My Childhood Friend is Secretly in Love with Me - Chapter 25

“Zuo Yi, Zuo Yi, Never Give Up, Cutting Through the Thorns.”

Today, a total of four simulated assessments were conducted. Aside from a mediocre performance in the 200-meter butterfly, his results in the other two short-distance events could be described as peak performance, surpassing his usual level. Getting into the school team was now a guaranteed certainty.

After his professional classes in the afternoon, Zuo Yi ran non-stop to Jingxi University to pick up Qi Yan so they could go to the restaurant to work together.

Non-students of Jingxi University must make a real-name reservation in advance to enter the campus. Since it was impossible to snag a slot on short notice, Zuo Yi could only wait for Qi Yan to come out at the school gate. He felt like a child who could not wait to show off his exam paper to his family, bubbling with excitement.

While waiting, he rehearsed in his mind: if today had been the Asian Games and he had stood on the podium with this result, it would have been the perfect milestone for his swimming career. However, simply standing on the podium was not his goal; hearing the national anthem play while standing on the highest international podium was!

Zuo Yi paced happily at the entrance of Jingxi University. Qi Yan saw the unrestrained smile on his face from a distance, and his own mood inexplicably brightened.

“Xiao Yi, what are you laughing so happily about?”

Hearing Qi Yan’s bright voice, Zuo Yi turned around in surprise. “Yan-ge!”

Qi Yan ruffled his hair. A pleasant, woody scent wafted into Zuo Yi’s nose, instantly making him feel secure and comfortable, calming his restless heart.

Zuo Yi took out his phone and pulled up a photo of the timer he had taken that morning. “Look.”

Qi Yan took the phone. After looking at it, his eyes filled with surprise, and he blurted out almost without hesitation, “You improved by nearly 4 seconds!”

“Yeah! That is 4 seconds faster than when I got my Master Athlete certificate in high school.” Before Zuo Yi could finish, he suddenly realized something and looked up to ask, “Yan-ge, how did you know?”

When Zuo Yi competed for that certificate, Qi Yan had already left Jiangcheng. How could he possibly know what his time was?

Qi Yan was also stunned for a moment before explaining, “I heard Guan Guan mention it. She said you and Li Zihao discussed it in the dorm, and she asked me which tier your swimming results fell into.”

Zuo Yi slapped his forehead. He remembered that he had indeed talked to Li Zihao about his results. He did not expect it to reach Qi Yan through such a roundabout way. That big mouth! He would not tell Li Zihao anything from now on.

“No wonder. I was wondering how you knew my results,” Zuo Yi replied.

Qi Yan smiled, his eyes crinkling as he draped an arm over Zuo Yi’s shoulder. As they walked toward the restaurant, he remarked, “You are truly amazing. You are the pride of the Moonlight Bay courtyard.”

Zuo Yi’s cheeks heated up. “You are our real pride. After the Great Academic God goes back for the holidays, I will organize a lecture for you to teach the kids in the courtyard your study secrets.”

“If I were really that amazing, how come I did not manage to teach you your lessons well?” Qi Yan joked.

At the mention of this, scenes of Qi Yan tutoring him and Ding Wenxiao as children flashed back. Indeed, during those tutoring sessions, he had spent all his time counting the fine hairs on Qi Yan’s face; none of the knowledge had actually entered his brain.

Zuo Yi burst out laughing at the thought, piquing Qi Yan’s curiosity.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I suddenly thought about how, just after you started middle school, you went to my mom and told her I was not suited for the academic path, suggesting I should develop a talent for sports instead.” Zuo Yi stopped and looked at Qi Yan. “Yan-ge, looking back now, I am really grateful for that suggestion. It kept me from becoming a social failure.”

Qi Yan was also moved. Actually, back then, he did not suggest that to Auntie Song because Zuo Yi’s grades were poor, but because he knew Zuo Yi loved swimming. While other kids his age spent their holidays watching “Ultraman” or “Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit,” Zuo Yi would drag him along to watch swimming competitions all day, even explaining professional terms to him.

