Cheng Yu and Xia Tian initially thought Lu Manman was just speaking casually and didn’t take it seriously. After all, establishing a competitive club is no small task, and certainly not an easy one.

But when Lu Manman handed them the club’s background information and the team member roster, both of them stared at the documents in disbelief. Cheng Yu’s cucumber face mask even fell off.

“Wait, wait, wait, I didn’t catch that—are you serious about forming a professional team?”

Lu Manman was meticulously handwriting a report. “Yes, I’m not joking.”

“The biggest issue—what about the money? The registration capital is a million. Where are you going to get that?”

“I have savings,” Lu Manman said. “I’ve been playing in professional tournaments for so many years. Although most of the funds were managed and invested by my Dad Louis, I still have a small amount of liquid funds that I can access anytime.”

Cheng Yu was speechless: “……………………….”

“You never imagined your roommate was so wealthy, huh?” Xia Tian looked up casually and said, “You should kneel down and call her daddy.”

Cheng Yu, however, maintained that even though she was poor, she was poor with style, and she would never grovel before American capitalists. So when Lu Manman handed over the team member roster, she just glanced at it nonchalantly, ready to sit down and have a proper talk with Lu Manman.

But to her surprise, Xia Tian grabbed the roster, quickly signed her name, and handed it back to Lu Manman with both hands. “From now on, I’m at your service! Whatever you need, just say the word—I’ll follow orders without hesitation!”

Cheng Yu: “……”

She held the document up and looked at Xia Tian. “Why are you so eager? It’s not like you’re going to be playing in the tournaments.”

Xia Tian replied, “As your genuine sister-in-arms, I’m here to help make up the numbers. The team needs at least three members to be established, and since our capitalist daddy here can’t find new members at the moment, I’m stepping in. Once the application is approved, we can figure the rest out.”

“So that’s how it’s done.” Cheng Yu sat down and carefully reviewed the team member information sheet, mumbling, “Lu Manman, have you really thought this through?”

Lu Manman looked at her expectantly.

“This isn’t child’s play. Have you thought about how you’re going to operate the team, attract investment, recruit members, and cover ongoing capital expenses?”

Cheng Yu bombarded Lu Manman with a series of realistic questions. “This isn’t just a few thousand or tens of thousands we’re talking about. You’re investing a million right off the bat. Maybe a million isn’t much to you, but it’s a significant amount to me. I can’t just stand by and watch you charge ahead like a headless chicken, dragging us into this mess.”

She slammed the document on the table. “I can’t sign off on this unless you give me a plan that satisfies me. Otherwise, I’m going to advise you to drop this idea.”

“I’m not messing around,” Lu Manman said. “I’ve been with a professional team for three years, so I’m well aware of how to run one.”

“Just because you’ve watched pigs run doesn’t mean you know what pork tastes like, does it?”

“Pork? What does that have to do with our team?”

Cheng Yu knew Lu Manman wouldn’t understand the underlying meaning, so she decided to be straightforward. “Knowing how a team operates and actually running a successful professional team are two different things.”

“I can hire a manager.”

“That’s going to be another significant expense,” Cheng Yu pointed out. “Good managers are expensive, and the cheap ones aren’t capable.”

“In any case, it’s my money. You don’t need to worry about that.” Lu Manman pushed the form toward Cheng Yu, urging, “All you have to do is sign it!”

Cheng Yu remained stubborn. “You haven’t convinced me yet. I can’t sign.”

“How can I convince you? If you don’t trust me, do you at least trust W? W has played in tournaments for so many years. Is forming a professional team really that unreliable?”

Cheng Yu’s bright eyes glanced at Lu Manman. “From my perspective, W is now driven by revenge and acting like an impulsive kid, thinking that just because they have money, they can throw it around without consequence. Sure, you have two wealthy American dads to back you up, but I don’t, Lu Manman.”

“So what? I’m paying you a salary. It’s not like I’m asking you to join for free. I’ll pay you the same as any professional player.”

Cheng Yu let out a cold laugh. “So this won’t affect me at all. You pay me a salary, and I happily play for you. I’ll earn whatever I can, and even if you end up losing money, I can just walk away. If I make a name for myself, I could even join another team. So this whole thing is all gain and no loss for me, right?”

Lu Manman pressed her lips together, remaining silent.

