Chapter 54

There was no second class that morning, so Li Tong dragged Tang Tianman back to the dorm to doll her up.

Ruan Ruan had been reading a book, but the rare sight drew her in. She tossed the book aside and circled the two of them. “Whoa, is the sun rising in the west?”

Tang Tianman said, “The volleyball team invited us to lunch. Come with?”

Ruan Ruan made a face. “Nah. You’ll all be feasting, and I’ll just sit there picking at a plate of greens?”

Li Tong egged her on. “Come on, come on. There are tons of cute girls there.”

Ruan Ruan stared at her in disbelief. “What’s gotten into you?”

Li Tong waggled her eyebrows, looking smug as could be, but she didn’t spill the beans.

She rummaged through her own closet, dissatisfied with everything, and moved to raid Tang Tianman’s.

Tang Tianman shoved her away. “You’re way taller than me. I don’t have much that’d fit you. Let me find something.”

Li Tong plopped down happily behind her to let her do the work.

Ruan Ruan couldn’t resist asking again. “What’s the deal? What happened after I left? Did a goddess drop from the sky or something?”

Li Tong shot her a glance. “What’re you saying? Goddess. Goddess.”

“Goddess my ass.” Ruan Ruan’s eyes went wide. “What does a goddess have to do with you?”

Li Tong replied, “She will soon.”

Tang Tianman finally couldn’t take it anymore and shared the ridiculous news with Ruan Ruan. “She’s got a crush on Wang Tingxi.”

“Who?” Ruan Ruan’s eyes widened even more.

“Wang Tingxi, captain of Zheng Xiyu’s volleyball team. The one who played snowball fight with us this morning…” Tang Tianman racked her brain for a description, then added reluctantly, “The one with the biggest eyes.”

Ruan Ruan: “…”

For a moment, she didn’t know where to start.

Li Tong wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest. She even started humming and jiggling her leg like she’d won the lottery.

Ruan Ruan touched her forehead. “I’m reporting you all to the dean. Group case of lesbianism.”

Li Tong shot back, “You gonna report yourself?”

Ruan Ruan: “What does it have to do with me?”

Li Tong: “Tch.”

Ruan Ruan knew exactly what that “tch” meant. She smacked Li Tong hard on the arm, then climbed onto her own bed to watch a movie and tune them out.

Li Tong and Tang Tianman giggled as they changed clothes and did their makeup. Once they were all dolled up, they yanked open Ruan Ruan’s bed curtain to show off.

Ruan Ruan: “…”

Li Tong: “Well? What do you think?”

Ruan Ruan eyed Tang Tianman. “Didn’t expect Tongzi to clean up so nice.”

Li Tong: “What, I’m not usually presentable?”

Ruan Ruan: “Why can’t you take a compliment?”

Li Tong: “Was that a compliment?”

Tang Tianman pulled them apart. “Cut it out, both of you. Tongzi, just shut up.”

Ruan Ruan jumped on it. “Yeah, keep quiet. You ruin the vibe the second you open your mouth.”

Li Tong, fuming, pounded Ruan Ruan’s bed twice.

True to form, the volleyball team was punctual to a fault.

They’d said ten o’clock sharp, and sure enough, when Li Tong and Tang Tianman arrived, everyone was already there.

Tang Tianman apologized profusely. “Sorry, sorry, we’re late…”

Zheng Xiyu checked her watch and smiled. “Not late. Right on time.”

Li Tong pulled out her phone. “Exactly ten minutes?”

Zheng Xiyu: “Yep.”

Li Tong glanced at the 12:12 on her screen and thought Zheng Xiyu was the sweetest.

She was buzzing with anticipation for the meal ahead.

The team looked just as they had that morning, except for one extra person.

The only short one among them—but still a few centimeters taller than Li Tong.

Zheng Xiyu introduced her as Xi Chun. Li Tong gave her a few extra glances.

From the moment they met, Xi Chun had stuck to Wang Tingxi’s side. As the group headed to the restaurant, the two never separated.

Wang Tingxi looked like she was lugging around a giant accessory. When Li Tong lagged behind a bit, she noticed the pair’s posture matched Zheng Xiyu and Tang Tianman’s perfectly.

