Inside the private room, Cheng Che and Yan Ruanning stared at each other for a few seconds.
The air was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.
The liquid in her eyes was still there, like water sloshing around the rim of a glass, almost overflowing.
Cheng Che opened his mouth, about to say something, when Yan Ruanning's phone rang.
The atmosphere was abruptly broken.
She glanced down at the screen and frowned. " Xiao Zhou?"
Xiao Zhou knew what she was doing out, and usually wouldn't call her at this time unless something unmanageable happened.
She answered the call and casually switched to speakerphone.
" Sister Ning, something's happened." Xiao Zhou's voice came through the receiver, urgent and rapid. "Someone online dug up photos of you watching Cheng Che's matches, from the preliminaries to the finals, every single one, they even screenshotted them all. It's already trending on Weibo, Cheng Che hashtag is # Yan Ruanning #."
Yan Ruanning was stunned for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Cheng Che.
Both of them took out their phones at the same time.
Cheng Che opened Weibo, and the top trending topic had changed.
Just a moment ago it was " Federer presents award to Cheng Che ", now it's " Yan Ruanning Cheng Che's relationship".
He scrolled down and saw a video clip titled. "The Woman Behind Cheng Che's Final Victory - A Full Record of Yan Ruanning's Multiple Appearances in the Audience."
The screenshots switched rapidly.
In the corner of the stands, wearing a dark hat and a mask, head down, profile shown.
Each image is blurry, but when pieced together, the outline is indeed hers.
Cheng Che read through them one by one.
In the third round of the qualifiers, she...
In the first group stage match of the main tournament, she...
She was in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals.
She was in the semifinals.
She was still there in the finals.
It turns out she had been watching all along.
It started from the qualifiers. Not a single match was missed.
He had absolutely no idea.
Cheng Che looked at the screen, and a smile slowly crept onto his lips.
He wasn't interested in the gossip; he just felt that being quietly noticed was a really nice feeling.
Yan Ruanning was also scrolling through her phone.
She swiped faster than Cheng Che, her expression shifting from tense to relaxed, and finally she breathed a sigh of relief.
"There's no solid evidence," she said. "Just a few blurry screenshots, not even showing our faces. And there's no footage of us entering the restaurant either."
She put down her phone, but a scene suddenly flashed through her mind.
That night, under the locust tree, in the moonlight, with music, two people danced.
Her hand was held in his, her waist was embraced by him, and her steps followed his rhythm.
If we really want to prove they're dating, we probably only have photos from that one night.
Thinking about this, her ears felt a little hot.
The phone rang again; it was Xiao Zhou again.
" Sister Ning, I'm at the restaurant entrance. You can come out now. I need to hurry back; I have to deal with the rumors tonight, and I have a show recording tomorrow. I also need to go over the schedule tonight."
Yan Ruanning looked up at Cheng Che.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Che naturally replied, "Then you should go and handle it first; business is more important."
He spoke frankly and sincerely.
In his view, a career is something that can sustain a person's mood in the long run.
He has two things to keep him busy: reading and playing tennis. He understands that Yan Ruanning also has her own path to walk.
But Yan Ruanning heard this, she gently bit her lip.
"I'm not in a hurry to distance myself."
She misunderstood.
To her, the words "career is more important" sounded like they were pushing her away.
She had just put on the matching shoes, and he had just seen them. Then he said, "Go and deal with it first."
Cheng Che looked at her, stunned for a moment.
He has an IQ of 70, he's not stupid, he still has basic skills like reading people's expressions and moods.
He noticed that Yan Ruanning's expression was off; her lips were pursed, her eyes were downcast, and her fingers were unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.
"There's still a long way to go."
He thought for a moment, then added gently, "Keep in touch if needed. If not, come back to Spring City to visit Old Xu."
Yan Ruanning raised her head.
As soon as she heard the name " Old Xu," she suddenly smiled.
This person.
They were clearly saying "keep in touch," but they insisted on going around in circles, using Old Xu's name.
His words effortlessly dispelled any awkwardness she felt.
"Okay." She stood up, picked up her bag, and said, "I've paid. Finish your meal before you leave."
He then got up and walked towards the door.
After taking three steps, I turned back and glanced at him.
Cheng Che sat in the chair, looking at her.
She took two more steps, then turned back.
Cheng Che was still looking at her, the corners of his mouth already slightly upturned.
As she reached the door, she turned back for the third time.
This time, Cheng Che couldn't help but laugh.
He stood up, walked a few steps to her side, and said, "Alright, I'll see you to the door."
Yan Ruanning gave a soft hum, not refusing, but the tips of her ears were already red.
