novelraw Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Chapter 46 You’re the BestAt 7:15 in the evening, in a corner of Yishi High School’s soccer field, the massive floodlights cast a bright, intense light over the entire playground.
At this moment, the outer track of the field was dotted with groups of sports students from Yishi High School, warming up and training together. In the nearby rest area, others who had finished their workouts or training tasks were gathered, chatting and joking around.
However, many of their gazes were fixed on another corner of the field.
In the inner lane of that track, a boy dressed in a black hoodie and pants, his tall and straight figure accentuated by the outfit, was slowly retreating, his eyes fixed on the girl in front of him.
—
“Adjust your breathing rhythm, yes—inhale for two steps, exhale for two steps.”
“…Huff…” Despite being encouraged this way, the girl’s breathing grew more and more rapid, and her originally pale face had turned red.
After a few more steps, she finally couldn’t hold on any longer. Her pace slowed from a near jog to a walk, and then she stopped altogether—
“Wen Yufeng… I-I really can’t go on…”
Qin Qing clutched her heaving chest, taking small, shallow breaths. The light strands of hair on her forehead were damp with sweat, and her once rosy lips had taken on a moist, reddish hue.
But Wen Yufeng’s expression, which he rarely showed in front of her, was stern.
He glanced at his stopwatch, his thin lips pressed into a line, and a sharp, severe arc appeared in his long, narrow eyes.
“You’ve only jogged two and a half laps, and you’re already out of energy.”
Qin Qing lowered her eyes guiltily and muttered in a small voice, “My PE grades have always been bad…”
“This isn’t about your PE grades.”
Wen Yufeng looked down at her, his eyes uncharacteristically severe. “Your physical condition means that your immune system is incredibly weak. If there’s even a slight virus going around, you’ll be the first to get sick. And over time, whether it’s your organs or other parts of your body, they’ll all be in a sub-healthy state. Have you ever thought about how bad that could be for you in the future?”
“…”
Startled by the sharpness in his tone, Qin Qing shrank back, blinking her big, innocent almond-shaped eyes at Wen Yufeng.
Wen Yufeng felt a softness in his heart under her gaze, and after a few seconds, he snapped back to his senses, feeling both exasperated and helpless. “Sweetie, don’t think you can get away with this by using your charms.”
Qin Qing: “…”
…Using my charms??
Wen Yufeng, avoiding the even more innocent expression on her face, bent down, grabbed her hand, and began to lead her into a slow jog again.
Qin Qing, too focused on protesting his earlier words, had no choice but to follow. Her face scrunched up in alarm. “But I haven’t finished resting yet—”
“You can’t stop immediately after running, especially since what you just ran doesn’t even count as a warm-up.”
“I’m not like you…”
“Like me?” The boy, who was effortlessly jogging backward while holding her hand, chuckled and looked steadily at her. “Where do you get that confidence?”
“…”
Qin Qing pouted, her cheeks puffing up in annoyance.
After a couple of seconds, she lowered her head to look at the long legs moving steadily under her gaze, grumbling, “Your legs are so much longer than mine. Of course, I can’t keep up with you…”
“Ah…” Wen Yufeng laughed softly. “So you know your legs are short, yet you still don’t want to run more?”
As soon as he said this, he let go of her hand and started running ahead of her.
Qin Qing was momentarily stunned by his words, but after a couple of seconds, she snapped out of it, her almond-shaped eyes widening as she instinctively chased after him.
By the time she had caught up with him, or rather, after he had deliberately kept a half-lap ahead of her, Qin Qing was completely out of breath. Her legs gave way, and she stumbled slightly. Before she could regain her balance, the boy who had stopped in front of her caught her in his arms.
The faint scent of mint and tobacco filled Qin Qing’s senses, bringing her back to full awareness.
“You smoked again?”
Qin Qing looked up from his embrace, her tone serious and her face tight.
Wen Yufeng, who had been about to make a teasing comment, was forced to swallow his words.
He furrowed one of his eyebrows slightly. “…It helps me stay alert.”
Before Qin Qing could say anything else, a chorus of whistles suddenly sounded from the rest area just a few meters away.
Qin Qing froze, turning her head to look.
The sports students in the rest area had somehow turned their attention to them, and many of them were smirking and laughing suggestively at the two of them.
Qin Qing suddenly realized that she was still in Wen Yufeng’s arms.
She quickly tried to step back.
But it was as if Wen Yufeng had anticipated her movement. Just as Qin Qing took a step back, he moved forward, his arm around her pulling her back into his embrace.
“…Wen Yufeng!”
Qin Qing called out his name in mild exasperation, looking up at him.
“Tomorrow morning during self-study, take the day off.”
Qin Qing, distracted by the sudden change in topic, instinctively responded, “Huh? Why?”
“From now on, every Sunday morning, I’m going to take you for some basic physical training. And before evening self-study every day, you’ll at least come to the field to run two laps.”
