Chapter 96

**Sheng X West – Foreword:**

This is a parallel universe story. They’re not in Jingbei, but attending high school in Nanjiang. There’s no Xu Sui or Zhou Jingze here. It’s a different version of them, yet Hu Qianxi always remembers one thing: **Find him.**

—

**Chapter:**

During Xiaoman season, the city of Nanjiang had entered a long rainy season. Every day was damp, every night brought torrential rain. Clothes often wouldn’t dry, and when taken off the laundry rack, they carried the musty smell of gloomy weather, needing to be dried one by one.

The ground was wet, the walls were wet—it was the return of humidity. Even people’s moods felt damp and gloomy.

At 9 p.m., a tall boy stood in front of a house. He wore a black hoodie, track pants, and white sneakers. With a backpack slung over one shoulder, he glanced down at his phone. Amidst a flood of group messages in red, he replied indifferently with: **“Not going.”**

His response sparked a chorus of wails from his buddies.

At the same time, the boy pulled one hand out of his pocket. His black backpack slipped down to his wrist with a thud. He kicked open the door with a loud **bang.**

The lights were bright inside—but it was empty.

Sheng Nanzhou flung his backpack onto the sofa, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge, and sat back down. He popped the tab with his index finger. A sharp **crack**, and white foam bubbled up.

He took a swig, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he drank. His eyes drifted to the coffee table—there was a note. He leaned over and gave it a glance.

**Dad and Mom went traveling again. Took Sheng Yanjia the little tag-along too.**

No need to guess—the same old excuse from Mrs. Ge: *the little curly one has foot fungus* or *head lice.*

Poor little brother.

Thinking of this, Sheng Nanzhou let out a snort of laughter and kept drinking.

After showering, he came out drying his hair with a towel while heading upstairs. A dozen or so empty beer cans littered the table across from the fridge.

With a **click**, the orange floor lamp by the bed lit up, casting a warm glow.

Sheng Nanzhou sat on the edge of the bed, habitually opened a pill bottle, poured out two pills, and swallowed them with difficulty before lying down.

He had suffered from insomnia for six or seven years, often staying awake the entire night. He relied on medication and alcohol just to get a shallow sleep.

Mrs. Ge was distressed about her son’s condition. She once stared at him and said seriously:

> “My son is handsome and cheerful, only seventeen, in the prime of youth. How can he have insomnia? Come on, be honest with Mom—are you hiding something?”

Sheng Nanzhou was playing a game and didn’t even look away from the screen. He paused and replied:

> “Actually, yeah, I *am* hiding something.”

> “What is it?”

> “My card’s been frozen.”

He said it nonchalantly.

Just as the words left his mouth, a white pillow flew straight at the back of his neck.

Sheng Nanzhou let out a dramatic “Ow!”

Little Sheng Yanjia, who was kneeling on the floor building with Legos, shouted:

> “Mom! I know the answer! The TV said this is a *heart problem*! There’s someone living in Brother’s heart!”

Right after saying that, the little curly one got smacked on the back of the head.

Mrs. Ge’s attention immediately shifted:

> “What kind of nonsense are you watching on TV every day?!”

As the mother and son bickered, Sheng Nanzhou suddenly lost interest in the game. The word “Defeat” flashed on the screen, and unusually, he didn’t argue back—just smiled.

There really was someone living in his heart.

But only in his dreams. For many years.

She often visited him there, talking to him, teasing him when he was down. They went to many amusement parks together—inside his dreams.

But he never saw her face clearly.

He really wanted to meet her.

That night, she came again.

She wore a lemon-yellow polka-dot dress, her smile bright and radiant—like a bubble ready to float away at any moment.

She held his hand and brought him to a vast sunflower field. They sat on a bench.

Then she said, “I’m leaving.”

His heart tightened. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, standing up.

She was about to walk away when Sheng Nanzhou grabbed her arm, staring at her.

> “Will we meet again?”

She smiled. “Yes. I’ll come find you.”

And then, the girl before him began to fade. No matter how tightly he held on, her wrist slipped through like sand. He couldn’t hold her.

A golden light burst around them as she vanished. She looked back at him one last time, smiled warmly—and disappeared.

