"My roommate is just too strong. She has been at the front of the group the entire time. At first, I wanted to run with her so that I could befriend her, but halfway through the run, I gave up."
Despite how hard Jiang Xuxu was panting, she could not resist talking to Qi Wu.
Qi Wu solemnly nodded and held a hand to her while calmly asking, "Do you want me to pull you along?"
They were halfway through the lap by now. More people were starting to run out of stamina. The orderly lines soon dissolved into tiny groups of runners.
However, that allowed those who frequently exercised and kept themselves fit to stand out from the crowd.
Through the camera, their elegant postures as they ran looked extremely beautiful. They were not even panting hard like those who were so tired that they completely abandoned all facades.
Jiang Xuxu was touched by the sincere offer.
She did not play hard to get at all and immediately grabbed Qi Wu's hand.
"You're the best, sweetie," she said in a sweet, coquettish voice.
"Sure."
After saying that, Qi Wu turned to look at the other woman next to her. "I can pull you along too."
Running was so much easier than the complicated ceremonies in the past with its many steps. They were both tiring but running at least allowed her to relax.
"I don't need to be pulled along."
Tong Luo eventually realized that Qi Wu really could run.
In fact, Qi Wu could even control how fast she was running without a single hitch in her breath.
When Tong Luo recalled how Qi Wu had caught the statue with a single hand the day before, she finally believed that a monstrous strength could be hiding within Qi Wu's frail body.
Now, she felt her competitive spirit had awakened.
She had not been mistaken. Qi Wu really was going to be strong competition!
Once the two miles were over and everyone was back to where they started, there were only a few people left who could remain standing. Some of the contestants had abandoned all sense of propriety and started frantically fanning themselves while resting on the ground while others sought out water to hydrate themselves.
Jiang Xuxu was one of the contestants who had given up on maintaining a dignified appearance.
She was bent over in half with one hand planted on her waist to help balance herself while her other hand held on tight to Qi Wu's hand.
"I swear I have never run so hard before, not even for my university's fitness test."
Qi Wu blinked. Then, she held up the hand Jiang Xuxu was still clinging to and gently said, "We're done running. You can let go now."
Jiang Xuxu immediately turned around to stare at Qi Wu with pitiful eyes.
"I'm so exhausted right now. I can only recover if I hold your hand, sweetie."
"Okay…"
Qi Wu fell silent as though she was confused by how Jiang Xuxu could use such a ridiculous excuse. Still, she did not reject Jiang Xuxu's request to hold hands.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xuxu was internally cheering with joy. She knew how to manipulate her silly little angel now!
Tong Luo was bewildered.
Her eyes were wide with disbelief.
Qi Wu actually believed what Jiang Xuxu said!
Every contestant's outfit had now been labeled with their names, and Jiang Xuxu had just been trending on the internet for her scandal. Hence, it did not take long for Tong Luo to realize who Jiang Xuxu was.
In Tong Luo's eyes, Jiang Xuxu said all that as a blatant attempt to take advantage of Qi Wu, yet Qi Wu allowed it.
Was Qi Wu a pushover?
Tong Luo frowned.
However, she soon shook her head with a bitter smile. She could barely keep herself safe. Why was she wasting her energy worrying over other people?
Furthermore, Qi Wu was another competitor. Tong Luo should be happy that Qi Wu was an easily manipulated pushover.
The issue was that Tong Luo could not find it in herself to feel happy about it.
After the run, everyone streamed into the cafeteria.
Due to how much energy they had used up in the morning, they all had great appetites and happily ate their fill.
*
Meanwhile, in the control room, Song Qi pulled up the recording of that morning's run.
He was surprised to find that Qi Wu had been breathing steadily for the entire two-mile run. "Oh? I didn't expect her to have good stamina."
Hu Mofei leaned over to watch the video. "I wouldn't just call that good. Have you not realized that she has been running at a constant pace the entire time without a single hitch in her breath? I suspect she has been trained in martial arts!"
Song Qi rolled his eyes. "No martial artist is that skinny."
"Song, that's called judging a book by its cover!"
As Qu Man had walked in just as Hu Mofei said that, she found her lips twitching in annoyance as she immediately smacked the stack of documents she was carrying against his chest.
"You talk as if you don't judge others based on their appearances as well! How many times have you looked at the image of Qi Wu turning around?" she bluntly retorted.
Hu Mofei was a thick-skinned man, so he immediately started chuckling in response. "I've liked that girl since the very first moment I saw her. She's just like my precious little daughter."
Qu Man clicked her tongue. "Stop acting like you can have your cake and eat it too."
Song Qi chimed in as well to support Qu Man. "You're also incapable of having a daughter like her anyway. You're in your forties and yet you've yet to be married!"
"Song… Didn't we say we would not talk about my bachelorhood?"
Hu Mofei's entire demeanor turned dark and gloomy when a nerve was struck.
He used to be engaged. They were considered a good match.
However, just two weeks before the wedding, his fiancée eloped with another man because she disliked how little he was home due to work and the fact that the entertainment industry was full of dirty scandals.
The trauma from that had stayed with Hu Mofei over the years. Eventually, he realized he could never escape the trauma, so he decided to just be single forever.
Song Qi awkwardly cleared his throat.
He had been so keen on arguing back with Hu Mofei that he did not realize what he had said until it was too late.
Qu Man promptly changed the subject.
"Here is today's schedule and script. Have a look through it."
Song Qi accepted the document and casually flipped through it. "It's just a simple talent showcase where everyone has one minute to show off something."
"I wonder what Qi Wu will perform," Hu Mofei swiftly commented.
Qu Man scanned through the spreadsheet on her tablet. Suddenly, she let out a noise of surprise. "She doesn't have any music listed."
Even if "Rookie Assembly" was a talent show that included many contestants of varying specialties who would then be split off into different categories, almost everyone had chosen to sing or dance when it came to the first talent showcase.
After all, those were the hardest to make a mistake on.
Upon hearing that, Song Qi pulled up the registration form Qi Wu handed in. For her hobbies and specialties, she had listed dancing and singing.
Those were very common and general specialties.
Hu Mofei clicked his tongue in surprise. "Do you think she's going to sing without backing music? Is she that confident in her voice?"
To sing without backing music meant the only thing anyone could hear was the singer's voice. In that sort of situation, even the slightest mistakes would be amplified into a major flaw.
Song Qi scoffed. "Let's hope she doesn't shoot herself in the foot."
As the self-appointed father figure and fan of Qi Wu, Hu Mofei naturally could not just let the slander be. He immediately shot back, "What if her voice is really good?"
Song Qi had been feeling guilty about what he just said, so he merely huffed and did not argue back.
Qu Man heaved a sigh of relief when she noticed that the awkward tension between the two men was dissipating.
When she recalled that she would be meeting up with the contestants later, worry returned to the front of her mind once more. She grabbed the walkie-talkie and said to them, "Later on when we're at the filming location, keep a close eye on the Tong family sisters."