Sports Day Surprises and a Real Xiao Ju

As the two quietly skirted around, they faintly heard a girl’s suppressed sobs, along with a sentence that almost dissolved into the night: ‘I won’t give up.’

It wasn’t until they had completely exited the academic building’s vicinity that Zhou Yi finally exhaled a long breath.

‘The God of Study’s rejection was truly brutal,’ he murmured. ‘A direct critical hit…’

He suddenly realized, mid-sentence, that he was still tightly clutching Jiang Chen’s sleeve.

When he finally released his grip, the fabric was already a crumpled mess.

He hastily shoved his hands into his pockets, his fingertips unconsciously curling as he tried to conceal his momentary fluster.

To further mask his agitation, he deliberately fell back half a step, feigning to adjust his backpack.

The familiar scent of jasmine drifted over again on the night wind.

The fresh, lingering scent enveloped Jiang Chen’s senses, prompting him to unconsciously inhale deeply.

Startled by his own action, he hastily turned his head away.

He fumbled for his phone, asking in a slightly parched voice, ‘Are you still ordering takeout?’

Zhou Yi looked up. ‘Yes,’ he replied.

After a brief pause, he added, ‘Just don’t make it too spicy.’

Jiang Chen’s fingers stilled. He turned his head and glanced back at Zhou Yi. ‘When did you start disliking spicy food?’

Zhou Yi fell silent.

‘He certainly couldn’t tell Jiang Chen that the doctor had advised him to avoid certain foods during his period. Regardless of whether such a thing was actually happening, he definitely didn’t want to writhe in pain like he had last night.’

He cleared his throat vaguely. ‘…My stomach hasn’t been great lately. Please be understanding of a sick person.’

Jiang Chen’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment. The dim night obscured his expression, yet seeing Zhou Yi’s weakened state today, he didn’t press further.

Instead, he simply tapped his phone screen several times. ‘Alright,’ he said, ‘I’ll order you a clear soup base.’

By the time the notification confirming a successful order chimed, the two had already arrived at the dormitory building.

The light from the streetlamp shone from the side, delicately outlining the soft curve of Zhou Yi’s jawline and neck.

Once more, it perfectly overlapped with the hazy silhouette that haunted Jiang Chen’s dreams.

‘Zhou Yi,’ Jiang Chen suddenly said.

‘Hmm?’

‘What shower gel do you use?’

The question came so abruptly that Zhou Yi froze for a full two seconds before stammering out a reply.

‘It’s… it’s the same as yours,’ he said, ‘the mint one.’

Jiang Chen fell silent. Without another word, he turned and headed upstairs, his footsteps echoing with stark clarity in the quiet stairwell.

Zhou Yi stood rooted to the spot, scratching his head with a completely bewildered expression.

****

The highly anticipated sports festival had finally arrived.

The morning wind rustled through the dormitory area, and punctually, the iconic, stirring melody of ‘Athlete’s March’ blared from the loudspeakers.

Zhou Yi, for once, didn’t lie in bed; he simply couldn’t sleep through the commotion.

Upon waking, he discovered the agonizing cramps that had plagued him for days had miraculously vanished.

In their place was a heavy, dull sensation, as if he were carrying a hot water bottle.

He tentatively pressed his lower abdomen. While a faint discomfort lingered, it was well within a tolerable range.

‘…It really doesn’t hurt anymore?’

He mumbled softly as he sat up, the heat pack sliding from his pajamas, now completely cold.

‘Though he would never admit to actually experiencing ‘that,’ he couldn’t deny that ever since he’d listened to the nurse and applied the heat pack, the abdominal pain had indeed lessened day by day.’

He didn’t dwell on his abdominal issues for long. The first thing he did after grabbing his phone was check the logistics information.

[Your package has arrived at Cainiao Station]

‘Ha!’ His eyes lit up, and with a swift move, he sprang out of bed like a carp leaping from water.

He jogged all the way to the express station, eager to retrieve the ‘divine treasure’ he had so carefully selected for Chen Hao.

Even through the packaging, his fingertips could discern the soft fabric of the maid outfit within, and the unique texture of its delicate lace trim.

