Little Lame Donkey: Yuan Xiu, Yuan Xiu, Yuan Xiu!

Yuan Xiu: Yes, yes, yes.

Little Lame Donkey: Tomorrow is the singles finals!

Yuan Xiu: Good luck and goodbye.

Little Lame Donkey: QAQ

Little Lame Donkey: [Landmine][Landmine][Landmine]

….

The sunlight was nice today. Lu Manman hugged her blanket and, along with the girls from her dorm room, went to the spacious flower bed in front of the dormitory building to bask in the sun.

As soon as they stepped out of the dormitory, they saw a few boys in t-shirts approaching.

Seeing their unfriendly expressions, Cheng Yu instinctively stepped in front of the two girls and asked defensively, “What do you want?”

“I’m Zhou Jialiang, the president of the school’s ‘Battle Royale’ live-action competition club,” said the tall boy in a denim jacket, introducing himself before looking at Lu Manman. “I need to talk to her about something.”

Lu Manman looked over the boys, who were all tall and strong, each with a tense expression, making it seem like they were here to cause trouble.

“I’m Lu Manman,” she said as she stepped forward. “What do you need from me?”

Zhou Jialiang pointed to the sycamore tree not far away. “Let’s talk over there.”

Lu Manman walked with Zhou Jialiang to the small tree, where there were no people around, while Cheng Yu and the others stood a short distance away, watching them intently.

Zhou Jialiang chuckled. “I can’t believe it. The reigning champion of the singles qualifiers and the highest-scoring dark horse, m4, is actually a girl. Aside from W, I’ve never seen a girl who can play live-action competitions so well.”

Lu Manman said, “Oh, then you really haven’t seen much.”

Zhou Jialiang: “…”

He really doesn’t know how to talk.

Zhou Jialiang cleared his throat and asked, “Do you want to learn from W?”

Lu Manman calmly replied, “To be honest, I am W.”

“Ambitious,” Zhou Jialiang chuckled dryly. “And very humorous too.”

Lu Manman: ……

“I can tell you’re probably a fan of W. But to be honest, W’s success isn’t really about her. It’s the historical context that made Smiling W. She grew up with live-action competitions. Back then, the starting point for going professional was much lower than it is now.”

Lu Manman: ……

You’re questioning W’s skills right in front of her. Aren’t you afraid of getting beaten up?

Zhou Jialiang completely ignored the change in Lu Manman’s expression and continued talking to himself, “However, as this competitive sport has developed to its current level, with more and more participants, it’s clear that girls are at a disadvantage in the game. W is a thing of the past, and there will never be another W.”

“…”

“Hey, are you even listening to me?”

Seeing Lu Manman spacing out, Zhou Jialiang raised his voice, “I’m saying, that’s it. You’ve won the prize money, gotten the spotlight, and earned your fame. Stop participating in competitions. If you really like this sport, I can consider letting you join our live-action competition club and play some games casually.”

Lu Manman held back for a long time before slowly raising her head and letting out a cold snort.

Zhou Jialiang was puzzled, “What did you say?”

“Are you deaf?”

Lu Manman suddenly raised her voice and shouted, “I said, go to hell!”

This shout was so loud that even Cheng Yu, who was standing not far away, heard it.

She shivered and said to the chubby boy from the competition club, who kept winking at her, “My big sister hasn’t passed her level seven Chinese test yet; she only knows how to curse.”

The chubby boy chuckled awkwardly, “666.”

….

The warm sunlight spread over her entire body, and after being exposed to the sun, the blanket gave off a unique smell. Lu Manman read in a science magazine that this smell is actually a combination of the scent of dead microorganisms and ozone.

The three girls sat lazily on the bench in the flower bed, basking in the sun.

“This time, you might have really hit their G-spot,” Cheng Yu explained calmly. “Many people from the school’s live-action competition club have joined professional clubs. They consider themselves the testing ground for professional players at school. In this competition, you took away a lot of their spotlight.”

