........................................
Near noon
Su Cheng stopped flipping the pages of his book as he looked out the window at the clear blue sky. He couldn’t concentrate at all.
Today, Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan were glancing at him more frequently than usual, and even Wang Guancong from the seat behind him was occasionally looking over with a strange expression, as if holding something back. If their eyes met, they would quickly look away.
“What’s wrong with them today?”
Su Cheng pondered, puzzled, but after thinking for a while, he couldn’t come up with an answer.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the corner where Li Guanqi was sitting. She seemed completely focused on her book, looking very serious. Noticing Su Cheng looking at her, she raised her eyes and nodded at him.
This made Su Cheng feel relieved. Thankfully, his “third power” wasn’t so abstract.
“Ring ring~”
Suddenly, the bell for the end of class rang. Su Cheng gave up on his futile thoughts and began to pack up his books to leave the classroom. Seeing that Li Guanqi had already left ahead of him, he stepped out of the classroom and headed for the lawn.
As soon as he left the classroom, Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan walked up to his desk.
“What are you planning to give Su Cheng as a gift?” Xuan Ying asked curiously with a smile.
“Huh?”
Zhao Yan looked at her, puzzled, and shook her head, indicating she hadn’t found the right gift yet.
Xuan Ying glanced at her and coughed lightly before pointing to her ears, “Su Cheng’s headphones, didn’t you notice?”
Zhao Yan’s expression changed slightly, her heart sinking. Could it be that Xuan Ying was also planning to give him a scarf?
“Headphones?” she asked tentatively, “You mean…give him headphones?”
“Why not?” Xuan Ying said with a bright smile, her eyes glinting with mischief.
Her intention was clear: she wanted Zhao Yan to pick something else.
Zhao Yan was caught off guard and slapped her forehead, “Ah, how come I didn’t think of that?”
“What do you think of this oBravo EAMT-1s wireless headphone? It seems pretty affordable, only 30,000 yuan.” Xuan Ying showed Zhao Yan the model she had chosen on her phone.
Zhao Yan put her hand under her chin, carefully examining the image, and then said, “Hmm… 15Hz low-frequency and 45kHz high-frequency, the sound quality looks pretty good.”
“Then it’s settled. You should figure out what you want to give him too.” Xuan Ying immediately placed an order and then looked up at Zhao Yan. “I won’t be joining the club activities this afternoon. I need to go out and pick a birthday gift box.”
“I’ll come with you. Maybe I’ll find something I want to give Su Cheng too,” Zhao Yan said with a smile, although she wasn’t entirely at ease letting Xuan Ying go alone.
But Xuan Ying waved it off, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll have a driver with me when I go out.”
“Let’s go together. I also need to pick a gift box,” Zhao Yan said with a smile, waving her hand, and the two of them left the classroom, heading toward the cafeteria.
........................................
Noon
Su Cheng and Li Guanqi, as usual, sat on the lawn.
Since the door to the rooftop was locked, he had nowhere else to go.
Although he could join a club, it felt a bit awkward to keep enjoying his club leader’s lunch every day. Moreover, last week he had told Li Guanqi not to bring lunch for him this week, as he would prepare it himself.
“Here, this is for you.”
Su Cheng looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then took out a small black box from his system space and handed it to her.
“Thank you.”
Li Guanqi, sitting beside him, remained expressionless as she thanked him and accepted the box.
Su Cheng couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Do you eat sweets every day?”
Li Guanqi shook her head, opened the box, and picked up a rice cake with her fingers, offering it to Su Cheng’s mouth while opening her small mouth to say, “Ah~”
“Ah~”
Su Cheng opened his mouth, and Li Guanqi placed the rice cake into his mouth. After he ate it, Su Cheng continued, “Then how often do you eat them?”
“Every two days.”
Li Guanqi picked up another rice cake and placed it in Su Cheng’s mouth. This time, instead of feeding it to himself, Su Cheng took it into his own mouth, chewed, and swallowed quickly. He then said anxiously, “That’s not good. How can you eat sweets as the main food?”
“Ah~”
Before he could finish, Li Guanqi offered another rice cake, signaling him to open his mouth again. Su Cheng had no choice but to comply.
“Alright, I’m not eating anymore.”
After finishing, Su Cheng covered his mouth with his hand, looking helplessly at Li Guanqi.
Li Guanqi then picked a rice cake for herself, slowly chewing it while expressing her approval, “Delicious.”
“Did you finish the rice cakes I gave you yesterday?” Su Cheng couldn’t help but ask, considering there had been more than ten in the box, all of which he had made himself, and he knew how sweet they were.
“I ate them all,” Li Guanqi answered and continued to eat.
Su Cheng quickly snatched the remaining rice cakes from her hand, “You can’t eat any more today!”
