The School Beauty from the Next Class Insisted I Confess - Chapter 28
- Home
- The School Beauty from the Next Class Insisted I Confess
- Chapter 28 - Running in the Rain
After returning home, Xu Qingfeng recalled the miserable sight of the day, the crimson antiseptic making the wound on her knee look particularly dreadful. She wouldn’t be able to run recently, so for the 100-meter race, she could only pray for a normal performance.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day of the sports meet. Sure enough, as per tradition, it rained throughout the three-day event.
The rain was neither a downpour nor a drizzle; it was just enough to soak one’s hair but not so much as to delay the competition.
Xu Qingfeng stood on the podium, gazing at the rain outside the window, feeling utterly depressed.
“Indeed, I hate sports meets in the rain.” Their competition was scheduled for the morning.
Her lament was cut short after only a few seconds as she snapped out of her thoughts. The class monitor had important duties: today’s logistics, late-stage supplies, and on-site support. Besides the sports representative, she was the busiest person.
The sports representative was Gao Zhi, who had signed up for the 800-meter, the 2000-meter, and the long jump. The 2000-meter long-distance run was a project almost no one wanted to sign up for, except Gao Zhi. Liu Li’s description of him as the “hope of our class” was indeed fitting.
The seating area for Science Class 0 was next to Liberal Arts Class 0, but the number of students was vastly different.
Weicheng No. 1 High School placed great emphasis on physical education, but they were even more supportive if students wanted to focus on academics. Ordinary students could sign in at class in the morning during these three days and then study in the classroom. Those without events could even sneak away.
However, Liu Li conducted a surprise inspection last year in the afternoon, and many who tried to skip were caught, leading class members to remark, “That old fox, he’s such a sneak.” This year, apart from a few bold students, the rest were sitting properly in the stands or studying in the classroom.
The slanted curtain of rain was blocked outside the stands. The rain carried some wind, making it colder and instilling a sense of dread in people.
Xu Qingfeng sat in the first row of the stands, next to a box of mineral water and towels. Gao Zhi had already gone for pre-race preparations. His 2000-meter race was the first event, an unusual arrangement by the school. Consequently, Xu Qingfeng, the logistics captain, took attendance every now and then, or just stared anxiously at the field.
The rain showed no sign of stopping. “At least it’s only the 100-meter.” But Yiqiu’s race was also in the morning, shortly after the 100-meter. “God, please stop the rain quickly.”
Of course, in her contemplation, Xu Qingfeng didn’t realize that her best friend was already on the field for the 2000-meter race and would get even more drenched. Still, a towel was right next to her; Gao Zhi was tough and could just wipe himself dry.
A beauty arrived and sat down beside her, peeling a ray of light into the gloomy day, and lighting up Xu Qingfeng’s eyes as well.
“Yiqiu, you’re here,” Xu Qingfeng said, looking at Xia Yiqiu.
Xia Yiqiu wasn’t wearing a school uniform today, but an orange-red tracksuit, a high ponytail, and a sports headband, making her look exceptionally capable and spirited.
“Your class came down pretty quickly.” After all, Liberal Arts Class 0 was here to watch Gao Zhi’s race. Science Class 0’s events were later, so they could take their time. As for the opening ceremony, the students who hadn’t assembled but were just watching the fun were enough; no one bothered to check every class.
“Yeah, Gao Zhi is about to race.” Xu Qingfeng pointed her hand in Gao Zhi’s direction.
Xia Yiqiu immediately took out her phone to record, afraid of missing the start.
? Xu Qingfeng was puzzled.
“You seem quite concerned about Gao Zhi,” Xu Qingfeng said subtly.
Xia Yiqiu didn’t dwell on the meaning and replied casually, “Oh, Tiantian specifically asked me to record the video of Gao Zhi for her.”
So that’s it.
Xu Qingfeng relaxed her stiff fingers back to a normal state.
“Be careful in your 800-meter race later. The track is slippery now.”
If you don’t want to run, let’s not run.
But this was for Yiqiu’s class honor, and ultimately, she couldn’t say such selfish words.
Xia Yiqiu held up her phone with one hand and tapped Xu Qingfeng’s forehead with the other.
“How could our Class President Xu forget? You’ll be on the track soon, too. You should also be extra careful!”
Xia Yiqiu’s eyes were as clear as autumn water, and her bright voice carried a captivating magic.
“Yes, I will.” Xu Qingfeng nodded involuntarily, like a good soldier obeying her general.
“That’s right. Be obedient and protect yourself well.” Xia Yiqiu’s eyes briefly glanced at Xu Qingfeng’s knee.
“Mm.”
Without further ado, Gao Zhi was running hard on the track.
Rain, you cannot defeat little Gao.
