“Holy crap, No. 2 High School is way too stingy!” Holding a award certificate in one hand and a blue B5 notebook along with two gel pens in the other, Zhou Wei complained, “That’s it? Who’s so broke they need this little bit of stationery!”
Zhao Che helplessly shook the items in his hands: “My first place only got me one more pen than you.”
The midday sun was still scorching hot. After lunch, everyone rested in the classroom for two hours to grab a quick nap. By the time they got up again, there was already activity over on the playground—the afternoon matches were about to start. Everyone picked up their things and headed outside; the very first event was the 200-meter final.
“Brother Yu, fighting!” The classmates of Class 1, Grade 11 cheered in unison for Gu Yu.
“Fighting, fighting! We believe in you, God Yu!”
Chen Shuang also encouraged, “No need to be nervous. Go on ahead, fighting!”
Carrying a bottle of sports drink, Zhao Che accompanied Gu Yu to the track area. Standing under the registration tent, he patted his shoulder and said, “Just do your best. I’ll wait for you at the finish line.”
Gu Yu gave a lukewarm reply: “Mm.”
The 200-meter final was divided into two groups, four people in each, with Gu Yu’s group placed second. The first group went by very quickly; running plus recording scores took less than five minutes total. Immediately after, it was Gu Yu’s turn to step onto the track.
Once everyone was set, the referee blew his whistle. With a loud BANG, the starter gun cracked in the sky, and the four runners on the track surged forward like lightning. Leading at the front was a classmate wearing athletic shorts, with Gu Yu only two meters behind him; both ran with everything they had.
Two hundred meters wasn’t short; compared to 100 meters, there was a difference. 100 meters was pure explosive power—a single straight track where victory was decided in an instant. But 200 meters involved a curve; one had to maintain speed while keeping up endurance, making the technical demand of 200 meters a bit higher.
It was right at the curve where Gu Yu drew even with the guy in athletic shorts. During the final straight sprint, the two were neck and neck, crossing the finish line almost simultaneously.
Zhao Che trotted over to Gu Yu’s side, unscrewing the drink and handing it over: “Dizzy? Do you still have the chocolate I gave you this morning?”
The fine hair over Gu Yu’s forehead was slightly tousled by the wind. He shook his head, pulling two now-liquid chocolates out of his pocket and saying, “Melted.”
“It’s fine, sports drinks work too. Drink some.”
Just then, a volunteer suddenly exclaimed excitedly, “Holy shit, amazing, Wang Shuo! 25.34 seconds! First place!”
Panting heavily, that guy named Wang Shuo paid little mind to his classmate’s amazement and walked straight toward Gu Yu, who was standing under the tree shade. Standing firm, he extended a hand toward Gu Yu, who was taking a sip of his drink, his face full of admiration: “You’re awesome! You were only a few tenths of a second slower than me. Let’s get to know each other—I’m Wang Shuo from Class 3.”
Looking at Wang Shuo’s extended hand, Zhao Che felt extremely uncomfortable inside. Was handshaking the new trend for classmates to get acquainted now? So formal? The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got. Damn it, I haven’t even touched Gu Yu’s hand that often, and this kid who isn’t even as tall as my Gu Yu is already trying to feel him up!
No way! Absolutely not!!
Making a split-second decision, he grabbed that hand reaching out to the side and shook it up and down, muttering in his heart: Heh heh, be secretly happy you get to shake hands with a future listed company president. In my past life, countless people broke their heads trying to find a chance to shake hands and negotiate deals with him, but never got the opportunity.
“Hello, I’m Zhao Che.”
Wang Shuo was completely bewildered by the handshake, but politely replied nonetheless: “Hello. I’ve heard of you—you’re that Zhao Che who consistently holds first place on the bulletin board’s grade list, right?”
Zhao Che gave a nod, a insincere smile on his face, but in reality, he was cursing this guy to death in his mind!
Damn it, you even know about the bulletin board? You only saw the name at the top, but couldn’t see Gu Yu’s name right in the line below it? Even if you’re blind, it’s not like the bulletin board doesn’t have headshots! Is this guy deliberately coming to make me miserable!
Wang Shuo let go of his hand and extended it toward Gu Yu once again: “Hello, what’s your name?”
This action completely made Zhao Che blow his top. What was wrong with this guy, actually wanting to shake Gu Yu’s hand again! Zhao Che was afraid Gu Yu really might reach outeven if there was a one percent chance, he couldn’t accept it.
So, in a moment of desperation, he did an extremely irrational and utterly jaw-dropping thing
He grabbed Gu Yu’s hand hanging by his side in one sweep!
“You guys… are?” Stunned by this abrupt action, Wang Shuo froze, instinctively pulling back his extended hand and switching to point a finger back and forth between Gu Yu and Zhao Che, his small eyes filled with huge question marks.
Hearing this question full of astonishment, Zhao Che turned his head, right into a pair of ice-cold eyes. Nervous, he cleared his throat, completely forgetting he was still holding those distinctly boned fingers: “Ahem, well…”
“Let go.” Gu Yu’s voice was cold, yet raspy from having just finished running. The moment the words landed, the hand clutching his fingertips let go instantly.
“I’m Gu Yu.”
“Oh oh, hello hello, nice to meet you.” Wang Shuo nodded like a woodpecker.
“We’ll be leaving first.” Before the guy in front could figure out the situation, Gu Yu turned around, dragged Zhao Che away by the arm, and didn’t stop until they reached a corner with no people around.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Gu Yu cursed, holding back his anger.
