Chapter 7

In this type of novel, the male lead is typically portrayed as one-of-a-kind.

He has an impressive family background, a handsome appearance, and extraordinary talents in all aspects.

By the end of the book, you might find male characters with more well-rounded personalities, but it’s generally impossible to find someone who can completely surpass the male lead in those three aspects.

After all, this character is meant to fulfill the fantasy of a young girl, and the role is very clearly defined.

However, the real world is different from novels. In the original work, male characters who have no connection with the female lead are generally only briefly mentioned, or sometimes not described at all.

But when you think about it, you realize that in this age group, Zhou Lu isn’t necessarily the most outstanding of his peers.

For example, in the original story, there were two instances where he lost in student competitions. Although these were mentioned in passing, serving as a trigger for the female lead to offer encouraging and comforting words, it also implied that there were other individuals with talent who could rival or even surpass the male lead.

Jiang Muti didn’t expect that such a person would be right around her. While it wasn’t exactly something to gloat about, knowing that the other side would repeatedly lose to her family members did bring her some satisfaction.

She kept her word. After school in the afternoon, she told the kitchen to prepare Yun Cheng’s favorite dishes, saying that she wanted to invite the siblings over for dinner.

The Jiang family estate covered a vast area, and aside from the large main residence, there were many functional buildings.

For example, a private hospital, an entertainment center, and a reception building for business dealings. Not to mention the front and back gardens, swimming pool, and sports courts that required maintenance.

Including the servants, kitchen staff, and security personnel, there were nearly a hundred people working on the estate.

A separate building was constructed to serve as the staff dormitory, and the Yun siblings lived there.

However, Old Yun was part of the senior management, so his assigned room was very nice—spacious and comfortable, not worse than a well-decorated three-bedroom apartment in the city.

With so many employees, there was a staff cafeteria providing meals three times a day. However, the Yun siblings usually preferred to cook at home and only went to the staff cafeteria when they couldn’t manage or were too lazy to cook.

The Jiang family’s employee benefits were excellent, and the Yun siblings had been raised by everyone, so they were well taken care of in their daily lives.

The eldest son of the Jiang family liked them, and would often invite them to the main residence for meals, so the kitchen there was also familiar with their tastes.

However, it was rare for the young lady to be the one to host.

Jiang Muti waved her hand and explained that Yun Cheng’s competition tomorrow was the city’s finals this year. The winning team would represent the city in the national competition.

It was of great importance, and they needed to be in the best possible shape for tomorrow’s match, so tonight, she’d treat them to a special dinner in advance.

She made sure to present her petty satisfaction and small-mindedness in a very dignified manner, which moved Old Yun greatly.

As expected, when Yun Cheng came back after practice and was called to the main house, he was delighted to see the table full of his favorite dishes.

He was straightforward, not fussy, and after thanking her with a grin, he happily dug in.

His sister was beside him, helping him peel shrimp, one by one, and he was eating contentedly.

Cough! Jiang Yunjuan coughed lightly, glancing at Yun Cheng, who was peeling shrimp for his brother, and then at his own sister.

Although he didn’t say anything, his intentions were clear.

Jiang Muti was good at reading the situation, as long as she wanted to.

But today, her attention was clearly elsewhere. Jiang Yunjuan nearly saw through the shrimp on his plate and still couldn’t get his sister to peel one for him.

At this moment, Jiang Muti, full of excitement, was asking Yun Cheng about the competition: “What’s your lineup like tomorrow? Do you think you can finish the match with our school scoring zero points?”

Yun Cheng nearly choked on his food: “Well, I’m happy you’re supporting me, but your school’s not some amateur team. That Zhou Lu, his tactical understanding is a bit lacking, but his own skills are top-notch. His ball sense and reflexes are great, and the whole team has excellent chemistry.”

“I wouldn’t dare to underestimate him, so zero points? You’re dreaming.”

