The Mighty Mage-Chapter 483: Pig Teammate

Long Yifan watched him run, feeling a vein throb at his temple.

"Idiot," he muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, his gaze turned toward the bushes and his eyes narrowed into slit.

Before he averted his gaze as if nothing bothered him, and walked away.

Once he left, Amelia came out of the bushes and patted her chest.

"Easy there. He won’t suspect a damn thing."

Then suddenly she thought of the way Long Yifan kissed Gu Jin, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips.

Ah...what a fine man.

But more than that...

Amelia messaged Ethan,

"Captain found something interesting. You might be interested to know it."

........

The evening seminar was conducted without a hitch.

Though the England team was polite, Gu Jin could sense the underlying tension. What was worse was...some of the members of the England team weren’t behaving well.

Gu Jin, seated neatly near the front, took careful notes.

Her face was calm as ever, but inwardly, she was already labeling the troublemakers in her mind.

Then, in the middle of a serious discussion about refining techniques, Finn casually raised his hand.

"Excuse me," he said, flashing a charming grin, "but wouldn’t it be easier to stabilize the flame if someone like...Miss Gu Jin were assisting?"

Heads turned. Some chuckled awkwardly.

Gu Jin blinked once, unfazed.

Finn didn’t stop there. He leaned back in his chair, a little too relaxed, and said with a wink,

"After all, with her skills and looks, she could probably stabilize just about anything.

A few of his teammates whistled lowly under their breaths. Some others looked horrified.

Gu Jin simply lowered her pen, her voice cold and precise when she replied,

"If you have time to focus on appearances, Mr. Finn, perhaps you should focus more on not burning your own eyebrows off during your next refining attempt."

The room went dead silent.

A few snorts and muffled laughs came from Gu Jin’s team.

Finn raised his hands in surrender, grinning broadly.

"Ouch. Fair enough. Still—" he leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a smooth drawl, "—if you ever need a partner to experiment...in alchemy, of course, you know where to find me."

Gu Jin didn’t even blink. She turned back to her notes without sparing him a glance.

Finn chuckled and didn’t push it further.

Once the seminar ended, people stood up to stretch and chat.

Finn, not discouraged at all, casually walked up to Gu Jin.

"Hey," he said, scratching the back of his neck, pretending to be a little shy.

"Mind if I get your number? Y’know, for professional collaboration or whatever?"

Gu Jin looked at him like he had just asked her to hand over her soul.

"No," she said simply, voice as cold as ice. "I don’t give my number to strangers."

Finn placed a dramatic hand over his heart as if wounded.

"Stranger? After all we’ve been through? What a cruel world."

Gu Jin: "..." Wow.

Gu Jin didn’t bother answering. She picked up her things and walked away, leaving Finn laughing to himself.

Meanwhile, across the room, another scene was unfolding.

Leon — a lean, handsome England team member — had struck up a conversation with Yun Qing, who was nervously clutching her notebook.

"You were amazing today," Leon said smoothly.

"Honestly, you must be the prettiest genius I’ve ever seen. Maybe you can teach me something later...over dinner?"

Yun Qing’s cheeks flushed bright pink. She opened her mouth to respond, but only squeaked.

Han Xiaoyu, standing nearby, narrowed her eyes.

She walked over casually, linking her arm with Yun Qing’s with a fake smile.

"Aww, little Yun Qing," Han Xiaoyu said sweetly, voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, "maybe next time, wear something a little less...revealing if you don’t want certain people paying you that kind of attention."

Her voice dripped with mock concern, but her words cut like knives.

Yun Qing’s face burned redder than before, and she instinctively pulled her jacket tighter around herself, even though her outfit was perfectly decent — just a simple sleeveless blouse and long skirt.

Leon frowned slightly but said nothing, obviously picking up the weird tension.

Han Xiaoyu just giggled and patted Yun Qing’s arm, acting like it was all a harmless joke.

"Just kidding, just kidding," she said, even though everyone could tell she wasn’t.

Gu Jin, passing by with her notebook, caught the whole scene.

"Han Xiaoyu, please close your mouth, it stinks till here."

