Chapter 12, The Rival's Tale, is a Bit Itchy

Gu Qingjia was so angry at Jiang Yue's smug and fearless attitude that she almost laughed.

He said sarcastically, "I really can't, unlike you, you have no bottom line at all~"

Do you have any evidence?

Jiang Yue casually rolled up his sleeves, his voice icy, "I can spread rumors too, but I have morals, unlike you..."

The words were left unsaid, carrying a strange irony.

"Heh." Gu Qingjia watched this guy's performance quietly.

The more he thought about it, the more pointless it seemed. The two of them grew tired of each other, so Gu Qingjia decided to go out and have some fun. As for whether he would come back, he wasn't sure, since he didn't stay in the dormitory for long anyway.

The playground was crowded at this time. Xie Changyu, as usual, turned on his stopwatch and started timing. He was still wearing a red headband on his forehead, and his eyes were clear and sharp as he began to run seriously.

In just a few days, he has made great progress. From being out of breath at the beginning to now running without changing his expression, he can still run two laps with a steady pace, only his chest rises and falls slightly as he breathes.

After finishing the 1500 meters, Xie Changyu met up with Qi Yan and said approvingly, "Not bad, you've improved since last time."

Xie Changyu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He slumped onto the lawn, the sweat on his forehead absorbed by his headband, his face pale. He was happy: "That's good."

He thought that if he continued training at this pace, he wouldn't embarrass himself at the sports meet.

The playground was crowded in the evening. Half of the people were running like him, while the other half were scattered in groups of two or three on various lawns. There were couples who were inseparable, as well as friends and club members who were having activities.

The night was very clear, so clear that Xie Changyu could see the airplanes flashing in the sky and the twinkling stars beside them.

He leaned back, supporting himself with his hands, and looked up at the starry sky, lost in thought.

Qi Yan looked at the person in front of him quietly, his cold and hard facial features softening.

Suddenly, a loud melody caught Xie Changyu's attention. He looked towards the center of the lawn, where a group of people were gathered, seemingly doing something. A boy stood in the center of the group, while the others sat around him.

He grabbed Qi Yan's arm curiously, pointed in that direction, and asked, "Do you know what they're doing?"

Qi Yan hadn't paid attention to these things, but when he heard him say that, he turned his head and saw that he actually recognized someone. He said calmly, "That person is Wen Shu."

Xie Changyu opened his eyes wide in surprise. He stared curiously at the boy in the crowd. From his perspective, the young man's face was as bright as the moon, his temperament was cold, but his slight smile was like the melting of winter snow, as gentle as a spring breeze.

Wen Shu seems to be the person Gu Qingjia and Jiang Yue both like, and the person involved in the explosive love triangle.

She is indeed very good-looking.

He also glanced quickly at Qi Yan. Hmm... Qi Yan was also very handsome, the kind of handsome that was healthy and mature.

Xie Changyu secretly compared the two, and then heard the person next to him continue, "Wen Shu is the student council president, they should be busy with the upcoming New Year's Eve party."

"Isn't the New Year's Eve party still more than a month away?"

Qi Yan looked at him and smiled, "So we should be selecting programs right now."

After learning about the group, Xie Changyu quickly lost his curiosity and interest. He rested for a while before standing up, beaming, "Let's go, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch, I'm starving."

"Okay." Qi Yan nodded, feeling that it was about time.

After returning from a satisfying meal at the cafeteria, Xie Changyu washed up, went to bed, and started playing games with Sui Sui. It was the weekend, so they could stay up all night.

Tonight was another sweet duo queue. Sui Sui used the same excuse as last time. After a while, Xie Changyu understood her intention. It seemed that Sui Sui didn't want any extra people to appear, so he silently cooperated and didn't invite any other game friends to queue for five.

It's almost Saturday again, and Xie Changyu didn't get up until noon.

His eyelids were slightly swollen. He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, hung up the towel, and came out of the bathroom. Then he saw Qi Yan, who was already dressed.

Good morning.

Qi Yan looked at Xie Changyu, who was yawning incessantly, and pointed to the time on his phone, saying, "It's almost afternoon, it's getting late."

"Really?" Xie Changyu's reaction was indifferent, his sleepiness was obvious: "This is my usual routine."

"Did you play video games again last night?"

"Yeah, I've been too busy this week to play much, but I couldn't resist."

As he spoke, he yawned again, rubbed his eyelids, and asked listlessly, "When are we going to your gym?"

Qi Yan looked at the person in front of him who was obviously not in high spirits, clapped his hands and decided, "Let's go at two o'clock. We'll go after we finish eating and digest. Of course, you can go earlier if you want."

Xie Changyu felt completely dazed, as if he couldn't straighten his limbs. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's go after dinner. I'll probably just take a look."

After all, he's a novice and there's not much he can do.

"good."

After the two finished their meal, Xie Changyu changed into casual clothes and then followed Qi Yan to a main road next to the dormitory, where a black Cayenne was parked quietly.

When Xie Changyu sat down, he couldn't help but take a few glances. It was his first time riding in such a luxury car; indeed, it was only for the wealthy.

