High Steps Across the Clouds (4)
Although Shi Yu said she would only run one lap, she didn't leave in the end. Perhaps it was because her clothes were already covered in sand, so she didn't care about sweating a little more.
Although it's just repetitive running, it's still difficult to keep going for twenty laps. The white sand underfoot is soft and sinks in when you step on it, and if you run fast, it will stir up dust, and the whole training ground is filled with a suffocating smell of dust and dirt.
Ahead of her were several students who looked exceptionally robust. Shu Ningmiao pursed her lips into a thin line, and by the time she reached the last lap, her vision was blurry and her steps were unusually heavy.
Shi Yu followed slowly behind her, already two or three laps behind.
Yelü Qi stood in the center of the training ground, glaring at them with exasperation: "Too slow! You might as well just walk!"
Shi Yu immediately switched from running to walking, his gait becoming elegant. Yelü Qi's gaze felt like a thorn in his back, and Shu Ningmiao even wanted to kick him.
She finished the twenty laps in two hours and forty-five minutes. As soon as she crossed the finish line, her pace slowed down, her back hunched over, and she finally collapsed to her knees.
Her chest and back ached, and she had some difficulty breathing. Her loose hair obscured her vision. Shu Ningmiao smoothed her hair and realized that her hair and back were soaked with sweat.
She was the third person to finish. The first student to cross the finish line was very tall, wearing a vest, with well-proportioned muscles, and his uniform jacket was loosely wrapped around his waist. He looked like a track and field athlete who had just come off the track. He put his hands on his hips and did not look tired at all.
Seeing her kneeling on the ground, the boy was stunned for a moment, then ran over and squatted down in front of her: "Are you alright? You can't stop and rest right after running. Can you still move? Do you want me to help you walk a little further?"
Shu Ningmiao slowly raised her hand to indicate that she was alright, gritted her teeth and stood up, patting the dust off her skirt.
Her legs were so sore, and her stomach was aching. Just standing up was exhausting, and every step she took felt like a battle.
Despite the aches and pains in her body, she gave the person in front of her an impeccable smile and politely declined his offer of help: "Thank you."
"That's impressive." The boy scratched his head. "You don't look like someone who exercises regularly."
Shu Ningmiao took a few steps forward with difficulty, too exhausted to continue. The boy thought for a moment, then turned around and handed her a bottle of water: "I thought you might need it after the run, so I just bought it from the vending machine outside the training field."
Shu Ningmiao slowly raised her head, her face flushed with the shock of the exercise. This person not only ran 20km so quickly, but also had the energy to buy water outside the training field.
Moreover—they're being a bit too enthusiastic; although they're classmates, they don't even know each other's names.
The water was handed to her, and since she didn't like to embarrass others in public, she could only thank them.
Before they could even reach out, a slender, fair hand gracefully stepped between them and took the water.
Shi Yu stood next to her, took the water the boy handed her, and smiled, tilting her head: "Thank you."
The boy paused for a moment, his gaze shifting between them. Hearing soft panting behind him, he turned around and saw Erice almost tripping.
She finished running a little earlier than Shi Yu, but her face was flushed and she looked unwell. The boy saw this and quickly ran over to support her.
"It's nothing... thank you." Erice looked up, somewhat bewildered: "Who are you?"
"Ah, my name is You An." The boy supported her with one hand and scratched his stiff red hair with the other. His movements were cheerful, yet he seemed a little shy. Every gesture of his exuded a sunny and youthful charm.
Shu Ningmiao was not far away and heard their conversation clearly. Only then did she remember to observe the boy's face.
After confirming that there were no defects in his facial features, she seemed to sense something and took out the terminal.
Sure enough, things changed in the game. She clicked on the character's page, and the fourth blank page was unlocked. The name on it was the boy in front of her, You An.
She had never heard of the name Yuan before, so she guessed that he probably didn't attend school in Cornunos or that his family wasn't particularly prominent.
Looking at You An's favorability rating towards the protagonist, it's only 20, and that's only after their first meeting.
Either he fell in love with Erice's face at first sight, or he was just very lenient with his overall likability.
Shu Ningmiao glanced at Shi Yu as she thought of this.
On the 20km journey, Shi Yu had run half and walked half. He was in much better shape than her, and hadn't even broken a sweat. There were about five or six people behind him who hadn't finished running yet, and he was right in the middle. It was hard to believe that he wasn't doing it on purpose.
If Shi Yu's level of affection for her were to be visualized, how much would it be?
Shu Ning thought for a moment and concluded that it probably wouldn't exceed 21, and of course, she was too.
Their "friendship" is like a plastic flower—beautiful, eternal, but worthless.
Beauty comes from mutual understanding, preventing each other from feeling embarrassed; eternity comes from the enduring nature of mutual interests.
When she first met Shi Yu, she had no liking for each other. They were the same kind of people—self-centered and arrogant egoists who only cared about themselves.
However, because of this, they easily understand each other's thoughts and are more like partners than companions.
Because they knew very well that the other person wouldn't like them, they were able to coexist peacefully as a "couple" for two years.
