Volume One, Chapter 19: The Hero Rescues the Beauty

“Alright, it’s all good meat. As long as there’s meat, I’m happy. I need to get more! That long-distance training this morning really wore me out, and I’m more of a middle-distance guy.”

As soon as Wang Yining spoke, the atmosphere immediately lightened. His eager grabbing of meat added a comedic touch.

“Save some for me! Wang Yining, are you starving in your next life or what?”

Wang Gulai wasn’t about to back down and grabbed his chopsticks to join the meat scramble.

Seeing Jiang Ming remain calm and elegant without making a move, Susan instinctively nudged the meat plate closer to him. When she looked up, their eyes met—his clear gaze softened slightly, and a faint hint of approval flashed within.

A compliment from a master like him was hard to resist. Susan, unusually shy, quickly lowered her head and focused on her meal.

Susan wasn’t mistaken; Jiang Ming was indeed somewhat excited inside. His poised, measured rebuttal was not only satisfying but also unexpected. This enigmatic woman intrigued him more and more.

Jiang Ming had long noticed that while the cafeteria’s special beef was decent, it wasn’t the S-grade flank from Bohai Black Cattle. After last year’s Olympic cycle ended, he had asked Uncle Chen to prepare special nutritional supplements just for him, even secretly sharing some with Wang Gulai and Wang Yining. But those two were oblivious, especially Wang Yining, who devoured meat as mindlessly as rice. Susan, however, had just glanced twice and eaten a few bites, yet immediately pinpointed the core issue. Her keen senses, meticulous observation, extensive knowledge, boldness, and attention to detail made her a natural-born journalist.

The rest of the meal went quickly and peacefully.

Lin Tingyuan didn’t initiate conversation, and Gao Lu and Tian Yang seemed at a loss for words. Jiang Ming was naturally taciturn, and under his quiet pressure, Wang Yining and Wang Gulai focused on eating. As for Susan, though fond of eating, she didn’t have a large appetite. She finished first, tidied her tray, and rose to say goodbye, preparing to leave early.

Seeing this, Gao Lu and Tian Yang quickly stood up as well. Both had been simmering with frustration for some time.

First, they’d been rejected before the meal; then, they had to watch Susan sit next to Jiang Ming. They noticed how different Susan was, and even Lin Tingyuan failed to gain advantage during the lively conversations. Later, when Jiang Ming looked at Susan with a softened gaze, their jealousy and resentment toward her only intensified.

Gao Lu and Tian Yang exchanged a glance, instantly switching from rivals to allies. As Susan got up to leave, they held their trays and made a show of following her, positioning themselves just in front and behind her. Then, suddenly, they pretended to lose balance, acting as if they couldn’t stand upright.

The next moment, the remaining food on their trays spilled out—direction surprisingly coordinated—right toward Susan.

Jiang Ming’s brow furrowed sharply; with quick reflexes, he instinctively reached out, grabbed Susan’s wrist, and pulled her back.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Susan unexpectedly fell into Jiang Ming’s arms. The warm, solid embrace, the broad, sturdy human cushion, and the mingling scent of cedar and pond water swiftly enveloped her. Though comforting and almost intoxicating, she had no time to enjoy it. She glanced left and right to ensure no food splattered, then finally relaxed.

Everyone stared wide-eyed. Tian Yang and Gao Lu were the first to react, their expressions shifting from shock to unwillingness, then from envy to fury.

Jiang Ming noticed Susan wasn’t getting up but shifting around, which made his skin tingle. His face flushed slightly as he clenched his fists behind her back and said coldly, “Get up.”

Susan snapped to attention, alarm bells ringing in her mind. She hadn’t planned anything, yet here she was, in close contact with Jiang Ming again—in broad daylight! Washing this off would be difficult! She hurriedly stood up and put distance between them.

“Oh, sorry.”

Jiang Ming’s brows tightened, his expression colder than usual. Gao Lu and Tian Yang couldn’t hide their smugness, thinking that even without directly punishing Susan, seeing her anger Jiang Ming and be disliked was a fortunate accident.

“You’re not the one who should apologize,” Jiang Ming said to Susan, his tone cold but with a barely perceptible hint of concern. He thought to himself that if only this woman’s sense of danger were as sharp as her tongue.

“Thank you.”

“No need. Just don’t let it seem like I’m not taking care of you in front of Director Zong,” Jiang Ming quickly distanced himself, his reaction as swift as when saving someone.

Then, he turned to Gao Lu and Tian Yang. His icy gaze caused the temperature around them to drop sharply.

“Not enough brain development—fit to be athletes?”

Without raising his voice, Jiang Ming’s presence commanded authority. After speaking, he strode away, ignoring their frantic attempts to explain it wasn’t intentional.

Lin Tingyuan and Yan Lai watched the petty jealousy drama with satisfaction, packed up their trays with sly smiles, and left, leaving Wang Yining and Wang Gulai to look sympathetically at Susan.

Susan set down her tray, sank back into her chair, frowning as she lamented, “When did I offend these two beauties?”

“You’re the first woman they’ve ever seen sit next to Ming-ge and have a meal with him... Even Sister Tang Lin was sent away by Ming-ge just now!” Wang Yining emphasized the word “woman.”

“The female swimming leader, the frog queen... Tang Lin?”

“Bingo! She doesn’t cover the women’s team in interviews but knows them well! Tang Lin is not only the domestic frog queen but has won a world championship—though Ming-ge has more national championship golds since he competes in more events. Anyway, she’s on par with Ming-ge in status, but in the cafeteria, she wouldn’t dream of sitting next to him. So, for you to hold that spot and eat there, well...”

“Special?” Susan asked, catching the implied meaning.

“Do you know Ming-ge’s nickname?”

“Swim trunks guy? Didn’t I just give that to him?”

“No! That was an accident! Only the team knows about that; others don’t! Otherwise, you’d have been torn apart by them already.”

Wang Yining’s exaggerated expression was amusing, but Susan knew he wasn’t exaggerating.

“What’s the real nickname?”

“‘Opposite Sex Insulator’! ‘Keep Away from Strangers’!”

“Ah? So is he ‘tough on the outside but soft inside,’ or ‘uncertain about his orientation’? Seems like a waste of his looks.”

Seeing Susan treat the awkward topic so casually and gossip so naturally with the chatty Wang Yining, Wang Gulai almost spat out his soup. He was growing more fond of Susan; after all, beautiful faces were common, but interesting souls were rare.

“No way. Ming-ge is very ‘strong,’ I mean that... you know? He’s just focused on training and... hasn’t met someone he likes yet!”

Wang Yining’s unfiltered words sparked imagination but also showed his deep admiration for Jiang Ming.

“I think he’s still thinking about his first love,” Wang Gulai calmly added.

Seeing how seriously they were getting into the gossip, Wang Gulai couldn’t help but join in.