“I accidentally overslept today. I need to get up earlier tomorrow.”
After Monday morning reading ended, Lu Luoluo whispered to her close friend.
“Tomorrow, absolutely absolutely cannot arrive right on the dot!”
Before entering the classroom on Tuesday, Lu Luoluo reflected painfully on her mistakes.
“Tomorrow, tomorrow for sure!”
On Wednesday, after waking up and glancing at the clock, Lu Luoluo clenched her fist and said.
“Ugh.”
The moment they stepped out of the bedroom on Thursday, Lu Luoluo and Ming Nan looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
“Finally managed to get up early for one day. The air at school in the morning is so fresh. There are fewer people lining up at the cafeteria too. We can take our time eating breakfast, and after getting to the classroom we can even do some practice problems.”
On Friday morning, exactly seven o’clock Beijing time, at the entrance of the cafeteria, Lu Luoluo looked refreshed and clear-headed.
Just like she had imagined, she leisurely finished breakfast, then leisurely wandered over to the classroom.
She glanced at the clock. Beijing time, 7:15 a.m. There was still time to do a few questions.
Not a single person was in the classroom.
Lu Luoluo was a little surprised. Were everyone really being this lax?
She first pulled over Ming Nan’s exercise book, marked a few questions for her, then began working on her own.
Studying hard alone was too lonely, so Lu Luoluo had already rallied her best friend to start putting in effort together.
Ming Nan accepted this without objection. Her twin brother’s grades were quite good, and she really could not afford to look too embarrassing in comparison.
More importantly, when a close friend was working hard while she slacked off beside her, she always felt guilty.
The two of them bent their heads over the questions.
Three multiple-choice questions took five minutes. During that time, no one else arrived in the classroom.
Lu Luoluo thought: maybe everyone came late today?
Another three multiple-choice questions, still no one else.
Lu Luoluo and Ming Nan lifted their heads from their exercise books, both wearing expressions of slight hesitation, as if wanting to say something but holding back.
At the same time, the classroom door was pushed open with force.
“Here so early? I remember you two don’t have any events,” the PE committee member said. After a brief moment of surprise, he did not probe further and simply smiled. “Later, remember to go to the track and cheer for your classmates. If you’re willing, you can submit a broadcast script. It can earn extra points.”
As he spoke, he picked up something like a promotional banner from the back of the classroom, pushed open the door, and strode out.
Left behind in the classroom, Lu Luoluo and Ming Nan looked at each other in silence.
Lu Luoluo said, “I remember the first-year winter sports meet was scheduled for this Sunday.”
Ming Nan said, “…I remember that too.”
Lu Luoluo said, “I vaguely heard that everyone’s protests were pretty intense.”
Ming Nan said, “…Seems like it. After all, it takes up everyone’s rest time.”
Lu Luoluo said, “Last night during the final evening study session, the homeroom teacher seemed to mention something about rescheduling the sports meet, but I didn’t really listen at the time.”
Ming Nan said, “…What a coincidence.”
Lu Luoluo said, “If we don’t have any events… then whether we go or not is up to us, right?”
Ming Nan said, “Exactly.”
Lu Luoluo said, “…We should still go. Lu Ran has several events today.”
Ming Nan said, “…My brother also has an event.”
A consensus was reached.
The sports meet officially began at nine o’clock. During that hour or so, Lu Luoluo and Ming Nan stayed in the classroom reading and doing problems.
Occasionally, classmates would return to the classroom to retrieve something they had forgotten. Seeing the two who usually slacked off studying diligently together, a strong sense of crisis would rise in their hearts.
In the spectator stands, cheers, shouts of encouragement, and idle chatter mingled together.
Lu Luoluo did not join in.
She looked toward the track on the other side of the field. The 50-meter sprint was underway there, and it was also Lu Ran’s first event of the day.
“On your marks.”
Even though she was not the one competing, Lu Luoluo still could not help feeling nervous.
A gunshot rang out.
The many competitors shot forward like arrows released from a bow.
Though all were arrows, their reactions at the instant the signal reached them varied, and so did their speeds.
Lu Luoluo could not distinguish them with the naked eye. The moment after the gun went off, her vision blurred slightly, and she could not even tell who was who.
Winning or losing did not matter, but he absolutely must not get injured.
The day before yesterday, it had rained on the track. Had the ground dried yet? What if he slipped by accident?
What should be done if he broke a bone?
The one in front was running so fast, leaving the second-place runner far behind.
In less than ten seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Lu Luoluo’s mind like a meteor shower.
Then Lu Luoluo realized that the one running in first place was her son, Lu Ran.
After reaching the finish line, Lu Ran waved toward this side, and he seemed to be smiling.
Lu Luoluo jumped up excitedly and waved back.
After waving, she came to her senses and thought, was this a bit too conspicuous?
But very quickly, Lu Luoluo noticed that everyone in the class was waving together.
Even the top student who had been buried in a comic book and Shen Rong, sporting a head of flame-colored hair, stood up.
“That was way too fast.”
“The one in second is an old classmate of mine from the sports class. Lu Ran was actually faster than him.”
