Ch. 1231..1240
Chapter 1231: 1230 make some noise
It was unclear how many saboteurs were in this group, but after the six competitors, two more people showed up to hinder Tan Rou’s progress. These two individuals didn’t worry Tan Rou at all; she frequently changed lanes and managed to confuse them so thoroughly that they eventually gave up attacking her and turned to attack others instead.
Tan Rou’s actions made many competitors realize something was amiss with this race, and they kept their guard up while running. As soon as someone approached them, they would quickly switch lanes. By the end of the race, there were still quite a few of them left.
“Phew,” Tan Rou breathed out, and then grabbed a towel to wipe off her sweat, “How was my speed?”
Zhuang Liu had been timing Tan Rou, and when he heard her ask about her performance, he immediately replied, “Compared to your usual speed, you were about a minute and a half slower this time. But that’s not your fault; you ran on the outer track too much, and the frequent lane changes naturally affected your performance.”
Tan Rou pursed her lips, “Okay, I thought that increasing my speed would make up for the time lost on the outer track. But it seems it didn’t.”
“I’ve checked your results, and you are currently the fastest. As long as no one surpasses you later, first place will be yours,” Zhuang Liu said.
Tan Rou smiled, “My speed was so slow, and yet I still could win first place?”
Zhuang Liu replied, “Although you weren’t as fast as usual, you were faster than the average person. If you participated in a professional competition, you could definitely place well. But I think you should not participate anymore; it pains me.”
“Got it.” Tan Rou handed the towel back to Zhuang Liu, “I won’t participate in such competitions anymore, it’s exhausting.” If not for Professor Yi asking her to come, she wouldn’t have bothered with this hassle.
The competition wasn’t over yet, and the remaining two races still had unforeseen events due to the special circumstances that occurred during the second race. The last two races drew a lot of attention from many people, not just in online discussions, but intense debates also erupted offline, and some grew heated directly on the field.
“I told you someone hit me, and you didn’t believe it,” a contestant who had been eliminated exploded from the stands. “No way, you must explain this to me, or I won’t leave!”
With him making a scene, other eliminated contestants couldn’t sit still either, and they all demanded an explanation from the committee.
The committee had no choice but to stop avoiding the issue and sent someone to make a statement, coincidentally it was the pockmarked-faced man who had spoken to Wu Hao before.
The pockmarked-faced man stood at the judges’ stand, cleared his throat, and said, “Accidents occurring in these competitions are quite normal. Even in the Olympics, accidents happen. It’s just that we had more people this time, and things got a bit chaotic. Things got tense, and then some of you were eliminated. I really can understand your feelings…”
“You understand nothing!” a tall man stormed up to the stand, holding a sports shoe in his hand. Before he even got close, he threw the shoe at the pockmarked-faced man, “This sports event definitely has problems!”
The pockmarked-faced man was terrified, “Security! Where is security?”
The security guards were inside the field maintaining order and hadn’t anticipated someone rushing the stand. So they were stunned when they saw someone charge and didn’t react immediately.
The intruding man pushed the pockmarked-faced man down, grabbed the microphone, and shouted, “My name’s Chen Feng, and I was also a contestant in this long-distance race. I thought I was going to win, but on my tenth lap, someone suddenly knocked me down. At first, I thought it was an accident, but then I saw that many potential contestants were also knocked down, and those disrupting the race were sent by the committee!”
The pockmarked-faced man got up and argued, “This contestant is delusional from his loss; don’t listen to his nonsense…”
“Get lost!” The man pushed the pockmarked-faced man down again, “You don’t want me to speak, so I’ll speak even more! I don’t know about the other contestants’ intentions for participating, but I can tell you mine. I came to this long-distance race because the prize is an apartment with three bedrooms and two halls in the Capital city!”
Chapter 1232: 1231 making excuses
As soon as the contestant finished speaking, the whole room erupted. What is the concept of a three-bedroom apartment in Capital? Whoever owns that apartment could save themselves twenty years of struggle.
Especially for the young people, just starting their jobs, or who haven’t even started working, with poor family conditions, they might never be able to own an apartment in Capital. But now, an opportunity was laid out in front of them, how could they possibly miss it?
Some people knew the insider information, like the contestant currently standing on stage, while most people were unaware, otherwise definitely more would have registered to compete.
The man with pockmarked face was extremely flustered, it wasn’t hot, but his face was covered in sweat, “Young man, don’t talk nonsense, our competition does not have physical prizes, let alone an apartment in Capital as a reward.”
That person didn’t believe the pockmarked face man’s lies, “That day when you were talking to your relatives, I heard everything. Initially, they approached me too, but I wanted to win the reward based on my own abilities, so I refused. I didn’t anticipate being harmed by you guys in the end.”
While he was talking, four or five athletes charged up, holding plastic chairs in their hands, seemingly ready to cause a scene.
