Yu Zao endured the humiliation and still managed to win a bronze medal. The gold and silver medals went to sports students from other classes. Their jumping power was like that of frogs; amateur Yu Zao was completely outmatched.
As soon as he got back from receiving his bronze medal on the podium, Yu Zao went for revenge. Tian Fengyu was beaten until he squealed and yelled.
Lu Yang’s race was unsurprising. He was originally a sprint specialist, so the gold medal and class bonus points were securely his.
After the hundred meters, his face wasn’t red, and he wasn’t out of breath. He said calmly, “I didn’t perform well.”
He meant he didn’t break the record.
Lin Oufei snorted, too lazy to retort.
Xin Hexue said, it’s okay, you were already amazing. There’s still the sports meet next year in senior three.
Lu Yang automatically filtered out the unhappy person and gleefully hung the gold medal he won around Xin Hexue’s neck.
“Didn’t you say you’d write the cheer draft for me? How come it was Tian Fengyu?”
A heavy weight hung down the back of his neck, golden and shiny in the sunlight.
Xin Hexue looked at it and said, “The English teacher asked me to hand out the National Day homework just now.”
Tian Fengyu wailed, “There’s National Day homework? Didn’t she already give out one test paper?!”
“The previous one was the monthly exam paper that needed corrections,” Xin Hexue smiled. “Today’s is the actual homework. I’ve already put it on everyone’s desks.”
Lu Yang was a person who lives for the moment; if he could enjoy the moment, he wouldn’t think about tomorrow’s homework. “The sun is so strong today. Let’s go to the convenience store and buy some cold drinks?”
He subconsciously went to throw a big arm around Xin Hexue’s shoulders but suddenly froze mid-air, forcibly stopping the motion.
Fortunately, a new round of races had just started. A gunshot rang out under the clear sky, cheers erupted, and no one noticed Lu Yang’s sudden odd behavior.
“Okay.”
Xin Hexue said.
The mung bean soup at the convenience store had always been very popular among the students, a best-seller every summer and autumn.
But eating it every day could get boring. They circled the ice cream freezer, looking for other refreshing cold drinks.
Xin Hexue saw the familiar packaging of a certain popsicle he’d seen on TV and turned to ask Lu Yang naturally, “You get half and I’ll have half?”
Lu Yang nodded like pounding garlic.
Lin Oufei coughed, clearing his throat.
Xin Hexue stiffened for a moment, probably feeling embarrassed for accidentally ignoring Lin Oufei.
Maintaining balance in a friendship of three was not easy.
Lu Yang asked, “Lin Oufei, you’re coughing. If your throat is uncomfortable, don’t eat cold stuff.”
Lin Oufei: “I didn’t say my throat was uncomfortable. You just finished your race and you’re eating ice? Be careful of diarrhea.”
His tone didn’t sound like a friendly reminder.
Xin Hexue felt his pants pocket, then picked up three cola-flavored popsicles and went to the front counter to pay.
Fortunately, he had brought more pocket money today.
“Here.”
Lin Oufei and Lu Yang lined up, and Xin Hexue handed them each a popsicle.
“Thank you.”
“Next time, it’s my treat!”
“Shua…”
They hid under the shade of a tree in the clear sky, the plastic packaging making a loud ripping sound when torn open. The popsicles, just taken from the freezer, still had a layer of white frost condensed on the surface. Holding it felt cold right down to the bones.
“Pa!”
“Pa!”
“Pa!”
Three popsicles were snapped in half simultaneously.
‘What amazing teamwork. These three could go pilot a mecha together.’ Tian Fengyu sighed, “You really grew up together. I’m so envious…”
Tian Fengyu moved frequently as a child due to his parents’ work, so he never had a friendship lasting more than three years, and thus no particularly close friends.
“Let’s see what race is next?”
They stood in front of the bulletin board, also taking the opportunity to check the current scores of each class.
Yu Zao adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting light. “Class 10’s score is close to ours, but they’re always a few points ahead.”
It was only the first day of the competition, but the classes with the strongest momentum were already becoming apparent.
Their cheer drafts were among the earliest submitted. With the morning events mostly over, according to the statistics, the boys in their class had won one gold and one silver. Although there were no female sports students among the girls, they had also won two bronzes. Despite such a strong start, their class was actually only ranked second temporarily.
Tian Fengyu said there was nothing to be done about it; somehow Class 10 had gotten all the sports students during class assignments.
After saying that, Tian Fengyu sighed, “Given my grades, Class 10 would actually be the best fit for me. It’s a pity I can’t defect…”
Lu Yang pressed down on his shoulder, smiling insincerely. “Can’t you have some class honor?”
Tian Fengyu said innocently, “I’m at the bottom anyway, so which class I am in doesn’t really matter.”
“Besides, we just got assigned to classes not long ago. There are still over ten faces in class I can’t match with names,” Tian Fengyu was shocked. “Brother, where did you get such a strong sense of class honor?”
“Of course it’s…”
Lu Yang paused.
Of course it was because Xin Hexue was here.
Wherever Xin Hexue was, was the little cat’s territory. As the top subject of the little cat kingdom, Lu Yang’s sense of honor naturally arose.
He crunched on the popsicle.
Lu Yang declared righteously, “Let them be strong, I remain unshaken like the breeze brushing against the mountain ridge. We must not build up others’ morale and destroy our own prestige!”
Xin Hexue nodded and affirmed, “You are aware of the situation.”
Lu Yang immediately felt as if his soul had been elevated.
Even though Class 10 had such advantageous conditions, their score was still very close to that of Class 14, and the deadlock lasted until the last day of the sports meet.