His heart felt like it was being slowly carved out with a dull knife. The pain radiated through his entire body, making it impossible to move. The sensation was familiar, like he’d lived it once before.

He gasped for breath. Fragments flashed through his mind—

A hospital. White walls. An oxygen mask. She was crying.

A sunny day. Sunflowers. A gravestone. She smiled and said goodbye.

He ran forward desperately, trying to find her. The sunflower field dissolved like a movie cutscene, replaced by endless black-and-white.

It was desolate. Not a soul in sight.

He spotted a single flower ahead and tried to approach.

But the gravel slipped under his feet. He looked down—

A bottomless abyss. An empty void.

Suddenly—like a memory rewind—**Boom**. He tried to wake up but couldn’t. Then, he saw a statue of Buddha. The Bodhisattva lowered her eyes with compassion.

He fell uncontrollably.

And at the very last moment before hitting the ground, one thought filled his mind:

**God, if you can… please let me find her first.**

Another thunderclap boomed. A heavy rain burst outside. Trees shook. The wind howled, battering the windows.

Sheng Nanzhou jolted awake, panting, gulping air. He knew he had escaped the dream—but didn’t open his eyes.

A tear slid down the corner of his eye.

—

**The Next Day: Tuesday**

Surprisingly, the rain finally stopped. After more than a month of overcast days, the sun shone on Nanjiang. The rain-washed leaves sparkled with freshness. A flowery scent wafted through the air. Birds chirped from electric poles.

Unsurprisingly, Sheng Nanzhou skipped morning reading because he hadn’t slept all night.

By the time he walked into class, it was chaos. Boys and girls bickered. Others groaned while copying homework.

He slumped into his seat near the back, stuffed his black backpack into the desk, kicked the crooked chair straight, and flopped onto it, immediately resting his head on the desk.

A few boys chatting nearby gave him a thumbs-up.

> “Young Master Sheng, how do you manage to be this late every day and still avoid getting caught?”

> “Write a book, Sheng!”

He didn’t bother lifting his head. Eyes closed, collar crooked, he just raised a middle finger toward the group and dozed off again.

The classroom was rowdy—like a barnyard. Chasing, shouting, desks being bumped, chairs scraping the floor.

Just as the homeroom teacher entered with a new student, a flying cloth smacked him in the face. Chalk dust floated onto his balding head.

Silence.

Three seconds later, the entire room erupted in laughter. People clutched their bellies and collapsed with laughter.

The teacher cursed silently but calmly removed the cloth, walked up to the podium, and slammed a ruler on the table.

> “What’s the racket? Who’s eating hotpot during morning reading? Throw it out now or I’ll boil *you*! And you two wrestling in the corner—go back to middle school! And you—still copying homework? Do you think I’m blind—?!”

After the teacher’s rant, the classroom quieted significantly.

He cleared his throat. “Okay, something important—today, a new student has transferred here from Jingbei. Come on up and introduce yourself.”

The girl nodded and wrote her name on the blackboard. Her smile was sweet:

> “Hi everyone, my name is **Hu Qianxi**…”

The classroom had only just quieted down when it became noisy again, especially among the boys, who were clearly excited. Discussions buzzed nonstop.

Someone beside **Sheng Nanzhou** nudged his shoulder, speaking excitedly:

“Zhou-ge, there’s a new transfer student in our class, and she’s a total babe. Damn, she’s really pretty—take a look!”

“She looks like she walked straight out of a manga. Big eyes, totally a big-eyed girl.”

“Just by her aura and appearance, she feels like a pampered little princess raised with love at home.”

The girls were chatting, too:

“She’s so energetic and lively when she smiles. I wanna be friends with her.”

“Her outfit is very Japanese style—I like her skirt,” someone said.

Sheng Nanzhou had originally been trying to fall back asleep and return to his dream to find her again. But the noise around him made it impossible, and even half-asleep, a fire had already been lit in his chest.

“I’m not looking,” he said, voice hoarse.

“She’s seriously good-looking. Even prettier than Meng Ling, the school belle who chases after you. You really not gonna take a peek?” The guy beside him nudged him again.