Zuo Yi’s passion for swimming far outweighed his interest in textbooks. At that time, Qi Yan only hoped Zuo Yi could study what he loved; that was the only way to be truly happy. He wanted Zuo Yi to always be joyful and energetic.

“Xiao Yi, heaven gave you talent, and your hard work has not failed that talent,” Qi Yan said, his eyes full of affection as he looked at Zuo Yi. “Even without me, you would not have become a social failure.”

Zuo Yi’s heart began to pound violently again. He lowered his head, let out a soft “Mhm,” and hurried forward.

For several consecutive days, Zuo Yi and Qi Yan maintained a consistent rhythm: classes, work, then going home to cook a meal together. At night, Zuo Yi would return to his dorm to sleep. Regarding Feng Sang, they had observed him quietly for a few days and noticed nothing unusual, so they gradually began to focus on their own affairs.

The school team recruitment consisted of a competitive assessment and a physical test, conducted over two days. The first day was the competitive assessment. On that day, Qi Yan specifically asked his counselor for a half-day off to watch the competition.

School swimming competitions were a favorite among the female students because male swimmers generally possessed eight-pack abs, tall builds, fair skin, and long limbs. Furthermore, with the presence of the freshman school hunk Zuo Yi, it was bound to be a visual feast.

Many female students at the scene had prepared support banners and were shouting slogans to cheer for Zuo Yi. Looking at the scene, Qi Yan only felt that the kid was too popular, attracting both guys and girls. It felt like a crisis was brewing.

“Qi Yan.” A familiar voice appeared. Qi Yan looked over.

It was Li Zihao bringing Guan Guan, followed by Guo Jingjing and other roommates. Qi Yan moved over to let Li Zihao and Guan Guan sit in the two adjacent seats, while Guo Jingjing naturally took the empty seat on Qi Yan’s other side.

Guo Jingjing did not greet Qi Yan, and Qi Yan ignored him in return.

A wave of screams erupted from the girls as the athletes came out. The first assessment event was the 100-meter freestyle.

“Zuo Yi, Zuo Yi, never give up! Cut through the thorns and be invincible!”

The girls in the audience began to chant their slogan. Strangely, the only slogans being shouted in the entire venue were for Zuo Yi; there were none for the other athletes.

“This is Yi-ge’s popularity at our school. Do you think one of these female students will become Zuo Yi’s future girlfriend?” Guo Jingjing directed this comment at Qi Yan.

Qi Yan had no intention of entertaining him; his eyes remained focused on Zuo Yi, who was warming up.

Guo Jingjing did not stop there and added, “You know Yi-ge is straight, right? Even if Mount Everest turned crooked, it is impossible for him to be gay. It is really a shame.”

Qi Yan found it laughable. He glanced at him sideways as if looking at a pile of trash. “You should feel it is a shame. Even if Xiao Yi were not straight, it would have nothing to do with you.”

Guo Jingjing rolled his eyes and stopped talking.

The audience, which had finally calmed down, erupted again. The screams were loud enough to shake the swimming hall. Qi Yan looked down and saw that after warming up, Zuo Yi had pressed his index and middle fingers to his lips and made a blowing-kiss gesture toward their section.

In reality, Zuo Yi’s gesture was very targeted; it was intended only for Qi Yan. Qi Yan gave him a knowing smile, but Li Zihao beside him jumped up and shouted, “Holy crap, brother, I love you!”

The shout was so loud that Zuo Yi shrunk his neck and bolted away.

“Take your marks.”

At the command, the entire audience went silent in a show of mutual understanding, afraid any noise would affect the athletes. Zuo Yi cracked his neck and bounced twice on the deck before putting on his goggles and stepping onto the starting block for Lane 5.

“Take your marks.”

Zuo Yi bent down, assuming the starting position.

