Chapter 43
Spring has arrived quietly in the north. Willows are sprouting new buds. Every year at this time, schools begin preparing for the spring sports meet. Lu Mingxiao has always been a key player in his class's sports meet, usually signing up for one or two events.
But this year...
"Xiao-ge is so engrossed in studying that he can't pull himself out. I wonder if he'll still sign up for the competition events..." The sports committee member looked at Liang Jing with a worried expression, patted Liang Jing's shoulder, and said earnestly, "You and Xiao-ge are close, why don't you go and persuade him?"
"Who are you saying is close to Brother Xiao?" Liang Jing pointed to his nose: "Me? Are you sure?"
"Oh right, I forgot, you've fallen out of favor..." The sports committee member turned to Jiang Huaiyu, his face full of flattery: "Brother Yu..."
Liang Jing yelled behind him, "Stop talking nonsense! Brother Yu! Heaven is my witness, I've never been favored—!!!"
Jiang Huaiyu and the sports committee member went to the corridor to talk.
In fact, Jiang Huaiyu had originally planned to have Lu Mingxiao apply for a project, but Lu Mingxiao had been working too hard lately, to the point that Li Qing exclaimed:
"Son, please stop learning, Mom is a little scared..."
Moreover, recently, Lu Mingxiao has gotten some study materials from Fu Yucheng, and he spends half an hour studying them every night, mysteriously not letting him see them. He is really very diligent.
After returning from the corridor, Jiang Huaiyu told Lu Mingxiao about the school sports meet.
"Want to participate in the event?" Lu Mingxiao twirled his pen, thought for a moment, and nodded: "Sure, how about long-distance running or high jump? Long jump is fine too."
Despite Xiao Ge's many talents, given the injury Xiao Xiaoyu suffered last time, Jiang Huaiyu is now very sensitive to the word "jump" and immediately and decisively said: "Long-distance running."
So before the sports meet started, students who had signed up for events were exempted from evening classes and trained on the playground. A group of sixteen- or seventeen-year-olds were able to play freely under the guise of "training," making the playground very lively.
Jiang Huai also applied for the privilege of not attending evening classes. When Lu Mingxiao went running, he would sometimes run a lap or two with him. Lu Mingxiao said it was a date, but Little Jiang was too proud to admit it.
In the middle of the plastic track, Zhuoran was leading a group of girls in a cheerleading rehearsal. During breaks, the girls followed the two of them around like groundhogs, occasionally letting out crisp, eerie laughter.
Lu Mingxiao was wearing a black tracksuit with a matching headband. His slightly long bangs were lifted up, revealing his prominent brow bone.
He maintained a steady breathing pace, took long strides, and asked as he ran, "What's wrong with those girls over there? Why are they making faces at each other? Could they be having a stroke?"
Jiang Huaiyu's breathing was already erratic, her pale lips were slightly parted, and a faint blush appeared under her cold white skin, but she still managed to maintain her composure: "There's a turn ahead."
Lu Mingxiao, confused, said, "I know, I saw it."
"Oh," Jiang Huaiyu said, "I see you're standing so straight, I'm afraid you won't be able to turn and will just run straight into the green belt."
Lu Mingxiao: "...Jiang Xiaoyu, I can tell you're being sarcastic!"
"Wow~" Jiang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Then you're really amazing."
Lu Mingxiao: ...
Jiang Huaiyu couldn't run anymore, so she stopped and sat down on a bench by the track. When the little groundhogs saw them separate, they immediately stopped watching, and a group of girls started warming up to continue rehearsing.
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
They haven't come out yet, have they? Is it really that obvious?
His backpack was placed on the bench, and there was a camera above the bench, so he wasn't worried about anyone taking anything. He took out a bottle of water from his backpack, took a few sips, and then took out his tablet to start doing the practice questions that Shenhai High School had given him.
Lu Mingxiao ran another lap and came back, sat down next to him, picked up the water bottle he had drunk from, and drank more than half of it in one go. The weather was still a little cool, but his sportswear was still soaked with sweat. He raised his hand to take off his headband and casually brushed his sweaty hair behind his head.
Jiang Huaiyu's gaze involuntarily fell on his handsome profile. Her Adam's apple bobbed, and after a moment she awkwardly looked away, her ears burning.
"You'll catch a cold if you wear a coat." He reminded Lu Mingxiao, "You'll get chilly if the wind blows."
Lu Mingxiao obediently put on his coat. Before he could catch his breath, he leaned over to look at the questions on Jiang Huaiyu's tablet. After a moment, his eyes lit up with surprise: "Jiang Xiaoyu, I think I can do this question too."
Warm breath fell on the back of her hand, her fingertips curled slightly, and a smile appeared in Jiang Huaiyu's eyes: "Yes, I taught you a similar type of question last week."
“It seems that if I go back to high school with you, I won’t fall too far behind…” Lu Mingxiao stretched out his long arms and leaned back in the bench. His long arm span made it look like he was putting his arm around Jiang Huaiyu’s shoulder from a distance.
It was already getting dark, but it wasn't yet time for the school to turn on the track lights. The two sat on a bench, chatting idly. Lu Mingxiao planned to rest for a while before running the last lap...
