Chapter Twenty-Six: Shall We Compete?

The monotonous sound of equipment striking echoed through the training room. Rousseau and Juno did not have a planned meeting; they simply ran into each other. After finishing a set of exercises, Rousseau took a moment to rest and watched Juno practicing her flexibility. High jump athletes do not require much muscle; they often have slender limbs, light and graceful like birds. If that’s the case, then Juno must be the most beautiful one.

"How about a little competition?" Rousseau suddenly suggested.

"Old Lu, your competitive spirit is too strong; you want to compete at everything," Juno responded, puzzled by Rousseau's desire to challenge her to a high jump.

However, Juno was also quite competitive. For instance, when Rousseau first asked her out, a love letter would not have intrigued her as much as a challenge would have.

"What are we competing in?" Juno asked again.

It didn't matter what they were competing in. The moment Juno agreed to the contest, Rousseau saw his status bar activate and options appeared.

"You are in a friendly match with the beautiful high jump queen. Your strength surpasses your opponent's. Facing someone you have previously defeated, your options are: 1. Praise her; 2. Taunt her; 3. Use the 'Eruption' technique to ruthlessly destroy her confidence..."

Was this really a competition? It seemed Rousseau's status bar was overly competitive. Typically, the status bar served merely to describe, like a diary documenting and analyzing Rousseau's daily training. It only activated during actual competitions, presenting selectable options that could influence reality. But did practicing in the training room qualify as a competition? Or was it simply that as soon as Rousseau said, "How about a little competition," and the other party agreed, it began?

Rousseau found this quite amusing and began experimenting with the options.

"Praise her?"

"The high jump queen does not appreciate flattery; she has heard too many bland compliments. She reveres victory and admires the strong."

"Juno's affection level decreased."

Huh? Rousseau noticed the term "affection level" in the status bar. Clearly, various choices during the match could affect how Juno felt about him, and in this informal competition against Juno, the shining star in everyone's eyes...

The sound of equipment clashing resumed in the training room. Although they were training with different weights, Juno, being a girl, had somewhat less strength. In the end, Rousseau emerged as the winner of this training match.

As Rousseau finally finished his workout, Juno looked at him with admiration. "Old Lu, you really work hard; I can't compare to you."

"Better to be a slow bird that flies first," Rousseau said, wiping his sweat with a towel and sipping on an electrolyte drink, satisfied with his remaining stamina of '52/100', just as the status bar had predicted.

"I personally think you could pose a threat to Old Tian; he should feel a bit of pressure now," Juno remarked.

"Not quite yet, but I’m not far off. After the provincial games, Old Tian will be the second in the team," Rousseau said, feeling happy about it, his confidence soaring.

"Then I'll be waiting for the show," Juno laughed.

"And how about you?" Rousseau asked her.

It had been half a month since Rousseau had privately given Juno extra coaching. Though they occasionally bumped into each other during training, he hadn’t been paying much attention to her results since he acquired the 'Eruption' technique from her.

"I'm stabilizing at 1.82 meters, occasionally hitting 1.83," Juno replied, taking a sip of her drink. "Old Lu, you really are dismantling the bridge after crossing it; this is the first time in half a month you’ve asked about my results."

"Congratulations!" Rousseau exclaimed. "You're already close to the elite level; you must be feeling more confident about the Asian Games now?"

"Wrong. My current goal is the Olympics," Juno said, smiling confidently.

"How coincidental; so is mine," Rousseau replied.

"It can't be that coincidental. You want to win the Olympic championship, right?" Juno teased.

Seeing Juno’s expression, Rousseau felt drawn to her. Juno was beautiful, with a cheerful and optimistic personality. Even someone like Rousseau, who wasn’t very warm, could get along well with her, but breaking through the 'buddy' barrier was another story. As Tian Shihwei had said, being friends was fine, but making her fall for him was much harder.

Although she came from a wealthy family, Juno never flaunted her wealth, nor did she avoid the topic. Overall, she interacted like an ordinary, optimistic girl, never pretentious, completely at ease, like a flawless, transparent crystal.

"Of course, one day, I will run on the Olympic 100-meter track draped in my national flag, and I will see it rise before my eyes," Rousseau described the scene, his eyes sparkling.

"Me too! Many people ask me why I practice high jump, given my background... um, I come from a very wealthy family; that’s unavoidable," Juno shrugged. "It seems like I have a serious problem with my life choices, but they don’t understand how much I enjoy competition and victory."

"Yeah, it’s all about wanting to win, always winning," Rousseau said. "Nothing else matters; victory is the most romantic thing in the world, and a gold medal is the most beautiful love letter you can receive."

"What you said is exactly what I think!" Juno's eyes sparkled. "Old Lu, we have kindred spirits!"

"But I've beaten you twice already," Rousseau teased with a smile.

"Yes, you are more impressive," Juno pouted adorably. "You’ve barely been on the team for a month, and you're already challenging Old Tian for the title of fastest sprinter."

"Beating Old Tian isn't my goal; my goal is to be the world’s number one," Rousseau declared.

If Tian Shihwei were there, he would surely think Rousseau was bragging, but Juno considered Rousseau serious, just as he had been serious about helping her improve her high jump results, making it seem somewhat credible.

"Juno's affection level increased."

Back in the dormitory, Tian Shihwei was still playing on his Nintendo DS.

Seeing Rousseau return with several cans of protein powder, Tian Shihwei asked, "Did the coach give these to you?"

"Yeah, they're for gaining weight," Rousseau replied, casually placing the cans on his desk.

Rousseau's desk was simple, with no flashy posters, just textbooks and some daily necessities. In contrast, Tian Shihwei’s desk resembled a small shop, covered in posters and filled with things like CDs, a gaming console, a laptop, and other new gadgets Rousseau had seen and hadn’t seen before.

Tian Shihwei also came from a wealthy family; Rousseau couldn't recall who mentioned it.

Jin Yulin was the name of Tian Shihwei's family's jewelry chain brand, seen in every bustling area of Pengcheng, confirming that they were indeed quite affluent. Yet, Tian Shihwei still claimed that Juno's family was wealthier, proving that there was always someone richer...

Rousseau closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.