Chapter 470

"Stepping onto the track is a choice. Leaving the starting line is courage. Racing across the arena is victory. Five thousand meters will be a tremendous challenge for us... Run! On this fiery track, you are about to walk toward glory; the passion of youth is being awakened, and victory lies ahead. Run! This is your stage; this spring shines because of you, and this arena grows more brilliant because of you."

"To the five-thousand-meter athletes."

Amid the rhythmic, emotionally charged broadcast announcement, dozens of students from various departments gritted their teeth and ran together. Whether genuinely skilled or merely pressed into service due to lack of alternatives, once they'd stepped onto the track, they had to finish. But those lagging behind and the bulk of the pack held different mindsets: they'd recognized the vast gap from the others right after starting, and merely hoped to avoid being lapped multiple times. Those in front were different—they were runners who believed in their own ability; who wouldn't want a good ranking?

Glancing back at the grimacing runners behind him, Wang Yan slowed slightly, maintaining a steady twenty-meter lead. His current physique could easily win an Olympic gold medal, but he had no intention of pursuing that path, so he didn't push himself—just enough to stay a little ahead of the others.

Of course, even this was impressive. After all, some of the runners behind him were actual athletes.

By the trackside, the architecture department went wild cheering as Wang Yan led the pack; even civil engineering students shouted encouragement—they were all acquaintances, and not cheering would've felt awkward.

Shi Jie and Zhu Xiao Bei stood at the edge, hands cupped like megaphones, shouting encouragement loudly. Their voices were unmistakable; Wang Yan heard them, waved casually to them amid the furious glares of the runners chasing him, utterly unconcerned with rhythm.

Watching Wang Yan pull ahead, Zheng Wei glared bitterly at Shi Jie laughing with Zhu Xiao Bei and sneered: "Siren."

"Is this the senior that Xiao Bei said is close to Old Wang?" Li Weijuan studied Shi Jie: "Hey, don't get me wrong—she really is beautiful. Old Wang really has good taste."

"Didn't Old Wang always say he only likes beautiful girls?" Ruan Wan was watching too. She tapped Zheng Wei: "Don't talk like that about others—it's rude. We don't even know what kind of relationship they have. And there's Xiao Bei too—if Wang Yan found out what she told us before, Xiao Bei would be in trouble."

Zheng Wei wanted to argue, but since they didn't know the truth, she could only sigh helplessly: "Fine... I get it."

Xu Kaiyang handed her a bottle of water: "Weiwei, drink up. I say you shouldn't even watch Wang Yan—it just makes you upset. Come on, let's find a shady spot. This sun's so strong, you're getting tanned."

The others nearby tacitly moved away. Li Weijuan sighed: "Looks like Young Xu Gong really likes Zheng Wei—but I don't think they'll work out."

Ruan Wan said nothing, glancing at Zhang Kai: "No one thinks they'll end up together—if they were meant to be, they'd have been together long ago. But honestly, I never realized Young Xu Gong was such a romantic fool. I can't talk him out of it, so let them do whatever they want."

Soon, Zheng Wei noticed the three of them had drifted off. She didn't want to endure Xu Kaiyang's attention, so she scowled at her friends and joined another group chatting.

The commotion from their side, plus the curious glances, didn't escape Shi Jie's notice: "Xiao Bei, you were with them earlier—aren't they your roommates?"

"Yeah, Senior."

"I heard recently someone confessed to Wang Yan, and he told me it was someone from your dorm. Point her out to me—who is it?"

"The one in the denim overalls." Zhu Xiao Bei didn't hesitate, nodding toward her directly. After all, Wang Yan himself had already said it—whether she pointed her out or not, they'd find out eventually.

"You know, she's actually quite pretty," Shi Jie smiled warmly at the girl glaring at her: "I wonder what charm Old Wang has that such a nice girl would confess to him? Are they all close to him?"

"Except the one who confessed."

"Come on, Xiao Bei, introduce me."

Zhu Xiao Bei didn't refuse, leading Shi Jie toward Ruan Wan's group: "Hey, everyone, see this beautiful girl beside me? Let me introduce you—Shi Jie, senior from the Architecture Department, class of 1990, and Old Wang's... good friend. Senior, this is Ruan Wan, from the Buyi ethnic group; this is Li Weijuan..."

After Zhu Xiao Bei finished the introductions, Shi Jie flashed her little tiger teeth: "Hello, everyone."

