Chapter 15: Don’t Underestimate the Bond Between Us

Shang Que was completely unaware of this. She didn’t even bother to check what was inside the bag. When she got home, she casually placed it on the entrance cabinet.

After finishing the takeout wontons, her phone suddenly buzzed a few times. Unlocking it, she saw that Ji Jingchuan had sent her a red packet on WeChat.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: [Stingy Shang Que]

Shang Que didn’t have the habit of adding remarks to contacts, but a while ago, Ji Jingchuan had been using the WeChat name “The Universe’s Number One Genius” and would constantly refer to himself as “this genius” in conversation, which annoyed her to no end. Out of spite, she changed his contact name to “Galaxy’s Number One Idiot”.

Looking at it now, this name obviously suited him much better than “The Universe’s Number One Genius.”

She accepted the red packet without responding. After a while, Ji Jingchuan sent another message with a picture.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Dinner [Image]

The background of the photo was his living room’s dining table. The takeout wontons he had bought from a small street shop were now transferred into a bowl, and beside them sat a chibi-style squeeze toy accompanying him for the meal.

Shang Que also snapped a picture of her empty bowl and sent it back.

[Shang Que]: We bought from the same place. [Image]

So, she already knew what he had for dinner. There was no need for him to report it.

Ji Jingchuan, however, seemed oblivious.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Not bad, you have the same great taste as this genius. [Thumbs up]

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: By the way, what did you do with that bag you took home?

[Shang Que]: Threw it away.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: YOU THREW IT AWAY??????

His reaction was suddenly so intense that the flood of question marks almost blinded Shang Que.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: I never said it was definitely from my haters! What if it was from one of your fans who wanted me to pass it to you? Wouldn’t that be their heartfelt gesture? And you just threw it away!!!

[Shang Que]: Weren’t you the one who said you were going to throw it away?

After she sent that message, Ji Jingchuan didn’t reply for a long time. The screen kept displaying “The other party is typing…” for ages before messages finally appeared one by one.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Forget it, it’s thrown away.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Won’t regret it even if you think about it later.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: There wasn’t anything important inside anyway.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: …

Shang Que selectively read only the first message, then casually replied with an “Oh.”

“OH? That’s all she says? Just ‘OH’?” Ji Jingchuan stared at this single, perfunctory response and nearly lost his mind. “Can’t Shang Que see that it’s an acrostic poem?!”

System: [……]

If this counts as poetry, then why did he call my previous creation “The System and the Host Are One Family, Villains Rising Up Are the Best” illiterate?

Annoyed, Ji Jingchuan punched the squeeze toy beside him. Only then did he realize it was his own, so he hurriedly reshaped the squished face back into place.

With a grave expression, he furrowed his brows, searched through his phone, and finally sent a series of images.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Which trash bin did you throw it in?

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: I mean, did you sort it before throwing it away? The acrylic stand and tin badges are recyclable, while the clay figurine isn’t…

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Waste sorting is every citizen’s responsibility and duty!

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Do you hear me, Shang Que?

[You poked Shang Que and got a Thomas spin-kick to the butt in return.]

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: ?

Shang Que was about to go to sleep when she saw the flood of educational images he sent. Annoyed, she furrowed her brows.

[Shang Que]: So troublesome, I won’t throw it away.

Ji Jingchuan was momentarily stunned.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: You didn’t throw it away?

[Shang Que]: Didn’t see a trash bin on the way home.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Oh.

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: Hehe.

[Message retracted]

[Galaxy’s Number One Idiot]: 0^0

Not “hehe.”

From this day on, Ji Jingchuan unilaterally resumed his WeChat interactions with Shang Que. In addition to their usual three meals a day, he also added a daily training progress report.

He was a member of the boy group ST. Though Ji Jingchuan was more famous than the group itself, the small but persistent group continued to exist and even had a concert scheduled for later that year. As a result, he was currently busy with rehearsals.

That afternoon, as Shang Que walked out of a hotel where she had just finished an audition, she suddenly received a photo from Ji Jingchuan. It was taken in the training room, showing him practicing dance.

He stood in the center position, wearing a blue and white striped sports headband. A few strands of his sweat-dampened hair fell naturally over his forehead, just above his dark and bright eyes. He wore a black sleeveless tank top, a vintage-style washed-out piece, revealing strong, well-defined arm muscles that exuded both youthful energy and powerful tension.

