The sports meet was originally scheduled for early November.
However, as October drew to a close, Nancheng suddenly experienced persistent rain that lasted for over ten days without stopping. The school sports meet was postponed repeatedly, finally landing in mid-November, just two days after the midterm exams.
The rescheduled sports meet will take place on Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday morning, the weather finally cooperated, with the sun hanging high in the sky from early on.
Autumn mornings always carried a chill. Although the temperature had risen, Zhou Anran still obediently wore her autumn school uniform jacket that morning. Her 50-meter sprint was scheduled for 10 AM, shortly after the opening ceremony of the sports meet concluded.
This was Zhou Anran’s first time participating in a sports meet competition. Before the preliminary round began, Yan Xingqian and Sheng Xiaowen neglected their class events to gather around her with Zhang Shuxian, offering moral support.
“Ran Ran, don’t be nervous later,” Zhang Shuxian said. “Just do your best. Our class always ranks first in exams anyway, so we don’t need this honor.”
“That’s right,” Yan Xingqian chimed in. “Our class… no, not our class anymore. Your class… oh, that’s not quite right either. Well, Class 1 ranked eighth overall in last year’s sports meet. So it doesn’t matter how well or poorly you run.”
Sheng Xiaowen reminded her, “You should warm up first.”
As 10 AM approached, the sunlight had grown noticeably warmer than in the early morning.
Thinking about the imminent race, Zhou Anran decided to take off her school uniform jacket.
Just as Yan Xingqian was about to reach out and take it, a long, distinctly masculine hand snatched the jacket first.
“Why are you fighting us for a piece of clothing?” Yan Xingqian looked at the newcomer with displeasure.
Chen Luobai casually draped the girl’s jacket over his arm, his tone light: “Your class has a competition soon. When you leave, who will she ask for her clothes?”
Sheng Xiaowen tugged at Yan Xingqian’s hand. “Oh right, our class has an event now. We should go check it out.”
Yan Xingqian let out a soft huff, only turning her head to look at Zhou Anran. “We’ll come back to support you during your race.”
Zhang Shuxian interjected, “I’m going to check out the high jump area. Let’s go together.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
Did they have to be so obvious?
But perhaps it didn’t matter if they were obvious now.
His friends often teased them even more blatantly.
Seeing her jacket in his hands, Zhou Anran’s ears inexplicably grew hot. She kicked at a small pebble by her foot, not looking up at him. “Are you going to run with me today?”
Chen Luobai’s voice sounded above her head: “Of course. I always keep my word.”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
“No, you don’t.”
“Then tell me,” Chen Luobai looked at the girl’s lowered head, “When have I ever not kept my word?”
Zhou Anran softly listed examples: “You lied about skipping class, you took my water bottle and wouldn’t give it back, you said you wouldn’t pull on my rabbit again but you did yesterday.”
Chen Luobai laughed: “You remember so clearly?”
His voice was low, carrying an inexplicable hint of intimacy.
Zhou Anran’s ears grew even hotter: “Of course. My memory isn’t bad.”
“Alright,” Chen Luobai’s gaze lingered on her flushed face, his tone as if negotiating with her, “Then can I keep my word today?”
Zhou Anran’s lips curved slightly, and after a second she said softly: “You’d better not run with me.”
Chen Luobai: “Why not?”
Zhou Anran finally glanced at him: “I don’t see anyone else with running companions.”
Chen Luobai’s lips also curved: “That’s because they don’t have as good a deskmate as I am for you.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
How was he good? He just loved to tease her.
“But you’re too eye-catching.”
The school was already buzzing with rumors about them. If he ran with her in front of the whole school today, tomorrow they’d probably be saying they were officially together.
Besides, there were many teachers watching today.
“Now you’re complaining that I’m eye-catching?” Chen Luobai reached out and ruffled her hair heavily, his tone seemingly displeased. “Zhou Anran, do you have any conscience?”
“Chen Luobai!” Zhou Anran looked up and glared at him. “You messed up my hair again!”
Seeing her face slightly puffed up, her glare lacking any intimidation and instead looking soft and cute, Chen Luobai laughed again: “You don’t want me to run with you?”
Zhou Anran fixed her hair, and since she was about to run, she tied it up with a hair tie: “Really, I don’t.”
The school didn’t allow long hair, and while she hadn’t cut hers in a while, it was barely shoulder-length. Tied up, it formed a short little ponytail at the back, looking particularly adorable.
Chen Luobai couldn’t resist reaching out to tug on it lightly.
Zhou Anran: “…?”
The boy had controlled his strength well, not hurting her at all, but the newly tied hair was visibly loosened by his pull.
Zhou Anran glared at him again: “Chen Luobai!”
Chen Luobai slowly withdrew his hand, and instead of being deterred by her glare, he smiled: “The back of your hair wasn’t tied properly.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
As if she’d believe him.
Zhou Anran ignored him and returned her hair herself.
Chen Luobai rubbed his nose: “Are you sure you don’t want me to run with you?”
Zhou Anran: “I’m sure.”
She paused for a second, then added softly.
“Wait for me at the finish line.”
