Time flew, and soon it was May 27—the day before the Jinhai Marathon.
Early in the morning, Li Bai took a taxi from Jiang City to Jinhai.
If he had come yesterday, he could have gotten a ride with Liang Manjun.
But it just so happened that new employees were onboarding at the mall, and Li Bai had to handle their paperwork.
Since it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he didn’t take Friday off.
Besides, he still needed to complete his running check-in and continue accumulating points for next year’s Paris Olympics.
There was no need to disrupt his training plan just to get closer to a beauty.
“A larger training volume also helps improve attribute levels.”
Sitting in the taxi, Li Bai closed his eyes and opened the [Self-Discipline System] attribute panel.
Some of the attributes inside had changed significantly compared to the beginning of the month.
Both “Speed” and “Agility” had reached level 2.
The key point was that upgrading from level 1 to level 2 had taken about the same amount of time as going from 0 to 1.
Similarly, his “Flexibility” and “Health” attributes had risen from level 2 to level 3 in less than a month.
Leveling up would definitely become harder over time.
The reason the time taken felt similar was simply because his training volume had increased.
The intensity was also much higher than last month.
So while the system gave him an advantage, it also revealed a simple truth to Li Bai—
Effort would always be rewarded.
…
After arriving in Jinhai, Li Bai didn’t rush to check into his hotel. Instead, he had the taxi take him directly to the sports center to collect his race kit.
It was only a little past 9 a.m., yet the sports center was already packed with people.
While standing in line, Li Bai noticed quite a few runners who clearly spoke with out-of-province accents.
“It’ll be even more crowded this afternoon…”
The aunt standing in front of Li Bai said this, and he couldn’t agree more.
It was Saturday, after all. Many people were still on their way, so it was obvious the crowd would grow even larger later.
Of course, even though the line was long, the process wasn’t boring at all.
Everyone around him loved running and loved life.
They weren’t filled with hostility like the Wanlong Running Team Li Bai had encountered before.
People chatted and laughed, and some even held GoPros, recording these beautiful moments of life.
“This is my mom! Well, more accurately, my mother-in-law!”
Standing in front of Li Bai was a pair of runners with a clear age gap.
The man looked to be in his thirties, while the woman was in her fifties or sixties.
If the man hadn’t explained, Li Bai would have misunderstood their relationship.
“My mom loves running. We used to know she went jogging every morning before going to the market.”
“But I never expected her to run a marathon—and even more unbelievable, she runs better than I do!”
The man was talkative, enthusiastically introducing his mother-in-law to the surrounding runners.
Li Bai took a closer look at the aunt and realized she was indeed quite elderly.
There were many wrinkles on her face, and beneath her cap, the strands of silver hair outnumbered the black.
However, perhaps because of her regular running, her physical condition was excellent, and her overall presence didn’t resemble someone who had been retired for over a decade.
“Last month in Qiantang, I took her to her first marathon. I told her, ‘Mom, I’ll pace you.’”
“At first, I led her. But after more than 30 kilometers, I started struggling, and she ran ahead.”
“Can you believe it? I’ve run more than a dozen marathons, and I still got dropped by my own mother-in-law!”
The story fascinated Li Bai, and like the others around him, he felt deep respect for this elderly runner.
The aunt, however, was much more modest. “It’s nothing. I just run casually, mainly to stay healthy and avoid getting sick and troubling the children.”
Her words made Li Bai think of his own mother.
Mothers everywhere were like this—busy for half their lives, giving their most precious years to their children.
Even in old age, they still cooked and took care of grandchildren.
People often thought they were ordinary, even dull.
But in truth, they had simply sacrificed themselves completely to light up their children’s lives.
Just like this aunt—she had her own interests and pursuits too.
Now, even in her sixties, she could stand on a marathon course.
And the brilliance she radiated was no less than that of the young.
…
After a long wait, Li Bai finally received his race kit.
It was his first time collecting one, and he couldn’t resist opening it on the spot to take a look.
Although the Jinhai Marathon wasn’t a top-tier event, its race kit was still quite generous.
Inside the bag, aside from the standard items like the bib, race T-shirt, and disposable rain poncho, Li Bai found many local specialty products.
There were Jinhai’s tea cakes, sample packs of tea leaves, peach drinks, joint pain relief patches, and more.
There were also instant noodles, tissues, wet wipes, along with coupons from local coffee shops and a pile of promotional materials.
Although most of these items were provided by local sponsors, it was still quite decent.
After all, this was just a marathon held in a third-tier city.
Carrying the race kit, Li Bai took a ride to his hotel.
“Wait downstairs for me. I’ll bring the room card down to you, and you’ll still need to register,” Liang Manjun said over the phone.
During the marathon days, hotels in Jinhai were extremely tight on availability.
Especially the better hotels near the starting point—they had all been booked one or two months in advance.
Liang Manjun, however, had connections and managed to secure two rooms.
Li Bai didn’t stand on ceremony and agreed to treat her to another meal later.
He waited in the hotel lobby for a while when suddenly, the elevator behind him gave a soft “ding.”
He turned his head—and his eyes lit up.
A stunning beauty stepped out of the elevator, looking like a star straight out of television.
Liang Manjun had completely changed her usual urban businesswoman style.
She wore a blue denim shirt paired with a white knitted vest, giving off a casual yet crisp and refreshing vibe.
Her chestnut-colored long hair draped over her shoulders, and a pair of black sunglasses rested on her nose.
Her breathtaking beauty and cool, aloof aura—it was exactly the presence of a TV celebrity.
Li Bai’s gaze shifted slightly downward.
Her long legs, accentuated by black jeans, were straight and perfectly shaped.
Her glossy black knee-high boots clicked sharply against the hotel’s marble floor.
There was a wild charm to her, a commanding queen-like presence.
Not just Li Bai—even from the moment Liang Manjun stepped out of the elevator, she radiated brilliance, drawing countless gazes.
Even other women stole glances at her, unable to hide their admiration.