A number-crunching monster thinks they're always making the moves.

During the sports meet, there were no classes, but there was still morning self-study—everyone had to study on their own until 8 a.m.

If they didn’t force students to get up, no one would probably show up to watch the games. High schoolers could easily sleep a solid twelve hours, maybe even until noon.

Everyone’s enthusiasm was drained by the first day, and by the second, they’d all mellowed out. Half as many people were watching the competitions, while twice as many were just goofing off.

Shen Nian went to the school store and bought two bottles of water, then headed over to the long jump pit where Chen Dong, already wearing his competitor’s bib, was waiting. He shoved the water into Chen Dong’s arms and patted him on the back reassuringly.

"No matter how you do, at least we tried. Have some water."

"What the hell, I haven’t even jumped yet."

Chen Dong wanted to punch Shen Nian. That tone—it sounded exactly like a dad looking at his son’s disastrous grades, pretending to be understanding while secretly dying inside.

And damn it, Shen Nian had bought sugar-free green tea. That stuff was more bitter than medicine—Chen Dong had taken one sip before nearly spitting it out.

"You haven’t jumped? Should’ve said so earlier. Give it back—you’ll get it after you jump." Shen Nian’s smile vanished.

"Wow, you’re really like this, huh? Lifetime achievement unlocked."

Soon, it was Chen Dong’s turn. He even asked Shen Nian to record his jumps—three attempts in total, sprinting and leaping, with his best landing just over four meters.

A few girls nearby clapped.

Shen Nian joined in, cheering, "Chen Dong giegie is so amazing!"

"What the hell?!"

This guy was insane. What kind of mental hospital let their patients out to torment people like this?

Back at the class camp, Li Shiyan had pulled up a chair and was sitting right next to Xia Yanchun, practically glued to her as they scrolled through Xia Yanchun’s Xiaohongshu feed. Though it looked a little… questionable, Li Shiyan was just lazy, and Xia Yanchun smelled nice—so soft, so comfy.

Xia Yanchun’s Xiaohongshu username was Chun Xia—totally fitting for a cute girl. Li Shiyan would never tell her that her own username was Glamorous Cockroach Milf.

The two might seem like they didn’t get along, but they were actually super close. If Xia Yanchun found out, Shen Nian would probably know soon after, and then Li Shiyan would go from "loli babe" to "milf babe" in his eyes.

80! This was definitely bullying!

Just thinking about Shen Nian made her huff and mentally punch him, imagining him on his knees begging for mercy. Hmph, you’ve messed with the wrong one.

"What’s wrong?" Xia Yanchun asked.

"Nothing~"

Xia Yanchun hummed in response, then after a long pause, spoke again.

"Shiyan, if someone you’re not that close with suddenly wants to make up with you, what do you think they’re after?"

Now this was juicy. Li Shiyan perked up immediately—the legendary gossip queen had arrived. This is the good stuff.

"Is it Shen Nian?!"

"No! It’s from a Xiaohongshu post."

"Oh…"

Boring. So boring.

"If it’s a guy you’re not close with, there are only two possibilities!" Li Shiyan declared, suddenly the expert. "One, he needs a favor and is buttering you up first to test the waters. Once you’re closer, his real motive will come out, and by then, you won’t be able to say no."

"Two, he’s into you."

"Th-that’s too much…"

"Not at all! Think about it—people online complain all the time about old classmates suddenly messaging them before their weddings, just to ask for money. Those guys always start chatting days in advance!"

"And ‘into you’ doesn’t even need explaining!"

Xia Yanchun pressed her lips together. Li Shiyan made a lot of sense—it did happen like that. But applying it to Shen Nian felt… off.

"Are you sure it’s not Shen Nian?" Li Shiyan pressed, curiosity practically sprouting a tail.

"Really! It’s just a post I saw earlier, and it got me thinking."

"Mm… Well, either way, be careful. Doesn’t sound like a good guy."

Xia Yanchun nodded. "Yeah, definitely not a good guy."

Li Shiyan deflated, melting back into Xia Yanchun like jelly.

Honestly, she thought Shen Nian was pretty great.

"Pretty faces are a dime a dozen, but an interesting soul is one in a million." Objectively speaking, Shen Nian had both.

A total stats monster.

And the stats monster thought he was so slick.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiyuan and a group of girls were taking a break. Most had changed back into their uniforms, but Lin Xiyuan—queen bee that she was—was dressed to impress.

A Western-style dress, paired with white stockings—total fashionista vibes. With her looks and figure, anyone who didn’t stare was a saint.

"Xiyuan, I’ve got a 3,000-meter race later," Huang Chen said, still catching his breath, sweat dripping from his chin and forehead.

For guys, having a pretty girl hand them water after a race was better than… well, anything.

Lin Xiyuan wasn’t dumb. She knew what he was hinting at. She tapped her fingers together and smiled. "Oh? Do your best!"

Huang Chen’s heart soared. "Absolutely. I’ll win for sure."

He wanted her to bring him water, but asking outright was way different from her offering. And he had no idea how to bring it up.

If he just blurted it out and she said no? His nose would be redder than Rudolph’s.

How could someone as sharp as Lin Xiyuan not get it? Was he not obvious enough?

Shen Nian happened to walk by, but after passing Lin Xiyuan, he backtracked and pointed at her feet. "Hey, your shoelace is untied."

"Ah—thanks…" Lin Xiyuan’s heart skipped as she bent down to fix it.

"No problem." Shen Nian grinned and moved toward Xia Yanchun.

Honestly? He missed her. Yanchun, let’s stick together~

Huang Chen’s world collapsed.

Why did Lin Xiyuan look… happy just now?

And why was it always Shen Nian? Was no one going to stop him? Their class had way more attractive girls than others, yet all of them were on good terms with him.

Had he unlocked some kind of harem protagonist aura?

Where were his stats as a tanned, athletic guy?

Weren’t tanned jocks in white socks supposed to be top-tier?

The balance in this damn game was broken. How was anyone supposed to compete?

Shen Nian plopped down on the grass next to Xia Yanchun and leaned in slightly, breathing in her scent.

"The three of us should—"

"Ew, you’re sweaty. Get away." Xia Yanchun shoved him off. Disgusting—who just sticks to people like that after exercising?

Shen Nian clicked his tongue. Still a long way from being her bestie, huh? The road ahead was tough.

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