Li Guanqi turned her head toward him, her expressionless face combined with the hint of a sad look in her eyes, making it hard for anyone to resist.
However, for Li Guanqi’s health, Su Cheng had to be firm.
So, he took out a large pork bun from his system space and placed it in Li Guanqi’s hand. She looked down at the bun in her hand with a puzzled expression before turning to look at Su Cheng.
“Eat this today. It’s really good. Go ahead and eat,” Su Cheng said seriously.
Li Guanqi looked at the steaming bun in her hand, her eyes reflecting a mix of emotions, and then she looked up at Su Cheng. “Can’t eat it directly.”
“It’s fine to eat it directly,” Su Cheng reassured her.
“Hot!”
Her next words almost made Su Cheng stumble. He quickly took the bun and began to blow on it to cool it down, while Li Guanqi leaned in, “I’ll help too.”
“Uh…”
So, the two of them leaned against each other, both blowing on the bun together, “Whoosh whoosh whoosh~”
A minute later
“Now it’s not hot anymore.”
“Mm.”
Li Guanqi held the bun in both hands, took a bite, and began to chew like a little squirrel, puffing out her cheeks while sucking on the juices, looking exceptionally cute.
Su Cheng couldn’t help but stare at her in amazement.
Li Guanqi glanced at him. “Do you want to try?”
As she spoke, she offered the bun, which she had taken a bite from, to Su Cheng.
“You eat it.”
“Then what will you eat?”
“I’ll just have something simple.”
Su Cheng looked away and took out his own box of salty and spicy rice cakes from his system space, opened it, and began to eat directly, washing it down with some ice-cold water.
Next to him, Li Guanqi’s eyes became even more forlorn as she looked at him, her expression almost accusing.
Feeling guilty under her gaze, Su Cheng put the box aside and pretended to drink water, lifting his head as if he hadn’t noticed.
However, Li Guanqi quietly, stealthily, and gently stretched out her white little hand and, from the box, took a small, round white object.
When Su Cheng finished drinking and turned his head, he saw Li Guanqi seem to be putting something into her mouth, her hand covering it as she looked at him.
She was quick, so Su Cheng didn’t see exactly what it was.
He shrugged, put the box back in his lap, and continued eating. However, after finishing just one, he felt something was off because next to him, Li Guanqi began to make strange noises.
“Mmm~ Mmm~”
The sound was faint, but Su Cheng still heard it. He turned to look at Li Guanqi’s face, only to see her cheeks glowing red and her body trembling slightly.
Her head was even emitting steam.
Steam Queen – Li Guanqi?
Su Cheng was instantly stunned. Quickly supporting Li Guanqi, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Li Guanqi, her face red, stared at Su Cheng with her big eyes, pointing urgently at the water bottle beside Su Cheng with her hand.
Understanding immediately, Su Cheng turned to the remaining water in his water bottle and handed it to Li Guanqi.
She grabbed the water bottle and gulped down a few mouthfuls before her cheeks returned to their normal color.
Still half-sticking out her little tongue, she fanned herself with her hand, her breath uneven.
This action made Su Cheng feel like laughing but he couldn't laugh out loud, as if he had realized what had happened.
As expected.
The next second, Li Guanqi pointed to the dumplings in her box: "The dumplings are spicy."
Especially her gaze, which looked like she was looking at a heretic, made Su Cheng feel extremely awkward: "Well... I like spicy food."
Although he also liked sweet foods, he equally enjoyed spicy ones.
This was because when he was a child, he had a big appetite but there were few dishes, yet peppers were very beneficial for eating rice.
So he liked spicy food and developed the habit.
"Oh, by the way."
Seeing that Li Guanqi was fine, Su Cheng quickly changed the subject: "What... did they talk to you about today?"
His gaze fell on Li Guanqi's face.
"Nothing much, just asked about our relationship."
Li Guanqi said nonchalantly.
Because she was still very spicy, her cheeks were slightly red, and she started drinking water again, seemingly not caring that it was the same bottle Su Cheng had just drank from.
"And what was your answer?"
"Friends."
After Li Guanqi said that, she noticed a hint of disappointment flash across Su Cheng's face and asked: "Are you not satisfied with this answer?"
"At least add the word 'good'!"
"I see, we are good friends."
"Yes, good friends."
"So, do good friends need to sleep?"
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
"After eating spicy dumplings, I can't fall asleep."
"Alright."
"Here."
Li Guanqi took out a small pillow from her satchel, which they shared and had both their marks on, and handed it to Su Cheng.
"Thank you."
Su Cheng took it, stuffed the small pillow behind his head, and then closed his eyes to sleep.
After seeing Su Cheng fall asleep, Li Guanqi stood up to change her position and block the sun, then sat back down to continue eating her meat buns. After finishing, she wiped her mouth and took out "The Basic Laws of Online Novel Protagonists" to read.