The leader, dressed in an orange tracksuit, carrying a heavy plastic chair, said, “If you don’t give us an explanation, we won’t leave! We joined this competition to achieve honor, we don’t care for any physical rewards! But you cheated in the sports arena, destroying the sportsmanship, and I can’t tolerate that!”
Some people need honor, some need prizes, but they all dislike being eliminated without understanding the reason.
The pockmarked face man couldn’t maintain order alone, and then one male and one female director stood out, their positions significantly higher than the man with the pockmarked face, their words carrying more authority.
“Ladies and gentlemen, contestants, please calm down for a moment!” the male director said, “Let’s discuss this calmly; if you make noise here, then we will not be able to resolve anything.”
This director obviously had experience with big events, he wasn’t as nervous as the pockmarked face man, even carrying a slight smile on his face, which gave a rather relaxed feeling.
“Stop the nonsense!” the contestant who first ran onto the stage demanded, “You just need to tell us whether there are physical prizes or not!”
The group that followed asked, “And one more thing, were those people who caused trouble in the sports arena arranged by you?”
This time the female director spoke, “This sports event indeed has physical rewards, but I hope everyone remembers one thing, the most important aspect of sports is physical exercise, our purpose in hosting this sports event is not to distribute physical rewards, but to promote physical fitness among everyone.”
“Regarding the second issue, our committee can’t give you an answer right now,” the female director continued, “Clashes in competition venues are normal, we cannot make arbitrary conclusions without investigation. So please wait a few more days, once we have clarified things, we will give everyone an account…”
The man in the orange outfit was very unsatisfied with her response, and before she could finish, the orange-outfit man told her to get off the stage, “An account? Will you really give us an account? I think you just want to use this time to find excuses!”
The female director smiled and said, “Sir, I know you’re anxious, but being anxious doesn’t help, we need time to investigate. Rest assured, once we find anyone who has violated the rules of the competition, we will definitely punish them.”
“Oh, so you mean to say there’s no evidence right now that anyone has violated the rules of the competition?” Wu Hao and his roommates suddenly appeared on stage, he couldn’t walk, so his roommates had to carry him up.
The female director responded with a smile, “That’s right.” She considerately asked, “This contestant seems to be severely injured, if there’s anything our committee can help with, just say it, we will do our best to help you.”
Wu Hao gave a cold laugh, “What help do you think I need?”
The female director didn’t respond, and the male director then said, “We can recommend the best doctors to you.”
“Keep the doctors for yourselves,” Wu Hao said with a smile, “lest later you get beaten so badly and can’t find a doctor to treat you.”
Chapter 1233: 1232 started fighting.
The male leader’s face changed, “What do you mean by that?”
Wu Hao flexed his wrists, then had his roommates set him down, “We had already sent you the evidence, and not only did you not handle it, you even threatened us, I believe many athletes’ complaints were dismissed, no?”
Many athlete’s from the audience agreed, “Exactly, when we went to report it, they wouldn’t even listen to us. They even said if we bothered them again, they would ban us from competing ever again.”
Wu Hao took out a loudspeaker from behind the stretcher, then placed his phone behind the loudspeaker, and a lengthy recording started to play.
The male leader said, “Let them make a fuss, they are just college students and junior staff, they don’t have much capability or background, we don’t need to care about them. What we need to do now is to protect our own people and, after we get the rewards, distribute them according to merits.”
The female leader said, “We can’t turn all the winners into our people, or it will be discovered. Pick a few weaker ones to be the last in each event, but choose those from well-off families who won’t care much about the physical prizes and won’t trouble us.”
The male leader said, “Hmm, let’s do it this way, you go and talk to them later, let them be careful while handling things, don’t give others any leverage against us.”
The female leader asked, “Should we replace those photographers? If it weren’t for their videos, we wouldn’t have landed in such big trouble,”
The male leader said, “Let’s hold out for half more day, the photographers for the marathon must be professional athletes. Tonight, I will propose to Chief Tao to add some robots with photography features, then replace those professional athletes. Professional athletes are too annoying, all they think about are sportsmanship, who needs so much sportsmanship? Making a profit is the real deal!”
The recording ended there, it was unclear who recorded it, but it was very clear, and the two voices were easily recognizable as those of the two leaders on stage. The two leaders’ faces turned ugly, but they still tried to find excuses to explain the recording, however, they never got the chance to speak as a plastic stool flew towards them, missing them but hitting the microphone stand beside them.
A man in an orange shirt cursed, “Fuck you, I worked so hard to prepare, yet you made me lose so thoroughly, I didn’t get the first place, neither should you get the money!” He picked up the microphone stand from the ground and shouted, “Brothers, let’s fight them!”
His group, all hot-blooded young men adept at brawling, immediately showed their weapons upon hearing “let’s fight them”, and swarmed onto the stage.
