Today's Meal at the Kyudo Club

Friday

Early morning.

When Su Cheng opened his eyes, he instinctively glanced at the clock before flipping over and jumping out of bed.

Every day demands full energy!

After dinner yesterday, Li Guanqi had gone home.

The group chat had still ignored him yesterday.

But it didn’t matter.

This afternoon’s open lecture would seat everyone together—he’d teach those three girls a lesson and remind them of the group admin’s authority!

And today, there was something even more important.

The so-called "surprise" for Li Guanqi.

This trip to the amusement park.

He was determined to leave everyone satisfied.

With unforgettable, everlasting memories!

That was his top priority now.

After washing up, Su Cheng walked to the living room and opened the shoebox Li Guanqi had given him yesterday, pulling out the pair of shoes inside.

"Wow~ New shoes~"

The moment Su Cheng slipped them on, he couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. He took a few experimental steps, spinning in place, relishing the comfort under his feet. It felt amazing.

These were even more comfortable than regular school shoes—no awkwardness at all, just pure perfection.

Next, he opened the fridge.

It was completely packed.

Yesterday, his dear Guanqi had bought loads of bread, sandwiches, fruit, milk, nuts, snacks, and even tea drinks.

Enough for both him and Yaya.

He transferred everything into his system space.

Because the fridge couldn’t compete with his system’s storage.

After quickly feeding Yaya, he sat at the table, enjoying his lovingly prepared breakfast while turning on the TV for the morning news.

Then—his foot tingled, a sudden electric numbness, followed by an unbearable itch. He gripped the table, forcing himself to endure the sensation.

Still set to frequency 20!

"This is way too much!" Su Cheng knew Li Guanqi must’ve pressed the shoe’s remote.

But the problem was—his place was at least 30 kilometers away from hers!

Anyone else would think these shoes were some kind of system-level black tech!

Luckily, the vibrations stopped soon after.

Su Cheng sighed in relief, pulling out his phone and opening Li Guanqi’s chat.

[OrangeHater: "The range on this thing is insane!?"]

[Li Guanqi: "I’m at your door."]

Reading that, Su Cheng froze for a second before rushing to the entrance.

The door swung open.

A beautiful girl with long, straight black hair stood outside, her expression blank as she glanced at Su Cheng’s new shoes.

"You have a key, don’t you?" Su Cheng asked.

"Wanted to test the effect," Li Guanqi replied flatly, raising her hand to reveal a small remote-like button. She held it out to him. "Try pressing it."

"Hard pass. That itch was torture."

Su Cheng stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in.

"Fine. I’ll lower the intensity next time."

As she spoke, Li Guanqi slipped off her shoes, revealing petite feet wrapped in black stockings. If one looked closely, they could even see the faint pink of her toes through the sheer fabric.

She glanced up, then placed her slippers from the shoe rack onto the floor, sliding into them effortlessly before stepping inside.

"I brought clothes for Yaya."

Before Su Cheng could even ask, Li Guanqi walked straight to the balcony where Yaya was perched and waved.

"Caw—"

Yaya, who had been eating, immediately took flight and landed on Li Guanqi’s shoulder.

"Finish your meal first."

Li Guanqi glanced at the half-eaten food on the table before reaching into her bag and pulling out a tiny red knitted sweater.

"Did you eat already?" Su Cheng asked.

"Yeah."

Su Cheng sat back down, continuing his breakfast while watching Li Guanqi dress Yaya in the sweater.

"I’m heading to school now."

Once done, Li Guanqi stood, slung her bag over her shoulder, and turned to leave.

Su Cheng watched her back, suddenly feeling a little sour. "So you really just came to dress her up?"

"Mm."

Without stopping, Li Guanqi walked straight out the door.

Su Cheng pouted, a pang of disappointment hitting him.

He wanted Li Guanqi to dress him too.

Or maybe he could dress her instead.

