Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 45: The Gentle Girl

On Sunday, under the pressure of the three of them, Chu Tianyu went early to queue up and gather information at several so-called popular clubs—art clubs, basketball clubs, football clubs, and the like, which were of top priority.
There was no need to explain the art club—it was, of course, a gathering place for talented and beautiful girls. The importance of being close to such places goes without saying. As for basketball and football clubs, they were the perfect stages for those talented and beautiful girls to cheer and admire the players’ skills, and their effectiveness in winning over girls was self-evident.
Chu Tianyu first headed to the art club, only to find it deserted, with not a single person around. It was just a little after 7 o’clock. Looking at the poster on the wall, it clearly stated the hours of operation: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Those brats had even set an alarm for 5:30 AM and left a note saying that since they were getting up early, he should clean the place gently so as not to disturb their sleep. If he had time later, he could take them outside, two blocks away and three alleys over, to that so-called traditional shop, Xianghe Soy Milk Shop, to buy three cups of soy milk, ten fried dough sticks, plus two spiced eggs per person…
Looking at the bags full of soy milk and fried dough sticks in his hands and then at the time on the wall, he shook his head helplessly. He had no choice but to deliver this generous breakfast to those guys first. After all, he had started playing “All Creatures 2” as a newbie and had immediately become obsessed with the game. He was currently in the newbie village, working hard to level up according to their instructions. Even so, he still had many things he didn’t understand and needed to ask them. So those veterans treated him like a fool, forcing him to sign unfair contracts. Sigh, when you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head!
He “gently” returned the breakfast to the dormitory. The guys were still fast asleep, so he didn’t disturb them. With some time left, he decided to go to the playground for a run and breathe some fresh air.
When he arrived at the playground, although it was Sunday, there were still many people exercising in the morning. Chu Tianyu took a deep breath, spread his arms wide, and did a few standard chest-expanding exercises before starting to jog.

As he ran, Chu Tianyu gradually adjusted his internal energy, controlling his vital energy to flow in rhythm with his movements. In no time, he entered a state of complete immersion, his legs and arms moving in perfect harmony with every gesture. He could even feel that almost every cell in his body was moving in a consistent, orderly pattern.

He didn’t know how many laps he had run when he finally finished his exercise, feeling a profound sense of relief as all his meridians seemed to be in harmony. Just as he was about to check his progress, he heard a faint, gasping voice behind him: “Hey, Chu, Chu Tianyu, you… you finally stopped!”

Chu Tianyu turned around and saw two beautiful figures dressed in sportswear. Upon closer inspection, the one speaking was Zhou Yun, the class beauty from his own class, while the other was unfamiliar. Although he didn’t pay much attention to class affairs, he was sure she wasn’t from his class.

“Phew, you run in such a strange way. It seems like you’re not fast, but we still can’t catch up! I didn’t expect you to be that good,” Zhou Yun said, panting slightly.

Hearing Zhou Yun’s words, Chu Tianyu wondered if they had noticed something amiss during his practice. He quickly changed the subject, saying, “Ah! Classmate Zhou, are you complimenting me or insulting me? As a man, if I can’t even beat you two, that would be strange!”

Zhou Yun rolled her eyes and retorted, “Stop it. With your dull appearance, how can you call yourself a man? Don’t get too full of yourself. To be honest, Li Rou and I practiced long-distance running in high school. Anyone who hasn’t received systematic training can’t outrun us!”

“Oh, I see. I started practicing long-distance running in junior high and even won second place!” Chu Tianyu wasn’t lying. When he was training with his second master as a teenager, he would run with lead weights—his master always came first, and he second…

Zhou Yun said skeptically, “Really? But your movements seem smooth; it seems like you really have experience!”

“Mm!” Chu Tianyu replied casually.

At the same time, Chu Tianyu finally had some free time and took a close look at the girl beside Zhou Yun—someone named Li Rou, it seemed. She had her face bare, no makeup at all, looking natural and unadorned, like a lotus blooming in clear water. Her gentle face was slightly flushed from recent exercise, her lips soft and rosy. Her skin was as smooth as jade, glowing with health. A simple hair clip held her hair back, allowing it to fall over her shoulders. Standing aside with a smile on her face, along with the gentle breeze of the morning, she exuded a pleasant fragrance that was soothing and refreshing. In his eyes, her appearance and temperament far surpassed those of Zhou Yun beside her.

