Friday
Time: 6:20 AM
Su Cheng dragged himself out of bed, brushed his teeth, washed his face, tied his tie, straightened his clothes, and donned his expensive uniform. This series of actions was fluid, reflecting his good upbringing and manners.
To be honest, his most expensive outfit was his school uniform.
After leaving water and food for Yaya, he grabbed a slice of bread and left the house, biting into it as he walked.
According to the laws of anime and trope lore, as the male lead, biting a slice of bread and rushing around a corner would inevitably lead to colliding with a beautiful girl...
So today, he wanted to see if he could collide with a beautiful girl...
He thought about it, wondering if he might be the protagonist.
And so, as he approached the corner, the next second…
As expected, his pupils dilated, and he heard a sound…
Then, something with yellow hair entered his vision…
“Big Yellow?”
Upon seeing the large yellow dog, Su Cheng paused, then bent down to pat its head and tossed the bread from his mouth to the dog. After that, he turned and headed toward the parking lot.
“Guess I’m not the protagonist after all…”
“Wait, maybe I wasn’t saying ‘I’m going to be late! Ahhh~’ while biting the bread.”
“I’ll try again next Monday.”
As he rode his bike out of the apartment complex, Su Cheng muttered to himself.
When he arrived at the classroom, he found it empty, so he walked to the second-to-last seat by the window and sat down, pulling out his phone to fiddle with it.
Just as he was browsing the news, his peripheral vision caught a figure, and he quickly looked up…
It was…
Xu Tianyi, carrying a go board.
She sat in front of him, placed the go board on the desk, and then faced him, pushing her black-framed glasses up with her index finger, the lenses reflecting an eerie light…
It was quite atmospheric.
“It’s still early. How about a few rounds?”
Xu Tianyi’s voice was soft, as though she was eager to defeat this rising star.
However, Su Cheng stared directly into her eyes without responding. Instead, he asked, “Why does your lens always reflect light whenever you push your glasses?”
To be honest, this was something he'd been wanting to complain about Xu Tianyi for a while. The lens always seemed too dazzling...
Every time he saw it, he felt like she was plotting something sinister, about to unleash her power, or gearing up for some dark transformation...
He even suspected that a murder might be about to happen around him...
But most importantly, he was deliberately stalling because his chess-watching energy hadn’t arrived yet. Otherwise, playing against her would definitely result in a loss.
And if he played to his actual level, she might think he was letting her win, so he had to win.
“Uh.”
Xu Tianyi was taken aback and awkwardly chuckled, explaining, “Really? I never noticed. I just felt like the frame was slipping, so I pushed it up.”
After saying that, she pushed her glasses again, and the lenses once again reflected light.
Su Cheng: “......”
He fell silent, staring at the now-lit lens, deep in thought.
“How about a few rounds?”
Xu Tianyi repeated, her tone hopeful.
It was clear she really wanted to beat Su Cheng.
Su Cheng came back to his senses and glanced around the classroom. Li Guanqi still hadn’t arrived. He responded intermittently, “I… need to go to the bathroom first…”
“Oh~” Xu Tianyi nodded quickly, “Go ahead, go ahead. I’ll wait here for you.”
Su Cheng: “......”
He turned and dashed out of the classroom.
However, Xu Tianyi could see a hint of fleeing in his retreating figure, and couldn't help but smile, her mood suddenly lifting. Then she composed herself and began intensely studying how to play Five-in-a-Row.
Inside the bathroom, Su Cheng pulled out his phone, attempting to summon his third force.
Su Cheng: “Where are you?”
One minute later
Li Guanqi: “Just arrived at school. At the stair junction.”
Su Cheng put away his phone and walked out of the bathroom, heading toward the stair junction, where he stood waiting for Li Guanqi.
After a while, he saw the familiar black-haired beauty climbing the stairs.
When she noticed Su Cheng, she swept a lock of hair behind her ear, nodded slightly as a greeting, and then blinked curiously, as if asking, “What’s up?”
“Playing chess.”
Su Cheng calmly replied.
Li Guanqi nodded, indicating she understood.
