Special moments like these, with their intertwined breaths and locked gazes, seem to amplify the sound of each other's heartbeats.
Then, Li Guanqi raised a hand, its skin as smooth as jade, and gave a thumbs-up in admiration.
Su Cheng was slightly taken aback but quickly returned the gesture, expressing the same sentiment.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Su Cheng asked.
Li Guanqi merely shook her head.
The two continued to gaze at each other in silence. Just as Su Cheng was about to speak, Wang Guancong suddenly let out a panicked scream, flailing his arms and shouting, "Run!"
He then scrambled and fled toward the other side of the pool.
Su Cheng and Li Guanqi were both startled. They instinctively looked toward Gao Ye, where the water around him was visibly turning blue and rapidly spreading, soon to reach their area.
Even the coach who had been teaching Gao Ye was now frantically running toward the shore.
"Holy crap!"
Su Cheng instantly realized what was happening and, filled with panic, turned to climb out of the pool. But just then—
Li Guanqi suddenly said, "I... I'm having a cramp in my leg."
Her tone remained calm, but Su Cheng could detect a hint of resentment and fear within it.
Upon hearing this, Su Cheng stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, his expression resolute.
With the blue area set to engulf them in seconds, he didn't hesitate. He scooped Li Guanqi up in a princess hold, discovering as he did so that she was standing on one leg.
Clearly, she had suffered a cramp while swimming. As for why she appeared expressionless? Perhaps she couldn't make expressions, or maybe she was trying to maintain the scene, forcing herself to stay composed.
Su Cheng lifted Li Guanqi out of the water, immediately feeling the softness of her body and the unique fragrance of a young girl.
Li Guanqi's arms wrapped around Su Cheng's neck, and she could feel the solid muscles of the man in her arms, along with the strong, forceful beating of his heart.
"I'm tainted..."
Su Cheng muttered, looking at the blue area spreading around him, his face filled with despair.
"Thank you, hero,"
Li Guanqi's voice was warm and sincere. Su Cheng looked down at her and saw her eyes filled with gratitude. Their warm breaths intertwined once more.
Hero?
This was the classic scenario of a hero saving the beauty.
But if he were to tell this story, he'd feel utterly embarrassed.
There was some kind of chemical in the pool that turned deep blue upon contact with a certain liquid.
So, what Gao Ye had done in the pool was obvious.
"I... I'll take you up first,"
Su Cheng suddenly felt her breath on his ear. He steadied himself and quickly carried her toward the shore.
"So soft..."
As he climbed the steps, Su Cheng couldn't help but squeeze slightly, feeling how soft Li Guanqi's body was, like a sponge.
This was his first time holding a girl.
Once onshore, Su Cheng set her down gently and quickly stepped back, watching her.
"I've caused you trouble. I'll rest for a bit,"
Li Guanqi nodded gratefully at Su Cheng. "Go take a shower now?"
With that, she bent down and pulled her toes back to stretch her ankle, a method she seemed very familiar with, to relieve the cramp. Clearly, the effort of trying to catch up to him had caused her to strain herself.
It was evident that the physical gap between them had made her appear so delicate.
This was what a normal beautiful girl should be like.
People like Ji Qingyi and Li Zhaohao were just abnormal!
"Alright,"
Su Cheng said and turned to head toward the other end.
He felt utterly disgusted and needed to wash himself clean.
"You're the most despicable guy I've ever met!"
On his way, the coach pointed at Gao Ye in the pool and scolded him harshly. "How did I end up with a student like you!"
"Coach, I'm going to rinse off,"
Su Cheng said.
"Go ahead. I almost got ruined by that guy,"
The coach said, still visibly shaken.
"Me too,"
Wang Guancong quickly followed, grumbling as they walked to the changing room. "Ugh, I'll never come with him again."
Wang Guancong looked utterly frustrated.
"Same here,"
Su Cheng agreed.
After showering and changing into their school uniforms, the two ran into Gao Ye.
"Don't blame me! That coach wasn't even a real coach. He forced me to drink water. It was just an accident!"
Gao Ye came in from outside, trying to explain, his face red with embarrassment.
"Get lost. You've embarrassed us all,"
Wang Guancong snapped, then turned and left.