“Li Rou, let’s run another lap!” Zhou Yun said, sensing the awkward silence. Chu Tianyu didn’t treat her as if she were something special like other boys, which made her feel bored. Plus, with his dull expression, if it weren’t for her initial confusion, she wouldn’t have bothered to talk to him. So she didn’t say anything more, grabbed Li Rou’s hand, and ran off without saying goodbye.

Actually, it couldn’t really be blamed on Chu Tianyu. Just a few days ago, he had been closely admired by those two stunning beauties along with another gorgeous woman, greatly enhancing his visual resistance. Although Zhou Yun was also beautiful, she paled in comparison to them. Moreover, the delicate girl beside her was far beyond her reach.

“Zhou Yun, who was that just now? Is she from your class?” Li Rou asked as they ran.

“Mm, she’s the ‘accidental’ class president I told you about!” Zhou Yun replied irritably.

“Oh, so that’s her! But thankfully, she isn’t as old-fashioned and silly as you said. On the contrary, she seems kind and quite cute…”

“Hehe, are you interested? Then I’ll act as a matchmaker and introduce you two. But he’s just a poor guy with no future. Hmm, though, he shares your hobby—reading. He’s a bookworm who spends all his time in the library. Hehe, don’t you think you two have similar interests? You two seem like a match made in heaven! Haha…”

“Fine! If you dare mock me, I won’t let you off easy…”

“Ouch, ease up, hehe…”

……

Chu Tianyu watched them run away, laughing and arguing. Seeing that it wasn’t yet nine o’clock, he chose a spot to sit down. Observing the people exercising back and forth, he thought about his college life lately and felt deeply moved. This was the life he truly longed for—the laughter and arguments with Bai Lei and the others added so much fun. With his free time at his disposal, he could do whatever he wanted. It was all so wonderful!

The only thing that’s somewhat regrettable is my relationship with Qin Nianran. Was my decision back then a bit hasty? Whether it was true foolishness or pretending to be foolish, it seemed a bit unfair to her. Especially after interacting with her, I could sense that deep loneliness in her eyes, which was very similar to that of Third Master. Perhaps this is the price of being superior, the so-called cost of being a genius! Thankfully, he chose another path—one of simplicity and happiness. It’s not about living in the eyes of others, but truly living one’s own life. Whether good or bad, it’s all an expression of one’s own will, one’s own choice… But by choosing ordinariness, he became even more unfair to Qin Nianran. Consider her situation and her standards—having her accept such an ordinary person, who seems almost foolish by legend, is worlds away from the realm she aspires to. No wonder she decided to investigate, to find a reason to give up completely or at least to accept reluctantly. Her distress, her coldness and hesitation toward Chu Tianyu become understandable. If that’s really the case, while Chu Tianyu enjoys this ordinary, peaceful life, why burden her further? If she ends up accepting reluctantly, perhaps she should ask her grandfather to end this marriage. That way, both of them can be at ease and have a clear conscience. Thinking of this, Chu Tianyu actually felt relieved. The weight that had been pressing on his heart since their meeting a few days ago finally disappeared. Hehe, life is strange—sometimes giving up is also a form of gain! “Hello, Classmate Chu!” Suddenly, a soft voice rang out. Chu Tianyu looked up and saw the girl who had been running with Zhou Yun earlier. Zhou Yun had called her Li Rou. “Li, Classmate Li, hello. Where’s Zhou Yun?” Chu Tianyu asked quickly. “Oh, she’s gone back. I’m Li Rou. Your running posture was so graceful just now! Zhou Yun said you also love reading very much. I really like reading too…” Li Rou said while extending her hand generously. “I’m Chu Tianyu…” For the first time in his life, Chu Tianyu shook a girl’s hand. It was as soft as her name suggested. Especially after exercising, her little hand was warm and delicate, giving him a truly wonderful feeling… “Classmate Chu, Classmate Chu?” With Li Rou’s gentle call, Chu Tianyu realized he was still holding her hand. His face turned red, and he quickly let go, smiling awkwardly. “W-what were you asking just now?” “Pfft~” Li Rou giggled. She didn’t expect this boy to be so silly—blushing just from shaking hands.