Then Su Cheng turned, and Li Guanqi followed behind him, step by step up the stairs. At this moment, the confidence emanating from Su Cheng in front was palpable, as if he were invincible.
His presence seemed to merge with the world around him.
When they entered the classroom, Su Cheng’s aura was fully unleashed. His walking pace and steps were no different from usual, but Xu Tianyi, sitting in her seat, slowly looked up, her eyes widening.
She felt that Su Cheng’s steps were slow, and each step felt like it was stepping on her foot, each stride like walking on thin ice...
No… it wasn’t that his footsteps were slow.
It was that time seemed to slow down around him!
“Why did he come back from the bathroom looking so different?”
Xu Tianyi couldn’t help but mutter to herself.
As her words faded, Su Cheng had already taken his seat, not even glancing at Xu Tianyi. He leaned one hand on the desk, pointed to the go board with the other, and said calmly, “You first.”
Behind him, Li Guanqi quietly moved Wang Guancong’s seat backward, making no noise at all, then stood behind Su Cheng, watching the board, waiting for Xu Tianyi to make her move.
“Oh, okay.”
Xu Tianyi didn’t waste words, picking up a black piece and making the first move.
Perhaps intentionally, she played very quickly this time, making over a dozen moves within a minute, each move ingenious and fast, like a sudden gust of wind or a bolt of lightning.
Su Cheng was amazed.
But no problem. His stand ability, ‘Star of Chess Observation,’ excelled at speed chess. Every time he made a move, there was a powerful momentum, even making a sound that only Su Cheng could hear: “Ora Ora Ora.”
Yes, vivid and thought-provoking.
A few minutes later, tiny beads of sweat appeared on Xu Tianyi’s forehead.
After each move, Su Cheng could see her intentions.
But Su Cheng remained calm and composed.
This made her feel suppressed, as if her moves were trapped, unable to find an outlet. Even she couldn’t understand what was happening...
Finally.
Su Cheng completed five pieces in a row and then calmly announced, “I win.”
“Yeah, I lost.”
Xu Tianyi nodded and stood up, rubbing her temple as if fatigued. “I’ll go to the bathroom.”
After that, she walked out of the classroom.
Seeing this, Su Cheng turned to look behind him, where Li Guanqi still remained in her original posture, though she looked a bit tired. Clearly, the rapid chess game had drained her mental energy.
At this point, Su Cheng quickly stood up, helping her to a chair, and, seeing no one around, took out a thermos, pouring some water into the lid for her.
Li Guanqi took the water, sipped it, and said, “Thank you.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not hard. The victory, plus the release of dopamine, made it quite enjoyable. It felt good.”
Li Guanqi looked at Su Cheng, her voice calm, as if she hadn’t been the one who’d been exhausted.
“Alright…”
Su Cheng nodded, then looked into her eyes and asked, “Have you played chess with her before?”
Li Guanqi shook her head. “Never.”
“Then who did you play with before?”
“With my grandfather.”
Her answer was still calm, but Su Cheng could sense a deep loneliness in it.
Due to her special existence and personality, Li Guanqi, despite being a beautiful girl, was essentially a transparent figure in school. She rarely interacted with other students, so she had no friends her own age.
Without a doubt, he was her only friend.
Then, Su Cheng sat in the seat across from Li Guanqi, extending his right index and middle fingers to gently tap the table. “We’ve never played chess either, have we?”
Li Guanqi looked up, a hint of surprise in her eyes, then nodded.
“Come on, Five-in-a-Row. You first.”
As he spoke, Su Cheng gestured for Li Guanqi to make the first move.
She picked up a piece and placed a black one on the board.
The two played, the atmosphere somewhat subtle.
After a few rounds.
“You’re going to lose if you play like this~”
Li Guanqi pointed out, not making a move herself.
“To be a true gentleman, even if you know you're bound to lose, you must have the courage to accept the challenge!”
“Is that so?”
“Why don’t you let me have a few pieces?”
“A few pieces?”
Su Cheng heard this and raised his hand, indicating that she should let him have five pieces.