When he arrived at Qi Yan's residence, he had a real sense of Qi Yan's wealth. The garage was full of luxury cars that he had only seen in magazines, some of which were limited editions.

They followed Qi Yan through the villa's lobby and into the third floor.

He was led to a very large and luxurious gym. Looking at the dazzling array of fitness equipment in front of him, he couldn't help but marvel.

When he saw Qi Yan come out wearing a white tank top, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you usually train here alone?"

Qi Yan swung his arms, revealing well-defined muscles. He looked tall and strong, and seemed quite relaxed at home. He looked at the curious young man in front of him and said, "Yeah, I usually train by myself, and sometimes I go to the gym when I don't have time."

That's true. Xie Changyu thought about how he had just traveled for almost two hours. The school was too far from here, so he definitely couldn't go home on time to exercise every day.

His butt still hurts a little from sitting in the car.

Qi Yan's face was full of arrogance. "I'm going to start practicing now. Do you want to come along, or should I teach you?"

Xie Changyu shook his head. "You practice first, I'll just watch myself."

He was just there to take a look; he didn't have any intention of working out.

"Okay, there are barbells for beginners over there. You can try them out if you're curious."

After saying that, Qi Yan began his fitness plan.

He picked up the dumbbells next to him and started exercising. His strong arms moved up and down, and the veins began to show.

Xie Changyu watched for a while and then found it a bit boring.

He looked at the small dumbbells, then lifted them. Wow, they were heavier than he expected. He estimated they weighed about 20kg, but he still managed to lift them.

After all, he's a 183cm tall guy, how could he be so weak that he can't even lift this? He probably watched some beginner tutorials last night, and after trying to do the movements in those videos, he couldn't hold the position for long before putting it down.

Okay, Xie Changyu admits that he still can't do it.

I'm so tired.

He wasn't discouraged when he couldn't get started, and began to examine each piece of fitness equipment. Finally, he saw a treadmill and his eyes lit up. This was the one that was right for him to train on! He had been training to run recently.

However, he didn't know how to use it, so Xie Changyu simply turned around and called out, "Qi Yan, come and help me quickly!"

The person arrived quickly, still covered in heat and sweat. Qi Yan's white vest was soaked and became transparent with sweat, his chest rose and fell slightly, and sweat slowly flowed down his neck, revealing the distinct cleavage of his pectoral muscles.

Wow, they're huge! How did they get such big pectoral muscles? Xie Changyu thought to himself, wondering what the point of having them so big was.

"What's wrong?"

A deep voice rang out.

Xie Changyu shook his head, clearing his mind of the jumbled thoughts. He pointed to the treadmill and asked earnestly, "How do I turn this on? I want to work out on this."

Qi Yan nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his eyes carrying a strong sense of strategy. "Wait a moment."

He then stepped forward and fiddled with the control panel a few times, before instructing him, "I've set everything up. This is the start button, and this is the stop button. You can operate them yourself."

Thanks!

Xie Changyu patted his shoulder excitedly, but felt a slight tremor beneath him. Thinking he had used too much force, he withdrew his hand, somewhat embarrassed, "Was I too rough?"

Qi Yan's muscles tensed. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the inexplicable impulse, and said in a low voice, "No, it's just a little itchy."

The expression didn't quite match the description of itching; instead of smiling, the face looked even darker.

Does this mean he's too weak? Xie Changyu realized he had overestimated himself. He turned to the treadmill, somewhat pleased, and said, "Then I'll start training. You should go train too."

"…Um."

The two separated. Xie Changyu started using the treadmill, while Qi Yan returned to his seat, lay back down, his chest heaving. His legs trembled slightly.

Two more hours have passed.

Xie Changyu didn't train for that long. He ran for about twenty minutes and then finished. The rest of the time, he either watched Qi Yan train or casually fiddled with the fitness equipment.

"Are you hungry now? If so, I'll ask Uncle Lin to prepare something and bring it over."

Qi Yan wiped the sweat from his face with a towel and asked, "What do you want to eat?" Then he saw the withered-looking young man nod vigorously, his voice pitiful: "I want to eat, I'm so hungry."

After all that exercise, Xie Changyu had long since digested his lunch and was feeling hungry. He sat on the sofa and asked, "Is there anything to eat?"

He's a bit of a picky eater, and he usually eats at the same few windows in the cafeteria. He can eat the same dish for half a semester until he finds a new dish he likes.

Qi Yan clearly knew the person in front of him's habits. He hung the towel around his neck and said in a relaxed tone, "What would you like to eat? I'll have Auntie make it for you."

"Great!" Xie Changyu's eyes lit up. His eyebrows curved into a smile as he held up his finger to order, "I want..."

He ordered several dishes without any hesitation.

Qi Yan chuckled: "Okay, I'll have Auntie do it now. We'll be done after we take a shower."

After working out, you definitely need to take a shower, Xie Changyu nodded in agreement, but then suddenly remembered something, "I didn't bring any clothes."

"It's okay, I have new clothes."

They are similar in height, so they can definitely wear each other's clothes.

"It's getting late now, and it'll be evening by the time we get back to school. Why don't you stay here tonight? We can go back together tomorrow."

A note from the author:

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Who gets the first blood?