After Ji Qingyi left, Su Cheng could begin his two-hour individual practice session.
He took a box out of his pocket and opened it.
Inside the box were a dozen or so heart-saving pills.
Each pill emitted a strong herbal scent, making it apparent that they were no ordinary, inexpensive items.
"Such precious things,"
Su Cheng murmured as he gazed at the pills in his hand, then closed the box and put it back in his pocket.
These pills could truly save lives!
At first, he thought Ji Qingyi was the antagonist, given her reputation, behavior, demeanor, and even her character profile—all typical traits of a villain.
However, after spending some time with her, he realized she was more like a bodhisattva.
………………
Two hours quickly passed.
During these two hours, Su Cheng practiced non-stop, fully focused.
By the time he stopped, he was utterly exhausted. He sat in his chair, breathing heavily, with beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.
Ji Qingyi hadn't returned during this time, which meant she had probably left early.
He tidied up and then exited the personal training room.
Outside the dojo, only one figure remained, still practicing archery with their back turned to him.
It was Yang Xin, who had signed up for the competition alongside him.
Su Cheng didn't disturb Yang Xin's practice but quietly retreated to the changing room, where he removed his training clothes and put on his school uniform to head home.
As he finished getting dressed, Yang Xin walked in.
He sighed and asked, "Are you feeling the pressure?"
Su Cheng nodded in response.
"Don't even mention it. With the competition getting closer, my heart is all over the place, afraid of embarrassing myself,"
Yang Xin frowned and sighed, his tone tinged with worry.
Su Cheng, in turn, patted his shoulder comfortingly: "Take it easy. It's all about participation. Just keep a calm mind."
Yang Xin shook his head: "But look at our situation now. There's only a week left, and the practice time is clearly insufficient."
Yang Xin let out a bitter laugh and continued, "I shouldn't have been so stubborn and signed up. This competition is being broadcast nationwide. If I make a fool of myself, where would I even put my face, both at school and at home?"
"I think it's still possible to cancel your registration, isn't it?"
Su Cheng couldn't help but remind Yang Xin upon hearing this.
Yang Xin was momentarily stunned, then looked conflicted as he replied, "Running away at the last minute would be even more embarrassing."
"Then just squeeze in some practice time over the weekend,"
Su Cheng suggested.
Yang Xin nodded: "That's my plan, which is why I came to ask if you're free this weekend?"
As he spoke, he took out a key from his pocket and jingled it.
It was the key to the Archery Club.
"I have something tomorrow, but I can come on Sunday,"
Su Cheng agreed.
On Saturday, he had to accompany Li Guanqi to buy exercise books, and then trick him into going for a check-up. Finally, before parting, he would confess to Li Guanqi.
"Then it's settled. See you on Sunday,"
Yang Xin said with a smile when he saw this.
Practicing alone was indeed not much fun, especially for a novice like him, who found it rather dull.
So he needed someone to discuss and exchange ideas with.
Su Cheng, like him, was a beginner who needed to work hard, making them like-minded partners.
……
Meanwhile,
in the villa district,
a golden retriever and a brown dog were taking a walk by the lake.
They were Cornelia and Ailiya.
【Ailiya: Intelligence 4.6】
【Cornelia: Intelligence 4.7】
Today, Ailiya planned to stay at Cornelia's house because they had agreed to go to the ocean park together tomorrow.
In fact, Cornelia wasn't very happy about Ailiya's sudden visit.
Because Ailiya had disrupted her plan. Originally, she had intended to stroll around Su Cheng's apartment at around five o'clock after his club activities ended.
During today's elective class, she had seen Su Cheng sleeping through the entire lesson. It was no surprise, considering he must have stayed up late yesterday to make a cake.
When Cornelia realized this during the class, she pouted and muttered to herself, "What a fool. Even if he's busy, he should get more rest! Does he think he's made of iron or something?"
Although she said that, she was still very much looking forward to the cake.
She had even resisted drinking her eight walnuts, waiting for the cake, which would be double the joy.
It was already five o'clock, and Su Cheng would be back soon.
So her little brain was now furiously working, trying to figure out how to get Ailiya out of the way to get the cake.
Ailiya and Su Cheng simply didn't get along.
She couldn't bring Ailiya along to meet Su Cheng, or else the cake might not be delivered, and the two would end up arguing.
That was not the scene she wanted to see.
But before her little plan could fully form, it was shattered by Ailiya.
"Look, isn't that the dog you mentioned that can do a backflip?"
Ailiya pointed to a pavilion in the distance and exclaimed.
Cornelia was immediately stunned upon hearing this.
She looked in that direction.
Then she saw a large yellow dog lying lazily on the lawn.
Seeing this, Cornelia's face suddenly turned red.
After all, Ailiya had stopped mentioning this incident for a while, and now seeing the dog again, she still felt a bit embarrassed.
"Didn't Su Cheng say last time that your mistake was due to the cigarette issue?"
