Chapter 38, No. 001, Chen Yu...
After the study group was established, the learning atmosphere in Class 7 became unprecedentedly high.
During breaks, the rustling of turning pages and the sounds of discussion replaced the usual laughter and playfulness. At lunchtime, the classrooms were still packed, and very few people went back to their dormitories to rest.
Even during the most anticipated free time every Wednesday, more and more students are voluntarily staying in the classroom to bury themselves in practice problems.
Looking at the lively learning scene in the classroom, Chen Peifu stood with his hands behind his back by the back door, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
"Old Chen, is your class on fire? What method did you use?" The homeroom teacher of Class 9, who was passing by, couldn't help but stop and sigh as he looked at the students buried in their books.
Chen Peifu coughed lightly, feigning composure, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes: "I didn't use any special method. I was just lucky to have a group of students who are highly self-disciplined and have a strong sense of unity."
Amidst this busyness, time flew by, and before we knew it, it was the end of May and the monthly exams were upon us.
In the past, people didn't pay much attention to their monthly exam results, but this time, as soon as the exam was over, everyone couldn't wait to check their answers with their group leaders.
"What did you choose for the last math multiple-choice question? C or D?" Zheng Xinyue poked Peng Chengyi in the back and asked nervously.
"Wait, wait, let me check my physics first!" A boy in the back row jumped over the table and squeezed in. "The answer to the last big question is 3.6 m/s, right?"
"Don't rush, don't rush, let me check the answer with Chen Yubai first..." Not entirely sure, Peng Chengyi hurriedly stood up and looked back to see that Chen Yubai was surrounded by three circles of people.
This dog seems to be more popular than before.
Although this study group helped her get closer to classmates she wasn't familiar with before, it was nowhere near the level of him being surrounded by everyone.
Peng Chengyi couldn't help but purse her lips. Just as she was about to sit back down and wait until there were fewer people before going to find him, the boy in the center of the crowd suddenly stood up.
"Wait a moment, let me find someone to confirm the answer first," he said, walking straight towards her.
Peng Chengyi was taken aback, and pursed her lips with a slightly complicated feeling: "You're the top student in the grade, do you still need to confirm the answer with me?"
Chen Yubai gave a vague, lazy laugh and naturally pushed aside the boy standing next to her desk: "The last big physics problem, I think I calculated it to be 3.8 m/s."
"Ah! It's over!" The boy who had been pushed behind him cried out in despair, clutching his head, and returned to his seat, utterly defeated.
Peng Chengyi's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly said, "I also calculated it to be 3.6 m/s."
Chen Yubai shrugged: "Maybe I miscalculated."
However, apart from this question, her other uncertain answers were consistent with Chen Yubai's.
-
Two days later, the graded monthly exam papers were handed out one after another, and Peng Chengyi immediately took a look at the physics problem.
Seeing that her answer was correct, she turned her head triumphantly and looked at Chen Yubai in the back row of the classroom.
He lazily picked up the test paper and showed her the score on the front.
Upon catching a glimpse of the bright red 100, Peng Chengyi paused, tilting her head in confusion.
Chen Yubai smiled and lowered his eyes.
A moment later, Peng Chengyi's phone, hidden in the desk drawer, vibrated. She hurriedly looked down and saw—
Chen Yubai: "I misremembered, not miscalculated."
...
Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly, and she was about to complain when Chen Peifu walked into the classroom with the report card.
She quickly shoved her phone deep into the drawer of the desk and sat up straight.
The surrounding noise of discussing the exam papers suddenly quieted down, and more than forty pairs of eyes turned to the paper in his hand.
"Ahem," Chen Peifu pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses sparkling with satisfaction, "Our class improved by two places in the overall score this time, which is very commendable!"
The moment the words were spoken, the classroom erupted in chaos.
"Only two? That's still fourth from the bottom, isn't it?"
"Oh no, we're still not out of the running-breakup crisis!"
