Chapter 48 Running Towards Her [VIP]

Chapter Summary: As long as you wait for me at the finish line, that's enough.

Almost all the teachers and students were on the playground for the sports meet, so the road to the cafeteria was very quiet.

The shade of the trees blocked most of the sunlight, and Song Yaoge and Fu Xianyin walked side by side.

The overly quiet atmosphere made Fu Xianyin slightly uncomfortable.

She was actually very curious about what Song Yaoge would say to her.

Since transferring to Beichuan No.1 Middle School, Fu Xianyin carefully recalled her interactions with Song Yaoge. There weren't many, but most of them were unpleasant.

There were still some fallen leaves underfoot, crunching as you stepped on them.

Fu Xianyin was really bored, so she started stepping on the fallen leaves one by one.

With a rather loud "crack," Fu Xianyin heard a sentence

"sorry."

She stopped and looked at Song Yaoge with some confusion.

The latter, head bowed and biting her lip, seemed to have mustered a great deal of courage, then looked up at Fu Xianyin and said another sentence:

"Fu Xianyin, I apologize to you."

"sorry."

This apology came rather abruptly for Fu Xianyin.

So she asked, "Why?"

With a snap, Song Yaoge crushed a fallen leaf under her foot.

She took a deep breath and said, "You know what, Fu Xianyin, I really envy you."

It seemed that the most difficult beginning was over. Song Yaoge was no longer timid and nervous. She looked at Fu Xianyin and even smiled.

She said, "I envied you when you first transferred here. You can sit next to Gu Linzhao. I've liked Gu Linzhao for two years. I chose science because of him. I really want to sit next to him. Every time the teacher changes the seating arrangement, I secretly pray that she can put me and Gu Linzhao next to each other."

"But you've only just transferred here, and you'll be sitting next to Gu Linzhao. He's the class monitor, and he'll help you get acquainted with everything here, so you'll naturally become familiar with each other."

Fu Xianyin said, "So you wronged me that time in PE class."

Song Yaoge said, "I'm sorry, I know you didn't mean it, but at the time... I was really blinded by jealousy, and I just wanted to attract Gu Linzhao's attention."

Her gaze fell on Fu Xianyin's knee, and she said, "Really, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were hurt much worse than me. I actually regretted it as soon as I saw your knee was scraped, but I..."

She didn't continue, but Fu Xianyin understood what she was trying to say.

Song Yaoge continued, "And for the cultural performance, I also want to apologize to you. I was the one who replaced your microphone, and it was also wrong of me to target you afterwards."

With a weight lifted from her heart, Song Yaoge felt much lighter.

She looked at Fu Xianyin and said sincerely, "Fu Xianyin, I really envy you."

“When you were sitting next to Gu Linzhao, I often looked over here, and you were studying almost every time. I was wondering how many points you could get on the test if you studied every day, but you got 692 on the monthly exam. I thought to myself, you are really smart, I am so envious of you.”

"I envy your good looks, I envy your intelligence, I envy that you can easily win the heart of the boy I like without making any effort."

like?

Fu Xianyin frowned, about to say no, when Song Yaoge interrupted her: "Do you want to deny it? But I'm sure Gu Linzhao likes you."

Fu Xianyin was amused and said, "How can you be so sure?"

Song Yaoge said, "Because I have a crush on Gu Linzhao, I know all too well what it's like to have a crush."

Fu Xianyin stopped arguing with Song Yaoge about whether Gu Linzhao liked her.

She felt a mix of emotions.

She had thought Song Yaoge was just envious of her good relationship with Gu Linzhao, but she didn't expect her to list so many things.

Fu Xianyin suddenly thought of what Chen Nianke and Wu Jiacheng had said:

"She did nothing, yet she had everything."

So, this is how she is seen by others?

Fu Xianyin suddenly didn't know whether she should cry or laugh.

She was a bit taller than Song Yaoge, and when she lowered her eyes, they could meet.

Song Yaoge's eyes were bright and clear.

Looking into those eyes, Fu Xianyin suddenly thought of Gu Linzhao.

Song Yaoge said, "My apology to you and whether you forgive me are two different things. It's normal that you don't want to forgive me for what I did wrong. I just want you to know that I want to apologize to you. I'm not forcing you to forgive me."

