Chapter 31
Someone came into the equipment room, and the two of them didn't stay there any longer.
Guan Nan held the coat, which Jiang Li had just given her, as if to tell her to go and return it.
"·····"
I borrowed these clothes to help her.
Guan Nan waited silently for him to tie his shoelaces.
"Should we wash it before giving it back to him?" Guan Nan saw him get up and take it back, feeling that it was inappropriate to just return it like that.
Jiang Li said slowly, "No need."
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
"No." Jiang Li said casually, as if it were nothing to worry about.
"·····"
The equipment room and gymnasium are close to each other. Turn right and you'll find the school's back gate, where there are several fast food restaurants and convenience stores.
Jiang Li went to buy water and didn't make her wait for him, nor did he give her his school uniform.
The two parted ways, and Guan Nan stared at the road beneath her feet, dawdling.
The next second, a voice came from behind: "Guan Nan".
Guan Nan subconsciously turned her head and saw him with one hand in his pocket and the other hand holding his school uniform jacket.
He still has that carefree and cynical attitude.
Jiang Li: "Do you remember?"
"What?" Guan Nan was puzzled by the abrupt and seemingly unrelated question.
He smiled and tilted his head, "Us."
"·····"
us?
What are we?
Guan Nan looked at him without saying anything.
Then, Jiang Li's lips moved silently, he waved his hand, turned around and walked forward.
When Guan Nan arrived at the stadium, she racked her brains but still couldn't figure out what Jiang Li had said, feeling both distressed and depressed.
Just as she was about to go in, she heard Lin Rui ask from inside, "What's going on with your class monitor?"
“She’s been isolated.” Yu Shu bounced the ball. “Chen Aimei led the way in isolating her.”
Guan Nan was used to being talked about, but when she heard them say these things, her first reaction was not anger, but nervousness about whether Jiang Li knew about it too.
If so, then her embarrassment was once again laid bare before him.
"Damn it, I'm so unlucky!" Lin Rui cursed. "Luckily, I still have some principles and bottom line, I don't hit women."
Knowing his nature, Yu Shu added with a smile, "Otherwise, I would have beaten her so badly that even her own mother wouldn't recognize her."
"Isn't anyone in your class in charge?"
"How can we interfere with what girls do? Not everyone is Xie Shuwan. Besides, it's just isolation, not a big deal, so it doesn't count as school bullying."
"It will be too late by the time you take action. Your class monitor is a typical good girl."
Yu Shu laughed: "With Jiang Li around, it won't be that bad."
It was at this moment that the ventilation doors of the gymnasium creaked open, slowly but surely. The gymnasium of Fuzhong High School was very large, and the stainless steel doors were old and of high quality, producing a hoarse and rough sound.
The people inside the gymnasium were used to it, not even turning their heads, continuing with their work as usual. Only Guan Nan, despite being a student for a year, rarely came to the gymnasium.
She instinctively turned around to look.
Jiang Li was standing behind her, his school uniform casually draped over his shoulder, holding a bag of drinks and mineral water in one hand, while his right hand was still poised to pat her arm, suspended in mid-air.
That hand, it seemed about to fall but couldn't.
When their eyes met, Jiang Li was staring at her with his head down, as nonchalant as ever.
His expression was one of unexpected astonishment.
But he had a strong mentality, and the next second his expression returned to normal. He turned his suspended hand and gently tugged at her ponytail.
With this movement, the two were even closer together.
An elbow that brushed against my shoulder unintentionally, a ponytail that swept across my cheek like an electric shock, and the lingering warmth at my ear.
At this moment, all of Guan Nan's senses were amplified infinitely, and she was surrounded by that lingering, faint smell of sea salt.
Unconsciously, her cheeks began to heat up and feel hot, with nowhere to hide.
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice laced with laughter, and casually asked, "What?"
His sudden appearance left Guan Nan bewildered, and she looked up.
The next second, I heard him say in a rather frivolous way, "Wait for me?"
"..." Guan Nan's breath hitched. She shook her head, feigning composure, then nodded after a moment's thought: "Mm."
Jiang Li stared intently at her, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Yes or no?"
Guan Nan whispered, "...Yes."
Seeing her reddened earlobes, he suddenly felt like laughing. He turned his head and coughed lightly, intending to suppress the laughter, but it unexpectedly escaped his throat.
