Advancing Towards the Championship

"Range Six."

"Shooter number ten, Yang Xin from Flame City Private Academy."

At this moment, half of the screen displayed Yang Xin, while the other half showed the target.

He was raising his bow, aiming at the bullseye, with a drone hovering above him, capturing his every move. His expression was calm.

But just as the drone moved in for a close-up shot, Yang Xin seemed startled. He abruptly released the arrow prematurely, sending it off-target.

Naturally, the arrow missed the mark entirely...

"Ah, what a pity. This contestant was distracted by the drone, and the shot went wide."

"Mhm, he was doing so well earlier. What a shame."

"It seems this contestant might have poor mental resilience. He couldn't focus enough to hit the target, which makes it hard for him to advance."

"Still, for a new member of Flame City Private Academy's Archery Club, he's done quite well."

"As expected of Flame City Private Academy—every member is exceptional."

The commentators shook their heads in disappointment. With Yang Xin's miss, the morning selection round came to an end.

........................

Yang Xin put down his bow with a sigh of frustration and stepped out of the shooting position. As he left, he glanced up at the judges' table, where the judges were busy jotting down notes.

He sighed again and made his way to the backstage.

When he entered the lounge and found it empty, a wave of loneliness washed over him. It felt as if the entire world had abandoned him.

Not only had he failed to achieve any results in the competition, but his performance in the selection round had also been poor. It was highly likely he would be eliminated, and this thought left Yang Xin utterly dejected.

"Are you okay?"

Suddenly, Su Cheng's voice rang in his ears.

Yang Xin quickly turned around and saw Su Cheng standing behind him, now without his glasses.

"I might be eliminated," Yang Xin said gloomily.

"It's okay. I'm still here," Su Cheng replied, his tone comforting and devoid of any hint of arrogance.

"You weren't eliminated?" Yang Xin was somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, I got lucky," Su Cheng said with a smile. "I hit all my shots."

"Congratulations on advancing. I'm heading back to the hotel. Good luck in the afternoon matches."

Yang Xin nodded and walked toward the door, only to run into other members of the Archery Club.

"Failure is the mother of success. Don't take it to heart," one senior said, trying to comfort Yang Xin.

"That's right. You can always try again next time. Senior sister Li and Su Cheng have both advanced, so we'll be cheering for them this afternoon," another male member added with a laugh.

"I know. Thanks for your concern," Yang Xin said, taking a deep breath and forcing a faint smile.

As Yang Xin left, Su Cheng also sighed.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to advance!"

"I thought Yang Xin would be the one to make it."

The other club members crowded around Su Cheng, chattering excitedly.

They had never known much about Su Cheng's abilities, and since he had only been practicing for two weeks, they hadn't expected much from him.

But now, they were utterly shocked. Watching Su Cheng's performance, his accuracy and form far surpassed everyone else's.

While the club president's guidance had played a part, most of it was due to Su Cheng's own talent.

This was something they hadn't anticipated.

"It was just luck. Who knows about the afternoon..." Su Cheng said modestly, waving his hand.

"Don't be so humble! We all saw it—there was no luck involved!"

Another voice chimed in from the doorway. Su Cheng turned and saw senior sister Wang and Li Shishi, both wearing appreciative smiles.

"No, I'm not being humble..." Su Cheng said with a shy smile, scratching the back of his head. "I was just saying, maybe I'll get lucky again in the afternoon."

"Haha, sure, sure."

"You better not let us down this afternoon, kid!"

Everyone burst into laughter at Su Cheng's words.

Senior sister Wang's gaze fell on the hairband on Su Cheng's left wrist, and she teased, "After all, you're not fighting alone."

"Yeah, now the whole country knows."

"Is she here today? We can invite her to dinner tonight. I'll toast her a few drinks."

Listening to the club members' cryptic remarks, Su Cheng was momentarily confused. Then his eyes fell on the black hairband on his left wrist, and he looked up, puzzled. "What's going on?"

A sense of unease crept into his heart.

"Just watch the livestream replay."

"Yeah, go check it out."

Two members winked at him, urging him to look.

