Chapter 23

On Friday night, Wang Bo once again entered the magical dream. Now, his points had reached 20, and there were 19 days left on the task list. Opening the small door in the white room, he saw the heavenly staircase he had encountered before.

Based on his experience from the past two days, he had summarized the arrangement of the trials behind the small door: Tuesday: Circular Maze, Wednesday: Obstacle Running, Thursday: Extreme Jumping, Friday: Heavenly Staircase, Saturday: Rowing Against the Current.

The system rested on Sunday, and he didn't know what the project for Monday would be. The running trial on Wednesday was tiring but manageable, but the extreme jumping on Thursday was truly bizarre. At the beginning, the platforms were not far apart, and a few steps of a running start could get him over. However, the distance between some platforms later on was quite daunting. Without a strong mental fortitude, one would not dare to jump recklessly. The final hurdle for Wang Bo to earn points required him to leap with all his might, grabbing the edge of the platform with both hands to barely pass. He didn't know what would happen if he fell off the platform, and the fear made him hesitant to face the super-long distances ahead.

However, he had received 10 points as a reward for the past two days, which put him in a good mood. He didn't rush to exchange anything, preferring to save up first. Seeing the familiar heavenly staircase again, Wang Bo climbed the steps as quickly as possible, counting them in his mind. When he reached the 1000th step, he found a step with a 10-point reward, indicating that the rewards for each trial could be obtained repeatedly and would not disappear after the first time.

This reassured him, and he continued climbing. After another 1000 steps, Wang Bo did not see the expected reward step, but he did not lose heart. Despite being extremely tired, he gritted his teeth and continued climbing. At 2300 steps, he finally stopped, exhausted. After a brief rest, he left the dream.

This brought his total points to 30, but he had failed to earn higher rewards on the heavenly staircase.

On Saturday morning, it was the regular training session for the track and field team. Wang Bo arrived at school on time. Today, the team was one person short, and everyone learned from the teacher that Huang Wen had completed her withdrawal procedures and was no longer a member of the team. Since they were all part of the track and field team, they had heard about the rumors between Huang Wen and Wang Bo. Upon learning that Huang Wen had left the school, someone came to ask Wang Bo quietly, showing concern for her whereabouts.

Although he was certain she had been arranged to go abroad, Wang Bo did not reveal this information. He spent the morning training with Senior Zhang Yi in the gym.

After the training, Wang Bo went home, took a shower, and hurriedly ate lunch before rushing to Boshiya Garden, where Liu Yan lived. Their rehearsal the previous night had been very harmonious, and today they just needed to solidify it and help Wang Bo with his costume for the performance.

Wang Bo initially thought that the preliminary performance was not a formal show, so there was no need to prepare a costume. However, Liu Yan and Jin Xiaoli insisted, saying that wearing a performance costume would enhance the effect of the show. Besides, they already had their own costumes, so they just needed to solve Wang Bo's costume issue.

They even tried to persuade Wang Bo to wear makeup on stage, offering to help him with it, but he firmly refused. After the three met up, the two girls decided to go shopping for clothes, so they dragged Wang Bo to the clothing market.

After much effort, they finally found a store selling traditional clothing and picked out a blue Tang suit for Wang Bo, asking him to try it on in the fitting room.

As soon as Wang Bo came out of the fitting room, Jin Xiaoli's eyes lit up. "No wonder they say that clothes make the man and gold makes the Buddha. You really look handsome in this outfit."

He stood straight, like a pine tree, with a calm expression and a faint smile. His eyes sparkled, and his demeanor was entirely different from when he was in student attire, making him look like a martial artist.

Liu Yan nodded in agreement. "This one fits perfectly. We'll take it. Boss, can you give us a better price? We'll bring more customers to you."

The boss was not swayed by her words and insisted on the so-called lowest price. Wang Bo was not good at haggling, so he just went to change back into his regular clothes. By the time he came out, the price had been negotiated down by ten yuan.

After leaving the clothing market, they rushed back to practice. On the bus, Jin Xiaoli chatted casually. "Wang Bo, your grades have improved a lot recently. Both the English and math teachers praised you in class. Do you have any secrets? Share them with us."

Liu Yan was also interested in the topic. "Yeah, the English teacher even told me to take you as an example and work harder, or she would remove me as the class representative. What's your secret? Spill it."