Sheng Nanzhou raised his face halfway from his arms. They thought the young master was finally going to look at the new girl. But instead, he just turned his head the other way, facing the window, and shifted into a new sleeping position.

His indifferent voice carried faint irritation and coldness:

“Not interested.”

The bell rang at just the right moment. The homeroom teacher tapped the podium with a ruler in a symbolic gesture and pointed to a seat in the fourth row:

“There’s an empty seat over there. You sit there.”

**Hu Xixi** looked over—it just so happened to be the seat in front of Sheng Nanzhou. She nodded with a bright smile.

“Okay.”

She walked to her seat hugging her blue backpack. The bag was so heavy it kept bumping against her legs clad in white knee socks, making a soft “pat-pat” sound. It drew people’s eyes to her legs—fair and smooth like a piece of white jade carved from nothing.

Sitting in front of a boy for some reason made her nervous. As she pulled her books from her bag, her fingertips trembled a little. Even her heartbeat quickened.

Her desk mate looked like a quiet and introverted girl, with gentle, deer-like eyes. Seeing her struggle, the girl immediately helped tidy the desk.

“What’s your name?” Hu Xixi asked with a smile.

The girl’s hand paused as she wiped the desk with a tissue. Her voice was soft:

“I’m **Xu Sui**. You can call me **Suìsuì**.”

Hu Xixi’s face lit up with joy, then she earnestly clarified in a soft, milky voice:

“That’s the *suì* from *suìsuì niánnián* (every year, year after year).”

Her long lashes drooped, and disappointment flickered across her face as she muttered to herself,

“Just one character short…”

Xu Sui didn’t quite hear and leaned closer:

“What?”

“Nothing,” Hu Xixi quickly bounced back and pulled out a long strip of rainbow candy from her bag, stuffing it into Xu Sui’s arms. Her voice was bright:

“Here, rainbow candy for you. Back in college—”

Xu Sui looked at the candy in confusion. Hu Xixi sighed inwardly and changed her story with a smile:

“I saw it on a TV show. They said if we eat this together, we’re good friends now.”

“Okay.” Xu Sui smiled back.

Once everything was settled, Hu Xixi rested her chin on her hand and elbow on her book, her eyes wandering. For the rest of the class, her mind drifted off to outer space.

When the bell rang again, the classroom returned to chaos as students began horsing around. Hu Xixi took a deep breath and pulled a box of coconut-flavored yogurt from her bag, mist still clinging to its surface.

She turned around to the boy behind her, who was sleeping with messy hair and a “don’t mess with me” vibe oozing from every inch of him. Her throat was dry, and she felt strangely nervous.

“Hi, I’m Hu Xixi.”

No response.

Uncertain if he had heard her, she tightened her grip on the milk box—then saw his ear twitch. So he did hear.

“I got this for you. Drink it—it’ll make your day better.” She placed the yogurt on his desk, smiling softly.

Not long after, someone called from the back door:

“Sheng Nanzhou, the school belle is looking for you!”

Hu Xixi thought he’d treat the school belle the same way he treated her—cold and indifferent. But to her surprise, the boy slowly lifted his face, stretched his neck with a crack, rubbed his face lazily, and without even glancing at Hu Xixi, stood up, dragged out his chair, and walked out.

His elbow accidentally knocked over the yogurt on the desk—*splat*—and the milk spilled on the floor. Yet the culprit just walked out with his hands in his pockets like nothing happened.

Hu Xixi stared at the spilled yogurt, feeling deflated. Then she looked up at Sheng Nanzhou’s retreating figure and cursed in her heart:

**“Big dumb pig!”**

Just then, Xu Sui came back from the restroom. Hu Xixi grabbed her arm and said:

“Deskmate, let’s go get some fresh air outside, okay?”

“Sure,” Xu Sui agreed, though a bit puzzled.

They said they’d just go to the hallway for air, but Hu Xixi kept looking toward the far left, where she saw Sheng Nanzhou talking with a long-haired girl. The two stood close, and Hu Xixi’s eyes nearly shot fire in anger.

Xu Sui seemed to figure something out and asked,

“You like Sheng Nanzhou?”

She thought Hu Xixi would deny it or get embarrassed, but to her surprise, Hu Xixi answered boldly:

“Yep. I even want to chase him.”

