TT Chapter 6. Ting Ting GO!

That evening, Yang Shulin watched Chen Ting hunt for three straight hours in-game. He loved chasing antelope and hyenas. Crocodiles, on the other hand, were the ambush predators he hated most.

In the end, he died from a snake bite in a tomb.

In the game, Chen Ting always managed to find new ways to die. Yang Shulin had even seen him set a trap with explosives for another player, only to somehow light a torch and blow himself up.

Or he drowned.

Or fell to his death.

Or got slashed by bandits passing through.

Or was trampled by an elephant. The list went on.

Chen Ting’s explanation was simple: hand tremors run in the family.

Yang Shulin didn’t really believe him. After all, every time they fought for elective courses online, he was quick and precise. Something had obviously gotten to him. Why else would he suddenly change his QQ status to “Brother Ting is 1.80 meters”?

Height was Chen Ting’s sore spot.

But Chen Ting knew exactly what bothered him. It wasn’t that he couldn’t accept being 173. What he couldn’t accept was that even though he was 173, he somehow looked like he was only 168.

“Ting Ting, what’s wrong?” Lights-out was coming soon, and Yang Shulin couldn’t help reaching up to poke the little lump on the bed above. For some reason, Chen Ting looked seriously aggrieved, which triggered a sudden wave of protective instinct.

Oh no, just look at our adorable little sugar bun Ting Ting. What if he smothers himself under that blanket?

Chen Ting shook his head. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about signing up for the campus sports event.”

“Oh, the sports event,” Yang Shulin said, not thinking much of it. Their class group chat had just been talking about it earlier today. The fall athletics event was about to begin, and this year, their class was in pretty bad shape.

Because there were so few guys in the English department, none of their classes ever scored very high overall. Take Yang Shulin and Wu Yingwen for example. They looked capable, but in reality, they were no good. No matter which event they signed up for, the finals were always out of reach.

The only one who could actually be counted on was Chen Ting, even though he looked like the weakest of them all.

He might look small, but he ran fast and had surprising strength. He was best at short-distance sprints and… shot put. During last year’s sports event, he had made a name for himself with exactly those two.

“Hey, are you two signing up this year?” Yang Shulin turned to their other two roommates.

“Definitely not. We win with our brains,” Bai Yu said proudly. Jiang Hai nodded along in agreement.

That reminded Yang Shulin of something. “Didn’t you two fail PE last semester? Did you pass the makeup exam?”

The room instantly fell into an awkward silence.

Suddenly, Chen Ting felt like maybe being short wasn’t such a big deal. After all, he was living with two people who had failed PE because they couldn’t figure out how to do tai chi. At N University, tai chi was a required part of the PE curriculum.

And Chen Ting was very good at tai chi.

The next day, the signups for the sports event were finalized. Chen Ting registered for three events: the men’s 50 meters, 100 meters, and shot put.

Yang Shulin and Wu Yingwen signed up for long jump, 400 meters, 800 meters, and the novelty event tire race. Whether or not they made it to the finals didn’t matter much. At least the registration sheet looked better with their names on it.

Class monitor Lin Juan was much more ambitious.

“Our goal is to be number one in the department!” Lin Juan even held a special class meeting as a pre-event pep rally. She went over last year’s failures with everyone, called for improvement, and declared her vision: crush the neighboring class and take down the business school.

“Yes! Well said!” Yang Shulin slapped the desk and stood up. Wu Yingwen clapped along with exaggerated enthusiasm. If they couldn’t be useful on the field, then flattery was all they had left.

In Class 423, Lin Juan was the real backbone. She had signed up for five events on her own.

“Don’t worry, Juan-ge. I’ll handle the cheering section this year. You can count on me,” Yang Shulin volunteered with full confidence. When it came to behind-the-scenes work, he really was dependable.

“I’m counting on you.” Lin Juan gave him a firm slap on the shoulder. She looked like she was about to say something more, but then remembered his performance from last year and swallowed her words. Instead, she turned to Chen Ting.

“Ting Ting, it’s all on you now. Go all in. Give it everything.”

Chen Ting felt like the weight of the world had landed on him.

