Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

He quietly opened the video and cached it to his phone.

During the time he was caching the video, Sophia Zhou's puzzled voice followed, "Misunderstanding? Why would Beixing say that?"

How could there be any misunderstanding? I saw it with my own eyes and even fainted from fright. If it weren't for Zhang Beixing's timely rescue, things might have gone very badly. Yet, despite that, Zhang Beixing called it a mere misunderstanding. This...

Sophia Zhou suddenly realized a problem. If there really was a "beautiful creature of the water," how did Zhang Beixing manage to save her from its clutches last night and even bring her ashore for resuscitation?

Unless... "Beixing, don't tell me you're a Taoist?" she asked eagerly, looking at Zhang Beixing with curiosity.

Zhang Beixing: "???"

What, did last night's near-drowning scramble your brains or something? The answer is so blatantly obvious, so on the verge of revealing itself, how could you just bypass the right answer and jump straight to the idea of a Taoist? You've watched too many Uncle Nine movies! It must be said, this woman's mind is truly outlandish. Then again, considering how she believed anything I told her about Martial Arts Training when we first met, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Sophia Zhou is just too naive.

Looking at Sophia Zhou, Zhang Beixing's face was filled with speechlessness. Then he didn't keep her in suspense any longer and came clean, "You're overthinking it. There's no ghost in the artificial lake at Shi University. What you saw last night wasn't a 'beautiful creature of the water,' it was me! I was practicing my punches there!"

After that, Zhang Beixing relayed, in great detail, how he trained with wooden stakes in the water, and how upon hearing noises from Sophia Zhou's direction, discovered what had happened to her.

Hearing this, Sophia Zhou was utterly baffled and stood there frozen in place.

Seeing this reaction, Zhang Beixing knew the psychological impact of this incident on Sophia Zhou was somewhat significant, so he didn't disturb her. He simply bowed his head to eat his meal, waiting for her response.

And so, he waited. Five minutes went by.

After stuffing the last bit of food on the table into his belly, Zhang Beixing leaned against the chair and let out a satisfied belch.

He turned to look at Sophia Zhou and found that she was still in the same position as five minutes ago, staring blankly at him, those beautiful phoenix eyes revealing a glint of intelligence.

Zhang Beixing was puzzled. Is this girl's brain powered by Internet Explorer or something? I've explained things so clearly. Why hasn't she snapped out of it after all this time?

But in reality, Zhang Beixing was the one who misunderstood Sophia Zhou. While Sophia Zhou might be a bit gullible and easily swayed, she wasn't foolish. After Zhang Beixing explained the events of last night so clearly, she had naturally grasped the cause and effect.

The reason she remained so lost in thought even after understanding everything was that Sophia Zhou had thought of another matter. Last night, when Zhang Beixing pulled me from the water and was reviving me... did he give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? As a sports student, I naturally know how to resuscitate a drowning person. Usually, it involves mouth-to-mouth to clear the airway, followed by chest compressions if there's no response from the victim. It seems he not only unbuttoned my clothes but also kissed me...

One has to say, women's thought processes are certainly unique—they can jump from one thing to another without much connection, quite abruptly.

Imagining herself unconscious, being mouth-to-mouth kissed by Zhang Beixing, and then him undoing her clothes, his hands pressing on her chest... Although she knew Zhang Beixing was rescuing her from drowning, Sophia Zhou couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Hey? What are you daydreaming about?" Zhang Beixing asked, reaching out to wave his hand in front of her eyes when he noticed her daze.

"Ah! Beixing, be quiet!" Sophia Zhou blurted out, springing up like a startled rabbit. Her nonsensical reply was based on the images she had just been replaying in her mind.

But she immediately realized she had misspoken and hurriedly tried to rectify her blunder, stammering incoherently before hastily running off.

Watching her panicked departure, Zhang Beixing was dumbfounded and somewhat at a loss. But he didn't dwell on it for long.

He simply finished Sophia Zhou's share of the meal and digested it for a while. Then, he turned to his phone and found that the video of him playing basketball had long been cached. He tucked the phone into his pocket, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed to the small woods to start his day's training.

「At ten o'clock in the morning.」

After finishing the last class of this morning, Zhang Beixing said he needed to take a dump and didn't walk with Lin Siqi.

Lin Siqi headed to the sports field alone, took out her keys, and unlocked her cart. Then, she pushed her small cart and began to wander around the sports field, looking for customers.

While she was wandering, Chen Rourou, who had also just finished class, was heading to the small woods for some secret extra training, hoping to quietly get ahead of her peers. She passed by the sports field and saw Lin Siqi.

Upon discovering that Lin Siqi was alone, with Zhang Beixing nowhere in sight, an idea seemed to strike Chen Rourou, and a mischievous smile instantly appeared on her face.

She stopped in her tracks, turned, and walked towards Lin Siqi. After getting closer, while Lin Siqi wasn't paying attention, Chen Rourou bent down and hugged her slim waist from behind, resting her head on Lin Siqi's shoulder, and greeted her cheerfully, "Hey, Sister Qi, setting up your stall so early, huh?"

