Chapter 44.2

Everyone introduced themselves with their class and name. Jiang Zhihuo also joined in: Jiang Zhihuo from Class 1.

!!!!!!

-Huo-ge!!

-Oh my god, what incredible luck it is to be in a group with Huo-ge; we will definitely win!

– Last year, during the relay, Huo-ge turned the tide for Class 1, making an extraordinary comeback from far behind. He’s amazing!

– I’m so happy! I don’t even know how I got selected, but with Huo-ge here, I feel at ease!

The group chat was lively, but only seven people had appeared in the conversation.

– Who is this black profile with the username M? They haven’t spoken at all.

– Their Moments are not made public, so no information is available about them.

– Maybe they’re busy and haven’t seen it?

– Has anyone gotten our grouping list yet?

– Not yet. We can only get it tomorrow.

– So if this mysterious classmate doesn’t log on today, I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out who they are?

– Mention them; they might respond.

Everyone in the group was quite curious about the mysterious black profile, and everyone took a turn mentioning the person.

Jiang Zhihuo was also interested, so he poked the group member and was amused.

The one with the black profile picture who hasn’t responded, could that be Yan Mu?

Jiang Zhihuo: @M

Jiang Zhihuo: Yan-ge, what a coincidence!

Yan Mu was taking a test and forgot to put his phone on silent, so it kept vibrating.

Halfway through the test, his phone suddenly started vibrating nonstop. Without even checking, he knew he must have been pulled into yet another confusing group chat.

He ignored the buzzing and completed his test before finally checking the 4×100 relay group, where he saw a string of mentions. As soon as he opened the chat, the first message he saw was a mention from Jiang Zhihuo.

Yan Mu casually typed back: Mhm.

Fifteen seconds later.

M retracted a message.

M: Mhm, mhm.

-?

-????

-?????

The group chat was flooded with question marks.

– Is this the God Yan?

– God Yan is also participating in the relay?

– Is that really what matters? Shouldn’t the real focus be on God Yan showing off his cuteness?

Jiang Zhihuo noticed the message retraction and saw the ‘mhm, mhm’ that sounded so cute. Forgetting to keep up his usual persona, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Qu Xiao heard that light, playful laugh and curiously leaned over, asking, “Shin, what are you laughing at?”

It had to be something truly funny if it could make the usually stoic bartender crack a smile.

“Nothing,” Jiang Zhihuo replied quickly, regaining his composure. He pretended to reach out for some tools on the other side of the bar, discreetly turning his back to avoid the boss’s gaze.

For some reason today, Qu Xiao had been sitting at the bar, watching him with a peculiar look since Jiang Zhihuo started his shift. Every time Jiang Zhihuo turned around, the boss would avert his eyes, pretending as if he was saying, ‘I wasn’t watching you.’

Jiang Zhihuo: ?

Qu Xiao was equally perplexed.

Ever since Yan Mu came out to them and admitted he was going to start pursuing someone, the first thing he told him was: Don’t schedule him for any shifts this week.

Qu Xiao: “Why?”

Even though he had promised that as soon as Yan Mu spoke up, he would immediately give Jiang Zhihuo time off, Shin was still his employee. As a part-timer, he also contributed value. Qu Xiao, though young, had been a boss for some time and couldn’t help but develop a bit of a capitalist mindset.

How can an employee who isn’t doing anything valuable still get to take a break?

Yan Mu’s reasoning was incredibly straightforward, and Qu Xiao could hardly believe such an excuse had come from him.

He said, “There’s a sports meet; he needs to train to bring glory to the school.”

To bring glory to the school!

Who would believe that!

Everyone knew that! Training for the sports meet meant running together at night, stretching afterwards, hanging out, relaxing, and lying on the sports field watching the stars when tired out.

They hadn’t even cleared up the kissing rumors or the whole omega situation yet! Unexpectedly, Yan Mu declared his intention to pursue someone and began making plans. He had never been proactive about chasing girls; he hadn’t even made a move on the school beauty in ages, yet here he was, scheming about a sports meet for that same ice-cold guy!

He must have bent long ago!

When Jiang Zhihuo gave him a puzzled look again, Qu Xiao said, “You don’t need to come to work starting tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “????”

Those words came out of nowhere. Jiang Zhihuo kept his composure and said, “I got fired?”

“No,” Qu Xiao said. “We have enough staff for these couple of weeks, and you’re still in school. I want things to be a bit easier for you.”

Jiang Zihuo: “I see.”

That sounded good to him. He felt a bit more at ease; it would’ve been a hassle to lose his job while he still had things to take care of.

After nine, the bar was starting to get busy, but Qu Xiao let Jiang Zhihuo leave early. Jiang Zhihuo changed his clothes, grabbed his bag, and opened the door, only to bump into a man.

The man looked like he had just gotten off work. He was dressed in a suit, carrying a briefcase, and his hair was neatly combed. One look and you could tell he was an elite, working in an upscale central business district, handling huge deals every minute.