The venue’s security finally reached the stage, and the remaining members of the organizing committee could no longer just sit and watch, they all hurried onto the stage to try to stop the fighting.
About twenty to thirty people rushed onto the stage, each wielding a weapon, whether it was plastic stools or sports equipment picked up from the ground. Clearly, the brawl today was unavoidable.
Tan Rou and the others just stood and watched from below the stage, Li Li wanted to go up to help Wu Hao only to be pulled back by Tan Rou.
Tan Rou said, “Don’t go, it’s very chaotic up there now, and with all that stuff flying around, it won’t be good if you were hit.”
Li Li anxiously said, “Senior Wu Hao is still up there, I want to go help him.”
Tan Rou pointed to the stage and said, “Wu Hao and his roommates aren’t there to fight, they will probably retreat to a safe place very soon. And even if you went up, you wouldn’t be able to help, those people are fierce fighters who don’t blink an eye in battle, and they don’t know you; if you go, they might think you’re an opponent and attack you.”
Li Li hesitated, then said, “Then I’ll wait a bit longer.”
With things having turned out this way, it was surprising no one thought to call the police. The audience below thought this matter had nothing to do with them, they were just here to watch the competitions, and naturally, it should be the organizing committee’s job to call the police. But all the members of the committee were up there fighting, with no one thinking to make the call.
Chapter 1234: 1233 Truce
Those who hoped to win the marathon championship definitely had excellent physical condition. The men brought by the man in the orange shirt were all amateur athletes, and each of them could fight three opponents alone. Hence, the event organizers were no match for them. Even with the security guards maintaining order, they couldn’t manage to fight these participants.
The man in the orange shirt used his microphone stand and hurled it into the crowd, but not randomly. His targets were only the two organizers. He hit whoever he could.
The female organizer, wearing high heels, tripped after taking a few steps. After she fell to the ground, the man in the orange shirt did not bother with her but instead turned his attention to the male organizer, as he was the main manipulator behind the scenes.
With one swing of the microphone stand, the man in orange shirt broke the male organizer’s head, and blood streamed down his forehead, staining his white shirt red.
“Stop, stop!” the female organizer shouted loudly, “If you keep hitting him, someone will die!”
The man in the orange shirt dragged the male organizer up, “I can stop, but you need to give me an explanation now!”
The female organizer cowered, “Alright, alright, we will investigate… no, we will make a statement right now, clarify the truth, and satisfy you.”
The man released his grip, tossed the microphone stand aside, and said with a smile, “Why didn’t you say this earlier? Why did you have to let me beat you up?” He then said to his brothers, “Since they are willing to explain to us, let’s wait for their statement. After all, we are not in a hurry, we can afford to wait for the statement to be released.”
As he spoke, everyone else stopped their attacks, otherwise, who knew how long they would have continued to fight.
The stage was in chaos, all the microphones were broken, not a single microphone stand was left intact, and one stand had even pierced the big screen behind, creating a hole in the electronic display.
“This is too intense!” Li Liren was dumbfounded, “They even drew blood.”
“Such a fine sports event turned out like this, let’s see how the organizers will explain later,” Tan Rou said with a faint smile, “But those guys are really something, daring to beat people up in broad daylight. Aren’t they afraid of being arrested?”
Zhuang Liu looked at the leader and remarked with a smile, “I guess even the police wouldn’t dare to mess with them.”
Tan Rou asked curiously, “Do they have some kind of background?”
Zhuang Liu pointed to the man in the orange shirt on the stage and whispered to Tan Rou, “That man ostensibly runs a martial arts school, but secretly he is involved in underworld businesses, and ordinary people wouldn’t dare to offend him.”
Tan Rou asked, “How do you know him?”
Zhuang Liu replied, “I needed his help for some matters a few years ago. He is very tight-lipped, very efficient, and it’s much easier dealing with some shady issues through him than doing it myself.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Oh, this is going to be interesting to watch.”
Once the event organizers recovered, they immediately called the police. The venue had surveillance, so those who had been fighting couldn’t escape. However, rather than running, they sat down to wait for the police to arrive.
The police arrived quickly, saw the chaotic scene, and the people there, and they realized that today’s issue wouldn’t be easy to solve.
The beaten male organizer, holding his head, harshly said, “Officer, please arrest them immediately!”
The police didn’t respond to him, but asked, “Who started the fight?”
The male organizer pointed at the opposite side, loudly saying, “They started it.”
The leading officer frowned, “Why did they start the fight?”
Now the male organizer found himself at a loss for words. After hemming and hawing, he answered, “You’ll have to ask them.”
The man in the orange shirt brushed off his clothes, chuckled heartily, and said, “Since they dare not explain, we’ll start then.” His articulation was formidable, and he quickly clarified the reason behind the incident.
After listening, the police were profoundly shocked, “Is what you’re saying true?”
The wronged participants gathered around, “Officer, we can confirm that what he’s saying is true, and if the police need evidence, we can provide it.”
