Chapter 29 The whistle rang out in front of everyone, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck…

The surroundings were excessively quiet; even the sound of the evening breeze rustling through the treetops was jarringly clear.

The moment their eyes met, even though Qiao Bolin hadn't said anything, Tao Qingqing felt as if her thoughts had been read out on the spot, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Senior Qiao, I didn't mean to..."

"Delete the photos."

The girl in his arms was still pushing him away forcefully. Qiao Bolin was somewhat helpless and could only let go first. After confirming that she was alright, he turned his gaze back to Tao Qingqing, who was across the street.

His voice was as calm and decisive as ever, but Tao Qingqing inexplicably felt that Qiao Bolin was a little intimidating at this moment.

She involuntarily shrank back a little, regretting that she had forgotten to silence her phone.

I had just said goodbye to my friend and was walking towards my neighborhood when I saw a familiar figure halfway there. I initially just followed along out of curiosity, but I was so shocked by what I saw that I couldn't help but take a picture with my phone.

Who would have thought that Joel Bolton would show such a submissive and submissive attitude towards someone?

Even though such a person is usually polite, you can always feel a sense of distance from them. Now that the fog has been blown away, Tao Qingqing is surprised, but also feels a bit inexplicably resentful.

This feeling was strange. If she had seen Song Yunhe or Chen Poyao with Qiao Bolin, she didn't seem to feel this indignant. But the person was Ning Jiu, who had only transferred here this year...

"Did you delete it?"

Qiao Bolin's voice brought Tao Qingqing back to reality; he had already walked up to her.

Tao Qingqing bit her lip, reluctantly deleted the photo, and flipped the screen.

"alright."

"There are backups too."

Qiao Bolin's voice and expression were flawless, and besides, she was indeed in the wrong for taking the photos secretly, so Tao Qingqing had no choice but to delete all the backups as well.

Is it okay now?

He could hear the resentment in her voice, but he didn't say anything more. He simply turned around after confirming that everything had been deleted.

Ning Jiu simply stood by the bus stop from beginning to end, quietly watching him handle everything.

After Tao Qingqing left, Ning Jiu sat on a chair at the platform waiting for the bus. Qiao Bolin didn't go to the convenience store across the street immediately, but sat down next to her.

Neither of them spoke first, and the air fell into an almost tense silence. Perhaps the backpack accidentally bumped against the back of the chair, and the button on the dog keychain was accidentally pressed. A soft "I love you~" broke the silence between them.

She frowned slightly, as if she had found the little charm a bit annoying, and tried to take it off her backpack zipper. Just as her hand touched the furry texture, Qiao Bolin grabbed her wrist.

"What happened just now was my fault," he said, lightly scratching her palm with his pinky, sending a strange tingling sensation through her. "Don't ignore me."

In just a few seconds, he quickly sorted out the cause and effect of the accident. His words were full of sincerity and self-blame, taking full responsibility. His tone was low and gentle, but the strength in his palm quietly increased, and Ning Jiu could not break free at all.

She subconsciously followed the force of his palm and pulled her hand back from the backpack zipper, but as soon as she let go, she had a vague feeling that something was not right.

From the moment he spoke until now, he hadn't said a single wrong word or done anything out of line, yet she could clearly feel a subtle possessiveness slowly seeping out from his body language, which made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“You clearly had a better solution,” she tried to convince herself to ignore some minor details that she couldn’t bear to think about, but she still couldn’t help asking him, “You saw Tao Qingqing across the street a long time ago, didn’t you?”

Ning Jiu's words made the smile on Qiao Bolin's face freeze.

In those few minutes, she quickly pieced together the situation. Given Qiao Bolin's position, if he could see the direction the truck was coming from before she could, he certainly couldn't have ignored the person on the other side of the road.

Knowing full well that there were acquaintances around, he could have easily pretended that it was just a polite gesture between classmates to help him up. Even if it were photographed, most people would just think that it was Qiao Bolin's usual thoughtfulness.

But he didn't.

The close proximity and the almost forceful pressure left her no room to back away. Ning Jiu herself wouldn't believe it wasn't intentional.

