Is Self-Redemption Really That Hard? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 21.2

Lu Wuqi glanced at the schedule. “Sure—one hundred and three thousand.”

“Three thousand? Are you sure?” The rep blinked in disbelief. “You know that’s over seven laps around the track, right?”

“I know. I’ll take it as exercise,” Lu Wuqi said calmly, filling in her name without hesitation.

“Is that all?” she asked, handing the form back.

“Yeah! There’s no internal selection for the three thousand, but the hundred-meter race will have tryouts. I’ll add you on WeChat and pull you into the group chat—they’ll post the schedule there!” The rep tucked the form away like a treasure. “Lu, if you ever need help with anything, just say the word!”

What an angel—she’d just volunteered for the three-thousand-meter run! His savior!

“Alright,” Lu Wuqi said simply.

“One hundred meters and three thousand?” Lan Xu nearly choked on a piece of rib. “Three thousand meters sounds like a lot—won’t that be exhausting?”

“It’s fine. I can finish in about thirteen minutes. Maybe even faster with a good pace leader,” Lu Wuqi said. She’d always kept up her training, so three kilometers was nothing to her.

“Our department doesn’t need more girls, so I’ll run the three thousand with you,” Lan Xu decided on the spot. “Should I prepare sports drinks or saline water for you?”

“Either’s fine—it’s just to keep the throat from drying out,” Lu Wuqi replied. “But I’ll probably have late dinners this week. Tryouts for the sprint are at five or six, and they’ll last a couple of days.”

“Then I’ll come cheer for you!” Lan Xu said, gripping her chopsticks with determination. “The top three get not only medals but cash prizes too—and bonus credits!”

“If only I had a talent for sports,” she added wistfully. “Winning first place would save me from scrambling for volunteer hours.”

“Then I’ll work hard to take first place in two events—how about I give you one of the medals?” Lu Wuqi said with a grin. “All the pros have already joined the provincial and city teams for training, so winning first this time shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Deal! Go for first place, and at least stay in the top three. I believe in you, Lu Wuqi!” Lan Xu replied, giving her a look full of confidence.

Physical ability didn’t matter—she had a girlfriend! If Lu Wuqi took first place, then by extension, that was basically her first place too!

Lan Xu’s logic wasn’t wrong, and Lu Wuqi’s ability was even less questionable.

Not only did she easily qualify for the 100-meter dash as the top of her department, but because her results were so outstanding, she was also roped into joining the women’s 4×100 relay team.

Relay races required practice, so the “late dinner” plan they had agreed on stretched from two days to two whole weeks. While Lu Wuqi trained, Lan Xu stayed by her side almost every day.

By the day before the sports meet, most of the freshmen athletes from the Computer Science Department already knew who Lan Xu was—and a few bold guys even tried to ask for her contact info, hoping to strike up something more than friendship.

“Friends are fine, but nothing beyond that.”

Hearing one of those cheesy pickup lines, Lu Wuqi—just done with training—couldn’t help but step protectively in front of her girlfriend.

She was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and mid-length shorts, a towel draped around her neck, a faint sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead.

“Friends? Of course, we can be friends,” one of the guys said with an awkward laugh, clearly intimidated.

It couldn’t be helped. Lu Wuqi’s skills were way beyond theirs, and since she rarely spoke to them, being a little afraid or respectful was perfectly normal.

“Why? Lan Xu, do you just not plan to date yet?” another guy asked, summoning all his courage. “If that’s the case, could you save me a spot? I can wait for you!”

Lu Wuqi said nothing—she merely turned her head to look at her girlfriend, waiting for her to respond.

“Sorry, it’s not that I’m not planning to date,” Lan Xu said with a smile, holding Lu Wuqi’s personal water bottle. “It’s that I already have someone.”

“Huh? You already have a boyfriend?” The brave one instantly deflated, muttering under his breath, “How come I’ve never seen him?”

“Not a boyfriend,” Lan Xu said, pausing as she reached out and took Lu Wuqi’s hand. “A girlfriend.”

They had already discussed going public a few days earlier. The plan had been to wait until after the sports meet—once Lu Wuqi won a medal, they’d post a cute photo together online.

Although there were still a few narrow-minded people around Capital University, the general atmosphere was open-minded, and same-sex couples weren’t rare. At most, it would stir up a little attention within a small circle.

Still, now seemed as good a time as any—once they went public, Lan Xu could cheer for her girlfriend openly and proudly.

“Wait, what?” the guy froze, and so did several people who had been quietly eavesdropping nearby.

“I knew it!” a female student suddenly exclaimed, shaking her roommate’s arm excitedly. “See? I told you! Didn’t I tell you?”

“Keep your voice down!” her roommate hissed, mortified. “Sorry, my friend gets overexcited. She’s a hardcore shipper—please ignore us!”

With that, she dragged the squealing girl away before they ended up photographed and posted all over the campus forum.

“Ah—uh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know!” the guy stammered, face flushed red.

Realizing he had just tried to flirt with the girlfriend of one of the department’s top students, his embarrassment easily rivaled that of the fangirl who’d just run off.

“Just be more careful next time,” Lu Wuqi said coolly.

She wasn’t that petty—things like this were unavoidable before their relationship went public.

Still, she added firmly, “Xuxu is my girlfriend. Remember that.”

And after a moment, “You two are only friends. Don’t ask for her contact info again.”

“Got it, boss! Oh, I, uh—just remembered I left my laundry out. Gotta go!” the guy blurted, turning and sprinting off without realizing he’d just called her “boss” out loud.

“Yeah, us too! Bye, boss!” the others quickly followed, scattering like startled birds.

They’d only been in college for two months—their skin wasn’t thick enough yet to handle such an awkward situation.

Lan Xu touched her cheek, which felt unusually warm, and asked softly, “Lu Wuqi, are you too scary, or am I too intimidating?”

“Neither. They’re just embarrassed,” Lu Wuqi said simply, steering the topic away. “The sports meet starts tomorrow. Want to go out for a nice dinner?”

“Better not. The relay’s on the first day—safer to eat in the cafeteria. Wouldn’t want a stomachache from outside food,” Lan Xu replied. “Let’s do noodles tonight, soy milk and soup dumplings tomorrow morning?”

“Alright. Whatever you say,” Lu Wuqi agreed, taking her hand as they walked toward the exit.

But after a few steps, Lan Xu noticed people staring at them—more than a few. The heat rising in her chest made her steps falter slightly, and she instinctively leaned closer to Lu Wuqi.

Lu Wuqi tightened her grip on her hand. “Tired from waiting? Want me to carry you?”

“No need! You’re the one training so hard—I should be the one carrying you!” Lan Xu said quickly. “Which cafeteria are we going to?”

They were already drawing attention just walking hand-in-hand—if she got carried, it’d double the audience!

“Cafeteria No. 3. It’s a bit farther,” Lu Wuqi suggested.

“Good idea,” Lan Xu sighed in relief.

Going public wasn’t hard—the hard part was all the staring that came afterward!

Even eating at a farther cafeteria didn’t save Lan Xu from the spotlight. As soon as she returned to the dorm, her three roommates surrounded her with chairs, forming a mock interrogation circle.

“Lan Xu! You and Lu Wuqi are actually dating! How could you hide that from us?!” Yan Yuanyuan demanded.

“No wonder she always tags along whenever you volunteer—it all makes sense now!” Ai Jiaxin groaned dramatically. “How did you even keep quiet this long?”

“We weren’t the first to know!” Zhang Huai exclaimed, eyes full of envy. “Lan Xu, have you grown distant from us already?”

Lan Xu blinked in confusion. “Wait, how do you even know? I haven’t posted anything yet.”

“Of course we know! Your relationship announcement’s already trending on the campus forum!” Yan Yuanyuan said, waving her phone.

“Even the confession wall posted it! Someone submitted a photo!” Ai Jiaxin added, opening her feed for proof.

“What? We just admitted it, it’s not like we made an official statement.” Lan Xu’s breath quickened in disbelief.

It wasn’t fear—just the sudden realization that things had gotten way too public. This was supposed to be a simple, private thing between her and Lu Wuqi, not headline news across Capital University!

“Lan Xu, do you even know how high your girlfriend’s value is on the forum?” Yan Yuanyuan sighed. “Even people outside Computer Science know about her.”

