Yin Xiu ran towards Bai Cao and said, "You are alive!"

Everyone was dumbfounded by Yin Xiu's statement while Bai Cao was smiling.

Ting Hao noticed Bai Cao's mysterious smile. He turned his face towards Yin Xiu and asked, "What do you mean, Yin Xiu?"

Yin Xiu was about to say something but before she could, Bai Cao said, "Senior Ting Hao, I will tell you what she means. Actually, one day, we were talking about something while training when I said that if we are not coming to Feng Yun Hall without informing you and we are also not at our home, then know that I am dead." Bai Cao looked at Yin Xiu with a smile and said, "Right, Yin Xiu?"

Yin Xiu was still in shock. She nodded and said, "Yeah. Bai Cao is right. I am happy to see that everyone is okay."

Ting Hao, who was still in disbelief asked, "But why would you say that, Bai Cao?"

"I don't know exactly but I guess we were talking something about injury... and because of that we didn't come to Feng Yun Hall without informing Yin Xiu and she thought that something has happened to us... maybe something like that. I don't remember," said Bai Cao.

Chang An sighs and said, "Don't say anything like that again, Bai Cao."

Bai Cao nodded and said, "Yes, coach."

Chang An looked at Bai Cao with his wide eyes filled with surprise.

Why didn't she call me brother? Why did she call me coach? Chang An thought.

Bai Cao notices that Chang An was looking at her with a surprised look on his face but didn't understand why he was looking at her like that. She asked, "What happened, coach?"

Chang An shakes his head from left to right and said, "Nothing. I think we should go and change our clothes."

"Yeah," said Bai Cao.

Everyone went towards the changing room.

Yin Xiu was fuming with anger while she was still in shock.

How can she be alive? She can't be alive. I saw her jumping off the bridge with my own eyes... But I saw her right now with my own eyes. I am sure I am not dreaming right now. I am sure that I wasn't dreaming that night when Bai Cao jumped off the bridge. She did jump off the bridge. Then how come she is here with Drillmaster? What am I going to do now? How am I going to get together with the drillmaster? Yin Xiu thought. She was still not ready to believe that Bai Cao was still alive. Her plan to get Ting Hao was ruined. She stumps her foot against the floor and walked back inside the hall. She started kicking the sand bag way more harder than before.

On the other side, Bai Cao was coming out of the changing room after changing her clothes. As she came out, someone said, "Bai Cao!"

Bai Cao was startled. She turned her face towards the person and that person was no one else but Ting Hao.

She pulled her hands towards her chest while having a sign of relief and said, "You scared me, Senior Ting Hao."

"I am sorry, Bai Cao. I didn't intend to scare you." Ting Hao apologized.

"I know, Senior Ting Hao. By the way, did you have anything to say to me?

"Yeah. Actually, I want to ask you something."

"Ok."

"Is there something which we don't know but you and Yin Xiu know?"

Bai Cao was speechless after hearing Ting Hao's question.

What should I say to him? He knows me the best. He always understands when I am lying and when I am not. Bai Cao, stay calm and say something on which he will believe. You can't tell him the truth. Bai Cao thought.

She was about to say something but before she could, someone came running towards them yelling, "Ting Hao!" It was no one else but Guo Guo, Ting Hao's ex-girlfriend.

"Why is she coming here?" Ting Hao muttered.

As Bai Cao saw Guo Guo coming, a light smile and relief came to her face.

Thank God she is coming here. For the first time, she did something right for me. Bai Cao thought.

Guo Guo came towards Ting Hao and hugged him saying, "I missed you so much."

Bai Cao's eyes went wide and her anger was evident in her eyes. She forms a fist to control her anger.

How dare she hug, Senior Ting Hao?! And why didn't Senior Ting Hao stop her from hugging him?

At that very moment, Chang An, Ting Yi, Yi Feng, and Xiao Ying came out of the changing room.

Everyone's eyes were wide open.

Xiao Ying went towards Bai Cao and asked, "What is going on here?

Bai Cao turned her face towards Xiao Ying with a deadly look and said, "Can't you see what is going on here?"

Xiao Ying gave a smile filled with nervousness after looking at Bai Cao's expression.

Bai Cao again turns her face towards Ting Hao and Guo Guo.

