Chaoge was speechless.

Ye Han said, “I’m so nervous. Why is Zuo Qingluan here? Can’t she say it in private? Xiao Wu will be so embarrassed!”

Chaoge was speechless.

Meanwhile, Gongshu Hongzhu felt he had waited long enough, so he asked Zuo Qingluan again, “Miss Qingluan, what’s the matter? Do you have some scruples?”

He thought, “Please tell everybody you’re the crown prince’s fiancee!”

While all the people were looking at Zuo Qingluan, she was looking at Jun Linyuan.

Would he tell the truth?

If he made that announcement…

But he hadn’t said anything.

Did that mean he wasn’t sure about Feng Wu?

I still have a chance! Yes! That must be it!

At that thought, Zuo Qingluan smiled at Gongshu Hongzhu. “How about we wait until the competition is over?”

Gongshu Hongzhu could only smile wryly. “Miss Qingluan, you’re such a kind woman. That’s so rare these days.”

Kind? Feng Wu shook her head.

Zuo Qingluan had drawn the most attention, so few people were watching Feng Wu.

They all thought Zuo Qingluan was the crown prince’s fiancee, a title everybody envied.

Feng Wu turned to Sheng Changtian. “Your turn.”

Sheng Changtian sat quietly in his seat.

He had been trying to figure out how Feng Wu had won four battles in a row.

After replaying everything in his head, he still couldn’t come up with an answer.

Hence…

He raised his hand. “I request a time-out for an hour.”

The audience murmured.

A time-out?

Last year, Imperial College had asked for a time-out after each battle just to throw Military Academy into confusion, but it still couldn’t change the outcome. What was Sheng Changtian doing now?

The chief referee would decide if the request was granted.

Usually, there wouldn’t be any problem, so Gongshu Hongzhu wasn’t worried at all.

He looked at Jun Linyuan in expectation. “Your Royal Highness, since Sheng Changtian…”

Asking for the crown prince’s opinion was only a formality. When the crown prince gave permission, Gongshu Hongzhu would announce the time-out.

To Gongshu Hongzhu’s astonishment, the crown prince suddenly snorted and spoke.

“Denied.”

What?

The other people were as surprised as Gongshu Hongzhu was.

Denied?

Why?

They didn’t even know that was possible.

Only Feng knew the answer.

He thought, “You fools have no idea what’s going on in His Royal Highness’s head.”

He knew, but he wouldn’t tell anybody.

He had a feeling that the engagement wouldn’t be a secret for much longer.

Gongshu Hongzhu was dazed and gave the crown prince a pleading look. However, he knew there was no room for negotiation once the crown prince made up his mind.

Gongshu Hongzhu turned to Sheng Changtian and said sternly, “Let the last round begin.”

He believed Sheng Changtian was capable enough to defeat all five opponents, and starting the battle earlier wouldn’t change anything.

Sheng Changtian clenched the object in his hand.

Qiu Zeyu had given it to him when everybody was looking at Zuo Qingluan.