The whistle blew, and the race began.

Zuo Yi dove into the water. Using the power of his leg drive, he leaped into the water a step ahead of the others. After dolphin kicking for fifteen meters, Zuo Yi broke the surface in the lead. He was pushing very hard today, pulling away from the others at a speed visible to the naked eye. No one could keep pace with him.

Once he dove into the water, he became a shark that no one could catch, ferocious and charging forward recklessly. Qi Yan stared intently at the kid who had followed him since childhood calling him “Yan-ge,” who had grown into a fierce mako shark in the ocean in the blink of an eye.

Reaching the 50-meter turn, everyone held their breath, including Qi Yan. Zuo Yi’s underwater flip turn was perfectly clean.

Last 10 meters, 5 meters, 1 meter!

48.21 seconds!

Zuo Yi took first place with a dominant lead.

The audience erupted in cheers again; there were an unusually large number of people watching the assessment today.

“Zuo Yi, Zuo Yi, never give up! Cut through the thorns and be invincible!” The support slogan rang out again as Li Zihao and Guan Guan, unable to contain their excitement, joined in the shouting.

Zuo Yi returned to the deck, took off his swim cap and goggles, and immediately looked toward Qi Yan. Seeing Qi Yan looking at him, he raised a peace sign over his head, gave a playful wiggle, and then jogged back to the locker room.

Compared to the beast in the pool, it seemed the version from moments ago was just wearing a shark’s skin; he had now returned to his playful self.

In the subsequent 50-meter breaststroke, 200-meter butterfly, and 1,500-meter freestyle, Zuo Yi undoubtedly took first place in all of them. However, there was a small hiccup in the 200-meter butterfly. He and another athlete named Kang Chen finished with almost identical times. Since it was hard to distinguish between them, the school specifically reviewed the video footage before concluding that Zuo Yi had touched the wall 0.5 seconds ahead, earning him first place.

After entering Jingxi Physical Education University, Zuo Yi had already caused quite a stir with his looks. This school team assessment further conquered the hearts of the alumni with his strength. Some students even made a gap moe edit of him blowing a kiss, making a peace sign, and being like a beast in the water, which sparked a wave of discussion online.

After the assessment, Zuo Yi went back to Qi Yan’s apartment with him. Originally, the two were going to work at the restaurant, but Zuo Yi had pushed himself so hard during the swimming that his lower back muscles were aching. Qi Yan would not listen to any protests and forced him back to the apartment to apply a medicated patch.

While lying on the sofa browsing Weibo, Zuo Yi suddenly noticed his own name on the trending list. Wondering if it was someone with the same name, he clicked in out of curiosity. Well, what do you know? It really was him.

“Holy crap!” Zuo Yi could not help but cry out.

What on earth is this!

Qi Yan had just come out of the bathroom. Thinking his back was in pain, he hurried over. “Is your back hurting? I will take you to the hospital.”

Zuo Yi quickly shut his mouth, silently locked his phone screen, and buried his head in his arms to play dead.

Qi Yan asked worriedly, “What is wrong?”

Zuo Yi just shook his head and did not say a word. Just then, Qi Yan’s phone rang; it was Guan Guan calling.

Zuo Yi did not even have to think to guess what it was about. He tried to grab Qi Yan’s phone from the coffee table, but due to his aching back, he was a step too slow. Qi Yan answered the call.

Whatever Guan Guan said on the other end, Qi Yan simply gave an “Mhm,” hung up, and tapped on his phone.

Zuo Yi watched Qi Yan’s expression nervously. He did not know why, but his sixth sense told him Qi Yan would be angry once he saw it.

Three glaring Weibo trending topics appeared before Qi Yan’s eyes:

Olympic Champion Liang Yi Appears at Jingxi Decathlon

One Heart, One Yi [Trending]

Liang Yi and Zuo Yi Eating Ice Cream at Decathlon

Support