Looking at the faint flush creeping up Gu Yu’s neck and his chest slightly heaving as he scolded him, Zhao Che muttered softly, “I didn’t mean to do anything…”
After saying that, he noticed Gu Yu’s temper flared even higher, his eyes narrowing in anger: “I just didn’t want him to…”
“Didn’t want him to what?” Gu Yu’s tone was firm. “Speak.”
Under such interrogation, Zhao Che simply hardened his heart and let his inner thoughts spill out: “I just didn’t want him holding your hand!”
Gu Yu’s gaze was full of confusion and bewilderment, the meaning clear as day: if this matter wasn’t explained clearly today, it definitely wouldn’t end here.
Blame this damned possessiveness! How was he supposed to explain it now? He couldn’t very well say he couldn’t bear to see others touch his hand, could he? That was way too creepy. If Gu Yu found out, who knew what he’d think…
Besides, if his ulterior motives were discovered this early, Gu Yu might start avoiding him like the plague even before the college entrance exams.
Zhao Che’s handsome peach-blossom eyes drooped at the outer corners as he looked at Gu Yu pitifully, looking just like a Labrador wagging its tail and begging for mercy. Finally, he made up a reason that sounded somewhat plausible, though still a bit forced: “When I shook his hand just now, his palm was covered in sweat. I couldn’t just tell him that to his face, but I was worried you’d shake it directly, so…”
At this point, he could only gamble on Gu Yu’s mild mysophobia, hoping the other wouldn’t give him the silent treatment. Gu Yu ignoring someone was scarier than anything else.
Time passed second by second, yet no answer came from Gu Yu. Just as Zhao Che was starting to think this excuse had failed, the person in front suddenly uttered an “Mm,” followed by hearing him say, “Let’s go back to class.”
This trick really worked! As if granted a grand reprieve, Zhao Che let out a sigh of relief. Sneaking a glance at the person walking ahead, he quickened his pace to catch up, starting conversation out of nowhere: “Aiya, seeing you two cross the line together just now, I didn’t expect it to actually differ by a few tenths of a second.”
Without even looking at him, Gu Yu’s voice sounded muffled: “Mm.”
“Hmph, if I get the chance, I’ll race him.” The moment he recalled Wang Shuo looking at Gu Yu with that glowing expression, Zhao Che couldn’t stand it. Whether out of admiration or something else, in his book, it was all an absolute no!
Gu Yu:
However, this chance came very quickly. On the second day of the sports meet, the first event was the 4×100 meter relay. After Zhao Che and his teammates finished registration, they went outside the field to warm up, only to see that guy named Wang Shuo grinning and walking toward them from a distance again.
To be specific, walking toward Gu Yu.
“Hey, isn’t that the 200m first-place guy? Why is he so short?” Zhou Wei stretched his wrists and ankles, looking toward Li Changlin in confusion.
Hearing this, Li Changlin looked up to glance over, then leaned closer to whisper, “I raced against him last year. Don’t look down on his height; when he runs the 100m, he’s neck and neck with those varsity athletes.”
“Holy crap, then I’m definitely not running the same leg as him.” Before Zhou Wei’s words even finished landing, Wang Shuo was already standing in front of Gu Yu: “What a coincidence, meeting again! Which leg are you running?”
Gu Yu glanced at him and uttered a single word like gold: “Second.”
“Got it, I’m the fourth leg. Fighting!” Wang Shuo didn’t care at all about the cold shoulder, adding before he left: “Um… can I get your contact info?”
Get contact info?! Zhao Che’s head was completely filled by this sentence. He didn’t hear a word of what Gu Yu said in response at all, only seeing him give a slight nod. Just as he was about to ask for clarification, the referee over there called for them to prepare at their respective legs.
Seeing him still staring unblinkingly at Gu Yu’s side, Li Changlin asked out of concern, “What’s up with you, Brother Che?”
“Noth… ing.
Li Changlin scratched his head after hearing that. Was he really fine with that teeth-grinding expression?
When Zhao Che walked toward the fourth leg, passing by Gu Yu—who was done chatting and standing by the second leg—his entire body radiated a low-pressure air of “I am unhappy.”
Gu Yu frowned and glanced at him, parting his lips, but before he could say anything, the person walked right past: “?”
What’s wrong with him again?
Without time to overthink, the boys’ 4x100m relay began. The first two legs ran smoothly; Li Changlin and Gu Yu built up a solid advantage, holding a slight lead. But when it reached Zhou Wei at the third leg, the guy from Class 3 swooshed right past him. No matter how hard Zhou Wei tried to charge forward with his head down, he couldn’t catch up.
By the time the baton reached Zhao Che’s hands, Wang Shuo from Class 3 had already run quite a distance ahead. The moment he grabbed the baton, only one thought filled his mind: I am NOT losing this!
He stayed low, swinging his arms rapidly back and forth, taking light yet huge strides as his eyes locked tightly onto the back ahead, closing the distance step by step. In the end, relying on this sheer drive, he actually surpassed the guy right before the finish line—not crossing at the same time, but genuinely overtaking him by a full body length!
Cheers and applause instantly erupted from the stands in waves. In a mere hundred meters, pulling ahead after lagging behind by several meters against one of the grade’s top sprinters—it was almost unthinkable!
Panting for breath, Zhou Wei’s eyes were full of worship: “Brother Che, badass! After today’s battle, who knows how many fan girls are gonna confess to you!”
Zhao Che didn’t catch his words. Catching his breath for a moment, he crossed over in a few big strides to stand before Wang Shuo, whose face was pale with defeat. Hooking his lips into a smug, flashy smile, he tossed out three words: “Need more practice.”
His demeanor was wild and unbridled, looking very much like a rogue punk who, after winning a fight, showered the injured rival on the ground with utter mockery.