In the afternoon, the 4×100 metre relay race began.
True to Director Liu’s words, the other participating schools were all determined to pour their best efforts into the final event, rallying their elite players for a final push to achieve the top rank.
Zhai Yao sat in the stands, amidst a cacophony of noise, and the most frequently uttered term among them was “Shen Heng.”
“I’ve been classmates with Boss Shen for two years, but this is the first time I’ve seen him participate in a sports competition!”
“I know right, and in two events too!”
“Let’s be real here, Boss was seriously so goddamn cool in fencing this morning!”
“Yeah! I always saw him sitting in the classroom, so I thought he wasn’t into sports at all.”
“So, I guess, we gotta thank 2nd High School for this, huh?”
“But really, Shen Heng doesn’t seem as intimidating as the rumours suggest, does he? Maybe we should go down and offer him some water later?”
“All the entrances from the stands to the field have been locked by the teachers. How do we even get there?”
“Are you even from 9th High School! Just climb over the wall!”
“Oh yeahhhh, now that you said it!”
Zhai Yao slipped on his headphones, hit play, and cranked up the volume.
The chattering voices were instantly drowned out.
Zhai Bing, Xie Ziming, and Luo Le thought that Zhai Yao and Shen Heng wouldn’t compete in the afternoon, so they had already left the stadium after the fencing match had ended.
Feeling a twinge of boredom and unable to sleep, Zhai Yao decided to simply turn to his phone and launch the single-player offline game “Sokoban.”
Suddenly, a new message notification popped out on the screen.
Zhai Yao exited the game and opened it—
“111” had sent a photo.
Zooming in on the photo, Zhai Yao saw a row of railings, with one of its spindles in the middle having been dislodged by someone.
【Out-of-reach: ?】
【111: Enter from here.】
Zhai Yao: “……”
【Out-of-reach: Not going in.】
“111” didn’t reply for a long while.
Just as Zhai Yao was about to exit the chat and resume his game, “111” began typing again…
【111: I want some water.】
Zhai Yao’s eyebrows twitched. What’s with all these demands?!
【Out-of-reach: Why didn’t you drink earlier before you left?】
The other side responded back rather fast.
【111: Wasn’t thirsty then.】
【111: But I am now.】
Zhai Yao clicked his tongue in annoyance.
【Out-of-reach: Drink your own saliva then.】
There was no more response from “111” this time.
Zhai Yao pressed his cap brim down, continued pushing his boxes, and cleared the level he was at just now.
Afterwards, he couldn’t help but reopen the chat again.
“111” still hadn’t replied.
Probably died of thirst.
Zhai Yao turned off his phone and stowed it in his pocket, his expression displaying cold indifference as he stood up. Then, he stuffed all the different flavored sports drinks Director Liu had bought for him into a plastic bag and hoisted it over his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Song Kai was collecting the “cheerleading scripts” from everyone when he saw Zhai Yao walking alone towards the side of the stands. Curious, he called out, “Where are you off to, Yao-ge? The race’s about to start.”
Without a glance back, Zhai Yao replied flatly, “Collect a corpse.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
…
*
From afar in the check-in area, Shen Heng caught sight of Zhai Yao approaching him with drinks in hand.
His lips seemed to quirk up slightly before he turned to the nearby registration teacher and said, “I have something to report to you.”
“What’s the matter?”
Shen Heng spoke in a relaxed manner, “One of the spindles on the railing of the side gate to the stands is broken.”
The registration teacher glanced over. “Ah, indeed it is!”
Turning to another sports teacher nearby, he delegated, “Teacher Wu, I’ll handle the matters here. Why don’t you head to the side gate and keep an eye on it, lest someone gets too carried away and rushes onto the field later.”
“Got it!” Teacher Wu nodded and headed to the side gate.
Meanwhile, Zhai Yao strode up to Shen Heng, tossed the bag of drinks into his arms, and turned around, ready to leave immediately after.
“Wait.”
Shen Heng hugged the drinks in his arms, paused momentarily, then continued, “The broken spindle’s been noticed by the teacher, and he’s keeping watch over there right now.”
“?” Zhai Yao was puzzled. “But it was fine when I came over.”
Shen Heng remained composed. “Mm, it was noticed after you came over.”
Zhai Yao turned, and right on cue, his gaze fell upon a teacher adorned with a red armband, making his way towards the side gate.
He let out a sigh and decided to find an alternative spot to climb over the wall.
“Don’t push it, your leg isn’t fully healed yet.”
“You know my leg isn’t healed, and yet you’re still ordering me around?”
Shen Heng took out a bottle of sports drink, twisted it open, and handed it to Zhai Yao, saying, “Wait for me to finish the race, then you can blend in with the other runners, and we’ll leave together.”
Zhai Yao gave it another thought on how Shen Heng was participating in the relay race in his stead after all. Earlier, during his own run, Shen Heng had also come to the field to cheer him on.
He took a sip of the drink, then located a shaded spot. “I’ll wait here for you.”
“Mm.”
“Then.” Zhai Yao paused briefly before turning away and continuing, “Run well.”
