Chapter 13 The teaching building bathed in the autumn sun...

The teaching building was quiet under the autumn sun. Fang Minzhou didn't encounter a single person when she walked to the third floor.

The school's default rule was that students were not allowed to stay in the classroom during the sports meet. But when she pushed open the front door, Sun Tong, who had been lying on the table, lifted her face from her folded arms. There were books spread out on the table, and she was holding a pen in her hand.

Fang Minzhou was a little embarrassed because he hadn't expected anyone to be there, so he took the initiative to say, "...I've come to get something."

Sun Tong didn't respond, but sat up straight and continued writing.

Fang Minzhou walked into the classroom.

While high-achieving students are certainly admired and diligence in learning is a virtue, being too hardworking seems a bit too unrestrained. The most impressive people are those who can both play and study well.

Fang Minzhou had also had this kind of vanity, and still does now. Who doesn't want to be the smartest one? You can get a perfect score even if you don't listen in class or do your homework. But she doesn't have that ability. She can only tell herself not to deceive herself and that hard work is not a shameful thing. However, she still envies people like Lin Sinian who can do everything perfectly. Ouyang Qian also seems to do everything effortlessly.

But Sun Tong was different; all she did was study, sitting in the front row, studying from morning till night.

Fang Minzhou overheard some classmates gossiping behind her back. It seemed that they had never seen her go to the cafeteria, and that she had a huge thermos, the kind that could drain the tank completely. It was better to go to another floor than to wait in line behind her to get water. "She even saves time getting water, she probably doesn't even need to go to the toilet, right?"

Fang Minzhou was surprised by Sun Tong's hard work, but she also secretly admired her for not caring about other people's opinions and evaluations.

One thing happened at this sports meet: Sun Tong didn't sign up for any sports events, so the women's 3,000-meter race, which hadn't been drawn by anyone else, fell to her.

Fang Min could understand Sun Tong's decision to give up everything for her studies, but on the other hand, she felt that Sun Tong didn't need to be so unconventional. For example, even though they didn't have to study during the school sports meet, at least they brought books to the playground and occasionally participated in activities, and no one said anything.

Fang Minzhou walked to Lin Sinian's seat. He and Sun Tong were in the same group. When he saw Sun Tong looking over, he explained, and this time Sun Tong just hummed in response.

“…Then I’ll be going now,” said Fang Minzhou, who had found the manuscript.

Sun Tong nodded.

As Fang Minzhou walked past the podium, he couldn't help but ask her, "...Are you alright?"

Sun Tong looked at her.

She had very short hair and wore black-rimmed glasses. Looking at her directly, Fang Minzhou noticed her pale face, as if she were in pain. But Sun Tong remained expressionless. Fang Minzhou forced a smile and said, "I just noticed you don't look well..."

“No,” Sun Tong said.

Fang Minzhou pursed her lips, thinking back to the time Wang Kan had insisted on taking her to the infirmary, but she really wasn't hurt that time, unlike Sun Tong...

She tried again, "...I can go with you to the infirmary."

"I told you I'm fine." Sun Tong's voice was light and cold. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head again.

Fang Minzhou was speechless.

Sun Tong has no friends in her class, and this seems to be her problem.

Fang Minzhou wasn't without emotion, despite her good intentions being met with a cold shoulder, but Sun Tong clearly seemed uncomfortable...

Fang Minzhou hesitated for a long time before returning to her seat. She rummaged through the small pocket of her backpack and pulled out a strip of ibuprofen that was almost half empty and two sanitary napkins. She didn't know what was wrong with Sun Tong; perhaps it was a stomachache or menstrual cramps.

She gently placed the items on Sun Tong's desk, and Sun Tong remained motionless as if she hadn't noticed. Fang Minzhou noticed that Sun Tong's water bottle was empty, thought for a moment, picked it up, filled it with warm water, and then left the classroom.

Just for peace of mind.

But I'm still afraid something might happen.