The sports event was scheduled to start on Friday and would last for three days. Yang Shulin had genuinely thrown himself into preparing the cheering section. He even went so far as to order a custom banner and dragged Chen Ting to the supermarket to stock up on supplies.

“Wet wipes, Snickers, chocolate…” Yang Shulin muttered as he scouted the shelves, collecting all sorts of snacks and essentials. In the end, he even grabbed a bag of brown sugar with a mysterious expression and whispered to Chen Ting, “I heard this stuff really works.”

Chen Ting nodded. “Probably, but we should get a new thermos. We can’t exactly let them use one I’ve already drunk from.”

“Good point.” Yang Shulin turned and went to look for a thermos. But as soon as he rounded the corner and saw what was on the shelf, he froze. He looked hesitant, hovering in place and not daring to step forward.

Chen Ting followed, took one look, and stopped in his tracks as well.

He tugged on Yang Shulin’s sleeve. “You’re not seriously thinking of buying that, are you?”

Yang Shulin lowered his voice. “Better to be prepared. You never know… I’m a thoughtful guy.”

“A thoughtful guy only needs wet wipes in his pocket.”

“You never know.”

“Then go grab it.”

“Why don’t you?”

The two of them stared each other down in a quiet standoff. Just then, footsteps came from the other side of the shelf. A moment later, a group of familiar faces appeared—it was none other than the rival students from the neighboring class, the ones Lin Juan had sworn to defeat.

Chen Ting and Yang Shulin turned and walked away in perfect sync.

“Hey, Chen Ting, Yang Shulin!” the other group called out to them, seemingly unaware of what the two had just been about to do.

“Hey there, hahaha…” Yang Shulin responded with a dry laugh.

The other boy gave him a strange look, confused by the sudden change in attitude. Just yesterday, Yang Shulin had been talking tough. Now he was being all friendly. Suspicious, he glanced into Yang Shulin’s shopping basket. The moment he saw what was inside, he understood. With a mocking tone, he said, “Tsk tsk, Yang Shulin, since when did you become the women’s committee chair?”

Yang Shulin glanced into his basket in return. “Like you’re any better.”

They exchanged sharp glares. The conversation stalled and the two groups quickly split off in silence.

Yang Shulin threw one last glare at the boy’s retreating back, then leaned in and muttered to Chen Ting, “How about you go get it, and I’ll pay?”

Chen Ting considered it, then reluctantly agreed. He scanned his surroundings for a long time, making sure no one was nearby. Only then did he step forward and begin to choose.

But soon, he was overwhelmed.

Daytime use and overnight were easy enough. But mesh or cottony soft? How many centimeters? With wings or without? Why were there so many kinds?

Forget it. It didn’t matter. Just grab a pack and get out.

With that resolve, Chen Ting reached out with the hand of a warrior and secured the package. But the moment he turned around, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.

Pei Yiyao was standing exactly five meters behind him. Still as cold as ever, still ridiculously good-looking. If only his gaze hadn’t landed on the item in Chen Ting’s hand, he would’ve looked even better.

“…What a coincidence,” Chen Ting said.

“Mm.”

Chen Ting’s face flushed red. After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out one more line. “I’m helping our class girls prepare supplies.”

Pei Yiyao didn’t react. “Oh.”

Chen Ting wanted nothing more than to disappear on the spot. He didn’t even want to think about why every encounter with Pei Yiyao had to be this awkward. He just wanted to run.

And that’s exactly what he did.

But before he could get far, Pei Yiyao called out behind him.

“Just bring the clothes to me during the sports event.”

Chen Ting didn’t look back. He waved a hand vaguely in reply, then vanished from sight. Even after making it back to the dorm from the supermarket, the redness in his face still hadn’t gone away. One glance at the blue tracksuit in the closet was enough to make his heart sink all over again. He felt like logging into the game and killing himself a hundred times.

He had no idea how he was supposed to face Pei Yiyao during the sports event.

Soon enough, the day arrived.

No matter how unwilling he was, Chen Ting still put the clothes in a bag and brought them to the soccer field. He and Yang Shulin were already carrying a bunch of things, so it didn’t stand out.

