Sun Yao wanted to say something more, but was deterred by Li Qiuran's stern gaze.

"You two come here!" Li Qiuran waved her hand, signaling Gao Qinyi and Zhou Chu to come closer to her.

In order to hear her speak, Zhou Chu and Gao Qinyi had to bend over.

He had to bend his bow very low to barely keep up with Li Qiuran.

The scene was like...

It's like the parents are comforting their daughter.

"There's only one way for us to win." Li Qiuran stood on tiptoe to barely wrap her arms around their shoulders, then pressed them down slightly: "Lower yourself a little!"

As the degree of bending over increased, Gao Qinyi and Zhou Chu's faces were forced to get closer and closer.

It feels like it's almost there!

Gao Qinyi, however, seemed oblivious to her surroundings and took another step forward.

This time.

Zhou Chu didn't dare to raise his head at all.

This is completely different from what Gao Qinyi had expected!

Her reason for wanting to take the next step was to give Zhou Chu a chance.

At such close range, she could clearly hear Zhou Chu's breathing and heartbeat.

The sounds of people playing ball outside have completely disappeared.

Along with the sound of playing ball, Li Qiuran's pointing fingers also disappeared.

"Are you two even listening to me?" Li Qiuran slapped them both with both hands at the same time: "You two are together every day, haven't you finished exchanging feelings yet? This is precious break time, so both of you should be serious."

As she spoke, she directly stepped between the two of them.

The seventh inning has ended.

Gao Qinyi's last shot just grazed the edge of the table.

4:3!

As if all her strength had been drained, Gao Qinyi collapsed to the ground.

Who cares if the ground is dirty or not?

Zhou Chu was in a better position than her, as he sat next to her.

"You lie down too!" Gao Qinyi grabbed the ball from the ground and was about to throw it at him.

But he grabbed it by the side.

It's definitely impossible to get hit by the ball twice.

It was a sweet smile radiating happiness.

Is this what it feels like to give it your all?

Surprisingly, Zhou Chu and I cooperated quite well.

"Isn't the ground cold?" Zhou Chu reached out as if to pull her up.

"It's not cold." She picked up her racket, held it in front of her eyes, and assumed a serving stance.

The players on the other side were clearly not as happy as they were.

These competitions are all direct elimination matches; losing a single match means you're out of the game.

There will be one show each in the morning and evening this weekend, and one show each in the morning and evening next Saturday.

This victory means I'll have to play another match this afternoon.

He still needs to go back and write!

Gao Qinyi could also see his mood, and she propped herself up with her hands to sit up.

"I think I heard you mention that weekends are for submitting recommendations." Gao Qinyi pointed to his phone and whispered in his ear, "How are your grades? Did you get any recommendations?"

"Usually, the app is taken out of the station on Friday and recommended on Sunday." Zhou Chu sighed after pointing out this small mistake.

Does it matter?

"It's really not that important." Zhou Chu sighed. "I have bad news and good news. Which do you want to hear?"

"Of course, we want to hear the good news first!"

"The good news is that I joined a few author groups and asked some big names for chapter recommendations."

"And the bad news?"

"Didn't advance, the recommendation was cut off."

"Ah?" Gao Qinyi showed a look of disappointment, but she quickly realized it.

Asking him why he's continuing to read is meant to encourage him!

If even a loyal reader like himself becomes discouraged, wouldn't Zhou Chu, as the author, be very sad?

She smiled again and patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, there are no recommendations this week, but who knows, there might be next week."

Despite her encouragement, Zhou Chu remained silent.

And his expression clearly wasn't that happy.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

This setback is undoubtedly a huge blow.

Although she wasn't involved in the online novel community, she roughly knew that this was similar to the entrance exam for junior high school, where you fail to get into junior high.

It is indeed possible to repeat a grade.

But if I study for another year, I'll be too old, and it's uncertain whether I'll be able to get in next time.

"It's alright." Gao Qinyi forced a bright light into her peach blossom eyes.

I don't know why.

Although Zhou Chu failed, it was even more painful than if I had failed myself.

It's that kind of extreme despair, like your heart is surrounded by seawater, and you can never see the light.

All I could see was disappointment.

"Didn't you ask those big shots for the stamps?" Gao Qinyi held back her urge to cry.

She saw how hard Zhou Chu worked.

If you can't advance despite working so hard, it must be the fault of those who arranged the recommendations!

"Sister Qin, do you know why I like writing books?" Zhou Chu suddenly looked up with a somewhat melancholy smile.

Seeing him like this, Gao Qinyi clearly felt even more reluctant to let him go.

It was as if he were a wild dog covered in wounds, licking his own wounds in solitude.

Gao Qinyi took a deep breath. Although she tried her best to hide it, her voice still carried a faint sob.

"Don't cry." Zhou Chu pinched her nose: "Crying is shameful!"

"Get lost!" Gao Qinyi burst into laughter through her tears and slapped his hand away. "So why do you like writing books?"

“Because I don’t like this real world.” Zhou Chu tilted his head. “The real world isn’t good enough. It’s like when I’m learning English. I’m just not cut out for communicating with people.”

"That's why I like to create a world that belongs only to me, where only those I want can enter."

"What does it feel like to ask someone for a favor? It feels a bit like begging someone, which happens to be the thing I hate most."

"I write books to avoid getting involved in these mundane affairs, but unfortunately, I'm not good enough, and in the end, I still have to rely on such despicable things to gain attention and traffic."

Zhou Chu didn't say anything, as if he were talking about someone else's story or someone else's life journey.

Gao Qinyi couldn't hold back her tears.

I've known Zhou Chu for so many years.

His true nature is always one of solitude; no matter how cheerful he appears, he is still lonely.

Very few people truly understand him.

She was lucky enough to be one of them.

That's why she could empathize with Zhou Chu's words.

"Who said you're not capable enough?" Gao Qinyi wiped her eyes, trying not to let those around her see that she was crying. "I've always believed in Chuchu. Besides, my favorite person is Chuchu, who has always worked hard for her dream."

"Misplaced affection." Zhou Chu waved his hand.

Actually, he had a lot to say.

But the words were forced back down her throat.

It feels like something is stuck in my throat.

"Don't worry about that. You know I'll keep writing anyway." Zhou Chu cleared his throat and patted her head. "The most important thing now is the competition this afternoon!"