Returning to school, Li Qin called a class meeting to review the results of Class 7’s recent monthly exams.
“The number one in the grade this time is once again Zhu Nianxi from our class, with a total score of 725. She got perfect scores in both math and the three elective subjects. Everyone, look up to her as an example!”
Everyone turned to look at her with reverent gazes.
That “once again” was incredibly fitting.
Ever since Zhu Nianxi entered high school, she had sat firmly in first place in every exam, big or small. The only difference was how many points she led the second place runner-up by.
In any class she was in, the average scores for every subject saw a noticeable increase, and Class 7 was no exception.
Li Qin’s gaze swept across the entire classroom, and she added, “Of course, everyone performed very well this time. Jian Zhixing from our class has improved to fifth place in the grade, and some students have made huge progress in individual subjects…”
An improvement honor roll appeared simultaneously on the PowerPoint presentation.
“…Particularly in physics, Xu Fei made the greatest improvement, leaping from a 61 to an 85, a whole 24 point increase!”
The classroom erupted in a chorus of “wows,” followed by thunderous applause. Row after row of eyes focused on Xu Fei, staring until her entire face began to burn.
Zhu Nianxi turned her body slightly, smiling as she mouthed a couple of words. Xu Fei recognized them instantly. “So awesome.”
Her heart began to thud rapidly and uncontrollably.
The new curriculum for the first semester of sophomore year wasn’t finished yet, so the monthly exams aligned precisely with the scope of what had been taught. In other words, everything on the test was exactly what they had covered in their tutoring sessions.
Seeing this result, Xu Fei’s heart finally settled.
She hadn’t let Zhu Nianxi down.
On her desk, the black pen that the Omega had worked her magic on lay quietly right by her hand.
Aside from physics, Xu Fei’s math had also jumped up a notch. With both subjects pulling her total score forward, she was praised yet again.
Amidst the crowd of well-meaning applause, Tao Yaqian’s silence was exceptionally jarring.
Ever since Xu Fei re-differentiated into an Alpha, Tao Yaqian had communicated with her less and less, deliberately initiating a cold war.
She used to deploy this tactic in the past. Since Xu Fei didn’t have many friends, she would always yield and back down, whether openly or subtly.
But this time, Xu Fei ignored her completely, single mindedly focusing on her own matters.
She was very busy.
She had to study, she had to work her part time job, and she had to accompany Zhu Nianxi. She truly had no time to spare on…
How did Nianxi put it again?
Right, “insignificant people.”
Besides, the sports meet was just around the corner.
In October, Yanjing formally entered autumn. A few bouts of autumn rain fell in a lingering, continuous drizzle, showing no signs of clearing up.
On rainy days, the extended recess period was canceled. The sports representative, Zuo Kewei, held the registration form and went from seat to seat to log the events.
When she walked up to Xu Fei’s desk, Xu Fei was standing on her tiptoes, hanging something on the wall.
Zuo Kewei stepped closer to take a look. It was a homemade teru teru bozu sunny doll.
Its creator had been very meticulous, specifically using white cotton cloth for the body, drawing an adorable expression on its face, and pasting a small white flower on the top-left corner.
Zuo Kewei was deeply moved. “Xu Fei, I didn’t expect you to care this much about the sports meet.”
If it rained, the sports meet wouldn’t be able to happen. How could she not care?
Xu Fei gave a sheepish laugh and accepted the compliment, shifting her body a step to the side to block Zhu Nianxi’s probing gaze.
Zuo Kewei asked, “It’s still the 3000 meters event this year, right?”
“Yeah,” Xu Fei nodded.
The long distance races at the sports meet were never fully filled. She was capable of running it, and she had actively signed up last year as well.
“Alright.” Zuo Kewei checked it off on the roster. She subconsciously turned toward Zhu Nianxi. “Goddess Zhu, what are you signing up for? There’s left…”
She realized what she was doing and stopped herself just in time.
The PE teacher had mentioned it before, but she had completely forgotten.
Zhu Nianxi offered a faint, gentle smile, giving her an out. “I’m sorry, I don’t participate in the sports meet.”
Zuo Kewei felt a bit awkward. She let out an “ah” and hurriedly moved on to the next student’s seat.
