Friend: "But wasn't the one who pitched the ball last night the top student in the science class?"
.
The morning's sports activities didn't completely end until close to noon.
When Jian Mingyuan returned to the classroom, he immediately saw his deskmate next to him who was writing a radio script with his head down. He strode over to him.
Ji Li noticed the figure standing in front of the table and subconsciously looked up.
Then I saw that the other person's eyes were serious, their breathing was rapid, and their brows were furrowed. Their expression was a mixture of shock and confusion, just like when the teacher mentioned the tortoise paradox to them in math class.
Ji Li looked bewildered: "What's wrong with you?"
Jian Mingyuan took a deep breath and asked him in a low voice, "Are you and Ying Yunsheng rivals in love?"
Ji Li: "?"
"Was last night's basketball game a tool for you two to show off in front of a girl at our school?"
"Uh..." Author's Note:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 17
Chapter 17
lighter
After listening to Jian Mingyuan's entire story about the love triangle between himself, his crush, and his rival, Ji Li felt he could write a paper on the spot titled "How Rumors Arise."
When Jian Mingyuan asked for confirmation, Ji Li only denied it with a "no," and let the other party press him for details without offering any further explanation.
A few rumors, whether true or false, that occasionally circulate on a high school campus may not maintain the same level of popularity as the rapid updates and changes on the internet.
Especially now that it happens to be the school sports meet.
At least Jian Mingyuan had the leisure to ask follow-up questions at noon, but after lunch he only remembered to frown at the approaching 5,000 meters.
Ji Li handed in the script to the broadcasting room right on time, then took his phone and went outside the playground to watch the long-distance running event that was rumored to be able to cripple a person's leg.
Besides the second-year high school students, there were also quite a few first-year high school students running out in front of the green barbed wire fence during their free time: "Hey? Did you spot any handsome guys?"
"Girl, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the quality of the boys in our school?"
"How so?"
"Just look at the people in our class. They wear glasses, have buzz cuts, face the exam papers, and have their backs to the sky. They're lazy and don't know anything about farming. They're either shut-ins or bookworms."
"That's outrageous... Look over there, that boy who just ran past! Number 48!"
"Well……"
"Is it good-looking?"
"It's nothing special."
"I know you got slapped in the face, but your comment is completely biased by personal feelings." The girl leaned against the stone railing and gazed at the track for a long time, admiring it. "It's still the kind I like best, so clean and aloof. Don't you think so?"
No one spoke.
She tugged at her companion's sleeve and asked, "Isn't that right?"
The person next to him replied, "Mm."
"I knew it..." The girl then realized that something was off about the voice that had just responded to her, and subconsciously turned her head.
Ji Li smiled at her and said, "Hello."
The girl paused for half a second, then released her hand as if she'd been electrocuted: "I'm so sorry!"
“It’s alright.” Ji Li turned to the side and pointed down the steps. “Your friend seems to have gone down just now.”
The girl dashed down the track and finally found her best friend by the side: "What are you doing down here?"
“A closer look,” the other person said softly, “I admit I generalized from limited information.”
"oh."
"Why are you reacting like this? You're not even mocking me?"
"I climbed over the wall a minute ago." Under the other person's shocked gaze, the girl said mysteriously, "I've found that I'm more attracted to gentle types than aloof ones."
.
Ji Li turned his attention back to the track.
The playground was open and spacious. This time, he wasn't wearing noise-canceling headphones. The person who had told him the night before that he hadn't signed up for any events was now at the 5,000-meter race site, wearing an unattractive red coat distributed by the referee, yet he had become a striking sight.
Someone nearby remarked, "The 5000-meter race must be the one with the most athletes, right?"
"Hmm, aside from those who are dragged in to make up the numbers, who would volunteer for this kind of project?"
"This number 48 is impressive; he actually managed to come in first place among a bunch of sports students."
"Yeah, awesome."
Ji Li wasn't lying when he said "amazing" on the phone. He genuinely felt that people who, despite their disadvantaged circumstances, refused to give up and were willing to struggle, were truly remarkable.