"Alright."
Such an unreasonable request, yet Li Guanqi nodded in agreement.
When Su Cheng saw that Li Guanqi had agreed, the corner of her mouth curved slightly. After she successively placed five pieces in a row, she looked up at her and said, “I win.”
“Yes, I lose.”
She replied back.
“Let me have two more.”
“Alright.”
The two of them continued to play chess in this manner. The classroom around them became increasingly crowded, and gradually, more people noticed their figures and began to whisper discussions.
“Look, it’s Su Cheng and that person… yes, Li Guanqi, playing chess together.”
“Her name is Li Guanqi!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, my memory isn’t very good.”
Xu Tianyi also returned from the restroom, watching the two play chess, she fell into deep thought, feeling something was very off.
She felt that the playing styles of the two should be swapped to make sense.
She felt very familiar with Li Guanqi's chess style.
But she had never played chess with her before, had she?
Su Cheng and Li Guanqi continued to play, completely oblivious to others, lost in this game of chess. Su Cheng kept thinking, hoping to win under the condition of letting two pieces.
But, unfortunately, he failed and fully understood what Xu Tianyi had felt earlier.
Just as he was about to lose, Li Guanqi made a move that seemed completely absurd.
Seeing this, Su Cheng instinctively made a move.
Then he won.
“I lose,”
Li Guanqi said to Su Cheng, seriously.
At that moment, the school bell rang just in time, and Li Guanqi and Su Cheng hurriedly started packing up their chess pieces. Xu Tianyi beside them frowned deeply.
“Your chessboard.”
Su Cheng handed the chessboard to Xu Tianyi, while Li Guanqi stood up and walked back to her seat.
Xu Tianyi, holding the chessboard, subconsciously turned her head to look at Li Guanqi’s back. Although this girl was in the same class, she had never interacted with her. Why then did playing chess with her give her such a familiar feeling?
It even made her feel as if she was playing chess with Li Guanqi herself.
……………………
Noon
Su Cheng and Li Guanqi ate lunch together on the lawn. During the meal, they chatted about something unknown, but one thing was certain: their relationship seemed extraordinary.
For example…
Su Cheng had jam stuck at the corner of his mouth. Li Guanqi took out a tissue and helped him wipe off the jam that remained.
Su Cheng didn’t refuse, instead showing a smile and saying, “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing,”
Li Guanqi said indifferently, her gaze fixed on the small hair tie on his wrist.
Su Cheng, following her gaze, looked at the hair tie on his wrist, then at Li Guanqi’s expressionless face, and a wave of awkwardness immediately rose in his heart…
“What’s wrong?”
Su Cheng asked knowingly, pretending not to understand.
Li Guanqi retracted her gaze and muttered, “Nothing. It’s just that you seem to like collecting these things. Is it that collecting seven grants you a reward?”
“It’s not that I like collecting them; they were given to me, and I couldn’t refuse…” Su Cheng explained, adding, “They’re all my friends. My friends said that giving a hair tie is very meaningful.”
Li Guanqi didn’t respond, instead lowering her head to search in her bag casually, “If it’s inconvenient to wear, you can take mine off.”
“No, no, it’s not inconvenient at all.”
Su Cheng quickly waved his hand.
“Oh.”
Hearing this, Li Guanqi didn’t say much. She took out a thermos from her bag, opened the lid, and poured the soup inside into the lid, instantly releasing a fragrant aroma.
Li Guanqi handed the hot soup to Su Cheng’s mouth and said, “Here, taste it.”
“Sure.”
Su Cheng responded and took the soup, taking a sip.
Li Guanqi looked at Su Cheng, “How is it?”
“It’s very tasty.”
“Is that so?”
Li Guanqi said, then retracted her gaze and hand, lowering her head to look at the soup in her bowl, then took a sip.
Then she poured another cup and fed it to Su Cheng.
After he took a sip, Li Guanqi drank the rest.
The two drank the soup, and the atmosphere became somewhat quiet.
Although they had an indirect kiss, Su Cheng inexplicably felt that this was a very normal thing.