Seeing Jiang Muti’s excitement dampen slightly, Yun Cheng suddenly realized, grinning as he bumped her with his shoulder: “What did that guy do to you? It’s rare to see you in a conflict.”

I have to say, people who are straightforward might not be the most subtle, but they often ^[1]“Hit the nail on the head” means to say or do something that is exactly right, accurate, or appropriate. It refers to perfectly identifying or addressing the main issue or point of a … Continue readinghit the nail on the head.

Jiang Muti saw her brother looking over and worried he might start asking about school matters, and it wouldn’t be fun if their parents got involved.

She quickly changed the subject: “So, does that mean the win or loss is still a 50-50 chance?”

Yun Cheng shook his head: “No, no, unless something unexpected happens, we’ll definitely win.”

Seeing her confusion, Yun Cheng smiled but didn’t elaborate.

However, Yun Cheng’s words were never without reason, and Jiang Muti didn’t press the matter further.

In a good mood, she became even more enthusiastic toward him: “Alright, then after you get back, make sure to rest well. A good mood means a good performance.”

To her surprise, Yun Cheng pushed further: “I didn’t see Jack and Mary today. It feels like something’s missing~”

Jack and Mary were the names of the two dogs.

Jiang Muti waved her hand: “They’re here, they’re here. After dinner, I’ll bring them over so you can play with them as much as you want. If that’s not enough, I can even let you take them to your place and sleep with them tonight.”

It was originally just a figure of speech, but as soon as Yun Cheng heard it, he straightened his back and his eyes lit up.

“Really?”

Meanwhile, the other person, completely ignored, was not pleased. Jiang Yunjuan furrowed his brows: “You’re letting Ah Cheng take my dogs?”

Jiang Muti turned around and looked at her brother with confusion: “Is that a problem?”

Jiang Yunjuan remained silent for a moment, still wearing his usual serious, aloof expression. Just when Jiang Muti thought he was going to refuse…

He spoke up: “No, I was just asking if you wanted to bring their toys from the nest. Without them, they won’t be able to sleep.”

Jiang Muti laughed heartily: “So, you’re this considerate, brother?”

When Jiang Yunjuan saw her attention return from Ah Cheng, he nodded at the shrimp on the table with his chin.

This time, Jiang Muti noticed and quickly peeled several shrimp, placing them on a small dish and passing it over, along with the vinegar dish on the side.

It was only then that Jiang Yunjuan felt the meal wasn’t so uncomfortable anymore.

As they were leaving, he reminded Yun Cheng: “Don’t feed them snacks.”

Yun Cheng awkwardly smiled, while Yun Duo laughed and playfully led the dogs away.

The next day, Zhou Lu’s game became the grand event of the whole school. After school, nearly everyone spontaneously went to the city gym to cheer for him.

Of course, Jiang Muti and Yun Duo also went, but they were the traitors mixed in with this side’s supporters.

If they could, they would have loved to sit on the other side, supporting Yun Cheng’s school, but since they were still wearing their school uniforms, which clashed with the other school’s uniforms, the two camps were clearly separated.

If they dared to cross over, they’d probably get beaten up.

Jiang Muti also bought popcorn, though only Yun Duo could eat it. Jiang Muti was on a diet and could only sip mineral water, enjoying the smell.

The two of them sat comfortably, watching the game. Whenever Zhou Lu’s team scored and the crowd stood up to cheer, they remained completely expressionless, which made the people around them feel incredibly awkward.

However, what Jiang Muti didn’t expect was that, although Yun Cheng and Zhou Lu were supposed to be the focus of the match, when someone switched in during the second quarter, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

From their distant vantage point, they could barely make out the features of the person, but the aura and presence he exuded made it feel as though the lights of the gym shone even more brightly on him.

To be honest, even though Jiang Muti and Zhou Lu had their issues and often looked down on each other’s bad temper and intelligence, Zhou Lu’s qualities still lived up to the description. Even the future superstar Qiao Yuqi, at that time, seemed a bit overshadowed by this guy.

