Chapter 145: Don't Block the Way

Friday morning, the weather was clear and sunny, and the sports meeting proceeded as scheduled.

Starting at 8 o'clock, the women's 800-meter race came first, with Wang Xinyu and Ren Zheng from Class Eight participating.

Xu Yinghuan sat in the stands cheering for her classmates, then shifted her gaze to Li Luo, who was sitting one seat away from Yan Zhusheng, and said with a grin: "The class monitor is actually sitting here this time; if a certain someone were competing, they'd probably be accompanying them on the track right now."

"This is my trust in our classmates," Li Luo said without blushing or faltering. "Besides, Fang Chen borrowed my work badge; look, isn't he happily accompanying them out on the grass?"

Generally speaking, only students participating in competitions and those with work badges were allowed to move freely between the stands and the playground; other students were not permitted to leave at will.

Especially if one lingered on the playground for too long, patrolling members of the Student Union would come over to urge them to hurry back to their own class's seating area.

"But Ren Zheng doesn't seem interested in him, though," Xu Yinghuan said with a bright smile, looking toward Fang Chen on the playground and clicking her tongue appreciatively. "It's really tough; can't one just focus on studying hard?"

"Indeed," Li Luo nodded in agreement. "I have always upheld the philosophy of studying hard, setting a good example for everyone."

Xu Yinghuan: "... Class monitor, how can you even say things like that?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"You and Zhusheng..." Xu Yinghuan whispered quietly to the two of them, "Hmm?"

"You're underestimating the purity of our friendship as classmates," Li Luo said with utmost seriousness. "You say 'study hard,' but deep down you're probably dying of curiosity."

"Not at all," Xu Yinghuan pursed her lips. "Everyone's been talking about it privately; who else runs off together before the second evening study session even ends, only to return after class with both their faces flushed? Don't pretend, Class Monitor."

"That's exactly why I say you're all gossips," Li Luo shook his head and sighed. "I was just going downstairs with her to run on the playground, preparing for the sports meeting well in advance; otherwise, why do you think I signed up for the 3000 meters?"

"Really?" Xu Yinghuan was somewhat convinced by Li Luo's words but still found it hard to believe. "Zhusheng, you say something."

"It's exactly as Li Luo said," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Plus, we jog together every morning; he writes songs for me to sing, I teach him to play the guitar, and we practice together in the Rock Club."

Li Luo: "... You didn't have to go into that much detail."

However, hearing Yan Zhusheng say this and seeing the expression on her face, Xu Yinghuan truly began to believe it a little.

But her expression quickly turned sorrowful: "I even told Tingting; I was starting to ship you two, but was I just shipping air sugar? Could it be true, as Tingting said, that Li Luo, you and Xixi..."

"Isn't Xixi Li Luo's cousin?" Yan Zhusheng asked, tilting her head.

"How could that be possible?" Xu Yinghuan shook her head repeatedly, then laughed helplessly. "Quite a few people in class do think that, though; it's all because that guy Zhu Yufei is so dense, he couldn't even tell Li Luo was joking."

"Jin Yuting and I were both middle school classmates of Li Luo and Ying Chanxi."

"They are just neighbors; there's no such thing as older cousin and younger cousin between them."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhusheng immediately fell silent and turned her head to look at Li Luo.

"Ahem... How was I supposed to know they all took it seriously?" Li Luo said helplessly. "But calling me her older brother isn't wrong, after all; we've been together since childhood, so it's no different from having a younger sister."

"Oh, I see," Yan Zhusheng nodded in understanding.

Just as the few of them were chatting, the women's 800-meter race began.

Compared to yesterday's 1500-meter race, the 800 meters wasn't much better; one was half dead from exhaustion after finishing.

The good news was that Wang Xinyu secured fourth place for Class Eight, returning triumphantly amidst the applause and cheers of her classmates.

Apart from Yan Zhusheng, Wang Xinyu had the best athletic aptitude among the girls in the class.

Besides placing in this 800-meter race, she also won third place in the high jump.

In comparison, Yan Zhusheng's talent in the high jump was slightly lower, earning her only eighth place.

However, after today's men's 1000-meter race concluded, the finals for the women's 100-meter and 200-meter races would soon follow.

"Let's go, time to report at the gymnasium," Li Luo took his work badge back from Fang Chen, then said to Yan Zhusheng, "You must do your best in the finals; strive to bring back a gold medal."

Affiliated No. 1 High School didn't have many specialized sports students, nor did every event have them, so Yan Zhusheng's chances this time were quite good.

Xu Yinghuan sat in her seat, watching Li Luo accompany Yan Zhusheng to register for the competition, her eyes instantly sparkling with little stars.

Whether it was true or not didn't matter; as long as the sugar they shipped was sweet enough, that was fine.

Inside the gymnasium.

Seeing Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng approach, Ying Chanxi immediately waved at them.

Wearing his work badge, Li Luo greeted Ying Chanxi and Qiao Xinyan, who had accompanied her, then went over to the physical education teacher to take charge of guiding duties for this round of finals.

The physical education teacher opened the roster and began calling out names: "Yan Zhusheng."

"Ying Chanxi."

"Luo Jiajia."

"Gao Yuqin."

"..."

It had to be said, for this 100-meter final, there were indeed quite a few familiar faces.

Following the physical education teacher's instructions, Li Luo confirmed that all eight contestants in the final group had arrived, then led them all the way to the 100-meter starting line.

And here, besides Li Luo, people like Liu Shaowen, Xie Shuchen, Lu Wei and Zhang Yuanying from Class Seven, as well as Li Luo's good brother Zhao Rongjun, had all borrowed work badges from classmates to rush over and watch the race up close.

