Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 42 Just Be Yourself

Five to seven in the afternoon is a rare and leisurely time to rest.

After dinner, the freshmen all lay around in their dorm rooms, too exhausted to play games anymore, so they just wanted to lie down for as long as they could.

However, the guys on side 456 don't have much room to lie down...

That's roughly how it happened.

Lin Xiang sat obediently on the stool and reported his recent situation with Shi Yuqi to his emotional intelligence mentor, Zhao Hao.

This includes, but is not limited to, what delicious food they gave each other each time, what they talked about on the way back, how long Shi Yuqi would look at him each time, and how many times she would quickly look away when they made eye contact.

"..."

Everyone in the room fell silent.

"I thought you only had a good memory when playing badminton."

Zhao Hao looked at Lin Xiang, hesitated for a long time, and then said meaningfully.

"So you can remember other things too."

"well?"

Lin Xiang scratched his head in confusion, "It really is. Why is that?"

"ah!!!"

At this moment, Xu Yue let out a roar like a groundhog, then his eyes widened as he pointed at Lin Xiang, his mouth open as if he wanted to say "you dog."

He nearly choked to death, slumped over the table, coughing and gagging, his face contorted in pain.

Xu Yue's military training has been going badly these past two days. First, he was "praised by name" by the instructor when he stood at attention for the first time. Later, when he was marching in formation, he kicked the wrong way and became the laughingstock of the whole class.

Unwilling to lose his four-year right to choose a partner, Xu Yue made a painful decision to revitalize his masculine charm by showcasing his singing voice.

So during today's break, Instructor Zhao Jie encouraged everyone to showcase their talents, and he raised his hand to sing "Are You Afraid to Love Me?"

He had barely finished shouting "Are you scared of loving me?!" when he collapsed from heatstroke...

Now Xu Yue has completely broken into the public eye, and even the social work class next door knows who he is.

After waking up in the school hospital, Xu Yue, deeply affected by the experience, wanted to go back to his dormitory to clear his mind. However, as soon as he returned to the dormitory, Lin Xiang pushed open the door and talked to Zhao Hao for more than half an hour.

Those repeated calls of "senior sister" became the final straw that broke the camel's back...

"It's okay, don't worry about him."

Zhao Hao pushed up his glasses, giving Lin Xiang a look of keen interest. "So you think Senior Shi's recent reactions have been a bit off?"

"Hmm. Although it's still comfortable to be around her, I feel like she seems to have something on her mind."

Lin Xiang nodded. "That's why I wanted to ask you, is it because I'm not very good at chatting, and do I need to consciously practice certain skills?"

"Haha, it's not a matter of technique... well, it's just a normal phenomenon."

Zhao Hao patted his shoulder earnestly.

"Listen, you don't need any skills. Just be yourself."

"Just be yourself?"

"Yes. The Freshman Cup is coming up soon, right? I remember you signed up."

"Yes, the Freshman Cup is my goal for this stage."

"Then focus on preparing for the competition, and just let things develop naturally between you and your senior. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"oh."

Lin Xiang then sincerely thanked Zhao Hao, gave him three bananas as a token of his gratitude, and then went to the library with his backpack.

"Teacher Zhao, is this correct?"

After he left, Jin Xin, who had been hesitant to speak for a while, put down his snacks and couldn't help but ask, "You taught him a bunch of random things before, and now that he needs you to teach him, why aren't you teaching him anymore?"

"I don't think there's anything I need to teach you."

Zhao Hao looked towards the door, a smile playing on his lips. "I think they're getting along pretty well right now."

"But Lin Xiang is definitely not as good as you in social skills."

Jin Xin scratched his head. "If you teach him some techniques for pursuing girls, his progress will probably be much faster, right?"

"It might indeed be much faster, but why go that fast?"

Zhao Hao countered with a question.

"Skills and routines are ultimately not the real you. They may win you temporary favor, but they cannot build lasting connections."