In the afternoon, the bonus points for the civilized class selection during the sports meet were announced. Their class had the labor committee member holding the fort and successfully gained enough points to make up for the earlier deficit, tying the score with Class 10.
Only the group 4×100 meter relay remained.
Success or failure hinged on this one event. Even the wind felt particularly warm, and the sun was so glaring it made it hard to keep one’s eyes open.
Classes 10 to 14 were in the same group. Perhaps because Class 10 had underestimated their opponents in their strategy, among the four boys in their relay team, like Class 14, they only registered two sports students, whereas they had mobilized heavily in the earlier events.
“I think our class has a good chance.” Tian Fengyu said while doing warm-up exercises and chatting with Xin Hexue outside the track. He gestured with his lips, “Look at Class 10’s fourth runner, Wan Yongkang. He trains in the same event as Brother Lu, but he’s far worse. During training, he can only smell Lu Yang’s farts.”
His wording was quite direct, and Xin Hexue felt this might be an exaggeration of the facts. However, Lu Yang, the fourth runner, was indeed warming up leisurely, even with his hands in his pockets, looking confident.
As if he had already pocketed first place.
Tian Fengyu patted his chest. “Besides, there’s also me. With Brother Lu and me at the start and finish, it’s like adding wings to a tiger.”
“If you ask me, Class 10 is doomed to lose.” Tian Fengyu looked towards the sides of the track and the stands, completely immersed in his own world. “Ah, I wonder if any pretty girls will bring me water…”
He didn’t even bother lowering his voice while boasting, and Xin Hexue could already see the boys from Class 10 looking over with displeasure.
Maybe this counted as a necessary pre-race trash-talking session.
Xin Hexue made a fist and said seriously, “Tian Fengyu, come on.”
When the gun fired, Tian Fengyu shot out like an arrow from a bow, instantly gaining the advantage.
However, Xin Hexue’s bad premonition came true.
It proved that before the dust settles, one should not open the champagne at halftime.
During the baton handover, perhaps due to excessive nervousness, Tian Fengyu couldn’t brake in time and ended up faceplanting right in front of the audience.
“The baton has been dropped!”
Students watching from outside the red tape exclaimed.
The class monitor was responsible for the second leg. He grabbed the baton and ran with all his might, using every ounce of strength. He was tall with long legs, but the two events he had signed up for were very different, one was the 3000 meters, the other the 100-meter relay…clearly not a high-power sprinter. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t change the fact that Class 14 had suddenly fallen to last place.
Lu Yang, who was waiting for the fourth leg, inevitably looked gloomy. Wan Yongkang next to him laughed, “Looks like I’ll be taking off first.”
The Class 10 athlete was far ahead, almost pulling ahead by fifty meters. Finally, the class monitor handed the baton to Lin Oufei.
The huge disadvantage showed the class’s cohesion more clearly. The students of Class 14 shouted themselves hoarse: “Come on!”
“Lin Oufei! Come on!”
“Charge! Charge! As long as it’s not last place, it’s a victory!”
Xin Hexue’s gaze followed, and he unconsciously ran a few steps towards the opposite side. Lin Oufei ran very fast, like a falcon, making it impossible to see the expression in his eyes and eyebrows. Only after catching a glimpse of his cold, tense lips did one realize he was running fiercely.
“Overtook! Overtook!”
Lin Oufei passed the boy from Class 13 and pulled ahead, inciting a wave of roars among the classmates.
Wan Yongkang had already taken off running first. Lin Oufei’s gaze was fixed on the baton until Lu Yang’s hand took it.
Lin Oufei slowed down a few steps due to momentum before stopping, his back soaked with sweat, and walked back inside the track.
Running created wind, filling the sleeves of his short-sleeved school uniform. At this moment, Lu Yang’s mind was blank.
As a single-threaded creature, the situation didn’t allow him to think much anyway. His chest heaved, his breathing was rapid, and his eyes subconsciously latched onto one figure.
The stands on both sides were roaring with noise. “Ahhh! He passed him, he passed him!”
One!
Two!
Lu Yang crossed the finish line half a body length ahead of Wan Yongkang.
The entire Class 14 opened champagne and set off party poppers, screaming and shouting, “First! First!”
He didn’t stop. Athlete Lu Yang still hadn’t stopped!
He charged right up to Xin Hexue, his momentum almost throwing himself forward, but he managed to stand firm.
Lu Yang was excited, and his forehead was full of sweat. His face was flushed, and he stared fixedly at Xin Hexue. “We’re first.”
“Mm, we’re first.”
Xin Hexue was smiling just like him. The sun was so strong, making the tip of his nose gleam with sweat, his smile bright and sparkling.
“Thump, thump, thump.”
His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his throat. Lu Yang instinctively pressed his hand against his chest.
He swallowed hard, and his throat felt parched, like it was smoking. “Xin Hexue, can I… can I hug…”
Hug…you?!
Lu Yang stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
Because, before he could finish his words, Xin Hexue had already opened his arms and hugged him.
“I just suddenly thought, it seems you often run towards me like this.”
Xin Hexue’s voice held a smile as he spoke.
Lu Yang lowered his head slightly, and could smell the scent of botanical shampoo. The sun had warmed it, making the fragrance light and faint, yet it had permeated his entire childhood and youth.
He held Xin Hexue tightly, so happy a layer of physiological tears directly sprung to his eyes.
The honest bodily physiological reactions were not limited to this.
‘Oh no!’
Lu Yang’s expression went blank. He looked down into Xin Hexue’s eyes.
In that short second, the emotions in those eyes shifted from confusion to sudden understanding, then to doubt, and finally to anger. “Lu… Yang!”
