(2)
Translator: _Min
“Physique plays a part,” Si Fuqing touched her chin thoughtfully, “but mainly it’s because I run and lift weights every day. Do you want to join me?”
“No, no, no,” Yu Tang replied, glancing at the new barbell Feng San brought back, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. “I… I could die just running 800 meters.”
She dreaded the thought of physical tests in university.
The barbell weighed a total of 200 kilograms.
She had only seen super strong men using such weights in the gym.
“Proper training is important,” Yu Xiheng remarked from behind his book, his voice cool and calm. “Military training starts on the fifteenth of August at Great Xia University. Don’t even think about taking leave.” Yu Tang was speechless.
She turned her pleading eyes towards Si Fuqing.
“Jumping straight into five kilometers can harm the body,” Si Fuqing consoled her. “Tangtang, why don’t you start with a two-kilometer warm-up each morning?”
Yu Tang’s face stiffened. “Two kilometers… for warming up?
Was there a misunderstanding about what constituted a warm-up?
“How about you join me for military training at Great Xia University?” Yu Tang coughed slightly. “Having someone with me might help me persevere.” Yu Xiheng suddenly tilted his head. “Do you want to go to school?”
Si Fuqing paused, not outright saying ‘no’.
After a moment of silence, her eyebrows raised slightly, she spoke leisurely, “Boss, you know I have a temper. If I go to school, I’ll just be a problem student, getting into fights now and then. It’s hard to manage, and teachers don’t like me.”
Yu Xiheng’s response was light, “Hmm, I’ll manage.”
Yu Tang, holding her cup, hummed, “That’s true, Uncle Nine attended my high school parent-teacher meetings.”
Si Fuqing paused, unsure how to respond.
The idea of attending school felt distant to her.
Her previous schooling had been different, filled with fights.
Back then, when she was injured, her sister would help bandage her wounds.
Now, she had nothing left.
“Ah, but I’m poor at studying,” Si Fuqing said distractedly. “Boss, look at me, working double jobs and occasionally taking on temp work. I have no energy
for school.”
She had just finished her embroidery design today, planning to send it to Gu Huiyan later.
Yu Xiheng didn’t press further, “Alright, let me know when you want to go to school. ”
“I wonder how many from our Great Xia will make it into the top 500 in this year’s International Joint Examination,” Yu Tang pondered, picking at a fishbone. “Last time, only 36 made it, sigh.”
“The International Joint Examination is alright,” Si Fuqing rested her chin on her hand. “Although the questions change every year, the core remains the same, and it’s always the same few teachers, the same routine.”
Seeing Yu Tang’s expression stiffen again, she quickly added, “Cough cough, that’s just the perspective of a bad student.”
Feng San slowly emerged from his state of shock.
Indeed, the creation ofhumans was fair; aside from her terrible cooking skills, the door oflearning was firmly closed for Miss Si.
The next morning.
In MO City.
At the headquarters of the Heaven Earth Alliance.
Gu Huiyan leisurely entered his office and began checking his emails.
The first one was from Si Fuqing.
It contained an attached image.
Gu Huiyan only glanced at it briefly, his expression turning serious. He beckoned to a middle-aged man, “Come over and take a look.”
“This…” The middle-aged man approached and gasped upon seeing the drawing on the screen, “This painting!”
“It’s a painting of the vast landscapes of our Great Xia,” Gu Huiyan spoke with unusual solemnity. “Yes, just a painting. Look at this continuity. This is a rough sketch, unpolished, clearly drawn casually.” The middle-aged man’s face stiffened. “Casually?”
Could this really be considered casual?
Was there a misunderstanding about what ‘casual’ meant?
“Is this Miss Si’s entry for the competition?” The man gasped. “Then it’s bound to outshine all others.”
No wonder Gu Huiyan insisted on recruiting Si Fuqing into the Heaven Earth Alliance.
Many had painted the vast landscapes of Xia, but few captured its essence.
Some lacked the common touch of the people, while others missed the smoke of war at the borders.
“It’s not a painting,” Gu Huiyan’s voice was deep. “It’s embroidery.” The man was even more shocked. “Embroidery? This can be embroidered?!”
It would be a massive project, one even the Heaven Earth Alliance would struggle to complete in a short time.
“Three months,” Gu Huiyan mused. “If she can paint it, she can embroider it.” The man was at a loss for words.
“To showcase the might of our Great Xia!” Gu Huiyan’s eyes shone with a fierce light, reading the words at the bottom right corner of the painting. “Good, very good. It seems I owe her a favor now..”