…
*
For the relay race, the team consisted of two men and two women, with both the first and final legs playing crucial roles. One runner was tasked with widening the gap, while the other was responsible for closing it.
Shen Heng was tasked to run the final leg, taking over Chen Yuan’s position.
In front of him was a student from Class 7, followed by another sports student from Class 4. At the forefront was Chen Yuan’s girlfriend, Tao Fang.
Due to Chen Yuan’s injury, Tao Fang was distracted in her previous race, resulting in her securing only second place. And now, adding to the fact that 9th High School’s lane was right next to 2nd High School’s, her eyes were ablaze with fury.
As the referee fired the starting gun, Tao Fang bolted forward like a wild hare, surging to the front in a single leap.
The cheers from the stands erupted, sending waves of excitement through the air. Amidst the crowd, Chen Yuan nervously clenched his fists, his cheek muscles trembling along.
“We’re in the lead! First place is ours for sure!!”
“But 3rd High School is giving us a tough chase! Look at how they’re right on Tao Fang’s tail!”
“No worries, our second leg runner is fast too, probably could widen the gap even further!”
“9th High! 9th High! 9th High! 9th High!”
The energy in the stands exploded with fervour, heightening the pressure on the field even more.
Approaching the exchange zone, Tao Fang extended her arm out with baton in hand.
Because Tao Fang’s hand was slick with sweat, the baton naturally became overly slippery as well.
The sports student appointed as the second leg runner, who was already on edge about the prospect of victory or loss, couldn’t help but grow even tenser upon seeing the 3rd High School runner about to hand over the baton at the same time.
In the split moment of the exchange, the sports student instinctively started sprinting.
Yet, who would have expected his hand to slip in that crucial moment, causing the baton to drop to the ground during the exchange.
Both inside and outside the field: !!!!!!
Everyone knew that dropping the baton was the ultimate nightmare in relay races.
Despite swiftly retrieving the baton and accelerating, he was still surpassed by runners from the other two schools.
He gritted his teeth and pressed on unwaveringly, tears eventually streaming down his face.
After passing the baton to the third runner, he crumbled to the ground, gripping his head in anguish, letting out a furious roar, and pounding the ground in frustration with his fists.
“Get up, bro!”
“The outcome isn’t certain yet!”
“It’s alright, buddy!”
The third runner’s performance was solid throughout, especially on the bend.
However, due to the earlier mishap, they never managed to make up the distance.
Director Liu swiftly calculated mentally that even if they secured third place in the 4×100 metre relay race, their overall ranking would still be second.
The outcome had already far surpassed his expectations—this was already remarkable. However, considering their current standing, it was inevitable that everyone would naturally aspire to attain the top rank.
Director Liu gazed into the distance at Shen Heng, the anchor responsible for the final leg, his body leaning forward involuntarily, his thighs almost crushed by his own grip without him realizing it.
“Boss, take the baton!”
With a thunderous cry, the third runner passed the baton to Shen Heng.
At the split moment his hand released the baton, the third runner could only feel a swift rush of wind sweeping past.
When he looked again, Shen Heng had already run far ahead.
Meanwhile, in the shade, Zhai Yao also had his attention intensely focused on the racetrack.
Beneath the brim of his cap, his expression remained neutral, yet his lips revealed a slight tension, and his palms, tucked in his pocket, bore a faint sheen of sweat.
Out of nowhere, a hand patted his shoulder.
Zhai Yao’s pupils darkened as he turned and met a smiling face.
Zhai Yao slightly narrowed his eyes, feeling that the other party looked somewhat familiar.
Despite Zhai Yao’s failure to recognize him, the other party didn’t get upset. Instead, he flashed a smile and said, “Zhai Yao, we just had a showdown this morning!”
Upon hearing that, Zhai Yao remembered; he was Lu Liang from 3rd High School.
Lu Liang went on to offer an explanation unprompted, saying, “I came to deliver the name list to the registration teacher and saw you standing here from afar. Here to cheer for Shen Heng?”
Zhai Yao wanted to say “no.” He simply stayed behind because the return route got blocked. But after a brief silence, he ultimately averted his gaze and merely responded with a soft “Mm.”
Lu Liang observed Zhai Yao’s “couldn’t-be-bothered-to-entertain-others” attitude, clenched his fist against his lips, and chuckled softly. “No wonder you two get along so well; you have the same expression.”
“…… ” Zhai Yao’s expression darkened even more.
In what way did they hecking resemble each other? He himself was an honourable and upfront man, unlike Shen Heng, who was just plain deceitful and cunning.
In the midst of their conversation, the stands erupted once more with a deafening roar.
Shen Heng seized the opportunity at the final bend and surged past the other runners directly, securing second place in one swift move!
Director Liu sprang up from his seat. Had it not been for his role as the Director of Discipline, he might have indeed leapt from the stands straight onto the field below.
“Zhai Yao, I heard your family owns a roller skating rink, is that right?” Lu Liang asked.
“Let’s talk about it later.”
At that moment, Zhai Yao’s focus was solely on Shen Heng, his gaze unwavering as it trailed after him.