Zhu Nianxi lowered her eyes. Extending a slender, pale finger, she silently nudged a crooked book back into place.
A hand reached over from behind her. It wasn’t slender and soft like an Omega’s; the skin tone was a bit darker, the knuckles were broad, and the fingers were quite long.
When the hand pulled away, a White Rabbit milk candy appeared quietly on the desk.
Xu Fei gave her a silly, goofy smile.
They could still hear Zuo Kewei’s voice from a distance.
“Jian Zhixing, what are you signing up for?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t participate…”
“You can’t copy Zhu Nianxi!”
“Tsk.”
Once the roster for the sports meet was finalized, the sports field grew lively. Every class was busy training, preparing for their respective events.
Xu Fei’s sunny doll did its job. Within a few days, Yanjing cleared up completely. She let out a sigh of relief, having never found a sunny day so lovely before.
After lunch break ended, Xu Fei and Zhu Nianxi walked side by side down the tree lined path, with the sports field right on their right side.
The sun was very strong today. The sunlight pierced through the sparse canopy of the trees, casting a patch of dazzling, glaring light on the ground.
Zhu Nianxi knitted her brows, quickening her pace slightly to pass through that area.
Xu Fei noticed it, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile.
Her observations were indeed correct. Zhu Nianxi didn’t like being exposed to the sun.
It probably had to do with the Omega’s eyes.
Nianxi’s pupil color was too dark, making her highly sensitive to bright light. Under the sun, she couldn’t open her eyes properly, making her look soft and easily vulnerable.
As for why she didn’t carry a sun umbrella…
Well, she was a young miss. Naturally, she was waiting for the person beside her to show some attentiveness.
Xu Fei popped open the sun umbrella and caught up to the Omega’s silhouette in a few steps.
Xu Fei feigned an exclamation. “Ah, it’s so sunny today.”
Zhu Nianxi looked up at her, her eyes crinkling into an amused arc, as if she could expose her at any moment yet was perfectly willing to keep playing along.
The young miss was beautiful and kind-hearted, so she simply shifted her gaze away casually.
The two continued walking toward the classroom when suddenly, Zhu Nianxi halted her steps and looked over in the direction of the sports field.
Xu Fei followed her gaze.
On the field, quite a few students were training, sweating profusely on the running track. The students from Class 7 were there too. Zuo Kewei was practicing the relay race with a few others.
At that moment, a long distance runner passed right in front of them, wearing professional athletic shorts.
As they ran, the muscle lines of their thighs were completely exposed.
“Feifei, you signed up for the 3000 meters?”
“Yeah.”
Zhu Nianxi watched. Her gaze shifted away from that person’s thighs and transferred onto Xu Fei’s long legs, which were hidden beneath her pleated skirt.
She hadn’t seen Xu Fei’s thighs yet.
The Alpha was conservative even her pajama pants were long-styled.
Judging from the lines of Xu Fei’s forearms, she definitely had muscle. What about her legs? Her thighs?
She really wanted to see.
But she didn’t want others to look.
Zhu Nianxi pondered over this very seriously.
In Xu Fei’s eyes, however, this look made it seem like the Omega was lost in thought, staring blankly at the athletic figures of Zuo Kewei and the others.
She glanced over at Zhu Nianxi’s calves, slender, straight, and incredibly soft-looking, the kind of legs that belonged to someone who didn’t exercise for long periods.
Xu Fei’s heart skipped a beat.
Over the next few days, Xu Fei found it hard to forget Zhu Nianxi’s expression.
It had been so focused, so absorbed.
She went back and mulled over it for a long time, even reading a layer of yearning into it.
Xu Fei tossed and turned in bed, her mood heavy and stifled.
She recalled the sports meet from freshman year.
While the other students were all enjoying the bustling fun on the sports field, laughing and chatting with their friends, she always carried the awkwardness of being an outcast. She would stay in the classroom all by herself, go to the check-in station only when the broadcast announced it, and slowly walk back alone after finishing her run.
The three days of the sports meet had left absolutely no trace in her memory.
Since Zhu Nianxi wasn’t participating in the sports meet, where would she be?
Would she be in the classroom too?