At this, the police fell silent, for the matters on the sports field were not normally within their jurisdiction, considering that they did not involve civil disputes.
Chapter 1235: 1234 restart the competition?
“We can only deal with the brawl, as for what happened on the field, that’s not within our scope, so you all need to negotiate a solution yourselves,” the police said, “But before that, you have to come with me to the police station and explain clearly the matter of your fight.”
The man in the orange shirt said with a smile, “Since the police comrades have spoken, we can’t disregard their wishes. Brothers, let’s go, we’ll take a trip to the police station!”
The police took away everyone involved in the brawl, leaving the competitors and the audience staring at each other, none of them having anticipated such an outcome.
Tan Rou found Tao Zhi and asked how the competition would proceed, to which Tao Zhi replied, “I don’t know, because by the time I got the notice, the police had already taken the people away.”
Tan Rou asked, “Were all the members of the organizing committee taken away?”
Tao Zhi answered, “Not all, but the two key personnel were taken, and the rest were called by the mayor for a meeting. With such a big incident this time, if Mayor Guo doesn’t handle it properly, his position as mayor will become unstable.”
First, it was the issue of shoddy construction in the city government building, and then the scandal at the sports meeting. Even if he wasn’t directly responsible for these, as the mayor, once he approved the projects and problems arose, he couldn’t shirk the responsibility.
“Mayor Guo also called us sponsors, saying he wants to invite us for dinner tonight, probably to discuss how to solve the problem,” said Tao Zhi. “When you go back later, help me take Tian Tian home, I have a meeting before dinner and won’t be able to join her.”
Tan Rou promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home safely.”
With the situation having escalated to this point, the organizing committee didn’t even feel like announcing the results of today’s long-distance race, instead issuing a notice for all the athletes to wait for the results and cancelling several sports events scheduled for the next day, leaving it unknown when they would be held again.
In the evening, Mayor Guo hosted a banquet for the sponsors at the largest hotel in the Capital. Apart from the sponsors, there were also several members of the organizing committee; these individuals hadn’t been involved in the corruption case, so they hadn’t been arrested.
In the afternoon, many videos of the competition surfaced online with the rule-breakers’ faces enlarged and actions slowed down, making it easy to identify them.
Following this, a large group of athletes were taken away for investigation, and then it was the members of the organizing committee’s turn.
Mayor Guo looked as if he had aged ten years and wearily said, “I’m sure you all are aware of what happened today. I really can’t understand why there are people who would desecrate such a sacred sporting competition. Tell me, why do you think this happened?”
No one spoke; at this point, whatever they said would only bring trouble upon themselves. It was better to keep their mouths shut and listen to what others had to say.
Tao Zhi was here not to listen to Mayor Guo’s complaints but to inquire about the situation. “Mayor Guo, the incident has already happened, and it has also caused a significant impact online. I think arguing about the problem is pointless. It’s better to think about how to solve it,” he suggested.
Mayor Guo glanced at Tao Zhi and asked, “Chief Tao, what do you think should be done about this?”
Tao Zhi smiled slightly, “I’m just a businessman; I only know about doing business. If Mayor Guo needs investment, I would be very happy to provide you with the funds.”
Mayor Guo didn’t expect Tao Zhi to come up with a good solution; his conversation with him was purely to break the deadlock.
“Have you all become mute?” Mayor Guo said loudly. “The trouble this time is caused by you; don’t you think you should be responsible for solving it?”
The organizing committee members were like chickens with their throats squeezed, not uttering a sound for a long while. Mayor Guo had no patience to wait for them so he pointed to someone and said, “You, speak!”
The young man stood up reluctantly and said, “Mayor, I think… I think we could have a re-run of the race…”
Before Mayor Guo could speak, Tao Zhi interjected, “Are you making a joke? Let me ask you a question: if you ran five kilometers and it wasn’t counted, what would you think?”
Chapter 1236: 1335 became a laughingstock
The person didn’t even think about it and directly answered, “I definitely wouldn’t be willing.”
Tao Zhi sneered, “If you’re not willing, what makes you think others should accept this outcome? Every athlete who came to compete has put in tremendous effort, and in today’s long-distance race, many athletes were injured. You’re suggesting redoing the race, but do you think they can still stand up and run?”
The person muttered under their breath, “It’s not just those few athletes. If we continue the competition, we could invite some more athletes.”
Tao Zhi became somewhat angry. “Don’t assume everyone wants to sign up for a long-distance race!” If it hadn’t been for Tan Rou, he wouldn’t have come to this banquet tonight. Since Tan Rou participated in today’s women’s 3000 meters, he didn’t want her efforts to go to waste, which is why he came tonight to prevent these people from impulsively invalidating the earlier race results.