No, how is this normal?!
Realizing this late, Su Cheng’s eyes widened. Not to mention accepting Li Guanqi's soup so comfortably, the way Li Guanqi didn’t seem to mind drinking the soup he had left was just strange!
How did this become a natural scenario?!
If things continued like this…
Thinking this, Su Cheng looked terrified. He turned his head to look at Li Guanqi next to him and said, “Don’t waste your time on these things anymore; otherwise, I’ll feel guilty.”
“I understand.”
However, Li Guanqi nodded, as if she was already accustomed to this kind of situation.
“Don’t bring lunch next week.”
“Why?”
“I want to prepare lunch for you.”
…………………………………………
Friday
Afternoon
Open Class
This type of class wasn’t new to Su Cheng.
He had already attended one before.
When he, Li Guanqi, and the two following them arrived at the large classroom, something new still happened.
The classroom was already filled with people, but a large space was left empty in the back corner, all because Ji Qingyi was sitting there, exuding an aura of coldness and power, creating a strong ‘pressure’ around her.
No one dared to sit next to her, even thinking about it made people feel as if they couldn’t breathe loudly.
When Su Cheng and Li Guanqi entered the classroom, they also saw Ji Qingyi. Li Guanqi’s eyes moved slightly, glancing at Su Cheng, then she shifted her gaze away.
Ji Qingyi also saw Su Cheng, her gaze landing on Su Cheng’s face. They locked eyes, and she slightly tilted her head, signaling for Su Cheng to sit next to her. After a moment of hesitation, Su Cheng didn’t refuse and walked over, sitting down. He whispered a greeting, “President.”
He had planned to sit Li Guanqi beside his ex-girlfriend and then try to get some information…
“Mm.”
Hearing this, she gave a soft sound, then looked forward, acting as if nothing had happened.
Li Guanqi also followed and sat next to Su Cheng.
Zhao Yan, however, stopped in her tracks, because the last time Su Cheng only sat near Ji Qingyi, but this time he directly sat next to Ji Qingyi, this…
But Xuan Ying this time didn’t care and was about to sit directly next to Su Cheng, but the next moment she was shocked, stepping back a few paces and looking at Zhao Yan beside her, “Li… Li Guanqi, why is she sitting next to Su Cheng?”
“I don’t know either.”
The two exchanged glances, finally deciding to sit in the row behind the trio, not being in the same row but having to settle for this.
What happened in their row was naturally noticed by those in the front row, and a moment later, whispers filled the air.
“Su Cheng is sitting with Ji Qingyi!”
“Let me see…”
“It’s true.”
“The previous rumors were real; their relationship isn’t shallow…”
“But I’m so envious; look, he’s surrounded by girls.”
………………
Su Cheng looked down into the drawer, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw two pairs of black silk-covered legs belonging to Ji Qingyi and Li Guanqi…
“No…”
Su Cheng quickly raised his head, not daring to look any further; he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
“It seems those are the friends you’ve been making recently.”
As Su Cheng was lost in thought, a cold voice suddenly came from beside him. Ji Qingyi looked at Su Cheng’s wrist seemingly casually.
Six… just right.
Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, then looked up to see Cornelia holding Ailiya’s hand, glaring at him angrily, then sitting in the front row seat.
Thus... two little lolis in front of him, a cute girl and a spicy girl behind, a cold older sister (ojisan) to the left, and a girl with a triple-zero figure to the right.
He was surrounded by beautiful girls…
Su Cheng’s expression was a bit stiff.
But luckily, with Ji Qingyi there as a major figure, even though Ailiya looked unhappy, she didn’t say anything, just sat down unhappily.
As Cornelia’s friend, seeing Su Cheng being so promiscuous, she was very upset.
“President, are we still going to the training ground for club activities today?”
The atmosphere felt a bit too heavy, so Su Cheng decided to break the silence.
As soon as he spoke, all the girls around him pricked up their ears.
"Hmm."
Ji Qingyi nodded but remained silent.
