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Psst! We're moving!
The accommodation arranged by the event organizers was at the West Lake State Guest House.
Each arriving team had a business car to pick them up. Ying Jing’s group arrived at the same time as another team, and the two groups passed each other at the airport exit.
Zhang Huaiyu excitedly said, “That’s last year’s champion, from Tsinghua’s Aerospace Thermal Engineering Department. Their captain is super handsome!”
“I think he’s not as handsome as Ying Jing,” Zhou Yuan objectively commented, then glanced at her sideways, “Daydreaming, huh?”
Zhang Huaiyu punched him, “Mind your own business.”
They laughed and played around. When Zhang Huaiyu passed by Ying Jing, he reached out and tugged her arm, “Slow down.”
Zhang Huaiyu immediately became well-behaved, awkwardly standing in place and turning into a lady instantly.
Ying Jing showed no particular expression, boarding the bus without looking aside.
Zhou Yuan turned back and called her, “Hurry up, what are you spacing out for!”
Zhang Huaiyu stared at Ying Jing’s back, responding slowly, “Oh.”
Upon arrival at the hotel, Ying Jing went to the registration desk to complete the check-in procedures and then distributed room cards. There were three rooms in total, “Two boys share one room, Huaiyu, you stay alone.”
After settling in, half an hour later, everyone went out for a stroll.
The style of the guesthouse reached the pinnacle of Chinese garden design—white walls, gray tiles, small bridges, flowing water—all very soothing.
In the small garden behind the rooms, Zhang Huaiyu took selfies with great joy, posting them on social media, “Go give me likes quickly.”
Wan Pengpeng was also roped in to help take photos.
“Turn on the beautification feature! Use that fresh style,” Zhang Huaiyu earnestly instructed.
Zhou Yuan poured cold water on them, “Can’t stand you girls.”
No need to say, he got scolded again by his rival.
Qi Yu handed Ying Jing a bottle of water and sat with him on the railing.
“It’s so cool here, much more comfortable than Beijing,” Qi Yu chatted idly, “You didn’t talk all the way, what were you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Ying Jing lowered his head slightly.
“Worried about tomorrow’s competition?”
“I never cram at the last minute. Worrying at this point shows lack of ability.”
Qi Yu smiled, unscrewed the cap, drank some water, wiped the water marks from his lips, and discussed the competition with him, “This time there are several strong teams, but as you expected, most of them showcase single technologies, rarely considering the overall situation.”
“Normal. After all, it’s a competition, and the mentality of playing safe takes a big part.”
“But there’s one, T University’s SY team. Their core participation this time overlaps with ours. And their strength has risen significantly this year, achieving remarkable results in several related forums.”
Ying Jing understood, “Hmm, I’ve been keeping an eye on them for a long time. Based on virtual modeling, followed by subsequent physical outputs. Their linear modeling is particularly prominent, which is also their team advantage.”
Qi Yu nodded, “We haven’t appeared in any public competitions or events, but in fact, our technology isn’t bad either.”
“Of course not.” Only when discussing professional matters did Ying Jing’s eyes show a glimmer of something worth calling brilliance.
He unscrewed the cap and drank two sips of water.
Thus they fell silent.
After resting for a while, the sunlight gradually softened, and the evening glow painted a faint pink blush on the sky.
It was almost dinner time, and everyone headed to the restaurant.
The lobby became crowded; all participating teams had arrived. Young faces were radiant—some in casual clothes, others in uniform team outfits, chatting and laughing, moving through the hotel corridors.
The promotional videos of the competition were in full swing, with stirring background music invigorating people’s spirits.
At the front, Qi Yu suddenly stopped walking, confirming with another glance, then excitedly exclaimed, “It’s Sister Ning!”
Upon hearing this name, Ying Jing quickly raised his eyes.
Qi Yu and Zhou Yuan moved forward, and the girls reacted excitedly. Zhang Huaiyu had already run over, “Sister Ning!”
Chu Ning was checking in at the front desk. It was too hot, she had just come from the airport, and her cheeks were flushed red. Seeing them, she was quite surprised, “What a coincidence!”
“Sister Ning!”
“Sister Ning.”
The team members greeted her one by one.
Chu Ning smiled warmly at everyone, “How are things? Are you adapting?”
“Pretty good.”
“The hotel is nice.”
Answers came one after another. Qi Yu asked, “Sister Ning, did you come alone?”
Chu Ning smiled and said, “My secretary is with me. We have business in Hangzhou, and coincidentally, we caught your competition.”
After a few pleasantries, the front desk had finished the check-in procedures.
“How about we eat together?” Zhou Yuan suggested.
“Yeah, right, let’s go together.” Zhang Huaiyu enthusiastically held Chu Ning’s hand, genuinely admiring, “Wow, Sister Ning, your dress looks really good!”
And standing in place, not moving closer, Ying Jing, upon hearing this, only briefly glanced at her.
A white dress, extremely simple in style, cinched her waist elegantly like a lotus flower emerging from water.
Her fashion sense was always good; she looked great no matter what.
Ying Jing’s glance met Chu Ning’s directly. He remained impassive, coldly turning away.
