Chapter 265: Don’t Call Me, I’m Not Here

Qi Wen was eliminated.

Top three would advance to the finals.

She ended up in fourth place.

Just a hair’s breadth behind the third-place runner.

When Qi Wen found out the result, her mood completely tanked.

No matter how much Miss Jiang tried to comfort her, it was useless.

Especially after she noticed a certain someone’s… proportions.

Qi Wen got even more upset.

Which left Miss Jiang completely puzzled.

She had almost managed to cheer her up.

Then suddenly, the girl was back to sulking.

“Wenwen, don’t take it so hard.”

“Look at me. In the high jump prelims, there were eight people. I came in seventh.”

“Still smiling, aren’t I?”

“That’s different!” Qi Wen pouted, full of grievance.

“How is it different? Tell me, and I’ll help you figure it out.”

Miss Jiang asked with a sincere face.

But when she found out the reason…

Her expression turned strange—an indescribable mix of shock and disbelief.

Then…

She couldn’t hold it in.

Burst out laughing on the spot.

Of course.

The consequence of laughing like that was earning the grudge of a certain Little Wife.

Qi Wen lunged at her with a flurry of scratches.

In that situation, Miss Jiang didn’t dare fight back.

She could only laugh and beg for mercy.

Just then—

The figure of the Big Black Guy suddenly appeared on the rubber track.

He held a megaphone and shouted across the field:

“All participants for the boys’ 400-meter heats, gather over here!”

Immediately,

A bunch of figures scattered across the soccer field began walking toward him.

“I see Zhu Shengjie!”

“Where?”

“Lane 7, that one.”

“Oh yeah, that’s him! Go Zhu Shengjie!!”

Suddenly,

Cheers erupted from the Class 2, Grade 11 section of the stands.

Hearing all the shouting,

Miss Jiang remembered what she had promised.

With a light snort,

She called out to someone nearby.

“Li Duoyong, come here for a sec…”

………

Down on the track,

The boys’ 400-meter runners were being assigned to their lanes by the PE teacher.

Zhu Shengjie was in lane seven.

As he took his position, he glanced down at the number on his shirt.

‘200646’

Not a bad number.

Actually, Zhu Shengjie had some confidence in this 400-meter race.

Back in middle school,

He had been good at middle-distance running.

During school sports meets, he had won quite a few honors for his class with his running skills.

But now that he was in high school,

The pressure of academics had dulled his enthusiasm for chasing glory.

If it weren’t for a certain alluring fairy,

Zhu Shengjie would’ve probably just stayed in the stands watching the fun.

But speaking of Jiang Ning—

Just thinking of her graceful figure and pretty face

Made his heart race.

Though as he thought about it,

Zhu Shengjie gave a self-deprecating chuckle.

Then he scanned the runners around him.

When he noticed the guys in lanes 4 and 2,

His brows furrowed slightly.

The one in lane 2

Had gone to the same middle school as him.

Also a solid middle-distance runner.

They’d raced once before.

Zhu Shengjie had won by just a body length.

Barely.

So he remembered the guy clearly.

As for the one in lane 4—

He’d seen him compete back in Grade 10.

Won first place in the finals.

Very impressive.

Zhu Shengjie had even looked him up when he had time.

Turned out the guy had trained at a sports academy.

That killed any thoughts of comparison right there.

After all, amateurs couldn’t really compete with professionals.

The rest of the runners

Didn’t seem like much of a threat.

But who could say for sure? There might be a wildcard or two in the mix.

Suddenly,

Zhu Shengjie’s confidence in making the top three wavered a little.

But just then,

Out of the corner of his eye,

He spotted a graceful figure on the Class 2, Grade 12 stands.

There she was, one hand on her hip, the other holding a megaphone.

Standing there, radiant like the sun.

But—

She seemed to be saying something.

She raised the megaphone.

And then—

“Gas delivery~ Refill your gas tanks~”

Miss Jiang ended up breaking her promise.

All that talk about cheering and handing out water at the finish line—

None of it mattered anymore.

All she wanted now was to hide.

Find a place with no one around.

And disappear.

“Jiang Jiang~”

“Don’t call me. I’m not here.”

Miss Jiang buried her head in her hair, refusing to acknowledge anything Little Qi said beside her.

The scene had everyone around them in stitches.

“Oh my god, Jiang Ning, you’re too funny! Hahahaha!” Yuan Lu burst out laughing like a bandit.

Jiang Ning was so mad she was grinding her teeth.

Thankfully,

Aside from Class 2, Grade 11 and a couple nearby classes, not many people noticed what happened.

And Miss Jiang had ducked out fast.

So not many actually saw the whole thing.

Originally, Miss Jiang had planned to go down to the railing, maybe even onto the track.

But she didn’t make it in time.

If she had actually shouted that down on the field…

Well.

She might’ve had to find a new planet to live on.

In the end, Zhu Shengjie did pretty well.

Second place in his heat.

He advanced to tomorrow’s 400-meter finals.

That was some good news.

But for most of the others, it wasn’t so great.

Just like Miss Jiang,

Almost everyone got eliminated in the first round.

Aside from the 3000-meter run, which didn’t have heats, pretty much everything else was over for them.

————

Evening.

Leaving the cafeteria.

Miss Jiang held Little Qi’s hand as they strolled along the school’s winding paths.

Since there were no evening classes tonight, many students were out walking just like them.

Leisurely, unhurried.

Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, stepping on fallen leaves.

Every now and then, they’d run into someone they knew.

They’d exchange greetings, chat for a moment.

It felt genuinely pleasant.

Thinking back to her past life—

Over thirty years of living, and it seemed like she had always been following a path laid out by others.

What she should do as a child, what she should become as an adult.

When to study hard, when to find someone and get married.

Looking back now,

It was like being a puppet on strings.

The thought was strangely laughable.

“Jiang Jiang~ Are you even listening to me?”

Little Qi’s voice pulled Miss Jiang back to reality.

She turned her head.

Little Qi had puffed up her cheeks again, just like a bubble fish.

Seeing this,

Miss Jiang reached out with a smile and gave her cheek a playful pinch.

“I heard you.”

“The clothes on Wanfu Street are pretty, and the stinky tofu on Shijin Street is delicious.”

“I’ll go with you on Sunday.”

“Hee hee.” Qi Wen’s eyes curved into crescent moons, mission accomplished.

She looked absolutely adorable.

Just like that,

The two of them wandered around for a good while.

By the time the sun was about to set, they returned to the dormitory.

Inside the dorm,

Yuan Lu was animatedly talking to Yang Ke about something.

Judging by how excited she looked, she had probably stumbled upon something interesting again.

Miss Jiang walked over and asked,

“What’s so funny?”

“Yuan Lu got hit on today.”

“Huh?”

That got not only Miss Jiang’s attention, but even Qi Wen, who had been about to head to the bathroom, turned back around.

She looked at Yuan Lu with wide, curious eyes.

“Seriously?”

As soon as she asked,

The usually bold and brash Yuan Lu actually blushed a little, which was a rare sight.

“Well, I’m not even sure if it counts as being hit on…”

Then,

Yuan Lu recounted what had happened earlier that day.

When Miss Jiang heard that the guy’s way of striking up a conversation was asking Yuan Lu to help him open a bottle cap,

She couldn’t help but ask,

“Was he really scrawny or something?”

But when she heard Yang Ke describe the guy with a tone as fierce as a black whirlwind,

The expression on Miss Jiang’s face became truly priceless.

(End of chapter)