Chapter 138: In Front of Xi Xi, I Open Wide

The playground in Fu Yi is located west of the teaching building.

After entering the playground through the entrance on the right side of Houde Road, the flagpole for the flag-raising ceremony is on the left, and opposite the playground is the podium for the sports meet opening ceremony.

On either side of the podium, the stepped open-air bleachers extend outward, serving as the seating area for students during the sports meet.

After the opening ceremony ended, under the host's guidance and the student union's arrangements, each class took their assigned seats according to pre-determined zones.

Class 8 of Grade 1 sat in the eastern side of the podium, near the one-third mark from the edge.

After the rock club's performance ended, Li Luo, as a member of the student union, had to put on his work badge and rush off to maintain order and such.

After parting backstage, Yan Zhusheng re-tied her high ponytail and followed Xie Shuchen and others toward the Grade 1 section.

When Yan Zhusheng's figure appeared on the bleachers, every area she passed through seemed frozen in time, everyone staring at her.

After Yan Zhusheng passed by, people began whispering among themselves, asking those beside them if the girl was the lead singer of the rock club just now.

If, while watching the rock club perform on the playground grass, one might have thought distance created beauty and thus found Yan Zhusheng beautiful,

now, seeing Yan Zhusheng's face up close, everyone realized that at this proximity, she looked even more beautiful.

That exquisitely crafted face was flawless beauty from every angle.

Many boys' minds conjured up unrealistic fantasies, followed by a single question.

If such a girl truly took a liking to me, what side of her would she reveal?

"Zhusheng's back!"

"You were so cool on stage!"

"Wuhu~ Awesome!"

On the side of Class 8, as Yan Zhusheng approached, led by Xu Yinghuan and Zhang Guohuang, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted.

Students from nearby classes turned their heads, their faces filled with envy.

Yan Zhusheng blinked her eyes and softly said "Thank you," then was pulled over by Xu Yinghuan and seated beside her.

She sat down, thought for a moment, then took off her school jacket and left an empty seat beside her for Li Luo.

At this moment, Zhu Yufei, holding the sports meet registration form, shouted toward the bleachers: "The women's 100-meter preliminary race is about to begin! Yan Zhusheng, Xu Yinghuan, you two should report over at the gym."

"OKOK!" Xu Yinghuan jumped up from her seat, grabbing Yan Zhusheng's hand, "Let's go, Zhusheng."

"Mm." Yan Zhusheng nodded, stood up, and followed Xu Yinghuan as they descended the bleachers and headed toward the gym.

……

"You played well." At the gym entrance, Xu Youyu, patrolling and checking, smiled at Li Luo as he walked in.

"I'm just the green leaf that highlights the red flower," Li Luo smiled. "Zhusheng is far more impressive."

"Don't undersell yourself." Xu Youyu patted his shoulder, then said, "You're in charge of guiding the Grade 1 girls' 100-meter preliminary race at 8:30—get going."

"Aye, President."

After bidding farewell to Xu Youyu at the gym entrance, Li Luo walked inside and joined the physical education teacher.

Soon after, girls from each class participating in the 100-meter race gradually gathered there.

Ying Chanxi, still wearing her work badge around her neck, was among the first to arrive.

She immediately spotted Li Luo, walked up to him, removed her own badge, and hung it around his neck: "Hold onto this for me."

"Good luck out there," Li Luo said with a smile.

"I'm not even from your class," Ying Chanxi huffed, "If I get a good ranking, I'll outscore your class."

"It's a sports meet—having fun matters most; class points are secondary."

According to Fu Yi Middle School's scoring system, the top eight finishers in each event earn points for their class.

First place is worth 10 points; second through eighth are worth 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively.

Even winning first place in the grade only grants a certificate and ranking—barely a tool to boost class cohesion.

This probably doesn't even tie into the homeroom teacher's bonus.

"Oh, Xi Xi's here too."

Soon after, a familiar voice came from beside them.

Xu Yinghuan wrapped her arm around Ying Chanxi's, affectionately saying, "Go easy on me, okay?"

"You're running the 100-meter too?" Ying Chanxi blinked, speaking those words while her gaze drifted to Yan Zhusheng behind Xu Yinghuan, "Zhusheng's here too."

"Mm." Yan Zhusheng nodded, walked straight up to Li Luo, pulled out a harmonica from her pant pocket, and shoved it into his arms, "Hold this for me."

"Okay." Li Luo nodded and slipped the harmonica into his own pocket.

Ying Chanxi noticed their small exchange at once, then feigned curiosity: "What's that you gave him, Zhusheng?"

"A harmonica. Li Luo gave it to me," Yan Zhusheng answered honestly.

"Oh~" Ying Chanxi chuckled, then turned to Li Luo, "That's the one you bought before, isn't it? You hid it from me."

"Didn't I buy you a camera too?" Li Luo said, exasperated, "Where's your camera?"

"I had Xin Yan hold it for me," Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes, "I'm here to compete—I can't carry it around."

While they chatted, most of the competitors had arrived, so the PE teacher began calling out names from the list.

"Ying Chanxi."

"Xu Yinghuan."

"Zhang Yuanying."

"..."

"You eight are in one group," the PE teacher said after listing the eight names, then turned to Li Luo, "Take them out to the track."

The Grade 1 women's 100-meter preliminary race had 32 competitors total, divided into groups of eight, with the top eight overall times advancing to the finals.

Li Luo was responsible for guiding the first group; after Ying Chanxi helped line them up, he led the team out of the gym, walking to the 100-meter track to hand over the roster to the on-site supervisor.

Grade 1's section was directly on the eastern bleachers, closest to the 100-meter starting line.

After seeing Ying Chanxi's figure, the students in Class One couldn't sit still anymore.

Xie Shuchen and Liu Shaowen stood up immediately and went to the railing of the stands.

Class Eight was a bit farther away, but they could still spot Xu Yinghuan's figure.

Xu Yinghuan was usually cheerful and warm, popular in her class; everyone prepared to cheer for her, yet held back somewhat.

Only Zhang Guohuang, that clown, had the audacity to shout loudly: "Xu Yinghuan! Win first in your group! I'll treat you to lunch!"

"Get lost!" Xu Yinghuan waved her fist, laughing as she mocked Zhang Guohuang.

The supervising teacher waved his small flag, signaled to the teacher at the finish line, then arranged for Ying Chanxi and the others to enter the track.

After that, the girls in the second group were also led over by members of the student union.

Yan Zhusheng walked to Li Luo's side, took the harmonica from his pocket, and went to the side of the track to cheer for Ying Chanxi.

"Go, Xixi."

"Mm, thanks, Zhusheng," Ying Chanxi smiled, then watched as Yan Zhusheng placed the harmonica to his lips and softly played a beautiful melody.

Hm… it felt a little familiar.

Ying Chanxi was still nervous about the race and couldn't immediately place the song, but it felt like something she'd heard recently.

But at this moment, the teacher had already told them to take their marks.

Yan Zhusheng promptly put down the harmonica and slipped it back into Li Luo's pocket.

The next second.

"Take your marks, ready—go!"

The starting gun fired.

Ying Chanxi and the others sprinted forward, racing toward the finish line.

As she crossed the finish line, Ying Chanxi suddenly had a flash of insight—she remembered something.

The song Yan Zhusheng had just played was the same one Li Luo had sung to her on the weekend: "The Chaser."

It was so similar…