Jiang Shengyao was jarred awake by the clatter of keyboard typing, his irritation bubbling to the surface as he prepared to launch into an impassioned tirade—only to freeze mid-thought.
The faint glow of the screen illuminated the side profile of the girl. Her beauty was nothing short of divine—graceful, exquisite, as though nature itself had poured its utmost care into her creation.
In that mont, only one thought echoed in Jiang Shengyao’s mind.
"No cultural sophistication—’damn’ sums it all up."
Her fine nose stood tall, like a majestic peak rising amidst its peers, lending her a touch of ethereal aloofness that felt untouchable—like a goddess descended from the clouds, pure and inviolable.
The muted lighting seed to cast a layer of mystery over her, making her allure even harder to shake off.
Transfixed by her stunning beauty, Jiang Shengyao montarily lost track of ti and place.
Snapping back to reality, he whipped out his phone and secretly took a picture.
As he angled for a second shot, the girl suddenly turned her head, sensing sothing.
The instantaneous impact of her beauty hit Jiang Shengyao like a thunderclap; he gasped, his breath catching.
Shen You’an frowned slightly, not missing the awe that flickered in his eyes.
She sighed inwardly, resigned.
It seed the system’s "charm potion" had worn off.
Shutting her laptop, Shen You’an pulled a mask out of her pocket, slipped it on, and walked toward the boy. Her voice was calm yet firm: "Please delete the photo you just took."
The imposing aura of the girl was so overwhelming that Jiang Shengyao dared not look up.
"De-deleted... it...."
"If my photo is circulated, I will press charges against you for invasion of privacy."
Her cool voice sounded almost subtly threatening as it trailed into his ears.
When Jiang Shengyao finally lifted his head, the girl’s elegant figure had already vanished.
Instinctively, Jiang Shengyao chased after her.
But she was already lost among the bustling crowd.
Feeling dejected, Jiang Shengyao lowered his head. He opened his phone and retrieved the photo from his "Recently Deleted" folder.
The girl’s words of warning still echoed in his mind, curbing his urge to post the photo on his personal feed. No—he would keep it for his private admiration.
The more he stared at the photo, the more bewitched he felt, smiling dumbly to himself like soone hopelessly ensnared.
"Ayao, what the hell’s wrong with you? Standing here grinning like an idiot this early in the morning?"
His companion, rubbing sleep from his eyes, stumbled out of the internet café.
"What’re you looking at that’s so amazing? Let see!"
As the companion leaned closer, Jiang Shengyao swiftly put his phone away, putting on a stern face. "I’m hungry. Let’s grab breakfast."
The companion yawned three tis in a row, his dark eye circles showing reluctance as he trailed behind Jiang Shengyao.
"What’re you on? Sa all-nighter as , yet you look this lively!"
Jiang Shengyao’s brows lifted, his mood buoyant. "Because I have a secret formula."
The companion gave him a sideways glance. "True to form as Lanya Group’s young master, huh."
The ntion of his family’s na instantly killed Jiang Shengyao’s good mood.
Realizing they’d touched a sore subject, the companion quickly clamped his mouth shut.
To defuse the awkward tension, he scrambled for a topic: "This year’s middle-school entrance exam top scorer is so girl nad Shen... uh... You’an, from Lanya Middle School. Heard Wende and Experintal High School almost got into a fight over recruiting her—such shalessness! Hey Ayao, you also went to Lanya’s middle school. Have you ever seen this girl? Is she pretty?"
A hazy figure flitted through Jiang Shengyao’s mind.
Of course he knew Shen You’an—she’d never budged from the number-one spot since elentary school, an undeniable super-scholar.
His only impression of her was that she was painfully thin, with a pair of thick black-frad glasses perched on her sharp nose, her hair cut into an unflattering bob. Altogether, nothing remarkable.
She’d always kept to herself, reserved, unsociable—a classic introverted bookworm.
Yet sohow, the thought of the goddess who had just briefly graced the internet café counter flared in his mory.
Their figures overlapped for a fleeting instant.
Jiang Shengyao scoffed, amused.
Impossible.
Shen You’an was nothing more than a diligent nerd with little to comnd beyond her grades.
But his goddess—now she was an entirely different realm: cold, breathtakingly beautiful, her voice a lody from the heavens.
How could Shen You’an ever compare?
~
[Insufficient points. Hallucinogenic Potion unavailable for redemption. Please try harder to increase your points, Host.]
