Chapter 190: Whispers of Competition

After finishing their noodles, the four made their way toward the boarding gate.

Huang Qianqian was her usual outgoing self, buzzing with excitement as she chattered away.

Wu Feifei, with her gentle nature, chimed in now and then with easy agreement.

Fang Jun kept his cool, distant vibe, his face expressionless and words few.

Xu Chen trailed behind the trio, finding the whole scene quite entertaining.

Huang Qianqian was the perfect ‘little fan girl’, having thoroughly researched all the opponents Xie Bingran might face tomorrow.

She was buzzing with energy, diving into the details:

“The biggest name is Feng Youping; she’s the women’s 100-meter champion from the last Asian Games! She’s been the one to beat for years…”

“But she’s getting older, and her times are slipping. I bet she’ll retire after this National Games…”

“The favorite to win is Chen Lan; she took bronze at the Asian Games last time, but she’s at her peak now. Her recent races put her on even footing with Feng Youping!”

“Then there are two others: Zhang Haili and Li Yun… Both have broken 12 seconds before, but they’re inconsistent…”

“In the under-19 group, it’s just two: Xie Bingran—sorry, I mean Bing Ge—and Bai Miao. Both are incredibly talented!”

…

At the mention of Bai Miao’s name, Xu Chen pictured the fair-skinned girl with her innocent demeanor.

She was one half of the ‘Shanghai Twin Stars’, but Xie Bingran had crushed her at the National Youth Championships in May, leaving her with silver.

Interestingly, Bai Miao was from Tonghai University, making her a future senior to Xu Chen.

As Huang Qianqian talked, Xu Chen pulled out his mobile phone and scrolled through some news articles.

The other ‘Shanghai Twin Star’, Dong Jiajia, had underperformed in the preliminaries and missed the finals.

Meanwhile, Bai Miao, like Xie Bingran, was a new member of the National Team. But Dong Jiajia from Huahai Normal University hadn’t posted strong times since the National Youth Championships in May.

Xu Chen had heard Teacher Chen Ming explain that the National Team’s selections went beyond race times—they evaluated an athlete’s future potential too.

Even though the ‘Shanghai Twin Stars’ had nearly identical records, the National Team might see differences in their potential.

Competitive sports could be brutally harsh…

Huang Qianqian beamed with excitement:

“Did you know? Bing Ge is the youngest in the finals!”

“That’s already a huge achievement…”

“If she grabs a medal, she’s got a real shot at the Asian Games in December!”

Wu Feifei said, “Wait, December’s the Asian Games? I had no idea…”

Huang Qianqian replied, “You don’t follow sports, but I started because of Bing Ge!”

“Feng Youping’s probably retiring, so Chen Lan will definitely compete in the Asian Games…”

“Among the rest, it’s all about Bing Ge getting a medal. Even bronze would boost her chances for the Asian Games!”

Xu Chen laughed, “You’ve really dug deep into this!”

Huang Qianqian huffed proudly, “Of course!”

Xu Chen couldn’t help wondering how Huang Qianqian’s chatty personality had flown under the radar in class before.

Maybe senior year had just suppressed her true self?

Wu Feifei turned to Huang Qianqian:

“So, what place do you think Bing Ge will get?”

Huang Qianqian thought it over seriously before saying:

“I’m confident in Bing Ge—she’ll definitely snag a medal!”

Wu Feifei added, “So, bronze then…”

Huang Qianqian said, “You don’t get it… Bing Ge’s still young and hasn’t hit her peak yet.”

“Plus, Chen Lan and Feng Youping are just on another level!”

“Bing Ge clocked 13.35 seconds in the prelims, so going for gold or silver will be tough.”

Wu Feifei glanced at Xu Chen, “What about you? Where do you think Bing Ge will place?”

Xu Chen replied, “First, for sure!”

Huang Qianqian pouted:

“I hope so too, but it might be too hard…”

“Even for Bing Ge.”

…

…

After a three-hour flight, they landed at Yangcheng Baiyun Airport.

The moment Xu Chen stepped off the plane, he felt the intense heat like a furnace.

Yangcheng in the peak of summer was its usual mercilessly hot self.

Xu Chen had lived there for seven years in his previous life, so he knew this all too well.

Fang Jun, Huang Qianqian, and Wu Feifei, however, weren’t handling it well—they shielded their faces from the sun and dashed toward the shuttle bus.

Huang Qianqian groaned, “This is insane—it’s like we’re melting!”

Wu Feifei added, “I totally underestimated the summer here; it’s way hotter than up north. The sun feels twice as big.”

Xu Chen smiled and reminded them, “The heat’s one thing, but don’t get sunburned. Slap on some sunscreen.”

Wu Feifei nodded, “Yeah… We’ll grab some when we get to the hotel.”