He couldn't help but laugh.
Guan Nan looked embarrassed: "Stop laughing."
"Okay," Jiang Li said.
He couldn't hold it in for more than two seconds before bursting out laughing again.
"......"
The other person's interpersonal skills were no worse than hers.
Guan Nan looked embarrassed and tugged at his sleeve: "Stop laughing."
The laughter wasn't too quiet, and it unexpectedly attracted the attention of two people who were dribbling a ball not far away. Yu Shu saw that the two of them were acting like madmen, pretending to throw the ball at him.
"What are you doing?" Yu Shu dribbled the ball with both hands. "Are you crazy?"
Jiang Li's smile remained unchanged as he lazily said, "Don't you know whether I'm crazy or not?"
Lin Rui swept the ball over and slammed it down hard, saying, "Hey kid, spring isn't here yet."
Upon understanding this, Yu Shu turned his head and laughed so hard that he leaned on Lin Rui's shoulder and trembled. "Spring...spring...not yet...spring hasn't arrived yet, damn it, Biaozi, you're a fucking genius!"
"Fuck your sister," Lin Rui pushed him away, "You idiot."
Jiang Li receives the ball with his right hand.
Completely confused, Guan Nan was baffled.
With no sign of stopping, Guan Nan felt a sense of unease, as if she might choke. She turned her head away, somewhat annoyed. "Hasn't spring already passed?"
"They're both sick," Jiang Lixiang said without thinking, throwing the ball back at them. "If you're sick, go see a doctor!"
Lin Rui moved aside, the ball hit them and rolled onto the field. "Yes, yes, we're both crazy."
"Sigh, this is crazy," Yu Shu joked. "The patient wants to see forsythia."
"Brother Jiang Li, I want to see forsythia."
"Forsythia, forsythia."
As they talked, the two turned around with their arms around each other's shoulders, humming a song as they walked inside: "What a beautiful forsythia, everyone loves it, what a beautiful forsythia..."
Guan Nan stared blankly as they walked away, the word "oh" she wanted to say to Jiang Li stuck in her throat for a long time.
"Shall we go in?" Jiang Li asked.
“…Go ahead,” Guan Nan said after a two-second silence, pointing to the school uniform jacket draped over his shoulder. “You haven’t returned the clothes yet, and you still have water. Are you going to thank them? I’ll give you money.”
She was too honest and immediately tried to give him money, but Jiang Li knocked her hand away.
He said, "No need."
“Yes, that’s fine,” Guan Nan said, pulling out a wad of cash and handing him a fifty-yuan bill. “Thank you.”
One didn't answer, and one didn't withdraw.
The two remained locked in a stalemate.
A few seconds later, Jiang Li smiled and took a twenty-yuan note from her hand: "Okay, thanks for the treat, class monitor."
Jiang Li put the money into his pocket in front of her, called her in to go in together, and then told her to wait for him at the door. He then carried a bag of drinks and mineral water toward Hei Zi.
Only then did Guan Nan realize that she had been under the scorching sun and was now in a cool place.
This person always exudes thoughtfulness and just the right amount of kindness without even realizing it.
He gave all his drinks to Chuqi. Some people asked him to stay and play ball with them. He pointed in this direction, and the others looked over. They smiled and didn't insist.
Everyone was waving goodbye to her.
Guan Nan looked back and saw that there was no one behind or beside her. She tentatively waved her hand.
Immediately, those people laughed even harder.
Jiang Li walked over and gave her a bottle of yogurt, which was strawberry flavored again.
After a moment of silence, Guan Nan took it, muttering, "She's not a child anymore."
"What?" Jiang Li pulled the tab, and a bubble popped.
Guan Nan mumbled, "I said... thank you."
Jiang Li tilted his head back, took a sip of Sprite, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and the vapor from the bottle slid down the tilted angle and landed on his clothes.
After looking at it for two seconds, Guan Nan awkwardly looked away.
Suddenly, Jiang Li said "Oh".
Before PE class ended, the two returned to the classroom and quietly did their homework and practiced calligraphy.
Looking back, Guan Nan guessed that perhaps it was because he had drunk Sprite that his voice was still low and hoarse with bubbles, and it was sizzling cold.
The weather is gradually getting cooler, and it's already the middle of the month in the blink of an eye.