With just a glance, Shang Que could tell that among the five people in the photo, Ji Jingchuan was undoubtedly the most striking.

She deliberately said:

[Shang Que]: The guy on the right looks pretty handsome.

[Galaxy’s Number One Fool]: [Photo]

A moment later, the message was retracted. Ji Jingchuan then sent another photo—this time, the face of the person on the far right had been replaced with his own.

Shang Que: ?

Oh, so this is how he wants to play?

[Shang Que]: The one in the white shirt looks good too.

[Galaxy’s Number One Fool]: [Photo]

The guy in the white shirt had also been replaced with Ji Jingchuan’s face.

[Shang Que]: The one with the buzz cut is pretty good-looking.

The buzz-cut guy’s face was also replaced.

Before Shang Que could continue, Ji Jingchuan quickly sent another picture. This time, all five people in the photo had his face.

Shang Que: …

What kind of supernatural event was this?

[Shang Que]: You win. You’re the most handsome. Satisfied?

[Galaxy’s Number One Fool]: 0v0
Hehe.

“What’s so funny? You’re grinning like an idiot.”

A teasing voice came from behind him. Ji Jingchuan quickly turned off his phone and frowned as he looked back.

In the training room, several tall and handsome young men were gathered together. They had just finished an intense dance practice, and now, every one of them was drenched in sweat, as if they had just been pulled out of the water.

One of them, a guy with a buzz cut, lifted the hem of his shirt to fan away the heat and joked, “Feng Ye, look at him. Could it be that he’s dating someone? An idol dating is practically a death sentence.”

He made a dramatic throat-slitting gesture, and his exaggerated expression successfully made everyone laugh.

The initial teasing voice had come from Feng Ye. Holding a bottle of electrolyte water, he placed it in front of Ji Jingchuan and half-jokingly said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Chuan is the backbone of our team. If people heard what you just said, forget the fans tearing you apart—the boss wouldn’t let you off either.”

Hearing this, Ji Jingchuan frowned slightly, inexplicably irritated. For a brief moment, the atmosphere turned a little odd, but it was quickly drowned out by laughter.

Feng Ye then changed the topic, “By the way, Chuan, we feel like the second half of the choreography is still lacking something. Could you run through it a few more times with us?”

“My part is already fine. If you guys haven’t got it down yet, that’s your problem.” Ji Jingchuan’s tone carried a clear impatience. Throwing out those words, he got up and left.

The door to the training room swung open and then shut with a thud. Feng Ye’s lips curled slightly, almost imperceptibly. When he turned back, his expression carried a hint of helplessness. “So what do we do now?”

The doll-faced brunet standing on the far right pouted and muttered, “He really thinks he’s some kind of prince.”

The buzz-cut guy furrowed his sharp brows. “The outside world already calls him that; there’s no need for us to say the same. Besides, today’s scheduled training session has already gone overtime. If he doesn’t want to stay longer, that’s understandable.”

Feng Ye chuckled and interjected, “Hey, don’t misunderstand Noah. He even follows the fans and calls himself ‘Nokia’ online.” Then, shifting the conversation, he suggested, “Captain, should we keep practicing?”

“Let’s go through it two more times.” The leader, Bian Du, as usual, took on the role of the peacekeeper. “Alright, don’t overthink it. Let’s just focus on getting it right. Qin Xian and Qi Noah, stay in your positions. We’ll leave Ji Jingchuan’s spot open for now, and Feng Ye, you’ll fill in for the final part.”

He turned to confirm, “Feng Ye, that okay?”

“No problem.”

Of course, it wasn’t a problem. He had rehearsed that part countless times in private. Every single time, he had fixated on Ji Jingchuan’s position, his heart brimming with jealousy.

That center position should have been his.

During the talent show, the industry had prearranged for him to be the winner. Because of that, Feng Ye had endured a lot of hate from netizens, who called him a “royal plant” being force-fed success. But he didn’t care—once someone becomes famous, the praise always drowns out the criticism.

What he hadn’t anticipated was Ji Jingchuan’s sudden emergence that year. With a strikingly handsome face and a voice gifted by the heavens, Ji Jingchuan captivated audiences from his very first performance. In the end, he completely crushed the industry’s plans, securing his debut with an overwhelming number of votes.

After debuting, Ji Jingchuan’s radiance naturally outshone everyone else. Almost all eyes were on him. If not for his rebellious personality and refusal to be controlled, the company might have disbanded the group entirely just to focus on promoting him.

