Deliberately Approaching
Chapter 223: Care from the Picnic Box

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Care from the Picnic Box

The next day, Tang Xiaowan woke up at six o’clock.

Just as Li Zishen had said the night before, the sun shone brilliantly early in the morning, a clear sign that it would be a scorching hot day, not a cool one.

Since Tang Xiaowan was both a squad member and a contestant, she not only wore the custom dress for the opening ceremony but also brought a casual outfit perfect for running.

Unlike others’ shorts and short sleeves, this set of long sleeves and pants was tailor-made for her by Li Yunxia.

The fabric was lightweight and highly breathable!

Even on a hot summer day, it felt cool and extremely comfortable to wear.

Li Yunxia was the tailor at Mei Garden, and many of the dresses in Tang Xiaowan’s wardrobe were made by her. If she didn’t mention it, people would think they were bought.

...

Jinda University, the sports field.

The opening ceremony and rehearsal were drastically different. The entire grandstand was packed with students from all departments, and there were leaders from Jin City, special guests, as well as the president of Jinda University and sponsors in the stands.

While Tang Xiaowan’s squad was still lining up, she spotted Li Zishen and Leng Lingxiao.

The two men sat next to each other, both in crisp suits and impeccably styled hair. For a moment, Tang Xiaowan even wondered if they were there for a beauty contest.

"Mr. Leng, this slogan is quite innovative," Li Zishen remarked with a slight lift of his lips, glancing at the nearby advertisement.

"It’s alright, just passable."

Leng Lingxiao’s face remained expressionless, as cold as his name, putting on a front that kept others at a great distance.

The world is wonderful because of you, may you and I achieve glory together!

To others, this phrase seemed faultless and even suited the learning atmosphere of Jinda University. But to Li Zishen, it was a bold declaration of dominance.

Soon, the opening ceremony began, and the surroundings turned into a scene of jubilation.

Photographers snapped photos intermittently, as today’s attendees were all important figures—either leaders or the wealthy.

Leng Lingxiao didn’t care about these things. His gaze was constantly fixed on the Foreign Language College squad.

Even though everyone was in uniform, he could easily spot Tang Xiaowan. Whenever he saw her familiar face turn his way, a slight smile would cross his lips.

Tangtang, you look so beautiful today!

Leng Lingxiao silently said to himself, completely oblivious to the smiling Li Zishen beside him.

He was also watching Tang Xiaowan.

The girl was in a striking red dress, dazzlingly radiant, and her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail, making her look lively and playful.

Little did he know, Tang Xiaowan was thinking only about finishing the lap quickly.

Afraid of needing to use the restroom halfway through, Chen Yu had firmly kept her from drinking water before entering, and now her throat was parched.

Although Qingcheng was hotter, it was humid; Jin City was different—it was dry heat.

In her mind, Tang Xiaowan cursed Chen Yu dozens of times, planning to grab her after it ended, give her a thrashing, and then demand that she bring her water, wipe her sweat, and fan her madly.

With the final slogan shouted, their squad successfully completed the procession.

"Miss, you must be exhausted?"

A familiar voice reached her ears, and when Tang Xiaowan turned around, she realized it was Wang Meijuan carrying a picnic basket.

"Why are you here?"

"Granny Yu was worried about you suffering from heatstroke, so she made some tremella and mung bean soup. Shall we find a place to drink it?"

"Wow, thank you so much! I’m so happy!"

By that time, the student council staff had started handing out water, and the cheer squad members were also helping. Chen Yu and Chen Nan were holding water looking for Tang Xiaowan and finally found her under a big tree.

"Who is that?"

"I think it’s her maid. Didn’t you see? She’s fanning her and wiping her sweat."

"Maid?"

Chen Yu looked up, her bottles of mineral water and bread tightly clutched in her hands, making a crunching noise.

"Jealous?" Chen Nan quickly stepped in front of her and asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, it must be nice to have someone care!"

"Doesn’t anyone care about you?"

This remark was pointed and directed at himself.

"Yes, my mom used to bring me food back in middle school."

"If you miss home, then go back."

As the two were chatting, Tang Xiaowan suddenly ran over and grabbed Chen Yu, "Let’s go have some mung bean soup, Chen Nan, you too."

When the three of them reached the big tree, Chen Yu realized that the vine-woven picnic basket was a treasure trove, containing not only fruits, snacks, and utensils but even a refreshing silver ear and mung bean soup.

What surprised her even more was that Wang Meijuan quite naturally called out her and Chen Nan’s names.

"This soup is really good!" Chen Yu exclaimed.

"There’s more, here, have some more." Tang Xiaowan picked up the thermos and kept pouring into Chen Yu’s bowl until it was full.

"Xiao Wan, are you going back to your hometown in Qingcheng for the vacation this time?"

Tang Xiaowan nodded, "Yes!"

"I’m going home too, leaving tomorrow."

"Isn’t the closing ceremony tomorrow afternoon? Will you take the train in the evening?"

"I didn’t participate in any events, I could have actually left this afternoon since the instructor doesn’t care, but I wanted to see..."

Chen Yu paused mid-sentence and glanced at Chen Nan.

"Oh, I see, go ahead and watch!" Tang Xiaowan nodded cheerfully, and then stuffed a grape into Chen Yu’s mouth.

"This is so sweet!"

"Of course, this is from Huahua..." Tang Xiaowan suddenly stopped, then changed her words, "a friend gave it, I also think it’s very sweet, eat more."

At this moment, Chen Nan wasn’t thinking about the soup or the fruits at all; he really wanted to ask Tang Xiaowan whether Mr. Leng would come to see her.

But because of pride, he hesitated to speak.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yu blurted out, "You said a friend gave these, was it Mr. Leng who came to see you yesterday?"

Tang Xiaowan touched her nose, "Yes!"

She hadn’t expected that Chen Yu would remember Leng Lingxiao since he had only briefly mentioned it to Chen Nan yesterday.

"A lot of things in the school were donated by him, did you know?"

Tang Xiaowan nodded, "I know."

"Will he come to watch your competition later? Will he come to cheer you on?"

Tang Xiaowan shook her head, "Probably not!"

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener had his own thoughts. Chen Nan felt suddenly empty inside.

"Oh, that makes sense, he must be very busy. He probably just made a brief appearance at the opening ceremony, and I guess he has already left by now."

As Chen Yu said this, she actually felt sorry for Chen Nan, knowing that he very much desired to have a photo with Leng Lingxiao, his idol and a god-like figure.

"I guess we’ll see, best if he doesn’t come!"

"Why?" Chen Yu asked in surprise and stared intently at Tang Xiaowan.

"He’s too ugly, it would affect my performance!"

"What?"

This time, both Chen Yu and Chen Nan exclaimed in unison, eyes wide in disbelief at Tang Xiaowan’s assessment of Leng Lingxiao.

He was clearly extremely handsome and wealthy.

Throughout the conversation, Wang Meijuan hadn’t said a word, just standing by properly.

It wasn’t until they had finished eating that she finally spoke.

"Miss, your competition starts in 30 minutes, do you need to change clothes?"

This startled Tang Xiaowan back to reality!

"Wow, oh my gosh, I almost forgot!"

"Xiao Wan, are you going to change in the classroom or the restroom?" Chen Yu asked concernedly.

She asked this because the women’s restroom was crowded at this time, and the Foreign Language College was quite far, nearly a 30-minute round trip by bike.

"I’ll change in the car, I’m heading out now."

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