Chu Ning’s face remained calm, smiling politely, gracefully declining their invitation, “I have a dinner meeting with clients tonight. You guys enjoy yourselves. I’ll see your competition tomorrow. Good luck.”
Then she picked up her suitcase and passed by Ying Jing.
The two walked away in opposite directions.
After a long while.
Qi Yu nudged Ying Jing, “Wooden man, you can move now. Sister Ning has long entered the elevator.”
Ying Jing flared up, “Who’s the wooden one? Are you done yet?”
“Alright, alright, my bad.” Qi Yu raised his hands in surrender, then slung an arm around his shoulder, “Let’s go.”
Ying Jing was wary, “What for?”
“Eating!” Good grief, Qi Yu was speechless, “What else do you think for?”
“...” Ying Jing pursed his lips, his face dark, shaking off the shoulder.
——
In the room.
As soon as Chu Ning entered, she was too tired to shower and lay directly on the bed.
The central air conditioning was on 24 hours a day, chilling her whole body. The taxi from the airport was bizarre—it had a broken air conditioner, blowing hot air all the way… Chu Ning suspected she had heatstroke.
Now lying in this air-conditioned room, it was simply killing her.
Hot sweat turned to cold sweat.
She felt dizzy.
Somebody was truly her destined nemesis!
Chu Ning buried her head in the covers, dizzily falling asleep.
——
The arrangements by the event organizers were very thoughtful. The buffet was delicious and varied, but Ying Jing’s appetite was average. After eating three bowls of rice, he left early. By the time Qi Yu and the others finished eating and searched around, they found him sitting on the sofa in the hotel lobby.
“You ate so fast!” Zhou Yuan exclaimed.
Wan Pengpeng was also puzzled, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Ying Jing said, “I’m fine, I’m full. You guys rest for a while. One hour later, come to my room for a short meeting.”
When leaving, he called Zhang Huaiyu.
“Huaiyu.”
“Hmm? What’s up?” Zhang Huaiyu had an ice cream stick in her mouth, her eyes bright.
After the others had walked a few meters away, he said, “Later, you go up and check for me.”
“Check what?”
Ying Jing paused, then said, “You go and check on her.”
Zhang Huaiyu blinked at him, taking a long while to understand, “Sister Ning?”
Ying Jing turned his head, scratching his nose tip, tacitly agreeing.
“Why?” Zhang Huaiyu couldn’t understand.
“Don’t ask. Just go.”
“OK, OK.” Zhang Huaiyu spread her hands, the heat melting her ice cream, two drops of icy water falling on Ying Jing’s shoes, spreading into two small circles.
Ying Jing didn’t care, turning to catch up with the other team members.
They strolled in the open space of the hotel to aid digestion. Wan Pengpeng liked the spatial layout here, taking many photos. Zhou Yuan listened to music with headphones, but Qi Yu noticed Ying Jing. He approached, “Are you in a hurry?”
“No.”
“Then why do you keep looking at your watch?”
“...” Ying Jing gave him a cold look, “Am I not allowed to wait for the news broadcast? Alright, back to the room, let’s have the meeting early.”
Qi Yu shrugged, utterly helpless.
The 7 o’clock meeting was advanced to 6:30.
“We’ll start first, not involving Huaiyu’s technical responsibilities. When she comes, we’ll discuss her part.” Ying Jing spoke in a businesslike tone, “Let’s emphasize the points needing special attention tomorrow...”
“Hey? Starting the meeting early?” As he spoke, the door was pushed open, and Zhang Huaiyu walked in.
Qi Yu, “Ah, yes. Where did you go?”
“I didn’t slack off, I really had something to do.” Zhang Huaiyu said, “Sister Ning has heatstroke, she’s not feeling well in her room.”
Ying Jing quickly closed his laptop, ready to get up.
Everyone, “Ah?!”
This shout made him restrain himself and sit back down.
Zhou Yuan, “Is she okay? Where is she?”
Wan Pengpeng, “Should we send her to the hospital?”
He sat there unmoving, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
“She’s fine, I had the waiter buy her some Huoxiang Zhengqi Water. She’s resting now.” Zhang Huaiyu sat on the edge of the bed, “Probably due to the heat on the road. Today’s temperature was insane.”
“That’s strange. Didn’t she say her secretary came with her?” Qi Yu asked.
Zhang Huaiyu pouted, “I didn’t see anyone.”
Zhou Yuan, “Why did you think to check on Sister Ning?”
Zhang Huaiyu didn’t speak, giving a meaningful glance toward Ying Jing.
Everyone understood.
It seemed they could guess… the reason he ate so quickly during dinner… was because he was sitting in the hotel lobby, paying attention, being meticulous, noticing that Chu Ning hadn’t come out, so he had Zhang Huaiyu go up and check.
Damn this hypocrisy, this inconsistency between words and actions…
“Meeting,” Ying Jing said indifferently, emotionlessly looking down at the computer screen.
After 9 o’clock, everyone returned to their rooms to rest early.
Ying Jing lay on the bed after a bath, staring blankly at the ceiling.
His phone vibrated next to him. Zhang Huaiyu sent a message, “I just checked on Sister Ning again. She’s fine now, don’t worry.”
Ying Jing deleted the text message, then closed his eyes.
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