncharacteristically warm.

"The fire’s ready. Go warm up and dry your clothes quickly. You wouldn’t want to catch a cold in this weather, would you?"

Both the people receiving help and the one left behind froze at the scene. Qin Feng and Hu Yirun glanced at each other, teeth chattering, exchanging terrified looks silently.

Wei Lejun... had she turned over a new leaf? Why had she suddenly become so gentle?

Damn it! Could she actually like the two of us?

What?! Could this woman’s preferences really be this broad?

The forsaken Lian Qi was, of course, miserably aggrieved. He couldn’t believe Wei Lejun could be so heartless—not only refusing to let him near the fire but also kicking him mercilessly.

"Sister Wei, don’t we have any teammate love left? Can’t you take care of me?" Lian Qi whimpered pitifully.

But Wei Lejun didn’t even spare him a glance this time. Without a word, she walked off with Qin Feng and Hu Yirun.

The two men being helped sensed something was off and momentarily forgot how freezing they were. They let go of Wei Lejun’s hands and darted away.

With no sign of support coming from Wei Lejun, Lian Qi, at his wit’s end from the cold, finally dragged himself over to the fire.