Preparations Before the Sports Meet

Xu Yichen smiled, glanced around the smoky, chaotic classroom, then stood and said, “Let’s go for a walk. There’s no need for us to stay here any longer.”

Sun Mingfan followed closely behind, suggesting, “How about we head to Golden Kelly? There are a couple of stunning girls there lately.”

Xu Yichen laughed and scolded him, “You rascal, your mind’s always on girls. I actually have something serious to discuss with you. Let’s find a bar and have a chat, just the two of us.”

“Alright, I’m at your service, boss,” Sun Mingfan replied, quickening his pace to catch up, and the two left the classroom arm in arm.

TV dramas are drawn from life—how true that saying is.

If Lin Xia knew the tangled web of love and hate among these people, she would sigh and say, “This is the classic, melodramatic, golden primetime soap opera!”

At that moment, Lin Xia stood awkwardly on the playground, listening to the solemn voice from the loudspeaker: “The eighth set of national student exercises begins now. March in place…”

Yes, it was the broadcast gymnastics.

God knows how many years it had been since she last did such a thing.

Ten years? Or twelve?

Watching Xie Xitong in front of her, dutifully performing each movement, Lin Xia felt a deep sense of admiration. Truly impressive!

Then she glanced at Sun Xiaoxiao behind her, swaying and twisting, her figure undulating dramatically with every motion. Lin Xia looked down at her own flat chest and felt like crying.

“…Chest expansion exercise, one, two, three, four…” Expand, expand, expand!!

Lin Xia still hadn’t let go of what happened that day.

Teenagers are sensitive and unpredictable by nature, and because of that, adults often ignore their feelings. They think that once this phase passes, everything will be fine.

But that’s a mistaken notion. Children at this stage need parental guidance more than ever. If handled poorly, psychological shadows can linger, leading to stubbornness.

She needed to find a way to comfort her.

Lin Xia absentmindedly poked at the noodles in her bowl, lost in thought.

“Xia Xia, Xia Xia…” Lin Xia snapped back to reality and found Xie Xitong and the other two looking at her curiously.

“What is it?”

“We’ve called you three or four times. What were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about the newly released ‘Fine Rain.’ Didn’t Liuyan publish a new chapter this issue? I thought it was pretty well written.” Lin Xia lied.

“Yes, yes!” At the mention of this, the three grew excited and let the moment pass. “Seeing Qin Si secretly liking Lin An, waiting for him in silence—I truly feel for her.”

“Yes,” Lin Xia sighed softly, “like a humble ugly duckling, quietly loving the prince from a corner.”

Xie Xitong clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and mused, “Men are like onions, always wrapping themselves in layers of disguise. You want to understand him, to love him, so you peel away those layers. Along the way, you grow sad, you shed tears. In the end, you realize onions have no heart.”

“That’s so beautifully said,” Zhao Qian added dreamily. “My idol!”

Sun Xiaoxiao said sourly, “In the end, princes belong to princesses. The ugly duckling can only watch from the corner as Snow White and the prince fall in love.”

If your gaze would linger on me for just a moment, if you would listen to my heart break.

A sigh as poetic as verse.

The four girls grew sentimental for a while. Then Sun Xiaoxiao, pretending to be mysterious, said, “I bet Yan Yan has fallen in love.”

“And it must be a secret crush,” Zhao Qian chimed in instantly.

Xie Xitong concluded, “And that person must be outstanding.”

Lin Xia’s hand trembled as she picked up her soy milk. She wasn’t secretly in love with him.

Well, perhaps.

She was simply nostalgic for that innocent feeling of having a secret crush.

To have someone you quietly like in this world is truly a blessing.

Without that person—if they never appeared or brightened your gray youth—that would be a real regret.

Youth only finds its value in the presence of that special someone.

Like the dew on the rose in the flowerpot by the dusty morning window, poised to drop, it is that anxious waiting that moves the heart.

“Hey, I heard from Teacher Ma that the school will soon hold the spring sports meet,” Lin Xia changed the subject. “Who usually participates from our class?”

“Really?” Sun Xiaoxiao was a little surprised. Seeing Lin Xia nod, she smiled, “That’s great!”

Lin Xia was a little confused, so Zhao Qian explained, “This way, she can see Tong Tong’s brother shine on the field.”

“Oh, your brother is good at sports?” Lin Xia wondered how she hadn’t known this in her previous life.

“Yes, he’s amazing at high jump and pretty good at sprints too.” Speaking of Chen Zimo, Xie Xitong grew a little shy, and Zhao Qian answered for her, “Whatever event her brother enters, he almost always wins a medal!”

“But, I heard from Tong Tong that Liu Ziqing doesn’t really like her brother competing,” Sun Xiaoxiao said regretfully. “So in the future, we won’t see him on the field anymore. Such a shame.”

So that's how it was. Lin Xia nodded.

“Haha, looks like Xia Xia is pretty lucky then—she gets to see his last competition!” Zhao Qian said enthusiastically. “You’ll see just how crazy the girls get!”

Really? Lin Xia began to look forward to the sports meet.

Back in the classroom, Ma Guoqiang was already standing at the podium. When all the students had arrived, he announced the news about the sports meet and gave a motivational speech.

After all, this was the experimental class in the grade, so there were more bookworms than in other classes, and as for the athletic types…

Ma Guoqiang looked at the scrawny lot in his class and felt helpless.

Sports meets were truly a weakness of their class.

After the homeroom teacher spoke, the class buzzed with excitement, whispers filling the room.

Lin Xia and her three friends also joined in the lively conversation.

Now, Lin Xia’s desk mate was Xie Xitong, Zhao Qian sat behind her, and Sun Xiaoxiao sat across the aisle. The four still sat together, making it easy to chat.

“Who in our class can run the eight thousand meters?”

“Liu Yong, he looks the sturdiest, so maybe…?” Lin Xia said uncertainly.

Eight thousand meters—surely you need someone robust. Otherwise, with the average build of the boys in the class, they’d probably collapse halfway through.

“Pfft,” Xie Xitong scoffed, “he’s all show, no substance.”

“But someone has to run the eight thousand meters for our class.”

Xie Xitong pulled out her math test paper. “If there’s really no one else, the sports committee member can step up. Someone has to participate.”

“Uh, should we join the short relay or something?”

“Zhao Qian should—she gets a place in sprints every year.”

“Last place?”

“You’re last place!” Zhao Qian poked Lin Xia’s back with her pen. “I was fourth place, fourth place!”

Xie Xitong turned around, “Yes, but only once.”

Zhao Qian pouted, “That’s still better than you guys—big brains, simple limbs.”

Xie Xitong flicked her draft paper. “Who says my limbs are simple? I’m telling you, I’m signing up for the spring games this year.”

“What event?”

Xie Xitong thought for a moment, then declared with great spirit, “Shot put!”

Lin Xia: …

P.S. Happy Lantern Festival! There’s no internet at school, updating is such a struggle… For all my hard work, please support me! (⊙⊙)…

Is from】.

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