"But improving by two places in just one month is already amazing!"
"Exactly! At this rate, we'll definitely be in the safe zone by the end of the semester!"
Chen Peifu, unusually, did not immediately maintain order. He allowed the people below to discuss the matter enthusiastically for a while before picking up the blackboard eraser and gently tapping the podium.
"As long as we maintain this momentum in our studies," his gaze swept across each young face, "our class will definitely not be disbanded. Does everyone have confidence?"
The classroom was silent for two seconds, then a unified reply rang out: "Yes!"
Chen Peifu nodded in satisfaction, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out: "Also, the sports meet will be held next Saturday. The sports committee member should take the lead, and everyone should actively sign up and strive to win glory for the class."
Upon hearing that a sports meet was about to be held, Peng Chengyi, who was not athletic, immediately felt a headache coming on again.
Although she did often pester Chen Yubai to play soccer with her when she was a child and was obsessed with "Captain Tsubasa".
But as the animated series ended, and coupled with her inability to even get a ball on the court, her enthusiasm quickly faded.
When she entered junior high school, volleyball was a compulsory subject for girls in physical education class. She couldn't even master the most basic juggling, and barely passed the final exam.
Later, during the physical education test for the high school entrance exam, the 800-meter run almost took her life.
Thanks to Chen Yubai, who accompanied her to practice hard on the playground every day after school for more than half a month, she finally managed to meet the target with great difficulty.
So as soon as the class meeting ended, when he saw the sports committee member taking the registration forms and starting to encourage everyone to sign up, Peng Chengyi immediately crouched down and slipped out of the classroom as fast as he could, heading straight for the restroom to take refuge.
Although her ability to refuse others did improve somewhat after the incident of helping someone deliver a love letter to Chen Yubai.
But she still didn't want to confront the sports committee head-on, because his silver tongue and persistent persuasion were simply too much for a novice like her to handle.
After dodging several breaks between classes, the number of participants was finally gathered. Peng Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease.
Because this sports meet aims to promote the slogan of "sports for all," each class is required to have at least 30 students sign up to participate.
So even someone like Chen Yubai, who has always had little interest in group activities, was dragged into signing up for the high jump event.
On the bus home on Friday, Peng Chengyi leaned close to him with a gloating expression and said, "I'll cheer you on when the time comes."
Chen Yubai glanced at her sideways, a half-smile on his face: "How are you going to cheer me on?"
She blinked and said cheerfully, "Right here in the audience, giving you our undivided attention."
"What kind of refueling is this?" Chen Yubai said speechlessly, tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Then I’ll stand up and give you my full attention,” she added, feigning seriousness.
Chen Yubai turned his face away with amusement: "Would it kill you to call my name and say 'go for it'?"
Peng Chengyi considered the scene for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Yes, I'll die."
Chen Yubai scoffed: "I didn't ask you to stand on the sidelines and do a cheerleading dance for me, what are you being so arrogant about?"
"You want me to do a cheerleading dance for you?" Peng Chengyi's eyes widened suddenly. "Then I'll just disappear from the face of the earth."
Chen Yubai: "..."
-
On the day of the sports meet, the sky was clear and the early summer sun shone brightly on the entire playground.
Peng Chengyi sat in the audience, drinking iced tea, eating potato chips, and watching the various competitions taking place in full swing below the stage. He couldn't be more relaxed.
The only mistake was forgetting to bring an extra parasol or hat.
As the sun rose higher and higher, the bright sunlight was so intense that she could barely open her eyes. She could only occasionally shield her eyes with her hand and squint as she looked down.
After the long jump competition ended, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker accompanied by a rousing march: "Athletes who participated in the high jump competition, please proceed to the check-in area."
Peng Chengyi subconsciously turned her head and happened to catch a glimpse of Chen Yubai casually standing up.
