The Female Leads Truly Loves You - Chapter 325

Chapter 325: It was an overwhelming advantage
The car was parked some distance from the swimming venue.

It was unclear whether the congestion was due to the finals or just the usual heavy traffic in the area, but the entrance was bustling with vehicles and pedestrians, creating a bit of a jam.

It was nearly three o’clock, with less than half an hour to go.

Three uniquely styled beautiful girls and a very handsome young man walked along the sidewalk.

Angel scrunched up her nose in displeasure—it was hard to tell if her annoyance was due to the situation in the car or something else entirely; she had plenty of things to be upset about, and Sam had long since given up trying to understand all of them.

“So why did we have to park here and all of us get out to face the cold wind?” Angel complained, causing Sam to shift his gaze.

Aside from him and Isabella, who remained relatively calm, Sophie had already tucked her neck in. Angel was using Sam as a windbreak, following right behind him, much like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Sam, resigned, said, “You see how crowded it is over there… Let’s just walk a bit, don’t worry, I’ll block the wind for you.”

“Could you block the wind for me too, Sam?” came a voice from behind.

“Ah?” Sam hadn’t quite reacted when Angel, sounding annoyed, spoke up.

“Isabella! What are you squeezing through for?”

“I’m cold too, let’s warm up together, Angel~”

“Don’t stick to me!!”

Were they trying to mimic a human centipede?

The only one left was the stubborn Sophie, who, although she hadn’t squeezed behind Sam, was visibly reducing the distance between them. She gradually moved closer to Sam’s side.

The distance to the swimming venue wasn’t far, and they soon arrived. The venue was much warmer than expected, not as cold as they had anticipated.

Since it was an open competition, no tickets were required; they just needed to walk through a nominal security check.

However, the combination of Sam and the three beautiful girls still attracted quite a bit of attention as soon as they entered.

When everyone was seated, with only Angel still standing in front of Sam with a frown, Sam pulled out a blanket he had prepared long ago from his backpack and spread it over the chair.

Angel squinted her eyes but sat down anyway.

Isabella leaned over from next to Angel and Sam. “Sam, aren’t you thoughtful?”

Sam just smiled and didn’t say anything. He had no way of changing Angel’s fastidious habits, nor had he thought about trying. After all, Angel had the ‘right’ to be finicky; her financial status allowed her to indulge in such behavior.

The only thing she might need to change was her personality. Sam guessed that only when her personality completely changed might she be truly conquered.

Sophie sat on the other side of Sam. “Is the competition about to start? I just saw the referees coming in.”

Sam’s gaze followed hers, and his relaxed mood tensed up a bit. Although he kept telling himself that as long as Ava performed normally, securing a top three position was quite stable, he feared the world’s strange way of complicating things might trigger some bizarre plot.

Sam didn’t want to experience any of those terrible endings, like a disheartened girl needing her brother to save her spirit… way too cliché!

In his line of sight, figures were already appearing in the competitors’ tunnel…

“Ava? What are you looking at?”

Ava, who was about to enter the tunnel wearing a swim cap and suit, looked up. Her appearance, almost unrecognizable in her swim gear except for her distinctive physique and notably tall stature among her peers, made it hard for anyone to recognize her at a glance.

“Nothing, just looking for someone.”

As Ava walked out of the tunnel, she immediately scanned the stands for familiar faces. Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to find them because, in a venue that wasn’t fully seated, they were undoubtedly the most eye-catching group.

But…

Why were there so many people?

Four?

Besides her brother and that annoying woman, why… was Sophie there? And who was that sweet and gentle-looking girl sitting next to Angel? Could she be a friend of Angel’s, unrelated to Sam? No way, could someone like Angel even have friends?

“Did your brother come to watch your competition?” a visibly nervous teammate asked Ava. “I’m always afraid of acquaintances watching my competitions… you seem quite relaxed about checking for familiar faces.”

Ava smiled. “What’s there to be nervous about? We’re already here; if they see, they see. Why should someone participating in a competition feel embarrassed?”