“You treat me as a friend, but I would be taking advantage of you like a fool. If you really think I’m that kind of person, then our friendship has been for nothing.”

She stood up, firmly slapped the form down in front of Lu Manman, and said with determination, “American, this is my principle: you can throw your money around, but I won’t play along.”

She stormed out, clearly furious.

Xia Tian, snapping back to reality, quietly retrieved her own information form, carefully returned to her seat, and gently drew the curtain closed.

Lu Manman stared at Cheng Yu’s form on the table, sitting there for a long time as she processed what had just been said. After a sigh, she finally took the form away.

---

Due to the argument between Lu Manman and Cheng Yu, the atmosphere in the dormitory had been strange for the past few days. The three of them suddenly became overly polite with each other.

To be precise, only Cheng Yu and Lu Manman were acting this way. Xia Tian, caught in the middle, tried to survive by pretending to be polite as well. However, neither of them had any intention of being polite to Xia Tian, who ended up being their go-between and close confidante, keeping herself quite busy.

“Xia Tian, I’m out of conditioner. Can I borrow yours?”

Cheng Yu’s voice came from the bathroom while Xia Tian was wearing her noise-canceling headphones, listening to Zhou Yan’s new single.

After calling out for a while with no response, Lu Manman got up, grabbed her own shampoo, and placed it on Xia Tian’s desk, nudging her chair with her foot. “Take this to her.”

Xia Tian took off her headphones and pointed at her heated slippers. “It’s inconvenient for me to move right now. Why don’t you take it yourself? And by the way, I’m not your servant. Even a rabbit bites when it’s cornered! How long are you two going to keep this up?”

Lu Manman sighed, picked up the shampoo, and walked to the bathroom door. After hesitating for a moment, she knocked.

The bathroom door opened a crack, and Cheng Yu’s muffled voice came through. “I can’t see anything. Just leave it on the sink.”

Lu Manman thought to herself that it was probably better if Cheng Yu couldn’t see. She pushed the bathroom door open, and a thick mist, fragrant with the scent of body wash, billowed out.

She placed the conditioner on the shelf above the sink, but as she turned to leave, she caught sight of a well-developed, graceful figure bathed in the steamy water. The sight was undeniably seductive.

With her eyes covered in white foam, it was a relief that she couldn’t see Lu Manman’s gaze, which was practically lecherous!

This woman’s body… was insanely good!

Lu Manman quickly retreated, carefully closing the door behind her, her face flushed as she hurried back to her room.

Her heart was still racing.

You could tell she was busty even with clothes on, but without clothes, she looked even bigger! Not only big, but… really beautiful.

Lu Manman glanced down at her own modest chest, feeling utterly defeated. Not as big, not as perky, not as round, and the color didn’t seem as vibrant either.

The more she thought about it, the more disheartened she felt.

Sigh.

Xia Tian, still bobbing her head to the music in her headphones, suddenly looked up and gasped, “Lu Manman, you’ve got a nosebleed!”

Before Lu Manman could react, a drop of blood fell onto the collar of her white nightgown with a splat.

Xia Tian quickly said, “Grab a tissue and pinch your nose!”

Lu Manman fumbled around, hastily pulling out some tissues and pressing them to her nose.

Why is it bleeding again…?

She really was a pervert.

Cheng Yu finished her shower, her long hair wrapped in a dry towel and pinned up behind her head. As she turned around, she saw Lu Manman awkwardly pinching her nose.

She wanted to pretend she hadn’t noticed and just ignore her, but when she passed by, she spotted the pile of blood-stained tissues on the desk.

Idiot!

Lu Manman felt a sudden coolness at the back of her neck. She turned around and saw Cheng Yu placing a damp tissue there.

“Did you eat something spicy?” Cheng Yu’s voice was calm, with a hint of resignation. “When you’re overheated, it can cause nosebleeds.”

Lu Manman shook her head, then quickly nodded.

“Don’t move.”

She obediently stayed still.

Cheng Yu had her sit up straight and gently pinched her small nose with her fingers. The nosebleed, which had come on quickly, stopped just as fast, within a few minutes.

“Alright, no more spicy food from now on.”

Xia Tian chimed in, “I think her nosebleed wasn’t from the spicy food, but from… spicy sights.”

Lu Manman puffed out her cheeks and shot Xia Tian a fierce glare, which made Xia Tian immediately fall silent.

