Chapter 33: The Junior Wilted

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: The Junior Wilted

After giving their statements at the scene.

The Security Officer didn’t question Gu Qing excessively and quickly let him go.

But Zhou Yuan, the one who had been attacked, was held back by the two men in black.

As he left the scene, Gu Qing took out his phone, unlocked it, and opened WeChat.

The moment the screen lit up, Xia Shuran’s message popped up.

The message had been sent over an hour ago.

It said she had just woken up, was washing up, and could be out the door to practice in ten minutes.

After reading the message, Gu Qing’s fingers flew across the screen as he replied: [Sorry, I was busy and didn’t see your message. How about we head straight to the field to practice now?]

Xia Shuran replied instantly: [Okay, I’ll put my shoes on and head out now.]

[Gu Qing: Okay, see you at the field.]

[Xia Shuran: Oh, by the way, I just made some sandwiches and soy milk in my dorm. Want me to bring you some?]

[Gu Qing: I’d love some. I actually skipped breakfast this morning.]

Ever since obtaining the Devouring Attribute, Gu Qing often forgot to eat breakfast on weekends when he had no classes.

The Devouring Attribute gave him a huge appetite, but his body’s energy expenditure didn’t increase along with it.

In fact, because his body became more efficient at utilizing food, his need for it had actually decreased.

Even if he didn’t eat for several days in a row, he wouldn’t feel hungry.

You could say his eating was no longer driven by hunger at all.

It was driven purely by the old habit of eating three meals a day.

Back on campus, he made his way to the athletic field.

Gu Qing sat and fiddled with his phone for a bit. Soon, he saw Xia Shuran jogging onto the field, a bag clutched in her arms.

’This junior of mine, the athletics major, has a really strong sense of punctuality,’ he thought. ’It’s like she’s afraid of making me wait even a single second.’

"Here’s your sandwich and soy milk," Xia Shuran jogged to a stop in front of Gu Qing and handed him the bag she was carrying, her smile sweet.

Gu Qing took the bag with a smile. "Thanks."

He opened the bag, took out the sandwich and soy milk, and began to eat and drink.

He ate and drank slowly, wanting to savor every bite of her cooking.

The sandwich was fragrant. The meat patty and egg in the middle were packed with flavor. With one bite, it felt like a protein bomb had gone off in his mouth, instantly energizing him.

The soy milk was rich and not too sweet. It was eighty percent pure soybean flavor with just a hint of sweetness—silky smooth.

"So, is it any good?"

"It’s way better than anything you can buy. If you set up a breakfast stall on campus, I’d gladly pay double."

"You’re just good at giving compliments."

Shuran’s eyes curved into lovely crescents, and her voice was tinged with excitement. "As a reward for your compliments, I’ve decided I’ll make more flavors in the future and bring you different ones each time."

Gu Qing grinned at her. "Careful, comrade. Sounds like you want me to have my cake and eat it too."

After finishing the sandwich and the soy milk, Gu Qing stood up without even a moment’s rest.

"Let’s go. Time to train."

"You just ate. Shouldn’t we rest for a bit?"

"No need."

With the Devouring Attribute, food was digested the instant it hit his stomach. There was no need to rest at all.

Soon, the two walked onto the soccer field and began their martial arts practice.

Two hours flew by.

The time went from eleven in the morning to one in the afternoon, well past lunchtime.

Seeing how late it was, they went to the student life area to grab a quick bite.

After that, they agreed to train again at three in the afternoon, then went back to their respective dorms to shower and rest.

「Three in the afternoon.」

The two were back on the field, right on time, to continue their training.

This time, they trained for three hours.

Afterwards, they went to the cafeteria to eat together again.

As they were parting ways, Gu Qing said to Xia Shuran,

"Let’s keep going at eight tonight."

"Huh?"

Xia Shuran was dumbfounded. "We’ve been training all day. We’re still going?"

Gu Qing chuckled. "What, can’t keep up?"