“I know your name is Chu Tianyu. I just asked if you like reading books in your free time,” Li Rou asked again, trying to hold back her laughter.
“Mm, yes!”
“What kind of books do you like?”
“Well, there are so many. I basically read any kind of book.”
“Really? Do you like the ‘Rogue Series’ written by ‘Xue Hong’, ‘Desecration’ by ‘Yan Yu Jiang Nan’, and also ‘Online Games: The World of All Beings’ written by ‘Zhong Sheng’?”
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianyu broke into sweat! He had never heard of these books before and decided right away that he would have to catch up on this kind of “knowledge” once he got back.
Seeing Chu Tianyu’s embarrassed and frustrated expression, Li Rou couldn’t help but laugh again and say, “Hehe, I was just joking with you. These are all casual online literature. What I’m actually interested in is social ideology and architectural planning. My major is architecture!”
Hearing this, Chu Tianyu became excited and said, “Hehe, I like that too. I’ve been reading a book about the social structure system of ancient Europe recently. By the way, doesn’t architecture require a strong foundation in art?”
“Mm, a solid art foundation directly affects our creativity and our sense of color and shape combination…”
“Oh, I once read a book called ‘Intent and Craft’, which seemed to be about creative ideas in architectural design…”
“Hehe, that should be a required course for us in the future!”
“I’ve also read quite a bit about architecture and construction, especially ancient feng shui, which is very intricate!”
“Yes, many things that seem superstitious are actually the most ingenious aspects. There are still many things that can’t be explained, but they make perfect sense…”
“That’s why architecture is called ‘solid music’—it’s an expression of artistic conception…”
“Mm, exactly…”
……
“Sigh, it’s just that our library has too few books. There are many I want to read but can’t borrow.”
“Hehe, tell me what you want to read, and I’ll help you borrow it next time. I even asked my friends to get me two library cards from Peking University and Tsinghua University.”
“Really? That’s great! Can I go with you next time?”
“Sure, no problem!”
“Here’s my phone number. Call me next time you go.”
“Mm, okay…”
……

By the time Chu Tianyu arrived at the recruitment site for the arts club, it was already 9:30. The place was already packed to the brim with people inside and outside. The same situation applied to the basketball and football clubs as well. As for the other clubs, according to Bai Lei, those worthless clubs weren’t even worth a glance. Indeed, clubs like the repair club and poetry club had hardly any visitors at all.

Sigh, it was better to just queue up at the arts club. Chu Tianyu walked around for a while and was about to head back when he suddenly spotted another registration point at the edge—turns out it was the martial arts club. He shook his head with a smile. Nowadays, martial arts almost resembled gymnastic performances. Compared to the bustling entrances of karate, taekwondo, and judo clubs, this place really looked pitiful!

Just as he was about to leave, an idea popped into his mind: “Haven’t I always been frustrated by not having the chance to practice swordsmanship? Why not sign up now? That way, I’ll have an excuse to practice in the morning.”

He acted on his thought and quickly completed the registration procedures under the enthusiastic welcome of the martial arts club members. Even the three people who hadn’t shown up needed no interviews—they were registered right away, and the fee was waived. They were only told to bring 360 yuan each next time to purchase uniforms and equipment together.

Before leaving, the club members kept urging Chu Tianyu, “You must come! You really must come!” After giving multiple assurances, Chu Tianyu finally managed to leave. Only after walking a distance did he wipe the sweat from his face and think to himself, “Wow, these people are so enthusiastic. I can’t stand it either!”

He spent the whole morning dealing with registrations. Finally, he obtained application forms for the arts club and the basketball club. Due to the large number of applicants, several popular clubs required assessments for new members, which were scheduled for the afternoon. Chu Tianyu figured that since none of them were very good at football, they would surely fail the assessment, so he only applied for the arts club and the basketball club. As for the arts club, he applied just for Bai Lei’s sake—regardless of whether he had any artistic talent. After all, the arts club was a top priority according to Bai Lei, and Chu Tianyu had applied for it first. Whether he passed or not wasn’t his concern.