PS: Holding out my bowl, begging for monthly votes and recommendation votes!
Chapter 44: Setting a goal
[Xia Shuran: Hey, Senior, my body feels much better now. I'm not as sore as I was this morning. We can practice martial arts together at the field tomorrow afternoon.]
The message went out, but Gu Qing did not reply for a long time.
He was walking back to his dorm, his gaze sweeping his surroundings as he watched for any sign of rats along the way. He had no time to check his phone.
Xia Shuran clutched her phone, every second feeling like a year as she waited for his reply.
Only after nearly ten full minutes did her phone screen finally light up.
[Gu Qing: Okay, same time as usual. See you at the field at four tomorrow afternoon.]
[Xia Shuran: Senior, there's something really important I want to tell you...]
[Gu Qing: What is it? Why so mysterious?]
[Xia Shuran: It's just...]
[Xia Shuran: Um...]
[Xia Shuran: I'm making cookies tomorrow morning. What flavor do you like, Senior? I can make a batch just for you.]
[Gu Qing: Anything works for me. Just make whatever you like.]
[Xia Shuran: I see. Then I'll make a few of each flavor so you can try them all tomorrow and see which tastes best, Senior.]
After sending that last message, Xia Shuran relaxed completely.
For that brief moment just now, she really had worked up the courage to confess her feelings to Gu Qing.
But after wavering over and over, she ultimately had not dared say it.
She was afraid that confessing would make her a clown in everyone else's eyes.
Gu Qing was so handsome. He surely never lacked admirers.
If she spoke up rashly and got rejected, even remaining friends would be difficult. Seeing each other would only be awkward.
Since we can practice martial arts together almost every day anyway, I might as well let things take their course and wait for it to happen naturally.
If spending every day together still doesn't lead to us becoming a couple, that means Senior wasn't interested in me to begin with. Confessing would only humiliate me.
On the other hand, if Senior really does like me, we'll naturally end up together even without me making the first move.
Xia Shuran convinced herself over and over, completely suppressing the urge to confess.
That way, she would avoid making their relationship awkward if her confession failed.
Meanwhile.
Gu Qing had just returned to his dorm. Looking at the messages in the chat window, he could not help wondering:
She said she had something really important to tell me, but after all that hesitation, it was just about making cookies?
Does that make sense?
Could it be... she was actually going to confess to me?
Gu Qing was not dense at all. That possibility occurred to him immediately.
He was very confident in his judgment.
After all, he had been handsome his whole life. Little girls in his class had been showing him affection since kindergarten.
Then, through elementary school, middle school, high school, and university, younger girls, girls in his class, older female students, and even quite a few mature women had expressed their feelings for him.
The number of times women had pursued him totaled at least several hundred, if not a thousand.
With so many examples to learn from, he had practically developed an instinct.
Namely-
He could tell at a glance which women liked him.
And just now, he had clearly read that irrepressible attraction between the lines of Xia Shuran's messages.
Only, in the end, she had forcibly held it back.
Good thing she held back and didn't confess. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know whether to accept or reject her...
Gu Qing quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
He did have feelings for Xia Shuran. He could even say he liked her.
But right now, he was entirely focused on grinding attributes. Every day, his head was filled with thoughts of improving his strength. He really had no energy for dating.
I hope she can figure it out. The best way for a relationship to begin is through mutual attraction, with both people naturally moving toward each other. I just hope she doesn't get carried away and confess...
The next day.
Monday.
Gu Qing began another week of his daily attribute grind.
In the morning, he went to the teaching building for classes and sat with Yang Yuntong, the star student preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, working through practice questions for four hours.
[Learning ability +1] x4 [Total learning ability gained: +62]
After classes, he ate.
He rested for about an hour.
Then he dragged Gao Fei off to play basketball again.
They played for two hours.
[Physical constitution +1] ×2 [Total physical constitution gained: +83]
By the time they finished, it was almost four.
Gu Qing immediately headed to the field to practice martial arts with Xia Shuran.
When he arrived at the field right on time, Xia Shuran was already sitting on the steps waiting for him.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
Gu Qing immediately noticed the heavy dark circles under Xia Shuran's eyes. He walked over and asked after her.
Xia Shuran gave a small yawn.
"A few mosquitoes got inside my mosquito net last night. They kept me up until really late."
In truth, her mind had been too unsettled for her to sleep last night, and she had tossed and turned all night.
One moment, she was thinking about Gu Qing walking a pretty girl back to her dorm last night; the next, she was wondering what their relationship was, and then she was agonizing over the distance between herself and Gu Qing.
The more she thought, the more unsettled she became.
She had only barely managed to fall asleep at nearly three in the morning.
Gu Qing was a little worried. "You look so worn out. Can you still practice martial arts?"
At those words, Xia Shuran instantly perked up a little.
She looked at Gu Qing and said:
"Of course I can. I just didn't sleep well. It's not like I'm too exhausted to move. I've still got plenty of energy."
"Don't push yourself. If you feel unwell later, stop and rest right away. Don't force yourself to keep training with me."
"Don't worry, Senior. I won't push myself."
With that, Xia Shuran picked up the bag beside her feet, took out a snack box, opened it, and held it out to Gu Qing, her eyes curving with her smile.
"Senior, I got up specially this morning to make these cookies. There's barbecue, chocolate, and three fruit flavors: mango, strawberry, and orange. Try them and see which tastes best."
"That many flavors?"
Gu Qing was a little surprised. "That must have taken quite a while, right?"
"About two hours."
"That long?"
"It did take quite a while."
Xia Shuran smiled softly. "I didn't have any classes this morning anyway, so it didn't matter how long it took."
As she spoke, she picked up a chocolate cookie and handed it to Gu Qing, her voice carrying a hint of anticipation.
"Now that you know how much time I spent making these cookies, you'll have to finish every last one. Don't let your junior's efforts go to waste, Senior."
"No problem. I promise I won't leave a single one."
Gu Qing took the cookie Xia Shuran offered and put it in his mouth, savoring it slowly.
After the chocolate one, he tried the barbecue, mango, strawberry, and orange flavors in turn.
Once he had tasted them all.
He gave his answer:
"Personally, I think the chocolate ones taste best."
"What a coincidence."
Xia Shuran's eyes lit up as she smiled. "Chocolate is my favorite too. I didn't expect our tastes to be so similar."
A woman's mouth was full of lies.
She actually preferred strawberry.
She had only deliberately agreed with him so she could have more in common with Gu Qing.
Gu Qing knew nothing of his junior's little scheme.
He finished all the cookies in no time.
Brushing the cookie crumbs off his hands, he said to Xia Shuran:
"Come on. Let's train."
It was Monday afternoon.
His current progress toward obtaining knotted muscles was:
-[83/100]
He needed only seventeen more points of physical constitution to fill it.
He set himself a small goal:
By Tuesday tomorrow at the latest, he would grind out that musclebound powerhouse attribute, knotted muscles.
PS: Holding out my bowl, begging for monthly votes and recommendation votes!
Chapter 45: Training like mad
"Why don't you take a break? You look like your body's about to give out."
"N-no need. I can keep going..."
Xia Shuran's eyes were full of stubborn determination.
Even though she was so tired that her whole body felt weak and she was gasping for breath, she still insisted on continuing to train.
Gu Qing walking another girl back to her dorm last night had gotten to her somewhat.
It had given her a strong sense of crisis.
Now, she wanted to show Gu Qing her worth at every moment.
Before you continue