Chapter 372: Can Any Reward Be Given?

The fan group for Jiang Mingyue was secretly created by Ren Zheng this morning, so not many people were added.

Besides Jiang Liuxian, who had previously chatted well with others in other groups and was brought in for providing firsthand accounts of Xu Youyu's performance at the student council, the rest were mostly from Class 8 and Old Class 8.

Right now, the main chatterers are still Ren Zheng and the other new Class 8 members.

But not long after, others began to pop up one by one.

【Jin Yuting】: Huh? Another juicy rumor?

【Chen Zhongqi】: Shocking!

【Shi Yanran】: Is Xu Xuejie Jiang Mingyue? Does she write novels in private? So… so impressive…

【Zhu Huiyan】: Is Li Luo playing this game so wildly? Are all three heroines based on real people?

【Ren Zheng】: They all even live under the same roof.

【Zhu Yufei】: I've already saved that book, *Literary Era*, and I'll read it these two days.

【Zhang Guohuang】: Perfect—I'm out of books, hehehe~ Let me see how Xu Xuejie writes.

【Hua Xiuxiu】: Xuejie won the national essay award; her writing must be far better than Li Luo's, and this title's got serious style.

【Zhu Yufei】: Feels a bit too literary—wonder if I can get into it.

【Zhang Guohuang】: I just want to know if the romance plot is as tedious as the one with the monitor.

【Zhu Yufei】: Just check it out when you have time.

The QQ group was buzzing, but the Class 8 section on the stands was unusually quiet.

Zhu Yufei was chatting in the group while still doing his job, occasionally calling out classmates to report to the gym.

In the afternoon, Yan Zhusheng kicked off with a win, taking first place in the women's 200-meter preliminary heat.

Soon after, it was time for the women's 800-meter final.

Xu Yinghuan competed and came back with third place.

After finishing, Xu Yinghuan collapsed completely onto Qiao Xinyan's lap, leaning against her shoulder as she gasped for breath: "I'm dead~"

"Water, drink water," Zhao Rongjun handed Xu Yinghuan a bottle. She looked up and immediately complained, "Brother Zhao, at least twist the cap open—I'm too tired to do it."

"Oh oh…" Zhao Rongjun snapped to attention and quickly unscrewed the cap, then offered it again.

Xu Yinghuan opened her mouth to take it directly.

Seeing this, Qiao Xinyan laughed and took the mineral water bottle from Zhao Rongjun, holding it to Xu Yinghuan's lips to let her sip a few times.

"Don't drink too much yet—just moisten your throat," Qiao Xinyan said. "Wait a bit, then drink slowly. Don't gulp it all at once."

"Got it~" After drinking, Xu Yinghuan felt a bit better, leaned back in her chair, and looked up at Yan Zhusheng in the back row: "Zhusheng~ I got third place! The winner was still a sports student."

"Mm." Yan Zhusheng reached out and patted Xu Yinghuan's head. "You did great."

"Feels like you're praising your own puppy," Li Luo chuckled beside them.

"Shut up," Xu Yinghuan huffed. "If I were a dog, I'd have already bitten you…"

"No," Yan Zhusheng grabbed Xu Yinghuan's head firmly. "You bite Zhao Rongjun. Don't bite Li Luo."

Xu Yinghuan: "?"

Zhao Rongjun: "???"

After the women's 800-meter finished, it was Li Luo's turn for the men's 1000-meter.

After warming up, Li Luo descended the steps and waved to Yan Zhusheng and Xu Youyu: "I'm off to report."

"We'll come down to cheer for you later!" Xu Youyu called out.

"Got it."

Li Luo walked toward the stands, accompanied by Liu Shaowen, who had also signed up for the 1000-meter; they headed together to the gym.

After a short wait, it was time for the men's 1000-meter check-in.

The PE teacher called out names one by one; the boys signed up for the 1000-meter stepped forward and lined up before Ying Chanxi, who was leading the group.

Although each class could enter two athletes per event, liberal arts classes had few boys, so only about twenty boys showed up for the 1000-meter.

Li Luo stood in line and winked at Ying Chanxi, who was at the front.

Ying Chanxi gave him a look; after the PE teacher finished calling names and still had one boy missing, she walked straight over to Li Luo's side.

"What's up?" Li Luo asked, puzzled, thinking she had something to say.

But Ying Chanxi merely brushed his chest lightly, then adjusted the athlete's number tag pinned to his back with a safety pin: "It's crooked—I fixed it. Good luck in the race."

The male classmates watching nearby all stared, filled with envy and resentment.

Especially some boys who had read Li Luo's novels and heard the rumors about him around school—thinking this guy had other equally beautiful girls circling him—felt their hearts twist with jealousy.

