Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
He runs so fast—it’s no wonder he’s so hard to chase.
——From Su Zaizai’s Little Fairy Diary
The smile on Su Zaizai’s lips froze.
Unconsciously, her fingers twisted together into a tight knot.
Zhang Lurang stood quietly in place.
The evening breeze blew, ushering in the atmosphere of night.
Su Zaizai opened her mouth.
She wanted to say, Yes.
I like you. I really like you.
Because of you, rainy days are no longer just rainy days.
They’ve become a day worth remembering—the first time I met you.
And because of you, this once mundane youth has suddenly come alive.
—Silence.
The dorm supervisor walked out of the dormitory gate and shouted: “Student! Hurry up and come back! We’re closing the gates!”
Zhang Lurang furrowed his brows, his tone tinged with impatience: “Su Zaizai.”
That one call startled her entire body.
All those heartfelt words spun through her mind, all those confessions were already at the tip of her tongue.
But at his impatient tone, they instantly turned into something else: “I haven’t thought about it, really, not at all. I swear…”
“Sw-swear…” Her voice faltered, barely coherent.
Su Zaizai’s face flushed red as she awkwardly defended herself: “I’m only fifteen years old…”
Her voice was soft and sweet, but in her nervousness, it came out somewhat muffled.
Yet the three words “fifteen years old” rang out clearly.
Zhang Lurang: “….”
Seeing the faint cracks appear on Zhang Lurang’s otherwise icy expression, Su Zaizai felt flustered but couldn’t say anything more.
She chickened out.
She was truly afraid that if she opened her mouth, the reply she’d receive would be a serious and merciless rejection.
Next time—when he asks again next time, she would definitely admit it.
Zhang Lurang glanced at her.
His cheeks inexplicably reddened, leaving faint traces.
Then he turned and walked away, his steps somewhat disordered.
It looked almost like a hasty retreat.
________________________________________
Su Zaizai practically dashed back to the dormitory.
Jiang Jia was already in bed. Seeing her in such a rush, she asked curiously: “What’s wrong with you?”
With lights-out approaching, Su Zaizai didn’t have time to explain. She hurriedly grabbed her clothes and ran toward the shower room, shouting as she went: “I’ll tell you when I come out!”
She took a five-minute battle shower.
By the time she emerged, the dorm lights had already been turned off.
Su Zaizai quickly finished washing her clothes on the balcony before returning to her bed with wet hair.
She pulled out her phone and sent Jiang Jia a message on WeChat.
Su Zaizai: I just tried to subtly close the distance with Handsome.
Jiang Jia: Hahaha, so what did you do?
Su Zaizai: I called him “Rang Rang” [a nickname based on the character in his name]. Then he immediately noticed…
Su Zaizai: Suddenly realized how sharp he is.
Jiang Jia: …
Jiang Jia: Do you think he’s stupid? How could he not notice?!
Jiang Jia: And you call that being subtle?!
Su Zaizai stared at the screen for a moment.
Then she admitted honestly: Okay, that wasn’t what I meant to say.
Su Zaizai: Just now, he asked me if I liked him…
Jiang Jia replied instantly: Holy crap! What did you say?!
Su Zaizai: I don’t know why, but I feel like I said something weird.
Jiang Jia: Huh?
Su Zaizai: …I told him I’m only fifteen years old and haven’t thought about things like that.
This time, there was no immediate reply from the other side.
Instead, Su Zaizai heard an eruption of laughter from above.
Jiang Jia: …You’re fifteen years old.
Jiang Jia: So does that make your Handsome fifty years old?!
Su Zaizai: [A picture of someone crying while biting a handkerchief.jpg]
Jiang Jia: Hahahaha, but actually, this isn’t bad either! Top students definitely don’t date early! If you had admitted it, he might have rejected you outright. Plus, after that, he’d probably avoid you whenever he saw you.
Reading this, Su Zaizai fell into deep thought.
Su Zaizai: So how am I supposed to pursue him if I don’t admit it QAQ
Jiang Jia: … This depends on you. I’ve never chased anyone either, orz.
Su Zaizai: But if I don’t admit that I like him and still chase him…
Jiang Jia: ?
Su Zaizai: It feels like occupying the toilet without doing your business.
Jiang Jia: What kind of analogy is that…
Jiang Jia: I’m actually curious about what you’re thinking right now. Do you want to chase him so you can be with him?
Upon reading this, Su Zaizai put down her phone, her gaze hollow.
Lost in thought.
After a while, she replied: I want to wait until after high school graduation. I don’t want to affect his studies.
After sending it, she felt guilty and added: …But I just can’t help myself.
She wanted to see him, to get closer to him, to talk to him.
She thought about him all day long. If she didn’t see him for even a single day, she felt restless.
She knew it wasn’t good, but she just couldn’t stop herself.
________________________________________
After the opening ceremony of the school sports meet ended,
Su Zaizai lounged in Class 9’s tent, idly playing with her phone.
She was still debating whether or not to bring water to Handsome.
