Chapter 277: Cafeteria Whispers

Evening at the Xueyuan Cafeteria.

Xu Chen had just settled into a seat when three guys from the next dorm arrived with their trays.

“Hey, Boss Xu, mind if we join your table?” Qian Xin, the Jiang Zhe prince, said with a grin.

The other two were Huang Hao, the local from Shanghai, and Pei Qian, the stock trading guy.

Xu Chen greeted them with a smile, glanced at Huang Hao and Pei Qian, and joked:

“You two—one looks so down, the other so thrilled. What’s going on?”

Right in front of him, Huang Hao wore a gloomy expression, while Pei Qian beamed, clearly riding high on some good news…

“Jiang Zhe prince” Qian Xin eyed Huang Hao and chuckled:

“His crush, Bai Miao, lost her match.”

Xu Chen stayed quiet, but inside, he thought, ‘So that’s it.’

Clearly, Huang Hao was a devoted fan, even keeping tabs on the Osaka competition.

Huang Hao sighed and said:

“It’s such a shame. Bai Miao had a real shot at silver.

But that runner from Korea Island false-started and threw off her rhythm…”

Qian Xin: “Why silver and not gold?”

Huang Hao: “There’s this powerhouse now who’s crushed Bai Miao and even Dong Jiajia from Huahai Normal University.”

Qian Xin hadn’t been following and asked:

“Wait, didn’t you say Bai Miao was the best under twenty, destined for a national title?”

Huang Hao sighed: “She was, but this new talent showed up—a seventeen-year-old who’s already number one nationwide.”

He suddenly glanced at Xu Chen:

“Seems like she’s from your province, Shandong.”

Qian Xin: “Boss Xu, do you know her?”

Xu Chen smiled and replied simply: “Yeah, I know her.”

Qian Xin and the others didn’t press further, assuming he just knew of the provincial champ.

Huang Hao took a bite of food and suddenly said seriously:

“I was just checking the news—things are getting intense!

The finals are in two days—seven from Japan, and the last spot’s that powerhouse from Shandong!”

The usually quiet Pei Qian leaned in:

“Two days? That’s the 18th, right?”

Huang Hao: “Exactly why it’s such a big deal!”

“……”

Everyone fell silent for a moment, sensing the massive buzz this could stir.

Qian Xin: “This is gonna explode online!”

Huang Hao: “It’s already blowing up. Check Tianya, Catpounce, or Tigerpounce—they’re all talking about it.

One against seven, all opponents Japanese, and on September 18th…

The event’s even in Japan…

It’s pure headline material.”

Qian Xin: “I totally missed this!

With stakes like that, we should cheer her on from afar!”

Huang Hao: “Too bad we can’t go cheer in person!”

Qian Xin: “I’ve never looked into this powerhouse girl. I’ll check her out tonight.”

Huang Hao: “And she’s stunning, too.”

Qian Xin’s eyes widened, even more interested:

“How does she stack up to Bai Miao?”

Huang Hao thought for a second: “Different vibes…”

Qian Xin flashed a sly smile: “As a Bai Miao fan, if you’re saying that, she’s gotta be even more captivating.”

……

As they chatted, a group of dejected guys in blue soccer jerseys sat at the next table.

They were from some college, wearing Shanghai Shenhua team kits.

Since they were close, Xu Chen overheard their conversation:

“What a embarrassment… zero to two!”

“Dalian Shide lost to the Koreans, and now Shenhua to the Japanese…

Chinese football is hopeless!”

……

……

Qian Xin turned to Pei Qian and suddenly realized something: “Pei, did you make some cash?”

“Stock trading guy” Pei Qian smiled mysteriously but didn’t answer directly.

Qian Xin shook his head: “No wonder you’re so upbeat!”

Then he teased: “But betting on our teams to lose? That’s not cool.”

Pei Qian replied: “I’d love to bet on them winning, but they don’t stand a chance!

Betting on victory would just be throwing money away!”

……

Xu Chen listened quietly and figured out that “stock trading guy” Pei Qian had bet on the game outcomes.

Clearly, Shanghai Shenhua’s loss had lined his pockets a bit.

