Lu Mingfei, how can you slay a dragon if you don't play the villain?

Lu Mingfei's face flushed red.

He never expected that he would be seen this way in Su Xiaoqiang's eyes, and he never expected that his mortal enemy would know that he had a crush on Chen Wenwen.

Strangely, Su Xiaoqiang has never brought this up with him in the past two years.

This did change Lu Mingfei's opinion of this nemesis slightly.

Liu Miaomiao: Do ​​you think it's possible that Lu Mingfei is very capable, but he's just hiding it?

Su Xiaoqiang: Impossible, absolutely impossible! If that guy were really that capable, why would he be Chen Wenwen's lackey?

Lu Mingfei's fingertips unconsciously dug into his palm.

Just then, a new message popped up on the screen:

Su Xiaoqiang: If he's really that good... then I'll apologize to him in front of the whole class tomorrow!

"Make 'Little Fairy' bow down and submit..." This thought flashed through Lu Mingfei's mind, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. "That sounds pretty good."

Recalling what the System Bro said before he left, there were only three people in the entire world who could rival him.

This means that as long as one can stay calm and survive, reaching the top of the world does not seem like an unattainable fantasy.

However, all of this is contingent on him completely shedding his current "loser" image.

The problem is—changing one's personality? Easier said than done! Lu Mingfei's heart pounded with anxiety.

If it were that easy to change, he wouldn't be the Lu Mingfei he is today.

He knows himself too well: he's a typical "three-minute wonder," his interest comes and goes quickly, and his instinct is to immediately give up when he's under pressure or bored.

But... it's for Erii.

He had to try! He had to push himself! The image of Erii quietly watching him uncontrollably flashed through his mind.

If he were to meet again and still be this pathetic, how could he possibly protect the princess who belonged to him? Just thinking about that scene made his heart ache.

This thought surprised even Lu Mingfei himself—the first thing that came to mind was not the literary girl Chen Wenwen, nor Lu Mingfei's breathtakingly beautiful face, but rather the girl who clumsily and sincerely reached out to him in the boundless darkness.

It seems that... ever since he "met" Erii and witnessed Lu Mingfei's inhuman, almost demonic beauty, other girls... can no longer easily stir up any waves in his eyes.

The feelings that are typical of teenage boys—the restless desire for pretty girls around them—seemed to have subsided considerably.

"Miaomiao, let's go!" Lu Mingfei suddenly stood up, his voice louder than expected.

"Ah!" Liu Miaomiao was so startled that she almost dropped her phone, and her hasty attempt to lock the screen only made things worse.

When she looked up, her cheeks were already flushed red to her ears: "You...you saw everything?"

Lu Mingfei touched his nose and gave a meaningful smile: "I only saw a tiny bit."

Liu Miaomiao was immediately flustered and stammered, "I... I was just asking casually! Don't overthink it!"

Lu Mingfei didn't expose her embarrassment; he simply turned and walked towards the door.

Liu Miaomiao quickly followed, keeping her head down and not daring to look at him.

The two took the elevator to the third floor where Century Star was located.

Looking at the lavishly decorated gym, Lu Mingfei felt a little uneasy.

It wasn't because he was afraid of being inferior to Su Xiaoqiang, but because he had Liu Miaomiao by his side.

Liu Miaomiao had no idea what would happen next.

But leaving such a beautiful woman like Liu Miaomiao alone, Lu Mingfei was worried that she would be approached by strangers.

After all, this girl came along as his "protector," and now it's his turn to be someone else's "protector."

He had heard the stories about the gym.

Lu Mingfei shook his head, clearing away all the jumbled thoughts in his mind.

No matter what, he has to win this fight first, otherwise he's not sure if he'll even have a future.

With these thoughts in mind, Lu Mingfei stepped into the gym, and then—

He paused slightly, and Liu Miaomiao bumped into his back unexpectedly, her nose hurting from the impact.

"Lu Mingfei, what's wrong?" She rubbed her nose and walked around to his side, her voice filled with grievance.

The question made the girl who was casually playing with her phone in front of the counter turn her head.

The three of them met eyes.

The girl stared in disbelief, her fingers dangling back and forth between the two of them.

"You...you all...has this world gone mad?"

Is Chapter 27 finished? Now that it's over, I'm going to unleash my cheat codes!

"Su Xiaoqiang?" Liu Miaomiao asked, somewhat flustered. "What are you doing here?"

Su Xiaoqiang crossed her arms over her chest, her chin slightly raised:

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? This is my territory, so it's only natural for me to be here."

Her suspicious gaze swept back and forth between Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao.