Just as they were talking about the student council at Shenhai High School, a voice suddenly drifted out from behind them: "You two are talking about dating in front of me, do you think I'm dead?"
Immediately afterwards, a beam of flashlight shone above Jiang Huaiyu and Lu Mingxiao, enveloping them like a spotlight. The dean's bald head gleamed slightly in the flashlight's beam.
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
Lu Mingxiao: ? ? ?
...
"Hahahaha..." Liang Jing laughed wildly in the classroom, hands on his hips: "Xiao Ge and Yu Ge! I heard that you two were caught by 'Convex Lens' on the playground for dating? I'm dying of laughter. Convex Lens's eyesight is getting worse and worse. He caught two guys sitting together. I heard that he apologized to Yu Ge on the spot? Is that true?"
"He didn't apologize, he just said that next time you explain a problem, you should do it in a well-lit place, not in a dark place. Talking so close together like you're eating each other's mouths can easily be misunderstood," Liang Jing's deskmate added.
Liang Jing laughed even more maniacally.
"Hehe..." Zhuoran whispered, "It's not a misunderstanding, it's just that Convex Lens has short hair and short knowledge."
A group of people were carrying things for the sports meet onto the playground. Lu Mingxiao, carrying a large box of sports equipment, still managed to kick Liang Jing's butt: "Are you still bringing this up? You deserve a beating, don't you?"
Liang Jing ran off with a wicked grin.
Jiang Huaiyu first put down what she was holding, then took the large bag from Zhuoran and helped Zhuoran distribute the small red flags in the bag to the classmates, as they would be needed for the marching drills later.
When people are embarrassed, they always pretend to be very busy, and that's exactly what Mr. Jiang is doing right now.
In the distance, the sports committee member ran over, calling out as he went, "Brother Xiao, Brother Yu! I need to talk to you two about something!"
The two stopped what they were doing and watched him run towards them.
The sports committee member, sweating profusely and still catching his breath, blurted out, "Phew... the students in our class who signed up for the third and fourth legs of the relay race... can't participate tomorrow..."
He finally caught his breath: "Those two idiots went out for hot pot yesterday and got food poisoning. They're taking turns getting IV drips at the hospital right now, they're definitely not going to make it tomorrow."
Seeing how anxious he was, Lu Mingxiao casually comforted him, "...If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. What I'm saying is, is it mandatory for our class to participate in this project?"
"That won't do!" The tall, dark-skinned sports committee member patted his chest with an air of righteous indignation, somewhat like a proud chimpanzee: "We've already signed up, Brother Xiao, where's your sense of collective honor? Where's your competitive spirit as a man? You..."
"Alright, alright, are you trying to get me to fill in?" Lu Mingxiao patted his shoulder with amusement. "Brother, don't try to blackmail me. Just say what you mean. It's not that I can't go on, since one event is in the morning and the other is in the afternoon. But the key is that even if I go, we're still short one person..."
Before he could finish speaking, the sports committee member's eyes lit up as he stared at Jiang Huaiyu: "Brother Yu, I heard that you went running with Brother Xiao yesterday and got caught by the convex lens for dating..."
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
"Ah! Of course! The important thing is that you've been running lately, Yu-ge!" The sports committee member smiled good-naturedly. "Why don't you join in? You're better than those fat guys in our class who can't even run! Winning or losing isn't important, it's participation that matters!"
Jiang Huaiyu pursed her lips, somewhat wanting to refuse.
He rarely does things he's not confident about, especially since the sports committee member just mentioned a sense of collective honor. He's a little worried that if he doesn't run well, it will affect the class.
But Lu Mingxiao's eyes lit up. He hooked his arm around Jiang Huaiyu's shoulder and pulled him aside to whisper to each other. The two of them huddled together and whispered in each other's ears.
"Jiang Xiaoyu..." he whined and pleaded, "Go ahead, go ahead. The list was drawn up by me and the sports committee member. Everyone in the class who could do it is on it. There really are no backup candidates. The few people left are not as physically fit as you, so you are the best choice. If you can't do it, then they will only be worse..."
Jiang Huaiyu pursed her lips, about to say something...
Lu Mingxiao immediately continued whimpering, the same tune as when Hu Zi wanted canned food. No wonder he grew up learning from the dog education textbook.
"Go ahead, go ahead..." he whispered, "Besides, I really want to stand on the podium with my boyfriend."
Jiang Huaiyu hesitated: "...Are you sure that if I go up there, we'll still be able to stand on the podium?"
"I think you don't have a clear understanding of your own abilities." Lu Mingxiao laughed. "Your physical fitness isn't good compared to mine, but compared to other classmates, you're still very strong. Be more confident, okay? You'll definitely win the championship!"
...
In the end, Jiang Huaiyu still stood on the relay race track. On one hand, what Lu Mingxiao said was true; there really was no one else in the class who could run. On the other hand…
Lu Mingxiao's words were true; he also wanted to stand on the podium with his boyfriend, even though the medal was made of glass and the podium was small and only temporarily set up...
But these things seem to take on a different meaning when done with Lu Mingxiao.
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