"Hey, wait for me. I'll be quick changing,"
Gao Ye called out, but Su Cheng and Wang Guancong ignored him and continued walking.
………………
3 PM
Club activity time.
When Su Cheng arrived at the Archery Club, he noticed the atmosphere was more serious than usual. Everyone was training intensely, fully focused and sweating.
The archery competition was just around the corner.
"Here's this year's schedule,"
Wang Xuejie approached and handed him a piece of paper.
As she spoke, the members of the Archery Club stopped what they were doing and looked over.
When they first saw the competition schedule, they were all surprised.
Su Cheng had signed up for the individual competition!
Although he was personally coached by the club president, Ji Qingyi, he had only trained for half a month before entering a professional competition. This seemed utterly absurd to them.
So, they were curious to see how Su Cheng would react.
However, they were disappointed. Su Cheng showed no emotion, simply thanked Wang Xuejie, took the paper, and quickly scanned it before slipping it into his pocket.
Changing room
"Not bad. You've got guts. I also believe that it's all about participation, so I signed up too!"
As soon as Su Cheng entered, Yang Xin followed and said this to him.
Su Cheng was a bit surprised and turned to look at him. "You signed up too?"
Yang Xin chuckled. "Of course!"
"Impressive!"
Su Cheng gave him a thumbs-up. "Your spirit of challenge is commendable. I wish you the best of luck."
He genuinely admired Yang Xin's courage, as he himself wouldn't dare to sign up.
"You're the one with the nice words. Those seniors outside all told me not to sign up and to focus on next year. But since you, a junior, signed up, I, as a senior, can't fall behind!"
Yang Xin shook his head, then, noticing no one was around, leaned closer to Su Cheng and whispered, "By the way, why did you sign up?"
"Oh, President Ji signed me up,"
Su Cheng answered truthfully.
"President Ji signed you up?"
Yang Xin was stunned, his face filled with confusion. "Why would President Ji sign you up?"
After Su Cheng had put on his gear and was about to leave, he suddenly stopped at the door, turned his head slightly, and looked at Yang Xin. "Because I'll win the championship!"
As his words echoed in the room, Yang Xin stared at Su Cheng's back in shock.
Championship...
Su Cheng said he would win the championship...
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"Cheeky Su Cheng. You're blowing smoke,"
Yang Xin's mouth twitched. He didn't know why Su Cheng was so confident, but no matter what, he didn't believe he could win the championship.
……………………
Private Dojo
Ji Qingyi was currently seated at a desk, with ink, brushes, and paper laid out. She was intensely focused on her writing, her expression utterly absorbed.
Then, she lifted her head and glanced at the door.
The next moment,
"Knock knock."
Su Cheng knocked on the door.
"Come in,"
Ji Qingyi responded without looking up, continuing to write.
The door opened, and a gust of wind blew in, lifting a few strands of hair from Ji Qingyi's forehead.
"President Ji,"
Su Cheng entered and respectfully greeted her.
As always, the time was the same, and so was Ji Qingyi.
Her icy aura, like that of a frozen sculpture, still made people wary of approaching her.
But Su Cheng knew that the club president wasn't as terrifying as she seemed. In fact, she was very easy to get along with.
Even when he had previously contradicted her, she hadn't held it against him. Instead, she had seriously reflected on her own issues.
The next day, she had even changed her teaching methods for him.
So, Su Cheng found the club president to be quite approachable and not at all intimidating.
Unlike the rumors outside, which claimed that she would banish entire families at the drop of a hat.
Ji Qingyi set down her brush and looked at Su Cheng, saying, "The competition date is drawing near."
Su Cheng nodded upon hearing this.
"This year, I am not participating, so the competition will be broadcast live across various media platforms."
Ji Qingyi said this calmly, her tone devoid of any emotion.
Su Cheng was stunned and blurted out, "Live broadcast? Nationwide?"
Then, he lowered his head, understanding the implication.
It was clear that in the past, such a format didn't exist because Ji Qingyi participated. Not that it didn't exist, but rather, the Ji Family didn't want Ji Qingyi exposed, so it was never made public.
But this year, with Ji Qingyi not participating, the competition would naturally be made public.
After all, the interests behind the chain and the profitable projects involved were not insignificant.
"I understand," Su Cheng nodded and then turned to start training. He didn't feel any pressure or fear, but rather, a slight excitement.