“Could it be that the guy from the sports class wasn’t in good form?”
“Did anyone time it just now?”
“Definitely first place, right?”
……
On the other side of the field, after waving toward Class One, Lu Ran was called aside by the referee.
“Is there a problem?” Lu Ran was a little surprised.
The referee looked at the stopwatch with a very conflicted expression. “It’s not that… it’s just, this seems to have broken the world record.”
Hearing this, the people around gathered over, their faces filled with amazement, looking at Lu Ran as if he were some kind of rare treasure.
Lu Ran: …?
That could not be the case, right?
He had always been quite good at sports, but still within the level of an ordinary person. At most, he had broken school sports meet records before. What did a world record have to do with him?
That said, after transmigrating back, he had indeed felt that his physical abilities in all aspects were gradually strengthening.
During the first couple of days when he had just returned and started morning runs, he would still blush and sweat like before. After a week, not only did he barely sweat, he was hardly out of breath either, feeling more and more at ease.
Lu Ran’s dormmate Ming Bei had a deep understanding of this. Running together at the same speed for the same amount of time, Ming Bei would be panting heavily, blood rushing to his head, while Lu Ran remained calm and composed, breathing evenly, with only a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. If one was not too particular about it, after running for more than half an hour, there was no need to shower at all. A quick wipe would do.
Although they were running buddies, they were not on the same level.
“There should be some error,” Lu Ran came back to his senses after a brief moment and said with a smile. “After all, it was timed with a stopwatch, not professional timing equipment. And world records are not that easy to break.”
“That’s true.” The referee still looked conflicted.
On one hand, world records were not so easily broken, and this was just an informal high school sports meet. On the other hand, Lu Ran’s speed had been plain for everyone to see.
He said, “Do you want to go to the provincial sports bureau for testing? Are you interested in pursuing athletics?”
“No need,” Lu Ran said with a smile. While puzzled, he thought to himself that he should rein it in a bit in the upcoming events. “It was probably just an error when timing, plus I performed pretty well today and was in good condition.
“There are still events coming up. I’ll go get ready first?”
Being surrounded like this was indeed not ideal. The referee nodded, and everyone reluctantly dispersed.
In the morning, Lu Ran still had the standing long jump and the 4×200 relay. The 3000-meter long-distance run was scheduled for the afternoon.
During the standing long jump, Lu Ran held back slightly, but still easily matched the school sports meet record. One had to know that No. 1 High School had a dedicated sports class, and the school sports meet records were not so easy to break.
This time, Lu Ran was not as surprised as before.
His body felt much lighter, as if, had he not restrained himself, he could have effortlessly leaped several more meters.
Was it a side effect of traveling through time, or a gift from Da Ju?
So for the subsequent 4×200 relay, a PE teacher also specifically timed it with a stopwatch.
Lu Ran controlled his speed to a level he felt was relatively appropriate, but professionals still believed he could be cultivated as an athletic prospect with great potential.
That noon, Lu Ran was absent from what should have been a four-person lunch at the cafeteria, because a coach from the Provincial General Sports Administration had rushed to the school after receiving the news. He wanted to treat Lu Ran to a meal and, by the way, invite him to the Provincial General Sports Administration to test his data.
“Is Lu Ran planning to take the athletic route?” In the cafeteria, Shen Rong sat down beside Ming Bei with his tray and asked his cousin.
“Not sure yet.” Lu Luoluo said with a hint of cheerfulness. “It depends on what he wants.”
Lu Luoluo was immersed in the joy of knowing that her son had a special talent.
“Mm.” Shen Rong nodded. “That’s not bad.”
Her cousin really cared about Lu Ran, Lu Luoluo thought. After all, they were dormmates, and after a few days of getting along, there was already some affection there.
Who could possibly not like her son?
Lu Luoluo cheerfully picked up a bite of noodles with her chopsticks.
“If he takes the sports route, would he have to change schools and go into closed training?” Shen Rong asked.
Lu Luoluo blinked. “That’s not clear yet. Maybe…”
Thinking about it this way, it suddenly felt a little hard to part with.
“Athletes have it very tough. They often can’t see their families,” Shen Rong frowned. “And many champions are plagued with injuries by the time they retire.”
Lu Luoluo had not thought about this aspect yet. She said, “That’s true.”
She felt a bit worried. “I need to properly analyze the pros and cons for Lu Ran.”
That was a parent’s responsibility.
Shen Rong nodded in satisfaction. “I have some related news on my end. I’ll send it to you later. You can show it to Lu Ran afterward.”
“Okay.” Lu Luoluo swallowed a mouthful of noodles, then asked, “Brother, why don’t you send it to Lu Ran yourself?”
Shen Rong’s expression stiffened slightly. After a long moment, he said, “I’m just repaying the favor of him bringing breakfast every morning. I don’t need him to thank me. There’s no need to send it personally.”
He finished the food on his tray in a few quick bites, then bid farewell to the others.
Lu Luoluo looked at Ming Bei, who shared a dorm with her son’s cousin, and asked in confusion, “Bringing breakfast?”