He casually left his school uniform jacket open, revealing a simple white T-shirt underneath. Sunlight filtered through the thin fabric, subtly outlining the boy's slender waistline.
Seemingly noticing her gaze, he raised an eyebrow at her.
Peng Chengyi hesitated for two seconds, then managed to mouth "Good luck" to him.
Chen Yubai smiled noncommittally, took off his school uniform jacket, and casually tossed it over her head, saying, "Hold this for me."
"..." Peng Chengyi's vision went dark, and the boy's white T-shirt and the blinding sunlight disappeared completely in an instant.
Her lips twitched. She had originally wanted to scold him, but when she raised her hand to hold up her school uniform, she unexpectedly discovered that it could be used to shield herself from the sun. She paused and swallowed back the complaint that was about to come out of her mouth.
Hiding in the small patch of shade created by his oversized school uniform, Peng Chengyi watched his tall figure walk down the steps of the stands and turn towards the high jump area set up in the corner of the playground.
The once quiet corner immediately attracted many girls to stop and watch because of his arrival.
The competition soon began.
Chen Yubai seemed to have drawn the first spot to go on stage, with the eye-catching number 001 hanging around his neck.
The run-up and the jump were a series of smooth, clean, and efficient movements.
The sunlight gilded him, and time seemed to stretch out the moment the boy leaped into the air.
Peng Chengyi unconsciously held her breath, turned her head, and leaned towards him until she saw him land steadily on the mat before she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow--"
"So cool!"
"How come I never realized how exciting the high jump was before?"
A chorus of exclamations of praise rose from the surroundings once more.
Having just returned from the long jump competition, Zheng Xinyue nudged Peng Chengyi, who was almost leaning out of her seat, with her elbow and teased with a light laugh: "You're practically twisted into a pretzel. How about I go down to the sidelines with you to watch?"
"...I'm too lazy to go downstairs." Peng Chengyi quickly sat up straight, forcibly changing the subject, "How was your long jump result?"
Zheng Xinyue proudly raised her chin: "I got second place."
Peng Chengyi immediately put down her potato chips and clapped her hands: "Wow! You're amazing!"
"Hehe, my athletic ability is still pretty good." Zheng Xinyue smiled and just sat down next to her when the sports committee rushed over in a hurry.
"Peng Chengyi!" he gasped, supporting himself on his knees. "Can you run?"
Peng Chengyi was taken aback, and didn't quite react before saying, "Yes, yes..."
"Great!" The sports committee member breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her up from her seat. "Come with me!"
"Wait!" Peng Chengyi staggered to catch up with him. "What happened?"
The sports committee member pulled her quickly down the steps, explaining, "Xu Qing suddenly got her period and has stomach cramps, so she can't run the women's long-distance relay. We urgently need a substitute!"
"Huh?" Peng Chengyi was taken aback, then quickly shook his head and said, "I'm not good at long-distance running. I barely passed the 800-meter test in the high school entrance exam..."
"It's alright, it's alright, as long as you can run, that's fine." The sports committee member wiped his sweat. "The other girls either have events to participate in or aren't feeling well, so you're the only one who can fill in now!"
"...So, which leg should I run, and how many meters?"
"You're the last runner, in the 2000 meters."
What?
How many meters?
Is 2000 meters a joke?!
Peng Chengyi's face paled instantly, and she tried to refuse, saying, "I really have trouble running 800 meters, let alone 2000 meters..."
"It's okay, I believe in you, and you must believe in your potential! The honor of Class 7 depends on you!" The sports committee member patted her shoulder passionately.
Peng Chengyi's shoulders slumped: "..."
No, what's the use of just believing in this?!
She just can't keep running anymore...
At that point, won't I be embarrassed and pathetic as I walk to the finish line in front of everyone?!
"Then... can I switch bats?" she asked tentatively.
"It's too late, the first runner has already started running, otherwise I wouldn't be in such a hurry to catch him." The sports committee member took a breath and looked at her gratefully, "So your arrival really helped a lot, otherwise the people in front would have run for nothing."