Heh…

But soon, that familiar tingling returned to his feet—though gentler this time—and his mood instantly lifted.

Because this proved she was thinking about him!

……………………………………

Riding his beloved bicycle to school, Su Cheng pushed it while scanning the crowd of passing students, his mood slightly gloomy.

He still hadn’t figured out the so-called "surprise."

"Su Cheng, you’re ten minutes later than usual today."

Hoshino Mirai appeared beside him, wearing her trademark Disciplinary Committee smile. "And you seem down. Did someone upset you?"

"Nah."

Su Cheng shook his head, then figured an outside opinion might help. "Just stuck on something."

"What is it?" Mirai asked curiously.

After a pause, Su Cheng said, "How do I surprise someone who absolutely loves sweets?"

"Sweets and a surprise?" Mirai frowned for a few seconds before suddenly laughing. "There are tons of ways! Like… making a heartfelt cake yourself—"

Before she could finish, another Disciplinary Committee member called out from behind, "Mirai-senpai!"

Both turned to see a first-year member jogging toward them—only to freeze when she noticed her senior talking to the school’s most renowned figure.

By now, Su Cheng was practically a household name.

Flustered, she skidded to a stop. "Good morning, Su Cheng. Good morning, Mirai-senpai."

"Morning," Su Cheng replied politely.

"Since you two are busy, I won’t disturb you."

With that, she turned and hurried off.

Su Cheng, however, was intrigued by Mirai’s cake idea.

But the problem was—he had zero experience making high-end desserts, and his home lacked the necessary tools.

A single day wasn’t enough.

"But I only have today. Classes take up most of it—no time to prepare."

Mirai blinked, then shook her head. "Aren’t you in the Practice Department? I remember your club president once taught our class how to bake a cake in the cooking room. You could ask her for help."

……………………

All morning during class, Su Cheng kept thinking—

Should he really ask Gu Ruoxue for help?

But doing that felt… off.

Making a cake with one "female friend" to gift another "female friend"—the sheer impropriety of it made his head spin.

The problem was, if he asked Gu Ruoxue to help make a cake together during the club activity, she would undoubtedly refuse.

"But what if I frame it as a request?"

Seated in his spot, Su Cheng crossed his arms, resting his chin on his hands with a deeply furrowed brow, lost in thought.

"Ding ling ling~"

The morning classes came to an end.

It was worth mentioning that Li Guanqi didn’t indulge in any mischievous antics like shaking the classroom.

He pulled out his phone and opened the four-person group chat. Seeing that the conversation had stalled on his own erratic messages from the past few days, he hesitated for a long moment before finally deciding to send a new one.

[OrangeHater: "@Gu Ruoxue, I won’t be attending the club activity this afternoon."]

As for why he didn’t send it privately—or just tell her face-to-face during the afternoon lecture—but chose to announce it in the group?

Purely because he wanted someone, anyone, to acknowledge him in the chat. And now that he had this excuse, he wasn’t about to let it slip away.

After sending the message, he headed straight for the Archery Club.

Meanwhile.

Li Guanqi, Xuan Ying, and Zhao Yan walked together toward the cafeteria, the trio looking like the best of friends.

Suddenly, Li Guanqi felt her phone vibrate. After glancing at the other two, she quickly pulled it out to check the message. After a brief moment of contemplation, she stuffed it back into her pocket.

"Have you noticed Su Cheng today?" Xuan Ying suddenly spoke up, her voice laced with concern. "It’s like he’s been preoccupied with something all morning."

Zhao Yan blinked in surprise before nodding. "Not just today. Ever since he came back on Wednesday, he’s seemed really troubled."

"Yeah," Xuan Ying sighed. "It’s painful just watching him."

"Ah…" Zhao Yan exhaled softly.

Clearly, both girls wanted to help Su Cheng but had no idea where to start, hence their gloomy expressions.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi remained silent, blending into the background as she kept pace with them, her expression unreadable.

