Several days later, at noon.
The autumn sun, filtered through thin clouds, was warm but not scorching, and occasional gentle breezes brought a refreshing coolness.
"Pass it, pass it!"
"Defense!"
"Don't let him shoot a three-pointer!"
"Rebound!"
...
On the plastic basketball court, two groups of people went back and forth, a dunk from the left met with a three-pointer from the right, interspersed with shouts, making it very lively.
With a whistle, the third quarter ended, and both teams went off to rest.
"Tao, let Qiming take over for a bit in the fourth quarter."
"I've been playing three quarters straight, I'm a bit tired. I'll rest for a while."
Tang Yuan, wearing a white basketball uniform and crimson sneakers, walked towards the sideline, speaking to Guan Yuntao beside him.
"No problem." Guan Yuntao stood with his hands on his hips next to Tang Yuan: "Yuan Ge, your stamina is really good. Playing three quarters straight, and as a small forward no less. If it were me, I'd be exhausted by the end of the second quarter."
Tang Yuan smiled, then glanced at the score: "Sports are about participation. The opposing team is from the Sports Department, and for us to keep the score difference within 15 points is actually a pretty good achievement."
"Alas..."
"These beasts, three out of five of them can dunk. It's insane."
Guan Yuntao shook his head. Although he was a bit unwilling, he clearly understood the vast difference in strength between the two sides. The fact that they hadn't completely collapsed by now was already quite good.
The two spoke as they followed their teammates to the bench by the court to rest, drinking energy drinks to replenish their stamina.
Two days prior, the annual campus basketball tournament officially commenced, with dozens of teams from various colleges competing. Among these dozens of teams, Gaojin College, compared to the larger colleges, was quite short-handed, barely scraping together a team. As a result, they encountered a strong contender, the Sports Department team, right at the start.
However, just as Tang Yuan had said, Tang Yuan and the others hadn't expected to win any awards in the competition. They were purely participating for the fun of it. So, even though they were significantly behind in the score, everyone remained optimistic, chatting and laughing.
The court was very lively. Students from the Sports Department and Gaojin College who didn't have classes came to cheer for their respective teams. Even many older brothers and sisters studying part-time MBAs at Gaojin College came to join the fun. These older brothers and sisters were generally well-off, bringing in cases upon cases of drinks, piling them up into a mountain on the court. It was all about two words: Rich!
Tang Yuan looked at the lively scene before him, a faint smile always on his face.
Over the past six days, Tang Yuan had lived a very comfortable life. He attended classes during the day, played games at night, and occasionally bought cars, flirted with Su Xiaoxiao, and kept Wen Muxuewaiting. Life seemed ordinary, but Tang Yuan enjoyed and reveled in it.
During this time, the system's fourth experience quest was released the day after Tang Yuan completed the third experience quest.
"Experience Quest 4/5: Collect 5 Jade Archer's Rings"
"Grade Requirement: Treasure Grade"
"Time Limit: 15 Days"
"Reward: Unknown"
...
It was still Treasure Grade. According to Tang Yuan's estimation, the level of this fourth experience quest should be the same as the third experience quest. However, Treasure Grade Jade Archer's Rings, like Treasure Grade collectible fans, belonged to a niche category of collectibles. Finding them in a short period would still be quite challenging.
Regarding the search for the Jade Archer's Rings, now that Tang Yuan had Xiao Yayue, this matter was naturally entrusted to her. Tang Yuan only needed to wait for good news.
"Hey, hey, hey, look, look! Wen Muxue is here!"
"Wen Muxue is a student from the Sports Department, so it's normal for her to be here. What's there to be surprised about!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, don't forget, Tang Yuan is sitting on the other side!"
"The love-hate drama between Tang Yuan and the two campus beauties, I've heard so many versions of the rumors, I'm practically sick of them. Which one is true?"
"Who cares if it's true or not, as long as it's juicy!"
"Look, everyone, Wen Muxue doesn't seem to be heading towards the Sports Department's side. She's... heading straight for Tang Yuan!"
"Holy cow, what's going on? Is Wen Muxue going to counterattack Su Xiaoxiao? Directly poaching in broad daylight, isn't this a bit too explosive?"
"Finally, I can taste what a fresh rumor feels like!"
...
Just as Tang Yuan was slightly distracted, a stir suddenly arose on the court. Guan Yuntao, sitting next to Tang Yuan, noticed Wen Muxue walking towards them and immediately nudged Tang Yuan with his elbow, repeatedly reminding him: "Yuan Ge, Wen Muxue is here!"
At Guan Yuntao's reminder, Tang Yuan subconsciously looked up, only to see Wen Muxue, wearing a gray halter-neck sleeveless top, an off-white hip-skirt, and light yellow high heels, gracefully walking towards him.
It was evident that Wen Muxue had dressed up carefully today. Her hair cascaded naturally down her back, with a slight wave at the ends. Her exquisite melon-seed face had light makeup, and her features were delicate and cool. Her exposed beautiful legs and arms gleamed under the sunlight, and as she approached, a pleasant gardenia fragrance wafted over.
"Cough, cough!"
"Oh dear, it's almost time to go on court, better stretch!"
Guan Yuntao was very tactful. He lightly coughed twice, then loudly and pointedly said this, while being the first to stand up from the bench and walk towards the sideline.
Facing Guan Yuntao's not-so-subtle hint, the other players on the bench also wisely stood up, creating a relatively private space for Wen Muxue and Tang Yuan.
During this process, Wen Muxue stood quietly by, smiling as she watched Guan Yuntao and the others leave. Then, she gracefully walked over to Tang Yuanand sat down naturally beside him.
Wen Muxue looked at Tang Yuan beside her, feeling a subtle surprise and confusion in her heart, because the current Tang Yuan seemed like a completely different person from the Tang Yuan she had seen more than half a month ago.
Not only had his cheeks become more defined, but his facial features had also become much more Stereo. Especially Tang Yuan's eyes, Wen Muxue didn't know what words to use to describe them, they were simply too beautiful. His dark, clear pupils seemed to constantly hold light, and whenever Tang Yuan looked at her, her heart couldn't help but beat faster.
If the Tang Yuan from half a month ago, in terms of looks alone, only scored 75 points in her heart, now, if she didn't look at Tang Yuan's eyes, his looks might barely increase to 80 points. But if Tang Yuan's eyes were included, his looks score would instantly soar to 90 points. This shows how beautiful Tang Yuan's eyes truly were, and for women, a man having a pair of beautiful eyes is sometimes even more attractive than a man having an eight-pack.
"So handsome..."
Wen Muxue silently praised him in her heart. The old Tang Yuan, in her mind, was at most tall and rich. But the current Tang Yuan absolutely deserved the title of tall, rich, and handsome.
"But why didn't I feel Tang Yuan was this handsome half a month ago?"
"Is it because I've been constantly worried about him and overly concerned about him over the past half-month?"
Wen Muxue pondered in vain, finally finding such a reason for herself. At the same time, she suddenly understood why Su Xiaoxiao had remained so closely attached to Tang Yuan during this period, even with all the rumors flying around the school.
Such a tall, handsome, and super-rich young man would be a super high-quality stock anywhere. Anyone would be tempted to aggressively pursue him, and she had actually tried to manipulate him with a 'fishing' strategy, thus foolishly wasting a great opportunity.
Thinking of this, Wen Muxue's heart was immediately filled with regret...