Chapter 233: Chapter 153: The Family Can’t Know About This
The seconds and minutes ticked by.
Li Zhi glanced down at the damp patch spreading on her shoulder—the piece of paper meant to block the sweat had long since been soaked through.
The boy’s short hair tickled her neck, and the rising heat, mixed with his lime-scented sweat, formed a pocket of humidity where their clothes pressed together.
"How long are you going to lean on me?" Her fingertips curled around the hem of her school uniform, her voice lighter than the willow catkins floating in the air.
In the distance, a wave of cheers erupted from the track for the final sprint of the men’s 3000-meter second heat, making their corner feel exceptionally quiet in comparison.
Shen Yuan suddenly buried his face deeper into the crook of her shoulder. "Are you free after school?"
The whiny end of his question was drowned out by He Zhiyu’s sudden burst of choked coughing. From the gap of a locker diagonally behind them, two pairs of bright eyes trembled, pressed against the metal door.
Li Zhi raised a hand and pushed him away, but her fingertips paused over his damp hair. In the end, she just sighed, letting her hair fall to hide her reddening ears.
"I’m tired."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan suddenly sat up straight, stirring a small pocket of cool air.
"Then why don’t you lean on me?" Shen Yuan patted his own equally sweaty shoulder.
"In your dreams!"
Li Zhi shot Shen Yuan a glare, then turned and walked away.
Her sneakers squeaked on the rubber ground as she turned. The tips of her red ears were barely visible amidst the drifting willow catkins, leaving the boy with nothing but the sight of her ponytail swaying as she walked.
As she passed the walkway, Li Zhi nabbed He Zhiyu, who was in the middle of silently screaming with Zhuo Peipei.
The two sugar-fiends immediately stopped smiling.
"Sweet enough for you?"
Faced with Li Zhi’s ’kind’ smile, the two sugar-fiends trembled but still nodded stubbornly.
’Sweet? Of course it was sweet.’
’Sugar-fiends never surrender!’
Li Zhi rolled her eyes at them and headed for the stands.
After the second 3000-meter heat finished, the final results were posted quickly.
Ah Jie came sprinting from the main platform, clutching the results sheet. His sneakers pounded against the rubber track.
His voice reached the rest area before he did.
"Yuan! First place! You got first place!!"
Shen Yuan watched Ah Jie, a casual smile playing on his lips as his Adam’s apple bobbed. "Calm down. Stop making such a scene."
"Damn! Still playing it cool!"
Ah Jie’s eyes suddenly went wide, and he poked a finger into Shen Yuan’s heaving chest. "You fucking nailed the cool guy act! Remember to go get your award later!"
Shen Yuan nodded. "Got it."
The so-called award ceremony was really just about getting a simple, cheaply made medal.
There was a small awards podium where the top three finishers would receive their medals. A school administrator would offer a few words of encouragement, hand out a certificate, and drape the medal around their necks.
It was a very simple process.
’In reality, it was probably just the school administrators wanting to cosplay as Olympic officials.’
Shen Yuan didn’t have much of an opinion on it.
’He couldn’t care less.’
However, the athlete who won the silver medal, Zhang Kai, was a little curious.
"Man, you’re seriously good."
"You too. I bet you weren’t even going all out."
Zhang Kai nodded. "I was just messing around, to be honest. Didn’t expect you to overtake me. By the way, do you have any other events?"
Shen Yuan shook his head. "I only signed up for the 3000-meter."
"That’s a shame. I was hoping to race you again."
"Maybe some other time! I’m heading out now!"
Shen Yuan waved and walked toward the side gate of the field.
The gold medal on Shen Yuan’s chest swayed gently with each step. Just as he rounded the corner of the stands, he heard a clear voice call out from above.
"Dumbass!"
He skidded to a stop, his sneakers scuffing a half-circle on the rubber track. His chin was tilted up, showing dried streaks of sweat, and the harsh midday sun made him squint.
A swaying ponytail appeared over the stand’s railing. Li Zhi was leaning on the rusty iron bars, half her body practically hanging over the edge. The wind billowed her school uniform, and the arc of her hair swept right through Shen Yuan’s upward gaze.
"Is that gold medal heavy?"
A teasing smile played on her lips as she looked at Shen Yuan. Her fingers were hooked around a half-empty water bottle, which she swung casually.
Under the sun, the light reflecting off the bottle cast specks of light that danced across Shen Yuan like tiny, joyful sprites.
Shen Yuan deliberately flicked the medal. "Why don’t you come down and see for yourself?"
The words had barely left his mouth when He Zhiyu popped out from behind Li Zhi like a nimble little rabbit.
"Why can’t you just come up here?" He Zhiyu’s voice was crisp and clear, laced with a hint of laughter.
The smile on Shen Yuan’s lips widened. He looked at He Zhiyu, then glanced at Li Zhi, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
"Alright then, you just wait."
The base of the stands was a good two meters above the track. Aside from the platform extending from the edge, the area underneath was hollow, offering no leverage points.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Shen Yuan took a running leap, his hands catching the edge of the platform.
"Hey! What are you doing!"
Li Zhi cried out, seeing what Shen Yuan was doing.
But a moment later, she watched as Shen Yuan, gripping the platform with both hands, slowly hoisted himself up.
His physique, enhanced by the System, allowed Shen Yuan to support his own body with ease.
Buoyed by his formidable core strength, Shen Yuan easily climbed up onto the stands.
"Ta-da!"
Watching Shen Yuan hop over the railing, Li Zhi rolled her eyes at him.
"You’re unbelievable! Aren’t you afraid the discipline office will catch you?"
"Pfft, it’s the sports meet. Haven’t you seen? They’re not even busting the couples."
Shen Yuan said with a nonchalant look on his face.
"Hmph!"
Just as she turned her head away from him, Shen Yuan hooked a finger under the medal’s red ribbon and gave it a gentle tug.
"Here, you can wear it."
The boy’s voice was raspy from his exertion, and the medal’s ribbon was already being slipped over the girl’s swaying ponytail.
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