But with such predictable matches, he probably didn’t score big.

……

After hearing more from Qian Xin and Pei Qian, Xu Chen learned that Shanghai Shenhua’s defeat was in the ongoing AFC Champions League qualifiers.

Two Chinese teams were in it: Dalian Shide and Shanghai Shenhua.

A few days ago, Dalian Shide lost to the Koreans and got knocked out.

And that afternoon, Shanghai Shenhua fell to Japan’s Steel Bar team, dashing the last hopes for China…

Coincidentally, that match was also played away in Japan.

Huang Hao, catching up on the soccer talk, said:

“That explains it…”

Qian Xin: “Explains what?”

Huang Hao: “I saw a post in the group chat earlier…

Some fans are heading to Osaka to cheer for the powerhouse girl!

I didn’t get it at first, but now I see—they were in Japan for the game.”

Huang Hao pulled out his phone, scrolled through the group, and added:

“The Shanghai Shenhua vs. Steel Bar match was in Saitama, Japan.

A bunch of Chinese fans flew in to support, but they still lost.

Meanwhile, Japanese media were covering the September 18th women’s 100m hurdles final, with seven out of eight spots Japanese…

So those fans decided to rush to Osaka overnight to back the ‘powerhouse girl’!”

Qian Xin blinked: “What’s her name, anyway?

One against a Japanese onslaught—it’s kinda badass!”

Huang Hao checked his phone and murmured:

“Xie Bingran…”

Qian Xin pulled out his Motorola Knife Edge and dove into research, muttering:

“This Xie Bingran is seriously awesome!”

Pei Qian got curious and leaned over to look.

Qian Xin passed him the phone, showing a news photo of Xie Bingran’s victory.

Pei Qian: “She’s really pretty!”

Huang Hao: “Ever since she debuted, she’s overshadowed Bai Miao.

Last month at the National Games, she snagged the national title by beating the previous Asian Games champ…

She’s a force!”

Qian Xin kept scrolling, eyes wide: “Min Siyang’s got nothing on her—I think I’m into this type.”

Xu Chen frowned and cleared his throat: “You should stick with Min Siyang.”

Qian Xin: “Huh?!”

……

They dug into their meals, and Huang Hao remembered something, turning to Xu Chen:

“Boss Xu, you’re taking off tomorrow? Off to have some fun?”

Huang Hao shared two elective classes with Xu Chen.

The professors were lax with roll call, so Xu Chen asked him to sign in, naturally mentioning the leave.

Xu Chen chuckled and said casually:

“Flying to Osaka to cheer for the powerhouse girl!”

Huang Hao laughed it off, thinking it was a joke:

“You’re always so mysterious, Boss Xu…”

……

……

After dinner, they headed back to the dorm, chatting along the way.

“Jiang Zhe prince” Qian Xin clutched his phone, still hunting for info on Xie Bingran.

He muttered now and then:

“Short-haired girls are just cool and fierce!”

“Winning the national title at seventeen—that’s brutal!”

“She’s genuinely gorgeous. What about Min Siyang, Su Rong, or Chen Qiong? They pale in comparison!”

“She broke the National Games record, so the upcoming race is basically in the bag!”

“Wonder if the Japanese will try any dirty tricks…”

……

Huang Hao chimed in:

“I heard from high school friends she’s heading to Huahai Normal University.”

Qian Xin: “For real? I’ll have to hang around there more!”

Xu Chen: “……”

……

Back in room 3103, Xu Chen’s roommates Chen Wenyi, Hong Xiaoqiang, and Jiao Tianbo were there.

Chen Wenyi strummed his guitar silently, just practicing chords with his left hand.

A couple of days ago, “study king” Jiao Tianbo complained about the noise, so Chen Wenyi went quiet.

“Computer whiz” Hong Xiaoqiang hunched over his custom-built rig, coding something advanced.

“Study king” Jiao Tianbo’s desk was buried in books, like a fortress hiding his head and computer.

……

Xu Chen entered, greeted them, and went to his spot.

His travel bag for tomorrow was packed—just a simple backpack.

He plugged in his laptop and powered it up.