Fang Minzhou limped upstairs first, but there were no teachers in the office, so she had to go back to the playground. She saw Teacher Zhan at the class's campsite, gave the news draft to Lin Si Nian, and then found an opportunity to talk to Teacher Zhan about Sun Tong.

“Okay, I understand. I’ll go take a look,” Teacher Zhan said.

Fang Minzhou was finally relieved. Anyway, Sun Tong didn't seem to like her much, so she didn't care if she tattled on her.

But while helping to organize the goods, she couldn't help but wonder if Sun Tong refused to participate in the sports meet because she guessed it might coincide with her period, but was too embarrassed to say so? But was she menstruating? Fang Minzhou had no way of verifying.

"He's injured and still running around everywhere." Fang Minzhou heard Wang Kan's voice.

They still speak so harshly.

She looked up, and he inexplicably looked away.

But as he lingered in front of her, Fang Minzhou naturally noticed the bronze badge around his neck. Her thoughts were impossible to hide, but Fang Minzhou didn't want to argue with a childish person at the moment; it would only make her foolish too.

Congratulations on your third place!

"What?" Wang Kan seemed surprised, paused for a moment, and touched the medal. "...Oh, thank you."

He seemed to have more to say, and Fang Minzhou waited patiently, which was unusual for him, but after a while, he didn't see him. Instead, he walked away on his own, which was completely inexplicable.

Returning to the classroom before evening self-study, Fang Minzhou noticed that Sun Tong was not there, while Wang Kan, unusually, sat down early. He bought a large bag of snacks and shared them with those around him. Fang Minzhou had already eaten her fill that evening, but Wang Kan, perhaps thinking she was just being polite or something, insisted on giving her a box of cream puffs.

Fang Min wrote down an account that needed to be repaid and split it with Ouyang Qian.

After evening self-study ended, Wang Kan, who always ran very fast, suddenly asked her, "How are you going to get home later?"

This question puzzled Fang Minzhou, who wondered what he meant. "...Riding a bike."

"You..." he stammered, "You're injured, yet you can still ride a bike?"

"...It's not that serious."

"It doesn't hurt?"

"fine."

Wang Kan said "Oh," and then added, "...That's fine then."

Fang Minzhou blinked. She didn't want to be too narcissistic, but Wang Kan's attitude at this moment made her wonder.

Is he concerned about her?

If it's out of concern, then there's nothing wrong with it.

Although they often argued, and although Wang Kan had a somewhat unpleasant personality, he certainly wouldn't have gone so far as to gloat over her fall. He probably even thought she had fallen quite badly, especially after the mercurochrome was applied; at least at first glance, it was a shocking sight.

But... what should she say now?

Wang Kan looked at her without saying a word.

"What are you two doing?" Ouyang Qian asked curiously, interrupting.

Wang Kan reacted quickly, shoving her backpack over her shoulder. "Let's go."

Fang Minzhou: "..."

The next day, Fang Minzhou kept an eye out, but still didn't see Sun Tong at the class camp.

The last event of the sports meet was the men's 4x100 relay. Their class's points were very close with Class 1's, and the outcome depended on this one minute. Zheng Yanhang was eager to compete. His class had just won first place in the women's 4x100 relay, and as the first runner, he was in high spirits, vowing to win a gold medal as well.

Fang Minzhou temporarily took over the logistical work from Ouyang Qian, who had just finished the relay race. She asked them if they were ready and if they needed anything. Everyone else was fine, except for Wang Kan, who was looking down and shuffling her feet on the grass, seemingly lost in thought.

"He's acting crazy again," Fang Minzhou thought to herself.

Even though she was panting, Ouyang Qian didn't forget to get everyone to write news articles. She handed Fang Minzhou a piece of paper, remembering the debt she owed, "Those who have competitions should at least write one."

It was just a task to complete. Fang Minzhou's exam-oriented education had instilled in her quite strong abilities, but as soon as she put pen to paper and wrote the first word, she reflected that she couldn't just do it carelessly. Only by taking every little thing seriously can one remain calm when facing big challenges.

