Winds Give Rise to Waves

"Su Cheng?" Hearing someone call his name, Su Cheng immediately turned around.

Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying were standing not far away, their faces unable to conceal their surprise—especially Xuan Ying, whose almond-shaped eyes widened in shock as she stared at Su Cheng and Ji Qingyi's clasped hands. "Su Cheng, you actually have a girlfriend? Why didn’t you introduce her to us before?"

However, Ji Qingyi’s gaze didn’t linger on the two girls. Instead, it fixed on the dark figure standing behind them, her eyes turning icy in an instant.

That figure was none other than Li Guanqi.

Ji Qingyi’s anger wasn’t without reason. After all, her romantic time alone with Su Cheng had been abruptly interrupted, and the one responsible for ruining her mood—and everything else—was this unexpected intruder.

The trio, who had been walking toward them, suddenly felt an indescribable pressure, as if an enormous weight had descended upon them, making it hard to breathe.

They stopped in their tracks, exchanging uneasy glances, each struggling under the suffocating tension.

Su Cheng also sensed the strange atmosphere and followed Ji Qingyi’s line of sight, only to meet a pair of cold, unfathomable eyes.

His heart sank, and he quickly squeezed Ji Qingyi’s hand, whispering a reminder, "President, remember not to reveal your identity."

Ji Qingyi snapped out of it, withdrawing her gaze and smoothing her expression, though she kept her fingers intertwined with Su Cheng’s—a silent declaration of ownership.

"I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe just now, almost like I was about to collapse," Xuan Ying muttered, puzzled, turning to Zhao Yan. "Did you feel that too?"

"Yeah, I did."

Zhao Yan nodded, then mused, "Maybe it’s just stuffy around here."

Xuan Ying wrinkled her nose in agreement. "It really is stifling."

Since they were still over twenty meters apart, they didn’t realize the oppressive aura had come from Ji Qingyi.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi, standing behind the two girls, kept her eyes fixed on the couple’s clasped hands, her gaze so deep it was impossible to discern her emotions.

"What a coincidence, running into you two here," Su Cheng greeted them with forced composure, though his mind was in turmoil. The situation had caught him completely off guard, and he had no idea how to introduce Ji Qingyi.

However, when Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan approached and got a close look at Ji Qingyi’s demeanor, they couldn’t help but study her with astonishment.

Zhao Yan was the first to speak up. "Su Cheng, is this your friend?"

"She’s my girlfriend," Su Cheng answered quickly.

"Hello, I’m Wang Yu, his girlfriend," Ji Qingyi introduced herself with effortless grace, her tone surprisingly warm—unlike her usual aloofness.

This reaction left Su Cheng stunned.

He marveled inwardly at the president’s quick thinking. If he hadn’t known the truth, even he might have been fooled by the act.

Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying were both taken aback. Zhao Yan, in particular, had always harbored some affection for Su Cheng, so the sudden appearance of a girlfriend left her feeling conflicted—her heart heavy with an inexplicable ache.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out. Instead, she silently scrutinized Ji Qingyi.

Though the other girl was wearing a mask, her presence was so striking that Zhao Yan couldn’t shake the feeling she’d seen her somewhere before.

"Wait, that teardrop mole by her eye…" A vague thought flickered in Zhao Yan’s mind. Her eyes widened as she studied Ji Qingyi more intently.

"No way, that’s impossible." But she quickly dismissed the idea. After all, Ji Qingyi was the world’s most revered uncrowned princess—why would she ever visit a chaotic place like this? And claim to be Su Cheng’s girlfriend, no less?

"Hi, I’m Xuan Ying, Su Cheng’s classmate," Xuan Ying, oblivious to the undercurrents, cheerfully introduced herself.

"I’m Zhao Yan, also his classmate," Zhao Yan added hastily after snapping out of her thoughts.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned and pulled Li Guanqi forward. "We actually ran into Li Guanqi while we were at the night market earlier."

"Hello, Su Cheng. Hello, Sister Wang Yu," Li Guanqi greeted Ji Qingyi politely, even addressing her with the honorific "sister."

Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan exchanged puzzled glances.

Why was Li Guanqi calling her "sister"?

They looked around the same age.

"Huh?" Su Cheng was startled, not having noticed Li Guanqi’s presence until now.

But he was relieved—she was helping keep Ji Qingyi’s identity a secret. Grateful, he shot her a quick glance.

"Nice to meet you," Ji Qingyi replied with a slight nod. "I’ve heard about you from him. Thank you for looking after my boyfriend. I appreciate it on his behalf."

Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan waved their hands in unison. "No need for thanks! It’s nothing!"

"Actually, we might have interrupted your date," Zhao Yan said softly, her voice tinged with apology. "I’m sorry—we just got excited when we saw Su Cheng and didn’t think it through. Please forgive us for intruding."

Xuan Ying quickly added, "Yeah! We were supposed to compete in an event with our archery club seniors, but one of them canceled last minute. Since Su Cheng joined the club too, we were really happy to see him!"

"An event?" Su Cheng blinked in confusion.

"Mm! Today’s the ‘Pitch-Pot Festival.’ There’s a competition at the night market square at five," Xuan Ying explained excitedly.

Su Cheng glanced at Ji Qingyi, but her expression remained indifferent, as if she didn’t care.

"Ah… what’s pitch-pot? I don’t really know much about it," Su Cheng admitted awkwardly, scratching his head. He had zero experience with the game.

"Pitch-pot evolved from ceremonial archery in ancient times," Li Guanqi chimed in helpfully. "Simply put, you stand three meters away and try to toss arrows into a pot, adjusting your strength and angle."

"Oh, so it’s like ring toss? I’ve played that a few times as a kid," Su Cheng mused. Though his skills were… decidedly subpar—he usually ranked dead last.

"That’s perfect!" Xuan Ying beamed. "Senior Li from the archery club is waiting for us at the square. Let’s hurry over!"

"Wait, what?" Su Cheng was still trying to process everything.

"The throwing arrow game is a partnered event, and the senior from the archery club we originally arranged to join us had to cancel last minute," Zhao Yan said apologetically. "We have no choice but to ask you to help us out. Since we don’t know any other male friends here, we really hope you won’t refuse."

"Um…"

Su Cheng hesitated, feeling more conflicted than anything.

Though he wanted to decline—especially since he wasn’t skilled at this game—the hopeful gazes of the two girls made it impossible to say no.

Instinctively, he glanced at Ji Qingyi, seeking her opinion, only to find her expression calm and indifferent, as if she had no intention of interfering and was leaving the decision entirely to him.

Noticing this, Zhao Yan quickly stepped closer to Ji Qingyi and said warmly, "Sister Wang, would it be too much trouble to ask you both to come along with us?"

At this, Xuan Ying even took the initiative to grab Ji Qingyi’s arm, shaking it playfully as she cooed, "Yeah, yeah! Sister Wang, Su Cheng is the only male friend we know here. We really have to trouble you two for this!"

Ji Qingyi felt a strange sense of déjà vu—especially with Xuan Ying’s cutesy, pleading expression. She vaguely recalled her pulling a similar act before.

Finally, after a brief glance at Su Cheng’s uncertain face, she gave a slight nod of agreement.

Seeing this, Su Cheng also nodded, exhaling in relief.

"Perfect!"

"Thank you so much!"

"We’ll lead the way, then!"

The two girls cheered excitedly.

"Just to be clear, I’m not very good at this game," Su Cheng felt the need to warn them, lest they blame him later if they lost.

"Just having you join is more than enough for us," Zhao Yan reassured him quickly. "Do your best—the point is to participate."

"Zhao Yan’s lost to her sister more times than she can count anyway," Xuan Ying teased with a grin. "One more loss won’t hurt."

Zhao Yan shot her a glare, as if annoyed at having her shortcomings exposed. Xuan Ying just chuckled and didn’t press further.

"Your sister?" Su Cheng was surprised. So this wasn’t just a casual game—it involved family dynamics?

"Every month, Zhao Yan has a match against her sister," Xuan Ying, unable to resist explaining, continued. "Since childhood, the two of them have competed in the throwing arrow game every year. Zhao Yan always loses miserably—she’s no match for her sister. But this year, both sides can bring in outside help. Apparently, her sister wants to see how well-connected she is."

At this point, Xuan Ying’s face twisted with visible frustration as she grumbled, "We thought we finally had a chance to win this time, but then the archery club senior bailed on us! So unreliable, seriously!"

Hearing this, Su Cheng felt an overwhelming pressure, as if a wild goose were chasing him down.

"Please don’t worry about winning or losing—that’s not the point," Zhao Yan quickly interjected, easing his tension. "I’m just grateful you’re willing to participate."

"Yeah, the important thing is taking part," Xuan Ying agreed emphatically before elaborating, "Zhao Yan’s sister is a top graduate from Flame City Private Academy a few years back—she’s practically our senior. And rumor has it she’s bringing the former president and vice president of her year’s archery club as her teammates. There’s no way we can win against that!"