It auto-logged into QQ, and messages popped up from Wu Feifei.

[Bing Ge’s competition is heating up big time…]

[It’s buzzing everywhere—Catpounce is organizing fans to head to Osaka and cheer for Bing Ge!]

[Check it out! It’s even on CCTV!]

……

Wu Feifei was clearly pumped and sent over a bunch of links.

As Xu Chen clicked to check, a cold voice came from behind:

“Xu Chen…”

It startled him—he turned to see “study king” Jiao Tianbo.

“What?” Xu Chen asked.

Jiao Tianbo paused:

“Did you submit for the advertising competition?”

Xu Chen: “Yeah.”

Jiao Tianbo: “Can I see your entry?”

Xu Chen: “Sure.”

It wasn’t a secret anyway, and submissions were closed, so no copying possible.

Mainly, he wanted to wrap this up quickly.

Xu Chen opened the three “Solid Teeth Toothpaste” designs from his folder.

Jiao Tianbo leaned in, brow furrowed in concentration.

He studied them carefully, deep in thought.

Xu Chen felt a bit awkward, so he stood, grabbed his cup, and said:

“Take your time…”

When he returned with water, Jiao Tianbo looked puzzled:

“Honestly, I don’t get your three entries…”

Xu Chen laughed: “I just threw them together for fun. We haven’t covered much in class, so I don’t really know what I’m doing.

I went with whatever came to mind…”

Jiao Tianbo nodded: “Let me show you mine. We can learn from each other.”

He turned and brought over his laptop.

Xu Chen didn’t really want to look, but he played along and glanced at it.

Jiao Tianbo kept a straight face but snuck peeks at Xu Chen’s reaction.

Xu Chen caught on and laid on the praise:

“This is great! What a clever idea!”

“Whoa, how did you come up with that? It’s so unexpected yet makes perfect sense!”

“This is award-winning stuff. Past winners can’t touch your creativity!”

“Can you send it to me? I want to study it closely!”

……

After that, the stoic “study king” couldn’t hide a smile.

He said gruffly:

“I just whipped it up. I’ll send it via QQ for us to learn from.”

Xu Chen: “Awesome!”

Jiao Tianbo quickly shared the files.

Xu Chen saved them right away, even creating a new folder labeled “Case Study Learning”…

Jiao Tianbo seemed satisfied, glancing at Xu Chen’s screen, but then frowned slightly.

He muttered:

“Are you chatting with Wu Feifei?”

Xu Chen froze for a second, realizing he’d forgotten about Jiao Tianbo’s crush on her.

He didn’t bother explaining, just flashed a knowing smile.

Jiao Tianbo’s face shifted through emotions, finally settling into a frustrated huff as he sat back.

Xu Chen wondered…

Would he be safe sleeping in the dorm? No midnight surprises, right?

……

……

Back at his seat, Xu Chen opened the links from Wu Feifei and checked them out.

Just as she said, Xie Bingran’s upcoming race was exploding online.

It started as a low-key East Asia Youth Games event, and the women’s 100m hurdles wasn’t even a hot topic…

But with Xie Bingran facing seven Japanese athletes, plus the timely date, it turned into a major story.

Forums, communities, and boards were flooded with discussions about the race.

As details on Xie Bingran emerged, people learned she was already a national champion.

Now, as that champion taking on seven from Japan, it became a clash of nations.

The special date added emotional weight…

Everything made it shine with significance!

Without a doubt…

Everyone wanted to witness this race.

Everyone hoped she’d win.

On September 18th, in Japan…

Everyone yearned for this trapped warrior to triumph.

……

Once all the info on the race and Xie Bingran spread, the focus shifted to cheering her on and building momentum.

Alone in a foreign land, battling seven…

Chinese spirits were ignited.

Many couldn’t contain their excitement and wished they could fly to Osaka to support this overlooked champion.

At the same time, a group of fans already in Japan stepped up perfectly…

“Genius hurdler faces Japanese siege in Osaka showdown!”

“Chinese fans rush from Saitama to Osaka—boosting our spirit and honor!”

“Xie Bingran, don’t back down!”

“Billions of us stand behind you!”

……