She said, "It's okay if you don't forgive me, I won't do it again."

Fu Xianyin suddenly interrupted her: "I forgive you."

Song Yaoge's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Really? You don't blame me anymore? Are you willing to forgive me?"

Fu Xianyin nodded and said, "Really."

Song Yaoge smiled and said, "That's great. During the time I was in training camp, I thought about everything and then I started thinking about how to apologize to you. It's strange, but I really wanted to be desk mates with Gu Linzhao before. I always felt that Gu Linzhao was nice to you and that you two were close because you were desk mates."

"But when I actually sat next to Gu Linzhao, I realized that it wasn't like that at all."

“I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to ask him questions, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying.”

“I was extremely sad at that time because I finally realized that Gu Linzhao didn’t like me, and it had nothing to do with any reason.”

"He doesn't like me, simply because he doesn't like me."

Fu Xianyin said, "So you finally decided to go to the training camp?"

Song Yaoge nodded: "Yes, I've decided to go to the training camp and I've also decided to change classes. Science is too difficult for me. I used to be chasing after Gu Linzhao, but I can't chase after Gu Linzhao forever. I also need to make plans for myself."

She sighed and said, "But despite what I've said, the moment I saw Gu Linzhao today, I realized that I still like him."

“It won’t be that fast,” Fu Xianyin said. “Emotion and reason are separate. Reason can be withdrawn quickly, but emotion cannot be severed in a short time.”

Song Yaoge laughed and said, "It's so strange. When I first met you, I never imagined that one day I would say these things to you, and that you would comfort me."

Fu Xianyin also curved the corners of her mouth into a smile.

Yes, who would have thought that Song Yaoge would envy her?

Having her thoughts revealed, Song Yaoge seemed much more lively. She said, "Are you going to buy milk tea? I'm going to talk to Sister Gao about transferring classes. I just apologized to you, so I'm going to talk to Sister Gao while I'm still feeling this way. I probably won't dare to do it if I wait too long."

She turned around, smiled, and said to Fu Xianyin, "Bye-bye."

Fu Xianyin waved to her as well.

The oversized school uniform wrapped around her slender body as she ran towards the noisy crowd.

Fu Xianyin watched Song Yaoge's figure gradually disappear into the distance until it merged into the crowd and could no longer be recognized.

She turned around and walked towards the quiet distance ahead.

She never expected that Song Yaoge would apologize to her.

Just like last week at the coffee shop, Fu Xianyin never expected that Gu Linzhao would bring up the conflict between the two of them in front of the dress shop.

She suddenly realized that Song Yaoge and Gu Linzhao were the same kind of people.

They both grew up in happy families and were surrounded by love.

They are frank, passionate, unrestrained, and courageous.

They are not afraid to face embarrassment, nor do they avoid mentioning unpleasant things.

But she was different.

She is hypocritical, cold, cowardly, and timid.

She has always been running away, never daring to face it directly.

She didn't even dare to tell Song Yaoge that she was actually envious of her.

She even...

I dare not face my own heart.

It wasn't until they returned to the stands that Fu Xianyin suddenly realized she hadn't asked Song Yaoge a question.

What sport did Gu Linzhao actually sign up for?

This matter was like the Sword of Damocles, hanging over Fu Xianyin's head.

She glanced at Lin Anxu, hesitating whether to ask, but then felt that it was already this late, and it would be too strange to ask now, so she decided to just wait for the check-in.

In the morning, only Chen Nianke had the long jump. Fu Xianyin and Cheng Zhaozhao went to the sidelines to take photos and videos to cheer Chen Nianke on. Chen Nianke also happened to make it to the finals and ended up in fifth place.

"Great, great!"

Fu Xianyin praised her while handing her water, saying, "Then we'll be fine today, right?"

Cheng Zhaozhao, Lin Anxu, and their projects are all scheduled for tomorrow.

As soon as Fu Xianyin finished speaking, Cheng Zhaozhao and Chen Nianke turned around and said in unison, "Gu Linzhao's project is this afternoon."

Cheng Zhaozhao asked suspiciously, "Didn't he tell you the 3000-meter race was in the afternoon?"

