Chapter 10

Tang Tianman felt a twinge of guilt as she said it, like she was being a bit too much.

This was real life, not some novel or TV drama. Using someone as a shield? And she had the nerve to suggest it.

Yet she was certain Zheng Xiyu would agree. She couldn’t say where that confidence came from, but it was there. Tang Tianman kept stirring her noodles, avoiding the other woman’s gaze.

“Sure,” Zheng Xiyu said without a moment’s hesitation.

“Hey.” Tang Tianman grinned.

“The same level as before?” Zheng Xiyu asked.

“Yeah.” Tang Tianman nodded, still not looking at her.

“Then just call me whenever you need me,” Zheng Xiyu said. “As long as I’m on campus, I’ll rush right over.”

Tang Tianman beamed inside, picking up a piece of pickled cabbage and popping it into her mouth. It tasted a little sweet.

“Tell me about your match,” she said.

“Okay.” Zheng Xiyu answered every question. “This was just a practice game, but our opponents were the powerhouse women’s team from P University in the Southern Division. They weren’t originally scheduled to play us—something came up on their end, so they handed us the slot. It was a tough one, mostly my fault. I’ve only been on the team a short time, so we haven’t gelled perfectly yet.”

“You won, so why dwell on your shortcomings? That’s for your coach to worry about. Have some confidence in yourself, and just remember the opponent’s situation.” Tang Tianman tossed out the advice casually. She hated hearing Zheng Xiyu talk down about herself.

“Okay.” Zheng Xiyu didn’t argue, just smiled and nodded.

“So tell me about this National League. Can we watch the live streams online?”

“The National League is split into Northern and Southern Divisions. The women’s group in the Southern Division is set for early December this year, selecting the top twelve. Then in March next year, the top twenty-four from both divisions will come together for the opening ceremony and live broadcasts of the matches.”

“So that means I won’t get to see you play until then?” Tang Tianman glanced up at her, feigning a pout.

“Do you really want to watch?” Zheng Xiyu asked.

“Not that much. I don’t really get it.” Tang Tianman poked at her noodles. “Just curious.”

“We scrimmage during regular training. If you’re interested, you can come watch.”

“Mm-hmm.” Tang Tianman kept poking.

“I’ll send you a website.” Zheng Xiyu pulled out her phone. “Langlang Sports. It has full coverage of matches, with commentary for the big ones. Easy to follow.”

“Oh.” Tang Tianman kept her head down.

Zheng Xiyu fell silent for a moment, then said, “Stop poking it.”

Tang Tianman lifted her eyelids to peek at her.

“You’re poking it to mush. You won’t be able to eat it.” Zheng Xiyu leaned forward, peering into her eyes. “The divisionals are in H City this year. If you’re still interested by then, come watch live.”

“Yes!” Tang Tianman lit up. “I’ll cheer you on!”

Her every emotion showed plain on her face. The senior wasn’t acting like a senior at all—she was just a willful little sister.

Zheng Xiyu couldn’t help smiling at the sight, reaching out to gently brush back the bangs from Tang Tianman’s forehead.

There were a few ripples, but all in all, it was a pleasant breakfast.

They finished eating and went their separate ways with a wave. By the time Tang Tianman headed back, the morning mist had cleared, the sun was out, and it brightened her mood right along with it.

She hummed all the way to the dorm, tidied her books, then roused Li Tong and Ruan Ruan. The three of them made it to the first class of the morning together—a rare feat, and right on time.

Tang Tianman’s good mood lasted the whole day. Ruan Ruan shot her disdainful looks the entire time.

That evening, they headed to the library together for study hall. At the entrance, Tang Tianman grabbed Ruan Ruan and pulled her aside.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I skipped hot pot today?”

Ruan Ruan raised an eyebrow. “You and Zheng Xiyu broke up?”

Tang Tianman glared at her like she was looking at a dimwitted child. “How could we?”

Ruan Ruan threw up a hand to shield her face. “Then I don’t want to know.”