According to Pinheid's inheritance law, an estate of more than 100 million cin requires a two-year transition period after adulthood before it can be gradually taken over. Personal engagement or marriage can greatly reduce the transition period. In addition, with the legal team provided by Shi Yu, this time can be reduced to 0 through various means.
Shu Ningmiao needs a smart fiancé with no conflict of interest, while Shi Yu needs a "generous and suitable" fiancée like her to appease his elders.
Of course, they can't get married; being engaged maximizes their benefits, and that's enough.
In a few years, once everything has settled down, they will find any excuse to "break up peacefully".
This is also why Shu Ningmiao never doubted that her "death ending" was related to Shi Yu as one of the male protagonists.
If she were truly a villain, the conflict between her and the protagonist would definitely not be over something like stealing a man.
It's believable that Erici's talent exploded, allowing her to consistently outperform Erici in every exam, leading to Erici's descent into darkness.
Fortunately, the second day of physical training did not require attending classes at Xian Guang. Otherwise, after running 20km for several consecutive days, even Shu Ningmiao would have wanted to give up on achieving the 40 points needed to go from qualified to excellent.
Apart from Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, they can freely take elective courses at the Cornunos main campus. If they don't want to attend classes, they can also engage in free activities, but their grades will be reduced accordingly. Students who want to improve their ranking will at least select four classes a day.
Shu Ning's selections included popular topics from Cornunos such as fencing, drama appreciation, and the languages of Mondan and Pingyi.
She chose these two less commonly taught languages not because she was interested in these two tiny countries that were thousands of miles away from Pigne on the map, but because she had already completed all the available linguistics credits during her pre-university studies, such as Old Pigne.
Shi Yu sent her his course selection form on the terminal. He only selected two courses: classical music appreciation and modern music appreciation. As expected, he would spend all day in the music classroom.
Shu Ningmiao realized that this was the prerequisite for him and the protagonist to meet in the music classroom on a rainy day.
This guy spends all his time in the music room; it's hard to avoid running into him.
The music classroom was located in a teaching building next to the String Light Academy, but it was far from where she took her elective courses, and she probably wouldn't run into it again. Shu Ningmiao quickly put the matter out of her mind.
The Cornunos campus is too big, and the String Light Academy is located in the very center of the campus. It takes more than ten minutes to get from the school gate to the academy. For convenience, Shu Ningmiao did not apply for off-campus accommodation. Anyway, she lived alone both on and off campus. She was particular about food and accommodation, but not to the point of being nitpicky.
The dormitories on campus are not large, but compared to the decoration of an ordinary family home, they are quite exquisite, with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room, and they are provided free of charge.
At least when Erice lay on the soft, clean, brand-new bedding, he was so comfortable that he almost cried.
The orphanage mothers were kind to each of them, but all they could do was offer a not-too-cold blanket and some old clothes to cover their bodies.
Eric has never owned anything entirely new or of his own.
The door wasn't closed, and the sound of a handle turning came from across the hall. Erice excitedly sat up in bed, eager to see who his classmate across the hall was.
Linlu, a friend she had just made, told her that she had applied to be a day student and couldn't live in the dormitory with her, which made her a little disappointed.
However, after encountering several kind people who showed goodwill, she began to have a little more hope.
Eric peeked out from the doorway and immediately saw the composed figure across the hall. Her smooth black hair cascaded down her back, falling beside her face. The clear sunlight shone through the window of the hallway onto her face, and the red of the setting sun, like the traces of fine frost powder, spread across her fair skin. For a moment, it seemed as if all the light was focused on her.
The girl's shadow was faintly cast on the ground. Turning around at the noise behind him, he saw her peeking out and immediately gave her a distasteful look that was neither a smile nor a frown.
It was her!
Erice was taken aback, and an undisguised strange expression appeared on her face. She had seen Su Ni being bullied by her with her own eyes, but according to what Lin Lu said, she should also be a victim—no, even if she was a victim, she shouldn't treat her own brother like that.
...Moreover, Shu Ningmiao is indeed very arrogant and doesn't seem easy to get along with. She is completely different from the approachable Lin Lu, Su Ni, and even Shi Yu.
A mix of complex emotions overwhelmed Ai Ruiji, leaving her momentarily unsure how to react. Shu Ningmiao, however, had already looked away and decisively closed her door.
I never even thought of greeting her.
Eric clenched his small fist and slammed the door shut.
Shu Ningmiao had no idea about the protagonist's complicated inner struggles. Although she knew that Erice was the female lead of the game, she didn't think it was something she needed to pay special attention to or befriend. She had her own life to live.
Having finally washed away her fatigue, she stepped out of the bathroom in her nightgown, intending to send a text message to the housekeeper who stayed at her house to bring her clothes. However, when she picked up her phone, she found the screen filled with missed call and text message notifications.
The phone call was from her dear father, who was there to interrogate her. The text messages were also full of heartbroken rebukes after he discovered that no one was answering.
Shu Ningmiao had no interest in even opening it. She skillfully swiped away the numerous notifications at the top, which were already folded up, and found a lone text message at the very bottom with no note.
03: How was school today? Did anyone bully you?
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