Xu Fei decided to do something.
The next day, when she arrived at the classroom, she happened to run into Zuo Kewei chatting with a friend, her face full of anxiety.
“…Yeah! She sprained her ankle! I went to her house to check on her, and it’s swollen terribly. There’s no way she can make it to the sports meet. We have to find substitutes for both of her events.”
“Someone already filled in for the high jump. I’m still looking for the relay, but everyone who can run has a schedule conflict.”
Xie Han suggested, “Go look in other classes then.”
Zuo Kewei rejected it. “No way, that’s too embarrassing.”
While they were racking their brains, a voice rang out from the corner. “I can run.”
Xu Fei walked up to the two of them.
Xie Han looked at her with skepticism. “The vacant slot is for the fourth anchor leg. Can you do it?”
Xu Fei pursed her lips, her clear eyes reflecting absolute determination. “I can.”
She wanted to run for Zhu Nianxi to see.
Behind her, the Omega pressed down the corners of her lips.
How annoying.
The relay roster for Class 7 became:
Zuo Kewei, Jiang Xuan, Xie Han, Xu Fei.
Xu Fei joined the large crowd training on the sports field.
With the sports meet drawing near, Zuo Kewei sought out the PE teacher for guidance. The teacher walked over holding the roster, and her very first question was, “You changed your fourth runner?”
Xu Fei raised her hand. “It’s me now.”
“It’s not finalized yet,” Xie Han said to the teacher. “Teacher, test her timing. We can still adjust the running order.”
The final anchor leg of a relay race had always been crucial; a capable runner could even turn defeat into victory single-handedly.
Yet Xu Fei’s athletic performance wasn’t particularly outstanding. Her previous physical fitness tests had only been at an average level.
“Alright,” the teacher glanced at Xu Fei, then said, “All four of you should run a time trial. I’ll check your postures while I’m at it.”
Then, she arranged Xie Han in the lane right next to Xu Fei.
Today was another clear, sunny day. The surrounding trees grew vigorously under the sunlight. The sports field was vast and empty, with only a tiny patch of shade beneath the main announcer’s podium.
Just as they were warming up, a sudden gust of wind blew, and Xu Fei caught a whiff of a familiar rose fragrance.
A figure entered through the intake path beside the podium and walked into the shade.
Nianxi came?
Zuo Kewei said in shock, “Why would Zhu Nianxi come to the sports field?”
Xu Fei said casually, “Oh, she’s probably here to look for me.”
Enduring the stares of the few people around her, the corner of her mouth twitched upward. “We’re friends.”
That proud expression…
Xie Han and Jiang Xuan thought: Why does this feel strangely familiar?
Once the warm-up concluded, the four of them lined up at the starting line to prepare. Zhu Nianxi walked over to the finish line, quietly looking over to lock eyes with Xu Fei.
She didn’t change into shorts.
“On your mark…”
“Go!”
The moment the command left the teacher’s mouth, Xu Fei flew out like an arrow released from a bow string.
If it weren’t for the oak pheromones lingering at the tip of her nose, Xie Han wouldn’t have believed for a second that this was Xu Fei.
The Xu Fei who always hid in corners, mediocre and unremarkable.
But in Zhu Nianxi’s eyes, this scene took on an entirely different form.
She saw someone sprinting toward her with everything she had.
The wind blew back the hair on the Alpha’s forehead. Xu Fei’s eyes were blindingly bright, staring unblinkingly at her. The steady, woody scent drew closer and closer. Even after crossing the finish line, Xu Fei didn’t decelerate in the slightest.
It wasn’t until she arrived right in front of Zhu Nianxi that the Alpha abruptly halted her steps, her abundant joy condensing into a brilliant smile.
“Nianxi, you came to watch me.”
Zhu Nianxi blinked, her voice incredibly soft. “Yeah.”
The corners of Xu Fei’s mouth soared completely out of control.
The PE teacher’s voice cut in between the two of them, entirely ruining the mood. “Student! Did you see who came in first?”
“Xu Fei,” Zhu Nianxi paused, her gaze shifting slightly. “And Zuo Kewei.”
Zuo Kewei was an athletic student, and she was also the first runner of the relay.