“Oh, come on, I can tell you do. You’ve been wondering all day, haven’t you?” Ignoring the block, Tang Tianman hooked her arm and whispered in her ear. “We had breakfast together this morning, so we rescheduled hot pot.”

Ruan Ruan: “…Heh.”

“Hey, we just met. Can’t be too clingy—friends need space too.” Tang Tianman rambled on in her own little world. “Long-term relationships take time to build. We talked about the CUVA schedule today. I’m going to watch some past match videos when I get back…”

Ruan Ruan shook her off and strode away. “I only hear the new girl laughing, never see the old one cry—and not only that, but flaunting it right in front of her.”

Tang Tianman jogged after her. “Hee hee hee, jealous?”

Ruan Ruan swiped her card to enter. “No noise in the library.”

Ruan Ruan stayed perfectly quiet all evening, which left Tang Tianman thoroughly frustrated.

Back in the dorm that night, she dragged Li Tong out from under the covers and chatted with her for a good while.

Li Tong zeroed in on the key point. “You’re not going to introduce Zheng Xiyu to us? Little freshmen like us could use another senior sister in N University—more connections, you know.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea!” Tang Tianman slapped the bedframe and yelled toward the bathroom. “Ruan, listen to Tongzi’s wisdom! So we’ll make it a four-person hot pot!”

Li Tong teased her. “Did you clear it with your new little sister? Turning a two-person date into a party of four.”

“She’ll be fine with it.” Tang Tianman hopped off the bed, brimming with confidence as she whipped out her phone. “I’ll just shoot her a message.”

The reply came quick. Tang Tianman shoved the screen in Li Tong’s face. “See? Told you! No problem!”

“Fine, fine, no problem.” Li Tong smacked her lips and flopped back. “This feeling… it’s hard to describe. Refreshingly sour.”

When Ruan Ruan emerged from the bathroom, everything annoyed her. She kicked a little stool, sending it skittering across the floor.

“I’m busy tomorrow night.”

“Then the night after,” Tang Tianman said.

“That’s no good either.”

“The night after that.”

“No…”

“Whenever you’re free, then.” Tang Tianman reached out and hooked an arm around her neck. “Can’t leave anyone out. I know when you’ll have time.”

“Tch.”

“Mwah.” Tang Tianman blew her an air kiss. “Come on, too much jealousy isn’t cute.”

Ruan Ruan shoved her away and said to Li Tong, “I think she’s lost it.”

Tang Tianman figured she had gone a little crazy too.

But it was fine.

That was just how she was—big mood swings, and when she got excited, she couldn’t always rein herself in.

There were plenty of things in the world to excite her, like a favorite movie or song.

Or realizing she liked someone.

It didn’t matter what kind of like it was. Tang Tianman believed all good feelings developed naturally over time.

Family, friends, love—having Zheng Xiyu as a friend, upright, kind, smart, and beautiful, was excitement enough.

They’d made a pact that morning, a little secret alliance against the world. That alone made them true friends who could trust each other.

Tang Tianman went to bed that night with sweet dreams.

Zheng Xiyu was six foot three, practically two of her rounded up. That meant Tang Tianman had scored two upright, kind, smart, beautiful friends.

What a steal!

A vibrant Monday led to vibrant Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

In this crisp autumn season, with the scent of osmanthus in the air, N University’s Activity Month kicked off in earnest. The promotional booklets Tang Tianman had overseen were distributed to the student unions in every college, and the colleges launched their own student activities in a friendly battle.

Poetry readings, singing, photography, painting, short videos, animal welfare, plant protection, environmental causes, LGBT events—every imaginable activity was underway.

Campus buzzed with energy during class breaks. You could stumble on fun events everywhere, the air alive with youthful vigor and romantic whimsy.

“The main goal is to show off N University students’ spirit to the freshmen,” Tang Tianman said, wrestling with a massive mascot costume. “And help them blend into campus life faster.”

The members of the School Student Council Publicity Department nodded along.