‘Haozi, oh Haozi…’ Zhou Yi hummed a tune as he walked back, sunlight dancing on his mischievously grinning face.

‘Your dear old dad is about to let you experience the true meaning of fatherly love, vast as a mountain.’

Today was truly a day of double blessings. On one hand, he was pranking Chen Hao, and on the other, he would witness Zhao Lei’s glorious downfall.

Last time, when Zhao Lei had begged him and Jiang Chen to team up for the ‘Three-Legged Race,’ he had personally promised that if they agreed to participate, he would perform a cheerleading dance in a Lolita dress in front of the entire school.

Just imagining the six-foot-one Zhao Lei stiffly waving cheerleading pom-poms in the center of the sports field, adorned in layers of lace, made Zhou Yi feel that even having ten ropes tied to his feet would be worth it.

The sun was bright, the wind was light, and the glorious ‘social death’ of his friends was almost within reach.

He was practically vibrating with anticipation for the sports festival to begin. However, a figure suddenly rounded the corner, crashing squarely into him.

‘Ouch!’

Both tumbled to the ground, and Zhou Yi’s carefully prepared ‘divine treasure’ slipped from his grasp, rolling to the side.

‘I’m so sorry! So sorry! I’m rushing to deliver supplies!’ A round-faced, delicate-looking girl scrambled to her feet, apologizing frantically.

Zhou Yi rubbed his aching chest and looked up, nearly shouting, ‘Xiao Ju!’

He bit his tongue hard, swallowing back the name that had almost escaped his lips.

‘No way?! Xiao Ju… was she not a system-generated character after all, but a real, living person in reality?’

‘Are you alright, classmate?’ Xiao Ju asked nervously, reaching out a hand to help him.

‘I’m fine,’ Zhou Yi said, feigning indifference as he brushed her hand away and picked up the package, clutching it to his chest.

‘It’s fine. Don’t scare yourself,’ he thought. ‘Xiao Ju doesn’t know him at all.’

Xiao Ju let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest.

Then, she suddenly leaned closer, pointing at his face. ‘Eh? Wait a minute… I feel like you look really familiar. Have we met somewhere before?’

Zhou Yi stiffened, clutching the package as he stumbled back three steps. ‘You’ve got the wrong person!’

‘No way! My memory is excellent. Let me think…’ Xiao Ju stubbornly followed, tilting her head as she struggled to recall. ‘Was it the milk tea shop? Or the library…’

Zhou Yi couldn’t possibly let her think too deeply. ‘I really don’t know you! Goodbye!’

Clutching the package, he turned and fled.

Xiao Ju stood rooted to the spot, watching his retreating figure and scratching her head in confusion. ‘Eh… that’s strange… he really does look familiar.’

Zhou Yi sprinted wildly, only daring to stop after putting several dozen meters between them.

He leaned on his knees, panting heavily.

‘Damn it… you scared the life out of me…’ He patted his chest, trying to calm his heart that pounded like a drum.

‘Xiao Ju!’ he roared inwardly. ‘What’s with Xiao Ju? Isn’t she an NPC? How can she be in reality?!’

[Ding dong~ This system has never stated that simulated characters are NPCs~ It seems the player has made their own assumptions.]

Zhou Yi: ‘???’

‘Damn, that actually made a lot of sense, didn’t it?’

He blinked. Upon careful reflection, the system had indeed never explicitly stated that Xiao Ju was an NPC.

After a two-second pause, he suddenly burst out laughing. He had truly scared himself for no reason.

Xiao Ju clearly knew the ‘Senior Sister Zhou Yi’ from the simulator, the one with long flowing hair and dresses.

What did that have to do with his current self, a male university student with short, messy hair and sweatpants?

That ‘familiar’ comment earlier was probably just a case of mistaken identity.

‘Whew,’ he exhaled a long breath, his tightly wound nerves finally relaxing.

Both annoyed and amused, he patted the dust off the package, then turned to continue his walk toward the sports field.

After all, he was a man who meticulously planned his schedule.

His brothers’ glorious moments were waiting for him to personally illuminate them.