After speaking, he looked at Grace Bennett in the distance, gazing at that beautiful figure in red and white, and mustered up his courage to walk over.

Just then, Brian Carter suddenly grabbed him.

"What's wrong?" Eric Dawson felt his blood rushing to his head.

Brian Carter grinned and said, "Chengzi, you're way too impatient. Feel your face—it's as red as a monkey's butt. She'll see your intentions at a glance. Quick, go buy a bottle of cold water and cool your face."

"Damn, love guru, you really know your stuff." Eric Dawson touched his face, which was indeed burning hot, and he almost stuttered as he spoke.

This kind of thing is so damn exciting!

At that thought, a sudden idea struck him. He took off running—not toward the grand martial arts club venue, but in the opposite direction. In no time, he had run a hundred meters, then turned back. By the time he passed Brian Carter, he was already out of breath.

"This..." Brian Carter had been staring in a daze, but now he understood and gave a thumbs up. "Respect!"

Wouldn't a flushed face from running cover up the original blush?

Eric Dawson's heart was pounding from the exercise, but his steps were a bit sluggish—he was still a little nervous. But he quickly composed himself, passed by Brian Carter, and clenched his fist secretly:

"Yeah, at least I tried!"

He cheered himself on as he strode toward the venue, toward that red-and-white silhouette.

Watching his back, Brian Carter hurriedly called out, "Don't talk too much! You two aren't familiar yet—if you talk too much, it'll get awkward. Just make a good first impression and lay the groundwork for the future."

Eric Dawson waved his hand to show he heard, not slowing his pace, determined to go all out.

"This is youth..." Under a nearby street tree, an old man with completely white hair, looking about seventy or eighty, clicked his tongue as he watched Eric Dawson's figure, sighing a little, "Back in the day, I was young like that too..."

Who hasn't had their youth?

Chapter 002: The First Step Is Always the Hardest

Though he said "in the distance," it wasn't actually that far. After running for a bit, Eric Dawson arrived in front of the martial arts venue, climbed the nine steps, his heart pounding, cheeks burning—he didn't know if it was from running that far or from the upcoming conversation.

He had already rehearsed all sorts of scenarios in his mind. Now, panting, he clenched his fist and encouraged himself silently:

"What are you afraid of? If you're a man, don't chicken out!"

After a few seconds of inner drama, Eric Dawson slowed his steps, his gaze subtly meeting the elegant and dignified Grace Bennett in her red and white hanfu, as if all the people he'd passed before were just background. But just as he was about to walk past her, he suddenly stopped and said in surprise:

"Hey, aren't you from Xiushan No. 1 High?"

Grace Bennett was momentarily stunned, as if she hadn't heard clearly, but quickly came to her senses. Her two smooth, black eyebrows relaxed as she replied, "Yeah, and you are?"

Eric Dawson's heart was pounding like a drum, his face beaming with a smile, still panting: "I'm from Class Four. Every time we did the radio calisthenics between classes, I was in the row next to you—uh, a few spots behind you. Haha, I didn't expect you to get into Song University too."

Grace Bennett suddenly understood. Though she clearly didn't recognize Eric Dawson, she seemed to let down her guard a bit, and two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks: "I hadn't heard of anyone else getting into Song University. I thought I was the only one."

Thinking of Brian Carter's advice, Eric Dawson resisted the urge to scratch the back of his head and said self-deprecatingly, "I'm pretty low-key, not really familiar with students from other classes."

With her gentle smile, Grace Bennett looked even more beautiful, and he found it hard to look away.

Grace Bennett kept smiling, not the least bit forced, as if she was genuinely happy: "What's your name? Maybe I've heard of you. People like Cheng Tao from your class often came to ours."

Her voice was soft but not shy, as if her throat was naturally like that.

"Cheng Tao, huh? He always borrows my homework to copy. My name is Eric Dawson, but I doubt you've heard of me—I'm a nobody." Eric Dawson deliberately joked, then, on impulse, chuckled, "But I know your name, Grace Bennett. You're really famous in our grade and our school—good grades, great personality. Everyone thought you'd go to the capital or Huahai, but you ended up in Song City."

Being complimented so directly and naturally, Grace Bennett pursed her lips and turned to the side, her dimples deepening:

"If I only got into Song University because I messed up the college entrance exam by a dozen points, your words would really offend me."

Damn, that's true. I really didn't think before I spoke. Luckily, Grace Bennett didn't end up at Song University because of a bad exam... Eric Dawson was startled, a bit scared in hindsight. He'd almost said, "And you're pretty, have good grades, and a great personality," but realized that would sound too flirty for a first conversation, so he forced himself to hold back.

No wonder the love guru told me not to talk too much—he really knows his stuff!

Remembering Brian Carter's advice, Eric Dawson quickly said, "If someone as famous as you had messed up the college entrance exam, the whole grade would have heard about it. Uh, more and more people are coming, so I'll head in first and let you get back to what you were doing."

"Okay," Grace Bennett replied cheerfully.