My Straight Childhood Friend Successfully Pursued Me After The Breakup - Chapter 35.2

Zuo Xian breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved. She turned back and smiled brightly. “I think so too.”

Tao Ran forced a smile, but when she turned her face away, she couldn’t help but lower her eyes in thought.

What did that mean? Did A Xian think she was boring?

After dinner, Zuo Xian rested for an hour, then changed into clothes suitable for exercise, preparing to go out.

Grandma Liu, who was busy mopping the floor, looked up in surprise. “Xianzai, are you going out?”

“Yes. I’m going out to exercise a bit.” As her voice fell, the door closed.

Grandma Liu, leaning on her mop, looked at her retreating figure in astonishment. “My goodness, why is Xianzai suddenly exercising?”

The elevator went straight to the first floor. It was now nightfall, and the streetlights were scattered, not very bright, only enough to see the path.

There was a small sports field in the residential area, not large, with a two-hundred-meter track. Zuo Xian planned to exercise there.

When she arrived at the sports field, Zuo Xian realized there were quite a lot of people exercising. Many teenagers her age were working out, but the track was mostly occupied by uncles and aunts.

She stood on the track, calculating that a lap was two hundred meters, so 1500 meters was seven and a half laps.

Seven and a half laps! Seven and a half laps!

She wanted to go home, but then she remembered Tao Ran saying in the car today that she liked athletes.

The thought of deserting was suppressed by Zuo Xian, but she still left herself a fallback.

Sports Day was still a week away. Today, she’d set herself a small goal of 800 meters.

With the 1500 meters suddenly halved, Zuo Xian’s pressure significantly decreased. After a simple warm-up, she confidently stepped onto the track.

However, her confidence completely vanished after running four hundred meters on pure adrenaline.

“I can’t do it, I can’t do it…” Zuo Xian held her waist and walked to the edge of the track, her side aching with sharp spasms.

Zuo Xian stood on the side of the track to catch her breath, her eyes on the uncles and aunts running lap after lap, marveling at their stamina.

After watching for a while, Zuo Xian was suddenly filled with infinite motivation. She forced herself to run two more laps before breathlessly ending her run and heading home.

She was busy fiddling with her phone while waiting for the elevator. The elevator chimed as it arrived. Zuo Xian walked in with her head down, just bumping into the person walking out.

She bumped headfirst into a girl’s soft embrace. Zuo Xian immediately apologized. “Sorry… Ran Ran?”

The light in the elevator illuminated Tao Ran’s fair face clearly. It was obvious that Tao Ran hadn’t expected to run into her either. Her expression was slightly flustered but quickly returned to calmness.

Zuo Xian looked at the sportswear she was wearing and asked, “Are you going out, Ranran?”

“Mm, going out… to buy something,” Tao Ran lowered her eyes. “What about you? Just came back?”

“Uh… yes, I went out for a walk.” Zuo Xian didn’t want Tao Ran to know she was secretly training. She wanted Tao Ran to see her directly in her athlete form.

She didn’t need her to see the embarrassing process of leveling up.

Both of them had secrets, and after a brief chat, they passed each other and left.

Sports Day arrived quickly. After a week of special training, Zuo Xian wasn’t particularly confident in herself, but she could at least finish the 1500 meters decently.

Sports Day was a three-day event. The first day’s morning was the opening ceremony, and the afternoon was for track and field events. Zuo Xian’s Women’s 1500-meter was scheduled for around 3:30 PM.

So, on the way to school that afternoon, Zuo Xian planned to ask Tao Ran to cheer her on.

Tao Ran was also a bit strange today, seemingly preoccupied with something. Neither of them spoke the entire way.

The car just stopped at the school entrance, and the two in the back seat didn’t get out. Zuo Xian licked her lips.

“Ranran…”

“A Xian.”

Both were startled simultaneously and couldn’t help but laugh. Zuo Xian said, “Ranran, you go first.”

Tao Ran smiled with curved eyebrows. “Actually, I wanted to invite you to watch my race this afternoon.”

“You signed up for a race this afternoon?!” Zuo Xian was surprised. “Didn’t you dislike participating in these kinds of activities before?”

