No reunion after a long separation
After the Chinese class, the grade leader, Lao Xu, turned on the loudspeaker and notified all first-year high school students to immediately take their positions at the designated locations.
September's weather was perfect, a bit cool but still carrying the heat of summer—ideal time for group running exercises. It had just rained, and red lines marked the muddy natural grass, separating it from the outer running track. A banner hung on the wall behind the platform: H City University Football League. A temporary shed had been erected beside the football field for the athletes to rest. Teams in blue and white jerseys walked to the center of the field and bowed to each other at the referee's instruction.
Chen Xiaojing stood at the end of the Class 3 line with a resentful look. She had never liked any sports, especially running, and a few months ago, she had to retake the endurance tests in the high school entrance exam and didn't even get full marks. "Hey! Xiaojing!" Zhou Chenjin slipped over to her side while A-Qiu wasn't looking. "Look over there, he's here." Chen Xiaojing looked in the direction Zhou Chenjin was pointing. It was probably the boy in the middle of the group of boys in blue jerseys. From a distance, it was clear that among his eighteen-year-old peers, Fu Huanian had a relatively good physique, standing at about 1.8 meters tall, making him neither too tall nor too short in the crowd.
"It's too far. I'll point it out to you when we get closer." Zhou Chenjin was extremely excited. "Follow me."
The radio station started playing music, the formation began to move, and the competition on the field commenced. The crowd began to stir; compared to the monotonous running exercises, intense sports like football were far more likely to capture the attention of students in this era.
As Class Three's group approached Fu Huanian, Chen Xiaojing, who was used to writing about male protagonists in campus novels, could immediately see the shining points in Fu Huanian. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, a time of great exuberance, his appearance was already largely set, enough to make one imagine what he would look like in the future.
His deep-set eyes seemed to hold the stars and the sea. Unlike the domineering young CEOs described in novels, Fu Huanian possessed a gentle temperament, even as refreshing as a breeze and the bright moon.
Zhou Chenjin has always been demanding of men. The only reason a man could attract her was because he was so stunning on the outside. She wondered how perfect he was on the inside.
"Isn't he handsome!" Zhou Chenjin was panting heavily, but fortunately, Aqiu wasn't nearby and didn't hear their conversation.
The football match was divided into two halves, with each half lasting an average of fifteen minutes. After the morning exercises, an announcement was made to all students that they had free time, and they ran to the cafeteria faster than rabbits.
"Come on, come with me to buy some dinner." To avoid arousing suspicion, Zhou Chenjin pulled Chen Xiaojing along to the cafeteria. "You buy whatever you want to eat, and I'll get one for Huanian."
...
Chen Xiaojing ruthlessly exposed her: "But they eat for free, it's not worth it for you to spend this money just for him." Zhou Chenjin is usually very frugal, and she can always manage to spend every last penny of money in her card, not a penny more or less. Now she is actually willing to buy an extra dinner for a man.
Hmph, a woman who forgets her friends for the sake of a pretty face... Chen Xiaojing could only pitifully buy a sandwich and follow Zhou Chenjin to eat it.
There weren't many people on the playground. A few physical education students, shirtless, lined up and warming up by running laps, passed by them, but they selectively ignored them—after all, the competition on the field was in full swing.
Fu Huanian, playing as a striker, successfully passed the ball to his teammates with a few beautiful side passes. In just a few minutes, he had already taken control of the game.
There were many students watching the game from the sidelines, and Zhou Chenjin and Chen Xiaojing didn't stand out among them. Both of them possessed an unusual beauty, attracting attention as they stood on the track. "Hey, little girls from Z High School?" A boy in a white jersey sat on a makeshift bench changing his soccer shoes. "Those from Z High School have a better aura than us. I bet they're completely without makeup, so gentle and refined."
The white jerseys bear the name of the 59th Vocational High School. There are significant differences in the educational level in H City. After the high school entrance examination, vocational school students are also divided into different grades. The 59th Vocational High School is the worst among them, and is jokingly referred to by high school entrance examination candidates as having a "birth rate higher than its college entrance rate".
Zhou Chenjin and Chen Xiaojing ducked back a bit. Before many people noticed them, a soccer ball was kicked at incredible speed, as if it were an outpouring of pent-up anger. When they looked up to find where the ball had come from, Fu Huanian was standing a dozen meters away, his shoes still covered in mud from kicking the ball.
The referee on the sidelines waved the red flag, signaling the end of the match.
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