The New Campus Legend and a Brewing Storm

The campus morning began even before seven o’clock.

The high school students, still fresh and vibrant, had yet to become the jaded veterans of the university.

The youthful vigor clung to them, a palpable aura.

A wide circular road encircled the girls’ dormitory.

Cypress trees and lush grass lined its edges, forming an unbroken green ribbon.

The air, crisp and clean, made it an ideal spot for morning runs.

Young women, brimming with youthful energy, would run freely around this circular path.

This spectacle was renowned as one of Wenlu Academy’s three most beautiful scenic views.

However, boys were strictly prohibited from approaching the girls’ dormitory.

The number of girls participating in the morning run was neither excessive nor sparse.

Each day saw some opting to sleep in, while others, on a whim, decided to join the ranks of the runners.

Consequently, for this particular scenic view, the presence or absence of a single person made little discernible difference.

Until this morning.

“Sister Wan has sent the first phase of your workout schedule,” a voice instructed. “Follow the speed and rhythm you used on the treadmill, slowly now… a little slower, that’s right.”

A white-haired girl with a generous bust, clad in a black sports bra and shorts, joined the ranks of the morning runners.

Yet, her pace was so unhurried that, unlike the other girls who flitted by as fleeting components of the scenery, she became its most distinct and eye-catching feature.

Running so slowly, she was impossible to miss!

Her camisole sports bra offered no concealment for even a fraction of her ‘snowy peaks,’ literally ‘leaking wind on all four sides’ (TL Note: A humorous phrase describing the revealing nature of the sports bra).

Yet, defying expectations, the principle of relative motion maintained their astonishingly stable form.

It was enough to make the other girls feel a little dizzy from watching.

Believe it or not, morning runs beside the girls’ dormitory suddenly transformed into a hazardous activity.

“Alright, stop now,” Jiang Li instructed. “Walk and rest for a bit, adjust your breathing, and walk slowly.”

Jiang Li stayed close by, shadowing her every step, guiding her through the morning run.

With a scientific plan and careful arrangement, Xi Yao felt significantly better than before.

The constant sensation of impending dizziness had completely vanished.

“I feel great right now,” the young woman declared confidently. “Perhaps it won’t be long before I can increase my training intensity.”

‘If only you’d stop giving out so many “prizes” (TL Note: A humorous euphemism for her ample chest), this would be easily achievable,’ Jiang Li mused inwardly.

Aloud, she advised, “Take your time, don’t rush it.”

Being a pure, straightforward girl, she couldn’t possibly be a ‘stop-guide’ (TL Note: A playful term for someone who prevents or ‘stops’ something, here referring to the ‘prizes’ from being too prominent).

The first day of morning run practice was successfully completed.

However, after that morning, a new legend began to circulate throughout the campus.

****

“Did you run this morning? Did you see it?”

“See what? I stayed up too late last night, so I slept in a bit today.”

During the break after the second class of the morning, two girls strolled along the corridor, chatting.

Too many events had recently monopolized the campus forum, with all sections dominated by a few major happenings.

To discuss new campus legends, they had no choice but to converse offline with friends.

“Then you missed out on a lot! This morning, there was a really big-chested girl also out for a run.”

“Good heavens, the way she bounced made my head spin!”

“Really? That exciting?”

“You bet it was.”

“Is she running again tomorrow? I want to see too.”

“That, I wouldn’t know.”

As they chatted, another classmate nearby interjected, joining the conversation: “Didn’t you recognize her? That was Xi Yao this morning, Jiang Li’s rumored girlfriend!”

“What?”

“I saw them too. They ran together, with Jiang Li accompanying her the entire time.”

“So, they were basically flaunting their affection? Oh my god, how sweet!”

The conversation, imperceptibly, shifted to a different angle.

“Tell me, just how charming is that Xi Yao, to have even someone as outstanding as Jiang Li fall for her?”

“She must be a very dependable person, otherwise, why would Jiang Li be so devoted to her, following her every step even during a run?”

