Chatting on QQ at night

Shi Teng was considered quite robust and strong among the students, but in front of Chen Xiao, he was completely outmatched; he didn't dare to retaliate after Chen Xiao slapped him.

Chen Xiao couldn't be bothered to waste time on such a person. After giving his warning, he whistled and left the changing room.

The unpleasantness from earlier was also thrown to the back of his mind.

In the swimming pool, a group of boys and girls were having a blast.

Most of the students on campus were good people.

Just like the water polo game currently happening in the pool.

A group of people, none of whom knew each other, were playing with abandon.

They chased and competed with each other, showcasing their swimming skills. Occasionally, there were collisions and struggles for the ball, but they would just smile at each other, and no one took it seriously.

Oddballs like Shi Teng were just individual cases.

Chen Xiao was infected by this youthful and energetic atmosphere and joined in.

His impressive swimming skills immediately stood out among the crowd.

His team's score quickly overtook the other.

Chen Xiao was so engrossed in playing that he didn't notice Tan Cheng, wrapped in a bath towel, quietly watching him from the edge of the pool.

Chen Xiao's perfect physique, elegant muscle lines, and graceful swimming strokes repeatedly refreshed Tan Cheng's perception of him.

Water polo requires frequent bursts of energy, so it's extremelyPhysical Strength-draining. After playing for over an hour, Chen Xiao exited the game.

New students kept joining, and Chen Xiao was considered quite enduring; many people would play for half an hour and then get out to rest.

Chen Xiao swam to the edge, wiped the water from his face, and suddenly saw a pair of fair, delicate feet stop in front of him.

He looked up and saw a pair of straight, fair thighs, and then, higher up, he saw Tan Cheng's exquisite and beautiful face.

"Here."

Tan Cheng handed him a bath towel.

Chen Xiao pressed down with both hands and sat on the edge of the pool.

"Thank you."

He took the bath towel and wiped his hair and body.

Tan Cheng also sat down, like Chen Xiao, with her lower legs in the pool, gently dangling them.

"What a coincidence."

Chen Xiao smiled, "Yeah, it's hot and boring, so the swimming pool is a good place."

Tan Cheng hesitated for a long time, then spoke, "Monday... will you go to the Freshmen Welcome Gala?"

"Freshmen Welcome Gala?"

"Mhm." Tan Cheng's eyes held a hopeful gaze.

Only then did Chen Xiao remember that when he met Tan Cheng at practice last semester, she had mentioned preparing for this year's Freshmen Welcome Gala.

"I'm not going, there are too many people."

"Oh." Tan Cheng was a little disappointed.

In her heart, she was gradually leaning towards Chen Xiao.

It was just that Chen Xiao, for some reason, had stopped actively pursuing her recently.

If only he would say something...

Chen Xiao finished wiping his body, draped the towel over his shoulders, turned his head, and said with a half-smile, "Do you really want me to go?"

Tan Cheng was a little embarrassed. As a beautiful woman, she had always enjoyed being pursued since childhood and had never taken the initiative.

But today, she finally nodded.

Chen Xiao's lips curved slightly, "Why?"

"......" Tan Cheng.

"I......"

Chen Xiao asked, "Do you want to date me?"

Tan Cheng's heart was as twisted as a pretzel, thinking, shouldn't the boy be more proactive in such matters...

But after Chen Xiao asked, he kept staring at her, waiting for Tan Cheng's reply.

"Yes."

Upon receiving this answer, Chen Xiao smiled easily.

"But I think it's better if we start as friends first. If it feels right, then we can talk about the next step."

Tan Cheng was stunned. Wasn't that what she had once said to him?

Chen Xiao smiled, "What's wrong? I'm a relatively conservative person. I take relationships very seriously, so I'll be more cautious."

"......" Tan Cheng.

That line too!

"Okay, I agree to be friends first."

Tan Cheng quickly responded, otherwise, she didn't know what else Chen Xiao would say that she had once said to him.

Chen Xiao smiled, got up from the pool edge, towel draped over his neck, and walked towards the changing room.

Tan Cheng also stood up and followed behind him, then they each entered the men's and women's changing rooms.

At the entrance of the swimming pool,

Chen Xiao came out and saw Tan Cheng under the streetlights.

The soft light slanted down.

It made her features appear even more delicate and three-dimensional, like a dream.

This goddess, who was once unattainable, seemed to show signs of becoming a simp.

