Chapter 10
After the movie, Gu Juncheng was still unable to bear the thought of letting the Pen God starve. He brought him to a restaurant and treated him to a hotpot meal.
The ensuing weekend was spent intensely reviewing the lessons. The Pen God had effectively covered all the fundamental knowledge across various subjects, and began to hone Gu Juncheng's problem-solving skills.
Once the weekend was over, Nancheng No.1 High School was about to celebrate its annual sports event.
Although it was the last sports event of high school and the teachers didn't stress it too much, the students of Class 8 of Senior Year 3 still signed up with great eagerness.
Gu Juncheng was one of the leading long-distance runners in his class. Despite being known for bagging all the long-distance races in the past, this year he only enrolled for the 3000-meter event.
When Chen Tianqi asked him why he did not also sign up for the 1500-meter event, he casually responded, "The 1500-meter race is the last event in the afternoon. If I ran it, I wouldn't have enough time to go back and cook."
Chen Tianqi said in astonishment, "Your family actually expects you to cook?!"
Gu Juncheng just glanced at his pen, smiled, and lowered his head to continue working without giving any further response.
Cheng Xuyuan was very concerned about Gu Juncheng's participation in the sports events at the school fair. Before the races, he kept giving him advice on various things, like not drinking too much water before running and avoiding icy water after the race...
Eventually, Gu Juncheng couldn't help but say, "Do I look so delicate?"
Taking a glance at Gu Juncheng's strong chest and thighs, Cheng Xuyuan gave a slight snort, then continued with the lessons.
________________________
On the day of the competition, the sky was clear, and the 3000-meter race for young men was slated for the morning. Cheng Xuyuan woke up early, insisting on going to cheer for Gu Juncheng.
"But you're not from Nancheng Middle School, how can you get into the stands?"
"You're so stupid." Cheng Xuyuan hit him over the head with a book and replied, "Just bring a pen in."
Gu Juncheng was not very keen on showing the Pen God to the public, but seeing how persistent Cheng Xuyuan was in wanting to provide moral support, he felt happy and thus, agreed.
In the early morning, Gu Juncheng arrived at the spectator stand in his class area. The sports field was still empty. He went to the dressing room to summon the Pen God and then began to change clothes in front of him.
Cheng Xuyuan cast a glance at the other's strong and smooth muscular contours and coldly said, "You just wanted to show off your physique to me, didn't you?"
"Show off?" Gu Juncheng curled his lips, "Others would want to take a peek, and I wouldn't let them."
Cheng Xuyuan found the words somewhat strange.
Before he had time to think, Gu Juncheng led the Pen God back to the spectator stand. Like an emperor surveying his kingdom, he said to the Pen God, "Look around, where do you want to cheer me on from? You can choose any spot on this vast field."
Cheng Xuyuan landed a punch on Gu Juncheng's back angrily, heavily regretting coming to watch the race.
Gradually, all of Gu Juncheng's classmates arrived at the field to observe the most challenging 3000 meter run. Many were surprised to see Gu Juncheng dressed in sportswear, sitting next to a...
Remarkably captivating young man.
While Gu Juncheng was playing games on his phone, the Pen God sat next to him, wearing a face of sheer exasperation.
"What kind of move was that? How could you miss that?"
"The circle is closing, hurry up and gather your things and make a run for it."
"Holy cow, why are you backing off? Fight!"
However, this attractive young man proved to be quite short-tempered, leaving everyone too intimidated to approach.
After a few rounds of gaming, an announcement over the broadcast system reminded the contestants that the 3000 meter race was about to begin. Gu Juncheng handed his bag to the Pen God, asking him to keep an eye on it, and then left the stands to head for the check-in area.
Cheng Xuyuan glanced around; students from the 8th class were observing him curiously. Thus, he too left the stands, backpack slung over his shoulder, and walked to the grass on the outer side of the track. He sat under the shade of a tree, waiting for Gu Juncheng's competition to begin.
Although the Pen God usually acted carelessly, the moment he displayed an aura of aloofness, his celestial presence asserted itself. A number of students around the tree occasionally looked his way but dared not approach.
At that moment, a tall boy walked up to him, a smile in his voice, "This classmate, which class are you from?"
Resting his eyes, Cheng Xuyuan lifted his eyelids. He saw a handsome boy in front of him, wearing round glasses and sporting a red badge on his chest. His eyes held a steadiness and inscrutability not common for his age, and a teardrop-shaped mole sat under the corner of his left eye.
Cheng Xuyuan asked the system, "Who is this guy? He is quite good-looking."
"He is the antagonist in the novel," the system honestly replied, "and is currently the top student in his grade, named Feng Linjie. He will be a formidable competitor against our protagonist."
The protagonist's rival – therefore, he was Cheng Xuyuan's enemy.
With that, Cheng Xuyuan closed his eyes, completely ignoring Feng Linjie.
Feng Linjie was the head of the student council's discipline department and was in charge of maintaining order at the sports meeting. The teachers specifically instructed him not to allow outsiders into the sports field.
This young man in black was clearly an intruder.
Consequently, Feng Linjie crouched down, his eyes level with the stranger's face, and seriously said, "I'm sorry, but outsiders are not allowed on the field..."
Cheng Xuyuan opened his eyes and lazily looked at him, his face expressed a "how-can-you-stop-me" attitude.
Upon meeting those ink-dipped eyes, Feng Linjie's breath hitched and he momentarily forgot to speak. As he watched the young man stand up and walk away, he finally came to his senses, yelling, "Hey, what's your name?"
Cheng Xuyuan couldn't be bothered to respond. He left the field, strolled around the school, and entered the convenience store to buy a bottle of water and a towel.
Naturally, he paid with the change from the pouch in Gu Juncheng's bag.
