Chapter 72 The Grouping for the Second Round of

Lalulas ignored Tang Yi’s protest, turning her head back to the computer screen without so much as a glance. Tang Yi grumbled, shifted his head, and lay back down, ready to drift into another nap.

But a familiar, unbearable itch crept up from his feet again, forcing Tang Yi to open his eyes. This time, without even turning her head, Lalulas extended a finger, a swirl of blue psychic energy coiling around the tip. As soon as Tang Yi dared lie back down, a pen tip—hovering barely centimeters from his toes—would instantly be guided to scratch at his soles at the slightest twitch of her finger.

Tang Yi was speechless, then suddenly delighted. All this time, Lalulas never looked directly at him, yet she could control the pen with perfect accuracy. He remembered last week when Coach Li Yaowen had emphasized during the review: Lalulas needed to learn to sense enemies with her psychic power, not just her eyes, or she'd be at a disadvantage against more agile opponents.

Easier said than done. Every week at school, Tang Yi chose Zhang Chen and his Dodo Pigeon Girl as practice partners, hoping to train Lalulas's ability quickly, but the results were mediocre. Unexpectedly, today she achieved that goal by chance, and Tang Yi was quietly thrilled. He couldn’t let it show, so he scooted to the right side of the bed, away from the pen’s aim, and lay down again.

Seconds later, the pen tip landed precisely on his foot. Tang Yi complained and glanced over; Lalulas still hadn’t turned her head.

Maybe one more try?

This time, Tang Yi pulled the blanket over his feet and lay back down. The pen, guided by psychic force, flew towards his foot as usual, but only brushed against the thin fabric—no itch this time.

Heh, now there's nothing you can do.

Tang Yi felt triumphant, thinking he could finally get some sleep as Lalulas struggled to sense his feet. He closed his eyes.

Within ten minutes, Tang Yi was woken by an itch again. To his surprise, the pen had slipped through the folds of the blanket, found its way inside, and after a bit of searching, located his sole with uncanny precision.

Tang Yi moved his foot, and the pen followed, even though everything was happening beneath the covers—Lalulas seemed able to sense it all.

Unbelievable!

Tang Yi curled his feet up, pressing his soles against the mattress. Surely this would stump her.

Lalulas tried several times, found no opening, and finally conceded. But soon, her finger twitched again, and the pen slipped out from under the blanket and hovered near Tang Yi’s right armpit.

This time, Lalulas didn’t attack immediately. The pen paused menacingly a few centimeters above his armpit, as if to say: if you dare sleep again, I’ll tickle your armpit!

From her seat at the computer desk, Lalulas shot him a triumphant, disdainful look.

This mischievous creature!

Come on, keep trying! Let’s see who’s stronger!

Tang Yi was utterly defeated. He only wanted a proper nap, but she insisted on playing hide-and-seek. Forget it, no more sleep.

Stretching lazily, Tang Yi got up and walked over to Lalulas, as if nothing had happened. “Your control of psychic force has gotten much stronger,” he praised.

Seeing Lalulas’s little look of pride, Tang Yi felt a bit dazed. He recalled how, from an early age, he'd encouraged her to read all sorts of strange novels, helping her develop a rich inner world—cultivating a psychic power far beyond her peers. Now, to force him out of bed and back to studying, she was gradually mastering the art of psychic control.

His methods seemed odd, but the results were unexpectedly good. If things continued at this pace, she might soon learn hypnosis—and possibly even teleportation before the tournament.

Tang Yi’s face was radiant with accomplishment, ready to offer more encouragement, when he glanced down and suddenly noticed something amiss.

“Wait, don’t close that webpage! Let me see!” Tang Yi grabbed Lalulas’s hand as she was about to use her psychic force to control the mouse.

“Ouch!” Lalulas protested, hurt.

But Tang Yi, remembering the glimpse he’d caught, ignored her pout. He hurriedly reopened the browser and, as he suspected, found an online shopping page.

The shopping cart had several new items: “Comprehensive Guide to the College Entrance Exam,” “Golden Key Points for the Exam,” “Detailed Analysis of Past Exam Papers from Beimu Province.”

“Lalulas, what are you up to?” Tang Yi asked, grief-stricken.

“I checked your backpack. The two practice books I bought for you last time are almost finished,” Lalulas replied matter-of-factly.

“Yeah,” Tang Yi said, puzzled.

He had worked through those two books, bought by Lalulas at Zhengyang Plaza, determined not to let her kind intentions go to waste.

Lalulas smiled contentedly. “So, since you’re almost done, I decided to buy you more. You need to do well on the college entrance exam! These are all paid for with my own money.”

She said it without hiding her distress. Her small fund still had over three thousand yuan, but without a steady income, every expense mattered.

Tang Yi was momentarily speechless.

Lalulas was willing to spend her savings to help him prepare for university.

It was almost too much to bear.

Tang Yi was so moved, he nearly cried—for real.

“I’m not good at online shopping,” Lalulas explained. “The internet says it’s easy to get scammed. Since you found out, you can help me pay, and I’ll reimburse you.”

“Alright,” Tang Yi agreed, trembling as he placed the order for Lalulas.

She took out her bank card and, in front of him, had him transfer the money back to her via mobile phone. Only after the money was returned did she feel satisfied—it had to be her purchase, after all.

“Okay, now that you’re awake, get back to your practice. No slacking off or napping,” Lalulas said, the psychic energy at her fingertips still swirling, making it clear she wasn’t joking.

Tang Yi sighed and shuffled back to his study desk.

Since returning from the welfare home, Lalulas had become ever more invested in Tang Yi’s exam preparations. Their lives grew more focused and intense.

Training, studying, over and over.

Soon, the match chart for the second round of the selection tournament would be released.