Xu Sui’s eyes widened. It took her a while to process. She kindly warned:

“But—”

“Sheng Nanzhou is really popular. He’s handsome, has a good personality, and everyone likes hanging out with him. But he’s super cold to girls—except Meng Ling. She has a scar on her forehead, rumor is, it’s from getting hurt protecting Sheng Nanzhou. But weirdly enough, they’re not dating, though they’re really close.”

“How close?”

“Well, you know Sheng Nanzhou plays on the school’s basketball team, right? Meng Ling’s the cheer captain.”

Hu Xixi glanced over at the two talking. The boy seemed annoyed on the surface, but kept his head down, listening patiently. Her heart swelled with sourness.

No one expected that by lunchtime, the hallway conversation between Hu Xixi and Xu Sui had already spread around the school—and the rumors got more outrageous. It turned into:

**“Hu Xixi declared she’ll make Sheng Nanzhou fall for her in one month, or she’ll transfer out.”**

Even Hu Xixi herself laughed in disbelief when she heard it, though she couldn’t be bothered to explain.

**Princess chasing the knight? He’s lucky, really,** she thought to herself.

When the rumor reached Sheng Nanzhou, he was playing basketball in the gym. **Jiang Kai** sat on the steps, roughly wiping sweat off with a towel, and teased:

“Master Sheng, any thoughts about the little princess trying to chase you?”

Sheng Nanzhou jumped and dunked the ball hard. It landed perfectly. He flopped onto the floor, the ball rolling off to the side. Sweat still clung to his lashes as he replied coolly,

“No thoughts.”

Jiang Kai shrugged and didn’t press. He pulled a carton of milk from his bag, poked a straw into the foil, and was about to drink.

Sheng Nanzhou walked over holding the basketball. His eyes landed on the coconut-flavored milk in Jiang Kai’s hand. His gaze paused, and his voice lowered:

“Where’d you get that?”

“Oh, this? I helped Xixi move her books this morning, and she gave it to me,” Jiang Kai said, waving the milk.

For some reason, the word **Xixi** sounded especially jarring to Sheng Nanzhou. Just seeing that milk ticked him off even more. Without thinking, he flung his basketball—it grazed Jiang Kai’s hand and slammed into the wall with a *smack*. The milk spilled all over the floor.

Jiang Kai was about to curse, but Sheng Nanzhou didn’t even turn back. He walked toward the door and said:

“You eating or not? My treat.”

“Eating, eating!” Jiang Kai chased after him like a lackey, forgetting all about the milk.

—

**Hu Xixi** didn’t really know how to chase someone. Her approach to pursuing Sheng Nanzhou was blunt and awkward.

She brought him breakfast every day, even though he never ate in the mornings.

She brought him water while he played basketball and tried to walk home with him after school.

She hovered around him every day, even asked people to teach her how to play games and do homework just to stay close.

Sheng Nanzhou was beyond annoyed. To him, she was like an annoying piece of gum he couldn’t shake off.

The whole school knew about it. People laughed at her, but Hu Xixi acted like it didn’t bother her. She happily continued chasing him, becoming his little tail.

Until one morning—Hu Xixi insisted on making him drink porridge and accidentally spilled it on his T-shirt.

Then in the fourth period, she broke the model airplane he’d spent forever building.

That was the last straw.

He snapped, tone full of frustration and coldness, every word laced with dislike:

“Can you stop already? I don’t like you. I never will. Please stay away from me.”

The moment he finished, Sheng Nanzhou regretted it.

Because the girl who always smiled… went completely quiet.

Her eyes, like a little bunny’s, slowly turned red, a layer of tears forming.

His heart squeezed.

“I’m sorry,” Hu Xixi whispered.

Then she ran off.

The next day, a new airplane model appeared on Sheng Nanzhou’s desk.

For an entire week, there was no more breakfast on his desk. During class, no little head turned around to tell him jokes and cheer him up. Wherever he went, there was no longer a little tail following behind him.

Sheng Nanzhou had a lot more peace and quiet—but he also started to feel irritable. During this time, his sleep clearly improved; no more insomnia, and the girl from his dreams stopped appearing. Now, he dreamed of… Hu Xixi.

