The Fair Competition and the "Prize's" Suffering

The "fair competition" treaty was established, and Lam Minh's life was immediately turned completely upside down. He felt more exhausted than when he was grinding for points in the simulation.

His every day was now filled with a dense schedule arranged by his two "managers."

In the morning, he had to go to school earlier to "review lessons together" with To Quyen. In reality, To Quyen studied while he had to sit beside her, forbidden from dozing off, and occasionally had to answer some of her "scientific" questions.

During break time, he would be dragged out to the backfield by Quynh Nhu, forced to act as a "referee" for her and her friends' ball games, or worse, forced to carry their things and buy drinks for the whole team.

At lunchtime, he had to sit right in the middle. On one side was a nutritionally complete lunch box, with carefully calculated calories, prepared by To Quyen. On the other side was a pile of snacks, fried chicken, and french fries that Quynh Nhu had bought.

"Here, eat some beef, it's good for your muscles," To Quyen would place a piece of meat in his bowl.

"Beef is too dry, eat some fried chicken to get a taste of life!" Quynh Nhu, not to be outdone, would shove a chicken drumstick into his bowl.

Lam Minh could only look at his overflowing bowl of rice and gulp. He felt like a pig being fattened for slaughter.

After school, the schedule was even more horrific.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he had to go to the laboratory with To Quyen, listen to her and other scientists discuss esoteric things he didn't understand, and occasionally had to "make a wild guess" to fulfill his role as "consultant."

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, he had to be at the Blacklight gym to be Quynh Nhu's "training partner." He was no longer a punching bag, but had to "spar" with her for real, which of course meant he had to act in a way that made them both look "evenly matched." These matches were more exhausting because of the acting than the fighting.

Sunday, his only day off, became a "group date" day. The three of them would go to the movies, the park, or some restaurant together. And of course, Lam Minh always had to sit in the middle, acting as a "partition" between the two girls, and he was the one who had to pay.

"Brother Minh, you look so worn out," Hung 'Map' said with concern when he saw him face-plant onto his desk the moment the bell rang. "How about I talk to those two big sisters and ask them to give you a day off?"

"Don't!" Lam Minh quickly stopped him. "If you interfere, I'll probably suffer even more."

He was genuinely exhausted. The power of the Foundation Establishment Realm could help him face monsters, but it was utterly useless against the "enthusiasm" of these two girls.

While Lam Minh was "suffering," the competition between To Quyen and Quynh Nhu was growing increasingly fierce. They created a secret scoreboard that only the two of them knew about.

[COMPETITION SCOREBOARD - TARGET: LAM MINH]

To Quyen:Solved a scientific problem with Lam Minh: +10 points.Prepared a nutritious lunch for Lam Minh: +5 points.Reminded Lam Minh to do his homework: +3 points.Date sabotaged by Quynh Nhu: -5 points (for not being assertive enough).Total Score: 13 points.Quynh Nhu:Successfully "trained" a new skill with Lam Minh: +10 points.Bought snacks that Lam Minh likes: +5 points."Accidentally" stained To Quyen's shirt during lunch: +1 point (for cunningness).Rejected by Lam Minh for hotpot in favor of the library: -5 points.Total Score: 11 points.

The points race was incredibly intense, with all sorts of tricks involved.

If To Quyen gave Lam Minh a new pen one day, the next day Quynh Nhu would give him a limited-edition model gun.

If To Quyen tutored Lam Minh one day, the next day Quynh Nhu would drag him out to play video games to de-stress.

Lam Minh was being spun around like a top between these two "forces." He felt less like a "prize" and more like a "victim" of this war.

One day, unable to take it anymore, he decided to fight back.

That day, after being "forced" to eat two full lunches and a pile of snacks, he stood up, his expression extremely serious.

"You two, follow me."

He led the two bewildered girls to the school's backfield.

"What's up? Are you going to declare the winner?" Quynh Nhu asked, her face full of anticipation.

"No," Lam Minh shook his head. "I want to say that from today on, I will be the one making the rules."

He looked at both of them. "You want a fair competition, right? Fine. But it will be my way."

"Your way?" To Quyen was curious.

"That's right," Lam Minh said. "Instead of all this nonsense, let's compete with something more useful. For example..."

He pointed to the school's bulletin board, where a new notice had just been posted.

"ANNOUNCEMENT: Launching the 'Reinforce the Frontline' volunteer campaign. Recruiting students to participate in support activities at logistics zones and field hospitals on the Western Front during the upcoming winter break."

Lam Minh turned back to the two girls, his eyes filled with challenge.

"Whichever one of you can contribute more to this campaign, help more people, that person will be the winner. Are you in?"

His proposal stunned both To Quyen and Quynh Nhu. He had turned their romantic competition into a contest of compassion and dedication.

This was a masterful "redirection" tactic.

To Quyen was the first to smile. "Alright. I agree. I'll use my knowledge to help improve the procedures at the field hospitals."

Quynh Nhu also smirked. "Hmph, don't think you're the only one who knows how to do good deeds. I'll use my strength to help transport the heaviest supplies to the most dangerous places. I'll definitely do better than you."

The war wasn't over. It had just been elevated to a new level.

Lam Minh let out a sigh of relief. At least from now on, he wouldn't be fattened up like a pig anymore. He could spend his time and energy on more meaningful things.

And most importantly, winter break at the Western Front... sounded like a good opportunity to "farm" some points, didn't it?