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After leaving the Fang household, Le Ya went straight home.

She didn’t care about the expressions on their faces because it made no difference to her—she had already learned to ignore them. Fang Cuiyu was probably truly enraged this time, as she smashed the fine tea set on the table and ordered them to leave.

Le Ya simply stood up, grabbed Le Yi Jian’s hand, and walked out.

It was colder outside than inside. Le Yi Jian said, “We won’t go next time.”

Le Ya replied, “Dad, I came here on my own this time. It’s better to clear things up now so you don’t have to endure this alone every time you visit.”

It wasn’t their fault—they were victims too.

Le Yi Jian patted her head and sighed, “Yue Ya has grown up.”

Hearing his words, Le Ya managed a smile. Though there was still some lingering sadness in her heart, it quickly faded.

Le Yi Jian continued, “I’ve already scheduled an appointment with the doctor, but he won’t be available until next year. Coincidentally, right after your college entrance exam ends, we can go see him.”

He hadn’t hidden any of this from Le Ya.

Finding a good doctor had taken a long time, but they needed to meet in person and begin treatment. Given her heavy academic workload, Le Ya clearly wouldn’t agree to it now.

So, after the college entrance exam during summer break would be the perfect timing.

Le Yi Jian hoped that his daughter could enter university in good health, free from the constant worry they faced now.

More than anyone else, Le Ya wanted her hearing to improve. She nodded and replied, “Alright, I understand. Thank you, Dad.”

Who wouldn’t want to live a healthy life?

Le Yi Jian teased, “You still need to thank me?”

Le Ya smiled and hugged him.

Perhaps because things had been cleared up and there was also this positive news, Le Ya slept soundly for the first time in a long while that night.

________________________________________

The next morning, after morning reading ended, the classroom buzzed with chatter.

Some students who were quick to catch wind of information already knew about the upcoming sports meet.

Homeroom teacher Ms. Jiang entered the classroom holding a sheet of paper. “Starting tomorrow is the autumn sports meet. There will be no classes for three days. If anyone wants to participate, sign up with the class monitor. Monitor, take this form and encourage everyone to join as much as possible.”

The class monitor stepped forward to take the form.

There were many events listed: long jump, long-distance running, relay races, shot put, and more—the same as every year.

Once Ms. Jiang left the classroom, those interested immediately went to sign up.

“I’m not doing the 1000-meter run—it’ll kill me!”

“Do you think you can handle the 800-meter? Go join the girls; they can run 800 meters, and you can too, hahaha.”

“Watch my shot put skills!”

Le Ya, of course, knew her limits. Her physical condition meant she’d probably be out of breath after 50 meters and collapse at 100. She decided it was best to stay on the sidelines and cheer others on.

Time flew by, and before she knew it, two weeks had passed.

Since classes were suspended during the sports meet, students were still required to attend school. Attendance was taken every morning and afternoon.

On the first day, there weren’t many competitions in the morning—just speeches from the principal and the discipline director, along with announcements about event schedules.

The real action began in the afternoon.

Le Ya went to watch the events on the first day, cheering loudly alongside Xie Qingyu for their classmates. By the end of the day, her voice was nearly hoarse.

But she loved the feeling.

The second morning unfolded similarly, except this time Xie Qingyu had a sprint race. Le Ya brought a bottle of water, ready to hand it to her as soon as she finished.

To her surprise, someone beat her to it.

Seeing they already had water, Liang Qian casually withdrew his hand.

Le Ya was surprised. “Does your class have participants too?”

She hadn’t noticed any girl wearing a number tag for Class 17 earlier.

Liang Qian scratched his head and said, “I just happened to pass by and saw you two. I thought you might need water.”

Le Ya responded softly, “Oh, thank you.”

Xie Qingyu caught her breath and joked, “Running kills me! If I came in second, I’d cry. Thankfully, I got first place, hahaha.”

Liang Qian said, “Congratulations.”

After he left, Le Ya twisted open the bottle cap and handed it over. “Quick, soothe your throat.”

Once the race was done, there wasn’t much else to do. By noon, after roll call, the two of them went to eat lunch together.

This time, Xie Qingyu devoured twice her usual portion.

Under her influence, Le Ya found her appetite growing slightly too.

After lunch, Le Ya and Xie Qingyu headed back together.

Music continued to play across the campus—it had been looping all morning. Le Ya felt like her ears were developing calluses from the repetition.

Halfway through their walk, someone pulled Xie Qingyu away, saying there was an urgent matter. Le Ya was left to return alone.

Unexpectedly, a long leg suddenly stretched out from the side.

Le Ya nearly tripped, startled. She quickly stopped and looked up to see Chen Yang. She scolded him lightly, “Why did you suddenly appear?”

If she hadn’t stopped in time, she would have fallen.

Chen Yang asked, “Have you eaten?”

Le Ya nodded and walked alongside him. Curious, she asked, “Did you participate in your class’s events?”