The bar was in a prime spot on the commercial street, nicely decorated, and in a great location, so it attracted all kinds of people. After work, social elites showed an entirely different side of themselves at the bar.

The man was a regular, visiting the bar every Wednesday and Saturday, only ordering a drink and sitting in a corner.

He naturally recognized Jiang Zhihuo and asked, “Are you off work?”

“Mhm.” Jiang Zhihuo replied. “There’s something going on at school.”

“Good,” the man nodded at him and entered the bar.

Jiang Zhihuo didn’t leave immediately; instead, he stood outside for a bit.

The man went to the bar to order a drink but didn’t head for his usual empty spot. He turned back to check the staff’s schedule for the upcoming week.

Jiang Zhihuo pulled up his hood, slung his bag over one shoulder, and left the bar.

9 PM.

At that aimless hour, Jiang Zhihuo didn’t feel like going home so soon. He pulled out his phone and checked the 4×100 relay group chat, where they were talking about going to the sports field to run a few laps for endurance training after evening study.

Jiang Zhihuo sent a message to the group, saying he’d join the training team, and mentioned Yan Mu.

Jiang Zhihuo: @M, Yan-ge, want to join?

The group didn’t have high expectations for a positive response.

After all, it was the god of learning!

From what they’d heard, he’d only joined the relay because the team was short on people and the PE teacher had made him join.

Poor Yan Mu, who hadn’t planned on joining the sports meet at all, was now being forced to compete in both the high jump and the relay.

To everyone’s surprise, shortly after Jiang Zhihuo sent that message, Yan Mu showed up in the group.

M: Good.

M: Will be late, something’s up in the classroom.

Everyone: !

Lincheng No. 1 High School ended the evening study at ten o’clock.

Jiang Zhihuo got to the sports field early and played on his phone while he waited. When the bell rang, the once quiet campus burst into noise as groups of students headed toward the field.

Jiang Zhihuo met up with the relay team members, and together they ran a couple of laps around the sports field.

Zong Bei, who was also competing in the 800 meters, came down to run some laps. Since running alone was pretty boring, he shamelessly joined Jiang Zhihuo and the others when he spotted them.

The sports field was always at its liveliest during the week before the sports meet.

Besides the endurance runners training on the sports field, there were also students practicing for the marching formation. Even though three schools were working together, they still couldn’t avoid the marching practice. Each school had fifteen teams, with five from each grade.

The marching formation represented the school’s image and was naturally made up of the taller, better-looking students. Jiang Zhihuo and Yan Mu, as the two popular school guys didn’t have to take part in the march since they were already the participants in the event. Meanwhile, taller students from other classes were being recruited everywhere.

Several formations had already assembled on the sports field. Two of them, having finished practicing their formations and chants, were now rehearsing on the track. Bai Yujun stood at the very front of the team, holding up a sign and representing the group.

For high school students who rarely exercised, two laps, or 800 meters, felt almost like a near-death experience. After finishing the run, they rushed to the grassy area, completely worn out.

Nine of them sat on the grass chatting.

“By the way, the school beauty really is beautiful,” Boy A sighed.

“I really envy her,” Girl A said, “If only I were that tall and thin. My calves are all muscle, and it’s tough!”

Zong Bei: “Eat less then.”

Girl A: “But I’ll get hungry; how can I study when I’m hungry?”

Girl B: “Exactly. If I want to lose weight, I have to eat less; but if I eat less, I get hungry, which makes it harder to focus on studying, and my grades get worse. That makes me feel down, so I end up binge eating to relieve stress. It’s a vicious cycle.”

They were having a great conversation. Some in the group were classmates, while the others, although unfamiliar with each other, quickly adapted to the atmosphere Jiang Zhihuo created. Before long, they were already discussing strategies for assigning team members to the relay race.

The track was bustling with people, and the lights shone down from a distance.

Just as they were enjoying their conversation, a few tall figures suddenly appeared beside them, casting long shadows under the bright lights.

They weren’t wearing Lincheng No. 1 High School uniforms.

Lincheng No. 1’s autumn uniform was white with two red stripes running from the shoulders to the cuffs, whereas these people were dressed in gray-green uniforms.

From Qixing High School.

In the week leading up to the sports meeting, Lincheng No. 1 High School’s sports field was opened to the public since the event would be held there. Participants from the other two schools would come ahead of time to familiarize themselves with the venue.

In recent days, quite a few students wearing uniforms from other schools had been coming in, and this situation hadn’t attracted too much attention.

The group stopped beside the relay team. One of them stood with hands on hips, looked around, and sneered. “Is this it?”

“So, this is what No. 1 High School is like?”

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The author has something to say:

It seems that there have been quite a few chapters without any kissing!

Sweeties, mama wants to make a deal. How about a kiss tomorrow?

Thank you all so much for your support; I’ll keep working hard!