"What secret? I just study hard, sleeping less than four hours a day and working hard," Wang Bo said nonchalantly. After all, his method couldn't be replicated, and even if he told the truth, no one would believe him.

"You're just making it up," Jin Xiaoli said. "If you really stayed up late every night, how could you still be so energetic in class? And you don't have any dark circles under your eyes. I don't believe it."

Liu Yan also expressed her disbelief, saying he was being unbrotherly by not sharing his study secrets. Wang Bo, annoyed by their nagging, once again mentioned his cousin's tutoring, which somewhat quelled their complaints.

Jin Xiaoli then said, "I heard Huang Wen transferred schools. Wang Bo, wasn't she your girlfriend? Do you know where she transferred to?"

"I have no idea," Wang Bo said immediately. "She's not my girlfriend. We were just pretending. We acted it out to stop the rumors about me and Lu Lu from spreading."

Now that she was gone, he could admit this openly. Liu Yan had guessed the reason, but Jin Xiaoli was unaware and exclaimed, "So that's how it is! I thought you were having a lucky streak, getting the favor of Huang Wen. Turns out it was all fake."

Liu Yan probed, "Wang Bo, you two acted quite convincingly, always together and so intimate. Did you ever get carried away and spark something real?"

"Hehe," Wang Bo chuckled. "Of course, we kissed twice." He smacked his lips. "It wasn't just sparks; it was a full-blown fire."

Liu Yan and Jin Xiaoli exchanged glances and said in unison, "Sure, now that she's gone, you can brag all you want."

Wang Bo smiled casually. Sometimes, telling the truth was less believable.

The three returned to the neighborhood and practiced twice at the clubhouse, confirming that all the details were in place before heading home. As Wang Bo was about to enter the gate of Shuiqiao Jingyuan, he saw Lu Lu walking towards him from the other end of the road, wearing a blue and white dress and carrying a bag.

The dress made her skin look even whiter, and from a distance, she was so bright that it was hard to look directly at her. When they met, Wang Bo greeted her naturally, "Hello, are you done with your tutoring?"

Lu Lu's expression was calm, showing no particular emotion. She nodded casually and replied, "Hello, goodbye."

"The bus stop is quite far. How about I give you a ride?" Lu Lu lived in Jin Qiao, and Wang Bo knew it was a long walk to the bus stop, longer even than the walk to school, so he offered to help.

"Thanks, but I'm used to walking. Goodbye," Lu Lu declined, not wanting to accept his offer until she confirmed his character through their exchange.

Wang Bo thought she was being polite and said, "Oh, it's no trouble. Just wait a moment, I'll get my scooter. It's been sitting around, and it's good to let it run a bit."

He ran into the neighborhood, fetched his scooter from the garage, and drove out. Seeing that Lu Lu had already walked a considerable distance, he caught up to her, slowed down beside her, and said, "Get on, I'll give you a ride."

She glanced at him, pursed her lips, and said, "I already said thanks. Why are you still following me? Didn't you notice I'm wearing a dress?"

"Uh..." Wang Bo's smile froze. He had forgotten to consider that. Wearing a dress, sitting astride would be ungraceful, and sitting sideways would be dangerous. He raised his hand in apology. "Sorry, I didn't think of that. How about this: you drive, and I'll sit behind you. Okay?"

Lu Lu was speechless at his insistence. She sighed, put her bag in the basket, and said, "Get off."

Wang Bo agreed, got off the scooter, and let Lu Lu take over. Once she was seated, he climbed on behind her, leaning back slightly and placing his hands behind the seat.

Lu Lu turned to look at his strange posture and frowned. "Aren't you tired? Hold onto my waist."

Wang Bo lightly said, "Oh," and gently moved his hands to her slim waist, just touching her clothes without making contact with her body.

Lu Lu instructed, "I'm not a very steady driver, so hold on tight." Then the scooter accelerated sharply, and Wang Bo instinctively grabbed her waist firmly.

The moment his hot hands touched Lu Lu, she almost lost her grip on the handlebars, thinking how scorching they were, like tongs. Fortunately, she was focused, and the scooter steadied after a slight wobble.

She drove fast and braked sharply at intersections, so she claimed to be an unstable driver. Each time she braked sharply, Wang Bo's chest would collide with her back due to inertia. This repeated impact, combined with the scent of her perfume, caused him a small, unintended reaction.

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