Criticizing Love - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Lin Xi’s first instinct regarding Gu Nianyin’s question was to deny it.

But before she could speak, Zhong Sheng beat her to it, nodding vigorously. “Of course! Of course we’re worried about you!”

This girl never read the room. Assuming Gu Nianyin was addressing them both, her response was crisp and clear, each word adding another dark line of irritation to Lin Xi’s forehead.

Lin Xi opened her mouth to distance herself from that “we,” but she was interrupted by Zhong Sheng’s intense concern: “Great One, are you really okay? Forget the 3000-meter—even the 1500-meter leaves most guys looking half-dead. That’s fifteen laps. You can’t train for that overnight…”

Lin Xi had been best friends with Zhong Sheng since their freshman year, but she had never realized the girl could be this talkative. The words to clarify her stance remained stuck in her throat, pushed further away by every sentence Zhong Sheng uttered until the optimal time for clarification had long passed.

A cloud drifted over, obscuring a corner of the sun and casting a faint shadow. Lin Xi’s frustration grew as Zhong Sheng continued her monologue, her dark expression deepening under Gu Nianyin’s steady gaze.

By the time Zhong Sheng finished her lecture, Lin Xi’s irritation was visible. Gu Nianyin, however, remained as calm as ever. She sat poised in her seat, her subtle withdrawal of her gaze going unnoticed by anyone else.

“Thank you. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Gu Nianyin’s words were addressed to Zhong Sheng, but her voice landed squarely in Lin Xi’s ears. The sunlight from the window wrapped around her voice with a reassuring certainty, yet her shadow on the desk—slender and tall—still looked like a “dodder flower” that could snap at any moment.

Lin Xi looked at the shadow crossing over onto her own desk, then glanced up at Gu Nianyin. She swept a furrowed gaze over her, but ultimately swallowed her retort and pulled out a manga.

Who wants to advise her? A ‘dodder flower’ living in a glass house needs a hit of reality to realize the world isn’t like her little bubble.

With that thought, Lin Xi didn’t speak to Gu Nianyin again until the first PE class of the afternoon.

On the eve of every sports meet, the PE teacher would release the signed-up students to practice their events. Today was no exception. He looked at the neatly lined-up elite class students and gave them a few extra instructions before asking with some concern, “I heard from your sports rep that the 3000-meter is set. Who is it?”

The afternoon sun slanted across the small plaza in a wash of gold. Lin Xi had been looking at the rubber track behind the fence when a slender shadow rose in her vision.

Gu Nianyin raised her hand. “Me.”

The PE teacher looked at Gu Nianyin in the second-to-last row, his eyes full of doubt. “You?”

The raised arm was long and thin, her pale skin reflecting the sunlight so brightly it looked overexposed. Gu Nianyin tilted her head slightly to meet the teacher’s inquiry. Her calm face was elegant and refined—neither of which suggested athleticism. In fact, they suggested the opposite. She didn’t look like someone who could run three kilometers.

Teacher: “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Gu Nianyin replied with the same certainty she had shown Lin Xi and Zhong Sheng that morning.

“Well… alright then.” The teacher’s agreement was reluctant. “Come with me to the back track and run a bit. I’ll help you… help you adjust.”

The teacher had hesitated on the word “adjust.” Watching Gu Nianyin’s slender back as she walked toward the track, he felt worried. Endurance isn’t built in a day; the best “adjustment” he could offer was helping her maintain a good mindset. Winning didn’t matter; finishing the race would be enough.

Zhong Sheng shared the teacher’s sentiment. She dragged Lin Xi to the edge of the track closest to Gu Nianyin to cheer her on. “Go, Great One! If you can’t finish, just stop. Don’t push yourself!”

The race hadn’t even started, and Zhong Sheng was already cutting the momentum in half. Lin Xi shot her a look of pure disgust, thinking her friend really didn’t know how to talk.

It was then that Gu Nianyin’s eyes caught hers. The sunlight in those deep brown eyes made them look like clear glass marbles, deepening as the light refracted through the iris. Lin Xi had a strange feeling that Gu Nianyin was waiting for her to say something.