Her teammate seemed uncertain. “Isn’t it embarrassing to be seen striving to perform actions that might not look so graceful?”

Ava turned to look at the girl, who seemed to be shaking a bit. Being the same age and participating in such a significant national competition for the first time, it was natural to feel nervous.

Ava thought for a moment and then reached out to hold the girl’s hand. “Don’t worry, when you’re striving hard, you’re the brightest star. There’s no need to feel embarrassed because this isn’t a performance; it’s your effort to live without regrets. So I’m not nervous because this is a battlefield, not a stage, right?”

The girl looked into Ava’s determined eyes, seemingly inspired by Ava’s inexplicable fighting spirit. She nodded vigorously.

“I understand, thanks, Ava!”

“Let’s go, good luck.”

Ava withdrew her gaze and looked again at the stands. In an instant, she locked eyes with him. In a sea of faces where no one else seemed to have spotted her, that young man’s gaze had pinpointed her immediately.

It was like precise targeting.

A strange connection.

Why did he recognize her so quickly when they weren’t even related by blood?

It must be because of love, right?

Ava knew it sounded a bit crazy to think this way, but it didn’t matter.

What should one live for, and keep striving for?

She hoped it wasn’t for money or power, but for the love concerning Sam.

“All competitors, prepare. The competition is about to start!”

As the referee’s voice rang out, everyone moved to their assigned positions.

Looking at the slightly rippling water, Ava remembered that summer day not long ago.

The scene was simple, one she had replayed countless times, each time feeling satisfied and happy.

It was when she had cramped up in the water, nearly drowning, but the young man had scooped her out of the pool.

Though he wasn’t by her side now, far away in the stands, Ava knew that from this moment on, his gaze would be on her, unwavering.

Even though he wasn’t beside her.

But she could still feel his strong arms and vigorous heartbeat when he held her, as if those moments were etched into her heart, residing in her soul.

Now, standing by the pool, she bent down and got ready to dive, all in one fluid motion.

Until the water rippled across her face.

Ava took a deep breath, now feeling a bit of the nerves.

But the source of her nerves wasn’t about achieving any particular result; it was about proving to that young man that she was no longer the little sister he needed to worry about all the time.

Ava could decide her own life, and she… could be responsible for the love in her heart.

“Start!”

“Bang!”

The splash of water seemed to blur everything for a moment.

Ava didn’t hesitate; with familiar movements, the swiftly flowing water seemed to propel her forward.

Ava remembered.

She often heard envy in the swimming club. Why did someone as pretty as her need to be so good at swimming?

And others said, “It’s maddening how some people don’t have to do anything to receive divine gifts.”

Thinking of those words, Ava just wanted to laugh.

Because of her looks and her demeanor, many overlooked the effort Ava had put in.

She had never been late or absent from swimming practice, often being the last to leave the venue.

She had suffered injuries from swimming no less than anyone else, but she never made a show of it.

The future Ava might not stick to swimming, and some might regret that as a waste of talent, but only she knew she had never let herself down on this path.

At least, she was without regrets.

Now.

Her eyes, as she emerged from the water, looked across to the other side.

Now she was determined to win.

There was no better moment to fulfill her potential. With both talent and effort, why couldn’t she win?

She was determined to win.

Now and in the future!

At the moment, Ava wasn’t in the mood to check her competitors’ scores; she could only focus on herself, fully committed.

But the four people in the stands watching her dive had odd expressions.

Even Isabella couldn’t help but turn to Sam.

“Sam, your sister has the skills… what are you nervous about?”

Sam found it hard to describe his feelings.

It was like… being nervous for someone else only to find out it was unnecessary worry.

Because in his line of sight, all he could see was the churning pool.

A girl, like a mermaid, seemed not just to be swimming.

But powered by an engine.

The splashes under her feet, the smooth arms that occasionally surfaced…

A turn, a significant lead.

It was an overwhelming advantage!

Swimming must be your superpower, Ava!!