Chapter 17: Hesitation

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Although Qiu Ying was good-looking and had good grades, she was introverted and quiet. She usually only spoke to Bai Zhen, who was her deskmate and best friend. She didn’t live in the school dorm and only attended classes during the day, so she was not familiar with the people in her class.

The female students ran in twos and threes. Only Qiu Ying ran alone, while the boys ran around Jiang Lin.

When Qiu Ying ran the second round on the field, she felt a tightness in her chest, so she took deep breaths. She had only run 800 meters, but her body was already feeling very uncomfortable.

It seemed that running to catch a bus and running for a sports competition were two completely different things.

Previously, when the class monitor, Lin Zhao, asked Qiu Ying about the 3,000-kilometer run, Qiu Ying only wanted to get the credits for the scholarship and didn’t focus on picking a sport.

Now that she was running, Qiu Ying realized that it might be more suitable for her to choose sprinting. After all, she had only participated in elementary school relays.

However, no one was willing to exchange places with Qiu Ying now. It was already difficult to find contestants for long-distance running, so she gritted her teeth and slowed down a little to continue running.

After another round, Qiu Ying felt her feet sink and her breathing become heavier.

At this moment, an agile figure brushed past her. When Qiu Ying looked up, she only saw Jiang Lin’s back.

He ran briskly with even steps, looking as relaxed as if he was taking a walk. Qiu Ying was envious.

When she reached the fifth lap, Qiu Ying felt that her jogging speed was almost as slow as walking, so she decided to sit in the stands beside the field and rest for a while.

At this moment, only Jiang Lin was running laps on the field. The people participating in the sprint and relay races had all found a fixed place to practice.

Qiu Ying realized that the two students from the long-distance running group who were participating in the men’s and women’s 1500 meters were also resting in the stands.

The male student said in a surprised tone, “Brother Lin’s stamina is too scary. I could only keep up with him during the first half of the lap. After that, I started to fall behind slowly. By the time I reached the fifth lap, he had already started the eighth lap. When he passed me, his breathing was still stable. I’m sure that first place in the 3,000 meters race will definitely be Brother Lin this time!”

A female classmate also lay on the spectator seat without any regard for her image. “I can’t take it anymore. At that time, I was really bewitched by Lin Zhao to choose this 1,500-meter run. I felt that I was going to be crippled after four laps. My goal is to finish the competition. I don’t dare to hope for making it into the rankings.”

The conversation between the two students drifted into Qiu Ying’s ears along with the breeze. It hit Qiu Ying so hard that she felt that the 3,000-meter mission was an impossible goal for her.

Jiang Lin didn’t stop until he had finished twelve laps. In order to prevent the lack of oxygen to the brain caused by strenuous exercise, he was walking slowly on the field to relax his muscles. After walking half a lap, he went to the stands and sat under the shade not far from Qiu Ying’s left.

Qiu Ying looked at Jiang Lin and saw that he wasn’t panting after running for so long. At this moment, there was no trace of redness on his face, so she wanted to go forward and ask Jiang Lin about some running tips.

However, when she thought of her original intention of not interacting with their circle again, Qiu Ying, who had already stood up, sat down again.

While Qiu Ying was hesitating and conflicted, Jiang Lin walked over to her. When he was about to reach her, Qiu Ying opened her mouth several times to say something, but in the end, she didn’t. She could only watch as Jiang Lin brushed past her without looking sideways. He walked to the big staircase in the middle of the stands and walked towards the stadium door.

Jiang Lin was alone in the classroom while recalling Qiu Ying’s hesitant expression. He wanted to see how long she could hold it in.

Yao Yu and Lin Zhao, who had entered while fooling around, saw a hint of fondness in Jiang Lin’s eyes.

Yao Yu raised his eyebrows and teased, “What happened to you, Brother Lin? You seem to be quite pleased with yourself.”

Jiang Lin looked up at the two of them without saying anything. The corners of his mouth curled up. After whistling, he said, “Let’s go racing tonight.”

With that, Jiang Lin got up and left the classroom.

Yao Yu looked at Lin Zhao in confusion. “He’s so happy today! What’s going on?”

“Maybe this tough nut finally cracked.” Lin Zhao glanced at Yao Yu and followed him out of the classroom.

Yao Yu was stunned for a few seconds. His eyes widened as he muttered, “No way. Qiu Ying is preparing to descend to the mortal world?”