Yet, even without deliberate favoritism, when people mentioned ST, their first thought was always “the group that Ji Jingchuan is in.” The rest of them? Forever reduced to being “Ji Jingchuan’s teammates.”

In the dead of night, the thought drove Feng Ye mad with jealousy. If Ji Jingchuan had never appeared, all the fame and recognition would have been his.

But reality didn’t work that way.

Ji Jingchuan was an immovable mountain standing in his way. Since he couldn’t climb over it, all he could do was wait—wait for the day that mountain would crumble.

Meanwhile, in another room, the system chimed in:
[System]: Host, you should watch out for this guy. I have a bad feeling about him.

Ji Jingchuan replied indifferently, “How bad can he be? I’m supposed to be the villain here, aren’t I?”

[System]: Being a ‘villain’ is only in relation to the main leads. But in my eyes, you’re the real protagonist!

“And stop copying the way I talk.”

[System]: Oh. (pause) But seriously—

“He’s just a clown,” Ji Jingchuan remarked casually. “Instead of wasting time trying to ruin my reputation, he’d be better off shoveling manure in a village—at least he’d get something out of it.”

[System]: …

Unbothered, Ji Jingchuan returned to his personal studio, pulled open a drawer, and took out a calendar. He circled today’s date and scribbled a note: Shang Que admitted I’m handsome.

Flipping back a few pages, another date was also marked—the day he had returned from the variety show. Written in red ink were the words: Never talk to Shang Que again!!! The excessive exclamation marks showed just how furious he had been at the time.

Yet, just three days later, another note appeared: Tentatively restoring friendly communication with Shang Que. O-<

After a brief pause, Ji Jingchuan picked up his pen and circled tomorrow’s date too.

Every Friday—the day of the variety show recording.

Everyone moved outdoors. Within the villa area, there was a large open-air sports field. In addition to a standard rubber running track, there was also a swimming pool and basketball hoops. The staff handed each group a registration form, listing the available sports: swimming, men’s 1000-meter run, and a mixed 2×100-meter relay race.

“You have ten minutes to decide who will participate in each event,” the director announced before leaving them to organize themselves freely.

Ji Jingchuan claimed one of the program’s lounge chairs, reclining alone in the shade. Recently, the temperatures had risen, and the sun blazed down on the earth during the day, making his already aching head feel even more dizzy and sluggish.

Just as he was about to doze off, Feng Ye suddenly approached with the registration form in hand. “Xiao Chuan, I’ll sign up for swimming and the relay. Can you run the 1000 meters?”

“No.” Ji Jingchuan lay back like a lord, legs crossed, showing no interest. When Feng Ye continued hovering over him, he put on his sunglasses, signaling his unwillingness to engage.

“It’s just that the 1000 meters comes right after the swimming event, and I’m worried I won’t have enough stamina. Otherwise, I could do all three events myself,” Feng Ye patiently explained. “Have you learned how to swim recently? If you have, you can take swimming, and I’ll handle the 1000 meters and the relay. It doesn’t matter what place we get—the important thing is participating, but we should still have some competitive spirit.”

At that moment, Jiang Yizhe walked over with a bottle of water. Hearing their conversation, he frowned and asked in confusion, “He’s sick, and you’re still asking him to run? He has heatstroke.”

【Heatstroke? No wonder he looks so out of it.】

【So he was ignoring Feng Ye because he wasn’t feeling well.】

【I already said he looked pale, but some people insisted he was targeting Feng Ye. From the moment he walked in, Ji Jingchuan has been acting strangely quiet.】

【It’s because he kept his head down the whole time. The cameras barely caught his face, so it’s normal we didn’t notice. But what about the other guests near him? Didn’t they realize?】

Feng Ye was momentarily stunned. “I didn’t notice.” His expression turned to concern as he asked, “Xiao Chuan, are you feeling unwell?”

“I just said he has heatstroke,” Jiang Yizhe replied, giving Feng Ye a puzzled look before waving a hand. “Move back a little, let the air circulate, or he’ll feel even worse.”

Feng Ye nodded and turned to leave. “Alright, I’ll go tell Sister Shangque.”

“No need, she already knows. She sent me here,” Jiang Yizhe said, but Feng Ye had already walked away before he could stop him.