At least he didn't go astray despite living in that kind of family environment. Ji Li has only met Ying Yunsheng once in all these years.
The referee waved his hand and called out the number of the first runner to cross the finish line.
After Ying Yunsheng and the others finished registering their grades, they grabbed their coats and headed to the classroom. But as soon as they reached the basketball court, they saw a familiar figure in front of the wire fence.
He stopped in his tracks.
"Number 48," Ji Li said with a smile. "Impressive."
Ying Yunsheng walked up to him and said, "I was just dragged here to make up the numbers."
"What?"
"Someone in our class who was supposed to run the 5,000 meters got so nervous that they threw up."
"Well……"
“Really,” Ying Yunsheng explained. “He was helped back to the classroom by the others. I happened to be doing my homework in the classroom when they saw me and called me out.”
"oh."
I've heard of people vomiting due to hormonal imbalances caused by stress before the college entrance exam, but this is the first time I've heard of someone vomiting due to stress at a school sports meet.
Ying Yunsheng said, "I didn't sign up for any events at first, and that's the reason they made me participate."
Ji Li had thought the other person was just sharing a story with him, but he realized what was going on when he heard this.
This seems like... she's specifically trying to explain it to him.
But why?
Was it because he was afraid he would misunderstand and think that the other party had lied to him last night?
Ji Li didn't voice this outrageous guess when someone suddenly called him from behind.
“Ji Li”.
He turned his head.
The boy who came was someone I didn't recognize. He said to me, "The Youth League Committee teacher wants you to go to the meeting room now."
Ji Li was taken aback: "What kind of meeting?"
"I don't know either." The boy shook his head. "I've delivered the message. I'm leaving now."
Ying Yunsheng waited until the other person left before asking, "Shall I go with you?"
"No need," Ji Li said. "You just finished running 5,000 meters, go back to the classroom and rest. I can go by myself."
.
The conference room is on the fourth floor. It is a huge classroom that can accommodate thousands of people. Occasionally, professional professors or outstanding student representatives returning to school will give lectures here, but it is usually deserted.
Tong Siliang still had a band-aid on his nose, and the abrasion on his eyebrow from the basketball had scabbed over. He was holding a long stick in his hand: "Why hasn't anyone arrived yet?"
"I've already sent someone to notify him. He was on the playground at the time, so he should be coming up soon."
"By the way, should we send someone to guard the gate?"
"What's the point of guarding this?"
"So that people won't come up and run away as soon as they see us," the person who suggested laughed. "After all, someone like Ji Li is clearly not a very brave person."
Then came a burst of laughter.
A boy tore open the plastic film of the cigarette pack, took one for himself, and then handed another over: "Brother Liang, want one?"
Someone nearby exclaimed, "Wow, you actually dared to bring cigarettes to school? You've got some nerve!"
"Get lost." The boy rolled his eyes and turned the cigarette pack halfway around. "Want to try?"
The boys were just egging each other on, but when they saw the other side offering a way out, they immediately took one each and insisted on holding it in their mouths while smiling and leaning towards the lighter, trying to look like gangsters.
Tong Siliang took the lighter and lit the cigarette with it.
"Snap—"
A soft sound suddenly rang out in the air, and the image on the screen froze instantly.
Tong Siliang reflexively threw away his cigarette and looked up sharply to see who was standing at the door.
Ji Li walked into the auditorium: "Did you come to see me?"
Tong Siliang jumped off his seat and grabbed the long stick on the table: "What were you filming?"
"Regarding the footage of you smoking just now," Ji Li didn't mince words and asked again, "Did you contact me?"
Tong Siliang gritted his teeth: "Delete the photos."
"In the name of the Youth League Committee teacher?"
"The photos have been deleted."
"Before you make excuses, at least find out that I've never served as a student leader before," Ji Li reminded him. "I've already uploaded the photos to the cloud."
One sentence froze the boy's feet as he strode towards him.