Volume 2: Love Off the Track DF Chapter 50

It was the high school sports day. The class sports representative had practically begged the girls to sign up, but the result, of course, was that he was on the verge of tears. He even jumped around on the podium, announcing, “Sign up and get a kiss!” only to be booed off the stage.

Girls generally avoided sports events. Firstly, the word “struggle” didn’t quite suit the image of a refined lady. Secondly, girls were sensitive about losing face. Thirdly, girls were naturally meant for the cheering squad, wearing short skirts and waving pom-poms to cheer on the boys—now that was the perfect scenery.

Zhen Yi, however, didn’t seem to consider any of these reasons. In one go, she signed up for a bunch of events: high jump, long jump, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and even shot put and discus!

That day, she waited outside Yan Ge’s class with the registration form in hand, resting her chin in her palm, tilting her head as she watched him in class.

In a classroom full of gray uniforms, only Yan Ge wore a clean white shirt. His posture was straight and graceful, looking so good—even the way his hair swayed gently in the breeze was mesmerizing. She could watch his back all day without getting tired.

His teacher had already experienced her crazier stunts and considered her hanging around outside the window like a ghost to be quite low-key, so naturally, didn’t chase her away. When she got bored, she would even chat with the boys at the back of the class, and over time, they became good friends.

Before the class ended, Yan Ge’s class was working on a physics problem on the blackboard. Zhen Yi, lying against the window, craned her neck to look at a boy by the window working on the problem. She watched carefully and thought he made a mistake, so she raised her right hand and demonstrated with a thumbs-up, saying, “You’ve got Ampère’s law backward.”

Several people in the quiet classroom turned to look.

The teacher chuckled and asked, “Zhen Yi, do you know Ampère’s law?” Zhen Yi’s class, Class 13, was famously known as the worst class in the grade, where teachers rarely even taught. Plus, she was a year younger, so she shouldn’t have learned it yet.

Zhen Yi lifted her head proudly, “Of course, Yan Ge taught me. I never forget anything he tells me.”

Yan Ge didn’t lift his head as he continued writing, but his pale ears turned slightly red.

The teacher smiled again, “Then you should study hard and learn from Yan Ge.”

“Of course! I’ll learn from my little teacher Yan Ge!” She saluted energetically, and the whole class burst into laughter.

As usual, when the bell rang, if Yan Ge didn’t immediately get up to leave, she would whistle from the window. Yan Ge, completely unbothered, would calmly walk out of the classroom under the watchful eyes of the teacher and students.

As per their agreement, his break time belonged to her.

Zhen Yi rushed over and waved the registration form in his face. “Look, look, aren’t I amazing?”

Yan Ge glanced at the densely packed list of events and asked, “So many? Can you handle it?”

“Don’t underestimate me. I’ve got so much energy I don’t even know what to do with it.”

“That’s true,” he said, walking over to the railing. Their school was near the bay, with a view of the vast ocean in the distance.

She followed him around like a shadow and would often jump onto the railing, always giving him the feeling that she was about to leap off in some daring stunt.

She leaned forward, her upper body hanging over the edge, her long hair flying in the wind. She laughed and said, “There’s a prize for first place, you know. When I win, I’ll gift myself to you. Won’t that be meaningful?”

Yan Ge was momentarily stunned. He stared at her for a few seconds, then after a moment of silence, said, “I don’t need a gift.”

“You don’t understand the rules, do you? You can’t refuse a gift from your girlfriend!” Zhen Yi teased.

“Oh, then do whatever you want.”

He looked so well-behaved that she really wanted to jump down and wrap her arms around his neck. But just then, An Yao approached. “Yan Ge, the sports rep asked if you want to join the relay race?”

Yan Ge shook his head. Zhen Yi jumped down from the railing, deliberately bumping into his arm, then leaned against him. “You’re so unenthusiastic.”

“You talk too much.”

Zhen Yi stuck her tongue out at him.

When the sports day arrived, Zhen Yi easily won a series of first-place finishes. She leaped onto the podium with boundless energy, holding a bouquet of flowers at the highest spot, jumping and twisting, performing strange robot-like dances. The crowd of students burst into laughter.

Yan Ge stood quietly in the crowd, watching her with deep eyes.

Before the 800-meter race, Zhen Yi took off her jacket and stuffed it into Yan Ge’s arms. She loved this act—it felt like the hallmark of having a boyfriend. So, even though she wasn’t hot, she deliberately wore a jacket, taking it off and putting it back on several times, handing it to him and then taking it back. The feeling was indescribably wonderful.

While waiting for her race, she saw a middle school girl cross the finish line and immediately run into a boy’s arms, with the surrounding students cheering them on.

Zhen Yi stared at the scene, then turned to look at Yan Ge. Her eyes were filled with a pleading look, like a small animal begging for a hug, which made Yan Ge feel uncomfortable. He quietly took a step back. Since he was being so uncooperative—

“You better catch me like that later!”

“No.”

“Is ‘no’ the only word you know how to say?” Zhen Yi stomped her foot.

Yan Ge pursed his lips and said, “I object.”

“…” Zhen Yi was frustrated. “Objection overruled.”

She looked like a feisty little bunny ready to bite. Yan Ge stopped talking after that.

Just before going on the track, Zhen Yi stood on tiptoes and poked his shoulder with her finger, threatening, “If you don’t catch me later, I’ll… I’ll… hmph, I’ll think of something while I’m running and figure out how to get back at you!”

She practically treated the 800-meter race like a 100-meter sprint, speeding across the track like a whirlwind, leaving everyone stunned. The sports rep, fueled by excitement, quickly wrote a script and sent it to the broadcast station. Zhen Yi flew past the finish line like a gust of wind, breaking the school record!

Class 13’s cheering squad erupted in cheers.

But at the moment she crossed the finish line, Zhen Yi felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment. She was panting, her face flushed and drenched in sweat, unable to speak. Suddenly, she burst into tears.

Yan Ge hadn’t waited for her at the finish line; he was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing her cry, the class president shouted to the sky, “Zhen Yi broke the record and was so excited she started crying!” The entire class cheered in celebration, and Zhen Yi cried even harder.

Just then, the sports rep’s voice boomed over the broadcast system, shouting with the enthusiasm of someone on a sugar rush:

“In this perfect autumn weather, with clear skies for miles, as soon as the race began, our very own Zhen Yi from Class 13 of the first-year high school division shot out like an arrow, like a soaring seabird, like a racing cheetah!”

The words “racing cheetah… racing cheetah… racing cheetah…” echoed over the field, and Zhen Yi’s sobs grew louder and more intense.

The sports rep continued in an increasingly passionate voice, “Zhen Yi, don’t cry for me! You are the sports goddess, combining short distance, long distance, shot put, and discus in one!”