Shuran’s expression turned stubborn. "Are you kidding? I’m a top student on an athletic scholarship! Don’t you underestimate me. If you say we’re training, then we’re training!"

In truth, she wasn’t particularly competitive with Gu Qing.

She just didn’t want him to think less of her.

Besides, she really enjoyed the feeling of spending the entire day with him.

’The constant training was physically exhausting, but inside, I’m happy as can be.’

「Eight in the evening.」

The two were back on the field, right on time.

Compared to earlier in the day, Shuran’s energy levels had clearly plummeted.

She had pushed herself too hard during the day and hadn’t had enough rest to recover.

The training session began.

This time, Shuran only lasted two hours before she hit her limit. Her entire body felt weak; she barely had the strength to lift her arms.

"I... I can’t go on."

"My legs are so sore, and my arms are sore too."

"I feel like if I keep going, my muscles are going to melt."

Shuran’s legs were trembling. She had to clutch the goalpost just to stay upright, her voice especially faint.

Seeing her completely drained, Gu Qing felt a pang of sympathy and said with a smile,

"Alright then, let’s stop here for tonight."

"Come on, lie on the ground. I’ll give you a massage to relax your muscles."

"So you’re not too sore to get up tomorrow."

"..."

"Okay... thank you."

Shuran expertly lay down on the grass, stretching out her shapely legs. A flush still lingered on her cheeks, and her heart began to beat a little faster.

After so many years as an athlete, this was the first time she’d ever let a guy massage her muscles—and it was the guy she liked.

This made her feel both excited and nervous.

Gu Qing, far less flustered, simply squatted beside her. He calmly placed his hands on her calves and expertly began massaging her muscles.

"Aah~"

As Gu Qing applied gentle pressure, Shuran couldn’t help but cry out.

The sound was soft and breathy, laced with an undeniable note of relief that drew the attention of several students strolling along the track.

Feeling their gazes, Xia Shuran instantly blushed bright red, quickly bit her lower lip, clenched her fists, and forced herself not to make another sound.

But Gu Qing was oblivious to her embarrassment. He worked his way up from her calves to her thighs, alternating between light and deep pressure. Every so often, he’d press down hard, forcing a few more cries from her lips. Her cheeks grew hot enough to fry an egg.

"Alright, that should do it."

Gu Qing stood up. "Remember to massage them again yourself before bed tonight, so your legs aren’t too sore to walk tomorrow."

"Could you give me a hand? I don’t think I can get up..."

Shuran held out her right hand to Gu Qing, her voice listless.

Her muscles were far more sore than Gu Qing realized. After lying on the ground for so long, she was finding it difficult to even get up by herself.

"You need more practice. You’re too weak."

Gu Qing pulled Shuran to her feet, teasing her with a smile.

Shuran felt weak too. ’I need to work harder on my Ancient Martial Arts training with the Ancestor,’ she thought. ’I have to increase my Physical Strength quickly so I can keep up with his bottomless energy.’

After walking Shuran back to her dorm, Gu Qing had a thought and called up his Physical Strength Attribute to check the stats.

[Total Physical Strength +81]

He had gained 7 points today, just 1 more than a normal day.

’Farming Attributes from just one person is too inefficient.’

’No matter.’

’Only 19 more points to reach 100.’

’It’ll only take another two or three days.’

Gu Qing was in high spirits.

Just then, the phone in his pocket buzzed violently.

He took it out to look.

It was a message from Zhou Yuan on WeChat.

[Zhou Yuan: I’m back on campus. You asleep? If not, want to swing by the lab? It’s empty right now.]

’Huh?’

’The Ph.D. student, the "Biochemical Madman," was released already?’

’Looks like he wasn’t lying earlier. He really didn’t do anything wrong.’

With that thought, Gu Qing’s fingers tapped out a reply:

[I’m free. I’ll head over now.]

...

P.S. Holding out my bowl for monthly and recommendation tickets!