“Lu Ran and I get up early every day to go for a run together. After the run, we go to the cafeteria to buy breakfast, then head back to the dorm to shower,” Ming Bei said with a gentle smile. “We also pick up breakfast for the other two roommates while we’re at it.”
“Classmate Shen Rong’s way of expressing feelings is a bit reserved,” Ming Bei added with a smile.
Lu Luoluo thought to herself: her cousin really was so awkward about it.
Then she thought: her son really was still doing morning runs.
And then felt relieved: fortunately, the one running with him was not her.
After finishing the meal, Lu Luoluo opened her phone and, sure enough, saw the messages Shen Rong had sent.
Several forwarded articles, all related to the difficulties athletes face and sports injuries.
Lu Luoluo carefully read through them one by one, then looked up additional information to verify them. After confirming their accuracy, she selected a few relatively positive pieces of news as well, mixed the two sides together, and sent them to Lu Ran in a shuffled order.
Lu Luoluo hoped that Lu Ran could gain a comprehensive and realistic understanding of the situation and make a choice that aligned with his own heart.
Not blindly intoxicated by potential glory, and not coerced by family wishes.
Lu Ran did not reply right away. He had just finished lunch with a coach from the provincial sports administration, spent the entire noon being persuaded, and then saw Madam Lu Mingzhu arrive at the school after receiving the news. She called him into the car.
“Grandma, I don’t plan to take the sports route,” Lu Ran said with a smile.
There was no one else in the car, so he directly used the familiar form of address.
Improving physical fitness was certainly a good thing, but Lu Ran had no interest in pursuing a career in sports. Moreover, he still could not determine what exactly was going on with his body.
“I didn’t come to ask you that,” Madam Lu Mingzhu said. Her smile was a little strained and conflicted. After a moment of silence, she deliberately lowered her voice. “Tell Grandma honestly. You people from the future… did you get injected with some kind of genetic serum or something? Are there any side effects?”
Breaking a world record without systematic training was almost impossible. Others might chalk it up to a combination of the referee’s shaky timing and Lu Ran’s natural talent. Even the referee himself believed that explanation. But Madam Lu Mingzhu’s intuition told her otherwise.
Recently, she had watched quite a few time-travel movies and immediately associated it with genetic modification in future humans. She had not even brought a driver with her on this trip, precisely to make the conversation easier.
Lu Ran was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood.
He felt both amused and helpless, yet also a little warm inside. “Grandma, there’s no genetic serum. Biotechnology hasn’t developed that far.”
After thinking for a moment, Lu Ran decided to tell his grandmother part of the truth. “It might be related to a cat.”
Now it was Madam Lu Mingzhu’s turn to be stunned. “A cat?”
Lu Ran nodded. “A cat.”
…
“Could it be a hallucination from drinking alcohol?” Madam Lu Mingzhu asked suspiciously.
To Madam Lu Mingzhu, this world had always been materialistic and grounded in reality.
She would rather believe in some kind of genetic serum than accept the existence of elves or cat spirits.
Given that the most unscientific thing was standing right in front of her, Madam Lu Mingzhu decided to press on with her questions. “It’s that orange cat you were looking for before, Da Ju, right?”
Madam Lu Mingzhu was deeply puzzled. “So that cat, Da Ju, why did it send you back?”
Lu Ran paused for a moment and put on an embarrassed expression. “…I was drunk and casually made a wish to it, saying I wanted to see the world of the past.”
Lu Ran told a lie, but he felt it was necessary.
“So if you find that cat again and make another wish, maybe you can go back, right?”
Madam Lu Mingzhu naturally leapt to what most people would logically think of first.
Blood ties could not be severed, but this spacetime ultimately did not belong to Lu Ran.
In another spacetime, her daughter and she herself were also waiting for their son and grandson.
Lu Ran hesitated for an instant, then nodded against his better conscience.
Madam Lu Mingzhu was only half convinced, but decided to follow her grandson’s line of reasoning. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
Lu Ran gave a wry smile. “Even now, I still can’t be completely sure that my situation is really related to Da Ju. I previously wondered whether it was just a hallucination from being drunk, or whether there was another reason I ended up in 2023, so I simply didn’t tell you or Mom.”
“So the cat… Da Ju still has to be found, right?” Madam Lu Mingzhu said.
“Da Ju is a cat our family has raised for many years,” Lu Ran nodded. “Even if Da Ju is just an ordinary cat, I still want to find it.”
On one hand, a family’s cat belonged at home. Da Ju was a member of the Lu family. Lu Ran was certain of that.
On the other hand, Lu Ran felt that other abnormalities might still appear in his body.
His mom was still young and did not think that far ahead, but his grandmother was not so easy to deceive.
In the end, Lu Ran needed to prepare a reasonable explanation for a possible disappearance in the future.
If he truly succeeded in preventing his father and mother from getting together, there was a very real possibility that he himself would cease to exist.
At that point, letting his mom and grandmother believe that the son and grandson from another spacetime had come to their world for a short visit, taken a brief journey through time, and then returned to his original life would be far better than letting them know the truth and only adding to their sorrow.