That rubbed Li Tong the wrong way.

The fun hadn’t even started, and she already had a rival?

And this rival was pretty dark-skinned, sure, but not bad-looking, with a great personality to boot. Most importantly, her figure was killer.

Athletes were on another level—perky butt, tiny waist. Regular folks could only envy.

Li Tong pouted and hurried to sling an arm over Tang Tianman’s shoulder. “You brought me here. Don’t ditch me.”

Tang Tianman edged away from Zheng Xiyu and took Li Tong’s hand. “I’ll stick with you.”

Li Tong figured if she couldn’t have it, no one else would get it easy. She yanked Tang Tianman away from the group and dashed ahead.

“What’re you doing?” Tang Tianman sensed something off.

“Not in the mood.” Li Tong pouted.

“Come on, big sis, Tongzi.” Tang Tianman said, “Don’t be like that. The captain’s not even watching. Lighten up.”

Li Tong: “Heh, can’t handle it already? When you were flirting with Tall One, she wasn’t around either. Remember how you acted in the dorm? Total nutjob.”

Tang Tianman: “…”

They fell silent and walked a bit. Then Tang Tianman turned. “Was I really that crazy?”

Li Tong nodded vigorously. “Yeah. Crying one minute, laughing the next.”

“I cried?”

“One minute depressed, the next manic.”

“Fine.” Tang Tianman felt a bit guilty. “That was different.”

“Bullshit, it wasn’t.” Li Tong said, “That’s just girl-crush vibes. You’ve been through it, Ruan Ruan’s starting now. You’ve both jerked me around—now it’s my turn to mess with you back.”

“You’re chasing the captain just for that?” Tang Tianman whispered.

“Nah.” Li Tong frowned. “Mainly ’cause she’s hot.”

Tang Tianman: “Hotter than me?”

Li Tong: “You’re hotter.”

Tang Tianman: “Then why…”

Li Tong: “Relax, anything under 5’3″ is a no-go for me.”

Tang Tianman: “…”

They started play-fighting, running and jumping as they tussled.

Wang Tingxi watched from behind and said to Zheng Xiyu beside her, “Not bad stamina.”

Zheng Xiyu: “Hm?”

Wang Tingxi pointed ahead. “Li’s better than Tang.”

Zheng Xiyu: “…”

Xi Chun burst out laughing and tugged Wang Tingxi’s arm. “What’re you doing? She’s not joining our team.”

Wang Tingxi: “Just observing.”

Xi Chun said, “Don’t bring up team stuff at lunch. Those two aren’t ballers—talking shop would bore them.”

Zheng Xiyu: “Tianman knows a bit.”

Xi Chun: “You’re all about Senior Sister Tang. What about Senior Sister Li Tong?”

Zheng Xiyu tilted her head and grinned suddenly. “Why don’t you keep her company?”

Xi Chun was outgoing and loved chatting people up, so she agreed instantly. “Sure, no problem. No girl I can’t chat up.”

Zheng Xiyu beamed.

They settled on lamb spine hotpot.

Nothing beat steaming lamb on a first-snow day, and hotpot was perfect for groups. No one had issues with lamb, so it was unanimous.

The place was packed, as expected—a spot near N University. Good thing Zheng Xiyu had reserved ahead, or they’d be out of luck.

The aroma hit them the moment they stepped in, steam rising everywhere. The main hall was full of students chowing down heartily.

The volleyball team cleared a path like bodyguards, sandwiching Tang Tianman and Li Tong in the middle. Suddenly, it was safe and smooth sailing.

Tang Tianman walked in the cluster like she was behind a moving fortress.

Their spot was a second-floor private room, big group, so the owner added extra chairs.

The round table seated them all in a circle, but one pot wouldn’t cut it. Zheng Xiyu raised her hand and ordered four.

One for each direction—east, south, west, north—to satisfy everyone.

Wang Tingxi, captain habits die hard, poured a glass of water first and offered it with both hands toward Tang Tianman and Li Tong. “We’ve got training tonight, so tea for liquor.”

Li Tong chimed in quick. “It’s all friends here, no fuss. We’ll do sodas.”