"Did you go to the library yesterday?" Zhao Yan suddenly asked, as if remembering something.

At this, Xuan Ying’s face immediately twisted into an odd expression, and she lowered her head without answering. Obviously, she had gone to see "Sister Qin."

"What did you ask Sister Qin for this time?" Zhao Yan asked worriedly. "She’s always happy to help us, and she’s really kind to us, but… she can be a bit extreme. She always resorts to radical methods."

"It wasn’t anything extreme…" Xuan Ying shook her head, explaining, "I went to ask her about the figurine situation…"

"So, what did she say?"

"She said that if I get close to Cornelia, then given Cornelia’s personality, she’d be more than happy to share the figurine with me…"

Xuan Ying bit her lip, as if struggling to say it out loud.

Hearing this, the other two fell silent for a long moment.

It was clear—Xuan Ying really did love Su Cheng’s figurine.

Even Li Guanqi couldn’t help but marvel at Cornelia’s luck. She had actually managed to meet Su Cheng’s sister.

And received an extraordinary reward for it.

She hadn’t been that fortunate.

Finally, Zhao Yan sighed and continued, "So, are you planning to go again today?"

"Yeah. And I’ll ask Sister Qin how I can help Su Cheng too."

"In that case, I’ll go with you this afternoon."

Watching this unfold, Li Guanqi knew another task was coming her way.

………………………………

Archery Club

Ji Qingyi sat elegantly at the dining table, her gaze fixed on Su Cheng, who was eating across from her.

Meanwhile, Su Cheng was devouring his meal with gusto, completely oblivious to Ji Qingyi’s scrutinizing stare.

After a long silence, Ji Qingyi set down her chopsticks and spoke leisurely, "You seem restless. Is something bothering you?"

She had also seen the message in the group chat earlier.

At first, she thought Su Cheng was skipping the Practice Department to attend a Go lesson in the afternoon, which had pleased her. But now… it was clear his absence had nothing to do with Go.

Su Cheng nearly choked at Ji Qingyi’s sudden question—after all, they usually ate in silence.

He quickly gulped down some soup to ease the discomfort in his throat before looking up at her breathtakingly beautiful face, swallowing hard as he answered, "I-It’s nothing serious, really. Just… something I need to take care of this afternoon…"

Ji Qingyi’s brows furrowed slightly. "What is it?"

"Uh… well…"

Under Ji Qingyi’s icy, probing gaze, Su Cheng felt his scalp tingle. He hadn’t expected the club president to press him for details—this was unexpected.

Still, he steeled himself, took a deep breath, and said, "I was planning to spend the afternoon learning how to make a new dessert."

"Oh."

Ji Qingyi responded indifferently before picking up her chopsticks again and resuming her meal in silence.

However, Su Cheng knew this meant he’d have to ask Gu Ruoxue to make two servings now!

Just as Su Cheng finished eating and was wiping his mouth, Ji Qingyi set down her chopsticks and looked at him. "Tomorrow morning, I’ll send someone to pick you up."

"Huh?" Su Cheng blinked in confusion.

"Learning Go requires focus. I expect you to have a solid foundation by next Monday," Ji Qingyi continued coolly. "So this weekend, I’ll continue personally instructing you."

"But… I have plans this Saturday…"

Su Cheng muttered under his breath.

For some reason, Ji Qingyi’s expression instantly turned even frostier at his words.

Seeing this, he quickly explained, "It’s the system. A side quest triggered, and I have to complete it with them on Saturday."

Ji Qingyi fell silent for a long moment, her thoughts unreadable, before finally uttering three words: "I see."

She stood up and walked out without another word.

"What about Sunday? I’m free then."

Su Cheng hurried after her, calling out from behind.

Ji Qingyi stopped and turned her head slightly, casting him a glance. "Fine."

Her expression remained as cold as ever, though slightly less severe than before. But her next words sent a jolt through his heart:

"I’ll send someone to pick you up Saturday night."