Chapter 84: Schoolyard Rivalries

Amid the gasps and shocked voices in the class, Heqing from Class Three, along with Lily and Han Wenwen, turned to look this way.

Heqing had been secretly keeping an eye on Lin Zheng Ran’s moves, and as soon as she saw him, she cheered first, “Lin Zheng Ran is first!”

Lily blinked, a bit shy, thinking that dummy was really something. “He’s at it again, showing off, but with his skills, no one else stands a chance.”

Han Wenwen didn’t praise him; instead, she watched the surrounding girls’ excitement and crushes, especially that wealthy girl’s gaze and stares, like a little fox playing detective.

She bit her thumb with red lips. “I have a feeling trouble’s brewing. I need to nip this in the bud.”

The sports competition went on all day, with several events in a row. At first, Jiang Qian thought that even if she lost the short race, she could still beat him in sit-ups, long jump, and other areas.

But to her surprise, she didn’t win a single one.

And Lin Zheng Ran finished each event without even breaking a sweat, while Jiang Qian had given it her all.

After the competition, Jiang Qian sat on the steps in her military training uniform, staring blankly with a cold, lifeless gaze, her fighting spirit crushed by reality.

Her assistant Fang Meng crouched in front of her, sweating as she looked at her own stats.

“Jiang Qian, from what I’ve observed, this guy Lin Zheng Ran is a total genius. His physical ability and coordination are top-notch, and that’s not even counting his academic scores.”

Jiang Qian looked utterly desperate. “Don’t tell me about it. I don’t care about any of this.”

Fang Meng: “.”

Fang Meng explained, “Well, Jiang Qian, you’re not completely outmatched. After military training, our school has the freshman gala, right? You’re planning to play the piano and send the video to your uncle.”

Jiang Qian’s eyes suddenly lit up a bit as she looked at Fang Meng.

Fang Meng smiled. “You’ve been practicing piano since elementary school, and by junior high, you won several first prizes. Studying and sports aren’t your strengths, but piano is where you dominate. You’ll crush anyone there.”

Jiang Qian glanced at Lin Zheng Ran standing in the distance, watching the competition. After the sports events, plenty of girls had already started chatting him up.

The guy was handsome, with a solid build and an aura that outshone his peers. This competition had earned him a bunch of little fangirls and even some older sisters.

But Jiang Qian said then,

“No, I looked into his background— he’s from an ordinary family. If I beat him at piano, it wouldn’t be fair; he might not have even practiced it. And so what if I lose? I can just get first in the next mock exam.”

With that, she got up and headed to the restroom, seeming truly unbothered. Fang Meng blinked and muttered to herself, “Still so dishonest, but that’s one of her good points—she never uses her strengths to hit someone’s weaknesses. It’s endearing.”

Fang Meng stood up and followed her, though she had a hunch about what might happen.

That night, Jiang Qian stayed up late in her room, cramming like crazy, clearly in disbelief over losing in both sports and studies, gearing up for the next battle.

She had that look of ‘next time, I’ll definitely beat that guy.’

Even when Jiang Qian’s sister came home, she was shocked. “Oh? Has Jiang Qian been studying this hard lately?”

Fang Meng bowed slightly to Jiang Qian’s sister, Jiang Jingshi. “Miss Jiang has returned. The second miss has been extra dedicated lately, barely getting any sleep at night.”

The eldest Miss Jiang smiled gently. “Looks like she’s met a tough rival again. Her competitive spirit is as strong as ever. Fang Meng, don’t worry about her—just let her study. Make sure you get some rest.”

“Okay.”

“By the way, I heard from Grandfather that Jiang Qian has an arranged marriage. Has she met him yet? What’s he like—his character and vibe?”

Fang Meng explained, “The second miss isn’t interested in that and hasn’t met him yet.”

“Hmm.” Jiang Jingshi thought for a moment. “If not, I can go meet him. He’s an old friend of Grandfather’s, so we can’t ignore it and be rude. Besides, I was originally the one engaged, but since the guy is younger and the same age as Jiang Qian, Grandfather arranged it for her.”

She added, “Remind her about the meeting in the next few days. If Jiang Qian really doesn’t want to go, I’ll handle it.”

Fang Meng nodded.

With that, Jiang Jingshi turned and left in her high heels, her slightly curly waist-length hair swaying with her slender figure.

That clear morning, bright sunlight poured from the sky, and before they knew it, about two weeks had passed since the school year started.

High school is different from junior high. While junior high kids might just be starting to think about romance, high schoolers’ adult minds are maturing fast, and boys quickly notice who’s the prettiest in the crowd.

They spot a girl and remember her at first glance; one smile, and she’s the center of attention.

In these two weeks, everyone had plenty of time to figure out which class had the most attractive girls.

After morning training in Class One, the instructor let them rest for twenty minutes.

Though it was autumn, standing outside all morning still left everyone hot and thirsty. Lin Zheng Ran sat resting.

A guy sat next to him and said, “Lin Zheng Ran, how are you not tired after training all morning? You barely even broke a sweat.”

Lin Zheng Ran answered the curious question, “I’m okay. We’ve been at it for a week now, so I’m getting used to it.”

The guy slung his arm over Lin Zheng Ran’s shoulder.

“Used to it or not, it’s still tiring. But you’ve got amazing stamina—probably different from us. Hey, do you have a girlfriend? I notice the girls in our class talk to you, and you just brush them off.”

Lin Zheng Ran chuckled. “Not really interested.”

Then another guy with the surname Pan joined in.

“Mainly, with Jiang Qian and Fang Meng in our class, the other girls just don’t stand out. A handsome guy like you probably wouldn’t look twice. But you know, they say Class Three has the most pretty girls in the freshman year.”

The first guy nodded. “Yeah, yeah! I know about that. There’s this girl named Heqing—she’s super pretty and sweet. I saw her once, and wow!”

The Pan-surnamed guy said, “I know Heqing, she’s gorgeous, but Lily with her twin tails is even cuter! She’s more adorable than Heqing and has such a lively personality. I’d bet she’s everyone’s goddess by now.”

As they chatted about girls, another guy jumped in.

“The prettiest one’s got to be Han Wenwen. Haven’t you heard how many guys have been sending her love letters? Even upperclassmen have confessed, but good luck chasing a beauty like that—she hasn’t said yes to anyone and claims she already has a boyfriend!”

In Lin Zheng Ran’s life so far, guys from class had come to chat with him countless times.

A few times, it almost turned into real friendships, but in the end, he always ended up alone. The reason was simple…

Like right now, as the guys talked about girls, Heqing suddenly appeared from afar, holding an unopened cup of lemon water, shyly walking over to give it to someone.