Actually, you can just be yourself and be natural.

Let go of all the deliberate effort and analysis, and let emotions flow awkwardly and naturally, stumbling yet steadfastly attracting each other—isn't that the most beautiful form of relationship we can imagine?

Jin Xin fell silent after hearing this.

Zhao Hao shook his head and chuckled, strumming the guitar strings as he played Aimer's "Unrequited Love".

As the person with the most romantic experiences in the dormitory, he actually envies Lin Xiang, who is the most innocent.

That pure and authentic state is undoubtedly a luxury in this terrible era.

It's a pity, I probably won't be able to get it again.

"You bastards...you're all bastards..."

As the melody reached its climax, Xu Yue's sobs sounded even more desolate.

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Time flies when you're busy.

Compared to attending classes, military training is so rushed—just yesterday we were struggling to march, and today we're on stage for a performance.

For a moment, everyone felt a little reluctant to part with this precious time.

"Great job! No one messed up today, everyone did a great job!"

At the last gathering before the farewell party, Zhao Jie smiled and saluted the students from the Sociology Department.

"Among you there are experts and clowns, but in my heart you are all equally important."

Regardless of your height, weight, skin color, appearance, or ugliness, you are all my soldiers.

Although I only spent two weeks with you all, I was very honored to mentor these high-achieving students! I hope you'll all remember me as your instructor, haha.

The students' eyes widened in amazement after hearing this.

Several boys who had spoken ill of Zhao Jie during military training also cried and hugged Zhao Jie, saying, "Brother Jie, don't go. We'll never cause trouble again." Zhao Jie laughed and scolded them, then pulled them away.

"Go away! I'm finally free, not dead! I'm coming back to watch the Freshman Cup in a couple of days!"

A few of you who said you couldn't bear to leave, how about we stand at attention one more time before watching the game?

"Damn! Just kidding! What are you guys hiding for?"

·

Inside the stadium.

"Done!"

After leading several badminton association members to hang up the banner, Shi Yuqi brushed the dust off her hands.

Once the official competition begins, staff will be needed for referees, commentators, logistics, on-site communication, and more. In addition to the Badminton Association's participation, volunteers will be recruited for some less specialized positions.

"Everyone, you've worked hard. Let's go eat."

"Thank you for your hard work, Vice President!"

"Goodbye, Boss!"

The members left in twos and threes.

"There are a lot of people signing up this year. We even have to play in the group stage. It feels like we're almost as popular as Yugao High School."

"After all, the vice president is the capable senior student Shi, and I heard that a world champion will also make a surprise appearance!"

"Really? Then I'd better squeeze to the front row to get a good spot for an autograph."

"But we don't even know who it is now. Which photo do you want?"

"No need for photos, I can just use the jersey!"

The voices gradually thinned out.

In the distance, Ling Ye stood silently in the audience, watching Shi Yuqi stay behind and busy herself, glancing towards the door several times.

On the fourth time, Lin Xiang arrived as promised.

A girl's laughter came from below. Ling Ye withdrew his gaze and looked at the stadium in the distance.

"They haven't left yet?"

Deng Ziyang came up from the back passage and stood next to him.

"Two players withdrew from the reserve team today, probably because they felt there was little hope of staying."

Deng Ziyang said, leaning against the railing.

"A total of eight reserve players are participating in this men's singles event. Liu Jingle and Yang Rui should be able to meet in the semifinals of the upper half of the draw, while Wang Luo will basically advance to the finals in the lower half, which is not surprising."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Wang Luo will definitely be the champion.

Ling Ye glanced at him: "You rarely say things like 'no surprises'."

"Very few is not the same as zero."

Deng Ziyang chuckled dismissively, but Ling Ye sensed the self-mockery in his laughter.

"Who knows what will happen on the court? Since Xiaoshi thinks so highly of this liberal arts student, let's see if he can surprise me!"

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