LRTH - 14

After sitting in the bleachers for a while, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the men’s 400-meter race was next and that the students participating should go get ready.

Fang Nanzhi hadn’t seen Li Yizhou since she arrived. Zhao Ke said that was because Li Yizhou was one of their class’s 400-meter runners, and he had gone to change. He should be back soon.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, Fang Nanzhi saw Li Yizhou’s figure at the bleacher stairs.

Since he was going to run, he had changed into a tracksuit, with black pants and a black top. The zipper of his jacket was pulled all the way up, almost touching his chin. To keep sweat and hair out of the way, he was also wearing a black headband on his forehead, which made his skin look very pale.

His outfit was a very simple style, but it looked exceptionally good on him. He was slender yet strong, with a bright, youthful energy.

She wasn’t the only one who saw a person so dazzling. As he walked up the stairs, he had to pass two or three classes, and people were turning their heads to look at him the entire way.

Occasionally, a few boys would greet him, and he would reply to them familiarly. He was very popular, and the girls’ eyes that were glued to him were sparkling.

“You two came, too. Where’s Yuanhao? Isn’t he here?” Li Yizhou finished chatting with others and walked to his class, where he saw Fang Nanzhi and Xu Tingyou.

Fang Nanzhi’s hand subconsciously grabbed her clothes as she answered him. “I didn’t see him.”

Xu Tingyou: “He must have skipped school to go play. He would never miss such a good holiday.”

Li Yizhou: “Oh, he went to an internet cafe.”

“I didn’t say that.” Xu Tingyou asked, “Hey, where’s my brother?”

“The 1,000-meter race is after the 400-meter. He also went to change.”

Li Yizhou didn’t stay in the class for long. When the announcement came on again for the 400-meter runners to go to the starting line, he pinned on his bib and left.

Everyone in the bleachers was very cooperative and got up from their seats to stand behind the railings, hoping to get a good spot to watch the 400-meter race.

Xu Tingyou also pulled Fang Nanzhi up. They were standing in a good spot, close to the finish line, so they could clearly see the runners crossing it.

Time ticked by, and the athletes were getting ready. Fang Nanzhi’s heart was in her throat as she looked at Li Yizhou, who was so obviously standing out on the starting line.

“On your marks!”

Bang—

A gunshot rang out, and the athletes shot forward like arrows from a bow. At almost the same time, a deafening roar of cheers erupted from the bleachers.

“Go, Li Yizhou!”

“Go!!!”

“Go, Brother Zhou!!! Run!!!”

...

The class she was in was Li Yizhou’s own class, so it was fine for them to cheer for their own classmate. What was surprising was that people from the class next to them and the one next to that were also cheering for Li Yizhou.

These girls were flushed, cheering on the dazzling boy from behind the cover of the crowd, not caring about anything else!

Fang Nanzhi watched the black figure on the track, getting closer, passing by, and then moving into the next lap. His speed was very fast, leaving most of the other runners behind. Only one or two, who also seemed very athletic, were hot on his heels. The winner was still undecided.

Fang Nanzhi’s hands were tightly gripping the railings, and her heart was in her throat. She was nervous and excited for him.

But even so, she didn’t have the courage to shout and cheer for him like many others there.

The figure on the track was getting closer again, and the finish line was not far ahead.

One of the top three runners had already started to fall behind. Now, it was just Li Yizhou and another boy neck and neck. The cheers in her ears were deafening. Fang Nanzhi couldn’t help but lean forward, as if to get a little closer.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters... one meter, the finish line!

In the last few meters, Li Yizhou narrowly overtook the person next to him and crossed the finish line!

“Ahhhhhhh!”

“He won, he won, he won!”

“He was faster, right? Right?”

“Yes, yes, I saw he was a little faster!”

Cheers erupted all around, and Fang Nanzhi was also excited.

“Yes! Brother Yizhou won!” Xu Tingyou turned and pulled on Fang Nanzhi. “As expected of our master. He’s good at sports, too.”

Li Yizhou, who had crossed the finish line, was surrounded by people. Many people handed him bottles of water. He was panting slightly and took the water from Zhao Ke, who had already run down to wait for him, and tilted his head back to drink a few sips.