Ailiya said, pulling Cornelia towards a nearby supermarket: "Now's a good time. We can buy some cigarettes and see if Su Cheng was lying to you."
Previously, she had heard Cornelia say that Su Cheng claimed this dog could do a backflip.
The key point was that Cornelia had believed it.
She thought Cornelia was blindly trusting Su Cheng.
Upon hearing this, Cornelia was immediately dumbfounded.
She quickly waved her hands and said, "No, no, let's not buy any."
Because after that, Su Cheng had said that the dog would only perform for acquaintances, and she didn't want to embarrass herself further.
"Then I'll try,"
Ailiya said, disregarding Cornelia and heading towards the supermarket.
The book said that being in love would lower one's intelligence, so she wanted to test it and make Cornelia realize that Su Cheng was playing her for a fool!
Cornelia, seeing this, hurriedly chased after her: "Ailiya, I said we're not buying any!"
"It's just boring. Let's try,"
Ailiya said, walking into the supermarket.
Seeing that Ailiya wasn't listening to her, Cornelia became anxious: "What if you get hurt?"
Ailiya stopped, turned around, and looked at her: "You weren't afraid last time, so why should I be? Besides, the dog didn't bite you last time."
This remark left Cornelia speechless.
Indeed, she wasn't afraid last time because she believed the dog could do a backflip.
But this time was different.
She knew this dog could bite, and what if Ailiya got bitten?
So, she was genuinely worried about Ailiya now.
"Ailiya, this dog only does backflips for acquaintances,"
Cornelia quickly explained.
"So is this Su Cheng's new excuse?"
Ailiya retorted, clearly unconvinced, then snorted coldly: "Such a lame excuse—only he could come up with something like that."
"He's playing you for a fool, and you still don't get it?"
Seeing that Ailiya didn't believe her, Cornelia grew anxious: "It's true, I saw it with my own eyes. And Su Cheng would never lie to me!"
Ailiya was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, then her expression turned sour.
She started disliking Su Cheng again and said unhappily, "You'd rather believe his fabricated lies than believe me!"
【Ailiya: Intelligence 4.7】
At this moment, Ailiya broke through her intelligence limit.
She walked into the supermarket, picked up a large chicken leg from the shelf, and continued, "Let's feed it for a few days first. Then it will become an acquaintance. At that time, his lies will naturally be exposed!"
In the end, Cornelia had to concede upon hearing this.
She had to admit that what Ailiya said made sense.
Moreover, she also wanted the dog to do a backflip to prove to Ailiya that Su Cheng hadn't lied!
So, a few minutes later,
the two of them had a pile of dog food, chicken legs, ham, and other various treats in their hands.
All irresistible delicacies for dogs.
Soon, the two, holding a large pile of snacks, walked towards the yellow dog on the lawn.
When the big yellow dog saw Cornelia and Ailiya approaching, it raised its head to glance at them, then stood up and made a disdainful face.
What was particularly striking was that this disdainful expression was somewhat similar to Su Cheng's.
Ailiya, seeing this, was immediately infuriated.
She shouted, "Stinky dog!"
At this shout, the big yellow dog stood up and turned to leave.
Being despised by a dog...
This made Ailiya feel extremely embarrassed and even more angry.
She threw the pile of snacks she was holding onto the ground and turned to follow the dog.
"Ailiya!"
Cornelia, seeing this, could only pick up the snacks and chase after her.
However, after running for a while, the two of them found themselves in a secluded corner.
There were few pedestrians here, only a few large trash bins lying crookedly on the ground, with garbage spilling out messily.
And the big yellow dog had disappeared...
Only a dirty big black dog was rummaging through the trash, and it looked up when it noticed their arrival.
This black dog was very fierce, with injuries on its body and two rows of sharp teeth exposed, looking extremely menacing.
Ailiya, seeing this, took a few steps back in fear: "What... what kind of dog is this?"
"I..."
Cornelia was also frightened: "It seems to be staring at the snacks in my hand."
"Quick, throw the snacks away, and let's run."
Ailiya suggested.
"We can't run."
However, Cornelia calmed down and remembered what Su Cheng had said: the more you run, the more you'll be chased.
So she said, "I'll put the snacks on the ground, and then we'll slowly back away."
"Alright."
Ailiya thought about it and agreed that Cornelia was right.
So Cornelia slowly crouched down, placed the snacks on the ground, and the two of them began to slowly back away.
The big black dog only glanced at the snacks on the ground before continuing to glare at them.
This made Ailiya and Cornelia's backs turn cold.
The dog's gaze was too terrifying, sending shivers down their spines.
Their legs began to weaken, and they stood frozen in place.
Unexpectedly, seeing this, the big black dog suddenly opened its mouth, revealing its sharp teeth, and charged straight at them.
It pounced towards Cornelia.
This sight made Cornelia's face turn pale, and she quickly covered her eyes, too frightened to look.
