Chapter 164 Do You Have Feelings For Me?

The reason Tang Yi stood far away and even stubbornly suppressed his inner curiosity, refraining from joining the conversation between Kirlia and Feebas, was to ensure that Wei Chenhai would not walk straight over and start blabbering nonsense.

Upon hearing Wei Chenhai’s words, Tang Yi observed him for a good while before nodding.

Prior to this, he did not know Wei Chenhai either, but intuitively, this guy didn't seem like a bad person; at the very least, he appeared to be reasonable.

As Wei Chenhai approached, both Feebas and Kirlia stood up one after the other, casting a few glances at him without speaking.

Kirlia gently held Feebas’s hand to reassure her, trusting that Tang Yi would handle this matter properly.

After pondering for a brief moment and organizing his thoughts, Wei Chenhai said, "I was deeply shocked by what Tang Yi told me earlier. I find this kind of behavior utterly intolerable and unacceptable."

"Although I cannot judge the authenticity of the matter itself at this moment, I am even less capable of judging whether Su Chengtao is truly the person I thought I knew. Therefore, the things I said to you yesterday were quite inappropriate and far too arbitrary. I must apologize to you."

...

He spoke for a good several minutes, his attitude entirely sincere and devoid of any perfunctory pretense.

Moreover, Tang Yi felt that Wei Chenhai was quite skillful in his speech; he was apologizing for his own impulsiveness without attempting to absolve Su Chengtao.

To put it bluntly, Tang Yi and Wei Chenhai had only met twice, and Wei Chenhai still harbored some doubts about his words, yet he remained a Trainer with a conscience.

That was enough. At least Wei Chenhai’s words came from the heart, which was vastly superior to offering hollow, hypocritical words of apology.

Feebas listened attentively to every word Wei Chenhai uttered, her expression remaining unchanged. To her, Wei Chenhai was originally a complete stranger. She disliked hearing a stranger's words, but she didn't care much about them either.

"I accept your apology. Actually, Su Chengtao is vastly different in private compared to how he acts in public. Never mind, I have nothing more to say about it." Feebas shook her head, having no desire to continue the topic.

If anyone had the right to speak on what kind of person Su Chengtao was, Feebas surely held that right.

However, if someone approached the matter with inherent skepticism, there was simply nothing left to discuss.

Yet this time, Wei Chenhai hesitated slightly before suddenly saying to Tang Yi, "Actually, after returning yesterday, Su Chengtao lost his composure a bit, which really surprised me. He desperately wanted to report you for rule violations, but I talked him out of it. However, I’ve been eliminated now, so I shouldn't meddle in subsequent matters anymore. Take care of yourself."

Tang Yi was unsurprised. Since Wei Chenhai had volunteered a little extra information, he unhesitatingly pressed further: "Do you know anything about the Charmander that Su Chengtao adopted? Oh, it has evolved into a Charmeleon now."

Wei Chenhai was momentarily stunned, then laughed bitterly, "You surely aren't trying to pump me for Charmeleon's tactics and moves, are you? Although my opinion of you has improved quite a bit, I still wouldn't do something like betraying people behind their backs."

Tang Yi shook his head. "I don't mean that. I mean, do you know anything about the adoption of the Charmander itself—like the channels through which he obtained it?"

Wei Chenhai’s gaze sharpened. He was a smart man, and with such a question, he could more or less guess what Tang Yi was aiming to do.

Whether Su Chengtao was hypocritical in nature was of zero concern to Tang Yi; that was simply how other people lived their lives. Even if it were definitively proven that he was a hypocrite, apart from giving his friends something to grumble about in private, it was completely inconsequential.

What Tang Yi truly wanted to figure out was whether Su Chengtao had committed any illegal or rule-breaking acts. If he could face the legal sanctions he deserved, that would naturally be the best possible outcome.

Wei Chenhai hesitated slightly.

Tang Yi immediately smiled and said, "I was just asking casually. If it puts you in a difficult position, forget it."

"Want to add each other on WeChat first?" Wei Chenhai raised his phone.

"Sure."

The two exchanged contact information. Wei Chenhai didn't seem inclined to linger and chat further, which Tang Yi could understand; Su Chengtao undoubtedly knew he had come over today and would most likely question him about the details upon his return.

"Say hello to Talonflame for me. Her strength is truly formidable, she just had some terrible luck." After his perception of Wei Chenhai shifted, Tang Yi's attitude became much more courteous.

Wei Chenhai gave a helpless shake of his head. "Better skip the greetings. Talonflame is still sulking in her room; I'm certainly not going to fan the flames. But as for your Kirlia—was Kirlia's evolution during the match genuinely calculated by you? I pondered over it repeatedly upon returning, and still feel it's rather implausible."

With a perfectly straight and serious face, Tang Yi replied, "Of course it was calculated."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Well, considering it's such an important match, leaving the outcome to the unknown isn't very likely anyway. In any case, you're an immensely strong opponent, and I have nothing to say about my defeat."

Before leaving, Wei Chenhai once again praised the match.

The moment he walked out of earshot, Kirlia glanced sideways at Tang Yi, thinking to herself that this guy could tell a tall tale without even blinking.

Feebas cared nothing for that and curiously asked Tang Yi, "Actually, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. By helping me out like this, are you harboring some kind of ulterior motive?"

Feebas could easily tell that Tang Yi's questioning of Wei Chenhai was an attempt to dig up dirt on Su Chengtao.

Feebas asked with blunt directness, entirely without concealment.

Kirlia, by contrast, felt awkward first, though she was even more curious about how Tang Yi would answer.

Left somewhat speechless, Tang Yi responded righteously, "I helped you before because of Ralras, but helping you now isn't really about helping you—it's purely because that scum leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I can't let it go."

"Oh, is that so?" Feebas nodded, then asked, "Is it because I'm not pretty enough that you say that? If my chest were a bit larger, would you still say the same thing?"

Tang Yi was choked up by Feebas's brazen directness as well: "Even if your chest were twice as large, my answer would remain unchanged."

Feebas fell into deep thought.

This guy was such a hypocrite; he was definitely saying that just because Kirlia was standing right beside him.

What human male didn't like large chests? She wasn't stupid; she understood that simple logic.

Fine. For Kirlia's sake, she wouldn't give this unrepentant pervert a hard time.

"I heard you two are going to buy safety shorts later?" Feebas abruptly changed the subject.

"No, that's not it, I never said that," Tang Yi denied vigilantly.

Kirlia chided, "There are no outsiders here, stop spouting nonsense! Wasn't it you who said that once the apologies were done, we'd go buy those things?"

Kirlia hadn't quite had the nerve to say "safety shorts" out loud.

Yet what made Tang Yi inwardly lament was: how long had it even been, and Feebas was already considered "not an outsider"?

Although Feebas probably harbored no malicious intent, Tang Yi always had a nagging suspicion that she was plotting something, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.