Meanwhile, Ji Jingchuan, who had been lying lifeless on the chair, suddenly “revived.” He pushed his sunglasses onto his head, sat cross-legged, and asked, “Shangque sent you?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Yizhe handed him the water bottle. “She told you to rest properly and not worry about the competition.”

Ji Jingchuan rubbed his chin in thought before concluding, “Shangque cares about me.”

Jiang Yizhe responded matter-of-factly, “Sister Shangque has always cared about you.”

【Jiang Yizhe, don’t say things like that—Ji Jingchuan is going to get full of himself!】

【Look, he’s already puffing up with pride.】

That sentence was like taking a sip of ice-cold cola on a scorching summer day—refreshing and bubbling with excitement. Ji Jingchuan looked at Jiang Yizhe with approval, suddenly feeling like he wasn’t a “green tea” (pretentious) person at all.

Someone who speaks such blunt truths couldn’t possibly be a green tea!

---

Meanwhile, on the other side, Feng Ye found Shangque by the pool and voiced his concern. “Sister Shangque, Xiao Chuan seems unwell. Should I run for him?”

“No need. I’ll do the swimming. Just consider yourself signed up for two events instead.”

So technically, he wasn’t running on Ji Jingchuan’s behalf. Feng Ye was smart—he immediately understood what she meant.

His gaze sharpened slightly, but he said nothing more.

Soon, the registration forms were submitted, and everyone emerged from the locker rooms in matching red-and-white sportswear, exuding youthful energy and vitality.

The first event was swimming. Lin Jinyi couldn’t swim, so naturally, Jiang Yizhe took on the responsibility. The opposing team chose Ning Sheng, clearly intending to conserve Lu Zhixu’s stamina for the later events.

The others gathered around the pool to watch. Seeing the lineup, Feng Ye joked, “Isn’t this a little unfair?”

“Exactly,” Jiang Yizhe sighed dramatically. “Why aren’t you competing? If Sister Shangque is in the race, there’s no suspense about who’s winning first place.”

Feng Ye: ?

Is he looking down on me?!

【That day, everyone was reminded of their fear of being dominated by Shangque.】

But it didn’t take long for Feng Ye to realize that Jiang Yizhe was absolutely right.

As soon as the starting whistle blew, Shangque dove into the water like a fish, gliding effortlessly forward at an astonishing speed.

Jiang Yizhe followed quickly, thrashing through the water with his best dog-paddle technique, splashing wildly—yet he was left far behind.

In less than a minute, Shangque had swum a full lap and reached the finish line first. She emerged from the water, resting her arms on the pool’s edge, and leisurely watched the other two struggling to catch up. Water trickled down her cheek as she curled her lips into a confident, radiant smile.

【Holy crap, Shangque, I refuse to let anyone defy you!】

【Like a little bird baby, she’s a fish that swims so fast!】

【Haha, sorry, I was just walking, but suddenly I slipped and kissed Shangque’s cheek—oops, what a mess! Let’s do it again.】

【Ahhh, that smile! It takes me right back to that scene in Flying Flowers, where the princess rode her horse with reckless abandon.】

【This feels so familiar, like I’ve seen it somewhere before.】

As expected, Shang Que effortlessly secured first place in the swimming competition, finishing more than ten seconds ahead of Jiang Yizhe, who came in second. Ning Sheng, knowing she would be last, didn’t push herself too hard and maintained a steady pace to complete the race.

After changing into their running gear, the three of them arrived at the track. Jiang Yizhe, still panting, regretted his earlier decision. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone all out. It’s not like I could’ve won anyway. I should’ve saved my energy for the run.”

Seeing Ning Sheng smiling, he couldn’t help but ask, “Ning Sheng, did your team plan this from the start?”

“Of course,” Ning Sheng admitted without hesitation. “We knew we couldn’t win the swimming race, so I competed to save Lu Zhixu’s energy. That way, he’d have an advantage over you in the 1000-meter run. Then, in the relay, since you’ve already done two back-to-back events, you’ll definitely be exhausted. Meanwhile, both our team and Shang Que’s team have distributed the races evenly. And because I swam at a slower pace, I conserved more energy, so I actually have an advantage, relatively speaking.”

Jiang Yizhe was stunned, eyes widening in shock. “This is—”

“Tian Ji’s horse-racing strategy.” Shang Que walked past them.

【Pitting a weaker competitor against a stronger one… so a high-class wife should match with someone low-class like me.】

Jiang Yizhe was shaken by this realization. Fueled by irritation, he unexpectedly pushed himself harder during the run. Though he didn’t manage to surpass Lu Zhixu, he still left Feng Ye trailing by over ten meters, finishing in second place.