“Whoever’s free can take a shift in this thing. Time and place are flexible, but daily promo posts still go out on schedule to the group chat.” Tang Tianman tugged at the costume’s leg and wriggled inside. “This one’s actually fun. When others snap pics of you, you can sneak pics of them. Help me with the arm.”

A male classmate stepped up, and they lifted the arms one on each side. As they stretched it out, the full size of the costume became obvious.

“Damn…” Tang Tianman couldn’t help muttering. “It’s huge.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“It’s huge for me, anyway. Whew.” She sighed, getting back to it. “Look at this arm—super soft, easy to move, and there’s a clear panel for filming. With our press badges, classmates will act more natural around a cute little mascot.”

Tang Tianman finally got the arm on, but the shoulder slipped right off.

“Oof, again.” She wasn’t giving up.

The male classmate pulled it back up. Tang Tianman called out, “The back’s too loose! Someone grab a big clip… Yeah, perfect, that’s got it.”

She let out a relieved breath, then turned her head and spotted a big head right beside her. She nearly choked on that breath.

In the end, she patted her chest. “No problem here. Come on, put the head on.”

The headpiece came down over her, turning the world into a sealed little universe.

Tang Tianman was short, and she hadn’t considered that when renting the costume. From the observation slit, she could only see half the view.

Of course, standing on tiptoe gave her a fuller picture.

She adjusted to it after a moment. It was a bit heavy.

Fortunately, it didn’t smell bad. It was the costume she’d specifically insisted be cleaned thoroughly.

“Alright then, I’m off!” Tang Tianman struck a salute, feeling both cute and dashing.

The onlookers stifled their laughter and whipped out their phones.

“I can take pictures of you too,” Tang Tianman said with a wave. She fiddled randomly with her phone for a moment, then set off toward her destination.

She had no class right now and planned to stroll slowly to the underpass connecting the east and west campuses. It was a high-traffic spot with several event stalls.

Along the way, plenty of classmates snapped photos of her. Tang Tianman struck a few goofy dance poses, each one drawing cheers from the crowd.

She reveled in those cheers, the joy she brought to everyone, and she didn’t forget to hand out event flyers as she went.

Zheng Xiyu had just finished class. When she looked up, she spotted this pint-sized Pikachu waddling along.

It was a lightweight costume, but the outfit was too big for the person inside to fill out, leaving the excess fabric bunching up around the feet.

That made the already oversized dummy head look even bigger.

The whole thing looked wildly unbalanced.

Like it might topple head over heels at any moment.

The sight reminded Zheng Xiyu of a certain little squirt.

A certain little squirt…

Zheng Xiyu halted in her tracks. The Pikachu tilted its head, waved a paw, and came shambling over.

Its steps were quicker than before, but still endearingly clumsy. Zheng Xiyu spotted the flyer clutched in its paw—a collage of solo photos on the cover, with one of her mid-spike dominating the center.

There was a branch on the path that the Pikachu couldn’t see. Its foot caught it lightly, causing a stumble.

It didn’t fall, but once a certain suspicion took root, even that little trip felt unbearable.

Zheng Xiyu shot her foot out, quick as a flash, and grabbed the Pikachu’s arm.

The Pikachu tried to tilt its head back to look up, but it was tricky. Its feet wobbled, and it steadied itself against her arm.

“Heavy?” Zheng Xiyu asked.

The Pikachu shook its head and nodded.

“Want to take a break?” Zheng Xiyu pressed.

This time, the Pikachu didn’t move. It just stood there in front of her, frozen.

Zheng Xiyu didn’t ask again. She reached up with both hands, cradled the massive head, and lifted it off with ease.

Tang Tianman’s forehead came into view, slick with sweat and gleaming brightly.

Then her eyes appeared, shining even brighter.

“Hi! What a coincidence!!!” she shouted at Zheng Xiyu. Some awkward flap of the costume was still blocking her mouth.

Zheng Xiyu tugged and adjusted until a pretty face emerged. She wiped at her cheek with a finger. “Hot, right? Who told you to do this?”

Her brows furrowed slightly, giving her a faintly stern look.