"Auntie, I only have two hundred yuan left. I need two yuan for the bus fare to get back. Could you please..."
Jian Changnian carefully handed over the money, pleading.
She thought the boss wouldn't agree, but to her surprise, the woman took the money and gave her ten yuan back in change.
"These shoes are an old style. I can tell you're buying several sizes larger than you are, so I know you're not doing well at home. My shop is about to close down, so I'll sell you as many pairs as I can. I'm giving you a discount."
Before leaving, Jian Changnian bowed to the person again.
"Auntie, I'm sure your business will flourish in the future."
***
The weather was bad during afternoon training; dark clouds covered the distance, and thunder could be faintly heard.
No sooner had Yan Xinyuan finished assigning the training tasks than someone began to murmur.
"Coach, it's about to rain, are we still going to run?"
"If you don't want to run, you can quit now. Everyone, get ready for the 3000 meters!"
When Jian Changnian was halfway there, large raindrops hit her face. She looked up and saw that the rain was pouring down.
The rain and fog blurred her vision. She wiped her face, looked closely, and realized that the fast runners ahead had disappeared from sight.
Some people dragged their feet and fell behind.
"Coach, coach, I can't run anymore..."
Yan Xinyuan whistled and joined them in the rain.
"If you can't even handle this little bit of hardship, how will you compete in the future! If you apply to withdraw now, I'll approve it immediately and let you go home!"
Jian Changnian hadn't eaten much at noon, and after a few laps, her steps felt as heavy as lead. The rain soaked her clothes, which added to her burden and gradually slowed her originally steady pace.
She heard her breathing sound like a bellows, heavy and labored. Jian Changnian gritted her teeth and tried to pick up her pace, but her legs were so weak that she had no strength at all. She staggered and was about to fall face down when a pair of hands steadily supported her.
Jian Changnian was panting when she looked up and saw that it was Sun Qian.
"Are you alright?" Sun Qian asked, looking at her with concern.
Jian Changnian shook her head: "No...it's nothing..."
"You look terrible. Did you skip lunch and are you having a hypoglycemic episode?"
Jian Changnian nodded, then shook her head, slowed her pace, and adjusted her breathing.
"I'm fine, I can manage."
"Shi'an, you run first, I... I can't go on." Because of her period, Qiao Yuchu also had a lot of difficulty running and gradually fell behind, supporting herself on her knees with her hands and panting heavily.
Xie Shi'an glanced through the rain and saw Coach Yan already in front of him, timing the score with a stopwatch.
"No, I can't leave you behind. Hold my hand and we'll run together."
From a distance, Yan Xinyuan was shouting through a megaphone.
"Hey, you guys on the track, this is for running, not for race walking. If I see anyone stop again, your results will be canceled."
Sun Qian heard this and let go of her arm.
"Then run slowly by yourself, don't overdo it, I'm going now."
"good."
Jian Changnian nodded with difficulty, watching Sun Qian gradually run away. She looked behind her and found that there was no one left on the long track.
She gritted her teeth and had no choice but to keep running forward.
On the first day of training, Zhao Qidong, who had argued with Yan Xinyuan, passed by them panting heavily. He was tall but rather fat, and when he ran, he looked like a clumsy polar bear, cursing as he ran.
"Damn it... Mediterranean... he's not human..."
Because Yan Xinyuan was bald, everyone affectionately nicknamed him "Mediterranean".
Qiao Yuchu couldn't help but smile.
"It's amazing you can still laugh..." Xie Shi'an grabbed her arm and dragged her forward.
"Let's run, or we'll both be disqualified."
"Okay, don't pull me, I'll run slowly by myself."
In the south, rain can come and go in an instant. The weather was just beginning to turn autumnal when a single rain shower brought a chill, not to mention the strong winds that blew the birch trees along the playground to their wits' end.
Qiao Yuchu was soaked to the bone. She shivered and started to tremble. Her lips were trembling. With the finish line in sight, she wanted to pick up the pace a little more, but then a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen.
Qiao Yuchu's knees buckled, and she almost knelt on the track.
"Watch out!" Xie Shi'an reacted quickly and pulled the person into his arms.
Qiao Yuchu looked at the white line at the finish line and weakly pushed her: "Almost there...you go first...don't stop."
"Shut up!" Xie Shi'an said, his tone unusually authoritative.
"I won't leave you behind. Adjust your breathing, keep up with my pace, just a little longer, we'll be there soon."
She put Qiao Yuchu's arm on her shoulder, helped her up, and with all her might and gritting her teeth, ran forward with her.