Even Lin Jinyi, watching from the sidelines, felt the need to console him. “It’s okay. Second place is still impressive. At least you outran Feng Ye, who didn’t even compete in the swimming race.”

Feng Ye’s expression stiffened slightly. He walked over and apologized, “Sorry, I dragged us down.”

Shang Que didn’t care too much about winning or losing. She thought back to how Lin Jinyi had comforted Jiang Yizhe and decided to copy her approach. “It’s fine. Last place is still impressive. At least… at least you finished in last place.”

【Hahaha, great consolation. Next time, don’t try comforting anyone.】
【Shang Que, stop hanging out with Ji Jingchuan. You’re starting to sound sarcastic all the time.】

Feng Ye was fired up by this and said seriously, “For the relay—”

“I’ll run,” a voice interrupted.

Everyone turned to see Ji Jingchuan, now dressed in sportswear. His loose red jersey rippled in the wind, resembling roaring flames. A matching red headband was tied around his forehead, emphasizing his sharp and confident gaze. Even from a distance, he was a striking sight.

He smirked and said confidently, “I’ll run the relay.”

【Damn, this feels like a scene straight out of a hot-blooded sports anime!】
【Ji Jingchuan is the kind of guy I want to scold, but then I see his face and just can’t do it.】
【He really has a sharp tongue, but he’s undeniably handsome.】
【Wait, wasn’t he suffering from heatstroke? Can he even run?】

Shang Que was doubtful. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Ji Jingchuan extended a hand toward her, raising an eyebrow dramatically. “Don’t underestimate the bond between us.”

“You’re such an idiot.” Shang Que turned away in embarrassment. But after a moment, she still raised her hand and gave him a firm high-five. “Deal.”

Ji Jingchuan looked at her, eyes burning with determination, the fire inside him growing stronger.

【If you two keep this up, I might start shipping you.】
【This is so hype! I literally jumped out of bed and pulled a muscle.】
【What bond do you guys even have? A rivalry bond?】
【And why wouldn’t that count?】

---

The 2x100m relay required the girls to run the first leg and the boys to run the second. Shang Que stood at the starting line, gripping the relay baton. Not far ahead, Ji Jingchuan, clad in his fiery red jersey, waved at her and shouted, “Shang Que, run fast! We have to get first place!”

Before this, the ranking didn’t matter much to her. But the moment Ji Jingchuan held out his hand, she suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to win.

She wanted to take first place.
She wanted to outrun everyone.
She wanted to change the so-called predetermined storyline.
She wanted to pull Ji Jingchuan out of his original fate.

Shang Que crouched into a ready position, shifting her weight forward. The instant the starting gun fired, she pushed off with full force, surging forward. The wind howled past her ears, the world blurred behind her. She ran with everything she had, aiming straight for the vibrant, burning figure ahead.

She handed the baton to Ji Jingchuan and shouted after him, “Ji Jingchuan, run faster!”

Run out of this damned story.

Ji Jingchuan didn’t look back. He simply raised a hand and gave her an ‘OK’ sign before dashing forward.

Ning Sheng was also fast, and Shang Que had only reached the handoff point a second before her. That brief lead was quickly erased by Lu Zhixu, who overtook Ji Jingchuan.

The spectators collectively held their breath, eyes locked on the three figures racing ahead, neck and neck.

With only a few meters left, Ji Jingchuan, trailing just behind by a small gap, suddenly accelerated. He was like a blazing inferno, pouring all his energy into one final burst. His youthful, boundless spirit burned fiercely, roaring in defiance.

Finally, that raging fire surpassed everyone. Ji Jingchuan was the first to cross the finish line.

He turned back, holding up the relay baton triumphantly, and shouted, “Shang Que, we’re first!”

【Holy crap, that was intense!】
【Ji Jingchuan looked so damn cool just now! If he smiles again, I might become a fan.】
【Wait, I just realized… Ji Jingchuan’s expression looks exactly like Shang Que’s did earlier!】

Shang Que met his gaze from across the track. After a long pause, she finally smiled.

“Yeah. We’re first.”

Ji Jingchuan’s lips curled up as he took a step toward her. But before he could go any further, the color drained from his face.

The next second, his eyes fluttered shut, and he collapsed forward onto the ground.