The committee member was scared by Tao Zhi’s tone and said with a forced smile, “Chief Tao, I was just speaking off the cuff. Please don’t take it to heart. You’re right, all the results come from the athletes’ hard work and shouldn’t be canceled on a whim.”
Tao Zhi cooled down a bit and said, “I just feel that athletes who have put in the effort shouldn’t be let down. As for those who came to create trouble from the start, their results should not only be canceled, but we should also restrict their rights and forbid them from participating in any athletic competitions in the future.”
“Exactly, you’re absolutely right. We will definitely handle this matter,” said another older official. “This was our oversight, and we will come up with a good solution.”
Tao Zhi said sarcastically, “The evidence was submitted to you this morning, and you haven’t come up with any solutions all day. Are you really expecting to think of something by working overtime tonight?”
His words were sharp, leaving the committee members speechless, and they fell silent again.
“Does Chief Tao have any good solutions?” Mayor Guo asked once more, “If Tao Zhi has a good solution, feel free to share it. If we think it’s excellent, we might adopt your idea.”
Tao Zhi didn’t care whether they would adopt his idea or not. He just didn’t want to sit there in silence with them. On such a fine evening, why not go home and enjoy time with his wife?
“If I were in your position, I’d immediately release a statement expelling those who broke the rules, and declare that they will never be allowed to participate in sports competitions again,” Tao Zhi said, “As for those who were injured on the field, not only must you treat their injuries, but you must also provide additional compensation.”
“Those who reached the finish line through their own ability should receive their awards today as originally planned,” Tao Zhi emphasized, “Give them what’s due, and do not shortchange them.”
The official said with a distressed look, “Chief Tao, there are too many people; we can’t afford to compensate them all!”
Tao Zhi didn’t want to hear his excuses. “Our investment this year was ten times that of last year. Don’t tell us you don’t have the money, unless…” He looked around the room and stopped talking.
A sponsor beside them added, “Unless you’ve embezzled that money, there should be more than enough funds.”
With things having come to this point, the committee members naturally had no objections. They could only dig into their own pockets to retrieve the money and use it to compensate the injured athletes.
Under pressure from both the city government and sponsors, the committee finally released a declaration at midnight, along with a document listing all athletes who had violated the rules.
When Tao Zhi sent the link to Tan Rou, she hadn’t gone to bed yet. She glanced at the time when the declaration was released and thought to herself how amusing these people were for not daring to release it during the daytime and only doing so at midnight when few were awake.
“What are you looking at?” Zhuang Liu flopped down beside Tan Rou. “The declaration?”
Tan Rou replied with a smile, “I’m looking at a joke.”
Zhuang Liu quickly realized what joke Tan Rou was referring to and said with a laugh, “This joke is indeed quite funny.”
This year’s Youth Cup became the biggest joke in the history of Capital’s athletic meets. As a result, at every subsequent athletic meet, people would ask, “Will this time’s champion get a house in Capital?”
Chapter 1237: 1236 Li Li looking for a boyfriend
“Did you get the house?” Tao Zhi called to ask Tan Rou.
Tan Rou had just gotten her hands on the keys. Although she didn’t need this three-bedroom, two-living-room house, it was something she had earned through her efforts, and she couldn’t just not take it.
“Mhm,” replied Tan Rou, “Even though it is a three-bedroom and two-living-room house, its total area is only one hundred and twenty square meters, and its location is quite remote, so I won’t be moving here.”
Tao Zhi chuckled, “Why would you want to go there when you have so many nice houses to live in? Just leave this property here. Our family isn’t short on money. If you ever want to sell it, you can sell it to someone else.”
After thinking for a moment, Tan Rou said, “Last time Lan Ning asked me if I knew of any good jobs for her, she’s looking to save money to buy a house and eventually move in with her parents and sister. I can ask her if she wants it, and if she does, I’ll sell it to her at a discount.”
Since it was Tan Rou’s own house, even if she wanted to give it away, Tao Zhi wouldn’t stop her, but he reminded her, “If you decide to sell the house to Lan Ning, just make sure you discuss it with her properly, to avoid any quarrels over the house later.”
Tan Rou said with a laugh, “It’s just a commercial property; I could give it to her for free, how could that possibly lead to an argument?”
Tao Zhi felt his words might have been a bit superfluous, “Alright, you can handle it yourself then. I still have some work unfinished, I need to get back to it.”
Tan Rou said, “Find some time to take Tian Tian out for some fun when you’re free. Don’t always keep busy with work.”
“Okay, I got it,” Tao Zhi sighed, “I want to take her out too, but there’s so much work that needs me, I simply don’t have the time. I’ll make some time on the weekend to go out with her. Don’t tell her; I want to surprise her.”
Tan Rou was speechless. Only her big brother would think of a weekend date as a surprise. But Tian Tian, naïve as she was, fell for it every time. No matter what Tao Zhi said or did, she was always happy.
That weekend, Tan Rou and a few other girls gathered together, planning a girls’ gathering without boyfriends or husbands, as some of them were still single.