Su Cheng swallowed nervously and opened the livestream. He scrolled to his segment and watched the screen, where the commentators' voices soon filled the room.

His eyes widened in shock.

The hairband on his left wrist was a gift from Ji Qingyi, while the one on his right wrist was hidden under his armguard.

So, naturally, the commentators were joking about Ji Qingyi.

Su Cheng looked up at everyone, only to find them all staring back at him. He finally spoke, "Are those commentators out of their minds?"

The others were momentarily stunned, but senior sister Wang was the first to react.

She had thought the hairband looked familiar, and now, with Su Cheng's remark, she connected it to their club president...

She hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, "Um, is that hairband a gift from the president?"

As soon as she said this, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, all fixed on Su Cheng's wrist.

Su Cheng nodded.

"Gulp~"

The sound of someone swallowing nervously echoed in the room.

A few seconds later—

"Well, I'm off to the cafeteria."

"I need to use the restroom."

"I'll go comfort Yang Xin."

"I'm leaving too."

The members who had just been teasing their president quickly scattered, leaving only senior sister Wang, Li Shishi, and Su Cheng in the lounge.

The two women exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

While it had just been lighthearted banter, no one usually dared to joke about the president. They decided it was best to pretend nothing had happened.

"The president gave this to me before the competition, as a friend," Su Cheng explained, trying to ease the awkwardness.

Senior sister Wang smiled. "For the president to give you such a gift, she must truly consider you a friend."

Her tone carried a touch of envy. Despite being the Archery Club manager, her relationship with Ji Qingyi was strictly professional.

Li Shishi suddenly spoke up, "This hairband... I remember it from a spring outing during elementary school, when we volunteered..."

She paused, glancing around before lowering her voice. "Back then, she still went by her old surname, Liu, and no one knew her true identity. After volunteering, the community gave us some money as a reward. On the way back, she bought a few hairbands like this from a street vendor."

Li Shishi fell silent for a moment, then continued with a mysterious air, "I was with her when she bought them. After putting the hairband on her wrist, she smiled so happily."

She shook her head wistfully. "Even now, that image stays with me. I think she was truly happy then. It's the only time I've ever seen her smile."

Her gaze softened as she looked at Su Cheng. "Please cherish this friendship."

Listening to their words, Su Cheng fell silent for a moment before nodding. "I will."

He hadn't realized how special this gift from Ji Qingyi was.

It seemed this hairband was the only thing she had ever bought for herself.

The only thing earned through her own efforts.

He wasn't sure how to describe his feelings at that moment.

He felt honored, but also worried. The commentators' remarks might land him in trouble.

With Cornelia, who had confessed to him before, and Xuan Ying, whom he had promised not to date during high school...

Now, he was caught in an awkward position.

Though his phone hadn't buzzed with messages from either of them, how would he explain this situation when he saw them next?

After much thought, he decided to be honest.

Or maybe he should just drop dead?

With that in mind, he headed back to the hotel, planning to explain everything via text. But as he passed by another school's lounge, he overheard a conversation that made him stop in his tracks.

"Don't worry. For the sake of our school not being shut down, for the bonds we share, I'll definitely win the championship this afternoon!"

"The power of our bonds is unmatched."

"Even if I miss the target, I still have teammates who can hit it!"

Su Cheng's body trembled slightly as he listened to the rambling words inside. The corner of his mouth twitched.

……………………………………

**Villa Area**

Cornelia was walking absentmindedly toward the fridge to grab a drink. She took out a bottle, opened the cap, and started gulping it down.

"Gulp, gulp."

After a few sips, her eyes fixated on the ceiling, empty and lifeless.

The entire nation now knew that Su Cheng had a girlfriend, and it wasn’t her. Her emotions were indescribable at this moment.

"Bang."

She slammed the fridge door shut, but it bounced back open due to the force.

"Thud."

She tried again, but the same thing happened—the door wouldn’t stay closed.

"Even you’re against me! Why won’t it close?!"

Tears streamed down Cornelia’s face as she tried once more, only to fail again.

Deep down, she knew it wasn’t the fridge door that wouldn’t close.

It was the door in her heart—the one that had been wide open for Su Cheng.