Tan Cheng looked at the two burly men following behind Chen Xiao, a little puzzled.

Chen Xiao turned his head and looked, then smiled, "Friends, from the sports department of the neighboring school."

After speaking, he waved his hand behind him. Lei Ting and Lei Yong were startled, returned the gesture, and turned to walk aside.

To Tan Cheng, it looked like friends saying goodbye before parting ways.

In reality, the two merely moved from plain sight to concealment.

Although Shi Zhongfu hadn't emerged yet, Chen Xiao's security level had already increased significantly.

After all, he was a local old hooligan from Jinning with many underhanded tactics, so it was better to be cautious.

It was only because Chen Xiao was willing to spend money on security that a typical well-off family wouldn't dare offend Shi Zhongfu.

The swimming pool was not far from Building 5; the two walked side by side for a few minutes and arrived.

Chen Xiao had no intention of walking Tan Cheng back. "I'm here. See you another day."

Instead, it was Tan Cheng who stood at the entrance of Building 5, waving at Chen Xiao, "Okay, chat on QQ tonight?"

Chen Xiao was momentarily stunned. Tan Cheng's QQ replies to him had never exceeded ten characters in total.

And they were all single characters like 'Mhm,' 'Ah,' 'Okay,' and so on.

"Okay."

After speaking, Chen Xiao returned to his dorm.

Tan Cheng stood there for a while, and only when Chen Xiao's figure was gone did she turn and walk towards Building 6.

What the two of them didn't see was Liu Xing, in the corner downstairs of Building 5, watching the entire scene with a gloomy expression.

Then he returned to his dorm without a word.

Chen Xiao rummaged through the pockets of the clothes he had changed out of in his wardrobe. No matter which pocket he randomly reached into, he could pull out several thousand yuan in cash.

He pulled out a bill and handed it to Xiao Ji, "Go, buy three meals and bring them back. The rest of the money is yours."

Xiao Ji, who hadn't eaten all day, sprang from the sofa, ignoring his game, and ran downstairs in his slippers...

Chen Xiao grabbed two packs of cigarettes and once again kicked open the door to the Class 2 boys' dorm.

After a flurry of commotion, a 4V4 Red Alert game began...

As for the QQ notifications, Tan Cheng's avatar kept flashing, but Chen Xiao directly ignored it. Finally, he got annoyed by the constant flashing and simply logged out.

How could he chat on QQ during such enjoyable gaming time? Was he sick?

Before long, Xiao Ji rushed back, carrying three meals and a few bottles of beer. The game had already started.

"Damn it, why didn't you wait for me?"

Chen Xiao said, "You're better suited for FPS games; Red Alert requires a brain."

"......" Xiao Ji.

"Damn it!"

In the boys' dorm, eight people were shouting excitedly as they played.

Whenever a match ended, they would inevitably go offline to roughhouse a bit before starting the next game.

They played until the lights went out at night, still unwilling to stop. The few of them grumbled as they went out to the connecting corridor, smoking and 'reviewing' the game.

They fully showcased their 'keyboard warrior' skills until a scapegoat was found, then they would collectively target him and annihilate him.

......

The next morning, Chen Xiao returned to the stadium for his morning run after a two-month hiatus.

Everything was as usual, except for Xia Yudie's absence.

Chen Xiao stretched his limbs while complaining, "This girl, once she got me, she got lazy!"

So he pulled out his phone and called her.

It rang for a long time before being answered. Xia Yudie's lazy voice came through, "Hello? Chen Xiao, why are you calling me so early?"

"You haven't gotten up yet, have you?"

"No."

"Still not coming to run with me?"

Xia Yudie rolled her eyes, "Who knows which day you'll run? I'll be right there."

"Mhm."

Chen Xiao hung up the phone with satisfaction. With Lei Ting and Lei Yong following behind him, he started running at a steady pace on the track.

He ran for over a dozen laps and still didn't feel tired. Chen Xiao couldn't help but wonder, 'Is that thing the Half-Immortal gave me really that effective?'

Xia Yudie had already been there for a while.

Chen Xiao slowly reduced his speed, ran to her side, and stopped.

Ignoring her protests, he ruffled Xia Yudie's hair.

Xia Yudie could only tie her long hair into a simple ponytail, then meticulously and carefully wiped the sweat from Chen Xiao's forehead.

Just then, Chen Xiao's phone rang.

He took it out and saw that it was actually his counselor's call...