It mainly came down to that innate aura of a leader. Up until now, in both her lives, Jiang Muti hadn’t seen anyone with that kind of commanding presence, except for her brother, Jiang Yunjuan.

Of course, Jiang Yunjuan wasn’t their peer, and his experiences and background were different, so it wasn’t fair to compare them.

But at this moment, Jiang Muti truly had to sigh and admit that there were always people who were greater than others.

When the man took off the jacket draped over his shoulders and walked onto the court, the entire gym seemed to quiet down a little.

His eye-catching presence, along with Zhou Lu’s increasingly alert and serious expression upon seeing him, made it obvious to anyone, even those watching the game for the first time, that this was no ordinary person.

As for Jiang Muti’s schoolmates, upon seeing him enter, they already had the villain boss theme music playing in their heads.

People around couldn’t help but sigh uneasily: “Is it Ji Feishi again? Doesn’t he usually come on in the second half? Why is he out here so early?”

“Yeah, Yun Cheng is still holding on tight, the score hasn’t opened up much, this game is still in the air.”

“Tsk! What are you saying? Who knows the result until the end? We just need to cheer on.”

Instantly, the cheer grew even more enthusiastic, and the other side didn’t hold back either. The atmosphere in the arena was incredibly intense.

Unfortunately, in the end, they were still left disappointed. Jiang Muti finally understood where Yun Cheng’s confidence yesterday had come from.

Strictly speaking, their school’s team wasn’t weak. Aside from Zhou Lu, the other players all had their strengths, playing steadily, with great teamwork — absolutely a top-tier team.

But sometimes, the role of a star player is just like this. When it comes to raw strength, Yun Cheng was in no way inferior to Zhou Lu. Mid-game, they switched the point guard — the one called Ji Feishi.

The tactical structure and reaction pace of the two teams were no longer on the same level. Even though Zhou Lu and his team gave it their all, they lost by a significant margin.

With the core players in a two-on-one situation, the outcome was obviously not surprising.

Jiang Muti watched the teams shake hands after the game, Zhou Lu’s face clearly showing frustration and unwillingness.

She found it somewhat amusing and couldn’t help but grab a handful of popcorn, but Yun Duo smacked her hand away.

But that didn’t stop her from feeling happy, and she beamed with a smile.

As the people around her were dejected, someone’s peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of her, and upon seeing her smiling, they instantly got angry.

“You’re actually smiling? We lost and you’re laughing? Are you a traitor who snuck in from the other side?”

At this moment, everyone around them looked over, and seeing that the fat person was indeed smiling, it immediately angered the crowd.

Jiang Muti was met with cold stares from the surrounding people, and even Yun Duo felt a bit uncomfortable, but she remained perfectly still in her seat.

Her smile didn’t falter in the slightest as she casually responded, “Who said that? Do I look sad to you?”

“Pah! Look at how happy you’re smiling!”

“Some people’s facial nerves just work like this, what can I do about it?” Jiang Muti said confidently. “Wasn’t there a discussion this morning about the finale of yesterday’s TV drama? The male lead died, and the female lead had this same expression, yet everyone online was praising how deeply sad she was?”

Immediately, the crowd reacted, realizing which drama she was talking about — a recent historical idol drama starring a popular young actress.

It had awkward special effects with poorly cut-out scenes, but the young stars’ faces were enough to guarantee high viewership.

In the finale, when the male lead died and the female lead was supposed to show deep sorrow, it looked like she was laughing instead.

So, today, all sorts of people online were mocking it.

【Look how happy she’s smiling】 became a viral phrase, with all sorts of memes popping up.

High school students are at that age where they’ll irrationally support their idols, and the online reviews weren’t exactly the mainstream opinion in schools.

This fat person not only took pleasure in their loss but also mocked their idol, even comparing herself to them.