Lu Manman scoffed, “So what? Is it wrong to rely on one’s own strength?”

Xia Tian’s eyes widened, “Where is the G-spot?”

“Not suitable for children,” Cheng Yu ruffled Xia Tian’s hair and continued to Lu Manman, “Some people in the club wanted to use this competition to attract the attention of professional clubs, and some wanted to use it to raise their own value. These are real benefits. An unexpected m4 appeared, taking down opponents with unstoppable momentum, of course hitting their G-spot. They’re eager to come to negotiate with you.”

Lu Manman angrily said, “Let them come. What’s the point of talking about W? Saying her current status is due to the era and has nothing to do with her personally makes me really mad.”

Cheng Yu replied, “Let these misogynistic guys say whatever they want. Just let it go in one ear and out the other. It’s not like they’re dissing you. Why get so worked up?”

Lu Manman: “…Well, they really are dissing me personally.”

Xia Tian asked Lu Manman, “So, what are you going to do?”

“What else? I’ll win the singles championship tomorrow and then… and then…”

Lu Manman thought for a moment, “Then I’ll continue to compete in the doubles tournament!”

Cheng Yu was surprised, “You want to compete in the doubles too?”

“Today, I’m really angry,” Lu Manman said, clenching her fists. “If they think I’m blocking their way, then I’ll block the rest of their path so they have nowhere to go. Who’s afraid of whom?!”

“I’ll take the championship in singles, doubles, and team competitions! Screw them and their dismissive attitude towards W because she’s a girl. I’ll make them taske what it’s like to be crushed and trampled by a girl!”

Xian Tian covered her mouth and whispered to Cheng Yu, “Being crushed and trampled, just imagining it feels…”

“Twisted.” Cheng Yu calmly responded.

***

The classroom was filled with students, and the afternoon classes always made people feel drowsy, especially with the teacher’s monotonous voice, sounding like a mosquito buzzing in the ears.

Yuan Xiu was half-leaning on the edge of the desk, yawning endlessly.

However, there was a wave of female classmates behind him who were quite restless. From the beginning of this class until now, the sound of phones snapping pictures of his back never stopped.

The teacher who taught Western economics was a bald fifty-year-old man. Although he didn’t say anything, it was evident that he was quite displeased, casting several impatient glances towards Yuan Xiu.

Yuan Xiu turned around, placed a finger on his lips, gesturing for the girls to keep quiet, while flashing a pair of flirtatious peach blossom eyes.

The girls were going crazy: “Wow, his lips look so sexy, I want to kiss him!”

“He’s smiling at me!”

“Oh my goodness, I’m going to faint! Such a flirt.”

“Let’s go, let’s take turns flirting with him.”

“Count me in.”

…

Excited as they were, the girls obediently put down their phones. They could ignore their idol’s wishes, but they definitely had to respect their boyfriend’s!

When class ended, a group of girls approached Yuan Xiu, clutching their cute notebooks, asking him for autographs.

After signing a few, he caught a glimpse of Lu Manman passing by the classroom door.

“Sorry, I have something to take care of,” he quickly said, grabbing his bag and jogging out of the classroom.

Lu Manman was wearing a loose beige sweatshirt paired with a short skirt and high-top sneakers, looking casual and hip-hop.

She had her hands tucked in her pockets, shoulders slumped, walking slowly.

With the finals tomorrow, why was she looking so down?

Yuan Xiu followed her to the small pancake shop by the school’s grove.

She bought a peanut pancake and a cup of hot black tea, sitting alone on a small chair.

She was munching away, completely focused, like a squirrel.

While eating, she let out a sigh.

Yuan Xiu bought a cup of black tea and sat down beside her.

“Uh!”

Seeing Yuan Xiu caught her off guard, and she quickly scooted over, wiping the peanut butter off the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.

Yuan Xiu pulled out a tissue from his bag and wiped her sleeve for her.

