Xi Shaoyuan’s name badge being here meant that he had been in the classroom. While Xi Shaoyuan himself wasn’t the issue, the question was—why had he come to Class 24’s classroom?
Several classmates’ faces slowly showed a series of “???”
Zhou Xiu instinctively glanced at her desk drawer, realizing she must have accidentally dropped the badge when she was changing her clothes.
Just as the other students started getting confused, Zhou Xiu quickly responded, “I found this at the sports field.”
Yu Qingyan, excited, said, “Xiu Xiu, you’re so lucky to have found his name badge!”
It was as if she had found a treasure from her idol. Yu Qingyan clutched the badge, a fangirl-like grin spreading across her face.
Zhou Xiu corrected her, “Actually, you’re the one who found it now.”
Yu Qingyan eagerly pocketed the badge, nodding furiously. “Xiu Xiu, I’m so grateful to you!”
This little episode passed quickly.
In the afternoon, Hua Xu, her knee wrapped in gauze, sat quietly in the stands watching the events. She leaned over to Zhou Xiu, smiling, “Xiu Xiu, you did great this morning.”
She couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for missing out on seeing the rocket class’s stunned reactions first-hand. According to Du Feiyang’s vivid descriptions, it was an incredibly satisfying moment.
“It was so awesome. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered going to the medical room! Ugh—”
Hua Xu sighed.
Though her face didn’t show much regret, her whole demeanour was clouded with frustration. Despite signing up for multiple events, Hua Xu was now unable to participate in any of them.
Class 24 had few girls, and the others were already committed to their own events. No one else could step in, so her events would simply go to waste.
Zhou Xiu glanced at the time, put down her book, took off her jacket, and stood up.
Hua Xu asked, “Wait—Xiu Xiu, where are you going?”
Holding her student ID, Zhou Xiu seriously said, “I’m going to compete for you.”
In addition to the relay race, Hua Xu had signed up for the shot put, the 100m, the 800m, the high jump, and the discus throw. The shot put, discus throw, and 100m races were still left to be completed.
Yuan Ruoyi glanced at Zhou Xiu’s slim figure. She looked so delicate and frail. Running could rely on agility and cleverness, but in strength-based events like these, what was Zhou Xiu trying to accomplish?
The students in the base camp exchanged odd glances, all staring at Zhou Xiu. Yu Qingyan nearly bit her tongue, stammering, “Xiu Xiu, are you serious?”
Zhou Xiu nodded firmly.
Her classmates, seeing Zhou Xiu’s determination, were filled with mixed emotions: Zhou Xiu truly had an incredible sense of team spirit. She really loved Class 24, didn’t she?
To think she would push herself this much just for class points. But didn’t Zhou Xiu realize that she had the 5000m long-distance race tomorrow? Would she still have the energy to run it after taking on all of Hua Xu’s events today?
The sports committee member, Wei Xiang, hesitated for a while before advising, “You wore yourself out this morning. Competing in several track and field events could really strain your knees.”
Especially in an event like the 100m, which demanded explosive power.
What they didn’t know was that Zhou Xiu’s motivation was actually quite simple.
She had unexpectedly earned fifty yuan from the relay race, but her only winter sports outfit had torn in the process. Even though it was old, Zhou Xiu was still heartbroken over it.
Fifty yuan was just about enough to buy a new sports outfit, but if she wanted something of better quality, she wouldn’t have to worry about the kind of embarrassment she faced that morning.
The system suddenly sensed something ominous: [W-What are you planning to do?]
Zhou Xiu bit her lip. Although the system had never indicated that participating in events could earn her money, she thought it was worth a try—who knew, she might make some cash.
If not, she would still be contributing to her class’s honour.
The system: […]
The system had never encountered such a hardworking, penny-pinching student before. It felt a mix of pride and sadness.
Hua Xu’s eyes lit up at Zhou Xiu’s words. “I want to go too—I want to watch you compete, Xiu Xiu!”
Hua Xu followed Zhou Xiu to the 100m registration area and unexpectedly ran into Lu Lingshan’s massive fan club.
In the chilly wind, they were as enthusiastic as a bonfire, their eyes filled with adoration:
“Good luck, senior! Just like this morning—win that championship!”
“I’ve already written the article. Just waiting to see you take first place, senior.”