Not far away, an orange light slowly spread out, accompanied by the low horn of a bus approaching. The bus's soft headlights shone from the front of the bus, gently illuminating his profile.

Qiao Bolin's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, and for a moment his eyes were as dark as the sea immersed in the night, his emotions so dark that they were almost uncontrollable. But just as Ning Jiu looked up at him, he turned his head away, his eyebrows and eyes clear, as if nothing had happened.

“Go ahead and bite me,” he said.

"What?"

Ning Jiu almost thought she had misheard.

"If biting me will make you feel better, then bite me."

He rolled up his sleeves slightly, revealing his fair and well-defined wrists, where bite marks that had not yet completely faded were still faintly visible.

He carefully wiped his wrists with disinfectant wipes. Seeing that Ning Jiu was unmoved, he pulled open his collar, revealing his striking features. His deep-colored pupils stared at her quietly, his tone calm.

“You can do whatever you want with me, just don’t ignore me,” he said. “Ning Jiu, I can’t stand it.”

......

Ning Jiu suddenly realized that Qiao Bolin didn't really think he was wrong.

He was clearly enjoying her punishment.

This realization stunned her for a moment.

The bus had already arrived, and she neither had the time nor the energy to discuss these matters with him any further.

She didn't say anything, but stood up, and Qiao Bolin stood up as well.

His tall figure was cut into two contrasting colors by the light and shadow. He subconsciously wanted to help Ning Jiu with her schoolbag, but the girl picked it up and carried it first.

Qiao Bolin's hand missed its target.

During the few seconds of suspended animation, his heart felt like it was being squeezed by a vacuum. He blinked almost slowly, like a nocturnal animal adapting to the light, and Ning Jiu's voice reached his ears.

See you Monday.

She chose to deliberately avoid the topic that had created a momentary silence, even though both of them knew the problem remained unresolved.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Bailin heard his own voice, falling into the endless night along with hers.

See you Monday.

-

The promised Monday meeting turned into a week-long shutdown. Due to the CMO National Finals being held next week, Qiao Bolin, as a key player being groomed by the provincial team, was temporarily called to a closed training base for unified training, his mobile phone was confiscated, and he was cut off from all contact with the outside world.

"Who would have thought that Berlin was called away by the provincial team for seclusion this week? We can't contact him on WeChat or anything."

During a break from rehearsing for the opening ceremony of the sports meet, Qi Ruiheng glanced at several boys practicing the 1000-meter race on the track and sighed softly.

“He messaged me before he went to the training base, saying he would come on the day of the sports meet.” Li Mingyuan was resting on the steps, as optimistic as ever, with little worry in his tone. “Don’t worry about him. Even if he doesn’t train for a week, he can still get into the top few. I know him.”

"Old Qin is here! Everyone, line up again!"

"No, no need! Old Qin is holding ice water for us!"

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the teaching building onto the playground, making the ground scorching hot. Under the students' watchful eyes, Lao Qin carried over a bag of paper cups of iced water as if shouldering a heavy responsibility, handing one to each student. He explained that everyone had worked hard during rehearsals, so he had ordered takeout to deliver the water.

The boys cheered "Long live!" while the girls chatted by the exercise equipment. The atmosphere in the class was like a freshly opened bottle of soda, bubbling and crackling, more cheerful and lively than ever before.

Li Mingyuan rushed over and grabbed four bottles, handing them to Qi Ruiheng and Gao Hexin in order of the line. When it was Ning Jiu's turn in the middle, he nudged her with his arm.

"Sister Jiu, your face is so red, are you alright?"

"It's okay," Ning Jiu took a sip of ice water, and the feeling of exhaustion instantly improved a lot. "My skin is like this, it gets red as soon as it gets in the sun."

Li Mingyuan looked surprised, as if he had never heard of such a skin type before: "Really? Does your skin also turn red when the wind blows in winter?"

Gao Hexin was discussing with Chen Poyao whether they should switch seats when she heard Li Mingyuan asking all sorts of questions. She couldn't help but flick him on the forehead with her finger.