*
Before the 50-meter preliminary race began, Yan Xingqian and the others returned to the trackside. Zhu Ran and his group of boys also came to watch her race, forming a large crowd gathered near the starting line.
Perhaps infected by the competitive atmosphere, Yan Xingqian and the others were particularly excited.
“Go, Ran Ran!”
“Ran Ran, you can do it!”
“Fighting!”
Zhou Anran looked up and smiled at them.
As she turned her head, she heard someone from the group of boys behind them start to shout:
“Sister-in-“
The word was cut off mid-syllable as if someone had covered their mouth.
Zhou Anran: “…?”
The teacher nearby had already called for them to get ready. Zhou Anran had no time to see what was going on. She focused her mind, took a deep breath, then looked up towards the finish line.
The 50-meter finish line seemed so close.
Close enough that she could see the tall, handsome boy standing there, holding her jacket, looking back at her.
The starting gun fired.
Zhou Anran didn’t spare a glance at the other lanes, running straight for the finish line.
Running straight towards him.
This was Zhou Anran’s first time participating in a sprint race. As she crossed the finish line, her foot stumbled slightly.
Chen Luobai had been waiting for her at the finish line and reached out to steady her.
Due to the momentum from her run, Zhou Anran crashed heavily into his chest, clearly feeling a slight pain in her own.
Once she steadied herself, Zhou Anran stepped back a few paces, her face red. She looked up to see the boy’s gaze also shifting away uncomfortably for a moment.
Fortunately, everyone on the field was focused on the race results, and no one noticed their subtle moment of awkwardness.
Zhou Anran caught her breath and steadied her heartbeat before asking softly, “What place did I come in?”
“Third in your group. You made it to the finals,” the wind on the field ruffled the blue and white of the boy’s school uniform as he smiled at her. “My front desk neighbor is pretty impressive.”
Zhou Anran had always been average in sports since childhood. This time she was just participating for the experience, so making it to the finals was an unexpected joy. By the time the final race started, she was free of any psychological burden.
Perhaps because of this, and because he was still waiting for her at the finish line, Zhou Anran’s performance in the finals exceeded her expectations. She surprisingly finished in fifth place.
Zhang Shuxian and the others ran over from the starting line and surrounded her.
Yan Xingqian even pulled her into a hug: “Ran Ran, you’re amazing! You came in fifth!”
Apart from the 50-meter final champion, she had the largest group of people gathered around her among all the participants.
Zhou Anran even noticed a few students from other classes looking at them as if they were crazy. Her face grew warm, but she couldn’t help feeling amused. She patted Yan Xingqian’s back: “Alright, stop praising me. People will laugh at us.”
Yan Xingqian clenched her fist: “Let them try laughing at you.”
But she still obediently let go of Zhou Anran.
After the girls’ 50-meter final, the boys’ 100-meter sprint was about to begin. Tang Jianrui and Huang Shujie had both signed up for this event.
The track for the boys’ 100-meter sprint was on the opposite side of the field.
Their large group moved en masse towards the other side. Whether intentional or not, by the time they were halfway across, Zhou Anran realized that she and Chen Luobai had been left at the back of the group again.
Other events were happening or being prepared all over the field, with excited students running about everywhere.
The distance between Zhou Anran and Chen Luobai was pushed closer than usual by the crowd.
She watched the large group of chatting and laughing people in front of them. As they walked, the back of her hand inadvertently brushed against his.
It was as if a tiny electric current ran from the back of her hand straight to her heart, or as if the spot where their hands touched suddenly caught fire. Zhou Anran’s fingertips curled slightly, instinctively wanting to pull her hand back.
The next moment, she felt him slip something into her palm.
A cool touch, opposite to the warm fingertips that accidentally brushed her palm.
Zhou Anran’s face seemed to burn as well.
She stopped walking and looked down to see that he had placed a medal in her hand.
“What’s this?” Zhou Anran looked up at him again.
Chen Luobai: “A medal I won from a math olympiad before.”
Zhou Anran: “I know that.”
The medal had an inscription.
“I mean, why are you giving me your medal?”
Chen Luobai had one hand in his school trouser pocket, his tone still characteristically casual, with a familiar hint of amusement: “Awarding a prize to my front desk neighbor. This will have to do for now.”
Zhou Anran’s heart suddenly started racing again. She softly reminded him: “This is a gold medal. I only came in fifth.”
Chen Luobai made a sound of acknowledgment.
The sunlight that day was particularly bold.
The boy’s smile was equally bold.
“But—” he said with a smile, “in my book, you’re number one.”
*
In the boys’ 100-meter sprint finals, Tang Jianrui and Huang Shujie ended up taking first and second place respectively.
Class 1 wasn’t usually strong in sports events, so sweeping the top two spots at once excited the whole class. Almost all the boys swarmed over, with a small group even getting so excited that they lifted Tang Jianrui high in the air.
Gao Guohua, seeing this from a distance, was so frightened his heart nearly stopped. He hurried over to stop them.
“What are you doing? What if someone gets hurt? Put him down quickly!”
The boys carefully lowered Tang Jianrui and stood in line to listen to Gao Guohua’s lecture.