Especially Liu Shaowen, who stood right behind Li Luo, watching Ying Chanxi so tenderly adjust Li Luo's number tag, drew a deep breath as if flames were burning fiercely in his chest.

If anyone in the class had been most shattered after Li Luo's information was exposed, it was undoubtedly Liu Shaowen.

Even Xie Shuchen, who had previously pursued Ying Chanxi, hadn't held on as stubbornly.

After all, Xie Shuchen played guitar and was relatively carefree—he saw things clearly. Once he learned Li Luo was Ying Chanxi's childhood friend and they had no blood relation, he gave up clinging to one tree.

But Liu Shaowen was different.

He and Ying Chanxi had attended the same middle school, holding the top two spots in the entire school for three years.

Now, at the elite Fuyi High, he kept striving to follow in Ying Chanxi's footsteps.

He was finally able to stay in the same class with her—even the new college entrance reform's class reassignment couldn't separate them—and Liu Shaowen believed this was fate's will.

Who says childhood friends are destined to be together?

The reason childhood friend stories move people is precisely because most childhood friends in reality never end up well together.

So Liu Shaowen resolutely joined the official fan club of the "Little Empress Mo Qinghan," silently supporting Yan Zhusheng.

He thought Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng made a perfect pair—desk mates, rock club partners, and Li Luo even wrote a song for her mother that went viral; it was truly heaven-sent.

With this thought, Liu Shaowen turned his burning flames into running energy, vowing to show his true strength in the upcoming race.

At the very least, I need Ying Chanxi to look at me two more times.

Once the PE teacher called out and found the last contestant, he instructed Ying Chanxi to lead the team onto the field.

Li Luo and his group followed Ying Chanxi out of the gymnasium, walked across the school lawn, and arrived at the 1000-meter starting line.

Xu Youyu and Yan Zhusheng were already waiting there; when they saw Li Luo and the others approaching, they immediately hurried over.

"I'm cheering for you!" Xu Youyu grinned as she leaned in. "If you win first place, I'll reward you, how about that?"

"Don't even think about first place," Li Luo pointed to a tall, thin boy in the team. "There's a sports student here."

"Then, apart from the sports student, if you come in first, I'll reward you."

"Any reward is acceptable?"

"Hmm?" Xu Youyu raised an eyebrow and smirked ambiguously. "Do you have something special in mind? It's not impossible."

"Actually, there is one reward I really want," Li Luo said earnestly. "If I win, can you cancel the previous bet I lost?"

"Hmph." Xu Youyu snorted and immediately turned her head away. "That one? Absolutely not."

"Li Luo," Yan Zhusheng looked at him seriously. "Do you want to give it your all?"

"Your verbal encouragement is enough," Li Luo replied, instantly stepping back half a pace, glancing around, and hurriedly added, "The race is about to start—stay here, and wait for me at the finish line."

On the other side, after handing the athlete list to the PE teacher at the starting line, Ying Chanxi came over to Li Luo's side and stood with Yan Zhusheng and Xu Youyu, forming a stunning scene.

No matter how dull the boys participating in the race might be, they couldn't help but fix their gaze on these three beautiful girls standing nearby, each with her own charm.

And yet, these three girls had all come here specifically to watch one person compete…

In that instant, Li Luo felt as if countless invisible arrows had pierced his back.

Fortunately, the PE teacher was efficient; after confirming the track was cleared, he shouted for them to take their positions and prepare to begin.

Li Luo joined the crowd on the track, took a deep breath, and assumed the starting stance as the PE teacher called out, "Ready."

"Go, Li Luo!" Xu Youyu called out from beside him.

"Go, Li Luo," Yan Zhusheng followed.

"L-Li Luo, go!" Ying Chanxi, seeing this, quickly whispered her encouragement.

The way they cheered… aside from anything else, hearing it, the other boys either had their spirits shattered and lost their will, or gritted their teeth and resolved to crush Li Luo.

When the PE teacher fired the starting gun and everyone sprinted forward, someone like Liu Shaowen, who had been holding his breath, burst ahead immediately, pulling several body lengths ahead of Li Luo.

But Li Luo wasn't in a hurry; he maintained his steady breathing, closely following the lead group, adjusting his rhythm.

The school's track was 400 meters per lap, so 1000 meters meant two and a half laps.

Starting from the line near the flagpole, Li Luo ran half a lap behind the lead group, then gradually increased his pace as he neared the finish line.

After overtaking several runners, Li Luo settled into third place.

Ahead of him, besides the fast-running sports student, was only Liu Shaowen, who had sprinted off at full speed from the start.

When Li Luo recognized Liu Shaowen, he was momentarily stunned.

In his memory, Liu Shaowen was good at long-distance running, but only at an above-average civilian level—he hadn't beaten Li Luo last year.