It felt like their encounter yesterday had ended on an awkward note…
If she went to give him water now, what would that look like? Like offering her face up to be slapped.
Before Su Zaizai could finish her internal struggle, the long-awaited announcement came over the loudspeaker.
“Students participating in the preliminary round of the Grade 1 boys’ 100-meter race, please report to the registration area immediately.”
Su Zaizai immediately stood up, took the camera bag out of her backpack, retrieved her DSLR, slung it around her neck, and ran toward the registration area under the blazing sun.
She completely forgot her earlier dilemma.
When Su Zaizai arrived at the registration area, Zhang Lurang had just finished checking in.
The registrar led him and a few others toward the starting line of the track.
Su Zaizai stealthily snapped a few photos of Zhang Lurang.
Unexpectedly, he noticed her almost instantly.
Caught, Su Zaizai felt oddly relieved.
She lowered her camera, revealing her face, and called out brightly: “Smile for me!”
Zhang Lurang indifferently averted his gaze.
Su Zaizai didn’t mind. She looked down at the photos she had just taken and smiled contentedly.
Soon, they reached the starting line of the track. Zhang Lurang was assigned to Lane 1.
He wore the white class uniform of Class 1, paired with black knee-length athletic shorts, looking much more vibrant than usual. Yet his eyes remained as cold as frost.
Grade 1 had thirty classes, and there were eight lanes on the track. The race was divided into four groups, with the top eight fastest times advancing to the finals, which would be held in the afternoon.
Class 9 happened to be scheduled in Group 2, neatly avoiding overlap with Class 1.
Soon, the race was about to begin.
The competitors took their positions.
Zhang Lurang bent down, hands on the ground, knees resting on the track, neck relaxed, head naturally lowered, assuming the starting position.
At the referee’s command of “On your marks,” his focus sharpened, his body coiled like a spring, ready to explode forward.
At the sound of the gun, all the runners sprinted with everything they had.
Su Zaizai had already positioned herself at the finish line, standing still with her camera, recording video.
The crowd around her was packed tight, cheers and screams echoing in her ears.
Though Zhang Lurang wasn’t significantly faster than the others, he still managed to stay ahead, crossing the finish line first.
Cheers erupted like fireworks.
She watched as he continued running a short distance due to momentum, then slowly walked along the track, breathing slightly labored, his cheeks flushed.
Without hesitation, Su Zaizai rushed over, shoved a bottle of mineral water into his hand, and quickly turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, she glanced back and saw him staring at the bottle for a moment.
Not long after, he twisted the cap open, tilted his head back, and gulped the water down. His Adam’s apple bobbed as sweat dripped down.
Nearby, girls from his class gazed at him with admiration, excitedly chattering away.
The water in Zhang Lurang’s hand was already more than halfway gone. He screwed the cap back on, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, squinted slightly, and looked at her.
Su Zaizai grinned and snapped a photo of his expression.
He stiffened, quickly averting his eyes.
Having completed her mission of delivering water, Su Zaizai was about to turn back toward her class’s tent when Zhang Lurang suddenly called out to her.
“Su Zaizai.”
Unprepared for Zhang Lurang to call her name, Su Zaizai froze, turning to look at him blankly.
Zhang Lurang took an unopened bottle of water from one of the girls nearby and walked toward her.
Stopping a meter in front of her, he extended his arm, holding the water out to her, and said softly: “Your water.”
Looking at the bottle, Su Zaizai’s mood instantly soured.
She didn’t move, and Zhang Lurang remained in position, unmoving as well.
The two stood in a tense standoff for a moment.
Not wanting to make things too difficult for him, Su Zaizai wrinkled her nose and decided to compromise: “If you really want to return my water, fine—but I don’t want this bottle. Give me back the one I gave you earlier.”
“…”
“The one you drank from.”
Zhang Lurang lowered his hand, his expression becoming hard to describe: “What are you planning to do?”
Su Zaizai hadn’t thought much about it—she just didn’t want water that belonged to another girl.
But Zhang Lurang’s reaction…
Su Zaizai blinked, suddenly intrigued: “I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“I might lick…”
His entire body stiffened.
“Oh no, I mean ‘add.’ Add some water to it.”
“…”
“My Chinese isn’t very good,” Su Zaizai shamelessly declared.
Zhang Lurang’s cheeks reddened—whether from the recent exertion or something else, it was unclear.
His jaw tightened, lips moving as if to say something, but nothing came out.
After a long pause, Zhang Lurang finally forced out three words, his tone rigid:
“You’re insane.”
Su Zaizai froze.
Her reaction inexplicably lifted Zhang Lurang’s mood a little.
Three seconds later.
Su Zaizai snapped out of it, blinking her starry eyes, and said excitedly: “Say it again.”
Zhang Lurang: “….”
“Please, say it again.”
At that moment, Zhang Lurang’s principles crumbled into dust.
Just a bottle of water…
Fine, he wouldn’t return it.
With a stern expression, he turned and walked away.
Google Sites
Report abuse