This group of supporters wasn’t the same as the one from the morning; they had just heard that Lu Lingshan had won the team field event championship for the rocket class.
The girls from the rocket class who were close to Lu Lingshan paused when they saw Zhou Xiu. They remembered the incident from this morning, and their expressions turned somewhat peculiar.
Qi Yaguang frowned, feeling annoyed, “Why is Zhou Xiu here too, trying to cause a scene?”
Oh, great. Hua Xu, seeing Lu Lingshan, suddenly felt all her previous frustration melt away.
What could be more satisfying than seeing someone get humiliated right before your eyes? The regret Hua Xu had felt earlier that morning was miraculously resolved.
Hua Xu excitedly nudged Zhou Xiu with her elbow:
“Look, Lu Lingshan is participating too. Xiu Xiu, you can outrun her, right?”
Zhou Xiu thought for a moment, then hesitantly nodded.
Hua Xu clenched her fist, “Go for it, Xiu Xiu!”
Qi Yaguang also gritted her teeth, “She’s like a lingering ghost. Lingshan, just like this morning, you need to beat her!”
Lu Lingshan glanced at Zhou Xiu, the smile slowly fading from her lips.
For the first time, she truly acknowledged Zhou Xiu, looking at her directly.
After spending some time at the Shi family, eating well, Zhou Xiu’s complexion had improved significantly since she first arrived in the city. Her once dry hair had started to regain its colour. This plain, unremarkable girl had never piqued Lu Lingshan’s interest—until now.
If it weren’t for the fact that she was living in Xi Shaoyuan’s home.
Hua Xu met Lu Lingshan’s gaze and glared back coldly.
As the race began to warm up, Zhou Xiu fastened her race number and did her warm-up exercises.
With the starting pistol’s crack, Zhou Xiu kept a steady pace, staying in the middle of the pack.
This time, Lu Lingshan wasn’t treating it as just a game. She pushed herself with all her might, running at near-record speed and leading the pack.
She was like an arrow shot from a bow, taking the lead right from the start.
Zhou Xiu quickly fell behind.
Although short sprints didn’t drain stamina, running like she had that morning—burning every bit of energy—was exhausting, even for Zhou Xiu. She bided her time, patiently gathering her strength.
“Xiu Xiu, go for it!”
“Charge!”
“Zhou Xiu—Zhou Xiu—Zhou Xiu!” The girls from Class 24 cheered loudly, running alongside her in spirit.
Hua Xu frowned lightly as she saw Zhou Xiu falling behind.
But her frown didn’t last long. Soon, it softened, then turned into a smile.
By the time the race reached the last fifty meters, Zhou Xiu began to accelerate, slowly closing the gap between her and Lu Lingshan. In the final twenty meters, Zhou Xiu pushed herself even harder, overtaking Lu Lingshan and crossing the finish line first.
History has a funny way of repeating itself!
As Zhou Xiu broke through the finish line, the crowd erupted in a mix of boos and cheers. Many had been hoping to see the school beauty win first place.
“Look, look! It’s that short-legged girl from this morning. We caught her race again!” Some spectators recognized Zhou Xiu.
“I told you, if she started at the same time, she’d definitely take first place,” someone commented with a hint of sarcasm.
“Damn, she’s still wearing her school uniform? That’s so unprofessional. She probably didn’t break any records this time.” Another person slapped their thigh in frustration.
When the results were announced, Zhou Xiu stood at the top of the podium, receiving a thick notebook and a certificate as her reward.
Lu Lingshan, standing coldly on the second-place podium, hadn’t yet recovered her colour after the intense race. She glanced sideways at Zhou Xiu, her expression icy.
Zhou Xiu bent down, happily accepting her medal and certificate, and smiled.
Next came the shot put and discus events.
Hua Xu led Zhou Xiu to the registration area, and once again, they encountered Lu Lingshan. Hua Xu couldn’t help but sigh:
“Damn, we’re seeing her again?”
Zhou Xiu glanced over but didn’t pay much attention to the coincidence. Before the event, during the warm-up and practice time, Zhou Xiu asked Hua Xu for advice on how to throw the discus
.
Hua Xu demonstrated a perfect throw, but due to her injured knee, even though her form was perfect, the discus didn’t go far.