The first morning was just the opening ceremony. Everyone was still in good spirits.

“Ting Ting, over here!” Lin Juan spotted Yang Shulin and Chen Ting from afar. When they got close, she pulled two items from her pocket and handed them over.

“Headbands?” Chen Ting asked, looking down at the white and green striped one in his hand.

“Exactly,” Lin Juan said, clearly proud of her idea. “Some classes have custom shirts. We don’t, so we’re all wearing headbands instead. Youthful, energetic, stylish.”

After speaking, she gave Chen Ting a playful wink.

Chen Ting felt a little helpless, but he didn’t mind. He went along with it and put the headband on like everyone else. After he put it on, Chen Ting glanced around. With everyone dressed like this, the group really did look a lot more energized. They stood out on the field as their own little splash of color.

According to campus rules, only first- and second-year students could participate in the fall athletics event. Juniors and seniors, buried under coursework, could only stick their heads up for a brief look before sinking back under.

“All right, people. This is our last year. Let the younger ones see what we’re made of!” Lin Juan raised her fist in the air, rallying the class. Everyone responded with cheers. When the athlete entrance music started playing, Chen Ting was pushed to the very front.

“Ting Ting GO!”

“Ting Ting! Ting Ting!”

“Ting Ting!”

There were more girls watching Chen Ting this year than ever before. Especially with that headband on, it made him look just like that energetic boy who had lit up the stage that night.

Even some students from rival classes looked like they were wavering in their loyalty.

Chen Ting touched his nose, a little embarrassed. But since everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, he didn’t mind.

In the afternoon, the real competition began.

Chen Ting’s 50-meter and 100-meter events were both scheduled early, so nearly everyone in their class rushed to the track to cheer him on. The crowd of support made boys from other departments jealous beyond reason. They stared so hard, it was a wonder Chen Ting didn’t end up full of holes.

The one showing off the most was Yang Shulin. He might not have a girlfriend, but he had no shortage of older and younger girls cheering for him.

If anyone had a problem with that, they could keep it to themselves.

Chen Ting couldn’t help laughing. The smile on his baby face made him look even more endearing. Everyone else in the heat was tall and sturdy. Standing next to Chen Ting, they felt awkward, like just looking his way too long might come off as picking on him.

Fortunately, the race started quickly.

Yang Shulin held a camera in one hand and a water bottle in the other, using it as a makeshift microphone. He looked serious, like he was about to deliver a real broadcast.

“Up next, we have our very own Chen Ting! Our little sunshine, our sweet little angel, a treasure to the world! What kind of miracle will he create for us today? Let’s wait and see!”

Bang! The starting pistol fired.

“He’s off! A little whirlwind tearing down the track… ahhh, he’s first! He’s in the lead! He’s about to cross the line! He wins!!!” Yang Shulin shouted like it was the world finals. “Give it up for Chen Ting! His legs may be short, but look how agile he is! Praise him!”

Good thing Chen Ting hadn’t heard that last part. If he had, he would’ve died on the spot.

Right after the 50-meter sprint, the 100-meter race followed. More and more people crowded near the track, most of them there just to watch Chen Ting. Somewhere in the buzz, he vaguely caught someone saying something about “the revenge of the short legs,” and he honestly couldn’t tell if he should laugh or cry.

But just as he finished the 100-meter race, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd. Wave after wave of people started running northward, like the surge of travelers during the Spring Festival rush.

“Hurry, hurry! If we’re late, we won’t see anything!”

“Oh my god! My Yao-ge’s naked body!”

“Move it!”

Yao-ge? Naked body? Chen Ting blinked in confusion and turned to Yang Shulin. Yang Shulin was already frantically messaging the “Winner Takes All” group chat.

He got a reply almost immediately.

Gou Ge:The freshmen just launched a swimming event. You didn’t hear?

YSL: No I did NOT!!!!!!!

YSL: I’m standing right here at the sports field and I still didn’t know?! I’m devastated!

YSL: What kind of stunt is this from the freshman class?

After finishing his rant, Yang Shulin grabbed Chen Ting and took off running toward the natatorium.