When he saw her smiling at other boys, he got angry. When she no longer came looking for him, he felt uncomfortable.

He thought he was acting weird.

On Friday, Hu Xixi ended up walking home alone after being called to the office, with no one to accompany her.

At 6 PM, it was already completely dark. With her backpack on, she left the school and felt a wave of fear as she passed through the alley between the backstreet and South Road.

There were all kinds of rumors going around school—people said there were many perverts exposing themselves on that path, who targeted female students to scare them.

The streetlights were dim, tree shadows fell messily across the ground, casting eerie silhouettes that made her heart race.

As she passed a billiards hall and continued into the alley, the light dimmed by half, and a dark, gloomy air made her nerves tense.

Out of nowhere, a man suddenly jumped out at her, grinning pervertedly as he approached. His right hand was already tugging at his pants zipper, about to pull it down.

Hu Xixi gripped her backpack straps tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes. Just as she turned to run, a dark shadow swept over her.

Someone stood behind her and covered her eyes, a warm hand pressing gently over them. Long eyelashes brushed against a broad palm.

“Close your eyes.” Sheng Nanzhou’s voice was clear and cold.

Hu Xixi caught a faint scent of his body wash mixed with soap—it made her feel inexplicably safe. She nodded.

With one hand still covering her eyes, Sheng Nanzhou picked up a brick with the other and smashed it against the pervert’s calf.

The narrow alley echoed with a scream, and the man limped away, fleeing even faster.

Five minutes later, Sheng Nanzhou withdrew his hand, took a step back, and said coldly, “Let’s go.”

Unexpectedly, the girl hooked her finger onto his sleeve, pulled out a sunflower badge from her pocket, and handed it to him. “Thank you.”

He took it and stuffed it into his pocket, about to walk away, when she tugged at him again. He was forced to look down—and met a pair of eyes as bright as grapes. He froze.

Hu Xixi looked up at him with a smile, her voice sincere and deliberate:

“Let’s get to know each other again.”

“Hi, my name is Hu Xixi. ‘Xi’ as in bright red, and ‘Xi’ like the princess Xixi.”

That night, after walking Hu Xixi home, Sheng Nanzhou, miraculously, didn’t suffer from insomnia. He fell asleep quickly and had a dream.

In the dream, he saw what he looked like as an adult. In that world, he was always by the side of a very ill girl.

That girl was his fiancée—they hadn’t gotten the chance to marry yet.

At dusk, the sunset bathed the room in a warm light. The girl lay on a hospital bed, looking much better. She blinked and said, “Brother Nanzhou, let’s sneak out and have some fun.”

Sheng Nanzhou was peeling an apple and smiled. “Sure. Where does the princess want to go?”

“Anywhere!” Her pale face lit up with joy.

In the end, Sheng Nanzhou snuck her out through the hospital’s back door. The moment they stepped outside, she seemed to come alive. First she dragged him to eat street snacks, then wanted ice cream, and finally devoured a big, spicy bowl of crayfish—so spicy her lips turned red and tears streamed down her face.

She made a series of requests. As long as they weren’t too outrageous, Sheng Nanzhou agreed to every single one.

He just wanted to see her smile.

Later, carrying a dish of her favorite grilled tofu, the two of them snuck into a billiards hall.

There, the girl ran into a man named Lu Wenbai. She walked over and greeted him cheerfully. Sheng Nanzhou stood to the side and waited for ten minutes, constantly checking his watch, getting irritated—it was the first time he thought time passed so slowly.

After chatting, she handed him a milk tea and said she wanted to play a couple rounds of pool with Lu Wenbai.

Sheng Nanzhou, expressionless, replied, “I’ll join too.”

Once the game started, his eyes never left her. At one point, Lu Wenbai patted her shoulder and handed her a bottle of water.

Sheng Nanzhou’s face darkened.

Just as he was about to intervene, a group of people suddenly stormed in. Someone shouted in panic, “Oh no! A madman came in with a knife!”

The place erupted into chaos. Red and white billiard balls flew everywhere.

In the panic, the girl ran over, grabbed his hand, and pulled him under the pool table to hide.

