The members of the Chinese team fell into a daze as Ling Tengyun truly left.
After a while, someone grumbled, "He's just gone like that?"
"This was clearly his fault, isn't he being too irresponsible?"
Another member chimed in, "Isn't he just like that? I knew it before, but I didn't expect him to go this far."
"I think, given his personality, he won't be back. So Wu Tian, what should we do now?"
Seeing the problem thrown onto them, Wu Tian could only shrug helplessly and say, "What can I do?"
"Let's see. If he comes back, it's fine. If not, we'll have to apply for a reduction in numbers. At worst, I'll do the work of two."
Wu Tian's words did not violate the rules, just as the Bird Country team could let Yohime Yuriko compete alone.
As long as someone participated, it was perfectly fine even if there were fewer than five people.
Afterward, Wu Tian and the others left the venue.
Two days later, the Round of 16 semi-finals concluded, and the remaining four teams emerged.
After the draw, the team that the Chinese team would face next was revealed, and that team was Xin Jian Bo.
Although Xin Jian Bo was a small country, it was a developed nation, and many Chinese people had settled there, making it not too difficult to live and use Chinese.
Because of this, Xin Jian Bo had a strong Chinese cultural influence.
Coupled with the fact that they hadn't encountered any particularly strong teams in their first two matches, they had managed to reach the semi-finals.
If judged purely on paper, Xin Jian Bo was no match for China, so most people considered this match to be a foregone conclusion.
However, even after the draw, Ling Tengyun still hadn't returned.
No one knew where he had gone. There was a seven-day gap between the Round of 16 semi-finals and the semi-finals, but Ling Tengyun remained nowhere to be seen during these seven days.
While Wu Tian didn't seem concerned about this situation, the other team members couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
So, the day before the match, the team members held a small meeting to discuss the matter.
"What should we do now?" a team member asked during the meeting. "Ling Tengyun still hasn't returned. Is he planning not to come back at all?"
"How would I know?" another team member replied. "He's so hateful, to go this far. Does he have any sense of national honor?"
"If he's determined not to come back, I will definitely report him when we get back, and let the country punish his behavior!"
"You're right, people like him should be reported. It's too much!"
The team members spoke one after another, appearing indignant, their tone growing increasingly agitated.
Ling Tengyun's irresponsible actions had clearly incurred the wrath of the masses.
The more submissive they had been towards him before, the more hatred they now felt.
Wu Tian, however, did not join the conversation. Instead, he was engrossed in reading a rural novel on his phone.
Seeing that he hadn't said anything, a team member couldn't help but ask, "Wu Tian, why aren't you saying anything? What do you think we should do in this situation?"
Wu Tian didn't even look at them and casually replied, "Didn't I say it? It doesn't matter if he's here or not. I'll take his place anyway."
"Honestly, it's better that he's not here. It's much quieter for me."
"If he were here, I'd find him too talkative."
Hearing this, the team members fell silent.
Although everyone knew Wu Tian was very capable, losing one person still made them feel uneasy.
Wu Tian, aware of their concerns, smiled and said, "Oh, don't be so gloomy. It's not a big deal."
"You should go and do what you need to do, rest well, and prepare for tomorrow's match. That's the priority."
"Since that guy has decided to leave us, shouldn't we perform even better?"
"If we lose after he leaves, he'll definitely use it as an excuse."
Upon hearing this, although the others wanted to say more, they ultimately said nothing after giving it some thought.
Just as they were about to get up and leave, there was a knock on the door.
The team members thought it was a waiter.
They opened the door, but upon seeing the person standing there, everyone froze.
"Ling Tengyun? You're back?"
Hearing this, even Wu Tian looked up.
Ling Tengyun walked into the room and smiled, saying, "That's right, I'm back."
By now, the team members were no longer afraid of Ling Tengyun, so they said unhappily, "You still know to come back? I thought you had already returned to China."
Ling Tengyun smiled and said, "How could I? I'm a member of the Chinese team, after all."
"No matter how much misunderstanding there was, I wouldn't do something like that, would I?"
Wu Tian's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at Ling Tengyun's smile.
He stood up and said with a smile, "Did you go somewhere to cultivate yourself? Why do I feel like you're a bit different?"
Wu Tian said this because he sensed something strange about Ling Tengyun's demeanor.
Logically, Ling Tengyun should have been angry when the team members said those things, but why was he still smiling?
Hearing Wu Tian's words, Ling Tengyun maintained his gentle smile.
He said, "Wu Tian, you don't need to talk to me like that. Of course, if you want to, I have no objections, because I know I did wrong."
"I've been traveling these past few days, and when I saw the sea in Hokkaido, I suddenly realized that I shouldn't be jealous of you."
"I was blinded by jealousy before, which is why I said those things. Thinking about it now, I was so childish."
"From now on, you will be my goal. I will work hard towards you, strive to become stronger and stronger, and finally surpass you."
Everyone was stunned by Ling Tengyun's words.
What was going on?
Could such humble words really come from Ling Tengyun's mouth?
But everyone was relieved that Ling Tengyun thought this way, and they smiled, saying, "It would have been good if you had thought this way earlier."
"That's right. We are all part of the Chinese team. We should help each other when we are abroad. Wouldn't internal strife make us a laughingstock?"
Ling Tengyun smiled and said, "You're right. It seems I still have a lot to learn."
Wu Tian watched Ling Tengyun quietly, but his brow remained furrowed.