Wednesday, Class 6 of Senior Year 2.
The sports representative was standing at the teacher’s desk, introducing the new physical education courses for this semester. At No. 1, aside from physical fitness tests, P.E. classes are usually divided into different activities, and students are free to choose the course they want to take.
This semester, Senior Year 2 has two P.E. classes per week, on Monday and Wednesday.
Each student needed to fill in their first and second choices. If their first choice was overbooked, they would automatically be assigned to their second choice.
Sheng Qingxi glanced at the options—mostly moderate to low-intensity activities, such as Tai Chi, aerobics, table tennis, badminton, and basketball, all suitable for students.
She picked up her pen and wrote down two choices: Tai Chi and running.
Sheng Qingxi knew that there was a high probability she would be assigned to her second choice since most people preferred not to pick activities that would make them sweat.
At lunchtime.
Sheng Qingxi chatted about this with Song Shiman. Song Shiman casually asked, “Xiao Xi, what did you choose? We barely have any P.E. classes in Senior Year 3.”
Sheng Qingxi stopped eating after half a bowl of rice. “I picked Tai Chi and running. I’ll probably get assigned to running. P.E. is in the first period, so I’m eating a bit less.”
Song Shiman glanced down at the braised pork in her own lunchbox and then at the pitiful leaves of vegetables on Sheng Qingxi’s plate. She silently put down her chopsticks.
She had initially thought that Sheng Qingxi was being frugal, until one day she saw that Sheng Qingxi had three thousand yuan on her meal card. No wonder Sheng Lan had made that expression when she heard about it.
Song Shiman sipped her juice and probed cautiously, “Xiao Xi, do you avoid eating meat because you’re afraid of gaining weight?”
Sheng Qingxi lowered her gaze and was quiet for a long time before replying, “No, I just… don’t feel like eating meat for now.”
It had been ten years since that incident, and the memories had long since blurred. But she had gotten used to not eating meat, and this habit wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
Song Shiman was speechless.
What kind of answer was that? She thought it over for a while but still couldn’t figure out what Sheng Qingxi meant.
After lunch, Song Shiman hooked her arm through Sheng Qingxi’s as they slowly walked back to the classroom. Halfway there, Song Shiman paused and asked with certainty, “Xiao Xi, did you just say your P.E. class is the first period? Is it on Monday fourth period and Wednesday first period?”
Sheng Qingxi slowly blinked, “Yes.”
After receiving confirmation, Song Shiman let out a heavy sigh and said weakly, “Xiao Xi, during the week before Senior Year 3 started, I woke up early for seven consecutive days, bathed sincerely, and burned incense, hoping that when school began, I’d be in the same P.E. class as Lin Ran. But it didn’t happen. I’m so miserable. You just transferred, and you already get to have P.E. with Lin Ran. Waaaah! He looks so cool playing basketball!”
As she spoke, Song Shiman’s spirits instantly lifted. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Sheng Qingxi. “Xiao Xi, I’ll give you my phone! Can you help me take pictures of Lin Ran? What do you think?”
Before Sheng Qingxi could answer, Song Shiman dismissed the idea herself, “Never mind. Last time someone took pictures of Lin Ran, he got upset and didn’t play basketball for several days. Those people not only took pictures secretly but also used a flash at night, right in his face. How annoying!”
Sheng Qingxi hesitated and replied, “…How about I draw a picture for you instead?”
Song Shiman immediately looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. “You can draw?”
Sheng Qingxi nodded. “I’ll sketch a portrait tonight and bring it to you tomorrow morning.”
Song Shiman was moved to the point of hugging Sheng Qingxi, sincerely exclaiming, “Xiao Xi, you’re the best rival I’ve ever had. Waaaah, if I didn’t like Lin Ran, I’d want to pursue you instead!”
Sheng Qingxi patted her on the head in a friendly gesture.
On the third-floor window of Class 1.
He Mo was biting into a popsicle, staring in confusion at the scene below. Two girls who liked Lin Ran were hugging each other affectionately. He kicked Xie Zhen’s chair and mumbled, “Ah Zhen, come look at this.”
Xie Zhen’s massive frame leaned towards the window, craning his neck as he asked, “Where? Where? What are we looking at?”
He Mo tilted his chin to point in a direction.
Xie Zhen held onto the window ledge and looked down. By the time he saw it, Song Shiman had already let go of Sheng Qingxi. She was smiling brightly as she linked arms with the “fairy” and walked towards the teaching building. Anyone who saw them would never guess they were rivals in love.
Xie Zhen was completely baffled. “What kind of tactic is Song Shiman using this time? She’s not threatening her anymore? Is she trying to win over her rival with love? I gotta admit, this seems more reliable than her previous strategies.”
He Mo scoffed, “Reliable, my ass.”
He Mo glanced at Lin Ran’s empty seat and asked, “Where’s Ran? Wasn’t he supposed to play basketball this afternoon?”
Xie Zhen returned to his seat, opened a bag of chips, and said, “Probably off having lunch with Yanyan. Lately, Ran’s been following that little girl around everywhere, like he’s protecting his most precious treasure.”
He Mo tossed the popsicle stick into the trash and sat down, speaking seriously, “Didn’t we wonder if something happened to Yanyan? I asked around in the middle school, but it turns out nothing happened to her.”
Xie Zhen waved him off, “Don’t worry about it. If Ran really needed help, he’d ask.”
He Mo sighed in frustration.
.
At 1:05 PM, the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang.
The classroom was quiet, with most of the students still sleeping on their desks. Sheng Qingxi put down her pen and stretched her fingers. She never had the habit of napping at noon, so she always used the break to finish her homework.
