Chapter 204: Completely Messed Up

Chapter 204: Utter Chaos

The sensation of gaining experience points while sleeping is truly sublime.

Is this what they call idling?

After grinding until past four, Meng Fan had accumulated three points of experience and decided to stop; he figured he wouldn't squeeze any more night-roaming experience out of the night, and besides, he had essentially slept enough by then.

Using the live-streaming assistant to hover and snap a dozen photos, he had to admit, West Lake at 4:30 in the morning possessed a unique beauty—though the sky was largely dark, the streetlights and the hazy atmosphere created a dreamlike quality.

He selected one, and on a rare whim, posted it to his social feed: "Have you ever seen West Lake at 4:30? She is still sleeping, a true Sleeping Beauty!"

Likes? Comments?

Impossible. Who would be up scrolling through their feed at this hour? Besides, he was wearing a hat; who could even tell it was him?

Meng Fan stretched his limbs, warmed up, and began the run back.

At this hour, cars were already appearing outside the West Lake scenic area; if he got hit, there would be no one to reason with, so he figured it was safer to take off the hat.

The run from West Lake back to his residential complex was over ten kilometers, taking him less than an hour.

Nowadays, Meng Fan could maintain a pace of five minutes and ten seconds per kilometer for the entire distance without any issues, needing neither energy drinks nor snacks, and if he really pushed himself, he could grit his teeth and finish under fifty minutes.

The "Divine Traveler" achievement mission, through his persistent efforts—excluding the few days in Shenzhen, he ran at least 10 kilometers daily, mostly 20—had reached a total of 852 kilometers by the time he arrived back at his complex. He had already cleared the seventh stage days ago, earning a reward of 2 points in speed, and he was now only about a week's worth of running away from the 1,000-kilometer requirement for the eighth stage.

However, stage eight came with additional requirements beyond just distance; for instance, it required completing a half-marathon in two hours or less.

The rewards for this stage were generous, serving as another milestone; the previous milestone at 100 kilometers had granted 1 point each in stamina, strength, and speed, while this 1,000-kilometer mark promised 2 points each.

Checking the time, it was already past five. Meng Fan paced back and forth at the entrance of his complex, hesitated for a moment, and then turned to run toward the school. He still wanted to see Wu Tong on such a beautiful morning.

Might as well knock out that half-marathon!

Opportunities to run a half-marathon in one go were rare, so he might as well seize the chance and save himself the trouble of making it up later.

He redeemed an energy drink, followed by an energy gel, and accelerated into the school grounds.

"Morning, sir."

"Out so early today?"

The security guard yawned. Since the days had grown shorter, Meng Fan usually didn't return to school until around six; today, he was more than half an hour early.

As for why Meng Fan always returned so early in the morning, the guard naturally had his own theories.

When Wu Tong arrived at the track, she saw Meng Fan already running. After finishing her warm-up, she caught up and asked curiously, "You went all the way to West Lake this early?"

She had seen his post, of course.

"Woke up a bit early," Meng Fan panted.

Wu Tong found it illogical. "You ran to West Lake and back, and now you're back at school running again? How many kilometers have you covered?"

This question caused Meng Fan's breathing rhythm to collapse entirely. It took several gasps to recover before he replied, "I rode a bike there."

The round trip to West Lake was over twenty kilometers, and running back at school added another ten-plus; Meng Fan didn't dare admit to that much distance.

Moreover, if one traced the time back by an hour or so, it meant he had woken up past three—which was highly suspicious.

Of course, this was just Meng Fan being "guilty as a thief." Even if Wu Tong found it illogical, she wouldn't lean toward the word "suspicious." After all, there was nothing to suspect; who would ever imagine Meng Fan had been sleeping inside the West Lake scenic area? That would be insane!

By the time Wu Tong arrived, Meng Fan had already been running for a while. When she hit the 5,000-meter mark, Meng Fan had finished his half-marathon—21.0975 kilometers—in 2 hours and 4 minutes, failing to meet the mission requirement.

Meng Fan felt a tinge of regret, but he could accept it. After all, he had spent the night sleeping rough; even with the energy drinks and gels, while his competitive spirit was high, his physical state was inevitably worse than usual.

Shortly after stepping onto the school track, Meng Fan had already anticipated he wouldn't meet the goal. His stamina had held up from West Lake to the complex, but by the latter half of his run at school, he was truly running on empty.

Seeing Meng Fan stop, Wu Tong also ceased her laps, and they went to the side to stretch.

"What time did you go to sleep last night? Waking up so early!"

"Around one, I think."

"Take it easy."

"Yeah."

He went back, showered, ate breakfast, and continued drawing. By ten, he was hungry and took off his hat to order takeout, hoping the delivery driver or the shop wouldn't forget him.

Buzz.

Before he could place the order, a call came in. It was Wu Tong.

"Send me your address."

"Huh?"

"I'm coming over."

"Huh? Oh!"

Meng Fan's hands trembled as he sent the address. He nearly leaped out of his skin, then began pacing the room, cleaning and tidying—though the place was already spotless, as a cleaner came every few days. Oh, wait, the laundry! He frantically stuffed his dirty clothes into the washing machine, hand-washed his underwear, and hid it away... what else, what else!

Meng Fan was in a state of utter chaos!

Just yesterday he had told Chen Daqiang not to panic, yet he was in a worse state himself. And Chen Daqiang’s panic was for his coming-of-age ritual, while this was just Wu Tong coming over!

Could it be that he was harboring some faint, secret expectations?

But he didn't feel prepared at all!

What was the protocol? What should he say when she arrived? Should he be gentle, or should he show off his prowess?

While she was still on her way, should he preview some material, or perhaps practice on his own first... someone once said that doing a practice run before the official exam yields better results...

Thud.

Meng Fan, completely frazzled, lost in wild, distracted, and wandering thoughts, walked straight into a wall, which finally snapped him back to reality.

What are you thinking about!

You aren't even together yet; you haven't even had zero-distance contact, and you're already thinking about negative-distance matters? Shameless!

How could I be such a person? Yes, I must have been corrupted by the plot of "Campus Romance Guide" I've been drawing, poisoning my pure mind!

Ding-dong!

Just then, the doorbell rang. Meng Fan jumped, a jolt running through his entire body, sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo!

He took several deep breaths, sternly warning himself to be calm, to maintain a gentlemanly demeanor... Gentleman, my foot! Absolutely not a gentleman... wait, that's not right either; this gentleman isn't that kind of gentleman... Damn it, I'm confused again!

Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo!

After another round of breathing exercises to force himself to calm down, Meng Fan opened the door.

Wu Tong stood there carrying two large bags. Seeing Meng Fan's state, she couldn't help but chuckle. "What's wrong with you?"

"Huh? Is there something wrong with me?"

"Even if there isn't, you could at least help me carry these things inside, right?"

"Oh! Right! These are so heavy, what's in them? Why didn't you call me to come down and get them?"

"You have the nerve to ask? I called you several times, and you didn't answer! Where are the slippers? Huh? These are women's."

"Oh, those? They belong to my mom and sister."

Wu Tong slipped into her slippers and stepped inside, casting a glance around the apartment; there was little to be surprised by, so she simply said, "You made me porridge last time, so I thought I’d whip up something for you today. You’ve been so busy lately, staying up so late and rising so early—I was worried you weren't getting enough nutrition just living on takeout."

Meng Fan forcibly swallowed the retort, "Seeing you is enough to drain my vitality," not daring to court death again, and instead carried the two heavy bags of groceries into the kitchen, asking, "You actually know how to cook?"

"Not at all."

"Huh?"

(End of chapter)