And why?
Because it didn't matter. This year, he would only be the champion.
His goal was about to be achieved, so causing a ruckus in the process would be worth it, even if it meant using his only Deus Ex Machina.
Training continued without pause. Su Cheng didn't stop for a moment.
Arrow after arrow hit the target, but his expression remained unchanged, becoming increasingly relaxed, as if he had entered some kind of mystical state.
As he stopped obsessing over hitting the target, he gradually understood that when shooting arrows, one wasn't aiming at the target but at one's own heart.
"Whoosh~"
An arrow pierced through the air and hit the bullseye.
Su Cheng still showed no emotion. He stopped, wiped the sweat from his face, and took a deep breath.
"Huff..."
He exhaled, stretched his body, and today, his control over his muscles and limbs had reached a new height.
...
"Take a break."
At that moment, Ji Qingyi suddenly spoke, interrupting Su Cheng's thoughts. He quickly collected himself and looked over.
"Alright," Su Cheng said humbly.
Ji Qingyi gave a slight "hmm" and said, "Next comes the control of the mind and consciousness. If you can achieve that, you can almost always hit your target with each shot."
"If I continue at my current pace, can I win the championship?"
Su Cheng asked tentatively, though he knew the difficulty was immense.
But he had to ask.
Ji Qingyi took a sip of tea before answering, "Even if I gave you two and a half years, it would almost be impossible, unless you're a miracle."
Upon hearing this, Su Cheng sighed in disappointment.
He knew it.
Despite his progress, it was still ordinary progress.
His pace was still too slow.
"However..."
Ji Qingyi suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with hesitation, and then slowly continued, "If you're not affected by the environment, you can achieve a lower ranking, barely making it into the top few hundred."
After these words, Su Cheng's eyes lit up, and he felt somewhat comforted.
Ji Qingyi looked at the target and said, "But every year, there are contestants who make mistakes due to nervousness, even failing to hit the target. So, you need to overcome the psychological aspect yourself."
"I understand. By the way, President, why aren't you participating this year?"
Su Cheng asked curiously.
Ji Qingyi glanced at him indirectly and said coldly, "Because it's boring."
"Boring?"
Su Cheng was stunned, but he had a guess in his mind.
Probably because she didn't deign to participate in a competition she was sure to win.
He thought about it and eventually chose to remain silent.
Finally, he looked up and accidentally caught sight of the confession mark on Ji Qingyi's head.
Ji Qingyi seemed to notice as well, and he quickly averted his gaze, not daring to meet her eyes. He lowered his head and said, "President, I'll be leaving now."
"Mm."
Ji Qingyi nodded.
As Su Cheng took a few steps, Ji Qingyi suddenly spoke again: "This is the third time. If you look at me like that again, you won't need to come back."
Su Cheng froze in place upon hearing this.
He stood stiffly, not daring to turn around or respond.
"You can go."
At this moment, Ji Qingyi's tone was cold and merciless, like the biting chill of a winter's night.
"I understand."
Su Cheng then quickly ran out of the private training grounds.
In the Ji Family Mansion.
Ji Qingyi was in the study, reading a book in her hand, with a cup of fragrant tea in front of her.
Behind her stood a short-haired girl in a maid's dress, her expression cold and silent, holding a tray.
"Bang~"
Ji Qingyi put down the book in her hand and said unhappily, "So, you spend half an hour every morning just to go to school with Su Cheng?"
"Yes."
The girl's expression remained cold as she answered truthfully.
Ji Qingyi was silent for a moment before speaking again: "From now on, you will commute to school with me every day. Don't forget, your duty is to take care of me!"
"Yes, Young Mistress."
Only then did the maid's expression change slightly as she bowed her head respectfully.
"Since you care so much about him, you must have investigated his details thoroughly, right?"
"Yes, from birth until now, all his information, including his parents, friends, biological clock, habits, favorite foods, likes, dislikes, and even all his expenses, are clearly documented."
The maid's voice remained devoid of emotion, simply stating facts.
After hearing this, Ji Qingyi frowned and asked, "What about his parents?"
After all, Su Cheng was a member of her club.
So, she deeply despised such irresponsible parents.
"The specifics are unclear, but on the day he jumped into the river, his parents died in an unexpected accident."