"Senior, hello!" The group chorused greetings. Zheng Wei glared with open hostility, thinking Shi Jie was shameless. Ruan Wan and Li Weijuan studied Shi Jie's beauty up close, unconsciously comparing themselves. Zhang Kai and Xu Kaiyang, as men, simply thought Wang Yan was awesome.

"I've heard from Xiao Bei that you're all Wang Yan's friends, and you've taken good care of him. Thank you."

"Senior, you're too kind—we haven't helped Old Wang at all. He's helped us." Zhang Kai, ever smooth, was inwardly surprised that Shi Jie was speaking on Wang Yan's behalf, but his polite words were flawless.

"You found out about Wang Yan's parents passing away before I did," Shi Jie shook her head. "He's always been lonely. Having friends like you is the greatest help he could have."

As she spoke, she noticed Zheng Wei's eyes rolling toward the ceiling. She smiled warmly at Zheng Wei: "I heard you confessed to Wang Yan before?"

"I was drunk and blind to see myself liking that bastard," Zheng Wei drawled sarcastically. "Let me give you one piece of advice: a woman's youth only lasts a few years. I advise you to value yourself. Don't end up regretting it later, crying with nowhere to turn."

Shi Jie raised an eyebrow, still smiling. She knew about Zheng Wei's confession not from Wang Yan, but from observing his campus life and digging up the details later—after workouts, in bed, asking him point-blank. So she knew Zheng Wei was aware of her relationship with Wang Yan, and thus understood exactly what she meant.

She shook her head: "I heard you barely interacted with Wang Yan, and suddenly fell for him. Love is irrational like that. Wang Yan is outstanding—I understand you completely, and I feel the same. But some things aren't simple to explain, nor can they be judged by appearances alone. You have to interact with Wang Yan before you can truly judge. If you really understood him, the one who ends up crying with nowhere to turn might be you."

Zheng Wei's words naturally led others to misinterpret them. Shi Jie didn't explicitly confirm anything, but she didn't deny it either. Now everyone understood: Shi Jie really did have something going on with Wang Yan.

Seeing their stunned expressions, Shi Jie smiled modestly. She'd only spoken up because Zheng Wei had good taste—just a casual remark. As for others' opinions, she hadn't admitted anything, so let them think what they wanted. Her desire to make Wang Yan love only her had grown faint. She knew she couldn't control him, yet couldn't bring herself to leave. So she lived day by day, leaving the future to the future. At least she was certain: being with Wang Yan was no regret.

The atmosphere grew awkward as everyone speculated whether Shi Jie had slept with Wang Yan. Zhang Kai cleared his throat: "Senior, how did you meet Old Wang?"

"Last October, when he was selling computers..."

They were all young, and Shi Jie had only been working half a year. Though there was an age gap and different statuses, the generational divide wasn't wide—they chatted easily, laughing and joking.

Wang Yan, running his laps, watched all this with a faint smile, then continued leading the pack effortlessly.

Five thousand meters—four hundred meters per lap, so twelve and a half laps. After fierce competition, Wang Yan still led second place by twenty meters, easily winning first place.

Shi Jie, Zhu Xiao Bei, Ruan Wan, Zhang Kai, and Li Weijuan were all waiting at the finish line. Zheng Wei and Xu Kaiyang hadn't come over—they were watching from afar.

"Hey, Old Wang, you didn't even try, right?" Li Weijuan reached for a tissue to wipe his sweat, but his face was completely dry.

"This much exercise? What's that?" Wang Yan took the water Shi Jie handed him, drank, and said: "It's just five kilometers. No need to make such a fuss. Go back. I'll go get my prize."

Seeing he was fine, everyone's concern went unappreciated. They joked and sighed as Wang Yan, the great beast, walked off. Though Shi Jie had never seen Wang Yan run hard or fight fiercely, she understood perfectly—because she'd felt it firsthand.

After the five-kilometer race, the sports meet was essentially over. After Wang Yan took the stage, received praise, and claimed his award, the university leadership gave a speech, and the Southeast University Spring Track and Field Meet ended successfully.

Without lingering to chat with Ruan Wan and the others, Wang Yan and Shi Jie left campus together, found a restaurant, ate heartily, then returned to their dorm to exercise.

"Did you work out this morning?" Shi Jie lay limp in Wang Yan's arms, murmuring.

"Mm. I ran a lap around Xuanwu Lake."

"So you ran over ten kilometers this morning, competed in a five-kilometer race, and then we did this too?" Shi Jie exhaled deeply, silently marveling again at how great a beast her junior was. "I saw Zheng Wei today. She's quite pretty. Didn't you feel anything?"

