Chapter 22: Empty Frustration
During lunch with the girls, Lu Li was distracted. He kept thinking about what Wen Hupo had said. Keeping things bottled up would only hurt yourself in the end. He glanced at the two pretty girls carefully picking at their rice. “Baili, Jingyi, what do you think is going on with Wen Hupo? Why did she suddenly decide to participate in the sports meet? She said it was to create some memories, but it doesn’t sound convincing, does it?”
Silly Goose’s eyes lit up. “I know~ I know~”
An Baili shoved a spoonful of food into Silly Goose’s mouth. “Jingyi, eat more, you’re too skinny.”
Silly Goose mumbled a few words, then quieted down under An Baili’s warning gaze. Lu Li observed them, realizing that the two girls had formed a united front.
“Baili, do you know something?” Lu Li sat up straighter, his tone more serious.
An Baili nodded, then shook her head. “I know, but I can’t tell you, unless Wen Hupo tells you herself.”
“Is it something serious?”
“Yes, it should be quite serious for her.” The little village girl nodded sagely, and Lu Li couldn’t help but flick her forehead.
“Ouch! That hurts! You’ll make me stupid if you keep doing that!” An Baili covered her forehead, looking wronged. “It’s not me who’s keeping it from you, it’s Wen Hupo who doesn’t want to tell you. Why are you hitting me…”
“Look at that smug look on your face, you’re clearly enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Hehe.” An Baili giggled and leaned closer to Lu Li. “Wen Hupo is very proud, you should wait for her to tell you herself.”
Seeing that Lu Li was still unhappy, An Baili quickly moved behind him and started massaging his shoulders. “Don’t be mad, I’ll tell you secretly someday. But you have to promise me, don’t do anything rash…”
Lu Li said firmly, “Do I look like the kind of person who acts rashly?”
To his surprise, both An Baili and Chu Jingyi nodded in agreement.
The first event in the afternoon was doubles table tennis. The students of Class 1 of the second-year liberal arts program were listless. So far, their class had placed last or second to last in almost every event. They were almost certainly the worst-performing class in their year. Having lost all hope, they were naturally dispirited.
When Lu Li and Wen Hupo walked onto the court, there wasn’t even a single cheer. Only the PE representative said weakly, “Good luck, it’s the taking part that counts.”
Lu Li looked at Wen Hupo’s profile. The girl’s eyebrows were delicate, her eyes deep, her eyelashes long. The spring breeze made her look even more delicate and beautiful. Wen Hupo, sensing his gaze, turned her head and met his eyes.
Time seemed to rewind briefly. It was like they were back at the amusement park, holding hands; back at the New Year’s Eve party, the prince and princess sharing a kiss; and finally, back to their first encounter – the blonde girl by the window, engrossed in her book, and the boy cleaning the classroom with a bucket and mop.
“Good luck,” she said.
“Yeah, good luck.”
Their first opponents were a boy and a girl from Class 1 of the second-year science program. They seemed to be a couple, their teamwork seamless, their skills impressive. After a few exchanges, the liberal arts class was completely outmatched. Lu Li, panting, held the ping pong ball and looked at Wen Hupo.
Wen Hupo had tied up her precious platinum blonde hair and was nervously watching their opponents, who looked calm and confident. Lu Li saw her hand trembling slightly, golden strands of hair plastered to her flushed cheeks with sweat. She must be very nervous, right?
To be honest, Wen Hupo’s performance far exceeded his expectations. So far, she hadn’t made a single mistake. This alone showed that she had put in a lot of effort after class.
“The paddle…” Wen Hupo’s voice trembled.
“What?”
“Is this… is this the right way to hold it?”
Lu Li froze, looking at her right hand gripping the paddle, her knuckles white with tension.
“Yes.”
Wen Hupo seemed to relax, letting out a breath. She must be under a lot of pressure. She had signed up for seven or eight events, but hadn’t won a single one. Her proud soul must be tormented by the string of failures.
“Can, can we win at least one round? Just one…” Wen Hupo’s voice was almost a plea.
Lu Li’s eyes darkened, and he gave a low hum in response. Since Wen Hupo had asked, he, as her friend, should give it his all. They were just amateur high school players, not even comparable to a single hair on Sister Yameng’s head. As someone who had practiced with Sister Yameng for years, a person reborn with two lifetimes of experience, how could he possibly lose to this young couple?
Fifteen minutes later, the match ended. The liberal arts class was utterly defeated.
The couple from the science class cheered and hugged each other, kissing passionately in celebration, oblivious to everyone around them. On this special occasion, even the disciplinary committee of the student council turned a blind eye.
In contrast to the passionate scene on the other side, the liberal arts class was dead silent. Wen Hupo stared blankly at the paddle in her hand. She hadn’t managed to return a single ball in the second half of the match, her performance getting worse and worse. In the end, she even started doubting herself, worried that she was holding Lu Li back.
Failure was an inevitable part of life. Lu Li had experienced countless failures. It had become as commonplace as eating and drinking. But for Wen Hupo, failure was like the first bite of wasabi in the morning, unexpected and pungent.
The harder you tried to pursue perfection, the less likely you were to achieve it.
Wen Hupo stared at the table tennis table blankly. She didn’t understand why nothing seemed to be going her way lately. Was she destined to be lonely and miserable?
Lu Li didn’t speak, just quietly stood by the blonde angel’s side. He had a hundred ways to cheer her up, but he wouldn’t do that. Because Wen Hupo needed this crushing defeat to wake up. Companionship was more important than words.
He had given his all during the match, but their opponents were cunning. They weren’t a match for Lu Li, so they targeted Wen Hupo instead, constantly attacking her side of the court. This was doubles, after all, not singles.
“Don’t overthink it,” Lu Li said. He felt that Wen Hupo had become fixated on winning, as if she was being chased by something, desperately pursuing something.
“…I can’t…” She lowered her head, her blonde hair falling around her face. “There’s still the three-legged race, the last three-legged race. Lu Li, we have to win something!”
Her life was like a second-rate tragedy directed by a fourth-rate director with a third-rate script, boring and uneventful. These days in China were some of the few happy days in her life. No pressure, no worries, lovely friends, and a boy she connected with on a deeper level. She didn’t want this precious experience to end with a string of failures… A crushing, unforgettable defeat.
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