Deep down, she thought it unlikely. He didn’t seem like the type to join such activities, nor did he look like someone who exercised regularly.

Though she thought this, she didn’t dare say it aloud.

Chen Yang replied, “Yes.”

Le Ya was surprised. “You really participated in a competition?”

Chen Yang glanced down at her, his expression amused. “You’re so surprised. Did you think I wouldn’t participate?”

“No,” Le Ya denied quickly, though her voice grew softer, betraying her unease.

Chen Yang chuckled softly, deciding not to tease her further. His gaze remained calm, as if he had anticipated her answer all along.

The road was deserted at noon, making their walk feel awkward. Le Ya didn’t want to force small talk.

Fortunately, a familiar figure appeared ahead.

Su Hui was on her way to find Xie Qingyu, but since Xie Qingyu had left due to an emergency, seeing Le Ya instead filled her with pleasant surprise. “Le Ya!”

Hearing her voice, Le Ya asked, “What’s wrong?”

Su Hui ran up, panting heavily. “I need your help with something very important! It’s a big deal for our class.”

Her explanation was abrupt, leaving Le Ya confused.

Su Hui elaborated, “The broadcasting station! The one near the playground where there’s a desk. Our homeroom teacher secured a spot for us. I’ve been announcing messages all morning.”

At this, Le Ya recalled hearing similar motivational messages earlier, encouraging athletes and cheering on classmates.

She asked, “Do I need to write something too?”

Su Hui waved her hand dismissively. “No, not writing—you’ll be reading them out loud.”

Le Ya gasped. “But I’m not good at reading aloud!”

She had never done anything like this before. During her freshman and sophomore years, she had only substituted for half an hour, and luckily, no one had submitted notes during that time.

Su Hui said, “My throat is dry, and all the girls in our class have refused. I definitely don’t want Zhou Xiaoqing to read it—you help me out. Your voice is so pleasant; it’d be such a waste not to let you read. Plus, you’ve got experience.”

She still remembered how during that earlier occasion when Le Ya had read out notes, quite a few boys wanted to submit their own messages but were held back by their poor writing skills, leaving them to just listen.

Afraid that Le Ya might refuse, Su Hui leaned closer and began to wheedle, showing no intention of leaving unless she agreed. “Please, just say yes!”

Le Ya couldn’t resist. “Fine, just for a little while.”

“A little while is all we need!” Su Hui beamed with delight. “Hurry, hurry! We need to go now—the first event of the afternoon is about to start.”

She tugged at Le Ya’s arm and started pulling her along.

As Le Ya was being dragged away, she glanced back at Chen Yang. “I’m leaving first.”

Before she could finish her sentence, Su Hui turned her face back around. “Stop looking! We need to get going. If we miss the timing, another class might take over, and that wouldn’t be good.”

When they arrived at the two desks, an unfamiliar boy sat at the neighboring desk.

The boy had delicate features and was organizing the slips of paper on his desk into two piles, placing the rest in a bucket on the floor.

Su Hui placed Le Ya in her seat. “This is it. The person next to us is Su Cheng, the study committee member from Class Eight.”

Le Ya asked, “Is there anything I need to be careful about?”

Su Hui glanced at Su Cheng and whispered advice into Le Ya’s ear. “You should focus on reading our class’s messages, but don’t read only ours—otherwise, people will complain. Occasionally sprinkle in some from other classes.”

Everyone has their biases.

Le Ya obediently replied, “Okay.”

Su Hui really wasn’t feeling well. After saying a few words here, she drank quite a bit of chrysanthemum tea and also consumed some pangdahai (a traditional Chinese herbal remedy).

After she left, things became quiet on this side.

Le Ya picked up a few slips of paper from her desk and glanced through them. They were all filled with exclamation marks, addressed specifically to certain students in specific classes.

There were many love confessions, even passionate declarations of “I love you.”

Su Cheng reminded her, “We’ve got a few minutes left. Get ready quickly. When the time comes, I’ll read one line, and you follow with another—we’ll alternate.”

Le Ya nodded. “Got it.”

While they were talking, a girl came running over, handing in a slip of paper and pleading for it to be read, insisting it must be announced.

Le Ya accepted them all.

Whether or not each message would be read depended on luck—whichever slip she randomly picked would be read. With so many, it was impossible to announce every single one.

When Liang Qian and Zhao Mingri strolled back, they saw Le Ya sitting at the table, adjusting the broadcast system.

A faint voice could be heard coming from the speakers.

Liang Qian exclaimed in surprise, “She’s reading this afternoon?”

Zhao Mingri replied, “What’s so surprising about that? Her voice is much better than yours—it’s a pleasure to listen to.”

Liang Qian stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Just as he spoke, Le Ya read out a message: “To the athletic warriors of Class Eight, Senior Three—show us your strength in today’s 4×100-meter relay and prove that you’re the best!”

Liang Qian gasped, “Wow.”

He finally understood the brilliance of this setup. The school truly had foresight—when utilized properly, it worked wonders.