The PE teacher looked at Xie Han with a beaming smile. “Then, Xu Fei will run the fourth leg?”
Xie Han’s expression was a bit strained. “It’s her.”
The subsequent training was tedious and boring. After finishing their sprints, they immediately practiced passing the baton.
Xu Fei immersed her heart fully onto the running track, losing track of time. By the time she snapped out of it, Zhu Nianxi’s figure had already vanished.
Did she leave?
That made sense, it was so hot out on the field.
“I knew you were hiding your skills. Xu Fei, I’ve seen you before.”
The PE teacher walked over, startling Xu Fei.
Xu Fei decisively played dumb, but to her surprise, the teacher continued, “My daughter goes to Xiangya International. I’ve watched your matches before.”
Xiangya International was the middle school Xu Fei used to attend.
The teacher’s gaze was full of concern. “Why did you stop playing later on?”
Xu Fei didn’t say a word.
Because of money.
Because she couldn’t get past the hurdle in her own heart.
The teacher didn’t press further, organizing them to run a full lap together.
When she pressed the stopwatch, they were actually two seconds faster than before.
The teacher said, “Boost your speed just a bit more, and your class can take first place.”
Xie Han supported herself against her thighs, unable to even speak smoothly. “How do we… boost our speed? Do we… do we have to swap people again?”
Jiang Xuan glanced toward the stray hairs on Xu Fei’s forehead.
“I have a way.”
Inside the teachers’ lounge beneath the main podium.
Xu Fei covered her head, doing her utmost to protest. “Don’t! I can just train to be faster, don’t cut it!”
“Doesn’t it poke your eyes?” The PE teacher couldn’t understand.
Then a thought struck her, her own daughter also loved keeping long bangs. She understood now, she cared a lot about her image.
Xu Fei lowered her eyes. She didn’t want to cut it. She always felt that keeping a layer between herself and the world made her feel safer.
Xie Han said, “Even if you don’t cut it now, the Dean of Students is going to check everyone’s grooming and appearance this Friday. You’ll be dragged off to get it cut regardless.”
Several people in class were already planning to skip school that day.
The teacher said, “My skills are excellent. Once it’s cut, it’s guaranteed to look good and bring you non-stop romantic luck.”
Xu Fei’s expression softened slightly.
The teacher began trimming her hair.
Xu Fei closed her eyes, listening to the fine, snipping sounds by her ears, her eyelashes fluttering nervously.
“Don’t move now!” The teacher finally brushed away the loose hairs. “Alright. Kewei, hand her the mirror to let her see.”
Xu Fei opened her eyes.
Jiang Xuan leaned in close, her face full of incomprehension. “You look like this, and yet you still chose to hide your face?”
Zuo Kewei and Xie Han felt deeply the same way.
Staring at herself in the mirror, Xu Fei was speechless for a long time.
In a trance, she felt as though she was looking at herself from three years ago.
Carefree, firmly believing that the world was beautiful and that her future was bright.
The teacher thought Xu Fei was dissatisfied and felt a bit insecure about her handiwork. She asked the other students, “It looks good, right? Look how spirited she looks.”
The three of them all nodded their heads emphatically.
At that moment, Zhu Nianxi stepped into the room, holding a bottle of sports drink in her hand.
So she hadn’t left after all.
The teacher spoke up again, “Xu Fei, your friend happens to be here. Why don’t you ask her?”
Xu Fei lifted her eyes, looking toward Zhu Nianxi somewhat timidly, her amber eyes filled to the brim with anticipation and reliance.
She was naturally good-looking to begin with, possessing distinct facial features and a smooth face shape. With such an excellent bone structure, even if her individual features were average it wouldn’t matter, yet they were remarkably flawless, unable to pick out a single defect.
Her deer-like eyes were particularly striking, adding a touch of innocence to her heroic and handsome appearance.
The PE teacher was incredibly proud of herself. She looked at Zhu Nianxi. “How about it? Looks good, right?”
Zhu Nianxi gripped the beverage bottle tightly, forcing a smile onto her lips.
“It looks good.”
“Of course it looks good.”
But she looked too good.
She just wanted to keep it to herself.
What should she do?