A Friend's Gift

Afternoon

After dropping off Li Guanqi at home, Su Cheng made his way toward the equestrian field.

It was already time for club activities, so he was going to meet Ji Qingyi in person.

"Su Cheng~"

As he walked along the path toward the equestrian field, a voice suddenly called out to him.

Su Cheng turned to look and found Wang Guancong, Chai Hao, and Gao Ye standing not far away. The one who spoke was Chai Hao from the next class.

"Where are you headed?"

Seeing Su Cheng's direction was not toward the club but elsewhere, the trio approached and Wang Guancong asked.

"To the equestrian field. What about you?"

Su Cheng replied.

"The equestrian field?"

Gao Ye frowned, and then Chai Hao curiously asked, "What are you doing there?"

"Oh, it's like this." Su Cheng explained simply, "Now my club activity location is at the equestrian field; we're training in mounted archery."

"I see."

Chai Hao and Gao Ye nodded thoughtfully, but Wang Guancong looked pensive.

Then, as if realizing something, he looked at Su Cheng and asked, "Is it still the club president herself teaching you?"

"Yes, it is."

After Su Cheng's reply, Chai Hao and Gao Ye's expressions turned extremely dramatic. Unable to hold back, Chai Hao exclaimed in disbelief,

"Is that for real?"

Chai Hao stared at Su Cheng in stunned silence. "From what I know, horseback riding involves physical contact. She's actually teaching you personally?"

"Yes."

Su Cheng nodded lightly.

"Is that so?!"

Chai Hao's eyes widened in disbelief, but Gao Ye, being more composed, didn't lose his composure as Chai Hao did. He looked at Su Cheng and asked, "Actually, I'm curious about how you two interact."

In their impression, Ji Qingyi had never taught anyone personally, nor had she ever been seen walking with someone.

The fact that she was personally teaching Su Cheng mounted archery now left them shocked and even more curious.

Didn't Su Cheng fear Ji Qingyi?

After all, they couldn't even breathe easily in her presence.

Let alone spending time together during club activities every day.

"Actually, there's nothing special about it. It's like a relationship of mutual respect, teacher and friend. She teaches, and I learn. Besides, the club president isn't as scary as the rumors say..."

At this point, Su Cheng intentionally paused and looked at the three of them. They all nodded vigorously like chicks pecking at rice, signaling for him to continue.

"Oh dear, the time is almost up. I need to head to the equestrian field!"

Su Cheng glanced at his non-existent watch and turned to leave.

But no sooner had he taken a step than the three of them grabbed him simultaneously.

"We knew you'd pull this."

"Spill it."

"You're not leaving until you tell us."

The three spoke in unison, blocking Su Cheng's path.

"...Alright, I'll tell you. The club president is actually not a scary woman. She's a gentle and kind girl."

Seeing their reactions, Su Cheng had no choice but to comply.

The three of them looked at each other, bewildered.

Gentle and kind?

What kind of joke was that?

There were still countless unburied corpses in Flame City Bay!

It was downright absurd.

The three exchanged glances, each seeing the suspicion in the other's eyes.

"You guys don't believe me, do you?"

Su Cheng sighed at their skeptical expressions.

"Then forget I said anything."

After saying that, Su Cheng turned and prepared to leave.

"Wait."

This time, it was Chai Hao who called out to stop Su Cheng, looking at him and asking, "Don't you feel afraid when you're with her?"

"Why would I be afraid?"

Su Cheng raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Chai Hao, asking in return.

He couldn't understand why the trio was so fixated on this. Did they feel afraid, so they assumed he should too?

It was downright puzzling.

"You really don't feel uncomfortable?"

"Do you interact like we do?"

Wang Guancong and Gao Ye chimed in.

"Why would I be afraid?"

Su Cheng repeated, frowning, with both hands in his pockets. He then stared at Chai Hao and the others, continuing, "She is the archery champion, and so am I. Why don't you ask her if she's afraid of me?"

"Huh."

"You…"

Wang Guancong, Gao Ye, and the others were stunned. Suddenly, they noticed a figure behind Su Cheng.

The trio's faces showed expressions of panic. They all stepped back involuntarily, swallowing hard.

Ji Qingyi was gracefully walking toward them, her expression calm but cold. She stopped about half a meter away from Su Cheng.

For the first time, a strange, almost eerie smile appeared on her face, and she nodded slightly at them.

This made the trio feel a chill down their spines, their bodies stiffening on the spot.

But they understood Ji Qingyi's unspoken message: to continue asking questions.

