Free Web NovelChapter 186: Chapter 186: Fair Competition
"Old Tang," Wu Sheng said, greeting Tang Yuanxiao.
Tang Yuanxiao turned to see Wu Sheng, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Wu Sheng? Do you... need something?"
"Yeah, let’s talk somewhere private." Wu Sheng got off his bicycle and pushed it as he and Tang Yuanxiao walked to a quiet spot by the roadside.
"I should have had you come to the unit to discuss this, but I figured you’d be here today, so I decided to meet you here instead."
Wu Sheng explained, "As for why I’m looking for you, you’ve probably guessed it even without me saying anything. It’s about the training."
Tang Yuanxiao nodded silently. He had guessed as much.
"The training doesn’t start for a few months, but the selection process alone will take a month. I’m sure you’ve heard about the trials involved."
Tang Yuanxiao nodded again. "I know."
"I’m in charge of this year’s training as well. The general plan has been drafted, and even I think..." Wu Sheng shook his head, then paused as he looked at Tang Yuanxiao.
"With your abilities, you should be able to make it through. Still, I hope you’ll think it over carefully. You can drop out of the selection process, no matter how brutal it gets, but once the real training starts, there’s no quitting."
Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t expected Wu Sheng to tell him this, and for a moment, his expression grew complex.
Wu Sheng sighed and looked away. "Don’t look at me like that."
’He’s practically speaking with his eyes. It’s so sappy.’
"Did you think that just because I know it’s you, I’d let you sink or swim on your own?"
Wu Sheng shook his head, his expression turning serious. "I’m not that kind of person. Business is business, and personal is personal. Regardless of our relationship outside of work, I won’t let personal feelings interfere with official duties. That’s true today, and it will be true in the future."
"I know," Tang Yuanxiao replied, his own expression serious. "The same goes for me."
"Good." Wu Sheng nodded in agreement. Without wasting any more words, he got back to the matter at hand.
"This is a serious matter. You really need to think it through."
"I will." Tang Yuanxiao took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you."
"Don’t thank me. It’s just my job." Wu Sheng waved a dismissive hand. "The registration deadline is in three days. Think it over and give me your answer then."
Tang Yuanxiao was silent for a moment. "Chief Wu, I’m truly grateful, but my decision hasn’t changed."
Wu Sheng watched Tang Yuanxiao in silence for a moment, then finally decided not to say anything more.
The two stood in silence for a moment.
"Is there anything else? If not, I..." Tang Yuanxiao began, breaking the silence, but Wu Sheng cut him off.
"Yes, there is. Now that we’re done with official business, let’s talk about something personal."
Having finished with official business, Wu Sheng’s posture and expression relaxed. His entire demeanor shifted.
"It looks like you have no intention of giving up on Su Li. Neither do I. So, from now on, we’re in open competition."
Tang Yuanxiao looked Wu Sheng straight in the eye and nodded grimly. "Right."
"I like fairness. I like competition. Excellent." Wu Sheng said, his tone laced with killing intent despite the positive words.
"I think it’s excellent, too," Tang Yuanxiao replied, not backing down an inch.
Their gazes clashed in midair, thick with tension.
Both men’s eyes blazed with the determination to win.
In this day and age, it wasn’t just women; when a man chose someone, it was for life.
They could see that conviction in each other’s eyes.
Not another word was necessary. They both spoke at once.
"Then we’ll settle this based on our own merits!"
"Then we’ll just have to wait and see!"
Their words ended at the same time, and both men snorted coldly.
Then, once again, they spoke in unison.
"No sore losers."
"No sore losers."
Wu Sheng, annoyed that Tang Yuanxiao kept saying the same thing as him, added another line.
"Just don’t come crying to me when you lose."
"And you’d better not try to back out!"
’Who’s going to be crying like a baby?’ Tang Yuanxiao immediately retorted.
’I’ve seen right through this guy Wu Sheng! He’s a silver-tongued, shameless bastard... wait, why am I suddenly a little envious?’
Tang Yuanxiao’s expression looked constipated.
"You’re the one who’d back out!" Wu Sheng shot back, even more irritated.
’This guy is the worst, using Little Point to curry favor!’
Wu Sheng snorted and dangled the camera hanging from his neck.
"I’m off to take pictures of Su Li. It’s her one and only military training experience. I’ll capture these beautiful memories... so we can look at them together when we’re old."
Tang Yuanxiao: "..."
’I knew it. Utterly shameless!’
’How... how did I not think of that?!’
Tang Yuanxiao wanted to smack his own blockhead.
’When I saw how beautiful Su Li looked this morning, all I could do was stare. It never even occurred to me to capture the moment with a photograph.’
Seeing Wu Sheng’s smug expression, Tang Yuanxiao had to grit his teeth and swallow his anger, keeping his face a mask of indifference.
"I’m going to watch Su Li march."
With that, he lifted his head, puffed out his chest, and walked away proudly.
Tang Yuanxiao had only taken a few proud steps when Wu Sheng’s bicycle zipped past him, a single sentence drifting back to his ears. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"It’s not like I can’t watch her too!"
Tang Yuanxiao stared at Wu Sheng’s back, wishing he could burn a hole through it with his gaze.
"An old man like him, pretending to be a student..."
And so, Wu Sheng and Tang Yuanxiao officially entered love-rival mode.
And as a result, Su Li’s troubles were just beginning.
After Su Li got to campus, the morning was spent on final drills. After lunch, they gathered early for the official military training review and ran through the entire rehearsal twice.
The second run-through went much more smoothly, and they were finally given a half-hour break.
Like everyone else, Su Li was drenched in sweat from the sun. She rushed to get some water and then made a trip to the restroom.
Su Li took the opportunity to splash her face with water to cool down. She was just about to head back to the training grounds when she suddenly heard a CLICK.
The sound of a camera shutter made Su Li look over instinctively, only to find Wu Sheng aiming a camera right at her.
The instant she looked over, there was another CLICK.
Wu Sheng lowered the camera, satisfied. "That’s a great expression. Very beautiful."
"What are you doing here?" Su Li walked over, eyeing his gear. "And taking pictures, no less."
"Yep, taking pictures. I came to take pictures of you," Wu Sheng said, wiggling the camera in his hand.
"This is your first and last military training. We have to get a photo of you in your uniform as a keepsake, don’t we?"
Wu Sheng raised his camera. "Come on, give me a smile."
The water on Su Li’s face and hands hadn’t even dried yet. She immediately shook her head. "No way."
"What do you mean, no way? You look great, why not?"
Wu Sheng pointed to an upperclassman not far away who was taking photos of the younger students to earn some extra cash. "See? Everyone’s getting their picture taken."
Su Li looked and saw he was right. Since it was the last day of military training, the upperclassmen were taking advantage of the opportunity to take pictures for everyone.
Most students opted for a photo, except for those who truly couldn’t afford it.
"Do you like this spot? Come on, one smiling picture." Wu Sheng pressed his case. "I came all this way today just to take your photo. You can’t let me leave without getting a single shot of you smiling for the camera, can you?"
Su Li pressed her lips together. "I... I don’t get my picture taken very often."
"And I rarely take pictures of people." Wu Sheng watched Su Li, his eyes darting around. He suddenly grabbed a male student who was walking past.
"Hey, excuse me! Could you help us take a picture?"
"Sure," the student replied enthusiastically, taking the camera. "Just show me how to use it."
"Okay." After whispering some quick instructions to the student, Wu Sheng handed him the camera and immediately darted over to Su Li’s side.
Without a word, he made a goofy face right at her.
"Pfft—" Su Li burst out laughing.
The moment she laughed, a CLICK from the camera captured it.