Ting Hao pushes Guo Guo and said, "Why are you here?"

Guo Guo holds Ting Hao's arm and said, "This is what you have to say to me? Didn't you miss me?"

Ting Hao removes her hand from his arm and steps a little away from her. "No, I didn't miss you at all."

Guo Guo smiled and stepped forward towards Ting Hao. She again holds Ting Hao's hand and said, "As if I will believe what you are saying. I know that you missed me."

Ting Hao again removes her hand. He smiled and said, "Keep dreaming, but the truth is the truth. To be honest, I didn't even think to think about you. And why do you keep on clinging unto me? You are dirtying my dress."

The smile vanished from Guo Guo's face and on the other hand, a smile appeared on Bai Cao's face hearing Ting Hao.

Why was I even thinking about all that? I know that Senior Ting Hao is not going to get together with her after all, he loves me now. Wait... what am I even thinking? Was I jealous? No, I wasn't... or was I?

"Ting Hao, why are talking to me like this? And it's not that I didn't use to do this before. I used to do this before too," said Guo Guo. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Yeah. I know. But nothing is the same as before. At that time, we were in a so-called relationship but now, there is nothing between us. You better learn to stay away from the one whom you hurt before because not everyone is like me. Not everyone will tolerate seeing you. Don't think that I will fall for your fake teary eyes. I won't repeat..." before Ting Hao could complete his sentence, Bai Cao went towards him. She pulls his shirt and said, "Senior Ting Hao, come with me?"

Bai Cao took Ting Hao a little far from Guo Guo. "Senior Ting Hao, I think you should not say anything to her anymore," she whispered.

"Why?" asked Ting Hao in a loud voice.

"Because we don't hurt people even unintentionally."

"But she is not hurt. I know she is faking."

"But still, don't say anything."

"But if I won't say anything now, then she won't stop. She will keep on annoying me."

"I know, Senior Ting Hao, but because you are saying all that to her, you are making her cry."

"Bai Cao, all her tears are fake. She is not actually crying. And even if she is crying, I don't care."

"But the Fang Ting Hao I know never makes a girl cry even if she is faking."

"Fine. You won. I won't say anything to her."

"There is nothing to win, Senior Ting Hao. But if you will keep on saying something to her, you are giving her what she wants."

"What am I giving her?"

"Attention. You are giving her attention and that's what she wants. You are giving her attention that's why she is annoying to you. If you will ignore her, then what she does and says won't matter to you because she doesn't matter to you. And she will eventually understand that. But if you won't ignore her, she will always keep on annoying you thinking that she still matters to you even if she doesn't. That's why I am asking you to stop saying anything to her."

Ting Hao puts his hand on Bai Cao's head with a smile and said, "You are right, Bai Cao. I didn't know that my Bai Cao..." He removes his hand from Bai Cao's head. "I mean Bai Cao grew up so much."

Bai Cao smiled and said, "We should go towards the practice hall."

Ting Hao nodded

They walked towards everyone else.

Ting Hao turned his face towards Guo Guo and said, "I am telling you this one last time, there is nothing between us. Whatever you are doing is useless. It will be better if you understand this as soon as possible. Let's go, guys."

Then everyone went towards the practice hall.

As they went inside, Yin Xiu went towards them.

"Bai Cao, can we talk for a minute... alone?" asked Yin Xiu sweetly.

"Sure," said Bai Cao calmly.

Yin Xiu holds Bai Cao's hand and said, "Come with me."

Yin Xiu took Bai Cao somewhere with her.

"I think we should start practicing," said Chang An.

They all went inside the hall and started practicing.

On the other side, Yin Xiu took Bai Cao to a room.

"How can you be alive?" asked Yin Xiu.

Bai Cao said nothing and kept smiling.

"Answer me, Bai Cao. How can you be alive and why? You ruined all my plans. Because you are alive, I can't be with my drillmaster. Why didn't you die?"

Bai Cao still said nothing. She sat on the couch and kept smiling. "I know you want to say more. Just say what you want. Vent out all your anger first. Then I will start saying."

"Why? Why can't say now?"

"Because if I will say now, then you won't be able to say anything. You won't be able to vent your anger out. And I don't want that. I will start talking when I will hear the question I want to hear. I will start talking when I will hear what I want to hear."