Wang Guancong, bolder than the others, swallowed hard and mustered his courage to look at Su Cheng: "Does the club president fear you?"

He had intended to give Su Cheng a subtle hint with his eyes, but the presence of Ji Qingyi's gaze made him tremble uncontrollably.

He felt her gaze possessed some kind of magic that immobilized him, stripping him of his ability to think and even control his facial expressions.

Gao Ye and Chai Hao, too, stood frozen, trembling uncontrollably, their courage to even glance at Ji Qingyi completely gone.

A sense of dread rose in their hearts.

"This is bad!"

Seeing their reactions, Su Cheng immediately figured out what was happening.

So, looking at Wang Guancong, he proudly raised his chin and said without any modesty, causing the trio to tense up, fearing for Su Cheng's safety.

They silently began to pray for Su Cheng.

"She has no fear of me, and frankly, she looks down on me a bit!"

Su Cheng snorted disdainfully, stating boldly.

Hearing this, Wang Guancong and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. But then Su Cheng's words came again: "Well, you guys don't need to ask any more questions. The club president is actually very gentle and kind, and she's dignified, smart, cute, beautiful, and the most perfect woman in the world. Anyway, I'm leaving now."

With that, he strode toward the equestrian field. But just as he took a step, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Su Cheng turned his head and let out a surprised cry: "Oh, Ji, the president! You scared me."

Ji Qingyi calmly retracted her hand, clearly aware that Su Cheng had already noticed her presence. She spoke: "Let's go to the equestrian field together."

Su Cheng nodded andwalked alongside Ji Qingyi..

The two walked side by side, the atmosphere quiet and serene.

Meanwhile, Wang Guancong and the others watched their retreating figures, their minds still reeling.

"Did you see her eyes just now?"

"I did. So terrifying! I thought I was going to die."

"That killing intent... yes, definitely killing intent. I've never felt anything like it. At the very least, she's killed a hundred thirty-five people."

"How can you be so precise about it?!"

"Well, it's a mix of intuition and educated guesswork."

The three looked at each other, each swallowing hard.

Clearly, the club president Ji Qingyi was indeed very scary.

This thought solidified in their minds, confirming their earlier suspicions.

The ultimate killing machine—Ji Qingyi.

…………………………………………….

The two walked through the campus, with the occasional group of students passing by—some were seniors, others freshmen. Their eyes lit up with admiration when they saw Ji Qingyi, but they quickly looked away. However, seeing Su Cheng walking side by side with Ji Qingyi left them shocked, their heads bowing down immediately.

"President, is there still a problem with your phone?"

Su Cheng casually asked, breaking the silence as they walked.

"They said the pixel quality is not good."

Ji Qingyi replied casually, her gaze drifting elsewhere, not meeting Su Cheng's eyes.

"Oh, that phone is quite out of date. You could consider getting a new model."

"There's no need to replace it as long as it works."

Ji Qingyi casually dismissed Su Cheng's suggestion, then changed the topic, "Did you see Aiye today?"

"Yes."

Su Cheng didn't deny it.

"I've heard her account of the events. What you did was commendable."

Ji Qingyi gave Su Cheng an appreciative glance before looking straight ahead, her lips barely moving as she murmured two words: "Thank you."

Although she spoke softly, Su Cheng still heard her.

Su Cheng was a bit surprised as he turned to look at Ji Qingyi, only to find her expressionless, as if the "thank you" she had just uttered had never come from her mouth.

"Could it be that the first time saying thank you is difficult to speak out loud?"

"Te...”

Su Cheng opened his mouth, wanting to say "you're welcome," but after giving it some thought, he closed his mouth.

Although Ji Qingyi's personality was a bit perplexing, it didn't hinder his respect for her.

Since she felt it was hard to say, he decided to pretend he hadn't heard anything and continued to maintain silence with Ji Qingyi.

But in the end, he couldn't help himself and mimicked Ji Qingyi's tone of "thank you," murmuring softly while looking straight ahead: "You're welcome, it's what friends do."

Su Cheng's voice wasn't loud, but Ji Qingyi still heard it.

She turned her head, glanced at Su Cheng expressionlessly, and ultimately didn't say anything.

However, Su Cheng felt quite pleased because he noticed Ji Qingyi's movement had paused for a moment, perhaps she was feeling shy inside.

Not long after, the two of them arrived at the horse riding arena.

Su Cheng got dressed and started practicing by himself, while Ji Qingyi sat under an umbrella, arranging tea utensils. Her fingers, like carved jade, were slender and white, and every movement exuded elegance and nobility.