Gradually, his steps grew heavy. By the last lap, Gao Zhi, who had been in the lead, was overtaken by the more strategic sports students and had dropped to fourth place.
This is not good, Xu Qingfeng relaxed her body, moving away from the backrest to sit up straight, watching the situation on the field.
Quick-witted as she was, in the last half-lap, she shouted towards Gao Zhi.
“Gao Zhi, your Li Tian is watching your race!” She then pointed to Xia Yiqiu who was filming.
Gao Zhi, dragging his tired feet, looked up and saw Xia Yiqiu’s action. It’s true!!!
The magic of love is always astonishing. Gao Zhi was instantly energized as if shot with adrenaline.
Charge!
With a surge of adrenaline, Gao Zhi finished second.
It was not a regrettable outcome; the first-place runner was a professional and dedicated sports student, so the result was as it should be.
Xu Qingfeng, in a moment of conscience, left her seat early, holding an umbrella to wait for Gao Zhi at the finish line.
Seeing Gao Zhi charge to the finish, she tossed the towel in her hand onto him.
“Quick, wipe off. Don’t catch a cold.”
Gao Zhi used the towel to wipe his face first, then eagerly asked Xu Qingfeng, “How was it? Did Tiantian praise me?”
Xu Qingfeng felt a little awkward, but her tone remained unchanged. “She did, don’t worry!”
“Hahahahahaha, that’s because I, Gao Zhi, am just that amazing!”
“Stop bragging. Go up to the stands and rest, and prepare for the next event.”
Xu Qingfeng handed him the umbrella; she wasn’t too keen on sharing one umbrella with Gao Zhi all the time.
Gao Zhi strode up the steps, eager to talk to the phone in Xia Yiqiu’s hand. He had to cherish this free opportunity to chat.
Xia Yiqiu was shrewd. As soon as Gao Zhi finished running, she sent the video to Li Tian and told her the whole story, asking her not to blow their cover. Due to the time difference, Li Tian hadn’t replied yet.
“Class President Xia, let me talk to Tiantian for a bit.”
Xia Yiqiu’s hand paused while typing, and she immediately turned off her phone.
“Li Tian said you did very well and has already hung up.” Xia Yiqiu lied without batting an eye.
“Oh.” Gao Zhi was a little disappointed, but he accepted the praise and sat down to drink water.
“Phew.” Xia Yiqiu exchanged a look with Xu Qingfeng, who had caught up.
Xu Qingfeng understood immediately: The secret wasn’t exposed.
Xu Qingfeng went up for her race. There was no pressure for this competition. With Xia Yiqiu watching and cheering, her eyes were only on the finish line.
Third place. Not bad, Xu Qingfeng sighed inwardly with relief. A place was enough, given that she hadn’t trained for a week.
Xia Yiqiu waited for her at the finish line. Without much talk, she immediately started wiping Xu Qingfeng off with a towel.
“Yiqiu, let’s go up quickly. You have your race in two events.” Xu Qingfeng took the umbrella and held it for both of them.
“We have plenty of time.” The person in front of her spoke with an arrogant tone, showing no worry about the upcoming race.
When she sent Xu Qingfeng back to the stands, Liang Hao, sitting in the next seat, could no longer hold back and got up to grab her.
“Xia Yiqiu, aren’t you going to get ready?” Liang Hao was exasperated. Class honor was the top priority, and she, Liang Hao, would not shrink from her duty.
“I know, Hao Hao,” Xia Yiqiu said cheerfully.
“Then I’ll go now.” She waved slightly at Xu Qingfeng, batting her eyes and swinging her ponytail.
Xu Qingfeng had nothing to do, so she took out the largest towel she had brought.
As soon as Yiqiu finishes running, I’ll drape this over her. She mustn’t catch a cold.
The 800-meter race started. Xu Qingfeng walked to Xia Yiqiu’s starting position.
“Dummy, hold this for me.” Xia Yiqiu took off her jacket and handed it to Xu Qingfeng nearby.
She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt underneath, her whole person full of fighting spirit, determined to take first place.
“Oh, okay. Yiqiu, be careful!” Xu Qingfeng’s heart was pounding. It was so easy to catch a cold like this. Sometimes, Gao Zhi calling her “Mother Xu” made sense; she really worried too much.
“Don’t worry, I’m okay.” Xia Yiqiu hinted to Xu Qingfeng not to worry.
Xu Qingfeng stood still and watched the first lap. Yiqiu running in the rain was so brilliant. Her gaze followed her figure, unable to look away.
By the second lap, the rain had grown heavier, and the runners’ speed had visibly slowed. Xu Qingfeng couldn’t stand it anymore.
She wanted to be at the finish line the moment Xia Yiqiu arrived.