Why are you being so nosy?

On the day of the sports meet, the weather seemed to respond to the students' call. The sky was clear and the sun was bright and clean. Thin clouds hung high in the sky, and even the wind was refreshing.

A red carpet was laid out in the center of the playground, the sunlight making the flags shine brightly. After all the classes finished their opening ceremony performances, it was time for the judging. The judges were clearly very impressed with Class 8, and their performance was indeed excellent, so they gave them almost a perfect score. Old Qin smiled so broadly that wrinkles appeared on his face, and the small square formation where Class 8 was sitting instantly erupted in excited cheers.

Ning Jiu hadn't signed up for any sports events, so there was probably nothing for her to do next. She covered her cheeks, which were burning from the sun, and as she stood up and turned around, she bumped into a hot chest.

The tall boy wasn't wearing his class uniform, but rather a dark gray hooded sweatshirt with the hood half-pulled back. A gentle breeze ruffled some of his stray hairs, and his back was ramrod straight, making him stand out even in the densely packed viewing area.

His long, slender fingers caught her shoulder just in time, then withdrew just as well, the pleasant sandalwood scent fading away in an instant.

Half of his face was hidden by his hoodie, but even from a distance of only inches, she could see that the corners of his mouth seemed to curve slightly, and his eye bags bulged out a little. His originally aloof demeanor instantly melted away.

"Qiao Bolin, you're back?" Someone behind them immediately noticed the commotion, and Dong Yi's delighted voice drew everyone's attention to Qiao Bolin and Ning Jiu. "Old Qin was just asking, your project is right after the opening ceremony."

Qiao Bolin responded, but his gaze remained fixed on Ning Jiu, and he lowered his voice to ask her.

"Your face is so red, are you feeling unwell?"

Dong Yi followed Qiao Bolin's gaze to the girl, a look of surprise flashing across her face.

Although neither of them made any explicit statements last Friday, and Tao Qingqing didn't take any further action, Ning Jiu's opinion is that her relationship with Qiao Bolin has been in a delicate phase since the midterm exams.

His way of thinking in some aspects deviated somewhat from her imagination. She could vaguely sense that beneath his calm exterior lay an almost intense emotion.

Once that emotion surfaced, she hadn't figured out how to deal with it.

"No, I just forgot to apply sunscreen. I'll go back and reapply it now," she said, taking a step back to restore a proper distance between them. "Get ready for the competition, good luck."

As Qiao Bolin watched the girl walk past him and leave, the smile on his lips returned to its straight state.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, Ning Jiu was already in a bad mood, and when she came out of the classroom, she happened to run into Wen Yi's annoying smile.

"Oh, I thought my sister was really in love," he said, leaning lazily against the corridor wall in his red and white class uniform, clearly having witnessed the scene. "Someone like him, no matter how well he disguises his polite exterior, is still a shrewd, calculating person at heart—"

There was no sarcasm in his tone; it was as natural as when the two of them used to whisper secrets together under the liquor cabinet when they were children.

"Do you really think he doesn't know how to hide his feelings for you? The way he's acting now is just a blatant attempt to show others that he's already included you in his territory."

Ning Jiu listened quietly as Yi finished speaking, then suddenly chuckled softly.

"You're quite accurate," he said, his tone revealing no emotion, "the air of a strategist in a superior position..."

She changed the subject.

"Does that also refer to you and Ke Shini?"

A precise counterattack.

In an instant, the smile on Wen Yi's lips seemed to be swept away by a cold wind, freezing on his face.

"Wen Yi, has it been too long since we had a proper talk? Have you forgotten that I'm not someone to be trifled with?" Ning Jiu's tone was gentler, but her eyes were calm and clear, without a trace of a smile. "There are some things I don't say out of respect for you. No matter what kind of agreement you and Ke Shini reached, how she promised to help you, or what conditions you have to pay, none of that has anything to do with me."

"I don't care about your business, and you shouldn't interfere in mine."

The air seemed to be sucked out for a moment, and after she spoke, no one else spoke.

Ning Jiu naturally assumed that Wen Yi understood, and was about to go downstairs when she was suddenly told by him from behind.