The finish line is in sight.
The white line swayed right under Jian Changnian's nose. Every step she took felt like dancing on cotton. She stretched out her arms to reach the white line, but she missed and felt a sense of weightlessness.
Her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground.
Qiao Yuchu heard a muffled thud, turned around and saw a figure lying on the track.
The entire playground was deserted; the wind and rain were so strong that it was almost impossible for people to stand.
She shouted, "Shi'an, someone has fallen down! Let's go help him!"
"Qiao Yuchu!" The rain made her features even sharper. Xie Shi called her by her full name, which was unusual for him, and he was obviously a little angry.
"Look at yourself now!"
“There are still more than ten meters left, I can run across by myself…” Qiao Yuchu let go of her hand and looked at her with earnest eyes.
"With such heavy rain, something bad could happen..."
Xie Shi'an pursed her lips. She could never refuse any of her requests, whether reasonable or unreasonable.
Without a word, she rushed back, ran to the person's side, lifted her head and looked at her: "Hey, wake up..."
It's her.
Jian Changnian.
Xie Shi'an's pupils contracted. Seeing her pale face and bluish-purple lips, he guessed she was suffering from hypoglycemia.
She gritted her teeth, picked the person up, and rushed towards the finish line.
Yan Xinyuan hadn't actually left; he had been waiting for them at the finish line. But the rain was so heavy that his glasses were soaked, severely obstructing his vision. Just as he took off his glasses to wipe his face, two people rushed over.
Xie Shi'an shouted as he ran, "Coach Yan, she's having a hypoglycemic attack!"
Yan Xinyuan's heart tightened, and without even putting on his glasses, he ran over to pick up the person, transferring Jian Changnian from Xie Shi'an's back to his own.
"Quick, to the infirmary! You two come here too!"
***
Medical room.
When Jian Changnian woke up, the first thing she saw was the snow-white ceiling. She blinked, still a little dazed.
A clear and pleasant voice rang out from the side.
"You're awake? You just had a hypoglycemic episode, the doctor gave you an IV of glucose, you're fine now."
Jian Changnian moved her fingers and then noticed that there was an IV drip attached to the back of her hand. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young woman lying on the bed next to her, looking at her with a curious expression.
"Your name is Jian Changnian, right? Which school did you go to before? Did Coach Yan recommend you to come here?"
A series of questions left her somewhat dizzy, and Jian Changnian slowly sat up from the bed.
"Um...yes...I went to a technical school and never participated in the school team."
"So how did you get here?"
There were rumors that she was someone connected to the family, a relative of Yan Xinyuan, and hearing this made Qiao Yuchu even more curious.
“I…I played a game with Xie Shi’an at Chengnan No.1 Middle School. Coach Yan was there that day, so…”
Qiao Yuchu stared in surprise. So that's how it was. She was noticed by Coach Yan because of her match with Shi An.
Qiao Yuchu thought for a moment, then reached out her hand.
"We've met so many times, but I haven't had a chance to introduce myself yet. My name is Qiao Yuchu, and I'm Shi An's friend. You really played very well in that game at the gymnasium, no wonder Coach Yan noticed you."
Qiao Yuchu's long hair reached her waist, and her voice was soft and gentle, like a spring breeze, which was in stark contrast to Xie Shi'an's expressionless face.
It's hard to believe that the two of them are friends.
But thinking about her and Zhou Mu, it makes sense.
Although Jian Changnian is somewhat introverted and doesn't like to talk much, she is happy to make more friends when others show her kindness.
She wanted to move a little closer to shake hands, but the needle attached to the back of her hand prevented her from doing so.
When Qiao Yu saw that she was about to get up, she immediately threw off the covers, got out of bed, and went over to hold her down.
"Hey, don't move! The doctor said you can't leave until the IV drip is finished."
"I..." Jian Changnian was about to say something when the door creaked open and Xie Shi'an walked in with a cold face, helping Qiao Yuchu back to her bed.
"The doctor said you can't move around too much."
"I'm fine now, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore after taking the medicine." Qiao Yuchu smiled and shook her arm.
"But where have you been? I haven't seen you for ages."
"Back in the dorm, I made you some brown sugar water. Here, drink it quickly."
Xie Shi'an handed her the thermos he was holding.
Jian Changnian looked at her, then at Qiao Yuchu, blinking her eyes with an innocent expression.
"Um... excuse me, but I wanted to ask... how did I get from the playground to the infirmary?"