Fu Xianyin shook her head, thinking to herself, "So Gu Linzhao signed up for the 3,000-meter race."

That's awesome.

Chen Nianke offered a bad idea: "If he doesn't tell you, just pretend you don't know anything, and don't bring him water later."

Fu Xianyin's eyes darted around, and she smiled, saying, "Good idea."

Good ideas can't keep up with changes.

In the afternoon, when the loudspeaker called for the 3,000-meter athletes to check in, Fu Xianyin caught a glimpse of Gu Linzhao getting up to leave.

She quickly took out her phone, pretending to be engrossed in scrolling through it and not hearing anything.

However, things did not go as planned.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over my vision, and a familiar scent filled my nostrils.

Fu Xianyin reluctantly looked up and happened to see Gu Linzhao's ambiguous smile.

"Pretend you didn't hear me?"

Fu Xianyin pouted: "You didn't tell me what kind of project it was."

Gu Linzhao sighed, then laughed and cursed, "You're really heartless."

"I've been your sparring partner every day, and you won't even bring me a bottle of water?"

Fu Xianyin knew she was in the wrong, so she remained silent.

Gu Linzhao bent over, his hands supporting his knees, and just looked at her.

After offering your heart away for so long, you still want someone to touch it.

For a long time, Fu Xianyin didn't say a word.

never mind.

If you don't want to touch it, then don't.

Gu Linzhao straightened up, gave a helpless smile, and suddenly, someone grabbed the sleeve of his school uniform.

He looked down and saw Fu Xianyin's fair fingers pinching a section of his school uniform sleeve.

"Are you really planning to run three kilometers in your school uniform?"

Fu Xianyin looked up, but her fingers remained clenched on his school uniform sleeve.

Gu Linzhao raised his hand, unzipped his jacket, took off his school uniform, revealing a black T-shirt underneath.

The collarbone was just visible, and the black T-shirt made her skin look even whiter.

Fu Xianyin looked up at that delicate collarbone and suddenly instinctively hugged the thing in her hand tighter.

By the time she realized what she was holding, it was too late.

She was holding Gu Linzhao's school uniform tightly in her arms.

Never mind, let's leave it at that.

Fu Xianyin stood up, holding Gu Linzhao's clothes, and was about to leave when she suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned around and asked Gu Linzhao, "What would you like to drink after your run? I'll bring it to you."

That heart was not only touched, but also lifted up and held in someone's arms.

Even if it's just for a moment.

But Gu Linzhao felt that it wouldn't just be a moment.

There will be many, many more times in the future.

He said:

"Mango pomelo sago, with crunchy pops."

Fu Xianyin said, "You just finished running and you're drinking mango pomelo sago? Don't you think it'll hurt your throat?"

Gu Linzhao said nonchalantly, "Then you can drink something else, whatever you like."

He looked at Fu Xianyin and said:

"Just wait for me at the finish line."

As long as you're waiting for me.

Even if you don't bring anything.

After saying that, Gu Linzhao went to check in.

Fu Xianyin was left alone on the spot, watching Gu Linzhao's retreating figure, still holding his school uniform in her hand, and chuckled softly:

Do you know what you're saying?

It really is.

The playground of Beichuan No.1 Middle School is 400 meters long, so 3,000 meters means you have to run seven and a half laps.

It's a number that even Fu Xianyin finds daunting.

She dragged Chen Nianke and Cheng Zhaozhao to the convenience store to buy drinks. When they came out, they were carrying a full bag, with everything from water to sports drinks to mango pomelo sago.

Fu Xianyin even took a small pack of tissues before leaving the house.

Cheng Zhaozhao stared at the overflowing plastic bags and the school uniform in Fu Xianyin's hand, clicking her tongue in disapproval for a long time:

"Does Gu Linzhao have to be so delicate? It's just a project, why are you buying him so many things?"

Fu Xianyin subconsciously denied it: "It wasn't his request, I wanted to buy it myself."

Chen Nianke gave Fu Xianyin a meaningful look: "Oh, so you've already started talking to him?"

Fu Xianyin: ...

She shut her mouth, while the two people next to her laughed even more wildly.