Liang Qian suddenly asked, “Didn’t Yang-ge have a match scheduled for this afternoon?”

Zhao Mingri responded, “Yeah, he does. The homeroom teacher forced him to sign up—he had no choice but to participate. Poor guy. We should go cheer him on.”

Liang Qian chuckled mischievously. “Why bother cheering him on? Our cheers won’t do anything—it’s not like they can motivate him.”

Zhao Mingri retorted, “...But you can’t not go, right?”

Liang Qian rolled his eyes. “Are you stupid?”

At that moment, a bespectacled boy from Class Seventeen passed by holding a notebook. Liang Qian, spotting him, stopped him. “Can you do me a favor?”

The boy looked confused. “What is it?”

Liang Qian borrowed his pen and paper and quickly scribbled several notes. “You know Chen Yang has a match this afternoon, right?”

The boy replied, “Yeah, I know.”

Liang Qian handed him the slips of paper. “Could you please take these to the broadcasting station when the race starts and ask the girl there to read them aloud?”

If they delivered the messages themselves, Le Ya probably wouldn’t read them. But if another girl brought them, he wasn’t entirely confident.

Fortunately, this bespectacled boy was from the front row, and they had a decent relationship.

The boy nodded, glanced at the slips of paper, and gave a strange expression. “Got it. I’ll make sure the girl reads them.”

Liang Qian patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

He was already eagerly anticipating the scene that would unfold.

________________________________________

At three o’clock in the afternoon.

When the match began, the main broadcasting station started announcing the athletes’ names. At this point, the smaller local broadcasts were muted.

As soon as Chen Yang’s name was called, many girls rushed from the sidelines toward the track, some even armed with noisemakers that made popping sounds.

In an instant, the field was packed with spectators.

Girls gathered outside the running lanes, shouting enthusiastically: “Chen Yang, you can do it! Go, go, go!”

Le Ya took a sip of tea and waited for her turn to read, which came after exactly one minute.

Her small table was already crowded with slips of paper handed over by the girls, each one filled with declarations of love—all directed at Chen Yang.

Even Le Ya felt her cheeks flush just looking at them.

Su Cheng, unfazed, remarked, “These kinds of notes written by girls are best read by you. It’s not suitable for me—I used to let Su Hui handle them.”

Le Ya hesitated. “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

Su Cheng replied, “If I, a guy, were to read them, it wouldn’t feel right.”

In truth, most of the notes were sent to him because he was male, but given their shared gender, the girls preferred entrusting them to Le Ya. If he were to read them, others might misunderstand his intentions.

From their vantage point, they could see the track clearly.

It was autumn, and Le Ya’s vision was sharp. She spotted Chen Yang wearing short sleeves, a number pinned to his back, though the digits were indistinct.

He stood there casually, unlike those around him who were warming up. His aloof demeanor inexplicably drew everyone’s attention.

The referee blew a whistle.

Chen Yang bent into a starting position but suddenly turned his head.

Le Ya unexpectedly locked eyes with him. His high nose bridge and dark, calm eyes were striking—and undeniably handsome.

It was undeniable that good looks mattered. She rarely encountered anyone as attractive as Chen Yang, which explained why the girls at school were so excited.

Once he entered the competition, even his own classmates abandoned cheering for others and instead flocked to support him.

Chen Yang curved his lips slightly and shifted his gaze forward, focusing ahead.

The area around the track grew quiet, followed by another whistle blast.

Su Cheng urged quickly, “Go, start reading!”

Reading during the race was the most thrilling and effective way to encourage the athletes.

As the whistle sounded, a wave of deafening screams and cheers erupted, echoing across the school grounds. Among them, Chen Yang’s name was shouted the loudest.

Le Ya instinctively twitched her ears.

She pinched her earlobe, about to lower her hand, when a boy approached and handed her a slip of paper, placing it directly in front of her.

Le Ya took it absentmindedly and unfolded it in front of her.

The words on the note immediately made her blush.

But time waits for no one. Su Cheng had already finished reading one message, and she needed to catch up. Searching for a new slip would slow her down.

Chen Yang was truly a troublemaker, Le Ya grumbled inwardly.

Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and read aloud: “To Chen Yang of Class Seventeen, Senior Three—I really, really like you! Keep going, keep going, keep going! You’re the handsomest man on this field!”

The last sentence was practically shouted. Broadcasted through the speakers, every word rang out crystal clear.

Su Cheng glanced at her sideways. “You really put your all into it.”

If Su Hui had been as enthusiastic as her, he wouldn’t have had to worry.

Le Ya: “...”

After finishing, Su Cheng continued reading, and Le Ya prepared herself again. Another slip of paper was handed over.

She reached out to take it and lifted the microphone to read, only to find the words even more explicit than the first one—far too bold.

Le Ya turned her head.

The boy who handed over the note smiled faintly at her, holding several more slips in his hand, ready to keep delivering them continuously.

What kind of situation was this?