Then, as if she remembered something, she would shake her head and say,

"Doesn’t matter if you keep it close or not, the ugly smell of your jealousy will still seep out. Oh, and don’t take this to heart, it was just a joke! Haha!"

Han Xiaoyu: "..."

She gritted her teeth in hatred.

This b*tch...

Gu Jin motioned for Yun Qing to follow her, and she immediately nodded.

Han Xiaoyu clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

Her heart burned with anger and humiliation.

She glared at Gu Jin’s retreating back, then suddenly turned her head and saw Leon still standing nearby, hands lazily tucked into his pockets, amusement dancing in his eyes.

He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

Han Xiaoyu’s eyes flickered, an idea flashing through her mind like a lightning bolt.

Biting her lower lip lightly, she walked toward Leon, swaying her hips a little more than usual.

She stopped right in front of him and leaned in just a bit, her perfume sweet and heavy in the air.

"Leon..." she said, voice soft like a whisper, "if you want...you can have some fun with me."

Leon raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued, but his smile was lazy and mocking.

"And all I have to do," he said, voice low and amused, "is help you with something?"

Han Xiaoyu smiled sweetly, though her heart was thudding.

"Help me frame Gu Jin," she said, brushing her fingers lightly over his sleeve. "That’s all."

Leon’s eyes sharpened instantly.

"And why would I do that?" he asked coolly.

Han Xiaoyu’s smile didn’t waver.

She leaned even closer, lowering her voice until only he could hear, "Gu Jin...she’s already Earth Rank. She’s going to win this whole competition easily. No one—not you, not anyone—can beat her."

The teasing in Leon’s face faded immediately.

Earth Rank?

At twenty-two?

That wasn’t just impressive. That was unheard of.

Leon’s mind raced. He knew the history of international alchemy competitions well.

Never before had someone under thirty even touched Earth Rank, let alone competed while so young.

If Gu Jin really was Earth Rank...she wouldn’t just win. She’d shatter records. She would become a living legend.

Han Xiaoyu saw the change in his expression and smiled triumphantly.

She slid her arms around his neck and pressed herself lightly against him.

"Someone that dangerous...needs to be eliminated," she whispered. "If she’s gone, England’s chances of winning will be much higher. You’ll be hailed as a hero. And...I’ll make sure you’re rewarded well."

Her breath brushed against his ear.

For a moment, Leon didn’t move.

Then he laughed.

It wasn’t a nice laugh. It was cold and sharp, cutting straight through the false sweetness.

He grabbed Han Xiaoyu’s wrists and shoved her away roughly.

"You’re disgusting," he said, voice full of contempt. "You’re nothing but a cheap little sl*t."

Han Xiaoyu stumbled back, shock flashing across her face.

Leon shook his head, looking at her like she was something filthy stuck to his shoe.

"I do want to win," he said, voice dripping with scorn, "but I want to win because I’m better. Not because someone else got stabbed in the back."

He took a step closer, his smile twisted in disgust.

"I never expected there would be someone so shameless on your team. Thanks for opening my eyes, Han Xiaoyu."

Without sparing her another glance, Leon turned and walked away, hands shoved back into his pockets like he couldn’t even be bothered anymore.

Han Xiaoyu stood frozen in place, her face burning in humiliation.

Sophia Green, who had heard the entire conversation, raised an eyebrow before walking away.

Each alchemist has their own pride. And it just happened that all members of their team had it.

Priya Patel, who was walking beside Sophia Green, asked,

"What do you think? Will Gu Jin truly win the competition? After all, if what Han Xiaoyu said was true, then our chances of winning will dwindle."

Sophia Green chuckled, hearing the tension in Priya’s tone, and said,

"Why are you worrying? If we are talking about the solo alchemy competition, Gu Jin would have a sure shot at winning first place, but with a pig teammate like that, I hardly think that is possible.

Sure, Gu Jin is talented, but Han Xiaoyu is there. She will make sure Gu Jin won’t rise, even if it means the Chinese team loses on the international level.

This was the reason the England team didn’t have a backup. They know the terrifying thought that might lurk in a human mind."