But there was no way they could be completely obedient. One by one, they made faces at each other when the homeroom teacher wasn’t looking.
Zhou Anran stood to the side, amused by the scene. Suddenly, she felt someone tug on her little ponytail again.
Just like before, he had been careful not to hurt her, but she still couldn’t help tilting her head: “Why do you keep pulling my hair?”
“If you want me to stop, that’s fine,” Chen Luobai said lazily. “You just have to agree to one condition.”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
How did her not wanting him to pull her hair turn into her having to agree to his condition?
“What condition?”
Chen Luobai didn’t speak, instead moving to stand behind her.
Zhou Anran quickly looked up again.
Gao Guohua had finished his lecture and walked away with his hands behind his back.
She relaxed a bit, and for some reason, didn’t stop him this time.
The next moment, her tied-up hair suddenly came loose.
Zhou Anran turned her head to see her black hair tie in his hand.
“Give me the hair tie.”
Zhou Anran blinked: “What do you want my hair tie for?”
Chen Luobai casually slipped the hair tie onto his wrist, his tone still lazy: “It’s fun.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
How could a plain hair tie be any fun?
But she rather liked seeing her things on him, especially since he wore the hair tie low on his wrist, the thin black line resting just above the small brown mole on his wrist bone.
Zhou Anran’s ears grew hot again from the sun: “Well, you’re not allowed to pull my hair anymore.”
The sunlight had grown considerably warmer than before.
The boy squinted as if the sun was in his eyes. He made a casual sound of agreement, then called her name.
“Zhou Anran.”
Zhou Anran: “What is it?”
“Want to go somewhere with me?” Chen Luobai suddenly asked.
Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a beat: “Where to?”
“Anywhere. It’s too sunny and noisy here.” Chen Luobai shielded his eyes from the sun, the black hair tie on his wrist making his skin look even paler. He looked down at her, a hint of a smile on his lips, his voice lowered, “Does the good student want to skip the sports meet with me?”
Zhou Anran couldn’t tell if it was his current appearance or his words that were more enticing. She almost nodded in agreement until she heard Sheng Xiaowen reminding Zhang Shuxian in the distance that her high jump competition was about to start.
They had all stayed to support her earlier. She couldn’t leave now.
Zhou Anran shook her head: “Shuxian and the others have competitions. I need to stay and cheer for them.”
Chen Luobai squinted again, looking a bit displeased.
Zhou Anran didn’t want to part from him either, so she added softly: “You shouldn’t skip either.”
Chen Luobai: “Why not?”
Zhou Anran: “We’ll be in our final year next year, and we don’t know if the school will let us participate in the sports meet then. This might be the last sports meet we get to participate in.”
It was also the first one he was attending with her.
Last year, he had secretly skipped it. Apart from the opening ceremony, she had hardly seen him afterward.
Chen Luobai stared at her for a couple of seconds, his tone and smile both a bit helpless, yet indulgent: “Alright, whatever my front desk neighbor says goes.”
*
Zhang Shuxian had signed up for both the high jump and standing long jump.
Unlike Zhou Anran, she was considered one of the most athletic girls in the class. She easily won first place in the high jump preliminaries by a wide margin.
As the finals began, Zhou Anran stood with a large group on the sidelines, continuing to cheer for her.
Given her introverted nature, she had initially been silently clenching her fists and cheering for Zhang Shuxian in her heart. But Yan Xingqian and Sheng Xiaowen’s cheers grew louder and louder, and Class 9 had a girl who was also quite good at the high jump, so their cheering section was equally enthusiastic.
Whether infected by Yan Xingqian and the others’ enthusiasm or feeling a bit competitive, Zhou Anran couldn’t help but join in: “Shuxian, you can do it!”
Zhang Shuxian hadn’t started her jump yet. Hearing Zhou Anran’s voice, she raised both hands and made a heart shape towards her from a distance.
Zhou Anran’s lips curved into a smile. When Zhang Shuxian started her jump, she continued to cheer loudly along with Yan Xingqian and Sheng Xiaowen beside her.
Chen Luobai lowered his eyes slightly.
The girl’s snow-white face was flushed from the sun, her eyes clear and bright, gaze fixed intently on the field, completely focused on her friend’s competition, not noticing his gaze at all.
Zhang Shuxian easily won the high jump finals with a significant advantage.
Zhou Anran was pulled by Yan Xingqian into the field, and the three of them hugged Zhang Shuxian tightly.
After the high jump competition, Zhang Shuxian’s long jump event started immediately.
Zhou Anran was now fully immersed in the competitive atmosphere, shouting with Yan Xingqian and Sheng Xiaowen on the sidelines throughout the event.
However, in the standing long jump event, Zhang Shuxian’s advantage wasn’t as clear. She ended up losing by a small margin to a girl from Class 11, taking second place.
After the long jump ended, Yan Xingqian’s class had a championship event about to start. The two of them moved to that area to cheer for their classmates. Zhu Ran and his group of boys also went to watch other events. Zhou Anran stayed in this area to watch Zhang Shuxian’s award ceremony.
Chen Luobai, who had been accompanying her the whole time, suddenly spoke: “Regret it now?”