“Mm, I didn’t really like them before,” Tao Ran glanced at Zuo Xian. “But recently, I felt I should exercise more too.”

Hearing this, Zuo Xian suddenly felt a sense of crisis, but then remembering she signed up for the 1500-meter, she was reassured.

After all, the 1500-meter was arguably the premier event of the campus Sports Day. Luckily, she signed up for the 1500-meter.

She laughed, “So, Ranran, did you sign up for the 50-meter sprint or the 400-meter?”

Tao Ran slightly lifted her chin and declared confidently, “1500-meter.”

“…” Zuo Xian froze in place, then rubbed the bridge of her nose, took a deep breath. “How many meters did you say?”

“1500-meter… What’s wrong?” Tao Ran looked at her, slightly confused.

Zuo Xian gave a bleak smile. “I also signed up for the 1500-meter.”

The two exchanged glances, then both looked away simultaneously, and an awkward silence filled the car.

After a long while, Zuo Xian couldn’t help but find it funny and burst into laughter. Her laughter was highly contagious, making Tao Ran also unable to hold back a smile.

Tao Ran realized what happened. “So, those days when I ran into you in the residential area, you were practicing the 1500-meter?”

“Yes, don’t I have to prepare? Ranran, you too, right?”

“Mm,” Tao Ran’s eyes held a smile. “Have to prepare well.”

Zuo Xian let out a long sigh. “Well, this is a real case of the flood washing away the Dragon King Temple A misunderstanding between close parties.”

She suddenly asked, “Ranran, what if you lose to me?”

Tao Ran opened her lips. “Whatever you want.”

“You said it!” Zuo Xian became energized, sat up straight, and opened the car door. “Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up and prepare for the race.”

Seeing Zuo Xian immediately regain her spirit, Tao Ran also gracefully got out of the car. After entering the campus, the two headed towards their respective class camps.

As 1500-meter participants, Zuo Xian and Tao Ran were undoubtedly star attractions in their classes, and the camps of the two classes happened to be next to each other.

The students from both sides generally understood the relationship between Zuo Xian and Tao Ran. After all, the two came to school together, left school together, and often visited each other after class. Anyone with eyes could see they had a good relationship.

Now that the two became opponents, the students from both classes also got excited.

On one side, the students from Class 1 brought mineral water for Tao Ran, and on the other side, the students from Class 2 fanned Zuo Xian. The logistics support was already competing before the athletes even raced.

Zuo Xian found it amusing and raised an eyebrow at Tao Ran.

Xue Shuangxi, hiding in the corner, explained to the classmate next to her, “See that? That’s provocation. This isn’t a simple 1500-meter race.”

The classmate complained, “The words ‘1500-meter race’ are already complicated enough.”

Xue Shuangxi ignored him, immersing herself in the commentary. “No, I smell a different flavor.”

A little later, the 1500-meter athletes were told to prepare for entry. The voice of the broadcast student was also filled with excitement.

Zuo Xian pinned on her bib number, warmed up, and stood ready on her track.

True to its reputation, the 1500-meter race had gathered almost all the sports-specializing students from the freshman year, with only a few unfortunate non-sports students forced to fill the remaining spots.

However, among the many people, Zuo Xian only had eyes for Tao Ran.

She passed by Tao Ran, bumped her shoulder lightly, and whispered, “We agreed, if I win, you’ll be at my mercy, right?”

Tao Ran chuckled. “What wish do you have that you’re so persistent?”

“Haven’t thought of one yet,” Zuo Xian smiled, revealing her white teeth. “But just hearing words like ‘you’ll be at my mercy’ excites me.”

The referee teacher came out to announce the rules. Zuo Xian returned to her starting position. After everyone was ready, a whistle blew, and the race began.

Initially, Zuo Xian was positioned more towards the middle, with Tao Ran further back.

Zuo Xian strictly followed the breathing rhythm, reminding herself to go slower and steadier to conserve energy.

However, many students in this race were sports specialists, and they unknowingly pushed the pace very fast from the start. As a result, Zuo Xian felt a noticeable drop in energy by the second lap.

Starting from the third lap, Zuo Xian felt the metallic taste of blood rising in her throat. Her breathing was heavy and rapid, and her legs felt sluggish.