When Xia Yiqiu passed by, Xu Qingfeng ran after her. Because she was on the inner lane, even though Xu Qingfeng was holding things and an umbrella in one hand while running, she could barely keep up.
In the final 100 meters, she fell a few meters behind. The wind was mixed with rain, and the umbrella’s resistance was too great.
No way! I have to wait for her at the finish line.
This umbrella… I don’t need it.
Tossing the umbrella aside, she ran in the rain just like Xia Yiqiu. Xu Qingfeng made it, running even faster than her own 100-meter speed earlier.
She far surpassed the racers, though she took advantage of the fact that the athletes were already tired after running for so long.
Xia Yiqiu saw Xu Qingfeng passing her. She had been in second place, but she pushed herself to run hard again and overtook the first-place runner.
“Bang.”
The inertia of running was too great. Xu Qingfeng, who was seconds ahead and waiting with open arms, hugged Xia Yiqiu. They both fell into a small puddle, watching the rainwater fall, soaking their hair, but both laughing foolishly.
“Silly idiot, why did you have to follow? You’re all drenched,” Xia Yiqiu said, looking at Xu Qingfeng beneath her. Her words of complaint were overcome by the joy in her eyes.
“I followed because I wanted to,” Xu Qingfeng said.
Liang Hao brought two umbrellas. She handed one to the lonely Gao Zhi at the finish line and opened the other, walking to the two of them.
“Hey, is the ground comfortable? Are you filming an idol drama?” Liang Hao’s tone was full of exasperation. This CP was so sweet it was making her teeth hurt. Couldn’t the two of them be a little more reserved? Anyone would think they were in the middle of a passionate romance, but in reality, they hadn’t even confessed.
Just as the people around them were about to notice, Liang Hao used the huge umbrella she had grabbed after seeing Xu Qingfeng throw hers, shielding the two of them.
Xia Yiqiu stood up and pulled Xu Qingfeng up.
“Hao Hao, thank you.”
Liang Hao said proudly, “Of course. I’m the biggest hero here.”
“The biggest hero of what?” Xu Qingfeng and Xia Yiqiu asked, confused.
“Don’t ask! Come on, let’s go to the stands and dry off.” Liang Hao spoke without thinking, but quickly composed herself. The towel in Xu Qingfeng’s hand was already soaked and clearly unusable.
Xu Qingfeng and Xia Yiqiu exchanged a questioning look, then followed her up.
Passing Gao Zhi, Liang Hao’s kindness surfaced again. He was her little brother, after all. “Gao Zhi, why are you still standing here? Let’s go.”
These people! Not a single one is easy to deal with. She hurried them to the stands so she could sit down and get hyped up.
In the stands, many sharp-eyed club members who had specifically watched the two were already mentioning Liang Hao in the ‘Xu Ni Qiu Feng Support Group’ chat.
Han Feng: @Liang Hao, what good stuff did you hide with the umbrella just now? Too much!
His Han Feng eyes were bright; that was a literal “ground hug.”
Son of Qing Xia: What happened? @Liang Hao, hurry and tell us.
Little Overlord of the Psychology Club: Add one.
…
Liang Hao saw the message after sitting down.
Liang Hao: Want to know? Beg me. Smirk emoji.
Xia Mao’s Mom: We beg you @Liang Hao.
Han Feng: Family, I know. Don’t beg her @Liang Hao, that excessive person. Threatening image.
After joking enough, Liang Hao vividly narrated what happened, causing another round of ‘frog sounds’ (gasping/cheering).
Qing Wang’s Dad: It is my honor to meet this CP in this life.
Club Member ABC: Me too.
Amidst the joking chat, Liang Hao had a sudden thought. Were we the only ones in the group who saw it?
She slipped into the school forum to secretly check and did find some peripheral pictures.
Poster: Little Black
Look what good stuff I captured! (Attached image: Two figures lying in the rain, difficult to see clearly.)
Little White: Poster, what did you even take a picture of? I can’t see anything.
Little Black: It’s good stuff. I won’t keep you guessing. It’s the two club presidents from the Psychology Club—the same two from the Art Festival last time.
Little Yellow: Oh, it’s them. But this picture doesn’t mean anything. Who knows if it’s real? You can’t see clearly.
Little Black: It’s all the heavy rain’s fault!
The post was then buried among numerous other messages.
Liang Hao clicked “save image,” made an emoji with the caption: Fulfill us! and sent it to the group. She was indeed an excellent group owner.
On the other side, Xia Yiqiu looked at their drenched clothes.
“Qingfeng, my house is nearby. Why don’t we go to my place and dry our hair first?”
Xia Yiqiu looked even more delicate and pitiful after being soaked by the rain, although she had no intention of showing weakness. Yet, her eyes were so alluring.
“Alright,” Xu Qingfeng couldn’t control herself as she answered.