Zhou Xiu wasn’t lacking in strength. As a child from the mountains, she was used to physical labour and had a lot of brute strength, but her coordination needed work.
Lu Lingshan set the farthest throw on her first attempt.
The scorer praised her heavily, “This is the most standard form we’ve seen today. Those who are struggling should try to emulate this.”
Zhou Xiu failed her first two throws, doing even worse than Hua Xu, who was competing with an injury.
She squatted on the grass, watching one contestant after another throw their discs, carefully observing the angles and the trajectories of the throws, quietly calculating in her mind.
Hua Xu thought Zhou Xiu was feeling dejected. She couldn’t understand why Zhou Xiu was taking every event so seriously.
She comforted Zhou Xiu, saying, “It’s okay. You already won first place in the running.”
But for Zhou Xiu, it wasn’t just about winning or losing—it was about making money.
Most of the other competitors who had already achieved good throws were beginning to withdraw, but Zhou Xiu held out until the very last moment, using her final attempt.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Xiu visualized the perfect form and release angle. Then, with all her strength, she hurled the discus.
Hua Xu jerked her head up, staring in disbelief.
“Damn—forget what I just said.”
Zhou Xiu still held her follow-through stance when two distinct sounds chimed in her ears:
[First place in Women’s Discus Throw, 100RMB reward.]
[First place in Women’s 100m race, 100RMB reward.]
Zhou Xiu’s smile was so radiant it was almost uncontrollable: “Wait, wasn’t it fifty? How did it become a hundred?”
After a brief silence, the system replied,[Use it to buy a better quality sports outfit.]
**Nomad: hahahahahaha even the system feels sorry for her, it can’t take anymore. Class 24 thinks Zhou Xiu is watching out for them, little do they know her eyes are blinded by banknotes**
When Zhou Xiu smiled, Qi Yaguang looked like she had seen a ghost: “Good lord, is Class 24’s Zhou Xiu messing with us?”
“She deliberately stays behind in the race just to overtake at the last moment. She intentionally messes up her first two discus throws, then surpasses you on the last try.”
She was pretending to be weak to lower everyone’s guard, only to reveal her true strength when it mattered most.
Lu Lingshan gave Zhou Xiu a long look.
The last event was the shot put. This event required less skill, so it was easier for Zhou Xiu. With a powerful throw, she sent the shot put flying 13.0 meters.
[First place in Women’s Shot Put, 100RMB reward.]
Lu Lingshan’s class was scheduled to throw earlier than Zhou Xiu’s, and her best distance was 12.8 meters—20 centimeters shorter than Zhou Xiu’s throw.
Qi Yaguang couldn’t hold back any longer. She erupted like a firecracker, “What does your class’s Zhou Xiu want? She’s been gunning for Lingshan all day—can’t she have a bit more dignity?”
Was Zhou Xiu so desperate to make a name for herself?
Hua Xu was equally furious, retorting with a cold laugh, “Zhou Xiu is competing in my place. I signed up for these events ages ago. I should be the one asking, what’s your class’s Lu Lingshan trying to do, signing up for all the same events as me?”
“Is she trying to use the media to bring me down?”
Qi Yaguang thought Zhou Xiu was targeting Lu Lingshan, but Hua Xu felt it was Lu Lingshan who was targeting her.
Does she think the whole world revolves around her?
Everyone’s a protagonist in their own story.
Hua Xu shrugged, saying, “Sorry, but we got first place in all the events. If Lu Lingshan wants to compete with me, we can go head-to-head at next year’s sports day.”
Du Feiyang, having finished his own events, ran over to watch Zhou Xiu throw the shot put. He rubbed his chin, feeling that there might be some truth to what Hua Xu said.
Lu Lingshan grabbed Qi Yaguang and patted her shoulder, turning to Hua Xu, “I’m sorry, Yaguang didn’t mean it that way.”
“It’s all just a misunderstanding.”
Hua Xu snorted coldly, calling Zhou Xiu and Du Feiyang to head back to their base camp.
As Hua Xu and Zhou Xiu walked away, Lu Lingshan’s eyes flickered with a trace of disdain.
…
When the day’s events ended, the students dispersed.
The hot posts about the day’s sports events were quickly uploaded. Du Feiyang glanced at the school reporter’s news release, then scrolled through the discussion threads on the school forum.