"There are many beautiful women—I can't be attracted to all of them. You're asking why I didn't deceive her, aren't you?" Wang Yan curled a strand of her soft hair around his finger. "I admit I'm not a good person—but I'm not a scumbag."

It had been over half a month since Zheng Wei's obsessive pursuit. Things had been quiet. But oddly, instead of avoiding him, she'd become aggressively hostile—constantly attacking him and sabotaging him whenever he hung out with Ruan Wan and the others. Often, she'd go to Zhang Kai and Xu Kaiyang's dorms at night to play cards or mahjong. Every time she saw him, she'd give him a huge side-eye and a cold snort.

It was a shift from one extreme to another—quite interesting.

"If anyone heard what you just said, you'd be a scumbag."

"Then do you think I'm a scumbag?"

"It's my own fault—why did I fall for you?" Shi Jie sighed helplessly.

"It's not your fault. I schemed against you—who could resist someone so beautiful?" A proper bastard would never let a woman say that about herself. Wang Yan was perfectly qualified: "When you first contacted me to buy a computer, the moment I saw you, I knew—you were my concubine. So I slowly, step by step, tricked you into my arms."

"Fine, you heartless, roguish carrot..."

While this man and woman indulged in shameless daytime debauchery, the girls' dorm was holding another meeting about Wang Mou.

All four girls were in the dorm, sprawled out on their beds resting. School events always left them exhausted, especially since all four had half-heartedly signed up for events and had zero interest in studying.

Zhu Xiao Bei started the topic: "How's that? Didn't I tell you? Isn't Senior Shi Jie gorgeous?"

"When you first went after her, we discussed it. I have to say—Old Wang's taste really is good. Shi Jie is no less beautiful than Ruan or Zheng." Li Weijuan chimed in.

Zheng Wei, lying on Ruan Wan's bed, frowned up at her: "You're always talking—can't you stop comparing us to that fox woman?"

"Fine, fine, you're the most beautiful, Miss Zheng."

Ruan Wan lightly patted Zheng Wei: "Today you told Shi Jie to value herself—do you know something? Are Wang Yan and her really together?"

"What could I know? I just said it. After all, that Wang is a bastard—what good could come from Shi Jie being with him? And she's three years older than him. They're both working adults, still so naive."

Zheng Wei still didn't tell the truth—mainly because in their dorm, Li Weijuan didn't care about anything but money. Zhu Xiao Bei had always gotten along well with Wang Yan; if she had real feelings, she wouldn't spend all day gossiping with them about Wang Yan. Of the rest, she thought Ruan Wan was the most dangerous—after all, right at the start of school, Wang had already noticed her. But Ruan Wan had a boyfriend, and they were deeply in love, calling every day. Plus, she trusted Wang Yan had some integrity—even if he was a bastard, at least he hadn't tricked her emotionally or harmed her physically, so she still thought he was human enough. So she just cursed, without telling her best friends.

Li Weijuan muttered: "When the two of them walked together, they looked especially intimate. And when Zheng Wei tried to advise her, she didn't even argue. We know what Zheng Wei meant, but she didn't. From my gut feeling, Old Wang and Shi Jie definitely have something going on."

"Yeah, you're right, I think so too." Zheng Wei nodded in agreement: "What do you think, Xiao Bei?"

"I support you," Zhu Xiao Bei said from the top bunk, playing with her hair.

Ruan Wan shook her head, amused: "Alright, alright, stop gossiping about Old Wang. No matter what's going on between him and Shi Jie, it has nothing to do with us. Let's talk about something else."

Zheng Wei flipped over and sat up: "You two talk. I'm not joining. I already made plans with Old Zhang and the others—I'm going to play cards with them."

Li Weijuan sighed: "Miss Zheng, I advise you to play cards with Old Zhang and the others less. Your studies haven't been going well lately—wait till you fail a course and you'll be crying."

"I'm naturally beautiful and brilliant—exams are nothing to me. See you!" Zheng Wei stormed out, slipped on her shoes, and vanished.

"Have you noticed Zheng Wei's been acting strange lately?"

With the bed hog gone, Ruan Wan lay comfortably, stretching her body's curves: "What could be strange, Juan'er? Stop it—you're obsessed with gossip every day."

Zhu Xiao Bei hummed: "Yeah, what could be strange about Zheng Wei? If anything, she's been going to Old Zhang's to play cards all the time."

"That's the biggest oddity. Think about it—she used to scream across campus that she loved Old Wang, then the next day came back crying and said she didn't love him anymore, cursing him to his face. From a normal person's view, you know how awkward Zheng Wei and Wang Yan's situation is—you two might not care, but if it were me, I'd run two miles away from Wang Yan."