Tian Tian didn’t show up, as she had gone into the mountains to explore with Tao Zhi. She had initially wanted to join Tan Rou and the others, but she hadn’t been out with Tao Zhi in a long time and finally agreed to go with him after being persuaded by the rest.
Li Li said with a sour tone, “What’s so great about the mountains? It’s all bugs and rocks. A milk tea shop is much more comfortable.”
Liang Lu teased, “You could ask your boyfriend to take you and have a look. Who knows, you might end up liking mountain adventures.”
Li Li stared at Liang Lu, “What boyfriend? The state doesn’t distribute boyfriends, where am I supposed to find one to hang out with?”
With a light chuckle, Tan Rou asked, “What about that senior? Didn’t you like him? I remember last time you two exchanged contact information, haven’t you been in touch since then?”
Li Li propped her head in her hands, slumping on the table, and said dejectedly, “Don’t mention that jerk. He just treated me like a tool. After I sent him the video, he rarely replied to my messages.”
Liang Lu burst out laughing, “Hahaha, they say a melon forced off its vine isn’t sweet. Just give up on him and stop struggling!”
Li Li slapped Liang Lu’s arm, “Hmmph, it’s too much that you all don’t help me, and even mock me!”
“What help do you need from us?” asked Tan Rou with a smile. “You can’t expect us to kidnap Senior Wu Hao for you, can you?”
Li Li said morosely, “Kidnapping is illegal. And he doesn’t like me at all. Even if I did kidnap him, it wouldn’t do any good.”
“Move on to another one,” Liang Lu suggested a new idea, “You could go on your school’s forum and ask around, then have them approach you with a photo. Meet up with those interested and if you like what you see, start dating; if not, just say it’s not a match.”
Li Li sat up straight, then slumped back down dejectedly, “That works for you, the director, to pick actors. I’m different; I’m too shy to post something like that.”
Ling Lu could hardly contain her laughter, “You? Shy? Last time Lan Ning said you changed crushes three times in a week, greeting every single one. Does that sound shy to you?”
Chapter 1238: 1237 Lan Ning’s Troubles
Li Li covered her ears, “Don’t say it, I didn’t hear anything.”
While laughing, Liang Lu patted Lan Ning’s arm, “Lan Ning, you agree, don’t you?”
Lan Ning was lost in thought. She hadn’t heard what Liang Lu said. It wasn’t until Liang Lu tapped her arm that she came back to reality, “What did you just say?”
Liang Lu chuckled, “We were talking about Li Li choosing handsome guys. Last time you told me that Li Li changed her crush three times in one week, right?”
Lan Ning was zoning out again, “Ah, what handsome guy?”
Tan Rou saw her expression and knew she wasn’t paying attention, “Ning Ning, what’s wrong? You seem distracted.”
Lan Ning furrowed her brows and shook her head, “It’s nothing, I’m just thinking about the task my advisor assigned.”
Liang Lu felt something was off, “Didn’t you finish your experiment? Is there a new task now?”
Lan Ning was a studious and diligent student. If her experiments were unfinished, she wouldn’t have come out to play.
“Oh, I got it wrong, it’s a paper assigned by my general course teacher,” Lan Ning corrected herself.
“Ning Ning, you’re not someone who lies,” Li Li quickly sensed something was amiss. Since the two of them were single, they spent more time together, and she was very familiar with Lan Ning’s character.
Lan Ning looked down, gripping her phone tightly and replied, “Really, it’s nothing. I’m just a bit tired lately.”
Li Li wanted to ask Lan Ning more questions but was stopped by Tan Rou. Tan Rou shook her head at Li Li and Liang Lu, then said, “If you’re tired, you should rest properly. We are out to have fun today. Don’t let a bad mood spoil our enjoyment.”
Lan Ning lifted her head and revealed a smile, “Mhm.”
Li Li suggested, “Let’s go buy clothes. The weather is getting hotter, and I’m running out of things to wear. I know a street where clothes are cheap and pretty. Let’s go there.”
Tan Rou had no objection. She rarely bought clothes outside because her clothes were all custom-made and delivered directly to her home, so she didn’t need to waste time shopping. However, she still went shopping with friends. If she saw something she liked, she would buy it, without feeling that those things were too cheap for her.
Lan Ning had been worrying that they would go somewhere expensive, but she breathed a sigh of relief when Li Li mentioned a cheaper place for clothes.
Her family’s financial situation had improved slightly over the years, with her parents getting new jobs, and her sister in school, everything was moving in a positive direction. But her family’s finances were still not good enough, so unlike girls of her age, she couldn’t spend money as freely and had to juggle studies with part-time work.
Among this group, everyone had better family conditions than she did. Even Li Li’s family was many times better off than hers. Lan Ning worked very hard, believing she could change her future, so she focused all her energy on her studies, ignoring distractions.