"But you two, you actually 'teamed up' to come to the gym?" She emphasized the word "teamed up".

Su Xiaoqiang's mind raced:

Just a few minutes ago, Liu Miaomiao was mysteriously inquiring about Lu Mingfei, but in the blink of an eye, the two of them appeared together at the gym.

Nobody would believe there's nothing fishy going on here!

Recalling Liu Miaomiao's words that "Lu Mingfei is very capable," Su Xiaoqiang couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Is it possible that Lu Mingfei, that good-for-nothing, really has some ability that she doesn't know about?

Her gaze finally settled on Lu Mingfei, who had a fake smile on his face.

"Lu Mingfei, what are you doing here with your 'little girlfriend'?"

"No!" Liu Miaomiao hurriedly explained, "He and I aren't in the kind of relationship you're thinking of! I..." But her voice trailed off halfway through her sentence.

If Su Xiaoqiang found out that Lu Mingfei was staying at her house, and that she herself had agreed to it... then she would be in a situation where she couldn't clear her name no matter what!

She could only channel her pent-up resentment into sharp glares, piercing the culprit with them—

It's all this guy's fault! Why did he suddenly decide to go to the gym?!

Well, now we've been caught red-handed by Lu Mingfei's number one "old nemesis"!

If Su Xiaoqiang were to go back to school and embellish the story...

[WARNING! Only 3 minutes left until the "Final Showdown" mission begins! Execute immediately!]

Lu Mingfei felt the sharp countdown alarm in his mind as he met the burning gazes of the two girls in front of him.

He forced a dry cough and said, "Ahem... Su Xiaoqiang, come and fight me!"

"Huh?" Su Xiaoqiang could hardly believe her ears.

The next second—

"Pfft—hahahahaha!" She doubled over laughing, pointing at Lu Mingfei, "This is hilarious! Lu Mingfei, are you here to put on a comedy show for me? This is definitely the lameest joke I've heard all year!"

She straightened up slightly, panting as she looked at Lu Mingfei. "With your frail body that could be blown away by a gust of wind, you think you can fight me? You're just looking for a masochistic experience, aren't you?"

"Enough with the nonsense," Lu Mingfei said calmly. "In short, are you going to compete or not?"

Su Xiaoqiang finally stood up straight, his face full of mocking arrogance.

She crossed her arms over her chest:

"A competition! We absolutely must compete! I want to see what tricks you can pull off. Tell me, how do we want to compete?"

[Side quest triggered!]

[Mission Objective: Win the 3000-meter race against Su Xiaoqiang]

[Mission Reward: Escape Card (One-time use item; guarantees successful escape upon use)]

[Failure Penalty: Accept 'One-Stop Service']

[Mission Description: Whether it's a strategic retreat or a pursuit of the remaining enemy, exceptional long-distance running ability is an essential core skill for villains.]

[Successfully completing this mission will unlock the fourth main quest!]

A series of cold, emotionless mechanical voices crashed into Lu Mingfei's mind.

The system not only designates projects, but also links them to the main storyline!

"A 3000-meter race!" Lu Mingfei looked directly into Su Xiaoqiang's eyes. "Do you dare to take it?"

Miss Su's eyes widened: "Lu Mingfei! Are you serious? Are you out of your mind?"

"What, are you chickening out already?" Lu Mingfei immediately retorted.

"Coward?" Su Xiaoqiang raised her voice as if she had been greatly insulted, "I think you've lost your mind! Have you forgotten your 'glorious deeds' of coming in last place in the 5000 meters last semester, and still dawdling on the half-lap after everyone else in the school had finished?"

Her suspicious gaze swept over Lu Mingfei again—what's wrong with this guy today?

Or did the sun rise in the west?

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of Liu Miaomiao standing next to her, looking nervous, and instantly realized what was going on!

So that's how it is! This kid was trying to act tough in front of Liu Miaomiao to win her favor!

At this moment, Liu Miaomiao also came to her senses and hurriedly tugged at Lu Mingfei's sleeve, reminding him in a low voice:

"Lu Mingfei! Don't be impulsive! Let it go!"

She knew Lu Mingfei's athletic ability all too well.

From junior high school until now, this guy's physical fitness is just like his report card—consistently at the bottom.

He actually challenged Su Xiaoqiang to run 3,000 meters? He's just asking for humiliation!

It's worth noting that although Su Xiaoqiang is a girl, her athletic ability is absolutely top-notch in the class; few of the boys who are good at sports can rival her.

Lu Mingfei has no chance against her!

"Don't worry," Lu Mingfei gave her a confident look, "I will win."