The early morning mist clung to the ground at Shrek Academy, a veil of cool fog settling over the training grounds. Li Wei stood at the edge of the forest, his back straight, eyes closed in focused meditation. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if drawing strength from the quietness that surrounded him. His recent sparring match with Zhao Wuji had left him with bruises, but nothing that could keep him down. His martial spirit's resilience ensured that he could recover quickly, even from the most intense battles.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing stood at a distance, watching him, though neither was aware of the other's presence. Xiao Wu, her usual cheerful demeanor absent, observed Li Wei in silence. Her heart fluttered in an unfamiliar way, and the remnants of her dream from the previous month lingered in her mind—vivid flashes of warmth, of closeness, of a deep longing she couldn't place.
'How could I tell him?' she thought, biting her lip. The feeling was there, unmistakable, but she couldn't find the courage to voice it.
Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, stood hidden behind the thick trunks of the trees, her sharp eyes trained on Li Wei. Her stoic expression betrayed nothing of the turmoil within her. She had tried to bury the dream deep inside her heart, but it kept resurfacing—those images of him, his presence so powerful it made her chest tighten. It had only been a dream, but it felt so real, so vivid. And the longing… it made her feel vulnerable.
'He'll never understand,' Zhu Zhuqing thought bitterly. 'And even if he did… he'd never feel the same.'
Both girls were lost in their thoughts, unaware that their paths were intertwined by the same man and the same unspoken feelings.
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By mid-morning, Xiao Wu had managed to regain some semblance of her usual energy. Her cheerful demeanor returned, but there was a slight twitch in her smile—an underlying nervousness she couldn't shake. She was playing with the others, teasing Oscar as he prepared his sausages, but every so often, her gaze would drift toward Li Wei, who was now sparring with Dai Mubai.
"Hey, don't just stand there!" Xiao Wu called out to him, trying to hide the way her voice quivered slightly. "Show them what you've got, Li Wei! You're the one who got us into this mess!"
Li Wei flashed her a grin and nodded, but it was then that Xiao Wu almost blurted out something. She wanted to say it—to tell him how she felt, to admit the feelings that had been building ever since the dream. But as she caught sight of the others watching, the words caught in her throat.
What if I say the wrong thing? What if he doesn't feel the same?
Flushing red, she quickly turned her attention to the others, trying to cover her embarrassment with more playful jabs. She couldn't let anyone know the truth—least of all Li Wei.
Later, when she found a quiet spot to herself, Xiao Wu sat down and reflected. The emotions swirling inside her were becoming too strong to ignore. Her martial spirit was powerful, but it couldn't help her with this. I need to become stronger. Strong enough to protect him, she thought with determination. I'll focus on my Teleportation skills and sharpen my charm technique. I can't be weak, not when it matters most.
If I can't tell him now, then I'll make myself someone worth protecting.
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Zhu Zhuqing training was more intense than ever. Her movements were sharp, her claws cutting through the air with deadly precision. Every strike, every leap, every pivot was calculated to perfection. And yet, each time she paused, her thoughts would drift back to Li Wei. Her heart would skip a beat, and she would feel that familiar tug in her chest, the longing from her dream.
She couldn't afford to be distracted by emotions. Not now, not ever. But every time she closed her eyes, the image of Li Wei would appear before her, vivid and warm. The feeling was too strong, too real to ignore.
'Am I falling behind?' she asked herself as she swiped her claws through the air, cutting deeper into the training dummy's surface. 'Am I… becoming weak because of this?'
She wasn't sure. What she did know was that she couldn't let it control her. She couldn't allow herself to become vulnerable, not with everything at stake. She would push herself harder. She would refine her Hell Hundred Claw to perfection, enhance her stealth skills to a level that no one could detect her. If I want to stand beside him, I need to be faster. Deadlier. Irreplaceable.
Zhu Zhuqing's determination grew as her claws dug deeper into the wooden training post. She would become the strongest version of herself. That was the only way she could keep up with the feelings she was harboring.
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Despite his exhaustion, Li Wei was unusually perceptive that day. He could feel the subtle shifts in the air, the way the others acted around him. Zhu Zhuqing cold gaze seemed to flicker whenever their eyes met, and Xiao Wu, usually so boisterous, now had a tendency to fidget whenever he looked her way. It wasn't just the dream that lingered—he could tell something was amiss, but he couldn't place it.
'Did I say something wrong?' he wondered as he wiped the sweat from his brow. 'Or is it something else?'
He didn't have the answers, and for a brief moment, he questioned whether he was unintentionally making things difficult for them. He had always been a leader, but this—this was different. Relationships were a strange, complex thing, and he wasn't sure how to navigate it.
But for now, he decided not to press the issue. If they wanted to talk, they would. He wasn't going to force it.
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The night fell, and Shrek Academy lay under a blanket of stars. Li Wei stood alone, gazing up at the sky, lost in thought. His mind wandered—flickering between his dreams and his reality. He sensed someone's presence nearby, though he couldn't quite place who it was.
He looked around, but no one spoke.
Xiao Wu had stepped outside, her feet light on the grass. She looked up at the night sky, her heart pounding in her chest as she prepared to approach Li Wei. But as her feet moved, she hesitated. Her words died in her throat before she could even form them.
She turned away and walked back into the academy, burying the emotions that threatened to break free.
Up on the rooftop, Zhu Zhuqing watched quietly, her gaze fixed on Li Wei. Her fingers gripped a piece of cloth—a piece she had used during training with him earlier that day. She hadn't been able to say anything to him either. She had only been able to watch.
The night stretched on, and still, the two girls remained in their silence. Their dreams were the same, yet unspoken. Their hearts beat the same name, but neither of them was brave enough to say it aloud.