He never expected him to be this strong today.

But Li Luo only marveled for an instant.

When Li Luo ran another half-lap behind Liu Shaowen and noticed his strides clearly slowing, he immediately frowned slightly and overtook him.

Seeing himself overtaken by Li Luo, Liu Shaowen clenched his teeth and surged forward again, trying to regain the lead.

But Liu Shaowen didn't expect that as Li Luo entered the final lap, he slightly accelerated again, leaving Liu Shaowen to exhaust every ounce of strength without catching up.

Watching Li Luo's retreating figure grow farther away, Liu Shaowen's spirit collapsed; a wave of exhaustion swept over him, nearly causing him to stumble and fall.

Though he steadied himself, his earlier exertion had drained too much energy—he could no longer keep pace with the others, was gradually overtaken, and eventually dropped out of the top eight, his eyes dimming with defeat.

Unfortunately, although Li Luo's stamina was already quite good, it still couldn't match that of a professional.

He finished second, trailing the lead sports student by several body lengths.

As he crossed the finish line, Li Luo slowed to a stop, hands on his hips, breathing heavily.

"Don't stop moving," Yan Zhusheng walked over and gently supported his arm. "Keep walking; rest only after your body recovers."

"I know," Li Luo said, breathing hard as he walked under Yan Zhusheng's support.

On the other side, Xu Youyu had already pulled out a bottle of mineral water and held it to Li Luo's lips: "Here, take a couple sips."

Li Luo sipped twice to moisten his mouth, then continued walking to recover.

Ying Chanxi stood beside him, quietly asking, "Can you still manage? You came in second—remember to go to the podium for photos later."

"Mm," Li Luo nodded, feeling quite pleased.

Because he could clearly feel his body recovering rapidly.

Though still tired after the run, it wasn't nearly as unbearable as he'd imagined.

In his memory, since entering college, he'd hardly exercised at all; by his final year's physical test, running 1500 meters felt like dying—chest tight, gasping for air, every part of him aching.

He needed half a day to recover, and the next morning, every muscle screamed in pain.

But now, after giving his all in the 1000-meter race, Li Luo felt only exhilaration.

As if every pore had opened, after walking for a few minutes, his breathing eased; only his muscles still needed rest.

It must be said—the consistent year-plus of morning and evening runs, plus daily school-wide running drills and PE class exertion, had yielded visible results.

Li Luo's body was already at its peak natural condition, and when combined with this training, it naturally produced an excellent physique.

"You ran so fast," Xu Youyu remarked beside him. "At that pace, I'd collapse within a few meters."

"Senior," Yan Zhusheng analyzed seriously, "your maximum running speed probably isn't that fast."

Xu Youyu: "... Zhusheng, you're getting meaner."

"I'm just kindly reminding you."

"You'll regret this," Xu Youyu grumbled. "I'll bathe you tonight~"

"Umm..." At these words, Yan Zhusheng immediately fell silent.

Li Luo slowed slightly beside the track, then went to the award podium in the center of the lawn to claim his silver medal, and, under the guidance of the photography club members, had his photo taken.

When he returned to the stands, Li Luo glanced at Yan Zhusheng and Xu Youyu and asked, "Where's Chanxi?"

"Off doing something else again," Xu Youyu said with a grin.

"What about Junge and the others?"

"Zhao Rongjun went to compete in the shot put," Yan Zhusheng said. "Yinghuan and Xinyan went to watch the event."

"Wow~ Junge is now a man girls watch compete," Li Luo sighed with satisfaction.

About half an hour later, Zhao Rongjun returned to the stands with the two girls.

Li Luo asked curiously, "Did you place?"

"He got fifth," Qiao Xinyan held up one hand and gestured toward Li Luo. "It felt like he threw it really far, but he was just a few centimeters short of third—otherwise he might've won a medal."

"It's not that impressive," Zhao Rongjun scratched his head humbly. "Yinghuan got third before—mine's nowhere near that."

"As long as you scored, that's already great," Xu Yinghuan slapped Zhao Rongjun on the back. "Xinyan's got the 1500 meters coming up—try to place too."

"I can't do it," Qiao Xinyan waved her hands, laughing. "Chanxi might still have a chance—I'm just tagging along with her."

"It's fine," Zhao Rongjun quickly reassured her. "The 1500 meters is about participation—finishing the whole race is already impressive."

"Mm-hmm," Qiao Xinyan nodded seriously. "I know."

"Women's 1500 meters, prepare!" At that moment, Zhu Yufei called up from below the stands, then turned his gaze to Li Luo. "Class monitor! Ask the vice monitor where she is—she's competing too!"

"Got it," Li Luo stood up, dusted off his backside, and walked toward the podium. "Xinyan, go ahead—I'll find Chanxi."