Outside, screams filled the air. In that tiny hiding space, the girl suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead. “Crap, I forgot about Lu Wenbai.”

Sheng Nanzhou snorted coldly. “Heh.”

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

Still wearing a cold expression, he said stiffly, “Jealousy? I’ve never experienced that crap.”

She smiled and didn’t argue. “Give me your hand.”

He stretched out his hand. She, somehow, produced a red marker, lowered her curly lashes, and carefully drew a sunflower on his wrist.

There was even a smiley face in the middle.

Sheng Nanzhou chuckled. Just as he was about to tease her for drawing like a kindergartener, her soft lips suddenly pressed against his.

He froze. The gentle sweetness slipped between their lips.

“Sheng Nanzhou, I like you the most,” she whispered breathlessly.

As she tried to pull away, a large hand cupped the back of her head and pulled her in. Shadows fell, and he kissed her again—this time more fiercely, breaking through her lips and teeth.

In the dim light, with dust dancing in the air, all the passion, longing, and affection bloomed quietly in that kiss.

…

Sheng Nanzhou woke from the dream and sat at the edge of his bed, smoking a cigarette.

Was everything in that dream… real?

Did he have some kind of delusion?

And the new girl who had just transferred—why did she feel so familiar?

The more he thought, the more his head ached. He decided to stop thinking.

He got up, washed, changed clothes. As he pulled on his school uniform jacket, his eyes fell on a small sunflower badge lying on the table.

His gaze froze. He picked it up and pinned it on the collar of his uniform, thought for a moment, then pulled it off again and carefully placed it in a drawer.

Monday—another new day.

Breakfast appeared on Sheng Nanzhou’s desk again.

After quietly placing the yogurt, Hu Xixi looked up—and immediately saw Sheng Nanzhou walking in through the back door.

Their eyes met. Her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

“Morning!” Hu Xixi greeted him brightly.

“Mm.” Sheng Nanzhou responded lazily.

Whether it was because of what happened in the alley or not, Hu Xixi found that Sheng Nanzhou was no longer as cold to her. The tension between them seemed to ease.

Summer arrived with the chorus of cicadas, but Hu Xixi’s passionate pursuit of him never stopped.

Her love was bold and sincere

After spending more than two months together, the two of them gradually became familiar with each other. Hu Qixi found that he wasn’t as cold as he appeared on the surface. In reality, he was just a big boy who loved playing basketball, enjoyed gaming, and blushed easily when teased. He was her boy.

Sheng Nanzhou would occasionally indulge her reckless behavior, buying an extra bottle of water for her when he went to buy some. When they had time, they would go home together. Their relationship was improving, but only to that extent, and nothing had been explicitly stated.

The summer was hot and stifling, making people feel drowsy. The sports meet was scheduled for the week after next, but they hadn’t gathered enough participants. The sports committee member walked into the classroom, his face red with anxiety. He went up to the podium, knocked on the desk, and said with a pained expression:

“Students, it’s time to earn honor for the class. Can you still sleep at a time like this? Get up and sign up for events!”

“I’m in.” Jiang Kai shot back at him.

The classroom erupted in scattered laughter. The sports committee member cast a desperate glance at Sheng Nanzhou, sitting in the second-to-last row, and cautiously asked:

“Zhou-ge, as usual, how about you take care of high jump, long jump, and the 4×100 relay?”

Sheng Nanzhou was solving a problem and didn’t lift his head: “Whatever.”

The sports committee member took this as a confirmation and immediately wrote his name down.

“What about the 3000-meter run? Anyone up for it?” the sports committee member called out loudly.

No one in the classroom responded. No one wanted to run 3000 meters.

In this scorching heat, a long-distance run could be deadly.

“I’ll run.” A lively voice interjected.

“Hu Qixi, you’re truly our class’s hero! Beautiful and kind-hearted.”

Sheng Nanzhou was focused on his problem, holding the pen with his knuckles. When he heard this, he paused, leaving a streak of black ink on the white paper. A small head suddenly turned toward him, and Hu Qixi leaned in, poking his shoulder with her finger, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth:

“Sheng Nanzhou, if I win first place in the 3000 meters, how about you be with me?”

“Hey?”

“Why are you silent?”