"Who do you hope will win the relay race this afternoon, me or him?"

A nonsensical and childish question.

She frowned and turned to look at him: "Isn't the relay race divided by grade level?"

“The exception is mixed-gender,” Wen Yi repeated the question from before, “Who do you hope will win, me or him?”

The girl was only stunned for a moment before a beautiful, bright smile spread across her face.

Her voice was soft and gentle, like a feather falling in the wind, echoing along the stairwell, only to be carried away by the receding footsteps, so faint as to be almost impossible to grasp.

Wen Yi heard her say that.

I fucking hope neither of you wins.

-

When Ning Jiu came downstairs, she ran into Qiao Bolin and Qiu Xu, who had just finished running 1000 meters.

Qiao Bolin had changed into a lighter T-shirt, and the two were wiping their sweat with towels. When Qiu Xu saw her, he raised his chin and greeted her with a smile.

She nodded slightly in response, then looked at Qiao Bolin, but couldn't discern anything from his face.

Ning Jiu asked, "When did you finish the match?"

"Ten minutes ago."

Qiu Xu had just moved his lips when Qiao Bolin spoke first.

He looked up at me, his eyes clear and bright, his voice still hoarse from running, the last syllable of his voice tingling as it brushed against my ear.

“They’ve ordered a lot of takeout over there. Gao Hexin just asked you where you are.”

It must just be a coincidence, Ning Jiu thought.

Qiao Bolin's tone was fine. Besides, the first and third floors of the same teaching building are so far apart, how could he have heard what he and Wen Yi were saying?

Thinking this way, she felt a little relieved, chatted for a few minutes, and then returned to the playground.

The sports meet was in the middle of the men's and women's beanbag throwing competition. Chen Poyao threw the beanbag with great accuracy and speed. His forearm swung in an arc with the wind, and the beanbag drew a beautiful parabola in the air. When it landed, it raised a small cloud of dust, and cheers immediately rang out from the surrounding area.

"Yaoyao, well done!"

"She's got it! She threw it farther than a lot of guys, hahaha!"

Gao Hexin was watching the game while munching on his newly ordered chicken cutlet lunchbox in the shadows, playing with some people from the next class. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ning Jiu, took a big gulp of bubble tea, and said to Li Mingyuan next to him.

"The sweet wine is here. Quickly give her a cup of the milk tea she ordered earlier."

Li Mingyuan dragged Ning Jiu along to play in the turtle soup. She took the milk tea and felt someone next to her stiffen for a moment.

Turning around, I saw Tao Qingqing, whom I hadn't seen for a week.

“Let’s continue,” Gao Hexin asked Song Yunhe, who had posed the question, “'After a plane crash, the sole survivor was sentenced to death…'”

"He was the pilot?"

Song Yunhe: No.

Gao Hexin continued, "Then is he a staff member?"

"Yes and no."

"Was he a victim of this accident?" Ning Jiu suddenly asked.

Song Yunhe's gaze shifted to her: "No."

The answer is obvious.

Ning Jiu asked, "Was it a terrorist who deliberately infiltrated the staff, caused an accident, jumped out of the pod, and escaped, that's how he survived?"

"......right."

Song Yunhe was a little caught off guard because someone had guessed it so quickly, but she quickly adjusted her mindset.

“Sometimes, those who appear to be survivors are actually the perpetrators of the entire tragedy,” she said, explaining her thought process behind the question. “When I first saw this question, I felt a sense of irony, so I wrote it down—”

Before she could finish speaking, Tao Qingqing suddenly stood up, and Song Yunhe looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Qingqing, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just need some fresh air."

Sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls don't know how to hide their emotions. Ning Jiu could clearly feel that Tao Qingqing glared at her fiercely before leaving, her eyes like a burning spark, bright and somewhat amusing.

She suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, how did your 1000-meter time go this morning?"

“Qiao Bolin and Yuan Qi are tied for first place,” Gao Hexin put down her milk tea and went to find the tomato-flavored yam chips that were placed aside. “It’s true that the gap between people is so big. The person who was first in the arts and sciences in the semester is also first in the running. Sigh.”