But she refused to admit it.

"Cornelia, don’t be like this!"

Ailiya rushed out of the room and hugged her, trying to comfort her.

Cornelia lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at her. "Ailiya, do you know? He’s someone else’s boyfriend now. And that girlfriend of his even gave him a hairband…"

Her voice broke as she continued, "What does it mean to wear another girl’s hairband during a competition? Tell me!"

With that, she tore off the two hairbands from her twin tails and threw them to the ground.

Her hair fell loose, cascading down her shoulders.

In that moment, she seemed like a completely different person.

Her empty eyes and disheveled golden hair made her look as if she were consumed by immense sorrow, pain, and resentment.

This sight startled Ailiya, but more than anything, it broke her heart.

"Maybe it’s not a hairband. Maybe the commentator got it wrong. It could just be a regular wristband. Su Cheng doesn’t even have many friends, let alone a girlfriend."

She cautiously tried to console her.

"How could that be?"

Cornelia suddenly stood up, her eyes bloodshot and her teeth clenched. "I know there’s a woman who’s very close to him. He even brought her home, and she helps him with his laundry, eats with him, and studies with him!"

Ailiya looked at her, her heart aching. She hurriedly comforted her, "Cornelia, calm down. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding."

"How could it be a misunderstanding?!"

Just as Cornelia finished speaking.

"Ding dong~"

A special notification sound came from the tablet.

The two of them froze, especially Cornelia.

In the silence of the room, the sound was particularly jarring.

She rushed into the room, her hands trembling as she picked up the tablet and opened it.

Su Cheng: "The hairband was given to me by the president of my club. It’s the only thing she bought with her own money. She gave it to me as a friend before the competition. Don’t misunderstand."

Cornelia was stunned for a moment, then put the tablet down and started typing a reply: "Who’s misunderstanding?!"

The reply from Su Cheng came quickly: "Good. Take care of the flowers. I need to prepare for the competition this afternoon."

…………………………

Meanwhile, Xuan Ying, beaming with joy, showed her phone to Zhao Yan and exclaimed excitedly, "Yan Jie, see? I told you Su Cheng isn’t that kind of person."

Zhao Yan glanced at the chat log on the screen, then at Xuan Ying, and nodded with a smile. "You’re right. Let’s go eat. After lunch, we’ll cheer for him in the afternoon."

"Alright!!"

Xuan Ying bounced happily.

................................................

On the other side, Su Cheng and Li Guanqi were having lunch at the hotel.

Each of them had a bowl of noodles in front of them.

While Su Cheng was busy on his phone, Li Guanqi had already transferred all the beef from his bowl into Su Cheng’s.

"This…"

Su Cheng looked up and noticed his bowl was now full of beef. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

"I don’t like beef."

Li Guanqi said nonchalantly, then started eating his noodles.

"Thank you."

Su Cheng glanced at the beef in his bowl, then at Li Guanqi’s expressionless face, and could only express his gratitude.

After finishing their meal, they changed their hairbands and silently headed to their respective rooms. Once they parted ways, Su Cheng waited in his room for the afternoon competition to begin.

The afternoon would determine the rankings.

The champion would also be crowned that afternoon.

So, the afternoon would decide his fate.

…………

**3 PM**

Su Cheng walked toward the hotel entrance, where the shuttle bus was already waiting. All the Archery Club members had arrived except for Yang Xin.

"Is Yang Xin not coming?"

As he approached the club entrance, Su Cheng asked. He was still concerned about Yang Xin’s situation.

"Sigh, that guy’s been really shaken by this failure."

Assistant Coach Wang sighed.

Another assistant coach chimed in, "But I think this failure might actually help him grow. He’s been too impulsive before."

"Don’t worry too much. I’m sure he’ll pull through. He needs to figure this out on his own."

Su Cheng nodded lightly. "I understand."

After boarding the bus, a club member sitting next to him leaned over and said, "Yang Xin’s failure might push him to improve. If he can overcome this, he might make a comeback next year."

"True. People often need to be pushed to their limits."

Su Cheng nodded in agreement, then shook his head. "But there are always exceptions."

"Exceptions?"

"Like a C-section."