Chapter 057 Sea King – “— If the training is grueling enough, absolutely no one will like him!” (03/20)
In the end, the three roommates still didn’t dare touch that little bottle.
To put it simply, Qiu Yuanjiu was a person with unpredictable mood swings. If he gave you something now, he might regret it later and come asking for it back. And if he found out you’ve touched it, he might even get into an argument with you, even though he was the one who gave it to you in the first place!
Having all learned their lesson, the roommates simply ignored the bottle, acted as if nothing had happened, and continued discussing their group project.
“I don’t think we have to be so rigid about it. Do we really have to choose the petals of the Blazing Iris? Can’t we try the rhizome[mfn]rhizome, horizontal underground plant stem capable of producing the shoot and root systems of a new plant. Rhizomes are used to store starches and proteins and enable plants to perennate (survive an annual unfavourable season) underground. In addition, those modified stems allow the parent plant to propagate vegetatively (asexually), and some plants, such as poplars and various bamboos, rely heavily on rhizomes for that purpose. In plants such as water lilies and many ferns, the rhizome is the only stem of the plant. In such cases, only the leaves and flowers are readily visible. Notably, the rhizomes of some species—including ginger, turmeric, and lotus—are edible and valued for their culinary applications. –https://www.britannica.com/science/rhizome[/mfn] instead? It probably has more energy stored in it, right?”
“The rhizome definitely has more energy stored, but it also has more impurities. The effect might not even be as good as the petals.”
“Then we could use the very top of the rhizome, the part that connects to the petals. It has relatively fewer impurities, surely storing more energy than the petals?”
“Not necessarily. If your logic follows through, wouldn’t it be better to just take the flower’s stolon[mfn]Stolon: A slender, elongated horizontal stem which creeps along the ground as an extension from an iris rhizome, and produces new plants. – https://www.irises.org.au/iris-anatomy-terms-and-abbr[/mfn]?”
Just as the group was in the midst of a heated discussion, Qiu Yuanjiu pushed open the door and stepped out.
At the same time, a delicate fragrance wafted in.
All three turned to look at Qiu Yuanjiu, and their gazes eventually settled on the cup in his hand.
…It smelled so, so good!
That delicate fragrance was exceptionally unique, seeming to carry a hint of sweetness that was truly refreshing.
Qiu Yuanjiu had been in a pretty good mood when he came out, but as soon as he glanced over and saw that the others hadn’t even touched the bottle, his expression immediately soured.
He stared intently at his roommates. They were completely baffled, and eventually, he turned and stormed back into his room, slamming the door shut in a fit of rage.
Only that delicate fragrance lingered in the air around them.
It wasn’t until quite a while later that Ying Changyuan, the roommate in the middle, muttered, “Is he mad?”
The other two roommates shrugged. When wasn’t Qiu Yuanjiu mad?
“What was that scent?”
“Probably some kind of tea.” Ying Changyuan pursed his lips, glancing at the small bottle. “Just now, Qiu Yuanjiu said this needs to be prepared with hot water. Could it be this?”
“Let’s open it and take a sniff.
Ying Changyuan opened the two bottles, and wispy strands of fragrance drifted out. The scent was different from the brewed version; it was much richer.
“Should we make some?” Ying Changyuan suggested, and the other two quickly agreed.
Ying Changyuan found a large cup, poured in an appropriate amount of rose tea, and remarked with some surprise, “It smells like roses?”
The other two leaned in curiously. They’d seen roses in full bloom before—they were mostly used for romantic gestures—but something like this, devoid of any spiritual energy, utterly ordinary, and exorbitantly priced, was usually only sold during specific seasons.
Are there actually people who make drinks out of roses? That must be incredibly expensive!
After all, the cost is obviously high.
Will it even sell?
Though they were a bit curious, they poured in some water anyway. Soon, the delicate fragrance wafted into their noses. When Ying Changyuan leaned closer to take a sip, he nearly scalded his tongue.
The group had no choice but to force themselves to shift their focus back to discussing their group practical assignment, though they were all a bit distracted.
“…This group assignment is pretty complicated. We need to decide on a direction quickly, and we’ll need to do some hands-on work. Don’t count on Qiu Yuanjiu; our group is already one person short. Plus, this assignment is due two days before the other groups, so we’re really pressed for time.”
Ying Changyuan rubbed his temples. “This is quite a big task. I guess we’ll have to pull some all-nighters.”
The pharmacology department’s group practical assignments were held three times per semester, with four students per group, so they were formed based on dormitory assignments.