Cheng Yu raised an eyebrow, casually placing the conditioner back on her shelf. “Thanks.”

“Um,” Lu Manman blushed with embarrassment. “It’s no big deal. We’re friends, right? We should help each other out, just like you helped with my nosebleed.”

This was… a gesture of softening and reconciliation.

Cheng Yu nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

As friends, they should support each other. Even if there were issues, it was better to talk things out rather than holding onto grudges.

“So, we…”

Cheng Yu walked over and affectionately ruffled Lu Manman’s hair. “What’s with this ‘you’ and ‘us’ business?”

“Hehe.”

While drying her hair, Cheng Yu casually mentioned, “By the way, your husband texted me about New Year’s Eve. He invited our dorm to celebrate together. I agreed, so we’ll all hang out then.”

Lu Manman’s body tensed up suddenly.

“Oh, okay.”

Two minutes later, Lu Manman pulled down the curtain, took out her phone, and began typing a text message, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

The Indomitable Little Lame Donkey: “I recently learned an idiom.”

Yuan Xiu: “Hmm?”

The Indomitable Little Lame Donkey: “It’s called ‘rain and dew evenly distributed.’”

Yuan Xiu: “……”

The Indomitable Little Lame Donkey: “I thought I was your best female friend.”

Yuan Xiu: “……”

The Indomitable Little Lame Donkey: “About the New Year’s Eve invite, you texted her.”

Yuan Xiu: “……”

The Indomitable Little Lame Donkey: “Is it that you find her chest big and attractive, and you like it?”

Yuan Xiu: “…………………”

The Indomitable Little Lame Donkey: “If you’re someone who judges people by their looks, then we might not be able to be very good friends.”

Yuan Xiu: “[Blood.jpg]”

Two minutes later, Yuan Xiu called, and Lu Manman hurried out to take the call.

“Did you finish talking?”

Lu Manman kept her head down and didn’t respond, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Yuan Xiu’s voice was deep and mellow: “Are you going to explain, or are we just going to have a falling out?”

Lu Manman turned around, leaned her head against the wall, and scratched at the plaster. She whispered, “So explain.”

“In the morning, during my workout, Ren Xiang mentioned inviting your dorm to celebrate New Year’s Eve together. I suspected he had ulterior motives and was trying to set up your roommate, so I disagreed.”

“At noon, while I wasn’t paying attention, he took my phone and sent a message. The unfamiliar number is probably your roommate’s. The message was sent in my tone, asking your roommate to help, saying that Yuan Xiu was too shy to ask Lu Manman directly, so please help organize a group hangout.”

“Your good friend immediately agreed and promised to make sure you came along, which reassured me.”

After hearing Yuan Xiu’s explanation, Lu Manman breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.

“Ren Xiang is really troublesome. If we had any awkwardness, it shouldn’t have needed to go through someone else. We are obviously best friends.”

After she said this, Yuan Xiu didn’t immediately respond. Lu Manman hesitantly asked, “Right? We are best friends, right? Besides your male friends and teammates, am I your number one female friend?”

Yuan Xiu was silent for a moment before replying, “Yes.”

Yuan Xiu confirmed her statement: “But do you care about where you rank among my friends?”

“Of course I care,” Lu Manman said firmly. “Because I also place you very high on my list, I hope I’m not being overly sentimental. I really value our friendship.”

“When I was in high school, I considered my roommate my number one friend. Later, I found out that I was far behind many others in her eyes, including some of her ex-boyfriends who had treated her poorly. It’s not a good feeling to realize you’ve been overly sentimental. So when making friends, it’s not about being the number one, but at least the status in each other’s hearts shouldn’t be too far apart.”

Yuan Xiu listened to her seriously, paused for a moment, and said, “You’re not being overly sentimental.”

“Huh?”

“You’re not being overly sentimental. In my heart, Lu Manman is number one. No one can surpass that.”

Lu Manman blushed deeply: “Oh, well, you’re making me a bit embarrassed all of a sudden.”

Yuan Xiu’s lips curled up in a smile as he casually asked, “What about me? Where do I rank for you?”

“Well, among my male friends, you’re just behind Akko,” Lu Manman replied. “But you’re about to surpass him and become number one, because you always reply to me instantly. Your response time is much faster than his, though it might also be a network speed issue since we’re in the same country.”

Yuan Xiu: ……