Ailiya, on the other hand, was completely stunned and didn't know what to do.
Just as Cornelia braced herself for the pain, it never came.
She opened her eyes and was immediately shocked by the scene before her, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.
Because the big yellow dog, which had disappeared, suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
It was biting the big black dog's neck and shaking its head vigorously, while the big black dog struggled and tried to shake off the big yellow dog's grip.
Thus, the two dogs started fighting.
"Let's run!"
Ailiya, seeing this, quickly pulled Cornelia and ran away.
The two of them panicked and fled, but they had only run a short distance when they encountered Su Cheng riding a bicycle.
"Su Cheng! Su Cheng!!"
Cornelia, seeing this, quickly ran up and grabbed Su Cheng's sleeve.
Su Cheng was startled by her sudden action.
But after recognizing who it was, he frowned and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"The big... big yellow dog saved me and is fighting with another dog!"
Cornelia gasped for breath as she pointed ahead: "Please, help it!"
Cornelia considered the big yellow dog as her wingman, as it had helped her find Su Cheng several times.
She didn't want the dog to get hurt, and if it weren't for it today, she would have been injured!
"Where?"
Su Cheng followed her finger and looked ahead, but saw nothing.
"Over there."
"Where?"
"In front, the right alley!"
Cornelia said, sitting down on the bicycle's rear seat: "I'll show you."
As soon as Su Cheng heard this, he immediately adjusted the car's direction and drove towards the alley.
And Ailiya was left behind, ignored, but she didn't say anything and followed the bicycle into the alley.
When they arrived at the alley, he saw the big yellow dog biting the big black dog's neck, and it seemed like it was trying to tear it off.
The big black dog was no longer moving, its life uncertain, and he frowned, quickly stopping the bicycle.
Cornelia saw this and quickly got out of the car to hide nearby, saying, "Be careful."
"Don't worry."
Su Cheng waved his hand, indicating not to worry.
Meanwhile, Ailiya also walked over and stood next to Cornelia, watching Su Cheng's back.
As soon as Su Cheng approached, the big yellow dog noticed his presence and quickly let go of the big black dog, trotting happily towards Su Cheng.
He crouched down and rubbed the big yellow dog's head, relieved to see it wasn't injured.
It seemed the big yellow dog had the upper hand.
The big yellow dog then directly dug into Su Cheng's arms.
Su Cheng didn't mind the dirt and let the big yellow dog snuggle in his arms and act coquettishly. Only then did he say, "You protected my friend, and I'm very grateful."
"Woof～"
The big yellow dog wagged its tail and rolled onto its back, as if expecting Su Cheng to rub its belly.
Su Cheng had no choice but to reach out and touch its belly.
This scene made Ailiya, who was behind them, completely dumbfounded. She never expected the dog to seem like it could understand human speech.
"Not only that, it can even do a backflip. Later, I'll have Su Cheng show you!"
Cornelia said proudly, her bright eyes shining with excitement.
Because if the dog could do a backflip in front of Ailiya, she would never have to be mocked by Ailiya again.
In fact, she could even turn the tables and mock Ailiya.
Ailiya, hearing this, couldn't help but swallow hard: "Alright, then I'll watch!"
At this moment, Su Cheng walked over with the dog, which kept rubbing against his legs like it was acting coquettishly, and whimpering.
"Su Cheng, ask this dog why it saved me?"
Cornelia couldn't help but ask, her eyes blinking cutely.
After all, the last time this dog had tried to bite her, and she knew that the dog could communicate with Su Cheng.
Su Cheng was momentarily stunned.
Why was Cornelia becoming more and more foolish?
How could humans understand dog language?
Just as he was about to explain, Ailiya, standing beside him, crossed her arms and said with a smirk: "Are you joking? How could anyone understand dog language?"
Su Cheng looked at Cornelia and saw that her eyes were filled with anticipation and trust, so he could only force himself to say: "Let me ask it."
"Huh?"
Ailiya couldn't help but laugh: "Ask? How? Can you really understand dog language?"
Su Cheng can communicate with dogs! Even this dog knows about garbage sorting!
Cornelia quickly explained.
"Huh?! Trash sorting?"
At this moment, Ailiya was completely bewildered. She thought Cornelia must be seriously ill.
She didn't even know how to sort trash, but the dog did?!
Why not say it passed the graduate entrance exam?!
Su Cheng ignored Ailiya and crouched down, looking at the big yellow dog and asked: "Why did you save her?"
The dog also cooperated by suddenly raising its head and barking at Su Cheng.
"So that's how it is. Oh, it's like this."
Su Cheng started acting as if he had suddenly understood, then he translated for the two girls: "It says..."
At this point, he paused and looked at them.
"Yes, yes."
Cornelia nodded eagerly, full of anticipation, while Ailiya, although skeptical, crossed her arms and turned away, waiting for Su Cheng to continue.
"It says: 'Eating your food, I am loyal to your cause, bearing your worries.'"