But lately, she had been feeling depressed.
Li Li was very moody, one moment she was sulking over not having a boyfriend, and the next, she was bursting with vitality.
She dragged Liang Lu by the arm, pushing her into the store, “Big director, come help me choose. What should I wear to look like a star?”
Liang Lu had no choice but to be dragged along.
Tan Rou and Lan Ning hung back. Lan Ning was naturally quiet. Whenever she was with Li Li, it was Li Li who did most of the talking while she responded. Tan Rou wasn’t one for starting conversations either, so the atmosphere between them was quite subdued.
“Do you have something you can’t talk to us about?” Tan Rou couldn’t help but ask, “Is it something to do with your family?” She felt that whatever was worrying Lan Ning must be related to her family, and couldn’t think of anything else that would trouble her.
“I…” Lan Ning hesitated before speaking, “Actually…”
“It’s okay, if it’s about your family, you can ask us for help, or let us give you advice,” Tan Rou said, “We’re good friends.”
Lan Ning sighed, “It’s precisely because we’re good friends that I can’t do that.”
Tan Rou felt that it probably wasn’t an issue with Lan Ning’s family that was causing her distress, “What’s troubling you?”
Chapter 1239: 1238 Pursuers
Lan Ning’s fingers were constantly picking at her own clothes, a small action she took when she was troubled by a problem.
“I…” Lan Ning was almost crying in urgency, “I don’t want to lose you guys as friends. You have been very kind to me, and I want to be good friends with you all my life. I know your families are all very well off, and it’s my honor to be friends with you, so I’ve always wanted to maintain this friendship, but…”
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, “I feel a bit sorry for Li Li. She has been so good to me, yet I am trying to take the person she likes.”
“What?” Tan Rou was also surprised, as if she had heard something shocking, “You’re trying to take her boyfriend?”
Lan Ning pursed her lips, “I didn’t mean to steal her boyfriend, but Senior Wu Hao somehow got my contact information, and then he kept texting me to go out and hang out, and even gave me gifts alone.”
Tan Rou’s mind was overloaded. Li Li liked Wu Hao, and while Wu Hao was giving gifts to Lan Ning, Lan Ning and Li Li were good friends; wasn’t this a love triangle? Or perhaps not, depending on whether Lan Ning liked Wu Hao or not. If Lan Ning liked Wu Hao too, this whole thing would probably get very complicated.
“Ning Ning, do you have feelings for Senior Wu Hao?” Tan Rou brought Lan Ning to a nearby chair to rest, “Let’s sit down and rest for a bit, and then later we can go find Li Li and the others.”
“I don’t like Senior Wu Hao,” Lan Ning said directly. “Right now, all I’m thinking about is studying hard, finding a suitable job after graduation, and then bringing my younger sister to the Capital for her studies.”
“Mmm, I know your plan.” Tan Rou, concerned that Lan Ning couldn’t differentiate between love and sisterly affection, asked, “So what do you feel about Senior Wu Hao?”
Lan Ning honestly said, “I don’t feel anything for him. If it weren’t for Li Li liking him, I wouldn’t even contact him. Last time he got injured, Li Li went to see him, and I tagged along because I couldn’t go empty-handed, so I bought a fruit basket. After that, he kept contacting me, saying he wanted to invite me for a meal. When I didn’t agree, he just said he’d ask again another time.”
“Does Li Li know?” Tan Rou asked.
“She probably doesn’t know,” Lan Ning said sadly. “I don’t dare tell her. If I did, she definitely wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”
Tan Rou smiled a bit, “If Li Li stops being your friend over this, then there’s no need for you guys to continue being friends.”
Lan Ning immediately shook her head, “No, I don’t want that!”
Tan Rou held Lan Ning’s hand and said, “What I mean is that your relationship shouldn’t change just because of a guy, especially since it’s the senior who likes you, not you deliberately trying to steal the guy Li Li likes. So Li Li definitely wouldn’t blame you after finding out.”
Lan Ning still didn’t dare to say, because she knew Li Li genuinely liked Wu Hao. If she admitted Wu Hao liked her, Li Li would definitely get angry, and once angry, Lan Ning would be left without friends.
As far as Lan Ning was concerned, Li Li, Tan Rou, and the others were already close; they had known each other since high school, and if she and Li Li had a falling out, Tan Rou and the others would definitely side with Li Li.
She didn’t want to be friends with them just because they were wealthy, but because they had helped her. In Lan Ning’s heart, she felt she must repay them to maintain their lifelong friendship.
“Lan Ning, this isn’t your fault, and you don’t need to dwell on it anymore,” Tan Rou said. “He’s your suitor. If you don’t like him, just reject him outrightly and demand that he never appears in front of you again.”
Lan Ning had told Wu Hao as much, but Wu Hao simply wouldn’t listen, insisted on sending her gifts, and even threatened that if she didn’t accept, he would tell others.