When she was a child, all the other kids at the orphanage would take naps. She’d be the only one kicking off her blanket, wanting to play. Sheng Lan wouldn’t allow her to get out of bed, so she’d lie there wide awake, hugging her doll.
That doll still lay on her pillow, just like it had when she was a child, always by her side.
When Chen Yi woke up, Sheng Qingxi finally got up to go to the restroom. She was slowly pinching her fingers as she walked along the railing. There weren’t many people in the hallway at this hour, so she kept her eyes down, not worrying about bumping into anyone.
At the stairwell, Lin Ran had just stepped onto the last stair and turned the corner, immediately spotting Sheng Qingxi, her head still lowered as she walked.
Lin Ran’s brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly smoothed out his expression.
He walked to the corner where Sheng Qingxi would inevitably pass and waited. Yet, to his surprise, she walked right past him, heading to the restroom without even acknowledging his presence, as if he were invisible.
Lin Ran: “…”
Does this girl really like him?
Lin Ran thought back carefully, wondering if he had offended anyone lately. Was this girl deliberately sent to mess with him? No matter how he looked at it, she didn’t seem like she liked him.
Except… except for those two times when she hugged him.
Feeling irritated, Lin Ran ruffled his black hair and gave up thinking about her. He turned and walked into the classroom.
Ten minutes later, on the sports field.
Sheng Qingxi stood next to Chen Yi, listening to their P.E. teacher call out the course assignments for each student. When her name came up, she wasn’t surprised to hear the teacher loudly announce, “Sheng Qingxi, running!”
Chen Yi glanced at her in surprise and whispered, “Sheng Qingxi, why did you choose running? It’s fine now, but once it gets hot, you’ll be roasted under the sun. You should’ve picked an indoor class.”
Sheng Qingxi quietly replied, “It’s okay, I like running.”
Chen Yi looked at Sheng Qingxi’s fair skin and felt a little sorry for her. How long would it take for her to recover if she got tanned?
After the teacher finished calling out the groups, Sheng Qingxi noticed she was the only girl who chose running; the rest were all boys. She silently followed behind the group of boys as they headed towards their P.E. instructor.
Coincidentally, the teacher in charge of their running class happened to be the P.E. teacher from Class 1.
When the Class 1 P.E. teacher saw the students he was newly assigned this semester approaching, he waved his hand towards them and said, “Go find your respective teachers on your own. If you can’t find them, then come back to me!”
He Mo immediately spotted Sheng Qingxi in the middle of the group of boys—her presence was striking like a fairy among a flock of ordinary ducks.
He Mo nudged Xie Zhen, who stood on tiptoe for a glance and cautiously whispered, “Ran, look, the new transfer student is here.”
Lin Ran turned his head and looked to the left. As the group walked over, Sheng Qingxi stood out, like a swan among a group of wild ducks, far too noticeable. He could already hear the boys from his class murmuring:
“Whoa, is that the transfer student?”
“The one who supposedly likes Ran?”
“She’s ridiculously good-looking.”
“Shut up, Ran’s still here.”
“…”
Lin Ran’s lips tightened slightly. He turned his head and asked, “What’s Old Wang teaching this year?”
Xie Zhen responded quickly, “I know this one. Old Wang is probably supervising their running, right? Long-distance, short-distance, whatever they feel like?”
Lin Ran glanced at Sheng Qingxi’s seemingly frail frame, but then remembered the force she had displayed that night when they faced off in the dark—she seemed to be holding back at the time.
He stopped thinking about it and said, “Let’s go play basketball.”
After Lin Ran and his group left, Old Wang counted the students to make sure everyone was there. Then he announced, “For the first period, you can all do your own thing. Run a lap and then you’re free to play. I’m off to play ball!”
With that, he chased after Lin Ran and his group.
Those left behind looked at each other in confusion. Some started doing warm-up exercises, others, noticing Old Wang wasn’t watching, ran off, and some simply got on the track and started running.
Sheng Qingxi began her warm-up as usual. Compared to her previous life, her physical condition had deteriorated significantly, and it would take a long time to recover her fitness to its former state.
Luckily, she was still young.
Lin Ran unintentionally glanced her way. Sheng Qingxi was doing stretches, and as she moved, the hem of her shirt rose slightly, revealing a slim waist that was startlingly pale. His fingers subconsciously brushed against his palm, as if he could still feel the smoothness of her skin from that night.
Lin Ran felt his throat go dry.
It wasn’t just him. In the group doing warm-ups, others couldn’t help but keep glancing at Sheng Qingxi. Lin Ran’s expression darkened, and he stretched his hand toward Xie Zhen, coldly saying, “Ah Zhen, give me the ball.”
Without thinking, Xie Zhen tossed the ball over.
Lin Ran caught the ball with one hand and immediately hurled it toward the boy who had been sneaking glances at Sheng Qingxi.
The basketball flew through the air, causing a commotion in the crowd.
Sheng Qingxi stepped aside, but the boy standing not far from her wasn’t so lucky. The ball hit him square on the left shoulder.
The boy cried out in pain.
Lin Ran strode over, ignoring the still-bouncing ball, his gaze locked onto the boy. He leaned in close, disregarding the fear in the boy’s eyes.
Swallowing hard under Lin Ran’s menacing gaze, the boy stammered, “Ran… Brother Ran.”
Lin Ran grabbed his collar, his voice low and threatening as he growled in the boy’s ear, “If you dare look at her one more time, next time the ball will hit your eyes.”
The boy nodded frantically, “I’m sorry, I won’t look again.”
Lin Ran gave him a cold, unwavering glance, as if committing the boy’s appearance to memory. After letting go of him, he bent down to pick up the basketball and walked toward the court without looking back.
Throughout the entire ordeal, he never once glanced at Sheng Qingxi, and no one else knew what he had said to the boy.