This was not a feeling that Xu Tingsheng liked at all.

  If everyone had said, ‘Look, a few second year guys have raised their hands over there’ or the girl up on stage had herself discovered that a few seniors were supporting her, Xu Tingsheng would have felt happy over doing something which, while simple, was ‘the right thing to do’.

  Now, however, people were saying, “Look, Xishan Tower’s Xu Tingsheng raised his hand.”


  Xu Tingsheng would only feel awkward and uncomfortable as well as an urge to go beat Tan Yao up.

  There were always mighty figures in school who were the focal points of all. In his previous life, Xu Tingsheng could not have been considered one, nor had he yearned to be one……in this life, when on campus, he actually still hoped that he could just remain an ordinary male student.

  He would even shamelessly look forward to a perfectly ordinary campus relationship once in a while……alright, that wasn’t okay.

  Sadly, situations such as this were just gradually becoming harder to avoid as time went by.

  Perhaps this could only be resolved by more time and more interactions, everything slowly becoming normal as they got to know one another. For example, his roommates of Room 602, Tan Yao aside, all viewed Xu Tingsheng as……more of just, merely their roommate, Xu Tingsheng.

  They would talk about girls together, watch ‘feature films’ together, yell out to the young nurses from the female dormitory opposite them together.

  Xu Tingsheng admired the girl with the long plait, wishing that everyone could be like her. At her dormitory that day, when Tan Yao had purposefully mentioned his name, she had only looked at, only paid any attention to another senior, Zhang Ninglang.

  Some people yearned to be gazed upon by countless others.

  For others, the gaze of just that single person alone was enough.

  Xu Tingsheng did not meet or respond to any of those gazes. Leaning in a corner, he carefully observed the expression of the girl with the exposed waist up on stage. No abnormalities were visible on it in the least. She was still smiling nicely, as if this had nothing to do with her at all……

  This was despite the fact that many people felt that she should be feeling awkward or angered.

  Therefore, not only did this girl had a big appetite, she was also good at reining herself back and biding her time. For girls of this age, she could be considered a ‘figure’. Meanwhile, Li Xingming who stood beside her was trying to amuse her by telling her a joke that he felt was interesting.

  The girl smiled very cooperatively, whispering back into Li Xingming’s ear every once in a while.

  Everyone’s gazes returned to the obese girl who was currently in the midst of her selection. More and more people raised their hands, with some dude even standing up and shouting, “Choose me, girl! I’ll do it; I can carry you.”


  The girl smiled in gratitude to him. Being someone with an optimistic personality, she quickly recovered, smiling as she told everyone, “Thanks, everyone! Right, I’ll definitely go on a diet in university. I was very slim in junior high. It’s all my mother’s fault. She kept on saying that senior high is tough, asking me to eat more to replenish myself……in the end……alright, I’ll slim back down in university for sure.”


  While she had spoken rather nervously, it was authentic and adorable.

  Good-natured laughter resounded from amongst the audience.

  Xu Tingsheng remembered a sentence that should appear a few years later: All fatties possess a hidden potential. As a teacher in his previous life, there had once been a fat girl in his class whom everyone had often joked about. In twelfth grade, she had slimmed down and then successfully been accepted for the vocation of an air stewardess.

  Tan Yao likely bore ‘ill intentions’ in that earlier reminder of his. He was instigating the chick to choose Xu Tingsheng.

  Xu Tingsheng was currently trying to estimate how many squats he would be able to do with that girl on his back.

  The girl smiled, saying jokingly, “Mr MC, I still think I should really withdraw this time. If I crush someone flat later on, it’ll really be too painful for my self-esteem. Next time, I’ll participate for sure next time.”


  With the girl having said this, everything would thus end on a good note with her reasonable withdrawal from the game.

  Tan Yao who was well versed in life and human relationships naturally would not offer any superfluous suggestions.

  Applause resounded, interspersed with several yells of ‘We believe in you’.……‘Big bro will wait for you’.……‘Little Bro will too’ and the like, the girl descended the stage and returned to her seat with a relaxed expression on her face.

  Five pairs remained up on stage.

  The game resumed.

  Currently, there were second year male seniors carrying first year female juniors and also first year male juniors carrying their female seniors. With this, any slight mood of competition between the first and second year students had thus been eradicated completely.

  In an individual contest, Zhang Ninglang’s type clearly posed little threat, instead being exceptionally safe……the chances of him being called upon were extremely low.

  Comparatively speaking, Li Xingming who was stout and robust despite not being tall was surely one to watch out for in the eyes of his opponents. His figure seemed just tailor-made for training in weight-lifting, being just too suited to a game such as this.

  Therefore, he was called upon many times.

  Li Xingming did not possess a steady personality in the first place. In addition, as he desperately wanted to show off his might before the girls, he would go all out with every squat, moving in a swift, straightforward manner that exhibited how utterly effortless these exertions simply were……

  In no time at all, he was left fatigued and gasping for breath.

  Feeling bored, the girl with the long plait on Zhang Ninglang’s back began whispering into his ear, chatting with him……in such a posture, she would be breathing right into his ear no matter how she tried talking to him……chatting like this, any two people would have their relationship quickly improve.

  The tips of his ears all red, Zhang Ninglang said with considerable difficulty, “If you speak anymore, we’ll lose even before we start competing.”


  The girl with the long plait thought about it for a moment before laughing triumphantly.

  Only those who had truly tried squatting with someone on their back before would know how exhausting a task this was. Soon, one of the other four teams was eliminated by intense battle.

  Zhang Ninglang got swept into the battlefield for real.

  “Woah, it’s our turn,” The girl with the long plait said.

  Zhang Ninglang steadily squatted, steadily rose, each of these being neither slow nor hurried and in coordination with his breathing……just as befitting of his personality. Thus, despite losing out in terms of build and strength, with a good rhythm, he was still able to temporarily hold on.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Thrice.

  As he was called upon more and more, Zhang Ninglang’s legs were already beginning to tremble. Still, he persisted, refusing to give up.

  “I never thought that you’d be able to hold on for so long,” The girl with the long plait said.

  “It’s because you’re light,” Zhang Ninglang said softly.

  “You must be really tired? If you are, we can just give up! It’s fine, you’ve been great already,” She said as her heart ached somewhat at his painstaking efforts.

  “That can wait till I’m tired,” Zhang Ninglang certainly knew what she meant, being aware that she was afraid of him tiring himself out.

  Still, there was something else he could hear from her words, something that belonged only to him and him alone.

  Ever since young, Zhang Ninglang had never been the type to compete for things, never having felt like there were many things which he had to fight for. Still, coupled with his earlier state of mind, that moment of unconscious self-pity as he had shrunk back from raising his hand……

  That girl had roused his courage using that most wonderful, most adorable method.

  Therefore, this time, carrying this girl on her back, he wanted to compete, to compete with others, to compete with himself.

  “I can still go on.”


  With his personality, he would usually only have said ‘I’ll keep on trying’ or ‘I think I’ll try a little more?’.……Yet, there had been no ‘try’ this time, no ‘question mark’.……he simply wanted to persist.

  “Hey, is it really just because I’m light like you said earlier?”


  “Yeah.”


  “Just that?”


  “.……”


  “Really just that?”


  “Also.”


  “Also what?”


  “Also……because I like carrying you.”


  “Yeah. I like it too.”