Shen You’an let out a sigh of frustration.
All of her points had gone into aiding Qi Baotan, leaving her utterly broke—not even able to afford the cheapest Hallucinogenic Potion in the system’s store.
Yes, 10ml of Hallucinogenic Potion would last for a month, but it cost thirty points—the lowest-priced item in the store.
Currently, Shen You’an only had eighteen points, six of which were the system’s daily sign-in bonus.
[Can’t you give a discount?]
The system ruthlessly denied her.
Boosting her points through physical advancents was clearly out of the question—too ti-consuming. Competitive events were no shortcut, either.
Was she really about to face the world with this face for the next couple of days?
It wasn’t that Shen You’an disliked her appearance—she’d grown accustod to it and found it convenient.
Perhaps it was good old "once bitten, twice shy."
[System detects that the City Swimming and Diving Center is holding a Youth Swimming Championship Qualifier this afternoon. Event grade: D-level. Bronze dal earns 5 points; silver dal earns 10 points; gold dal earns 20 points.]
Upon hearing the system notification, Shen You’an’s eyes lit up.
She bought herself a set of swimming gear and headed straight for the venue.
This youth qualifier in Qingzhou City was a fairly relaxed event, organized by the Swimming Center to scout fresh talent through open-entry qualifying criteria.
The participants were a mixed bag, reflecting the low level of the event.
Luckily, the event’s casual approach ant there was no restriction on registration ti—even if you showed up minutes before the race started, you could still enter.
To earn her points, Shen You’an didn’t care about prestige or scale.
The competition was an all-around event. Shen successfully registered and was automatically placed into the youth category.
Just then, the Swimming Center’s director escorted a young man into the venue.
"Coach Hong, had I known you’d be attending, I would’ve reserved the best seating for you. Let’s hope there’s talent among this batch of youngsters to catch your eye."
The man in front, expression steeled and quietly imposing, was none other than Hong Cuiting—a legend of the swimming world.
During his career, his achievents were unparalleled. Crowned a swimming prodigy as a teenager, he shattered the freestyle world record at seventeen. At the Olympics two years ago, he’d been a top contender for gold, poised to beco the youngest freestyle grand slam winner in swimming history.
But tragedy struck—a car accident during training robbed him of his chance at gold, and permanent leg injuries sealed his fate. He would never swim again.
A cruel twist, undeniably.
The public’s harsh criticism engulfed him during that ti. He never uttered a word to defend himself, silently bearing it all.
After half a year recuperating post-retirent, he returned to his hotown of Qingzhou, taking on a role with the provincial swim team as a coach. For the past six months, he’d been hunting for promising talent to nurture, hoping to pass on his legacy and fulfill his unfulfilled dreams.
Hong Cuiting had co to terms with his lowered expectations; today was rely a chance to test his luck.
The gun fired, and the girls’ youth division took their dives.
Hong Cuiting’s eyes suddenly narrowed as he locked onto Lane 12.
A thin figure dove gracefully, her technique precise and fluid, standing out strikingly among the others.
Once subrged, she moved with effortless elegance, like a Jiao Long—an agile sea dragon cutting through the waves.
Hong Cuiting leapt to his feet in excitent, his gaze glued to Lane 12.
The girl reached the finish line first, breaking the surface with casual ease.
Cheers of astonishnt erupted from the spectators.
It wasn’t just her swimming prowess that captivated them—her delicate yet powerful silhouette was srizing.
Underneath her swim cap and goggles, her snow-like skin and the graceful contour of her face shimred with unrivaled beauty.
Amid the group erging from the pool, she truly stood out—a radiant figure with a swan-like neck exuding elegance and pride.
Beauty can transcend features; it’s an aura. Just by standing there, she commanded every pair of eyes.
On the bleachers, a particular girl furrowed her brows, fixing her stare on the slender figure pulling herself out of the pool. Her impossibly pale, shapely legs drew gasps from the crowd.
"Where have I seen her before?" the girl mused.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for earning a gold dal. Points increased by 20, total points now 38.]
Shen You’an accepted her gold dal and quickly slipped away.
"Hey, wait up...!"
Hong Cuiting chased after her, but the girl had already faded into the throngs of people.
"Running that fast—good physique. Bet she’d perform just as well in a track et...."
This gem of a talent—it must not slip away.
Hong Cuiting resolved to launch his search.
Qingzhou isn’t that big—just try and hide.
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