“So… sis, what exactly is our first class today?”
Facing Li Xingya’s almost enthusiastic gaze, Meng Yiqiao was at a loss.
Standing at the fork in the path in front of the Main Building, Meng Yiqiao pretended to be calm and said, “It’s a physical training class led by Teacher Fu.”
“Physical training, huh.”
‘I hope it’s not too tough.’
‘Being an idol seems like it takes a lot of stamina.’
‘But I’m a new student… there should be some adjustment period or something.’
‘Teacher Fu probably won’t be too hard on me… right?’
***
‘I’m going to die.’
‘I’m going to die.’
‘I’m going to die.’
‘If I keep running, I’ll definitely die!’
‘I’m so dizzy.’
‘My chest hurts so much.’
‘My heart is beating so fast.’
‘Ugh… I, I feel like throwing up.’
On the standard 400-meter indoor track, Li Xingya bent over, hands on her knees, breathing exaggeratedly.
She had overestimated this body of hers.
Weak, frail—just a bit of strenuous exercise and her lungs would ache.
With a physique like this, forget being an idol, she wasn’t even qualified to be a bed princess or anything.
“Yue—!”
Li Xingya abandoned all shame and let out a disgraceful dry heave on the track.
Nearby, Meng Yiqiao, who had run three laps, stopped.
She wiped the thin sweat from her forehead and looked at Li Xingya.
“…Are you okay?”
Li Xingya shook her head, her vision blurry, and could only keep shaking it unconsciously.
“No… sis, I’m not okay at all…!”
“But you’ve only run half a lap.”
“Half a lap is already very hard.”
Her legs were weak.
“Sis has already run three laps, aren’t you tired?”
“This is just barely at the level of finishing warm-up.”
“Finished warm-up? Haha… sis is amazing. Sis… can you find a way to save me? I don’t want to run anymore!”
As a mature adult, Li Xingya had already started running away from the cruel physical training and chose to ask a seventeen-year-old girl for help.
“Don’t say something so willful like not wanting to run.”
She lifted her head and looked toward the other side of the field.
“Teacher Fu is watching us. No matter what, you should at least finish one lap.”
“Waa… I don’t want to…!”
Meng Yiqiao froze, blinking.
‘Is she crying?’
‘Is Li Xingya really crying?’
‘And she’s crying so pitifully.’
‘Just because she ran half a lap, she’s so exhausted she’s crying?’
Meng Yiqiao originally thought Li Xingya had talent to become an idol.
But with her current pathetic stamina, even finishing one dance on stage would be a struggle.
The sound of the air conditioner echoed above the indoor track, mixed with Li Xingya’s crying—a pretty desperate scene.
And the one more desperate than Meng Yiqiao could only be Li Xingya herself.
‘What the hell?’
‘Is this kind of physical training going to happen every day from now on?’
‘Are you kidding me?!’
‘It’ll kill me, dammit!’
‘And…’
‘And…’
‘Waa, and… I couldn’t hold back and actually cried.’
‘So embarrassing…’
Li Xingya’s brain had completely lost control.
She couldn’t even tell what she was thinking.
Just then, Li Xingya felt her right hand being taken.
There was a force pulling her forward, making her feet unconsciously start running.
“Huh?”
“Hold on a little longer. At least finish one lap.”
She pulled Li Xingya’s hand.
“The teacher asked me to look after you. I definitely won’t leave you abandoned on the track.”
Meng Yiqiao was a responsible person.
Li Xingya had no memory of how she finished the second half of the lap.
She only remembered staring at Meng Yiqiao’s back the whole time.
“…So tired.”
Li Xingya lay on Meng Yiqiao’s lap.
They had only just met on the first day.
Such behavior from Li Xingya was very rude.
But faced with Li Xingya’s pitiful eyes, Meng Yiqiao softened.
After all—making such a cute beautiful girl lie directly on the ground would be too cruel, wouldn’t it?
Meng Yiqiao pushed Li Xingya’s shoulder.
“It’s best to walk a bit after running. Lying down immediately is bad for your body.”
Meng Yiqiao still had a cold expression.
But when her gaze met Li Xingya’s amber eyes, Meng Yiqiao would crack a small smile.
“It’s fine… just lying for a little bit. Please, sis.”
She half-closed her eyes.
“Mm, the chandelier above is too bright.”
Because the track was indoors, there was exactly a fluorescent light shining directly into Li Xingya’s eyes.
‘Let me change position.’
Li Xingya flopped like a fish on the shore a couple of times, then laboriously turned over.
She buried her whole face between Meng Yiqiao’s thighs.
‘Phew~ so comfortable. Meng Yiqiao smells nice.’
‘Cold personality, cold body. Lying on her is so cool.’
‘I wish I could lie like this until school ends.’
“Mm…!”
Li Xingya’s sudden action left Meng Yiqiao at a loss.
Should she push Li Xingya away?
But this girl looked like she was… enjoying herself quite comfortably.
“L-Li Xingya!”
Meng Yiqiao clenched her silver teeth.
From between her thighs, Li Xingya’s lifeless voice came:
“Yes.”
“At least… at least lie on your side. Quite a few people are already looking at us.”
“Is that so?”
Li Xingya closed her eyes and turned to her side.
At the same time, she heard many people talking.
“Is that Meng Yiqiao?”
“I’ve only seen her alone before.”
“After all, she’s been famous as an Iceberg Beauty since middle school.”
“Who’s that lying on her lap?”
“I don’t know… maybe a friend.”
“I’ve never heard of the Iceberg Beauty making friends.”
“Let’s hurry and take a picture of this scene. It’ll make headlines tomorrow!”
“Hey! That’s an invasion of privacy. Be careful, the Talent Scout Department might come after you.”
“Uh… y-yeah, you’re right.”
Li Xingya opened her eyes slightly and immediately saw many students in black uniforms on the periphery of the field.
They were General Studies Department students.
‘As expected of those who would become agents in the future.’
‘In Starseeing Academy, they’re like “observers.”‘
‘The feeling of being watched in every word and action is really unpleasant.’
Realizing she was causing trouble for Meng Yiqiao, Li Xingya forced herself to sit up.
“Thank you, sis, for helping me finish one lap.”
She said it out of nowhere.
Saying this, Li Xingya couldn’t help but shiver.
Even now, she could almost hear Teacher Fu’s warning.
“Fortunately, you persevered. If you didn’t even have the willpower to run one lap, I would have scolded you.”
Teacher Fu’s frowning expression was quite scary.
“At noon today, I’ll treat you to a meal, sis.”
She smiled.
In an adult’s survival rules, treating someone to a meal is a very high level of gratitude.
In her previous life, Li Xingya had never treated anyone to a meal.
Being treated to a meal by Li Xingya in this life could absolutely be called an “honor,” right?
‘So then,’
‘Sis Meng Yiqiao, as the price for enjoying this “honor,” I’ll make good use of you.’
‘Don’t worry. If it’s just acting, pretending to be good friends—I should have no problem.’
‘For the next three years, you absolutely have to keep looking after me.’
After the torment of this physical training class, Li Xingya deeply understood that if she didn’t have Meng Yiqiao by her side—
Then she would definitely die a very ugly death!