A gentle breeze drifted into my little world unnoticed; the clouds quietly returned to their own sky, unnoticed. The sun was no longer so scorching; everything had shed its summer heat, returning to its most sensual state, like a cup of perfectly brewed black tea, allowing people to calm down, slow down, and feel the coolness of early autumn.
Li Xixue looked forward to her second year of high school, eager to try everything from work-study programs to agricultural volunteer work. She most wanted to participate in agricultural work because it would allow her to escape the crowded city and the heavy academic workload. In the midst of her busy and monotonous high school life, this week would be an absolute luxury.
She imagined herself barefoot, walking on the sticky mud, the air so fresh. Planting crops with her sweat would inspire her novels. She dreamed of lying on a wooden plank bed at night, listening to the cicadas chirping outside. After the teacher finished checking the rooms, she could quietly chat with her classmates, talking all night about everything from longing for love to the TV dramas she'd recently watched.
But the activity notice she received after the start of the school year turned Li Xixue's dream from heaven to hell.
"The school will hold its summer sports meet in twelve days..."
Although Li Xixue was an excellent student, sports were her weakness. She was physically weak, and every winter, if anyone in her class caught a cold, Li Xixue would inevitably develop a low-grade fever that lasted for three or four days. Afraid of missing classes, she had to wear a mask to school. Fortunately, the strong and healthy athletes in her class didn't mind; otherwise, Li Xixue would have been stuck at home pondering the incomprehensible points in her textbooks.
Don't let Li Xixue's plumpness fool you; it's all just puffiness. She lost an arm wrestling match to Byun Baekhyun by using only three fingers to beat her with both hands. Byun Baekhyun's strength is far inferior to other boys, so he often boasts about it, since most people believe that chubby girls are strong.
Byun Baekhyun wasn't one to be sarcastic, so he secretly made a deal with Li Xixue: if she was willing to act, he would do five chores for her. Li Xixue figured she had nothing to lose, so she immediately agreed, giving him something to brag about in front of others.
But after Li Xixue started exercising, she became less frail. However, every time she arm-wrestled with Bian Baekhyun, she would still deliberately lose to him because it was a promise she was keeping.
During lunch break on the day the notice was announced, Byun Baekhyun, the sports committee member, called everyone together to register for events. Each person could only register for individual events three times. In previous years, Li Xixue would hide in a corner, head down, hoping not to be noticed. It wasn't that she didn't want to bring honor to the class; Li Xixue was afraid of getting a poor result and being criticized by her classmates.
Because several female students transferred out of the class at the beginning of the semester, there are now only six girls in the class. Byun Baekhyun considered that Li Xixue was the worst in sports and had the weakest physique in the class, so he temporarily set her aside. The others tacitly agreed and actively signed up, prioritizing the more difficult events like the 800-meter race. Unexpectedly, in the end, the girls were short two events, but everyone else had reached their maximum capacity, except for Gu Nan, who had recently caught a cold and fever. Byun Baekhyun then had no choice but to ask Li Xixue for her opinion.
"Li Xixue, there are only two events left for the girls, and no one else can participate except you and Gu Nan. It's the 300-meter race and shuttlecock kicking. Gu Nan isn't here today, so you choose one, and the other one will be Gu Nan's."
Li Xixue hesitated. Kicking shuttlecock was her only sport, a sport she'd always enjoyed since childhood thanks to her parents' guidance. She understood that the whole class had let her have it, and besides, Gu Nan had recently sprained his ankle. So, she secretly made her decision.
"I've signed up for both projects."
Li Xixue didn't think too much about it; she just wanted Gu Nan to rest well and recover, that was all.
Everyone was worried about Li Xixue's shuttlecock kicking skills, having witnessed them firsthand. They'd joked that if the Olympics included this event, Li Xixue would definitely be number one. But everyone was also concerned about her failing long-distance running record; she'd probably collapse halfway through the race at the sports meet. Since she'd already signed up, they couldn't just let her pass by carelessly. Therefore, this crucial task fell to the sports committee member, Bian Baekhyun.
"Byun Baekhyun, what are you planning to do?"
Can I say "cold dish"?
Both of them were completely clueless. Li Xixue's stamina was like that of Lin Daiyu, and Bian Baekhyun's was truly unimpressive. Li Xixue herself knew this, so they could only sit together, trying to think of a solution.
"The only option left is to begin grueling training."
Byun Baekhyun pulled Li Xixue to the school's small playground. Before Li Xixue could react, he demanded that she run. Li Xixue wanted to ignore Byun Baekhyun, but remembering her promise to her classmates that she would complete this task, she felt particularly annoyed. She gritted her teeth and started running.
One lap, two laps, three laps
Li Xixue was utterly helpless. Her heavy breathing remained ragged for a long time, and her feet felt glued to the ground. Because it was summer, Li Xixue was drenched in sweat. Beads of sweat on her forehead were drawn to the ground, running down her face, past her eyes, nose, and mouth. She could only roughly wipe away the sweat with her clothes again and again.
Finally, she collapsed onto the scorching hot track under the sun. Even if she were burned to death, she didn't want to finish the run. As long as there wasn't any loud noise around her, Li Xixue could clearly feel her own heart pounding.
Once, twice, three times
"With this little ability, you still dare to participate in the competition? Forget it, Li Xixue. I'll just erase your name when we get back and forfeit this event. Anyway, whether you participate or not, our class will be last. Do you know that your running speed was slower than my walking speed? You were crawling like a tortoise."
Upon hearing this, Li Xixue, no matter how exhausted she was, immediately scrambled to her feet, wiped away her sweat, and started running. All she wanted to do now was catch up with Bian Baekhyun and tear his foul mouth apart. She chased after him frantically, continuing to run along the path she was about to take.
Byun Baekhyun wasn't running fast, but he maintained a distance from Li Xixue. Whenever Li Xixue was about to catch up, he would quicken his pace. Near the finish line, he gradually slowed down, letting Li Xixue deliberately catch him, and then quickly pressed the stopwatch to end the time.
In the end, of course, Byun Baekhyun got a severe beating from Li Xixue.
In reality, it's simply that once a person has a goal, they will continue to move forward.
It's simply that a seed called love has been planted in someone's heart.