Then... she, as usual, took out her phone and dialed Liu Qingyue's video call. As a consistent habit, she still took out her phone and dialed Liu Qingyue's video call. Still... she took out her phone and dialed Liu Qingyue's video call.

Soon, a screen appeared showing a girl wearing a helmet and a construction safety vest. She looked at the screen and said, "Good afternoon, Miss."

Seeing Liu Qingyue dressed like that, Ji Qingyi knew she was busy, so she got straight to the point: "Are you coming back on Friday just to celebrate Su Cheng's birthday?"

"No, I also want to personally present my gift!"

Liu Qingyue said firmly, but her face remained calm: "In my opinion, this is a memorable occasion."

"Gift?"

Ji Qingyi frowned, her mind already guessing Liu Qingyue's intentions.

"Yes, it's a very special gift, given as a friend." Liu Qingyue said.

Ji Qingyi pondered for a moment, "Do friends need to maintain relationships through birthday gifts?"

"It's quite popular in modern society." Liu Qingyue explained.

"Too shallow. In my opinion, it's a flaw. Is friendship between friends fully maintained by material exchanges?" Ji Qingyi shook her head and couldn't help but say.

Hearing Ji Qingyi's words, Liu Qingyue couldn't help but sigh.

"Miss, your thoughts are too extreme. Besides, the gifts you received on your birthday far exceed these." Liu Qingyue explained.

"I have never accepted such gifts."

Ji Qingyi's attitude was resolute, with no room for negotiation.

Hearing her, Liu Qingyue sighed helplessly: "Miss, as far as I know, no one has ever sent you a gift as a friend, have they?"

Ji Qingyi hesitated, not immediately refuting.

She indeed hadn't received any, after all, she had no friends.

"So, Miss, you don't like maintaining friendship with material things?"

Ji Qingyi didn't say anything.

"Then, on your birthday, if a friend prepared a carefully chosen gift for you, would you feel happy because of it?"

Liu Qingyue asked tentatively, her tone carrying a hint of anticipation.

At this, Ji Qingyi glanced at Liu Qingyue, slightly lowered her head, pondered for a moment, and then directly pointed out: "So the essence of your gift is an equal exchange?"

“Not entirely, although there's also that factor. Although it's a bit tacky, it ultimately represents my heartfelt intention."

Liu Qingyue nodded slightly, then continued: "Miss, Su Cheng has never celebrated a birthday before, naturally, no one has ever sent him a gift. I think if he could receive a gift, he would definitely be very happy. So, I want to make him happy, that's the essence of my gift, do you understand, Miss?"

Ji Qingyi pursed her lips and did not answer still; however, her heart was somewhat touched.

For Su Cheng's happiness to give?

A friend's gift?

Would she feel happy?

She couldn't help but sink into deep thought, glancing at Su Cheng, who was training, her gaze flickering. She turned off the video call.

Su Cheng seemed to feel Ji Qingyi's gaze, turned his head to look over, just in time to meet Ji Qingyi's eyes.

"A friend's gift..."

Ji Qingyi withdrew her gaze, continued looking at the boiling tea in the cup, and muttered softly to herself.

...

After a long time, Su Cheng walked over.

"President, I've already mastered it."

He smiled and said.

Ji Qingyi nodded and poured a cup of tea for Su Cheng, who took the cup, nodded with a smile, and savored it carefully.

The fragrance of the tea drifted, slipping down the throat warm and comforting.

Su Cheng looked up at Ji Qingyi, noticing her gaze still fixed forward.

"President, what are you thinking about?"

Su Cheng asked softly.

"I don't think there's anything more I can teach you."

Ji Qingyi slowly spoke, her voice as calm as water.

“What do you mean? There's still a lifetime of learning from President."

Su Cheng quickly refuted, his face showing a worried expression.

"What are your plans?"

Ji Qingyi suddenly asked.

"Ah?"

Su Cheng was a bit bewildered: "Plans for what?"

"Your aspiration after graduation?"

Ji Qingyi asked.

"There's still a Kun year before graduation, which is still early for me, and I haven't made any big plans." Su Cheng answered.

“Kun year... what's that?"

“One Kun year equals 2.5 years, approximately 913 days."

“Is there any background story?"

Bing Kun year is a unit of time, with 'Kun' representing Qian Kun, symbolizing the earth. Fuxi invented the eight trigrams based on predecessors and established the sixty hexagrams calendar, setting the Yuan day, enabling people to have a more accurate daily schedule.

“There's no such unit as Kun, only Bing Shen year. Why are you spouting nonsense so seriously?"