45: Running can be fun too.

Shen Qian tilted his head as he looked at Tan Xinxin, thinking to himself,

"If she had a System too, she'd definitely do no worse than me. She understands human nature too well; a naive boy is simply a toy in front of her."

Tan Xinxin responded to his gaze with a kiss.

The two of them returned to school without saying much more. As usual, Shen Qian walked her to the Girls' Dormitory.

They were as intimate as any other couple.

Not long after returning to his dorm, Shen Qian received a message from Qin Lan.

"Junior, want to take a walk on the Sports Field?"

Shen Qian's eyebrows quirked. This Senior was certainly impatient. They had just parted, and she was already asking for a second round—one clearly aimed at him alone.

She likely felt that his action of squeezing her calf during dinner was a hint—a hint that their relationship could progress further.

But, not yet.

This Senior hadn't experienced any major emotional swings yet; she was still rational. He needed to push and pull a bit more.

If he were just after her body, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble. He could just throw some money around. He wouldn't even need a one-million-yuan cashback card; a 200,000-yuan one would be enough to make her surrender herself.

It might not even take 200,000; a bag worth tens of thousands would probably do the trick.

So, he chose not to reply at all.

He'd let her guess what he was thinking. With significant profit at stake, she wouldn't let go easily.

Even if she did let go, he wouldn't be idle. Liu Xinyao was back in the net, and with Du Xixi, Xie Wan, and the long-dormant Xia Mengling, Shen Qian's life was still full.

Early the next morning, Shen Qian got up to run as usual. He reached the Sports Field at 6:20. About three minutes later, a figure arrived at his side at a frantic sprint.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Senior, not bad today. You're four minutes faster than yesterday."

It was already 6:25, only five minutes away.

After yesterday's run, Du Xixi felt terrible. She was exhausted from head to toe, feeling as if her very spirit had been drained.

She had messaged Shen Qian asking for a day's break, saying it would still count toward the month, but he simply didn't reply.

She understood that his silence wasn't consent but a refusal. So, no matter how reluctant she was, she still showed up today.

"You only ran one kilometer yesterday. I've concluded it's because you didn't stretch before running. So today, I'll make an exception and give you ten minutes to stretch."

"Really?!"

The girl's face lit up with joy. Of course, she wasn't happy about stretching itself, but because she could finally take a short break. Rushing over from the dormitory had already taken half her life; without a chance to catch her breath, she'd likely end up like yesterday—half-dead and slumped by the roadside.

"Do you know how to stretch?"

"I do, I do. I've run with Xiao Wan before, and she taught me."

"As long as you know."

Shen Qian said as he began his own stretches.

Stretching, Du Xixi suddenly realized she had accidentally mentioned Xiao Wan. Previously, she had been very unwilling to mention Xie Wan in front of boys.

The reason was simple: once boys saw Xie Wan, any mention of her would quickly shift the focus of the conversation entirely onto her.

But now, even though the boy beside her had previously asked for Xie Wan's contact information, she surprisingly didn't worry about the conversation shifting toward her at all.

Xie Wan was very beautiful, but that had no effect on Shen Qian.

For some reason, thinking of this made her feel much better as she stretched.

But that good mood didn't last long, because while she was stretching, a figure appeared beside her.

"Xixi, I'm here to keep you company."

It was naturally Xie Wan. Perhaps, just as she said, she had come earlier than usual today to accompany Du Xixi.

Shen Qian looked at Xie Wan and thought to himself,

"She's here."

But he didn't move, continuing his own stretching. When he had mentioned the ten minutes, he had specifically shown Du Xixi his watch. The start time was 6:27, and at 6:37, he approached the two of them.

He first glanced at Xie Wan without greeting her, then pointed at his watch for Du Xixi.

"Ten minutes are up. Let's start."

"Oh, okay."

"Xixi, I'll run with you."

Xie Wan said, starting to run along with them.

Du Xixi was in the inner lane, and Shen Qian was running alongside her in the outer lane. This created a dilemma: where should Xie Wan go? Du Xixi was already in the innermost lane, and there were no lanes further in. But if she ran on the outside of Shen Qian, wouldn't it be like she was running with him?

The ideal setup would be Du Xixi in the inner lane, her in the middle, and Shen Qian in the outermost lane.

But was that possible?

Impossible. Shen Qian wouldn't let that happen.

Thus, a scene unfolded on the Sports Field: Shen Qian and Du Xixi ran in front, while Xie Wan ran in the outermost lane.

After one kilometer.

Du Xixi was once again out of breath, though today was better than yesterday; she didn't collapse but could still manage to walk.

As for Shen Qian? He showed no intention of slowing down.

"Even if you have to walk, you're going to finish three kilometers today. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

He left after dropping that harsh warning. Du Xixi felt wronged, but not as much as yesterday. After realizing Shen Qian was just that kind of person, she seemed to have accepted his attitude.

"Xixi, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just that there are two kilometers left. That damn guy—would it kill him to be a little flexible?!"

"How about I go talk to him and run the remaining two kilometers for you?"

"It's no use. He only recognizes me. Didn't you say you'd take my place yesterday? Did you see him agree?"

As she said this, Du Xixi might not have realized that a small sense of smugness was spreading in her heart.

Since she arrived at university and became Xie Wan's roommate, almost everyone's eyes—regardless of gender—had been on Xie Wan. She was clearly good-looking too, and she clearly wanted attention as well.

But she knew Xie Wan was too beautiful—so beautiful that just looking at her made one realize how overconfident they were being. Moreover, the girl wasn't just pretty; she had a great personality, with almost no flaws in her character.

So, the more jealous she felt, the more she restrained herself. Because the girl was truly wonderful, envying someone so good would make her own heart seem ugly.

But jealousy is human nature. The more she suppressed it, the deeper the seeds of envy took root. Once they sprouted one day, they would grow into a towering tree.

After walking a lap, Du Xixi felt her strength return slightly. When Shen Qian passed by, she followed and started running again. Although she stopped before going very far, she still felt a bit happy.