“Actually, I feel that Qiao Bolin held back,” Song Yunhe said, her tone very objective. “I just watched the whole thing and found that he didn’t use his full strength in the final sprint.”

"Oh, really?" Gao Hexin hadn't observed that closely. "Then why was he holding back his strength?"

"It's for the relay race this afternoon," Qi Ruiheng said casually after throwing the sandbag and walking to the shade to wipe his sweat with a towel. "The mixed relay team this afternoon has a strong opponent."

Ning Jiu initially thought Qi Ruiheng was being modest, but once the mixed relay started, she realized that the actual situation was much more intense than he had described.

In the last race of the afternoon, the mixed relay officially started. Class 8 had a bad start. Although the first and second runners tried to keep up, the opponents were too strong. In particular, the students from several first-year classes had amazing starting explosive power. After only two legs, the distance was widened to nearly ten meters.

Several students from Class 8 couldn't sit still any longer. They pulled their friends to stand up and watch, and some even went around to the finish line to get a better view. Ning Jiu was also pulled up by Gao Hexin and squeezed into the crowd outside the finish line.

Although Ning Jiu spoke casually to Wen Yi at noon, she still hoped that her class could win.

Cheers surged from all sides of the stands like a tidal wave, the boys cheering enthusiastically for their respective classes, their eyes fixed on the battle of Class 8.

Chen Poyao was the third runner for Class 8.

Her speed wasn't weak to begin with, but she was at a disadvantage when receiving the baton, which was already a bit of a mental hurdle.

The girl running on the right side would make some subtle, rule-breaking movements, deliberately slowing down a bit before the handover zone to compress the space. She was forced to move to the other side, and her breathing became irregular.

Chen Poyao caught a glimpse of Qiao Bolin, the last runner, in her peripheral vision, gritted her teeth, and rushed into the handover zone.

His hand, with its distinct knuckles, opened slightly in the air, and almost the next second, with a snap of his fingers, he cleanly and neatly grasped the baton, without a single unnecessary movement.

In the brief moment their palms met, their temperatures mingled, and Joe Bolin turned and ran towards the finish line—

Youth should always have moments that are forever captured.

The wind brushed against the side of his sharply defined face, and his hair flew backward as he ran, creating a smooth, flowing line close to the air.

He leaned forward slightly, his clothes billowing up to reveal his taut, bowstring-like muscles.

Fifth place, fourth place, third place...

Suddenly, the entire stadium was ignited. In just a few seconds, everyone's eyes were focused on the dazzling young man on the third track, and even the cheers around them seemed to slow down.

In the last fifty meters, he was running alongside Wen Yi, who was in first place. Wen Yi accelerated, and Wen Yi caught up.

Just before reaching the finish line, Qiao Bailin leaned forward suddenly, his front foot stepping onto the line first.

The whistle blew.

It's unclear who uttered the first shout, but the name of Class 8, Grade 11 was shouted louder and louder afterward.

The boys' high-spirited cheers, mingling with the sound of the wind, filled the entire playground with excitement.

The next instant, the noise seemed to be silenced by some invisible force.

Still breathless from running, Qiao Bolin barely hesitated when he saw that familiar figure outside the perimeter line. He swerved, bent down, and crossed the line.

In the blink of an eye, Ning Jiu heard a series of soft gasps all around her.

He casually brushed the sweat from his forehead, revealing his striking features. His forearms were taut, and the clearly defined veins throbbed vigorously in the sunlight.

The moment I landed on him, the familiar scent of sandalwood, mixed with the lingering heat from running, swept over me.

His cheek brushed against her collarbone, deliberately avoiding the sweaty skin on her forehead. The bridge of her nose was clearly felt, and her fine breaths were so close they seemed to be pressed against her skin. The scalding heat of her breath hit her, making his fingertips tremble slightly.

He actually buried his face in the crook of her neck in front of everyone.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Little Qiao's little secret is about to be revealed! [Heart emoji]

The next chapter will explain Berlin's motivation for doing this.