But she had nothing to say. The girls’ relay team was short a person and couldn’t practice, so she had been dragged here by Zhong Sheng.

“Do you want to warm up more?”

Having received no word from Lin Xi, the teacher turned back to Gu Nianyin. She silently withdrew her gaze, her voice a bit colder than before: “No need.”

“Then you…”

Before the teacher could say more, Gu Nianyin started running. Her pace was steady. The oversized summer PE uniform billowed around her, giving her a sense of lightness. Even the wind seemed to favor her; every strand of hair caught the golden light as it swept past her face. The expression she had worn since the day they met suddenly became vivid.

The white mist of her breath kissed her face, leaving a faint, warm flush on the tip of her nose. Her gaze remained fixed forward, her expression unchanged and her breathing even. Her white sneakers hit the red track with a precision that looked measured by a ruler.

The first lap was like this. The second lap was the same.

By the time she reached 1500 meters—a point where many boys would be grimacing and gasping for air—Gu Nianyin continued at the same steady, even pace.

The PE teacher was stunned. The surrounding students were speechless.

“Holy crap, what kind of monster is she?” “Why isn’t she sweating?” “I feel like she’s just warming up.” “Maybe our class won’t be last this year?” “Be bolder—we could take first!”

As the exclamations rose, Zhong Sheng suddenly felt like a clown for worrying so much earlier. She was shocked by Gu Nianyin’s upright, rhythmic form. Her mouth hung open. “This is too cool. That’s already the sixth lap.”

Lin Xi watched from the side, also stunned. But for some reason, her reaction was milder than the others. She felt an inexplicable trust, a sense that Gu Nianyin could actually do this.

Their previous encounters coalesced into a specific thought: This person is nowhere near as fragile as she looks—not in spirit, and not in body.

Under the long afternoon sun, a figure ran back into Lin Xi’s view. The teacher’s expression was much brighter now as he cheered for Gu Nianyin on her fourteenth lap. “Go! Go! Final lap!”

Gu Nianyin ignored the encouragement. As she rounded the turn from the opposite direction, she looked through the crowd of cheering students to find the only person who wasn’t cheering for her.

Lin Xi stood there lazily, looking like she belonged to a different world than this girl who ran with a perfectly straight back. But as the wind pushed the hair from Lin Xi’s eyes, their gazes locked. Gu Nianyin’s eyes were calm, as if telling her: Don’t worry.

Lin Xi’s brow furrowed, and she immediately looked away.

Who’s worried about you? …Damn it.

Throughout the run, Gu Nianyin gave the impression that she wasn’t exerting much effort. Indeed, even by the final lap, her expression hadn’t changed much. Only a thin layer of sweat dampened her forehead, making a few stray hairs stick to her skin. As the wind blew, there was no scent of exertion—just a clean freshness.

Zhong Sheng’s admiration reached a new level. She rushed forward with a water bottle, more eager than anyone. “Great One, that was incredible! Do you want some water?”

Gu Nianyin was still regulating her slowing breath. She shook her head silently. Zhong Sheng realized it wouldn’t be right to let her drink her water and pulled the bottle back.

In the distance, the teacher watched Gu Nianyin again, his eyes now full of respect. He called out to the students nearby: “Help her walk around. Don’t let her sit down.”

“Okay—” Zhong Sheng called back.

In that instant, Lin Xi regretted walking over with Zhong Sheng. The person who had seemed perfectly fine suddenly stumbled on the soft grass. Her arm shot out and grabbed Lin Xi’s oversized jersey.

Fortunately, Lin Xi was quick. She caught Gu Nianyin around the waist, preventing her from falling and taking Lin Xi down with her. The movement was so sudden it sparked a flicker of anger in Lin Xi’s heart.

She looked up at Gu Nianyin irritably, a reprimand on the tip of her tongue, but stopped when she saw Gu Nianyin leaning against her arm. Her breath was heavy, and a faint, hidden flush of pink bloomed at the corners of her eyes—like a startled white cat.

She looked at Lin Xi, her voice not quite as steady as usual:

“Sorry. Can you let me lean on you for a bit?”

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