“They say her chest is bigger than Jerusalem… *cough*, I mean, even bigger than Aileen from the student council (TL Note: “Bigger than Jerusalem” is a playful hyperbole, implying immense size, followed by a self-correction to a more relatable comparison).”

Through a series of such incidents, accumulating over time, Xi Yao’s notoriety gradually grew.

Just then, another classmate from their class approached, saying indignantly, “How can you all have the leisure to gossip? Aren’t you concerned about more pressing matters?”

“What matters?”

“Naturally, it’s that Yun girl from the third year! She’s far too arrogant, openly bribing those with votes.”

“If she actually becomes president, how will we possibly get through this semester?”

The girl was visibly agitated, and her classmate quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her close: “Shhh, keep your voice down. Don’t speak ill of her here; if her lackeys overhear, you’ll be asking for trouble.”

That person’s specialty is campus bullying; they’re not playing around.

“So what do we do? We can’t even talk about it?”

“Don’t talk about it here,” she whispered, lowering her voice. “Come to the largest bath in the dormitory rooftop bathhouse tonight, and we can speak freely!”

The agitated girl looked stunned: “You mean you already have a secret spot?”

Good heavens, she had been feeling stifled and frustrated alone for so long, completely unaware.

“Of course! Come on, I’ll add you to the group first. Inside, you can say whatever you want about Yun Caiyi, curse her however you please…”

Many such scenes unfolded across the campus.

They were all familiar classmates, so adding them was simple enough.

It didn’t even matter if someone had been secretly bribed, as everyone in the group used burner accounts.

****

In Liberal Arts Class 2, Xi Yao remained as steady as Mount Tai, despite being at the epicenter of these swirling undercurrents.

“Worldview, methodology—alright, this subject is pretty much sorted.”

Having been reborn from university, relearning liberal arts knowledge felt like an overwhelming advantage in terms of logical thinking.

The study came surprisingly easily to her.

When it came to logical reasoning, even Jiang Li couldn’t compare to her.

Just then, a male student suddenly stood before her.

“Jiang Li, you absolutely must win! Don’t let that Yun girl get her way!”

Xi Yao looked up, realizing it was Wang Zheng, their class monitor.

Jiang Li, her gaze lifting in confusion, asked, “What?”

She had been engrossed in her German book, utterly focused.

“Yun Caiyi’s lackeys approached me, trying to buy my vote for several thousand yuan,” Wang Zheng declared, his voice laced with fury.

“The nerve of them, trying to insult me like that! This vote is only for you, and you absolutely must win!”

‘What utter nonsense! Just because she’s a senior and her family is wealthy, she thinks she can walk all over them, the second-year students.’

‘Bullying others was one thing, but bullying the two campus beauties of their Liberal Arts Class 2? Unacceptable!’

This sentiment echoed among most of the male students, whose thoughts were far simpler than the girls’.

On one side stood the exceptional and perfect beauty, Jiang Li, alongside the pure, adorable, and well-endowed Xi Yao.

On the other was the outwardly unremarkable and perpetually arrogant Yun Caiyi.

How could there even be a choice?

‘It seemed like an instant knockout!’

A hint of awkwardness colored Jiang Li’s expression as she involuntarily glanced at Xi Yao.

“Actually, I… it might not necessarily be me who competes, but we definitely won’t let her succeed,” she stated.

Originally, she hadn’t intended to respond with such earnestness.

Had it been solely her own affair, Jiang Li would have dismissed it with a casual pretense.

However, since it concerned Xi Yao, she adopted a 120% serious attitude.

“Good!”

Wang Zheng returned to his seat, and it was only after his initial excitement subsided that he regained his composure.

He recalled Jiang Li’s words, and then her gaze directed towards Xi Yao.

‘Wait a minute, although Xi Yao is incredibly beautiful and cute, her grades aren’t that good, are they? She wouldn’t meet the election requirements, would she?’

As he pondered, the class bell rang, and the politics teacher walked onto the podium with a book in hand, surveying the students below.

“As before, we’ll have random students recite the memorized content. Li Shanshan, Zhao Chenglu, He Qian, and… Xi Yao!”