________________________
The broadcast announced that the men's 3000-meter race was about to begin. Holding a bottle of water and a towel, Cheng Xuyuan jogged to the track. He promptly spotted Chen Tianqi and Tang Xiaorong, standing next to the protective barrier under the bleachers. Approaching them, he asked, "Has Gu Juncheng entered the field?"
The two people he addressed looked back in confusion, but their attention was quickly stolen away by the young man's handsome appearance.
After a moment of stunned silence, Chen Tianqi asked, "I'm sorry... who are you?"
Cheng Xuyuan mentally rolled his eyes. He thought about how she had previously treasured the content of his lectures, but managed to reveal a small smile and replied, "I'm Gu Juncheng's friend. I'm here to watch his match."
"Oh—" Chen Tianqi responded, the look of realization plainly visible on her face, "But how come I didn't know Xiao Jun Jun had such a handsome friend?"
The flattery made Cheng Xuyuan quite pleased. Lifting an eyebrow, he said, "We've only just become friends recently."
At this juncture, Tang Xiaorong suddenly interjected, "He's entered, he's number 8. The starting point is on the opposite side of the line, and the finish line is here."
All three then held their breaths, watching the competitors line up at the starting line. Shortly after, the referee's voice rang out, "On your marks—"
With the sound of the starting gun, the racers sprinted off, the distance between them quickly spreading out.
Gu Juncheng was in fourth place. As he passed the trio, Cheng Xuyuan excitedly waved and shouted, "Gu Juncheng, go for it—crush them!"
The over-the-top words made Gu Juncheng smile. He winked at Cheng Xuyuan and, full of charisma, surpassed the runner in front of him, moving up to third place.
Tang Xiaorong thought Gu Juncheng was winking at her; her face flushed, and her heart raced. She almost couldn't hold onto her bottle of water.
Throughout the first few laps, Gu Juncheng maintained third place. By the fifth lap, when the second-place runner's stamina began to wane, he took the opportunity to overtake, closely following behind the race leader.
At that moment, Class 8's students united, cheering him on with an attention-grabbing momentum.
Cheng Xuyuan was even more anxious than if he himself were competing. He asked the system, "Can I cast a spell to make the first-place runner trip?"
"…" The system remained silent for a moment before responding, "If you do, Gu Juncheng running behind him might also trip."
And so, Cheng Xuyuan withdrew his hand that had been ready to cast a spell.
Finally, on the 7th lap, Gu Juncheng began to speed up. The first-place runner, a physical education student, sensed the surge from behind and pushed forward with all their might.
The two runners in front left the third-place runner far behind. However, Gu Juncheng couldn't manage to overtake first place; he was firmly stuck in second, and the gap between him and the first-place runner even widened.
Then, in the last half of the final lap, just as everyone thought Gu Juncheng was a sure bet for second place, Cheng Xuyuan suddenly raised his arm and shouted, "Gu Juncheng – you have to be first!"
The clear, resounding voice echoed across the entire field, causing Gu Juncheng to shudder. Looking out of the corner of his sweat-drenched eyes at the hopeful teenager, he felt an immense surge of power, with adrenaline levels skyrocketing.
The gap between the two runners visibly shrunk at an astonishing pace. In the last hundred meters, Gu Juncheng gritted his teeth and sprinted with all his might.
Both of them crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.
Cheng Xuyuan quickly rushed to the referee, anxiously asking, "Who came in first?!"
The referees exchanged data and someone responded, "The first is... Gu Juncheng."
"Damn, that's awesome!"
Cheng Xuyuan strode past, left hand carrying bottled water, his right clutching a towel, heading towards Gu Juncheng, who was walking towards the finish line.
Just then, someone beat him to it, stepping in front of Gu Juncheng.
It was Tang Xiaorong.
The female lead, holding out a sports drink and a clean towel, shyly handed them to the male lead. It was a picture-perfect scene no matter how one looked at it.
Cheng Xuyuan felt a pang of disappointment.
At this moment, Gu Juncheng's gaze bypassed Tang Xiaorong and rested directly on Cheng Xuyuan.
Cheng Xuyuan hurriedly hid his items behind him and forced out a smile, loudly exclaiming: "Gu Juncheng, you're amazing."
However, Gu Juncheng didn't take Tang Xiaorong's items. He simply nodded at her and murmured a 'thank you' before walking towards Cheng Xuyuan.
Gu Juncheng's sports tank top was soaked in sweat. He lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his face, revealing his clear eight-pack, which made the surrounding girls blush and their hearts pound.
Ignoring everyone's gaze, he asked Cheng Xuyuan, "Didn't you buy me some water?"
Cheng Xuyuan, with his hands behind him, shook his head.
A fleeting disappointment flashed in Gu Juncheng's eyes as he murmured, "Alright, then I will go buy it myself..."
"I bought it!" Cheng Xuyuan suddenly started laughing as he handed the bottled water to Gu Juncheng, "Drink it slowly."
So, the two of them left the track shoulder to shoulder, bypassed the crowd, and headed to the seating area.
Cheng Xuyuan, holding a towel, wiped Gu Juncheng's face with a seriousness and tenderness that gave Gu Juncheng pause. He just stood there, not daring to move.
Gu Juncheng felt the temperature of his body, which had just cooled down a bit, begin to rise again.
Suddenly, a male voice came from the side, "I thought it was a student from another school who sneaked in, but actually..."
Feng Linjie walked up to the two of them with an ambiguous smile.
"It's your family member, Gu Juncheng."
________________________
Author's Note:
Hi, everyone, I'm the water that was bought by Cheng Xuyuan. He asked me to tell you that those who save this work will instantly have a boyfriend with an eight-pack!
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment