Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 8

Both were members of the school track and field team, and her abilities were no less impressive than Qi Qiuyuan’s. She had simply joined the team later and hadn’t yet found the right competition to make a name for herself.

Coach Chen was a retired national-level athlete and a former three-time international long-distance running champion. Kaicheng University had specially invited him to serve as a coach.

As the school’s top long-distance runners, Coach Chen had always been exclusively responsible for training Qi Qiuyuan and her.

But now…

“What gives you the right to say that?”

She caught up with Qi Qiuyuan, grabbed her arm, and demanded an explanation.

Slowly pulling her arm back, Qi Qiuyuan adjusted her sleeve.

“Coach Chen is getting older and has limited energy. From now on, he can only train one student. Is there a problem with that?”

“But I didn’t receive any notice…”

The girl persisted, unwilling to let it go.

“My words are the notice,” Qi Qiuyuan replied, casting her a glance devoid of any warmth.

The faint mockery in her eyes stung the girl, who only then belatedly recalled something she had overheard in the team: Qi Qiuyuan’s father held a position in the education bureau, and it was no minor role…

…

How dare she compare Huo Yuwan to herself?

With a disdainful glance, Qi Qiuyuan withdrew her gaze, composed her emotions, and walked toward Li Xuzhi under the sunshade with a gentle smile.

“Sister Xuzhi, are you free for lunch?”

“How about having lunch together?”

Leaning forward slightly to block the harsh sunlight behind her, Qi Qiuyuan stood by the table and politely extended the invitation.

Li Xuzhi, now shaded, frowned slightly and looked up at Qi Qiuyuan.

“No, I have something to do at noon.”

As if she had already prepared herself for the rejection, Qi Qiuyuan’s smile remained unchanged.

“I had other plans too, but my mother specifically called and insisted I invite you to lunch. She even made a reservation for us. Would you really turn down her kindness?”

Qi Qiuyuan knew Li Xuzhi well, she was soft-hearted, especially when it came to elders.

Leaning in a little closer, she added in a low voice, “It’s a task assigned by the elders. You wouldn’t want to make things difficult for me, would you?”

Both families had been trying to set up Qi Qiuyuan and Li Xuzhi. Although Qi Qiuyuan often brushed it off with excuses about focusing on her career, her reasons weren’t entirely convincing.

The Qi family, in particular, sensed that their daughter had some interest, so they had recently been trying to create opportunities for Qi Qiuyuan and Li Xuzhi to spend more time together.

On previous occasions, Qi Qiuyuan had declined due to training commitments and considerations for Huo Yuqing.

But today, she happened to be free, and with some lingering dissatisfaction toward Huo Yuqing weighing on her mind, she decided to go along with her mother’s wishes.

Sure enough, Li Xuzhi hesitated upon hearing this.

“You can bring your girlfriend along.”

But after a moment of hesitation, she unexpectedly still chose to decline.

The smile on Qi Qiuyuan’s lips stiffened slightly as she stared at Li Xuzhi, her eyes narrowing.

“She has a part-time job today and doesn’t have time to join me.”

Qi Qiuyuan replied calmly.

In truth, it was because of what had happened between Huo Yuwan and Qi Liang the day before—Qi Qiuyuan was now giving Huo Yuwan the silent treatment.

The soothing music began to play over the sports field’s broadcast system, signaling a temporary halt to the morning competitions.

Li Xuzhi glanced at her watch and stood up, preparing to leave.

“Sorry, I really have something to attend to at noon,” she declined softly.

After tidying up the items on the table, as if remembering something, Li Xuzhi spoke in a low, gentle voice. “Perhaps you should consider telling your family about your relationship. Keeping it hidden like this isn’t good for either of you.”

A strand of hair slipped from behind her ear, partially obscuring her delicate profile.

Qi Qiuyuan’s palm, resting on the table, unconsciously tightened. Her gaze remained gentle as she replied, “Then what about you, Sister Xuzhi? Without me as your shield, they’ll just find another marriage candidate for you.”

Though she seemed to be considering Li Xuzhi’s situation, deep down, Qi Qiuyuan simply didn’t want to let go.

Moreover, Qi Qiuyuan knew that, compared to herself, it was Li Xuzhi who truly resented the families’ matchmaking efforts.

Her relationship with Huo Yuqing was just a youthful romance, but when it came to marriage prospects, Qi Qiuyuan leaned more toward someone like Li Xuzhi, who was her social equal.

“I’ll find the right time to make things clear with them as well,” Li Xuzhi said, her lowered eyes softening with resolve.

She couldn’t spend her entire life under her parents’ control.

Standing before her, Qi Qiuyuan clearly sensed the shift in Li Xuzhi’s demeanor.

It was as if a withered vine had suddenly shown signs of new life, no longer under her influence.

This was not a good sign. Her expression darkening slightly, Qi Qiuyuan probed further, “It seems Sister Xuzhi has found someone she likes?”

Li Xuzhi smiled faintly but did not respond.

Yet she didn’t deny it either. Realizing this, Qi Qiuyuan felt a pang of unease.

By then, Li Xuzhi had already picked up her bag and left. Watching her retreating figure, Qi Qiuyuan instinctively hurried after her.

…

In the afternoon, Huo Yuwan still had events to participate in. Zhao Lan was discussing with her which cafeteria to have lunch at when they were unexpectedly startled by a little fox darting out. Zhao Lan even forgot the dishes she had been listing.

The little white fox leaped lightly into Huo Yuwan’s arms. Familiar with the routine, Huo Yuwan settled it onto her shoulder and glanced at the still-startled Zhao Lan.

“Are you okay? Were you frightened?”

Zhao Lan shook her head, then nodded, her curiosity piqued as she met the gaze of the little fox on Huo Yuwan’s shoulder. “Is this the little fox you mentioned, the one Dr. Li keeps?”

With sparkling, blinking eyes, the little fox stretched out a paw toward her.

“Hey, is it asking me to shake its paw?”

Overjoyed, Zhao Lan moved to the other side and tentatively reached out her hand. To her surprise, the little fox withdrew its paw.

Not only that, it even turned its head away, leaving only its fluffy tail gently swishing back and forth.

Huo Yuwan recognized the little fox’s playful nature and lightly flicked the tip of its tail.

“Wuu…” the little fox whimpered softly, then wrapped its entire tail around Huo Yuwan’s neck.

Unfamiliar with fox language, Zhao Lan found the scene amusing and circled around, observing with curiosity.

The soft, furry sensation around her neck made Huo Yuwan feel both ticklish and comfortable. She thought this fox was quite bold, daring to treat the esteemed Young Siming in such a manner.

Consider yourself punished, one less sausage for you today.

Her words were full of bluster, but her face was curved into a smile, brimming with joy.

Just as she was about to lift the little white fox down, it leaped up on its own and, in a few quick bounds, jumped into another pair of arms.

“Dr. Li!”

Huo Yuwan looked at Li Xuzhi, who was just a few steps away, and couldn’t help but run toward her, her feet moving almost involuntarily.

Her smile was radiant, and Li Xuzhi felt her heart soften at the sight.

“Congratulations on your excellent results.”

She had been sitting at the medical station all morning and naturally hadn’t missed the results announcement over the broadcast.

“Hehe, it’s nothing worth mentioning.”

Huo Yuwan touched her ear, feeling puzzled. Why did her ears burn so much whenever Dr. Li praised her?

“How about I treat you both to lunch? As a celebration.”

Li Xuzhi reached out and plucked a white fox hair from Huo Yuwan’s shoulder, then looked up and asked softly.

The small patch of skin where she had been touched felt strangely stiff, as if it had lost all sensation, even through the fabric of her clothes.

Huo Yuwan wondered what was wrong with her. Even when the little fox had rubbed against her earlier, she hadn’t reacted this strongly.

Nearby, Zhao Lan was still eagerly trying to shake hands with the little fox. Hearing the invitation, she quickly nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes! Thank you, Dr. Li.”

Seeing Huo Yuwan blushing and lost in thought, Li Xuzhi curved her lips into a faint smile.

…

The figures of the three women and the fox gradually faded into the distance. Under the tree, Qi Qiuyuan stood for who knows how long, his expression dark.

Huo Yuwan again.

Why did everyone around her lately seem to have some connection to Huo Yuwan?

…

Lunch was at a Thai restaurant near the school. The weather was hot, and the sour and spicy dishes, which were great for stimulating the appetite, were very popular among the students, so the restaurant was always bustling.

Fortunately, Li Xuzhi had reserved a private room in advance, and the little white fox was allowed inside, perched obediently on a small cart, waiting to be fed.

During the meal, Huo Yuwan was the only one at the table who focused entirely on eating. She had been active all morning and, while not particularly tired, was genuinely hungry.

Zhao Lan, having received permission, occasionally fed the little fox. Clearly, she was more interested in feeding the fox than in feeding herself.

Li Xuzhi, meanwhile, occasionally placed some dishes onto Huo Yuwan’s plate, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Huo Yuwan eat with a gentle expression.

Huo Yuwan gradually slowed her chewing, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Dr. Li, why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m not very hungry. You should eat more.”

Shaking her head with a soft smile, Li Xuzhi served her some lemon-roasted chicken.

“Do you have any events this afternoon?”

“Yes, there’s a five-thousand-meter run.”

Huo Yuwan answered truthfully. This was the event she cared about the most.

The school sports meet had two long-distance running events: a three-thousand-meter and a five-thousand-meter.

Huo Yuwan had signed up for the latter.

There was no particular reason, it was simply because the school’s record for this event had been set by Qi Qiuyuan, who was still actively training for it.

Although she had heard that Qi Qiuyuan wouldn’t be participating in this sports meet, Huo Yuwan still wanted to see if she could break the record Qi Qiuyuan had left behind.

Lately, there hadn’t been any major competitions in the college, so Huo Yuwan had settled for using this sports meet as her stepping stone.

She was determined to compete with this so-called female protagonist.

“Dr. Li, what… what do you think of Qi Qiuyuan?”

Thinking of the storyline, Huo Yuwan suddenly asked, feeling a little nervous.

Although the plotline of the fox spirit investigation showed that Li Xuzhi ultimately agreed to be with Qi Qiuyuan under family pressure, Huo Yuwan still wanted to ask him face-to-face.

If Li Xuzhi genuinely liked Qi Qiuyuan, then she would change her strategy.

She would target Huo Yuqing as her mission objective, quickly cause trouble to break her up with Qi Qiuyuan, and then focus solely on her career path, thriving on her own.

After all, Qi Qiuyuan wasn’t worthy of her second sister anyway.

But…

Huo Yuwan still felt troubled and somewhat unwilling.

Because deep down, she also believed that Qi Qiuyuan was not worthy of Dr. Li.

Unaware of her thoughts, Li Xuzhi responded softly, “We only met because of family circumstances. I don’t really know her.”

“Really?”

Hearing this, Huo Yuwan’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, hurry and eat. Since you have a competition this afternoon, go back to the dorm later and get some proper rest.”

Pushing the freshly served dessert toward her, Li Xuzhi’s voice was gentle.

Meanwhile, Zhao Lan, who seemed to be feeding the fox but was also secretly eavesdropping on their conversation, felt something was off.

Was Huo Yuwan so excited because she disliked Qi Qiuyuan, or because she cared about Dr. Li?