The two walked out of the private room one after the other.
Xiao Zhou stood at the restaurant entrance, looking down at his phone, his expression anxious and agitated.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up and his gaze swept between the two of them, his anxiety turning into ambiguity.
Her gaze swept between the two of them, then Cheng Che.
Cheng Che pretended not to see it.
Yan Ruanning got into the car, Xiao Zhou started the engine, and the car slowly drove out of the alley.
Cheng Che stood at the door and waved at the car's taillights.
Yan Ruanning leaned out of the car window and glanced back at him.
Cheng Che stood there until the car's taillights disappeared at the alley entrance before turning back.
He returned to the private room and did not waste any food.
Four dishes and a soup, and even the rice was eaten clean.
Then he hailed a car and went back to Qin Lie's house.
As soon as he entered, Qin Lie was sitting on the sofa looking at his phone. When he looked up and saw him, his eyes lit up.
"Your girlfriend is Yan Ruanning?"
Cheng Che's face darkened. "No."
The internet is exploding.
"There's been a lot of controversy online." Cheng Che changed his shoes and hung his coat on the hanger. "We're just good friends."
Qin Lie raised an eyebrow, his expression clearly saying, "I don't believe you for a second."
But he didn't ask any further questions. He simply put down his phone, leaned back on the sofa, and sighed.
"You're going back to Spring City in a couple of days," he said. "I don't know when the next competition is."
Cheng Che glanced at him.
He understood what Qin Lie was thinking.
He's going to Peking University. Once school starts, the workload will be heavy, and his training time will be significantly reduced.
My path in tennis might be over.
An eighteen-year-old boy, with the halo of being a top scorer in the college entrance Zhuangyuan, an admission letter from Peking University, and widespread popularity on the internet, could have easily given up tennis and lived a different life.
"Give me some time to get stronger," Cheng Che said. "I'll go then."
Qin Lie raised his head.
"But by then, you'll have to be my coach."
Qin Lie paused for a moment, then smiled.
He laughed loudly, leaning back on the sofa, as if he had heard something particularly satisfying.
"Okay," he said. "I'll wait for you."
Cheng Che returned to his room and first sent a message to Guo Xin.
Cheng Che: Don't speculate, it's not true.
Guo Xin replied within three seconds of the message being sent.
[ Guo Xin: I don't believe you for a second! I knew something was off about that picture of Yan Ruanning you sent me last time! You wait, I'll settle the score with you later!]
Cheng Che ignored him and threw his phone on the bed.
Then he opened the system panel.
[Host: Cheng Che ]
[Rank: Mid-Rank Incubus ]
[Stamina: 70 (Your physique has reached the competitive level; even an average person running their legs off couldn't catch you)]
[Endurance: 70 (Your endurance surpasses that of most professional players; if you continue training, you'll become a human perpetual motion machine)]
[Charm: 70 (You're walking down the street, and people are already turning around and bumping into lampposts for you)]
[Intelligence: 70 (Your brain is sufficient, but you're still a step away from true top-tier intelligence)]
[Advanced Trials Now Open: High-Rank Incubus Cultivation Plan ]
[Friendly Reminder: Starting with the Mid-Rank Incubus, the daily quest reward has been reduced to 0.1 per attempt. The host will need to complete advancement trials to gain more attribute boosts.]
Cheng Che stared at the number "0.1" for several seconds.
"It dropped straight to 0.1?" he muttered. "That's inhuman."
He paused, then added:
"No, the system is definitely not a person."
He swiped down, and three lines of trial tasks popped up.
[ Charisma Trial: Fame Throughout the World. Ultimate Goal: Win the favor of one million people. Current Progress: 0/1,000,000.]
[ Intelligence Trial: The Ascent of Wisdom. Ultimate Goal: To win a national-level academic award during undergraduate studies. Current Progress: 0/1.]
[ Stamina Trial: All Other Mountains Look Small. Ultimate Goal: Champion one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Current Progress: 0/1.]
[Please note: Each trial contains four stages. Completing each stage will grant additional attribute bonuses.]
Cheng Che almost cursed after reading it.
One million positive impressions. National-level academic awards. Four Grand Slam Champion.
The system is pushing him to his death.
But he remained silent for only three seconds before calming down.
From the first day of system integration until now, which step didn't start from the idea of "impossible"?
I can't even finish a 5km run; my stamina is currently at 70 points.
I couldn't solve derivative problems, but I got a perfect score in math.
Being afraid to talk to people is now the number one trending topic online.
The task is to eat it one bite at a time.
He turned off the control panel, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.
He then reopened the system and accepted the first phase of the three trials.