Li Guanqi glanced at Ji Qingyi when he heard her voice, and she, as if sensing his gaze, glanced back for a moment before returning her attention to the front.
The air grew heavy again... the silence was eerie.
Just as the class was about to start, a tall, slender figure appeared at the door.
It was Gu Ruoxue. Her presence immediately drew the attention of everyone in the classroom, all eyes turning to her.
But she seemed oblivious to the gazes around her, scanning the room before directly striding down the aisle toward the corner.
Halfway there, her gaze fell on Su Cheng, who was surrounded by several girls, then shifted to Ji Qingyi sitting beside him, and finally landed on Li Guanqi next to him. She then walked over and took a seat beside Xuan Ying.
"Have you thought it over?" she suddenly asked after sitting down.
"Huh? Are you talking to me, senior?" Xuan Ying was taken aback and asked reflexively.
Before she finished, she saw Gu Ruoxue shake her head and then fix her gaze on Su Cheng's profile. Xuan Ying immediately understood.
And with her question, several other girls' gazes turned to Su Cheng, including Ailiya and Cornelia in the front row, who turned around with puzzled expressions.
They had no idea that Su Cheng even knew Gu Ruoxue!
Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying also frowned, confused about what was going on.
They had no clue what the relationship was between Gu Ruoxue and Su Cheng.
But Ji Qingyi and Li Guanqi, sitting on either side of Su Cheng, knew exactly what was happening. So when Gu Ruoxue finished speaking, Li Guanqi turned to look at Su Cheng.
Ji Qingyi, though still facing forward, had her full attention on Su Cheng.
Although Gu Ruoxue's actions made her feel a slight irritation...
It wasn't a big deal. After all, the relationship between Gu Ruoxue and Su Cheng was indeed quite complicated, and she was a bit curious herself.
"Have you thought it over?" she asked again, her eyes conveying an unyielding determination.
Su Cheng remained silent for a moment.
Then he looked again at Ji Qingyi, his expression complicated. Yesterday, he could feel that his club president didn't want him to leave the club.
Even yesterday, she had taught him horseback archery besides normal kyudo...
So, he turned and smiled at Gu Ruoxue, replying, "I don't have that plan right now."
When Gu Ruoxue heard this, she nodded and then stopped talking, turning her gaze to the front of the classroom to wait for the teacher.
Ji Qingyi glanced at Gu Ruoxue, who then glanced back at Ji Qingyi. Their eyes met—one gaze deep and still like stagnant water, the other sharp and cold like frost...
As they exchanged looks, Su Cheng coughed slightly to break the eerie tension. He turned to Gu Ruoxue and said, "Senior, thank you for last time. If there's anything you need help with, just let me know."
Gu Ruoxue didn't respond, simply turning her head to give him a cool glance before shifting her gaze away.
"I know it! It must be that Su Cheng went to Gu Ruoxue's club to ask for something."
Ailiya, seeing this, suddenly tugged at Cornelia beside her and whispered.
Cornelia, initially confused, also realized what Ailiya meant and whispered back, "Yeah, that makes sense! How did I not think of that?"
Saying this, she also looked at Su Cheng, her eyes shining with curiosity, clearly planning to grill him tonight for more information.
When Su Cheng heard their hushed conversation, his lips twitched slightly. The two of them were, as always, impeccably stable in their performance.
With the quiet lecture going on, their secretive chatter left Su Cheng torn between laughter and frustration. He turned his head away and focused on the professor at the front, trying to pay attention to the class.
Soon, the peculiarly tense class ended.
Now, Su Cheng was feeling quite gloomy. The Social Practice Club had invited him, the Student Council had invited him.
Ji Qingyi hadn't explicitly said anything, but he could sense that his club president really didn't want him to leave.
And tomorrow, he had to go to Li Guanqi's house, which made him very nervous and apprehensive. What if Li Guanqi's family were all there? Wouldn't it feel like meeting the in-laws?
The fear came from the possibility that when he went to Li Guanqi's house, he might be looked down upon or disapproved of, ending up only befriending the family's pets instead.
As for tomorrow, Su Cheng was deeply worried.