For group projects, students chose one topic from those assigned by the instructor, submitted their final results to the instructor, and received a single grade for the entire group.
Last semester, Qiu Yuanjiu took advantage of this rule and completely shirked his responsibilities during the first group assignment, which led to his first conflict with his roommates.
For the second assignment, his roommates refused to let him get away with it and demanded that he participate. He reluctantly joined in, but ended up holding the group back the entire time. He was a complete liability, leading his roommates to suspect at one point that he was doing it on purpose.
It wasn’t until the monthly exam results came out—and they saw Qiu Yuanjiu’s report card, which was entirely in red—that it finally dawned on them.
Qiu Yuanjiu wasn’t trying to sabotage the group on purpose; he simply lacked any professional competence whatsoever.
For subsequent assignments, everyone tacitly ignored Qiu Yuanjiu, and since he was well aware of his own limitations, he pretended not to notice. If it weren’t for his roommates, Qiu Yuanjiu would have failed the “Group Practice Course” last semester.
Finally, amid their back-and-forth discussion, the rose tea’s temperature had cooled down, and the group reached out in unison for the cup.
After exchanging a glance, Ying Changyuan fetched three smaller cups, poured from the large one, and divided the tea equally among them.
He brought one of the cups to his nose; the rich aroma made him involuntarily squint his eyes.
“I can forgive Qiu Yuanjiu for not participating in the group practicum,” Ying Changyuan said earnestly. “For the sake of this stuff. By the way, what’s it called?”
The first part of his statement earned agreement from the other two, but everyone was a bit stumped by the second question.
However, they soon put that question out of their minds.
After taking a gentle sip of the floral tea, their eyes all lit up. The unique flavor lingered on their tongues, and the delicate fragrance still filled their nostrils—the two combined seamlessly, creating a perfect harmony. With just one sip, they felt utterly refreshed!
“I’ve never had a drink like this before!” Ying Changyuan said enthusiastically. “The flavor is so unique, but it’s really delicious! It’s amazing!”
One roommate finished his cup. “This is the first time I’ve ever felt that drinking something could be such a joyful experience.”
Another roommate nodded in agreement. “So… should we brew another cup…?”
All three nodded in unison, agreeing to the idea.
Just as Ying Changyuan was about to pour out the rose tea and brew a fresh cup, one of his roommates suddenly stopped him.
“Since we have to use boiling water to steep it anyway, can we reuse the tea leaves multiple times?”
“I think so. Let’s give it a try!”
In the end, Ying Changyuan didn’t pour out the rose tea; instead, he refilled the cup with hot water. To their surprise, the delicate fragrance was exactly the same!
“If we can steep it multiple times, it’s actually quite cost-effective!”
“Just for this scent, I’d be willing to splurge once a month,” Ying Changyuan said with the resolve of a warrior cutting his own wrist. “If we buy a small bottle and use it sparingly, it should last a month, right?”
“Or”–another roommate licked his lips–“we could chip in and buy a big container.”
“That’s a great idea!”
The tea’s aroma constantly wafted toward them, causing their eyes to involuntarily drift in that direction.
Normally, this would be a sign of lack of focus, and their efficiency should have dropped as a result. But by the time the rose tea had lost its flavor and was practically indistinguishable from plain water, they had actually found their direction—and had even drafted a plan!
During the discussion, their minds were buzzing with activity; they came up with several interesting ideas, and the discussion was far more lively than it had been in the previous days.
When they finally returned to their rooms, they were all in a state of deep satisfaction. They slept exceptionally well, and when they woke up the next morning, they felt remarkably refreshed.
Qiu Yuanjiu emerged from the room. “What are your impressions of the drink?”
Ying Changyuan and the other two immediately presented him with their reviews on the spot. Each composed a lengthy essay of over a thousand words, all boiling down to two main points: first, that the drink was absolutely fantastic, and second, where could they buy it—they wanted to purchase it right away!
With several thousand words to wade through, there was no way Qiu Yuanjiu could read them all carefully, so he turned around and forwarded them to Shi Jingge.
At that moment, Shi Jingge was still at the Student Council office. When he saw the taste reviews Qiu Yuanjiu had sent, he couldn’t help but curve the corners of his lips.
A slender boy standing nearby noticed Shi Jingge’s smile; his eyes flickered slightly as he said, feigning nonchalance, “What’s happened to make Brother Shi so happy? Share and let me enjoy it too, will you?”
“Nothing good has happened to me these past few days; it’s been nothing but bad luck.”