It was too fast, but she couldn’t slow down now. Once she slowed down, she wouldn’t be able to run anymore.

The cheers from the sidelines blurred together, drowned out by her own heavy breathing. She vaguely heard her name, and then perhaps Tao Ran’s name.

As if injected with adrenaline, Zuo Xian gritted her teeth and increased her stride!

Finally, the third lap was over. Victory was in sight. Zuo Xian mechanically pushed her legs forward, her eyes fixed on the wavering finish line.

Only… half a lap left.

There was a particularly soft patch of rubber on the track. Zuo Xian had been careful when running past it earlier, but now her mind was solely focused on the finish line, and she paid no attention.

Her stiff stride landed on that soft rubber patch, and her ankle twisted, losing stability.

The intense pain caused Zuo Xian to fall to the ground. She frowned, unable to help but hiss, her ankle aching terribly.

“Zuo Xian, are you okay!” Classmates on the side of the track worriedly called out, and the referee teacher also rushed over.

One after another, girls behind Zuo Xian overtook her.

Only the last hundred meters remained. Zuo Xian stared at the finish line with unwillingness. At this moment, it wasn’t Tao Ran’s promise motivating her, but Zuo Xian’s own stubborn nature driving her body.

“I’m fine,” she bit her lip, stood up, and continued running forward.

She was running with a slight limp, and every step was agonizing pain. Suddenly, an arm supported her side. Zuo Xian looked over.

Tao Ran, her cheeks flushed with a light red, looked at her angrily, but when their eyes met, she could only give her a gentle, harmless glare.

She knew Zuo Xian’s unwillingness to admit defeat; since she decided to participate, she would definitely finish the race.

“Lean on me. Don’t put any pressure on that ankle,” Tao Ran’s breath was shaky. Her originally firm words softened a little when they reached Zuo Xian’s ears.

Zuo Xian honestly obeyed, leaning on her like a crutch.

The two crossed the finish line together. Classmates cheered and rushed up to offer comfort and praise, then planned to carry Zuo Xian to the infirmary for examination.

“No, no need. That’s too exaggerated.”

Teacher Su looked at her worriedly. “If the pain is severe, don’t try to be brave. Let your classmates carry you.”

“Really, no need!” Zuo Xian waved her hands repeatedly. “I can go by myself. It’s nothing serious, and it doesn’t hurt much.”

“I’ll go with her, Teacher,” Tao Ran, who was standing beside her, said.

Considering their relationship, Teacher Su nodded. “If anything happens, tell me. If it’s serious, I’ll write you a leave slip to go to the hospital.”

“Okay.”

With Tao Ran present, the other classmates didn’t crowd in to help. Zuo Xian draped her arm over Tao Ran’s shoulder, hopping on her good foot, keeping her sprained foot raised.

Away from the track, the campus seemed especially quiet. The broadcast sound carried from afar, only the ends of the words clearly audible.

Tao Ran, having just finished running, was radiating heat, but her eyes were cold, and she didn’t initiate conversation with Zuo Xian.

Zuo Xian glanced at her, hooked her neck, and whined endearingly, “Ranran, it hurts so much…”

“Serves you right.” Tao Ran was genuinely a bit angry, not as indulgent as usual, where Zuo Xian could be easily placated with a few words.

“But it really hurts,” Zuo Xian’s voice held a hint of a whimper. She lowered her head, seemingly sobbing.

Tao Ran’s heart, which had been hardened for only a few minutes, immediately softened. She sighed softly, turned around, and squatted down. “I’ll carry you.”

“…Mm.” Zuo Xian didn’t say anything, innocently rubbing her eyes and climbing onto her back.

The girl’s figure was very slender, but she still carried some weight. Tao Ran steadied herself before walking forward.

After only two steps, Zuo Xian couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Tao Ran: “…” She was fooled.

She pretended to let go, startling Zuo Xian. She curved her lips but still pretended to be strict. “Get down now.”

“No, no,” Zuo Xian hugged her neck tightly, not letting go. She whispered, “Forgive me this one time. I won’t laugh next time, I really won’t.”

But Zuo Xian’s words were never reliable. Not long after, the girl’s lighthearted laughter echoed on the small path of the campus again, and the girl carrying her could only helplessly tell her not to move around.