Who that ‘others’ might be, Lan Ning could guess without a doubt.
Upon hearing this, Tan Rou frowned deeply, “So, he has been threatening you?”
Lan Ning was startled, “Is that considered a threat?”
“Of course, it is!” said Tan Rou very confidently, “He must have realized you are easy to talk to, which is why he keeps threatening you. If it were Li Li, she probably would have thrown the gift back in his face already.”
Lan Ning laughed, moved by her words, “Li Li would indeed do that.”
“Where did you put his gifts, then?” Tan Rou asked.
Lan Ning said, “I didn’t dare keep them and later returned them to his roommate.”
Chapter 1240: 1239 So that’s how it is
“Mm, your approach was correct,” Tan Rou fully supported Lan Ning’s actions. If Lan Ning didn’t like Wu Hao, then she shouldn’t accept anything from him, or else things would become complicated later on.
Lan Ning asked worriedly, “But after I returned his things, he still keeps sending messages. I’m not afraid of him bothering me; I’m just afraid that Li Li will find out he likes me and then she’ll get mad at me.”
Lan Ning’s concerns weren’t unfounded, after all, Tan Rou wasn’t Li Li; she couldn’t decide for her.
“How about this, when we go to eat later, you can bring this up and let Li Li make a decision,” Tan Rou suggested, “But you need to understand one thing, once you tell Li Li about this, you can’t be with Wu Hao anymore.”
Lan Ning nodded firmly, “I won’t be with him. I’d rather hang out with you guys than be with a boyfriend. If you guys get married later, I’ll just focus all my attention on work. It’s fine as long as you guys come hang out with me when you’re free.”
Tan Rou respected Lan Ning’s thoughts, “Good. However, if you find someone you like later on, you have to tell us. We’ll be happy for you.”
Lan Ning smiled and nodded solemnly, “Mm, I’ll definitely tell you.”
Meanwhile, Liang Lu and Li Li, who had been out buying clothes, hadn’t seen Tan Rou and the others, so they came back looking for them.
“Why are you guys sitting here?” Li Li quickly approached them, and grabbed Lan Ning and Tan Rou’s arms eagerly, “I just found a set of clothes, come and help me decide.”
Tan Rou gave Lan Ning a look, and understanding her meaning, Lan Ning said, “Li Li, let’s go eat something later, I have something to tell you all.”
Li Li stopped in her tracks, “What is it that you can’t say now?”
Lan Ning said, “You’re buying clothes right now, wouldn’t it waste your time if I spoke now?”
Li Li said with a laugh, “Clothes can be bought anytime. If what you have to say is urgent, then let’s deal with your matter first.”
Lan Ning hesitated again, “Let’s go buy the clothes first, then talk after that’s done.”
Li Li was very curious; if Lan Ning didn’t tell her what was going on, she didn’t even feel like buying clothes anymore, “Lan Ning, just tell me. If you don’t tell me, I’m not going anywhere.” She let go of Lan Ning’s arm and stood there resolutely.
There was a moment of loss in Lan Ning’s heart, and she was very worried that Li Li would sever ties with her after finding out about Wu Hao, “Li Li, I…”
Li Li waited for Lan Ning’s reply, but with Lan Ning’s distressed face, she wouldn’t speak.
Tan Rou patted Lan Ning’s shoulder, encouragingly saying, “Ning Ning, be brave and speak. We’re here for you, and besides, I believe that Li Li is not the kind of person who can’t distinguish right from wrong.”
Li Li was anxious, “What on earth do you want to tell me? Speak up. If you don’t, I’m going to be worried sick.”
Lan Ning clenched her palms and finally opened her mouth to say, “It’s about senior Wu Hao.”
Li Li asked excitedly, “What about him? Has he finally noticed my good qualities?”
“What good qualities do you have?” Liang Lu mocked, “Does having a loud voice count?”
Lan Ning pursed her lips and looked at Li Li before saying after a long while, “Senior Wu Hao said he likes me and wants to be with me.”
Liang Lu had been laughing, but upon hearing Lan Ning’s words, her smile immediately froze, “What did you just say? Did I hear wrong?”
Lan Ning shook her head, feeling distressed, “You didn’t hear wrong, senior Wu Hao is indeed pursuing me, but I didn’t agree.”
Liang Lu turned to look at Li Li, who had a calm expression on her face, but her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as if she was pondering something.
“Li Li, I’m sorry!” Seeing that Li Li remained silent, Lan Ning immediately apologized, “I really didn’t mean it. If I had known earlier that he liked me, I would have stayed far away from him and wouldn’t have been anywhere near him…”
Li Li raised her right hand, making a “pause” gesture, “No wonder he didn’t want to be my boyfriend. It turns out it’s because he likes you. I thought an outstanding person like me, he couldn’t possibly not like me, unless he already had someone he liked.”