Shi Jingge turned to look at the boy and gave a faint smile.
The person in front of him was the sender of the fourth message in yesterday’s exchange; his name was Mu Qingyun. A few days ago, Mu Qingyun had made a mistake with the funding for a Student Council project, and in the end, it was Shi Jingge who helped him sort it out. That was how the two of them had first crossed paths.
“It’s nothing really. I just asked a younger classmate for a little help.” Shi Jingge paused. “His roommates are pretty funny.”
“A younger classmate?” Mu Qingyun chuckled. “Someone even saw you walking a younger classmate back to his dorm yesterday. The guy was practically hanging all over you. Everyone thought you were starting a romance.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Shi Jingge said, torn between laughter and exasperation. “Don’t you know what’s going on at our school right now? That freshman failed five or six courses last semester and didn’t pass the physical fitness test. His make-up exams are next month—if he doesn’t pass, he’ll have to repeat the year. We can’t have a student repeat a year, can we?
“I went to tutor him. He’s a determined guy who doesn’t want to let the school down. In fact, the first time he went into the training room, he locked himself in for a whole hour. It took me quite a while to talk him out of staying for two hours. And look at the result.”
Shi Jingge shrugged, a smile playing on his face.
Mu Qingyun lowered his eyes and gave a quiet nod, a hint of contempt flitting across his gaze. He didn’t believe for a second that Qiu Yuanjiu had no interest in Shi Jingge. If he had no interest, why would he go into the training room? Especially someone like Qiu Yuanjiu? It was just a ploy to get close to Shi Jingge.
Shi Jingge had helped him before; he couldn’t just stand by and watch Shi Jingge get led around by the nose by a freshman.
Mu Qingyun feigned distress. “Speaking of this fitness test, I’m worried too. I barely passed last semester, and the standards are a bit higher this semester. I have a feeling I’m going to fail. How about it, Brother Shi… could you help me out too…?”
“Sure,” Shi Jingge said generously. “I’ve got a workout scheduled with Junior Qiu this afternoon. Want to join us?”
“Thanks, Brother Shi!” Mu Qingyun’s eyes lit up.
Shi Jingge waved his hand. “But I can’t do you this favor for free.”
Mu Qingyun’s eyes sparkled. “That goes without saying! It’s almost lunchtime. Let me treat you to a meal, Brother Shi.”
“No need for a meal.” Shi Jingge waved his hand. “Just write a review for me.”
Mu Qingyun: “?”
Shi Jingge pulled out two small bottles of rose tea leaves and pushed them toward Mu Qingyun. “I’ve been experimenting with some drinks. One bottle is for you and one is for your roommate. Help me taste them and give me some feedback.”
Mu Qingyun was taken aback for a moment, then grabbed one of the bottles. “No problem!”
Someone called out to Shi Jingge from across the room, and he hurried over.
As soon as Shi Jingge left, Mu Qingyun opened a bottle. A delicate fragrance wafted out, and immediately afterward, he discovered there were dried rose petals inside!
Shi Jingge… What did this mean? Is that what he was thinking? Was Shi Jingge testing him?!
A surge of elation suddenly welled up inside Mu Qingyun. He instinctively went looking for Shi Jingge, searching several places without success. Finally, he spotted Shi Jingge in an activity room. His eyes lit up, but before he could even walk over, he saw Shi Jingge take out a small bottle and hand it to the group gathered in the room.
That bottle was exactly the same as the one in his hand.
Mu Qingyun froze, then heard Shi Jingge’s cheerful voice. “Please write a review after you try it and give me some feedback. Thanks in advance, everyone! I’ll treat you all to a meal sometime!”
Even the wording was exactly the same.
Mu Qingyun clenched the bottle, feeling a bit resentful, but then he thought to himself that at least he’d be able to spend the afternoon with Shi Jingge; it wasn’t a total loss.
Thinking that, he relaxed a little.
Shi Jingge noticed Mu Qingyun standing outside the door and let a faint smile play on his lips.
As a pharmacist, he couldn’t afford to be out of shape.
How about some grueling training?
As long as the training was brutal enough, absolutely no one will like him!
Author’s Note:
Now:
Mu Qingyun: Watch me take down Qiu Yuanjiu and win Shi Jingge’s heart!
Later:
Mu Qingyun: Every tear I’m shedding now is because I was out of my mind back then—why did I go out of my way to throw myself under the bus?
Future:
Mu Qingyun: Brother Shi is a legend forever!
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
