Emotional Enlightenment Mentor

"Still laughing? Get up already."

Liu Bo grabbed Ji Bo and pulled him to his feet, then turned to Meng Qianyu, who was laughing uncontrollably, and said helplessly, "Qianyu, maybe I should carry him instead. This guy’s useless—I can barely lift him."

"Fine, fine, you carry him then."

"Exactly, that makes it easier."

"Here, let your big bro show you how it's done."

With that, Liu Bo effortlessly scooped up Ji Bo, who was noticeably slimmer than him.

"This is so embarrassing, bro!" Ji Bo giggled, nestling into Liu Bo’s arms like a delicate bird.

"Embarrassing my foot—shut up."

"Alright, here we go." Liu Bo proceeded to easily complete twenty squats while holding Ji Bo.

By the time they finished, everyone else had stopped laughing. Su Yang gave Liu Bo a thumbs-up. "Not bad. You might be chubby, but you’ve got some serious strength."

"Finally, someone who gets me—just you and Brother Meng!" Liu Bo chuckled as he set Ji Bo down.

Ye Wan wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and stepped forward. "Alright, let’s keep going. Who’s up for round two?"

Shen Yixue raised her hand. "I’ll go!"

"Great. Yixue’s second. Who’s facing her?"

After a brief pause, Lu Yun stepped out from Meng Qianyu’s group with a smile. "I’ll take her on."

"Deal."

The two girls sat facing each other, pulled out their phones, and opened an app to join an online room.

Shen Yixue asked, "Lu Yun, want to pick a category?"

"Sure. How about modern actors? We’re both familiar with that."

"Sounds good~"

They quickly agreed and tapped their screens, holding their phones against their foreheads.

Two names popped up: Shen Yixue’s was Yang Mi, while Lu Yun’s was Aoi Sora.

Seeing the name on Lu Yun’s phone, Shen Yixue’s cheeks flushed slightly—clearly, she recognized it.

The guys, however, burst into excited grins.

"Ohhh, Lu Yun, that’s a good one!"

"Game over. No way she guesses this."

"But Yixue seems to know who it is. Heh heh."

Lu Yun frowned in confusion. "What’s so exciting about this person?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just start already."

Shaking her head, Lu Yun turned back to Shen Yixue. "Yixue, you ask first or me?"

"Me. We lost last time."

"Fine, go ahead."

Shen Yixue thought for a moment. "Is mine male or female?"

"Female. A total bombshell."

"Oh? Really? Your turn."

Lu Yun tapped her chin. "Same question—male or female?"

"Female. Also gorgeous. My turn—is mine super famous?"

"Very. Lots of iconic roles. Is mine from China or abroad?"

"Abroad. Japanese."

"Japanese? Oh no, I barely know any Japanese actresses!"

"You definitely know her. She’s got plenty of famous works too."

"Really? Like, household-name famous?"

Shen Yixue nodded. "Extremely famous~."

Lu Yun muttered, "A super famous Japanese actress… Yamaguchi Shiho!!"

Shen Yixue giggled. "Nope~ She’s not in ‘serious’ films."

"Huh? Then I’ve got no clue. Fine, ask me next."

Shen Yixue smiled. "Okay, is mine born in the 80s or 90s?"

Lu Yun pondered. "Probably 80s."

"Then I think I know. Super famous, iconic roles, stunning… Liu Yifei?"

Lu Yun grinned. "Nope~ Mine’s… ugh, I don’t even know how to ask about Japanese actresses. I don’t watch many of their movies."

Zhang Ziming chimed in with a smirk, "Let me drop a hint: she’s a legendary Japanese actress in ahem adult romance films. Basically, the emotional awakening for countless young men."

Lu Yun stared blankly. "Seriously? Adult romance films? I don’t watch those!"

Zhang Ziming sighed. "I spelled it out and you still don’t get it? Then I give up."

"Wait, whose side are you on?" Liu Bo shot him a glare.

"Relax, she wouldn’t know even if I told her."

Shen Yixue stifled a laugh and asked, "Has mine been married?"

"Yes, but divorced."

"HA! Got it!!" Shen Yixue burst out laughing. "Yang Mi, right?"

Lu Yun groaned. "Yours was way too easy. What even is mine?"

She pulled her phone down and glanced at the screen—first confused, then flushed crimson.

"Eek!! This is—"

"HAHA! So you have seen Teacher Aoi’s work, huh?" Zhang Ziming cackled.

Lu Yun ducked behind Tang Ziyun, hiding her face. "I haven’t! I’ve just… heard things~"

"Sure, sure. Denial is just confirmation."

Ye Wan cut in, laughing. "Enough teasing her." She turned to Meng Qianyu. "You lost. Drink up!"

"Fine." Meng Qianyu grabbed beers from the table and handed them out.

Su Yang took his bottle and downed it effortlessly.

"Ugh, drinking isn’t even a punishment for him," Liu Bo grumbled.

Once the five finished, Ye Wan announced, "Now I’ll pick who does squats for your team."

"Bring it~" Meng Qianyu shrugged.

Ye Wan’s gaze lingered on Su Yang, a sly smile forming. "You. You’re the only guy on your team—time to contribute."

Su Yang pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Yep."

"Alright. Who’s my partner?"

Ye Wan scanned Pan Ning, Lu Yun, and Tang Ziyun before settling on Meng Qianyu.

"Qianyu."

Meng Qianyu stood up with a grin. "No problem!! Su Yang, do your best~"

Su Yang kept a straight face but inwardly cheered: ‘Ye Wan, you absolute legend. This is perfect.’

He stood and nodded at Meng Qianyu. "No trouble at all. Carrying you’ll be a breeze. Let’s go."

As they moved to the center, Zhang Ziming, Liu Bo, and Ji Bo glared at Su Yang with envy.

Zhang Ziming clenched his teeth. "You lucky bastard!!"

Liu Bo sighed dramatically. "Why do I get stuck carrying Ji Bo, while he gets Qianyu? Life’s so unfair."

Meng Wenzhou chuckled. "Man, my two sisters—"

"Your two sisters what?" Ji Bo blinked.

"Uh… never mind."

Meanwhile, Su Yang smiled at Meng Qianyu. "Ready?"

"Ready~"

"Alright," he said, turning slightly as he bent down. His left arm wrapped around Meng Qianyu's smooth, delicate calf while his right encircled her shoulders. With a slight exertion, he lifted her into a princess carry.

Meng Qianyu nestled shyly against Su Yang's chest, her body trembling faintly.

Watching from three meters away, Lu Yun and Tang Ziyun's expressions shifted subtly, unable to hide their flicker of jealousy.

Pan Ning, however, remained expressionless—in her mind, Meng Qianyu was nothing more than a lesbian.

Su Yang turned to face the group, still holding Meng Qianyu. "Watch closely now, here we go."

He slowly lowered into a squat, then rose again, repeating the motion deliberately.

Liu Bo called out, "Come on, Yang, speed it up a little!"

Su Yang shot him a glare. "I'm doing a proper squat. Carrying someone isn't exactly effortless—I’ve got to take it slow."

"Sure, sure. The guy who once dragged a bear can’t handle holding a girl now..."

...