“Such a mess,” he said, his tone laced with disdain.

Lu Manman’s cheeks flushed slightly, unsure of what to say as she held half a pancake in her hand.

Eating or not eating, she didn’t know what to do.

In the distance, the setting sun cast its rays through the small grove, dappling the sunlight across her clothes.

Nearby, a girl had noticed Yuan Xiu, sneaking glances their way.

Yuan Xiu, oblivious to the attention, asked, “Are you ready for tomorrow’s finals?”

“What do I need to prepare?” she replied.

“……”

Couldn’t he just keep the conversation going?

Lu Manman closed her eyes in frustration, cursing herself for being so foolish.

Yuan Xiu, unusually serious, said, “You’re right; just keep a calm mindset. For you, this level of competition…”

He trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.

Lu Manman silently picked up her pancake and took another bite.

The silence was painfully awkward; she needed to find a topic! She could ask if he had dinner yet, but of course, he hadn’t since class just ended. Wait, why was she the one looking for conversation? He was the one who sat down first; he should bear the burden of making small talk.

“Have you had dinner?” Yuan Xiu asked.

Lu Manman looked down at her half-eaten pancake.

Wow, he really had nothing to say either.

For some reason, she could chat freely on WeChat, but in person, it felt so awkward—especially with him sitting right next to her. She felt inexplicably nervous and couldn’t get a word out.

Unconsciously, she tucked her hair behind her ear. The sunset bathed her face in soft light, highlighting the fine hairs on her fair skin.

Yuan Xiu asked gently, “Did I speak too fast for you to understand?”

Wow, that was a great excuse!

Lu Manman nodded repeatedly.

Yuan Xiu: …

“Can’t understand? What nonsense,” she thought.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Manman finally spoke up, “Sorry, I’m just not in a great mood today.”

“I can tell,” Yuan Xiu replied.

She looked down and took another small bite of her pancake. “Turns out W isn’t very well-liked in China.”

Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow.

So she was upset because someone dissed her.

“Who said that?”

“Does it matter?” Lu Manman mumbled, staring at her shoelaces. “It’s true that the times created W. When she rose to fame, there weren’t any particularly outstanding players in live-action competitions, and that’s a fact.”

Yuan Xiu looked at her. “So, as a fan of W, you’re starting to doubt her skills?”

“I will never doubt W’s abilities,” Lu Manman asserted. “I deeply resonate with her hard work and dedication.”

“Then why be upset?”

Lu Manman pursed her lips and looked at Yuan Xiu. “So, do you think W is impressive?”

Yuan Xiu had initially wanted to tease her by saying, “Call me ‘brother’ and I’ll tell you,” but seeing the eager expectation in her dark eyes made him reconsider. Her confidence seemed to have taken a real hit.

The sun was gradually sinking below the treetops.

“This is the worst of times,” he suddenly said, his voice deep and magnetic.

“Live-action CS competitions have developed to a point where if you want to play professionally, talent is essential.”

Lu Manman fell silent, and Yuan Xiu continued, “But it’s also the best of times; talented individuals won’t go unnoticed.”

“But,” he added emphatically, “I still firmly believe that hard work is more important than talent!”

His words resonated powerfully, striking Lu Manman like a hammer on her heart.

Hard work pays off.

Her heart, once cold, felt as if it had been doused with boiling water.

“So, you ask me if W is impressive.” Yuan Xiu looked into the distance, his eyes filled with a deep current of emotion. “Of course she’s impressive.”

Lu Manman looked up in surprise, seeing the unwavering conviction in his gaze, as if he believed in the truth of his words.

“In that era where heroes are born, it wasn’t anyone else, not ABCDEF, but W.”

She was indeed impressive.

Lu Manman lowered her gaze, a smile tugging at her lips. Unexpectedly, he reached out and gently tapped the back of her head.

“Don’t doubt it; my girl is amazing.”