"You haven't asked yet, have you?" Li Luo walked over beside Zhao Rongjun; seeing him still running over to cheer for Luo Jiajia on the spot, he asked with a look of deep suspicion.

"There just hasn't been a suitable opportunity," Zhao Rongjun said in a low voice. "Can you not talk about this here, please?"

"Alright, alright," Li Luo waved his hand, too lazy to bother with him for now; after exchanging a few words, he strolled over to where Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi were.

"How are you two contestants preparing?"

Yan Zhusheng nodded, while Ying Chanxi nervously rubbed her small hands together.

"Stop asking!" Ying Chanxi took a few deep breaths but didn't feel any relief; she was still somewhat nervous, feeling as if the flow of blood throughout her body had accelerated, her body tingling and numb, her entire person tense.

After all, this wasn't an examination hall.

If it were taking an exam, faced with absolute strength, Ying Chanxi wouldn't feel the slightest bit of nervousness.

But having entered a field where she wasn't particularly skilled, Ying Chanxi was still just an ordinary girl, and she would still get nervous.

In contrast, Yan Zhusheng's personality made it very difficult for her to become nervous.

Probably due to her indifferent attitude toward winning or losing itself, Yan Zhusheng's expression remained perfectly calm, giving no indication whatsoever that she was here to participate in a final.

Soon, the teacher in charge began calling the contestants to the field to prepare.

The eight contestants lined up side by side at the starting line, forming a beautiful sight.

Setting other things aside, just looking at their appearances, the lineup for this Grade 10 100-meter final was truly gorgeous.

Not only were there two school-beauty-level girls like Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng holding the fort, but there were also quite pretty ones like Luo Jiajia and Gao Yuqin.

So much so that not only Grade 10 students, but also many from Grade 11 and Grade 12, were casting glances in this direction.

"This afternoon is the 3000-meter race," Lu Wei said, walking over to Li Luo with a smile. "Do you remember our bet?"

Li Luo: "... When did I ever make a bet with you? Big brother, can you please get your head straight?"

"Hmph." Lu Wei snorted coldly. "Just you wait."

On the other side, Liu Shaowen stood very close to Li Luo, glanced at Lu Wei who had just come over to act arrogant toward Li Luo, and asked curiously, "What's that guy's deal? Is he running the 3000 meters this afternoon too?"

"His brain doesn't work too well," Li Luo said, twitching the corner of his mouth. "This person likes that girl named Gao Yuqin, but Gao Yuqin keeps coming to chat with me, so this is the result."

"What kind of logic is that?" Liu Shaowen immediately burst out laughing. "If you like a girl, just go pursue her yourself; what's the use of being angry at someone else?"

"That makes sense," Xie Shuchen said, nodding. "But let's not have double standards; how exactly did you mock me yesterday?"

Liu Shaowen coughed twice, looking a bit embarrassed: "One thing at a time; don't talk nonsense, the race is about to start."

The teacher in charge stood outside the starting line, having already raised the small flag in hand to signal the teacher at the finish line.

The eight runners on the track all assumed their starting positions, ready to sprint at any moment.

In the stands, every class that had a student making it to the finals stood up at this moment.

Even someone like Hua Xiuxiu, who usually loved memorizing vocabulary words, actively came to the edge of the stands to cheer for her classmates.

"Ying Chanxi!"

"Ying Chanxi!"

"Yan Zhusheng!"

"Yan Zhusheng!"

Among these, the cheers for Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng were the most prominent.

And right at this moment of heated atmosphere, the teacher in charge raised the starting pistol in hand and shouted loudly:

"On your marks, set—go!"

With a single gunshot, eight figures shot out like arrows.

Luo Jiajia and Yan Zhusheng took the lead, while Ying Chanxi and Gao Yuqin chased closely behind.

By the time the eight runners reached the 50-meter mark, the gaps between them had gradually widened.

Ying Chanxi gradually fell back to fourth or fifth place, gritting her teeth as she struggled to surge forward.

Meanwhile, Yan Zhusheng slowly pulled half a body length ahead of Luo Jiajia, her long legs swinging back and forth.

Li Luo and the others all rushed quickly toward the finish line at this moment, wanting to witness this moment.

But just as Yan Zhusheng successfully crossed the finish line, a series of gasps erupted from the stands.

Just as Ying Chanxi was about to reach the finish line, perhaps due to her anxiety, she stumbled, immediately pitched forward, and fell flat onto the finish line.

"Ying Chanxi!"

Seeing this scene, Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen's eyes nearly split open in fury; they frantically ran toward Ying Chanxi.

But Li Luo reacted much faster than them; the instant Ying Chanxi lost her balance, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Before his mind could even react, his body was already running in that direction.

However, no one expected that the one who reached Ying Chanxi's side the fastest was actually another tall figure.

"Xixi, are you okay? Where are you hurt?" Yan Zhusheng appeared beside Ying Chanxi at some unknown point, squatting down to ask concernedly about her condition and check her injuries.

Ying Chanxi bit her lip tightly, but tears still fell drop by drop from the pain; gasping through her teeth as she endured the agony, she whispered softly, "My elbow... my wrist hurts too, and my knee seems to also..."

As Ying Chanxi said this, the people around quickly gathered, each expressing their concern.

Yan Zhusheng, however, rarely spoke in a cold voice: "Everyone back off a bit, don't block the way, make room."

Having said that, she reached out and scooped Ying Chanxi up into her arms, directly executing a Princess carry; ignoring the classmates calling for her to go receive her award, she turned without looking back and carried Ying Chanxi toward the infirmary.