Chapter 13

Pei Jiyin felt a bit down and let out a sigh.

Cheng Yu glanced at Pei Jiyin several times. “Stop overthinking it. You haven’t even succeeded in pursuing her yet, and who knows, you might lose interest after a while.”

“Can’t you say something nice?” Pei Jiyin retorted.

“I’m trying to comfort you here,” Cheng Yu said.

Pei Jiyin scoffed. “Yeah, right. Like I’d believe that.”

When she entered the activity room that evening, she saw Song Zhen leading some warm-up exercises. Pei Jiyin deliberately walked over to Song Zhen and smiled. “Senior.”

“You’re here?”

“Yeah.” Pei Jiyin nodded.

“Join us for the warm-up.”

“Okay.”

Pei Jiyin nodded again.

Honestly, Song Zhen had heard Pei Jiyin say she was stiff and lacked flexibility, but she never expected it to be this bad.

Standing to the side, Song Zhen watched Pei Jiyin, rubbing her temples before gently pressing down to help her stretch.

“Senior, lighter, lighter!” Pei Jiyin cried out.

Song Zhen: “…”

“Honestly, I’m not even using force.”

“Yes, you are.” Pei Jiyin lay on the floor, taking a deep breath.

Song Zhen chuckled. “Fine, just do your best. I’ll go check on the others.”

“Senior, I think I can push a little more.”

“Overdoing it isn’t good,” Song Zhen shook her head.

Pei Jiyin sighed as she watched Song Zhen walk away.

As it turned out, with so many people around, it was impossible to have a proper conversation with her senior. Still, Song Zhen danced beautifully and was incredibly patient as a teacher.

Pei Jiyin was somewhat of a special case—her movements were noticeably uncoordinated.

Song Zhen stood beside Pei Jiyin, taking a deep breath to stop herself from laughing. How could someone be this amusing?

“Senior, don’t laugh…” Pei Jiyin whispered.

“I’m not laughing,” Song Zhen said.

Pei Jiyin sighed. She had thought this would be a great chance to bond.

Who could’ve predicted this? Who could’ve predicted this!

Her carefully maintained image—gone.

On the way back that night, Pei Jiyin limped behind Song Zhen.

“Did you get hurt?” Song Zhen glanced at her.

Pei Jiyin shook her head. “Just a bit sore. I have soccer practice tomorrow.”

“You’re on the soccer team too?”

“Yeah, forcing myself to exercise.” Pei Jiyin rubbed her neck.

“That’s impressive,” Song Zhen said.

“Not really… I’m not very good at soccer. There’s also the Freshman Cup in November, and I have no idea how I’ll manage.” Pei Jiyin sighed.

“Just do your best. Believe in yourself.”

“Yeah.” Pei Jiyin nodded. She wanted to keep talking, but it was time to go. “Goodbye, Senior.”

“Alright, see you.”

Pei Jiyin looked at Song Zhen again. “Oh, Senior, you’ll be at the library tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.” Song Zhen nodded.

“Then see you tomorrow.” Pei Jiyin waved as she watched Song Zhen leave.

Back home, Pei Jiyin took a shower and climbed into bed. She had planned to play a couple of games, but exhaustion took over, and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Pei Jiyin struggled to get out of bed, but the thought of her promise to meet Song Zhen gave her the push she needed. She arrived at the library earlier than usual, only to freeze when she saw Song Zhen entering with someone else.

Probably her roommate.

What a shame, it wasn’t just the two of them this time.

Song Zhen walked over to Pei Jiyin and sat down opposite her, while the others also took their seats around the table.  

The two exchanged brief greetings, and Song Zhen pulled out a book.  

Pei Jiyin felt like she wouldn’t have anyone to eat lunch with today. She glanced at Song Zhen and sighed.  

Throughout the morning, Pei Jiyin hadn’t managed to talk much with Song Zhen because whenever Song Zhen left, her roommates would follow, making it awkward for Pei Jiyin to tag along.  

Honestly, Pei Jiyin never expected she’d be so thin-skinned. At one point, a guy from another table even passed Song Zhen a note, which only made Pei Jiyin more irritated.  

Though Song Zhen barely glanced at those notes and didn’t respond to any of them.  

Pei Jiyin had received a few notes herself, but she didn’t even want to look at them. Flipping one open casually, she could see the messy handwriting—how could someone have the nerve to pass a note with such careless effort? Way too confident.  

Pei Jiyin crumpled the note and tossed it into the nearby trash can.  

At noon, Song Zhen sent her a message.  

**[Song Zhen: Do you want to join us for lunch?]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: Wouldn’t that be awkward?]**  

**[Song Zhen: My roommates don’t bite.]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: Won’t they mind?]**  

**[Song Zhen: They love eating with pretty girls.]**  

Pei Jiyin smirked.  

The senior thought she was pretty.  

**[Pei Jiyin: Okay, hope I won’t be intruding.]**  

At noon, the five of them left the library together.  

“I’m also in the student council. I spotted you right away during freshman orientation,” one of the roommates said.  

Pei Jiyin smiled. “Oh, really?”  

“Yeah, you were glowing—like, literally,” the girl said before pausing for two seconds and adding, “Seriously, so pretty.”  

Pei Jiyin laughed awkwardly. It was the first time someone had praised her so bluntly to her face—it felt a little embarrassing.  

“Tone it down, don’t scare the junior,” another girl said. “Hi, I’m Qiao Qiao.”  

“Hello,” Pei Jiyin replied.  

“This fangirl is He Miao,” Qiao Qiao introduced. “And that’s Wang Qianqian.”  

“Hello, seniors. I’m Pei Jiyin.”  

They exchanged greetings, officially making their acquaintance.  

“What time are you heading to the soccer field this afternoon?” Song Zhen asked.  