After she finished writing, she handed the manuscript to Ouyang Qian, who glanced at it and said, "Wow, it's well written."

Fang Min smiled on Monday.

Standing at the starting line, Wang Kan heard the announcer say with great emotion, "Next up is a news report from Fang Minzhou, a student in Class 7 of Grade 11..."

"What?!" Wang Kan was startled, her heart instantly split in two. She used one ear to listen to the gunshots and the other to listen to the broadcast.

The announcement had barely finished when the gunshot rang out. Wang Kan was the third runner. When he heard the announcer finish the last sentence, "Go Class 7, Grade 11," he saw Zheng Yanhang charging towards him with all his might.

The moment he received the baton, Wang Kan was suddenly filled with an indescribable excitement. He ran forward almost like a madman, as if venting or trying to prove himself. The wind whistled past his ears as he forcefully slapped the baton into Lin Sinian's palm.

He collapsed, supporting himself on his knees, exhausted. Zheng Yanhang, who had been running right up to him, patted him on the shoulder, panting but still talking non-stop, giving him a thumbs up, "Dude...you ran way too fast..."

Wang Kan waved, straightened up, and jogged towards the finish line with the other students. Even before they got close, they could see Lin Sinian running in the lead, leaving the others at least half a body length behind. Amidst the increasingly intense and exciting cheers, he almost effortlessly crossed the finish line first.

"First place! Class 7 is number one!"

Wang Kan grinned, somewhat smugly. Although Lin Sinian did run quite fast, he also deserved credit for the third leg. Oh, and of course, the first and second legs also laid a good foundation.

Master Zhan was also there. Wang Kan and the other three were huddled in the middle. He really thought he was going to be lifted up. Then the four girls in the relay were also huddled in. One was pulled in, and another was pulled out. In the chaotic noise, the first person to be cheered on and thrown up was Master Zhan.

At her age, Master Zhan couldn't handle this. Wang Kan laughed so hard he was exhausted. He went outside to get some water and saw Fang Minzhou and Lin Sinian standing in front of a metal frame, talking about something. Fang Minzhou handed Lin Sinian a sports drink.

Wang Kan found that he really couldn't laugh anymore. The autumn wind blew by, and he thought to himself that the wind was really a bit cold. He turned around and didn't know which way to go.

Ouyang Qian, who was passing by, asked him, "What are you looking for?"

"Huh? Oh, the coat."

Wang Kan finally found his school uniform jacket when he returned to the class camp.

As the sun set, everyone took a class photo on the green grass. There was no distinction between tall and short, thin and thin; those who were close stood together. Wang Kan stood indifferently in one spot, while Zheng Yanhang pulled Wu Cheng over and squeezed him two steps to the right.

Fang Minzhou was in front of him.

She didn't notice him, looking around as if searching for someone, but Ouyang Qian was to her right, so who else was she looking for? He followed her gaze and saw Lin Sinian standing right next to Master Zhan in the center.

"Shall we strike a heart pose later?" Ouyang Qian asked Fang Minzhou.

“Sure,” Fang Minzhou said, then saw Sun Tong.

Teacher Zhan also saw her and waved to her: "Come here quickly."

At this moment, Fang Minzhou felt that the weight in his heart had truly been lifted.

Actually, she saw Sun Tong during the men's relay race earlier, and she was quite surprised that she would come to watch the competition.

Click.

Before the class photo was posted in the class group chat on the weekend, Fang Minzhou received a friend request from Wang Kan, whose online name was "KAN" and whose profile picture was Luffy from One Piece.

Just as the notification sound went off, Wang Kan sent several photos. Fang Min felt a little embarrassed when she thought about how she had taken random pictures with his camera. He sent them, which meant he had already seen them all.

Fang Minzhou looked at the computer screen and typed two words.

Square: Thank you.

KAN: You're welcome.

A note from the author:

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