Su Cheng opened his eyes and looked at Li Guanqi's profile next to him, then at the book in her hand, and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "You're reading this book again, is it that fascinating to you?"
"Yes, every question in it is worth serious consideration."
Li Guanqi looked up at him with a serious expression.
Su Cheng saw the focus and determination flowing from the depths of Li Guanqi's eyes, which made his heart skip a beat, and he continued to ask: "Like what?"
"The existence of the female lead is God's reward to the male lead."
After Li Guanqi said that, her deep eyes stared at him, and Su Cheng couldn't help but laugh: "If there really was a God and he appeared in front of me..."
"What would you do?"
"I'd definitely give him a few good slaps!"
Su Cheng said seriously.
Hearing this, Li Guanqi placed the book on the ground, put her hands on her cheeks, and pulled up slightly, revealing a smile: "I guess I need to pray for God, that it doesn't appear. You don't agree with that statement."
"I think the female lead is not a 'reward' on the growth journey, but complements the male lead, growing together and becoming better versions of themselves."
After uttering this somewhat cheesy declaration, he turned sideways to pretend to sleep.
However, just as Su Cheng thought Li Guanqi would continue reading, he heard her voice beside his ear: "I understand."
………………………………
Afternoon
PE Class
Tennis class—students were to find partners to practice tennis, as the competition phase was next week, and the entire class was actively preparing.
Today's tennis PE class was especially lively.
"Ready?"
Zhao Yan's snow-white long legs were exposed to the air as she held a tennis racket and slightly bent forward to look at Su Cheng.
"Yeah, ready."
Su Cheng also bent slightly.
"Alright, let's begin!"
With that, Zhao Yan started the tennis match.
She jumped up, her tennis racket waving, drawing an elegant arc in the air as she hit the ball towards her opponent.
Su Cheng saw this and moved, raising his racket to hit the ball. The two of them went back and forth, playing quite excitingly.
After a dozen minutes
A set of tennis ended
"Um... ha... ha."
Zhao Yan tried her best to suppress her breathing, her chest rising and falling, and she looked at Su Cheng in surprise: "Your control over the ball is too strong, you could almost join the tennis club as a formal member."
Su Cheng modestly waved his hand: "You're exaggerating, it's just that I had a good hand today."
After a round of mutual flattery, the two returned to their seats.
So why could Zhao Yan team up with Su Cheng?
Because Xuan Ying hated this sport very much, so she skipped training, otherwise, it wouldn't have been her turn.
Su Cheng returned to his seat, and Li Guanqi handed him a bottle of water. After thanking her, he twisted the cap and drank, and then suddenly asked: "Shall we team up next time?"
Today, while he was secretly practicing tennis against a wall, Zhao Yan suddenly came over, and he couldn't refuse, so he agreed.
"Okay."
Li Guanqi nodded, and then they walked out of the tennis court together. However, as Su Cheng was lowering his head to pack up his things in his bag, Li Guanqi suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
"What's wrong?"
Su Cheng turned around with a puzzled face, and the next second he knew why, because a man in a black suit appeared not far away, and his gaze was fixed on him.
He recognized this man.
He was Aino Marui's subordinate.
Well... the one who was beaten up by the crow group last time.
"Young Master Su Cheng, our lady has sent me to invite you."
The man bowed respectfully to Su Cheng.
Hearing this, Su Cheng's face showed a strange expression: "Young Master?"
This title is really something!
"Wait."
At this moment, Su Cheng suddenly thought of something and quickly took out his phone, dialing Liu Qingyue's number.
The man didn't do anything upon seeing this, but instead retreated a few steps to give Su Cheng enough space.
Seeing the man's cooperation, Su Cheng put the phone to his ear after it connected.
On the other end of the phone came Liu Qingyue's slightly lazy voice: "So, they found you again so quickly?"
"Yes."
"Then put on your headphones and keep the call open, go over there. I'll tell you what to do at the time."
"Okay."
Saying that, Su Cheng took out a pair of Bluetooth headphones from his bag and put them on.
"Can I go too?"
Next to him, Li Guanqi, who had heard everything clearly, revealed an expectant look.
"Okay."
Su Cheng nodded and didn't refuse.
"How unexpected, I didn't expect the junior to have someone else with him~"
Liu Qingyue's voice in the phone deliberately elongated the tone, with a playful undertone.
However, Su Cheng chose to pretend not to hear it and instead nodded at the man, indicating he should lead the way.
Upon seeing this, the man began to lead the way in front, and Su Cheng, along with Li Guanqi, who had stacked all her buffs, followed.
With his third and fourth powers active, this lineup was enough to make even Aino Marui, let alone Ji Qingyi, retreat three paces.
Take a day off, update on Tuesday..........