"But look at Zheng Wei—she doesn't even avoid him. Whenever Wang Yan's around, she doesn't hide—she talks to him, joins them for meals, and she's not shy about spending. She always eats a lot. What was she like before she said she loved Wang Yan? She wouldn't say a word. And when Wang Yan treated her to meals, she never ordered the expensive stuff. Don't you think that's suspicious? Now she's going to Old Zhang's every day to play cards—Old Zhang's dorm and Wang Yan's dorm are right next to each other. Think about it."

Ruan Wan frowned in thought: "You mean… Zheng Wei hasn't given up?"

Zhu Xiao Bei leaned down from the top bunk; her long hair hung over her face, making her look like a madwoman to Li Weijuan below: "But Zheng Wei already said all that, and lately she's been cursing Old Wang—could it really be?"

"Zhu Xiao Bei! Can you tie your hair up a little? Don't you know you look like a madwoman right now?"

Li Weijuan rolled her eyes: "Zheng Wei's situation isn't that simple. From what I've analyzed, she probably doesn't even realize what she's doing—love blinds people. Sometimes the more you try to forget, the more you can't; the things you want to remember slip away easily. When Zheng Wei acted that way before, I didn't think she was just being dramatic—Wang Yan must have said something to her, or hurt her. Otherwise, how could it all end in just one day?"

"Wang Yan wouldn't hurt Zheng Wei—he's not that kind of person," Zhu Xiao Bei defended Wang Yan.

"Anyway, it's not that simple. Come on—you two haven't suspected anything? It's so obvious."

Ruan Wan and Zhu Xiao Bei exchanged a glance: "We know—but we're not as obsessed as you are. If Zheng Wei doesn't want to talk, we can't force her. I agree with Xiao Bei—Wang Yan wouldn't hurt Zheng Wei. If that's true, then we have nothing to worry about. Love is complicated—we can't explain it. She has to figure it out herself. Juan'er, stop worrying—it's tiring, isn't it?"

"Fine, fine, I'm the nosy one, I'm the gossip—shut up, I won't say more. I'll read and study, improve myself, and marry some rich guy."

Ruan Wan and Zhu Xiao Bei both gave this shameless materialistic woman a collective side-eye…

Back in the dorm, Wang Yan changed clothes, piled his dirty laundry into a basin, stripped to his waist, wore only loose shorts, slippers on his feet, carried the basin, and stepped out smoking a cigarette. He'd saved up a bit and decided to wash it all at once. Shi Jie had told him to bring all his clothes to her place and she'd wash them—but he wasn't that lazy. He could wash them himself, so he didn't bother.

He opened the door and ran straight into Zheng Wei, who came as usual to play cards.

Zheng Wei froze, then let out a loud, cold snort and turned sharply toward Room 310. But Wang Yan saw clearly—the blush rising on her cheeks. He raised an eyebrow, then walked toward the other laundry room.

The room was empty, quiet. He picked a spot, turned on the faucet, and began washing.

He'd barely started when Chen Xiaozheng walked in, carrying his own basin of clothes. He exclaimed in surprise: "Rare sight—why aren't you in the library?"

"Same as you—saved up laundry to wash."

Silence…

After a while, Chen Xiaozheng asked: "What's going on with you and Zheng Wei?"

"She plays cards in your dorm every day—surely you've heard something? Like what you heard: she loved me one day, the next she didn't—because I wasn't what she imagined."

"Her love is so fickle."

"Who says otherwise? Now you're interested in gossip?"

"Bored. I'm just asking you, the one involved. I know you think I'm aloof, but I'm not like you—especially not like you. I'm not rich, I'm not smart—you achieve things effortlessly that I can't reach no matter how hard I try. To change my life, I have no choice but to bury myself in study."

"Your life is a building that can't afford a single deviation—success is your only option." Wang Yan smiled, ignoring Chen's startled look: "You're talking too much today. It feels… your building might be starting to crack."

Chen Xiaozheng froze, then stopped looking at Wang Yan, bent his head, and washed his clothes. But his hands moved with force—clearly, his heart was in turmoil.

For a while, only the sound of two people washing clothes filled the empty laundry room…

People are complex. Did Chen Xiaozheng's Dao heart break because of Wang Yan's excellence—or because of Zheng Wei, laughing and playing cards in Room 310? Only Chen Xiaozheng knew. Perhaps he didn't even know himself—those in the thick of it are often blind, and will always find another reason to convince themselves…