Sheng Nanzhou looked up at the girl in front of him, her lips red and teeth white, her eyes full of life when she smiled. He hesitated before replying coldly:

“Talk to me after you win.”

“I don’t care. I’m taking that as a yes!” Hu Qixi smiled mischievously like a cat that had stolen food.

With half a month left before the sports meet, every afternoon after school, she practiced running on the playground. She was healthy and beautiful now, so she felt bold enough to pursue the person she liked.

However, Hu Qixi didn’t like running because it was exhausting and messy. But every time she ran, she only had to imagine Sheng Nanzhou waiting for her at the finish line to find the motivation.

The sports meet came on schedule two weeks later. The playground was packed with people, and the sounds of announcements calling students to register and cheers mixed together, creating a grand and passionate atmosphere.

Before the race started, Hu Qixi wanted to find Sheng Nanzhou to ask him to cheer for her, but she was told he was in the sports equipment room.

Excited, Hu Qixi rushed over but bumped into Sheng Nanzhou and Meng Ling standing behind the equipment rack. A flush appeared on Meng Ling’s face as she tugged at her skirt, saying:

“I like you.”

Hu Qixi felt her blood boil, and not daring to listen any longer, she was filled with anger and discomfort. Finally, she ran off.

Sheng Nanzhou stood in front of Meng Ling, caught sight of the retreating figure in the distance, and then snapped back to attention. His brows furrowed as he said coldly:

“Although you have a scar on your forehead, you’re not the one I’m looking for. Sorry.”

“And I don’t like you.”

With that, Sheng Nanzhou turned and left without a second glance.

As he brushed past Meng Ling, something fell from his pants pocket with a soft clink, but he was completely unaware.

Meng Ling crouched down and picked up a small badge.

Twenty minutes later, Hu Qixi went to register and saw Meng Ling standing in the crowd, wearing a white blouse and a black skirt, with the sunflower badge she had given Sheng Nanzhou pinned to her collar.

Not long after, Hu Qixi was urged to gather for the race. When the gunshot rang out, she instinctively started running forward.

However, as she ran, her mind kept replaying the scene of Meng Ling confessing to Sheng Nanzhou and how Meng Ling was wearing the badge she had given him.

The scorching sun blazed down, making it hot and difficult to breathe.

As Hu Qixi ran halfway, she began to struggle to catch her breath. Sweat dripped from her forehead into her eyes, blurring her vision.

The pain in her chest grew, her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, and even the wind passing her ears felt hot.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, her mind filled with images of the two of them together.

“Bastard, scumbag, trash that’s not even worth recycling.”

The more intimate they were, the more she felt like a fool.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Losing patience, she decided to just stop running.

The entire stadium gasped as Hu Qixi abandoned the race midway. Ignoring the murmurs from the crowd, she pushed her way through, walking off alone.

Exhausted, Hu Qixi walked around the back of the school buildings and sat down against the wall to rest.

She took several deep breaths, and as she did, tears began to fall, dripping onto the corner of her lips. They were salty.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her, and an ice-cold bottle of water pressed against her cheek, cooling her flushed face. A crisp, woody scent wafted in the air.

Hu Qixi recognized who it was. She swatted the bottle off her face and didn’t speak.

“Didn’t you say you’d show me you could get first place? Why aren’t you running?” Sheng Nanzhou asked.

“Why are you here? Doesn’t your girlfriend need you?” Hu Qixi said awkwardly.

Sheng Nanzhou smiled. “What girlfriend?”

“Oh, I just saw a coward eavesdropping on someone’s confession and running off before hearing me reject her.” Sheng Nanzhou said lazily.

“You… rejected her? Then what about the badge?” Hu Qixi finally turned to look at him, her eyes still red.

Sheng Nanzhou extended his hand, holding a sunflower badge in his palm. “It fell earlier. I’m returning it now.”

“Fine.” Hu Qixi sniffled, realizing it was all a misunderstanding.

Sheng Nanzhou crouched down in front of her, his dark eyes locking onto hers. Slowly, he asked:

“Want to retake the test?”

His eyes held the wind. Hu Qixi met his gaze and realized she didn’t know when she had fallen for him. Smiling gently, she looked at him and slowly smiled back.