Fu Xianyin was a bit overwhelmed.

How did things get to this point?

Everything was fine yesterday.

After Cheng Zhaozhao finished laughing, she asked, "By the way, Yinyin, what did Song Yaoge say to you when she came to see you earlier?"

Fu Xianyin said, "She didn't say anything. She apologized to me and said that it was wrong of her to target me before."

Cheng Zhaozhao stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as if she had heard something incredible: "Her? Song Yaoge? Apologize to you? Has she lost her mind?!"

Chen Nianke wasn't too surprised by this. She patted Cheng Zhaozhao on the shoulder and said, "Relax, I told you before that Song Yaoge is a good person. She's just a spoiled young lady, but she's quite cute sometimes."

The three of them went back to class as they talked. The 3,000-meter race check-in was already completed. More than 20 boys gathered at the starting line, but Fu Xianyin was able to pick out Gu Linzhao from the crowd at a glance.

He was tall and stood out among the crowd. His fair neck was visible through his black T-shirt, above which was the boy's beautifully shaped occipital bone.

Seemingly noticing the gaze, Gu Linzhao turned his head.

Fu Xianyin gave him a thumbs-up.

With a bang, the starting gun fired, and a group of people rushed out in a frenzy.

Gu Linzhao was not fast. For the first three laps, he maintained a position slightly ahead of the middle of the group and did not speed up, just running at a steady pace.

His running posture is very graceful. Because he is tall and has long legs, he can take long strides and his body does not sway exaggeratedly.

Gu Linzhao only started to accelerate on the fourth lap.

Most people had exhausted their energy by the fourth lap, and their speed gradually decreased. Gu Linzhao overtook several people in succession with almost no effort.

By the fifth lap, Gu Linzhao had reached the front of the pack.

On the sixth lap, Gu Linzhao successfully looped the last person in the circle.

The seventh lap.

Nearly half of the people were too tired to run; they either walked very slowly or simply walked.

Those who could run did so with gritted teeth and desperate perseverance.

Gu Linzhao, however, showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. His speed did not decrease at all, and he even seemed to be accelerating.

Fu Xianyin heard deafening cheers all around her:

"Go Zhao Ge!"

"Go, Brother Zhao!"

"Go Gu Linzhao! Go Gu Linzhao!"

"Good luck, senior!"

She couldn't help but shout along twice.

The voices were mixed in with the crowd, and even Fu Xianyin could hardly distinguish her own voice.

But she saw Gu Linzhao on the track glance in her direction.

A murmur arose among those around them:

"Ahhh, look! Did Gu Linzhao just look this way?"

"Who are you looking at? Why are you suddenly looking this way?"

"I don't know, I just glanced at it."

"It's definitely not something I just glanced at..."

One last lap.

Some daring girls had already brought water and were standing at the finish line. At first, there were only one or two, but later there were more and more.

Lin Anxu said excitedly, "Let's go, let's go, let's hurry to the finish line and wait for Brother Zhao."

Fu Xianyin, carrying Gu Linzhao's clothes, water, and drinks, was led by the crowd towards the finish line.

There were quite a few people at the finish line, both men and women. Fu Xianyin didn't squeeze to the very front; through the surging crowd, she saw Gu Linzhao running towards her.

It's strange, really.

They were clearly so far apart, and there were so many people between them.

But in that instant, a thought flashed through Fu Xianyin's mind.

Gu Linzhao was running towards her.

The three-kilometer run was long and tedious, but he still finished it.

It's heading towards the finish line where she is.

It's only heading towards the finish line where she is.

The sound of the wind carrying cheers reached her ears.

It's strange, even though it's such a noisy playground, Fu Xianyin can clearly hear her own heart racing.

This is Gu Linzhao.

It was all for Gu Linzhao.

Loud cheers erupted in her ears.

She heard Lin Anxu roaring, "Brother Zhao is awesome! Brother Zhao is amazing!"

She stood still, while the crowd surged forward around her like waves crashing against her.

But the boy walked against the current and stood before her.

His hair was still damp with sweat, and his breathing had become more rapid.

He smiled, his eyes gleaming with a subtle light.

He said:

"So obedient! You really waited for me at the finish line."