"You might not know about what happened next. But Zijin definitely does."
Wang Xiaoliang said nothing and waited.
"Before she even started college, Li Lanxiang had already written out her plan. And it wasn't fixed. She kept revising it, changing it whenever necessary. Whenever something new came up, she adjusted it, like she was managing a project."
"Step one: take part in every activity she could. The purpose was spelled out clearly-not to develop her abilities, but to meet people. Teachers, upperclassmen, anyone useful."
"Her volleyball skills weren't of any use for the time being. On the day of the freshman welcome gala, she volunteered to help. Moving chairs, sweeping floors, running errands. Once everything was done and the other students had left, she headed backstage alone."
"There were teachers backstage."
"The reasoning was simple: meeting a teacher in public and meeting one alone were two completely different things."
"She went backstage. She didn't find a teacher. She found Zijin."
Wang Xiaoliang already knew what had happened, which only made him more shocked.
"Zijin was alone backstage. She placed a stack of papers neatly on a table, then left."
"When Li Lanxiang saw Zijin, her first reaction-she wrote it in her notebook."
"'A bit of trouble.'"
"It wasn't jealousy. She specifically noted that it wasn't jealousy. Her words were 'assessment of the competition.'"
"She was clearheaded. She knew Zijin was prettier than her. She scored Zijin in her notebook. Looks, bearing, conversation, clothes, one category at a time. At the end, she wrote a summary: 'This person is taking the same path as me, but has better natural advantages.'"
Ever since he had started listening, Wang Xiaoliang hadn't stopped breaking out in a cold sweat.
"She happened to have a bottle of cola in her hand."
"She poured it straight