Chapter 12: Signing Up for "Boys and Girls, Forward!"

While he was watching a show, Jiang Zheng’s phone suddenly vibrated. He glanced at it and saw a message from Jiang Qianyu.

“Why didn’t you add me?”

Jiang Zheng typed back: “My throat’s better now, so I didn’t want to trouble anyone.”

After a short while, a reply came: “As long as your throat’s fine.”

Jiang Zheng held his phone, unsure how to respond. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to reply at all.

……

Wednesdays weren’t packed with classes; they had one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

After finishing the morning class, Jiang Zheng returned to the dormitory and started catching up on his show. After lunch, everyone lay on their beds, getting ready to rest, when Zhou Quanyi suddenly said, “Hey guys, how about we sign up for that super popular ‘Boys and Girls Go Forward’ show?”

“What’s the point?” Yang Bo asked.

“It’s fun! The show’s become popular again. Why don’t we all sign up together?” Zhou Quanyi suggested.

Jiang Zheng was familiar with ‘Boys and Girls Go Forward.’ He’d often watched it during summer breaks. It was an old program, but for some unknown reason, it had recently soared in popularity again.

He had no particular interest in joining the show. The timing coincided with summer vacation, so if they signed up, there’d be no scheduling conflict. But during the summer, Jiang Zheng preferred to stay home and focus on writing his novel, not get distracted by some TV show.

“Boss, why do you suddenly want to sign up for ‘Boys and Girls Go Forward’?” Liu Hua asked, clearly puzzled.

To be honest, with the show trending, they were content just to watch it; no one had actually considered participating.

“Guys, do any of you have special plans for the summer? If not, let’s sign up. We can treat it like a trip together,” Zhou Quanyi said.

“I need to study at home,” Yu Qingkui replied. Everyone in the dorm knew he was preparing for graduate school.

“Alright, number six needs to study and can’t go. What about the rest of you? Any plans for the summer?” Zhou Quanyi asked.

“Ahem, I’m supposed to go work in my girlfriend’s city during the break, so I probably can’t make it,” Yang Bo said, rubbing his nose in embarrassment.

“Damn, number two, you’re putting love before brotherhood? Is a girlfriend better than your bros?” Wang Bing chimed in.

“Number five, you’re acting weird,” Liu Hua commented.

Yang Bo retorted, “Number five, I see you as a brother—don’t get the wrong idea. I like girls.”

Wang Bing scowled. “Get lost. Why would I have any ideas about you?”

“Enough, enough, so number two can’t go. What about you, three, four, and five? Want to sign up?” Zhou Quanyi pressed on.

“I have to help out at home during the summer,” Liu Hua replied.

“I’m free, but honestly, I don’t feel like going,” Wang Bing shrugged.

“I have something going on too. Can’t make it,” Jiang Zheng said. He didn’t elaborate—writing novels wasn’t something he wanted to discuss in the dorm.

Zhou Quanyi frowned. If no one wanted to go, there was no point in signing up alone.

No, I can’t just go by myself, he thought. I’ll have to come up with something.

“The three of you have your reasons, but number four and five, are you just chickening out?” Zhou Quanyi challenged.

Jiang Zheng had only said he was busy, without specifying, which sounded like a brush-off.

Just as he was about to say that such a childish provocation wouldn’t work on him, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Mission: Participate in ‘Boys and Girls Go Forward’ and break the fastest record.
Temporary skills:
Full Power Sprint: Dramatically increased running speed when going all out.
Unshakable: Enhanced balance.]

Seeing the system mission, Jiang Zheng sighed inwardly.

Looks like I have to go after all.

The system didn’t force him, but the rewards were always tempting. So even if there was no compulsion, Jiang Zheng never let a mission slip by.

“I really don’t want to go, Boss,” Wang Bing said. “I plan to sign up for a summer guitar class.”

Zhou Quanyi was disappointed—four out of five had declined. He couldn’t actually force them to go.

Then his gaze fell on the only one left.

“Number four, you’ll go, right?” Zhou Quanyi asked.

“Seeing you so pitiful, I’ll reluctantly sign up with you,” Jiang Zheng replied.

“Great! We’ll sign up together!” Zhou Quanyi’s spirits lifted instantly. Having someone join him was a pleasant surprise—he’d been prepared to go alone.

“Give me your ID, and I’ll register for you,” Zhou Quanyi said.

Jiang Zheng agreed, handed over his ID, and soon got it back.

Before long, Zhou Quanyi returned Jiang Zheng’s ID. “Now we just wait for the official notice.”

The show was indeed popular now, and lots of people were signing up. But there were only so many episodes per season, and a limited number of participants.

So even after registering, whether they could actually join depended on the official selection.

Jiang Zheng acknowledged this and said nothing more.

After their afternoon class, Jiang Zheng didn’t return to the dorm. He grabbed his racket and headed out to play badminton with some friends.

When he arrived, others were already playing and greeted him warmly.

Jiang Zheng played badminton—a sport that, contrary to what some girls made it look like, could be quite fierce. As the sport with the fastest shuttlecock speed at the moment of impact, badminton could be surprisingly intense.

“Haven’t seen you here for days, Jiang Zheng,” one of his friends remarked.

“Had some things to take care of,” Jiang Zheng replied.

“I see,” the friend said, not pressing further.

After a short wait, it was Jiang Zheng’s turn to play.

They played to eleven points—whoever lost eleven points left the court, while the winner stayed on.

Eleven points might sound like a lot, but in badminton, they went quickly—sometimes just a rally or two.

Jiang Zheng stepped onto the court and adjusted his state of mind.

He wasn’t an expert, but he wasn’t bad either. On a good day, he could hold the court for two or three rounds.

The badminton court looked small but was actually exhausting, especially in singles. It required constant running and reaching any spot almost instantly.

Today Jiang Zheng was in good form—he won and got to stay on.

After a few consecutive wins, he realized he was performing exceptionally well.

The others agreed—he was in rare form today.

Just like that, three hours flew by.

Normally, Jiang Zheng would be exhausted by now, but for some reason, he hardly felt tired at all.