Lin Siqi wasn't surprised by this. Ever since she got to know Chen Rourou through Zhang Beixing and they became familiar, this had always been Chen Rourou's way of greeting her.

After handing a bag of fries to the male student customer in front of her, who wanted to look more but was too shy, Lin Siqi turned her head to Chen Rourou's smiling face and said, "Yeah, I don't have classes this morning, so I thought I'd just come out and set up the stall. What about you?"

"Me? Hehe, I've got no classes this morning either. I'm about to go do some extra training in the little woods. I saw you setting up shop here on my way and thought I'd come over to say hi. Where's Zhang Beixing?" asked Chen Rourou, knowing full well the answer.

Lin Siqi didn't read too much into it and replied, "Oh, him? He's gone to the restroom. It'll probably be a while before he gets here. What's up, Rourou? Do you need him for something?"

"Hee hee, it's nothing much, actually. I just wanted to find out some gossip about him!"

"Gossip?" Hearing this word, Lin Siqi's eyebrows twitched slightly. "What gossip? About Lao Zhang?"

"That's right! Sister Qi, you really don't know?" Chen Rourou feigned a look of surprise. "Ha, seriously? I thought with your relationship with Zhang Beixing, you'd be the first to know about something this big. Are you telling me you're not aware?"

I don't know shit! Seeing Chen Rourou's astonished expression, Lin Siqi's heart thumped unexpectedly; she sensed that something bad was about to happen.

She frantically recalled Zhang Beixing's recent behavior and actions. After finding no clues, her sense of unease not only failed to disappear but intensified.

Lin Siqi looked at Chen Rourou, unaware that her tone had already become desperately urgent, and asked, "What exactly happened? Rourou, tell me. Don't beat around the bush."

Seeing her like this, the corners of Chen Rourou's mouth almost curved into a smile subconsciously. Luckily, she possessed outstanding acting skills and managed to suppress it before it showed, maintaining her previous look of surprise. With that feigned surprise still on her face, Chen Rourou said,

"It's about those things between Zhang Beixing and Sophia Zhou, Sister Qi. You really don't know?

"The two of them have been sneaking into the little woods, coming out panting with flushed faces, disheveled clothes, and drenched!

"How about that, Sister Qi? Isn't that gossip explosive enough?"

Having blurted out everything in one breath, Chen Rourou asked expectantly, hoping Lin Siqi would be impressed by the juicy news.

However, as soon as these words were out, Lin Siqi was taken aback. The gentle smile that had always graced her face suddenly stiffened. She looked at Chen Rourou and said, "Rourou, you're joking with me, right? That's not a funny joke!"

"Not at all, Sister Qi, you have to believe me! Every word I said is true. If you don't believe me, you can ask Sophia Zhou to confirm!" Chen Rourou said, her face a mask of innocence.

I'm famously honest, you know! I always speak my mind and never lie. If there was even half a falsehood in what I just said, then may I be struck by lightning!

Seeing her earnest expression, Lin Siqi's hands trembled slightly. In that moment, she suddenly felt inexplicably hollow inside, as if she had lost something precious.

She took a deep breath, striving to remain composed. But her trembling voice and quivering lips betrayed the turmoil in Lin Siqi's heart.

"Rourou... you... are you sure? Did Lao Zhang really get together with Sophia Zhou?

"When did this happen?

"How come I haven't heard anything about it!"

Her voice grew uncontrollably agitated. The more Lin Siqi tried to restrain herself, the more she failed, and an endless wave of bitterness welled up in her heart, intensifying with each passing moment.

Seeing her like this, Chen Rourou's own heart skipped a beat; she realized she might have taken things too far.

I originally thought Zhang Beixing and Lin Siqi were just friends, practically buddies. That's why I wanted to share this with Lin Siqi—to see her reaction, have a little fun, expose Zhang Beixing a bit, and satisfy my own vanity. But... this development is clearly beyond my expectations. Why is Lin Siqi reacting so strongly?! Shouldn't she be all gossipy, curious, and excitedly chatting away with me about this?

But Chen Rourou wasn't dumb. Despite being naïve in romance, seeing the situation before her, she could sense something was amiss.

You should've said earlier you cared so much about Zhang Beixing! If you'd just shown a little sign of it, how was I supposed to know...? Oh, I'm so screwed. If Zhang Beixing finds out I made Lin Siqi cry, he'll skin me alive!

Chen Rourou never expected that just trying to tease Lin Siqi and prank Zhang Beixing could bring her such trouble.

Therefore, in an attempt to rectify the situation, Chen Rourou hastily said, "Sister Qi, don't get me wrong! I just said Zhang Beixing and Sophia Zhou went into the little woods together; I didn't say they were a couple! Maybe their bodies were together, but not their spirits, right?"

If she hadn't said that, Lin Siqi might have held herself together. But upon hearing those words, she could no longer keep her composure. Her nose twitched, her eyes reddened, and tears started to fall, PLIP, PLOP.

Chen Rourou was stunned. But this clearly wasn't the time to be in a daze, for she noticed someone approaching from outside the sports field: a tall man, over 1.8 meters in height, wearing a bag and walking with relentless strides towards them.

It was Zhang Beixing!

Chen Rourou: Dammit!!!