The sun was scorching hot. He seemed to be glowing in the crowd—brilliant, energetic, and full of life.

Fang Nanzhi’s heart was beating erratically. She even felt a little dizzy. She turned to Xu Tingyou and asked dreamily, “What master?”

“The master who teaches us.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry, hurry! He’s coming up. Liaoliao, give some of those chocolates to our master!”

Earlier, Xu Tingyou had put a handful of chocolates in Fang Nanzhi’s pocket to make it easier to eat since her own pocket had a power bank in it.

Fang Nanzhi was caught off guard and quickly took out a few pieces of chocolate from her pocket, handing them to her. “You, you go yourself.”

Xu Tingyou didn’t hear her because Li Yizhou was already there. “Brother Yizhou, good job.”

Li Yizhou’s face had a thin layer of sweat on it, and he smiled.

Fang Nanzhi’s eyes lingered on his smile, and she became even more nervous.

She remembered that Zhao Ke had said he hadn’t had breakfast for the race today.

So he definitely needed to replenish his energy now.

So she should still give them to him...

After all, Xu Tingyou was the one who told her to.

Fang Nanzhi took a deep breath and finally reached out her hand as he was about to walk past.

Li Yizhou was stopped. He turned to look at her and then at the things she was holding.

Fang Nanzhi stuttered, “Th-those... the chocolates from your class. You should eat them to get some energy back.”

Li Yizhou paused for a moment, then took them. “Okay, thanks.”

Fang Nanzhi: “...You’re welcome.”

Class 7 won first place in the men’s 400-meter race, and everyone was very happy. They surrounded Li Yizhou and sat down with him. The boys were very funny, fanning him and shading him from the sun.

Li Yizhou was getting annoyed by them. “Stop it. Get away from me.”

Zhao Ke said, “No way. This is a special moment for our class’s champion, right, everyone?”

“That’s right, that’s right. Brother Zhou is awesome.”

Li Yizhou laughed and cursed, “Stop being so crazy, Zhao Ke. You’re blocking the sun!”

“Oh, you want to get some sun? Alright, I’ll move. You enjoy it. Do you still want the fanning service? After all, you won’t be able to enjoy it once the next champion comes back.”

“Get lost.”

A few boys were goofing around. Fang Nanzhi stood by the railing, watching for a while, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Tingyou.”

“Huh?”

“Is your brother’s race soon?”

Xu Tingyou said, “Yes, it’s the next one. The announcement said the men’s 1,000-meter runners are waiting.”

“Oh.”

Fang Nanzhi asked this because she felt like leaving. Maybe the sun was too strong, or maybe it was because she hadn’t eaten last night or this morning. She was feeling a little unwell.

But she knew Xu Tingyou would definitely want to stay until the 1,000-meter race was over, so she didn’t say anything else and just thought about buying a piece of pre-cooked chicken breast from a small supermarket later.

“It’s about to start, it’s about to start,” Xu Tingyou said, patting Fang Nanzhi. “Did you see my brother? The one in the white shirt and black track pants.”

“Ah... I saw him.”

There were a lot of people in the 1,000-meter race, all standing at the starting line, but Xu Yuanhe was still quite easy to spot.

Just like Li Yizhou, Xu Yuanhe also had many “followers,” and the railings were already packed with people.

Xu Tingyou said, “I’ll cheer for him when he gets to me. It’s a 1,000-meter race. I’d be exhausted if I kept shouting.”

Fang Nanzhi nodded and stood by her.

After a gunshot, the group of people quickly took off. The 1,000-meter race was even more of an endurance run than the 400-meter, and cheers could be heard all around...

Time passed, and it was almost the last lap.

Li Yizhou stood up from the stairs and walked to the railing to watch. “What place is he in?”

His position was right next to hers, and his voice was very close.

But Fang Nanzhi felt like something was wrong at this point. A wave of panic came over her. She suddenly lost the desire to watch the race, and her vision was getting blurry.