Fang Jun, stone-faced, rummaged in her backpack and pulled out two tubes of sunscreen.

“Use mine for now—I brought extras.”

Xu Chen paused, “…”

Wu Feifei said, “Perfect! Thanks, Fang Jun!”

…

Once they exited, a crowd swarmed them:

“Hey, buddy, need a ride?”

“Miss, looking for a taxi?”

Wu Feifei led the way, scanning around until she spotted a tanned middle-aged man holding a sign with ‘Wu Feifei’ written on it.

She approached, exchanged a few words, and he grinned as he took her luggage.

“Let’s go—this is the driver my dad’s friend arranged!”

Xu Chen teased, “Perks of being from a prominent family, huh?”

Wu Feifei rolled her eyes, “Your dad’s an entrepreneur, you know…”

They followed the driver to the parking lot, already sweating buckets.

He led them to a deep blue Buick GL8, opened the doors, jumped in to start the engine, and cranked the AC to full blast.

Xu Chen grabbed his bag and settled into the passenger seat.

The other three girls piled into the spacious back.

…

Tomorrow’s event was at Tianhe Stadium, right in the heart of Yangcheng’s bustling core along the ‘new central axis’.

Their hotel was conveniently next to it, making it easy for tomorrow’s competition and nearby shopping in Tianhe City.

The driver, a local from Guangdong Province, said in heavily accented Mandarin, “We’ll head out now; should take about an hour and a half!”

Huang Qianqian exclaimed, “An hour and a half? That’s forever!”

No wonder she was surprised—it was the same time it took to drive from Tiancheng to the Provincial Capital.

The driver explained, “Normally, it’s 40 to 50 minutes, but with the Games going on, traffic’s a mess…”

Xu Chen said, “No worries, we’re early. We can grab dinner once we hit the city.”

The car merged onto the airport highway.

Huang Qianqian and Wu Feifei were still excited, chatting about where to explore after the event.

The driver chimed in while driving, “For a taste of old Yangcheng, check out Yuexiu, Lizwan, Shangxiajiu, Shamian, or the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall…”

“Or cruise the Pearl River at night—it’s not too hot then…”

Xu Chen knew Yangcheng well from his past life but stayed quiet. As a recent high school grad in this new timeline, it was his ‘first’ visit.

A thought struck him: In his previous life, he’d arrived in Yangcheng around 2010, but in 2006, landmarks like the ‘Yangcheng Tower’ probably weren’t built yet.

The realization hit him with a wave of temporal disorientation.

…

During the drive, Xu Chen kept busy.

He had details to finalize for the ad shoot in a couple of days.

Using his clunky Nokia N70, he reviewed the schemes from Black Duke Marketing.

He made a few calls, giving feedback on changes to the schemes, set designs, and art adjustments.

These suggestions weren’t just nitpicking—they were necessary fixes based on his expertise.

Li Fengfeng was probably cursing him out, but Xu Chen’s points were spot-on, so he’d have to pull an all-nighter.

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian eavesdropped on his calls with curious ears…

As they entered the city, traffic jammed up.

Xu Chen yawned and rubbed his sore neck.

From the back seat, Wu Feifei handed him a banana.

“Thanks!”

Wu Feifei asked, “You’re really running a company?”

“Huh?”

“My dad and Fang Jun mentioned it, but I didn’t believe it until I heard you on the phone. You sound like a pro.”

Xu Chen joked, “What can I say? My dad and I are from a small town—we have to hustle, unlike you three with your privileged backgrounds!”

Huang Qianqian piped up, “Xu Chen, you’re amazing! Just like Bing Ge…”

She nudged Wu Feifei, “Did you know? He was around 15th in class, but three months before exams, he shot up to first. No idea how he pulled that off!”

Wu Feifei looked surprised, “Really? That’s impressive!”

“Just luck… A fluke performance!”

Huang Qianqian shot back, “No way, exams don’t work like that.”

Wu Feifei asked, “So, which university did you get into?”

Before Xu Chen could answer, Huang Qianqian blurted, “Tonghai University!”

Wu Feifei grinned at her, “How do you know all this?”

Huang Qianqian hesitated for a split second, a flicker of unease crossing her face, then quickly added, “He was top of our class—everyone was curious about his plans!”

…

Fang Jun checked her phone and murmured, “Wu Yue and Xie Bingran’s group are on the train.”

Wu Yue was the admin manager from the company, traveling with Li Rui and Zhao Feng.

Huang Qianqian blinked, “Xie Bingran’s group is coming too?”

Wu Feifei asked, “What do you mean by Xie Bingran’s group?”

Huang Qianqian said, “Oh, I guess I never told you why she’s called ‘Bing Ge’…”