"..." Peng Cheng moved his lips as if he wanted to cry but couldn't, and couldn't say anything to refuse.
The relay race covered a full 10 kilometers, with the track winding through every corner of the campus, only turning onto the playground in the last 400 meters before sprinting towards the finish line.
Peng Chengyi followed closely behind the sports committee member, walking briskly across almost half of the campus, and finally arrived at the relay point behind the experimental building.
The midday sun scorched the ground, and the air was thick with a burning heat. A fine layer of sweat had formed on her forehead, wetting a few strands of her bangs that clung to her skin.
"Here, have some water first." The sports committee member unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her, reassuring her in a soothing tone, "Don't be too nervous."
Peng Chengyi took the water bottle, took a couple of sips, and glanced at the runners from other classes on the starting line.
They were all in high spirits, wearing professional sports short-sleeved shirts and shorts, and were stretching their bodies lightly as they did warm-up exercises.
As for herself, once she took off her school uniform, she was wearing a cartoon T-shirt with Detective Conan printed on it, which looked completely out of place.
"It's best to do some stretching first," the sports committee member kindly reminded her, taking her school uniform jacket as she took it off, "otherwise you might easily strain your muscles."
"Hmm..." Peng Chengyi symbolically pressed his legs down a couple of times before slumping down on a flower bed.
With her limited physical abilities, if she warms up too seriously, she'll probably be too tired to run before she even gets on the field.
Right now, it's better to rest a bit more and conserve your energy.
But fate didn't give her a chance to slack off. Among the contestants from Class 7, there were students with athletic talents.
With her speed boost, Peng Chengyi didn't need much rest before becoming the first person to receive the relay ribbon at the starting line.
She had originally planned to just run and walk through the entire course, but suddenly the pressure increased.
She couldn't just take the lead earned by the first four runners and then push them to last place.
So, the moment the relay strap touched his palm, Peng Chengyi almost reflexively sprinted out with all his might.
The wind whistled past her ears, making her hair fly. The asphalt road beneath her feet rushed past, and dappled shadows of trees flashed by, as if time itself had sped up.
With no one blocking my way, I ran surprisingly lightly, as if I were being pushed forward.
However, her good fortune was short-lived. Just two minutes later, her lungs felt like they were being burned by fire, her breathing became so rapid that it felt like her chest was being torn apart, and her heart was pounding wildly in her ears.
To make matters worse, there was nothing in front of her, no landmarks, and she had no idea where she was. She could only mechanically lift her leg and put it down.
As I turned the corner of the laboratory building, a brisk girl strode past me.
Peng Chengyi subconsciously tried to speed up and catch up, but found that his legs simply wouldn't obey him.
The other person's figure quickly moved away, gradually blurred, and finally disappeared from her sight.
Never mind, second place is fine too.
The thought had barely formed in his mind when another girl whizzed past him like the wind.
Oh no, if she keeps dawdling like this, she won't even be able to keep third place!
Peng Chengyi gritted his teeth and forced himself to speed up, but then gave up after a hundred meters.
Moreover, this forced acceleration put a huge strain on her body.
Not only did it make her throat burn, but it also made her vision a little blurry.
That's it, forget about maintaining our ranking.
She might have difficulty even running the entire course now.
Peng Chengyi was breathing heavily, lamenting inwardly, her legs feeling as if they were filled with lead, growing heavier and heavier.
Just as her legs went weak and she was about to stop, a tall figure suddenly appeared in her blurry vision.
He ran towards her against the light, his pure white T-shirt billowing in the wind like a sail in the sunlight.
Although she couldn't see his face clearly, she caught a glimpse of the number tag fluttering in the wind on his chest—
No. 001.
Chen Yubai.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn]
Thank you uoow, 75981039, Sunshine, and 73403844 for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com