Chapter 71: Kid, You’re in for a Treat

Sports meets.

Jiang Ning remembered that in her past life, she had fallen for a huge trap.

Back then, there was only one hour left before the final submission of the participants’ list.

Class Three was still short of one competitor for the 3000-meter race.

At that moment, the class monitor, Qi Wen, set her sights on the male version of Jiang Ning, who was engrossed in a novel.

With a barrage of flattery and a pitiful expression, she reeled him in completely.

By the time he realized what had happened, his mouth had already twisted into a wry smile, having agreed to her request without hesitation.

However—

After running just two laps, he was already exhausted, filled with nothing but regret.

But he was already on the track.

Backing out midway wasn’t an option.

So, gritting his teeth, the male version of Jiang Ning had no choice but to push through.

At the cost of half his life, he finally completed the 3000-meter ordeal.

If she remembered correctly—

He had placed second in the entire competition.

Well, there had only been five participants.

Three had collapsed halfway through.

Only he and a guy specializing in long-distance running had managed to finish.

So this time—

Jiang Ning would never let herself fall into the same pit again.

As for the class committee’s mandatory selection—

She had already come up with an alternative plan.

“What?”

“You want to represent our class in the broadcasting room?”

The sports committee member, Zhang Shuangshu, looked at the girl before him, her eyes shining so brightly that he didn’t dare meet them directly.

“That’s right.”

“Is that not allowed?”

“Well… it is, but Teacher Yang already assigned Qi Wen to do it…” Zhang Shuangshu scratched his head awkwardly.

Damn it!

You again, Qi Wen!

You’re done for!

Jiang Ning was filled with resentment.

“So, what events are still available?”

When she saw that the slots for ‘Shot Put,’ ‘Javelin,’ and ‘High Jump’ were still empty, she was speechless.

She pointed at them.

“These are all that’s left?”

“Uh… yeah.” Zhang Shuangshu looked embarrassed, with a hint of guilt.

“The moment I got the list, I came straight to find you.”

“But you were on leave…”

“How about I swap with you?”

“You?” Jiang Ning lifted her gaze and looked at the tall guy in front of her.

“What event?”

“3000 meters…”

“Get lost!!”

—

November 9th, Thursday.

The weather was cloudy.

The temperature ranged from 12 to 21 degrees.

In this chilly morning and evening weather, Jiang Ning’s sports outfit was no longer enough to block the autumn wind.

So, she dug out a fitted cashmere sweater from her wardrobe and wore it underneath.

With that, wearing either her school uniform or a sports jacket over it wouldn’t feel cold anymore.

Even so, the moment she stepped outside, a gust of autumn wind made her shiver.

“Achoo…”

She sneezed, instinctively pulling her collar up.

At the same time, the door of the house across from hers suddenly opened.

An elderly woman with silver hair stepped out.

“A-Ning? Off to school?”

“Yes, Grandma Yan. Heading out to buy groceries again?”

“That’s right. Old Du’s been nagging me about pork ribs for days. He’s driving me crazy.”

Grandma Yan and Old Du were the elderly couple living across from Jiang Ning.

They had a great relationship, but strangely enough, they never mentioned their children.

Even when Old Du passed away in her past life, no children came to help.

Only Old Du’s younger brother had shown up briefly that day.

Then he left that same evening.

Nobody knew why.

But it was their private matter, and the neighbors didn’t pry.

At most, they helped with Old Du’s funeral arrangements.

In this second chance at life, Jiang Ning hadn’t planned to get too involved with the elderly couple.

At most, she would offer some assistance when needed.

“Be careful, Grandma Yan. There’s water in the hallway…”

“It’s fine, I see it.”

With a chuckle, Grandma Yan carefully stepped over the puddle and walked out with Jiang Ning.

After saying goodbye, Jiang Ning hopped on her bike and rode to school.

—

As she neared the school, she could hear the Athlete’s March playing over the speakers.

Though it was different from her past life, the feeling it evoked—deep in her bones—was something no ordinary song could replicate.

After parking her bike and stepping out of the shelter, Jiang Ning spotted a familiar face and greeted him warmly.

“Hey, Xiao Yongzi.”

Hearing his name, Li Duoyong turned around.

When he saw her bright, clear eyes, he paused for a moment, then grinned sheepishly.

“Hey, delinquent. Morning.”

Delinquent.

Tsk, tsk. It had been a while since she’d heard that nickname.

It seemed like Li Duoyong was the only old classmate who still called her that.

Everyone else either used her name or, like Luo Shanshan and the others, called her “Jiang Jiang.”

She had to admit—

It felt nostalgic.

She suddenly wondered how her old middle school classmates were doing.

Thinking of that, Jiang Ning asked, “Xiao Yongzi, do you know what happened to any of our old classmates?”

“Our old classmates?”

Li Duoyong hadn’t expected Jiang Ning to ask that. Scratching his head, he replied, “I don’t know much. Who are you curious about?”

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and named a few classmates she used to be close with in her past life.

To her surprise, Li Duoyong actually had news about one of them.

Hu Weiwei.

A middle school friend of the male version of Jiang Ning.

Hot-tempered but fiercely loyal to his friends.

He had gone to No. 2 High School, later attended an average university, and after graduation, returned to Jiangzhou City to open a small restaurant.

A genuinely good friend.

According to Li Duoyong, Hu Weiwei was still making waves in No. 2 High School.

Just last week, he had been caught in a brawl with some seniors.

Luckily, he ran fast enough—otherwise, he might have ended up with a disciplinary record.

Still the same old personality.

Jiang Ning shook her head with a smile.

At that moment, Li Duoyong suddenly asked,

“Hey, delinquent, Gao Jingyi reached out to me recently. She wants to organize a middle school reunion during the break.”

“What do you think?”

Gao Jingyi?

A tall, slender figure instantly surfaced in Jiang Ning’s mind.

She recalled that in her past life, something had almost happened between them.

At the thought of it, her heart stirred inexplicably.

“Sounds good. Just let me know when.”

—

When Jiang Ning and Li Duoyong returned to the classroom, the place was buzzing.

At first, Jiang Ning thought everyone was just excited about skipping class and homework.

But when she stepped in, she realized—

Oh.

They had just found out that another class was planning something flashy for the opening ceremony.

And now, these restless teenagers wanted to do something too.

“How about we change our chant? ‘Class Three, Class Three, One of a Kind’ is too basic.” Sports rep Zhang Shuangshu suggested.

Deputy class monitor Tan Linsen immediately shot it down.

“What’s the point? It’s still the same old thing, nothing unique.”

“Then let’s try some formations?” Study rep Tian Yawen chimed in.

But Sun Qian dismissed the idea.

“No time to practice—it’d just turn into a joke.”

That was true.

No one had paid much attention to the opening ceremony at first.

They assumed it would be like middle school—a simple parade followed by some speeches before the games began.

But now that they realized things had stepped up, no one wanted to be outshined.

At that moment, Jiang Ning suddenly noticed something.

She turned to Zhu Hui, who was sketching, and asked,

“Xiao Zhu Hui, where’s Wenwen?”

“Teacher Yang called her out. I heard the school leadership asked for her specifically…”

Chen Lan’s voice made Jiang Ning pause.

The school leaders asked for Qi Wen?

Jiang Ning instantly understood.

A knowing smirk appeared on her lips as she patted Chen Lan’s shoulder.

“Kid, you’re in for a treat…”