Wang Tingxi nodded. Xi Chun cheerfully shoved the menu at Li Tong. “You two first—what do you like?”

Li Tong looked down. “Everyone order their own faves.”

Not that she was cheap.

She’d only suspected before, but once inside, suspicion turned to certainty.

And Xi Chun had definitely clocked her intentions, sitting right between her and Wang Tingxi on purpose.

See? She’d even cut into their conversation just now. No other explanation.

Heh, women. Always these little love-rivalry mind games.

Li Tong ordered a few items briskly, paused, then passed the menu over Xi Chun to Wang Tingxi. “Captain, you probably know what everyone likes best, right?”

Wang Tingxi took it. “Not especially.”

She spoke to Li Tong, eyes fixed on her. Xi Chun glanced at Li Tong twice more. Li Tong savored the win.

Heh, women’s mind games. There was a unique thrill to it.

Xi Chun eyed her again. Li Tong met her gaze boldly and flashed the killer smile that even Tang Tianman and Ruan Ruan raved about.

Xi Chun said, “Don’t be so reserved. Everyone on the team is pretty laid-back, especially our captain. She’s only strict about training and matches. As for everyday stuff like eating and drinking, I’m the one who ends up running errands for everybody.”

“Who dares treat you like a grandson, grandma?” someone jeered.

“Yeah, grandma. If you’re wronged, the captain will be the first to stand up for you,” another person chimed in.

Li Tong fell silent.

The enemy’s onslaught was fierce, and the barrage of information overwhelming. For a moment, she didn’t know which point to counter first.

I’m not reserved at all. Do I look reserved? Does anyone as pretty as me ever look reserved?

I was talking to your captain. Why are you butting in? Her handling the outside world and you the inside? Think being on the same team makes you special?

And you teammates—do you even grasp the situation? Ministers shouldn’t meddle in harem squabbles, got it?

Good performance. Keep it up, Li Tong thought to herself.

Restart!

The real reason she only grumbled inwardly without taking action was the unfavorable environment. The table was packed with team members, and her sole ally, Tang Tianman, was too busy cozying up to her new sweetheart. Li Tong was fighting solo on enemy turf.

A wise person knows when to bide their time, so she decided to focus on eating first.

Ah, the stewed lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender, warming her from the tip of her tongue straight to her stomach.

Snow began to flutter outside the window again. A few girls from the south squealed in excitement, snapping photos of the snow, then the food, and soon insisting on a big group shot. But with so many people and their shaky photography skills, they just couldn’t frame everyone properly.

“Let Tangdou handle it,” Li Tong suggested. “She’s the photography whiz.”

Tang Tianman bumped her shoulder. “You’re killing me here. A selfie? My arms are the shortest—you really want me to try?”

Zheng Xiyu laughed and quietly draped an arm around Tang Tianman’s shoulders. “Then I’ll do it.”

“Arm span of 192! Hand it over!” someone shouted from the table.

Zheng Xiyu pulled out her phone and held it high. “Alright, everyone look here. One, two, three—cheese!”

She snapped away furiously. When they crowded around to check the photos, they nearly throttled her.

What kind of stunt was that? In the shots, only she and Tang Tianman’s faces shone front and center, radiant as ever, while everyone else blended into the background like faded wallpaper.

“Enough already,” Li Tong said. As the only one at the table who knew the truth about those two, she stepped up without hesitation. “I’ll find someone to take the photo for us.”

Xi Chun started to rise, but Li Tong was fed up with her constant shadowing. She firmly pressed Xi Chun back down, locking eyes with her. “You stay seated. I’ll handle it.”

Xi Chun blinked in surprise, then broke into a grin. “Alright, alright.”

Li Tong swept aside the room’s curtain and stepped out, feeling that even though she was a little farther from Wang Tingxi now, she had scored a small victory.

Why a victory? Who cares—as long as it felt good.

Your instincts are spot on, Li Tong thought.

Her hand shot out smoothly regardless. “I’m Li Tong. Thanks for the trouble.”

Zhou Qiwu clasped her hand and gave it a shake. “Which ‘tong’ is that?”

“The one from wutong.”

“What a coincidence—the ‘wu’ from wutong.” He shook it a couple more times.