Chapter 24: Led by the Nose

By the time training concluded on Monday, Lu Youyou had steeled herself and sought out Sima for a calm, level-headed discussion about Lu Yuan. Sima did not deny the relationship, stating that it was a romance "with marriage as the goal" and that he would take responsibility as long as Lu Yuan was willing. Responsibility? What kind of responsibility? And how? Lu Youyou could only suppress a bitter laugh. They were still so young, oblivious to the hardships of life. She had seen too many college couples—swearing eternal oaths and inseparable as glue—only to end in disaster. Yet, the die was cast; what more could she say?

Lu Yuan faced the reality of her situation. With the New Year approaching and final exams drawing near, she knew she could not continue as she had been. According to her cousin, Sima was tall, handsome, a track star in the making, and excelled in his studies—he was a highly sought-after catch. What right did she have to monopolize him? Those who rely on beauty to win favor find that when beauty fades, love wanes, and when love wanes, devotion dies. Youth is fleeting; for the sake of her future, she had to pull herself together. She needed a foundation to stand on, not to drown in romantic infatuation.

She had been in Beizhi City for only a few months, yet Lu Yuan felt as though she had lived half a lifetime. She matured significantly, re-planning her time and energy. From Monday to Friday, she forced herself to study with immense willpower, limiting her contact with Sima to a brief text message before bed to express her longing, kept to about fifteen minutes. On Saturdays, she would spend the entire morning in the library before flying to him like a weary bird, only to rush back to school on Sunday evening for night study. Sima had no complaints; he admired self-disciplined women. He enjoyed listening to Lu Yuan explain calculus, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, and introductory programming in simple terms that even he, an outsider, could grasp. He, in turn, helped her with her English, recommending she read a few original works when she had the time, such as *A Farewell to Arms*.

Lu Yuan took his words to heart and sought the book as soon as she returned to school. Library books were rarely treated with care and were often dirty and tattered from circulation. Lu Yuan, who had a touch of obsessive-compulsiveness regarding cleanliness, hoped the book Sima recommended wasn't a popular title. She found *A Farewell to Arms* by Ernest Hemingway in an obscure corner. It was naturally aged, but the pages were free of creases; it appeared she was its first reader. Overjoyed, she checked it out and walked back to her dormitory, reading as she went, becoming more engrossed with every step and slowing her pace accordingly.

A voice rang out in her ear: "Read it when you get back. It's cold out; be careful not to catch a cold!"

Lu Yuan turned to see Song Youyi, a former classmate from Changzhou Middle School who was now majoring in civil engineering. She gave him a polite smile, closed the book, and hugged it to her chest, intending to end this "chance encounter" gracefully. However, Song Youyi asked what she was reading that had her so captivated. Lu Yuan’s time was precious, and she wasn't close to Song, so she simply flashed the cover at him and said, "Hemingway's *A Farewell to Arms*—I have things to do, so I must be going. Bye!" With that, she left him behind and hurried toward her dormitory.

Song Youyi watched her retreating figure, his heart stirred. It is said that "three parts talent, seven parts grooming." Lu Yuan had always been a beauty, but since starting university, she had begun wearing light makeup and dressing in flattering clothes, becoming bright and captivating. She had joined the ranks of those competing for the title of "campus belle." Although she had no real hope of winning, just being a "contender" drew many eyes. Everyone knew that among the computer science freshmen was a Jiangnan beauty who was also a top-tier student of software engineering.

However, Song Youyi had heard she was dating Sima, leaving him distracted and heartbroken; his grades had plummeted, and he was likely to fail his finals.

As the days passed, Lu Yuan gradually adapted to a rhythm of "no contact on weekdays, lovers on weekends." She stopped obsessing over Sima during the week, and when they were together on weekends, she would teach him mathematics and computer science. Unconsciously, she regained her confidence as a top student, shedding her youthful awkwardness to become mature and elegant.

Lu Youyou remained deeply concerned for her cousin. She knew that people in love are irrational and that discouragement would only provoke a "contrary reaction," which was why she had come up with that "lousy idea." It wasn't that Lu Youyou hadn't considered approaching Sima—using her authority as a coach to pressure or entice him into leaving her cousin alone. But after weighing the pros and cons, she never acted. She needed Sima under her wing to keep producing stellar results in competitions, even though everyone knew she was merely an assistant to Zhao Ronghua, the veteran sprint coach at Beizhi Sports University.

Lu Youyou felt guilty toward her cousin. Knowing it was best not to disturb the young couple on weekends, she could only visit Lu Yuan at Haidian University during her spare time, share a meal in the cafeteria, and chat briefly. Lu Yuan knew her cousin cared for her and was grateful; she was willing to share her private life, hoping for support. Women in love are often like this—even a stranger's blessing feels like immense recognition and encouragement. Lu Youyou was surprised to find that Lu Yuan, despite being led by the nose by Sima, had stumbled into a positive outcome: the relationship had become a source of motivation, and she was in excellent spirits, having regained her passion for learning.

Yet, Lu Youyou did not think highly of them—or more accurately, she did not think highly of Sima. He was no innocent lad; getting Lu Yuan into bed in such a short time meant that, no matter what, she couldn't shake her bad impression of him. Still, she was happy to see her cousin pull herself together rather than sinking into the mire of romantic drama. At the very least, if Sima ever did abandon her, she would have a fallback.

Zhao Ronghua did not care about Sima's private life. His initial focus was to integrate Sima into the existing training system and use scientific methods to guide him toward further improvement. It was already confirmed that Sima was a "natural-born" athlete. His 100-meter and 200-meter sprints defied human physiological limits, aligning almost perfectly with the ideal speed curve: accelerating to peak velocity in a short time and then maintaining that horizontal line—the dream of every sprinter—until the finish. Zhao Ronghua was puzzled by this, even applying to use imported professional equipment for a comprehensive assessment of Sima. The results revealed that his fast-twitch muscle fiber ratio, skeletal structure, and cardiovascular functions were closer to those of an African athlete—an innate advantage that could not be generalized or taught.

Zhao Ronghua began to shift his mindset, transitioning from an "instructional" coach to a "service-oriented" one. He even applied for a nutritionist and a rehabilitation specialist for Sima. Although they were not working exclusively for him, it was a special favor Zhao had strained his reputation to secure. To avoid putting too much pressure on Sima, these "special privileges" were integrated into the joint training program between the two universities. Li Xiazhi also benefited from this, though she knew full well that results were what mattered most. If Sima failed to deliver in the upcoming competitions, everything they had would slip away.