In the past two weeks, Guan Nan only had one PE class where she was tested on sit-ups. After that, no one played with her, and because she was unable to move around easily, she never practiced again.
One day after class, she happened to run into Qi Yang, who was heading back early to pick up goods at Hecangyuan. He asked her about her recent studies and life.
Guan Nan doesn't like to expose herself to the outside world, and always speaks casually and casually, saying that everything is "okay".
"You participated in the school sports meet?" Qi Yang asked as they walked side by side out of the school gate.
She didn't deliberately hide her participation in the school sports meet from Qi Yang, and in fact, it was impossible to hide it anyway. From the moment she entered Fuzhong High School, the current senior high school teachers and teachers all knew that Qi Yang, the top scorer in the high school entrance examination two years ago, and Guan Nan, the top scorer two years before that, were siblings.
The students' records show that they are from the same city, district, neighborhood, and building – a truly remarkable coincidence.
“Hmm,” Guan Nan hesitated, “I signed up for two projects.”
Qi Yang asked, "Long-distance running?"
“No,” Guan Nan shook his head, “it’s a sprint.”
Hearing her say it was sprinting, Qi Yang was a little puzzled: "You won first place in the long-distance race in the second year of junior high school."
Guan Nan gave a dry laugh: "There are only sprints and sit-ups left."
"So many of your classmates are participating?" Qi Yang turned a corner and went outside. "How's your sit-up routine going?"
Guan Nan followed him out, saying, "It's alright."
"Should we increase the sprint speed?" Qi Yang asked again.
“I tested myself these past few days, and I think I’ve probably been exercising less in the last two years, so I tend to stop running uncontrollably,” Guan Nan recalled the formula Qi Yang had taught her: three steps inhale and three steps exhale. Later, it evolved into holding her breath and running continuously. Once that breath is released, it’s hard to keep running. She objectively stated, “Holding my breath is okay for sprinting, but sit-ups are a bit difficult.”
Qi Yang frowned: "Have you been tested on sprints these past few days?"
“No,” Guan Nan said, “it’s 3000 meters.”
The answer was as expected, and Qi Yang wasn't surprised. He nodded: "Sit-ups are fine; the fitness equipment at Hecangyuan is available. Recently, the community party and mass service center has been showing movies, and adults and children alike have gone there to escape the summer heat."
The implication is that you can rest assured and return to Cangyuan; no one will notice you.
Guan Nan was taken aback, not expecting him to say that: "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Qi Yang said gently and earnestly, "Guan Guan, don't settle for less, you must win first place."
"Hmm." Guan Nan blinked hard.
First.
Always strive to be number one.
Ran Mingju was always happy to see her win first place.
This time, even if she can't see, I hope she can be happy.
That's why she wants to excel in everything and be number one in everything.
Even if she's not a competitive person, has no interest in competition, and doesn't want to stand out or be in the spotlight, so what? What does it matter if she's sad, wronged, or embarrassed?
At the most sensitive age, nothing mattered to her, and nothing mattered to her.
As long as Mom is happy, that's enough.
In recent days, Guan Nan has been heading to Hecangyuan as soon as she gets out of school, and she spends half an hour exercising on the fitness equipment every day.
Until the night before the competition, Guan Nan received a text message.
She picked up her phone and opened it.
Desk mate: [On QQ | QQ.]
After reading the content, Guan Nan had developed muscle memory for browsing the web, and her speed was extremely fast.
The bouncing profile picture alerted her to messages; there were more than one message with each continuous vibration.
jiang: [Coin Chrysanthemum Side.pdf]
jiang: [Coin-shaped design.pdf]
The message box contained photos of both sides of a coin. Guan Nan didn't understand his meaning and replied with a puzzled "?".
jiang: [coin]
Before I could even think about it, I received another message from Jiang Li: [Are you there?]
Guan Nan remembered the coin Jiang Li had dropped on the first day of school.
She placed her schoolbag on the folding bed, rummaged through the pockets on both sides, but couldn't find the coin.
After a while, she found the coin inside her backpack. It had fallen out of her pocket and rolled down the hill while she was running uphill that day. She picked it up, cleaned it, and carefully put it back in the inner pocket.
Although she didn't know what he wanted to do, Guan Nan still replied honestly: 【Yes.】
jiang: [Give it to me.]
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