“Value? What value?” Lan Xu asked, genuinely puzzled. To her, Lu Wuqi was just her girlfriend.

Ai Jiaxin gave her a look of utter exasperation. “Your girlfriend’s been praised by multiple professors! Word is, she’s already secured a spot in next semester’s national programming competition!”

“I know about that, but the list isn’t official yet,” Lan Xu said. “It’s not final until it’s announced.”

“And she skips class without penalty! One time, eight students were absent—seven lost half their participation grades, but not her!” Yan Yuanyuan added.

“That’s because she was helping Professor Wang debug a system that day,” Lan Xu explained.

“Also,” Zhang Huai jumped in, “she joined a senior’s tech studio—the kind that can issue internship certificates! Loads of juniors and seniors can’t even get in!”

Lan Xu coughed lightly. That much was true—but what they didn’t know was that Lu Wuqi had actually invested a month’s salary into the studio and become the senior’s partner.

Hearing it all laid out like this, Lan Xu finally realized—wow, her girlfriend really was amazing.

“So, I guess I hit the jackpot, huh?” she said, touching her neck sheepishly. “I’m not even that impressive myself.”

“You think?” Yan Yuanyuan laughed. “Lu Wuqi’s a legend in her department. She doesn’t talk much or smile often, so no one dares confess to her.”

“That can’t be right! She’s always smiling—she rarely doesn’t smile!” Lan Xu protested earnestly. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Sure, she smiles at you,” Zhang Huai teased. “She’s your girlfriend! But to everyone else? Cold as code.”

“So when did you two get together? After the semester started?” Ai Jiaxin asked curiously.

Lan Xu blinked innocently. “We started dating back in senior year of high school.”

“Senior year?” Ai Jiaxin practically shrieked. “You’ve been hiding it that long?”

“We weren’t that close at first,” Lan Xu defended. “If I’d announced I had a girlfriend right away, that would’ve been weird! Besides, I never lied about talking to her.”

“Wait—I remember now!” Yan Yuanyuan slapped her thigh. “The day I moved in, you two were brushing your teeth together! Don’t tell me you were already sleeping over back then?”

“Huh?” Lan Xu froze, completely unsure how to respond.

That was two months ago! How did she even remember that? Her memory must’ve lagged for an entire semester!

“You mean they actually?” Ai Jiaxin and Zhang Huai gasped.

“No, no!” Lan Xu hurried to explain. “It was just me alone in the dorm that night, and I couldn’t sleep, so I asked her to stay over. We literally just slept! You’ve all done that with friends before!”

“Ahh, so sweet,” Zhang Huai sighed dreamily. She’d always liked girls but had never dated anyone, not even told her friends. Seeing Lan Xu so comfortable about it made her both envious and wistful.

“Fine, since you two were together before college, we’ll let it slide,” Ai Jiaxin said finally. “But next time anyone here dates, no more secrets!”

After half an hour of teasing and chatter, the “trial” ended with laughter. Lan Xu, as punishment for hiding her relationship, had to treat her roommates—and her girlfriend—to an all-you-can-eat hotpot feast.

They set the date for Friday evening, right after the sports meet—no leaving until everyone was happily stuffed!

If not for her roommates’ dramatic reactions, Lan Xu might never have realized just how exceptional her girlfriend really was.

Meanwhile, over in Lu Wuqi’s dorm, everyone had already heard the news too.

But instead of teasing her, her roommates acted perfectly normal—probably because Lu Wuqi was always so composed and serious. She wasn’t the type people joked with easily.

So, they kept their gossip confined to their private group chat, sharing screenshots from the forum and gushing about how good their “legendary roommate” looked when she smiled.

The sports meet’s opening ceremony was fairly standard, aside from the presence of a few famous alumni.

Once it ended, the first event was the women’s 4×100 relay.

Lu Wuqi, now in her athletic uniform and spikes, wore a jacket loosely over her shoulders as she warmed up at the track.

Lan Xu stood inside the field holding her towel and water bottle. Knowing people were watching them, she straightened her back and stood tall.

“Be careful—some runners might come in too fast and can’t brake in time,” Lu Wuqi reminded her, handing over the jacket once the referee took position.

“Got it. I’ll stay closer to the inside. Good luck!” Lan Xu said, eyes filled with pride. “I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line.”