"Fine. Then I will say what I want to say."

Then Yin Xiu started venting out her anger by saying the same thing she said to her that night when Bai Cao jumped off the bridge.

On the other side, Ting Hao was suspicious about Bai Cao and Yin Xiu's behavior. Why are they acting like this? Where did Yin Xiu take Bai Cao and why? What does she want to say that she can't say in front of us? Is Bai Cao hiding something from us?

Ting Hao raises his head and said, "Guys, we need to go."

"Where?" asked Chang An.

"Where Yin Xiu took Bai Cao," said Ting Hao and went to the side where Bai Cao and Yin Xiu went. Everyone else followed him.

They started looking everywhere but couldn't find them. All rooms' doors were shut (not locked) and lights were off in all the rooms when suddenly, Yi Feng's eyes fell upon a room. That was the only room whose light was on and the door wasn't shut.

"Guys, maybe they are there," said Yi Feng while pointing his finger towards the room.

Everyone went towards the room without making any noise. As they went near the room, they could hear Yin Xiu's voice.

Everyone hid behind the wall next to the entrance.

Ting Hao peeked inside and saw Yin Xiu standing and Bai Cao was sitting on the couch with her hands folded.

Seeing that, he again hid behind the wall.

"You seriously don't love anyone right, Bai Cao. If you did, then you would have been dead by now," said Yin Xiu.

Everyone was shocked to hear that.

"But I don't understand one thing. How can you be alive? I saw you jumping off the bridge with my own eyes. Then how can you be alive?"

Bai Cao smirked and stood up. "This is what I wanted to hear."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I wanted to know whether you saw me trying to kill myself. I wanted to know whether you saw me jumping off the bridge or not."

"Oh really! Then you should have just asked me. I would have told you myself."

"Then you wouldn't have been able to vent out your anger. Both things happened. You vented your anger and I got to know what I wanted to."

"Whatever. But this won't change the fact that you are selfish and mean. Doing all this won't change the fact that you are a curse on everyone you love or whoever loves you. You killed your parents and master. And everyone near you will die because of Qi Bai Cao."

Chang An couldn't take it anymore. He was about to enter the room but Ting Hao stopped him by holding his hand and whispered, "Where are you going, Chang An."

"I am going inside. I can't let that Yin Xiu talk rubbish about my sister." Chang An said in a low voice.

"No. Stay here," Ting Hao said in a low voice.

"But she is saying rubbish. What if Bai Cao gets depressed again?" said Chang An in a low voice.

Ting Hao was about to say something but before he could Bai Cao said, "I am not the old Bai Cao who will get affected and depressed by whatever you are saying, Yin Xiu. I am not the same person. That Bai Cao died at that bridge. The Bai Cao standing in front of you right now is someone who believes in herself, not what the world says. Even if the world says that I killed my parents and master, and I will be the reason for my loved ones' death, still, I will believe in myself, because I know that I am not a curse. I am Bai Cao. And yes, I did jump off the bridge. I did try to kill myself to keep my friends safe. But then I remembered what Senior Ting Hao said when I was trying to kill myself before. He said, that I can't die like this. I can't let go of my parents' and master's killer like this. At that time, I realized that if I will kill myself, then those killers will win. They will win and I can't let that happen. I can't let my parents' death... my master's death go in vain. All three of them didn't die because of me. They died because of this Feng Yun Hall. You guys killed him, I didn't. I won't die before giving punishment to their killers."

"Fine. You want to punish your parents' and mater's killers, right? Then do it. Do your best but you can't stop me from getting what I want. And I guess you know what I want."

Bai Cao smiled and said, "Yes. I know it very well... that you won't be able to get what you want. Do you know why? It's not because I am alive but because you are not worthy for him."

Yin Xiu was really angry after hearing that. She was about to punch Bai Cao but before she could, Bai Cao grabs her hand.

"I will not let you go so easily, Bai Cao. I will kill you." saying that, Yin Xiu was about punch Bai Cao with her other hand but she stopped as she heard a few people saying, "Yin Xiu!"

Bai Cao left Yin Xiu's hand immediately as she heard those voices. Yin Xiu turned her face towards her back. Both of them were shocked to see everyone standing outside the room.

"Don't you even dare to touch her," said Ting Hao.

TO BE CONTINUED