Lu Liang’s eyes darted between Zhai Yao and Shen Heng, nodding tactfully. “Alright.”
In the race’s final second, Shen Heng and the 3rd High School runner charged into the finish line simultaneously.
Zhai Yao grabbed a bottle of sports drink and also hurried towards the finish line.
Surrounded by the crescendo of joyous rallying cheers, he gradually quickened his pace until he reached Shen Heng’s side.
Shen Heng lowered his gaze to him, still panting as his shoulders rose and fell rhythmically with each breath.
They were standing so close that Zhai Yao could even feel the warmth of Shen Heng’s breath as it brushed against his face.
He tossed the drink to Shen Heng. “Who won?”
Shen Heng unscrewed the cap, downed the drink before shaking his head. “The referee is still tallying.”
Zhai Yao hummed a sound of acknowledgment. Just as he was about to return to the stands with Shen Heng and the other runners, Lu Liang caught up with them from behind.
After Lu Liang exchanged greetings with Shen Heng, he turned to Zhai Yao.
Remembering that Lu Liang seemed to have something unfinished with him just now, Zhai Yao said to Shen Heng, “Wait for me.”
With that, he then walked to the side with Lu Liang.
Throughout the entire exchange, Shen Heng’s gaze trailed after Zhai Yao. Upon seeing Zhai Yao even whip out his phone and initiate a contact exchange with Lu Liang after their brief conversation, Shen Heng wasted no time and immediately made his way over.
Glancing down, he was greeted by the sight of Zhai Yao accepting Lu Liang’s friend request.
Shen Heng’s eyebrow twitched imperceptibly.
After Lu Lang tucked his phone away, he glanced up only to find Shen Heng appearing right by Zhai Yao’s side. Initially taken aback, he then teased, “You’re keeping tabs a bit too closely!”
Shen Heng drew his lips into a thin line but didn’t refute.
Then, Lu Liang waved his phone at Zhai Yao. “Well then, see you another day, Zhai Yao.”
“Mm.”
With that, Lu Liang spun around and left.
Watching his departing figure fade away into the distance, Zhai Yao turned back to Shen Heng and said, “Let’s—”
Before the word “go” could escape his lips, his voice faltered, furrowing his brows before remarking, “Did you run too hard and get a stomach ache?”
Shen Heng’s lips were tightly pursed, his lowered eyelids mirroring the strain. After a moment of silence, he asked, “You still plan to continue meeting him?”
Zhai Yao found himself unable to make heads or tails. He thought of explaining but felt it unnecessary. “What, did it bother you or something?”
Shen Heng didn’t say anything.
It wasn’t until Zhai Yao made his way towards Tao Fang and the others, trailing behind the departing participants, that Shen Heng muttered to himself in the softest volume ever, “It did.”
…
30 minutes later, the results of the relay race were announced.
And to everyone’s surprise, 9th High School and 3rd High School crossed the finish line simultaneously, without any disparity!
As such, the organizing committee quickly consolidated the results from other events for comprehensive evaluation.
The final ranking was as follows—
9th High School secured the top spot overall, with 3rd High School closely following in second place, thereby clinching the championship and runner-up position, respectively.
“Holy!!! We won!!!”
“Don’t anyone dare to stop me; I’m going to dance at the entrance of 2nd High School tomorrow!!!”
“Count me in too!”
Director Liu watched in a daze as the jubilant students swarmed towards the field, momentarily forgetting to maintain order, and even joining the advancing crowd himself.
“We… won… against 3rd High School?”
Director Liu muttered to himself blankly. He had long forgotten when the last time he had won first place was.
Perhaps it was during a university speech competition, where he fervently pledged to cultivate numerous talents and aid them in securing admission to the universities of Project 211 and Project 985.
As a result of that pledge of his, he was assigned to 9th High School, living at the opposite end of his ideal.
Now, in the present moment, he suddenly felt that many of his convictions seemed to be undergoing imperceptible, gradual changes…
The concept of so-called youth shouldn’t be limited to a single goal, and the current scene unfolding in front of him right now was what youth should truly be like.
“Champion! Champion! Champion!”
Everyone shouted in unison, with their voices rising and falling in harmony.
Director Liu was also caught up in the infectious excitement. His hands, hanging by his side, slowly clenched into a fist, repeatedly pumped into the air as he shouted, “Champion! Champion! Champion…”
…
The author has something to say:
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(Ceatbg: Gbc’a kbggs, Vaevfca Wljb Oe lr tfgf ab tfiq; tf vbfrc’a ylaf~ =k=)
Well, it’s a good thing that this is 1v1. If not, i will see Lu Liang as a third wheel.
Anyway, Hengheng, are you jealous?
🤭🤭🤭
Thanks for the chapter!
It’s getting more interesting 😌😌
Good for them, good for them. I wonder how Lu Liang will be of help? (I could just finish the chapters I bought but distance makes the heart grow fonder… or something… we’ll see)
Someone is jelly~ 🤭
Oh? Did Lu Liang notice they have feelings for each other? 🤔 or at least Shen Heng
Thanks for the update 🤣❤️