She couldn’t answer his question. She only vaguely heard Xu Tingyou next to her say, “He’s in fourth place now. Oh, he’s moving up! He’s in third, third! The first two are sports students...”

She took a step back. “Tingyou, I’m going.”

“He’s here, he’s here! He’s in third! My brother is definitely in third place! Huh? What?” Xu Tingyou turned around. “Liaoliao, you’re leaving? Wait for me. I’ll say a couple of things when my brother comes up, and we can go together.”

Fang Nanzhi pressed her lips together, holding back tears. “I suddenly feel a little unwell. I’ll go ahead. You can stay. It’s okay...”

“What’s wrong? What’s not feeling well? Are you okay?” Xu Tingyou asked.

“I... ugh, I feel a little dizzy...”

Just as she finished speaking, the person who had been standing there suddenly fell backward.

Xu Tingyou was startled and quickly reached out to grab her, but she couldn’t hold on, and the two of them fell to the ground together.

The commotion made everyone around them look over. Li Yizhou, who was standing close by, naturally noticed first and immediately went to kneel beside Fang Nanzhi.

“What’s going on?”

Xu Tingyou was confused. “I-I don’t know! She just said she was a little dizzy, and then she fainted! Brother Yizhou, what do we do?!”

“Let’s get her to the infirmary! Help me. I’ll carry her on my back!”

Li Yizhou didn’t say another word and went to help her up. Fang Nanzhi felt like her whole body was soft and her vision was black. But she didn’t know what kind of reflex it was. When she vaguely heard that familiar voice say, “I’ll carry her on my back,” her whole body resisted.

She didn’t want him to carry her. How could she let him carry her? She was still very heavy, right?

She didn’t want to...

But even though she was thinking that, she had no strength in her body. She felt herself being lifted and felt herself being placed on a broad shoulder. She smelled the warm scent of the sun on his clothes and also a faint, clean fragrance.

It smelled like shower gel... or maybe shampoo...

After that, she didn’t feel anything at all.

________________________________________

When Fang Nanzhi woke up again, she was lying in a bed in the infirmary.

In her ears was the rustling sound of leaves outside the window. In front of her was a white ceiling and an IV drip.

Fang Nanzhi’s gaze slowly followed the clear tube downward and found that there was a person sitting in the bed opposite her.

His long legs, wrapped in black track pants, were casually spread apart. His elbows were resting on his knees, and he was bent over, scrolling on his phone with one hand.

“You’re awake?”

Noticing a slight movement on the bed, he looked over.

He had already taken off his headband, and his hair was slightly damp with sweat. From this angle, his eyebrows and eyes had a hint of sharpness.

Fang Nanzhi looked at him without saying anything. Her mind was still muddled, and everything in front of her felt like a dream.

“Zhao Ke and Tingyou went to get you something to eat. The doctor said you have hypoglycemia, and you fainted from hunger,” he said, frowning. He asked her, “Did you not eat yesterday or today?”

He was talking to her.

It was real.

Fang Nanzhi slowly came back to her senses. She remembered that she had fainted at the track and field and that Li Yizhou had carried her on his back right before she completely lost consciousness.

She was suddenly filled with embarrassment and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry... I’m a bother.”

“Tingyou said it’s because you’re on a diet, is that right?”

“Yes...”

Li Yizhou said disapprovingly, “Fang Nanzhi, you have to know that dieting isn’t a healthy way to lose weight.”

Fang Nanzhi looked at him and, after a long time, said, “...I was in a hurry.”

“Why were you in a hurry? This isn’t something you can be in a hurry about.”

His tone was a little heavy. Fang Nanzhi’s eyes trembled slightly. “I know, but...”

But what? She found that she couldn’t say it at all.

Her heart felt like a sour lemon. With a gentle squeeze, it was unbearably bitter.

She stopped talking, just tightly gripping the bedsheets, her eyes a little red.

She really wanted to tell him—

But you’re about to graduate, and I’ve never gotten better.

That’s what I’m in a hurry about. I’m in a hurry because I won’t be able to see you later, and I’m in a hurry because I won’t have a good memory of myself in your mind.

I’m in a hurry because I can never catch up with time.