Hua Xu’s cosplay as Diao Chan had already shot up in popularity, followed by Lu Lingshan’s pictures in her red athletic outfit.
It was the same every year—nothing new.
But as Du Feiyang kept scrolling, he unexpectedly came across a photo of Zhou Xiu grimacing as she crossed the finish line in the 100m race. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Such a high moment, and yet she looked so adorably goofy. To the students of Class 24, she wasn’t just adorable; she was inspiring.
Xu Qing silently saved the photo with a right-click, planning to use it in the class album later.
Du Feiyang turned the laptop toward Hua Xu, who stared at Zhou Xiu’s small figure on the screen, her lips curving into a smile.
But as she continued scrolling, the smile gradually faded.
“This year, instead of dragging me down, they’ve switched to dragging Xiu Xiu?”
Because Zhou Xiu competed in several of the same events as Lu Lingshan, her fan club had taken photos of Zhou Xiu along with their idol. But instead of capturing Zhou Xiu looking good, they’d only taken the most unflattering shots.
A post soon appeared under the photo: “Hua Xu may be pretty, but she doesn’t take things seriously. Lu Lingshan’s pure, first-love vibe is more appealing.”
Before long, the discussion veered off-course.
“So… this is Zhou Xiu from Class 24? She looks so plain.”
“Isn’t she the one who falsely accused our Lu of cheating? Ugh—why is she always clinging to her?”
“My eyes hurt.”
Hua Xu’s knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists, the sound echoing ominously. Du Feiyang, suddenly anxious, quickly closed the webpage and quietly returned to his seat.
Hua Xu turned to Zhou Xiu, who was happily lost in her own world, listening to music. She looked like a fool, smiling as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“Xiu Xiu, I want you to do something for me—”
Zhou Xiu blinked in confusion, taking off her headphones, her face full of puzzlement.
“What is it?”
Hua Xu, her face serious, pulled out a bunch of unopened bottles and jars from her drawer and pushed them in front of Zhou Xiu.
“Take these and use them every day.”
Zhou Xiu looked around, bewildered. The packaging had Japanese, Korean, and French labels—skincare products, all of them. Zhou Xiu was shocked; she knew Hua Xu used expensive products. Zhou Xiu had already stopped eating the chocolates Hua Xu had given her after finding out how much they cost.
This pile alone was probably worth tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of yuan.
Zhou Xiu smiled, shaking her head, “Thanks, but I don’t need them.”
The system, at this moment, had a sinking feeling that it was about to be squeezed dry again: […]
Hua Xu wasn’t upset by the rejection. She seriously looked at Zhou Xiu, using her thumb to measure her features.
“Xiu Xiu, you’re actually really pretty. Your proportions are great—I remembered you the moment I saw you.”
This comment made even Xu Qing and the others turn to take a closer look at Zhou Xiu. What kind of beauty could earn such praise from the class beauty herself?
Tan Ming glanced at Zhou Xiu and scoffed before quickly turning his attention back to his phone, where his screensaver was a picture of Lu Lingshan.
Zhou Xiu, pretty? Maybe just average. Hua Xu’s bias as a desk mate was showing.
But to Tan Ming, no other girl could compare to Lu Lingshan.
After school, Zhou Xiu, carrying her hard-earned cash, headed to the mall to buy a winter sports outfit, hoping it would come in handy for tomorrow’s long-distance race.
She had earned a total of 350RMB from today’s events, and with the lingering discounts from Double 12, she picked out a discounted sports outfit.
Zhou Xiu, holding her new outfit, walked into a store. After carefully comparing the items on the shelf, she finally chose a high-value option—Dabao cream.
The system was moved to tears: [Xiao Xiu, you don’t have to save money for me.]
Money isn’t meant to be saved. Please treat yourself better!
[Ding—Random task issued: Learn basic skincare. Reward—]
Though it sounded tempting, Zhou Xiu interrupted the system. She gently shook her head:
[A person’s energy is limited. I want to focus on the things that matter. This is enough for me.]
Under the soft lighting of the mall, Zhou Xiu’s dark eyes sparkled with a calm smile, like bright stars in the night sky: Life is long, and the things we love require a lot of time and effort. Zhou Xiu had her passions, and she was willing to devote herself to them.
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