“After resting in the library for a bit at noon, I’ll go straight there. We’re gathering at two,” Pei Jiyin said. “The sun’s so strong today—I’m already regretting it. Just walking a few steps has me sweating.”  

Song Zhen chuckled. “Put on more sunscreen.”  

“Honestly, I don’t tan,” Pei Jiyin said.  

“So jealous,” Wang Qianqian sighed. “Last summer, I took driving lessons and got several shades darker. Still haven’t recovered.”  

“Please, you were never that fair to begin with,” Qiao Qiao remarked.  

Wang Qianqian shot her a glare.  

Since it was so hot, they didn’t go far and just ate at the nearest cafeteria. The five of them took a large table, and Song Zhen sat across from Pei Jiyin.  

Pei Jiyin was slightly surprised—she’d assumed Song Zhen would sit facing her roommates. The two exchanged a glance and smiled.  

Truthfully, Pei Jiyin was too hot to have much of an appetite. After circling around, she settled on a serving of braised chicken rice.

The senior students nearby were chatting about topics Pei Jiyin couldn’t join in on, leaving only Song Zhen sitting with her.

“How long does your soccer team practice until?”

“Until five o’clock.”

“Three hours?” Song Zhen paused in surprise.

Pei Jiyin nodded.

“That’s quite long indeed.” Song Zhen took a sip of soup. “Is your leg still hurting?”

“It feels much better after sleeping, not as uncomfortable anymore.” Pei Jiyin lightly punched her own legs twice. “I hope the soccer team’s training intensity this afternoon won’t be too high.”

Song Zhen fell silent for two seconds, then gave Pei Jiyin a meaningful look.

Pei Jiyin: …

“Senior, you’re making me nervous,” Pei Jiyin said.

“I’ll come watch when you have your soccer matches,” Song Zhen replied.

“Ah…” Pei Jiyin glanced at Song Zhen. “There are several matches in the early stages. If we make it to the semifinals or finals, then you can come watch.”

Song Zhen smiled. “I won’t laugh at you, but if you don’t want me there, I won’t go.”

Pei Jiyin poked at her food a couple of times before looking at Song Zhen again. “If senior isn’t busy, then you can come… I’m mainly worried you might be occupied.”

“Alright,” Song Zhen agreed.

Pei Jiyin sighed. She had originally planned to coast through for the credits, but now it seemed she couldn’t slack off.

In the afternoon, back at the library, Pei Jiyin dozed off on the table for a while, read a bit, and then bid farewell to Song Zhen before leaving. Honestly, she felt a little reluctant to go.

As expected, the afternoon soccer training didn’t disappoint. Under the scorching sun, they first ran two laps around the field, followed by various drills.

Pei Jiyin’s endurance was actually decent, but after all that, she just wanted to collapse on the ground. The others weren’t faring much better either.

Only a few had any real foundation.

Leaning against the railing, Pei Jiyin just wanted to hurry back and shower.

The thought of having to stream later made it even worse. Sometimes, even gaming felt like a chore.

Before she could fully recover, the senior called for another round of training.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

By five o’clock, Pei Jiyin wished someone could just wheel her back. Too tired to take the bus, she hailed a cab and had it drop her off at the entrance of her neighborhood.

Too bad the taxi couldn’t enter the complex.

Back home, Pei Jiyin rested for a bit, took a shower, and to comfort her exhausted body, she bought a big tub of ice cream before starting her stream.

“Hello, everyone.”

[What’s wrong? You sound so drained.]

[Are you feeling unwell?]

“I’m not sick, I just had club training this afternoon. It was exhausting.” Pei Jiyin sighed. “The sun was especially harsh today, so I’m not in the best shape. Let’s start with some viewer 5v5 matches first. I’ll post the link, and you can join. I’ll warm up a bit.”

[Got it.]

[Ready when you are.]

Pei Jiyin created a room and shared the link. It filled up quickly, and she started the match.

The enemy team banned all her usual picks, but she was used to it by now.

“Carry me, everyone. Should I pick Cai Cai or Yao Yao?” Pei Jiyin asked. Her teammates didn’t object.

Pei Jiyin locked in Yao, and the other four teammates picked four supports.

She could only marvel at the lineup.

After exiting, all ten players gathered in the mid-lane. The opposing team of five relentlessly chased Pei Jiyin, while her teammates made no effort to protect her, simply watching the spectacle unfold.

“Anyone would think we had some personal vendetta,” Pei Jiyin sighed.

“I’m already 0-12, just let me be.”

“My heart aches.”

They caamped right outside the fountain. Pei Jiyin propped her chin on her hand, waiting to respawn. In the end, the minions destroyed the Nexus, finally ending this merciless targeting.

“Forget it, no more fan matches. It’s pure psychological torture,” Pei Jiyin muttered as she scrolled through her friend list. “Let me see if any streamers are online for a Ranked Match.”

[No love, absolutely no love.]

[Giving up already?]

[Feels like Sister Yin might cry…]

…

“Cry? Not a chance,” Pei Jiyin declared. “I’ll never cry in this lifetime.”

Pei Jiyin didn’t know many streamers well. She wasn’t big on socializing—she only interacted when the company required it. Usually, at the start of a season, they’d team up for five-stack climbs. But once they reached a certain point, they’d split up to play Peak Matches, occasionally running into each other there.

[Yin Song: Wanna do Ranked?]

[Zhi Zhi: Not playing Peak Match?]

[Yin Song: Taking a break. Too exhausting.]

[Zhi Zhi: Sure. I wasn’t really feeling Peak Match today either.]

Pei Jiyin invited Zhi Zhi into the lobby and started matchmaking.

Once in-game, Zhi Zhi turned on her mic.

“The season’s almost over.”

“Yeah,” Pei Jiyin agreed with a sigh.