“…”
Qin Qing’s almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief.
“Come on, let’s go ask for leave.”
Wen Yufeng didn’t give her a chance to argue. He let his hands drop, and with his left hand, he wrapped her right hand in his palm.
Then he began to lead her off the field.
Even as they walked away, the sports students in the rest area continued to make playful remarks—
“Is that the girl they were talking about, the one Wen Yufeng has his eye on?”
“She really is pretty and cute. Not as plain as they said… Who was it that said she wasn’t a match for Wen Yufeng?”
“Not a match? Don’t be fooled by how delicate she looks. She’s actually the darling of all the second-year classes—first place in math, English, physics, and chemistry in the last monthly exams. If we’re talking about ‘not a match,’ maybe it’s not her who’s unworthy.”
“Haha, honestly, Wen Yufeng’s academic performance can’t even compare to ours; the only reason he’s so free at Yishi High is because of his family. Haven’t you noticed even Director Sun can’t do anything about him?”
“True… I wonder what that girl sees in him? Is it just his looks?”
“Hey, I heard from a student in Class 7 that Wen Yufeng is the one chasing after her.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is?”
“…”
Wen Yufeng suddenly stopped in his tracks, his body tensing slightly.
After a couple of seconds, he raised his eyes and started to pull Qin Qing forward again.
But the next moment, he felt a resistance in his left hand.
Wen Yufeng was startled and looked down at the girl beside him.
At the same time, Qin Qing looked up.
Her eyes were clear and bright, glistening with a watery shine—
“Is that what you were talking about with Lin Wentao the other day?”
Wen Yufeng stared at her for two seconds before averting his gaze. “No… Let’s go.”
But before he could take a step, his left hand was tugged back again.
“So, is that why you were in such a bad mood after you came back that day? Did he say the same thing about you?”
“…”
Wen Yufeng sighed, a faint smile playing on his lips as he turned back to face her, lowering his gaze.
He had to admit, the seemingly most innocent girl could sometimes be so perceptive that he couldn’t handle it.
Qin Qing had already gleaned the answer from his silence.
She slowly released his hand.
“I understand… Wait here for me, Wen Yufeng.”
Without waiting for his response, Qin Qing turned and ran toward the rest area.
It was as if a surge of anger had reignited a dwindling source of energy in her exhausted body.
Those careless jokes clashed within her, sending waves of anger through her mind, only making her expression and gaze grow colder.
With this icy resolve, she ran all the way to the rest area and stopped in front of the students there.
When she stopped, she was still pale and gasping for breath, supporting herself with her hands on her knees.
The sports students, startled by her sudden appearance, couldn’t help but laugh.
Ignoring their laughter, Qin Qing slowly straightened up, her expression blank.
“Are your academic grades really that good?”
Her voice carried a cool detachment that cut through the early autumn night and the empty field.
The sports students were momentarily taken aback.
Their grades were, of course, at the bottom of their classes, not even close to comparing with the girl in front of them.
But one of them, who was quick-witted, quickly understood her purpose.
He glanced warily at where Wen Yufeng was standing, but remembering that he was surrounded by his own friends while Wen Yufeng was alone, he responded with a mocking smile, “At least they’re better than that guy who’s always skipping class, fighting, and coming in last in the grade.”
Qin Qing’s gaze swept over the group, finally settling on the one who had spoken.
“What percentage are your grades in the entire school?”
As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, the gesture adding a touch of playful cuteness.
But the indifference in her expression and gaze only made it more chilling.
The boy hesitated. “…Probably the bottom ten percent…” After a moment, he gritted his teeth and added with a sneer, “But so what? Isn’t Wen Yufeng in the bottom five percent?”
Qin Qing, looking as though she wholeheartedly agreed, nodded. “Scoring ten out of a hundred and feeling proud to mock someone’s five out of a hundred—especially in front of someone who scored a hundred?”
She paused, blinking innocently. “Did your math teacher give you that confidence?”
The boy’s face flushed red. “What does this have to do with you—”
“Even though my grades are average,” Qin Qing interrupted him, “I can still teach elementary school math—like, what’s greater between a hundred minus ten and ten minus five? Oh… now that I think about it, that might be more of a kindergarten level problem.”
The boy finally lost his temper and abruptly stood up. “I’m letting it slide because you’re a girl, but don’t push—”
“Push what?”
A lazy voice suddenly interrupted.
The sports students instinctively looked over.
The boy who had been standing outside the field had somehow come over.
With one hand in his pocket, he lazily glanced up, his expression indifferent as he looked at the boy who had spoken.
In stark contrast to his casual tone, there was a sharp glint in his eyes, like the edge of a blade.
The cold, emotionless gaze made everyone there involuntarily tense.
It was as if they were being stared down by a predator. The sports students, now on high alert, all stood up, a trace of fear in their eyes.
Wen Yufeng’s thin lips curved slightly, and his smile suddenly carried a hint of something dangerous, almost bloodthirsty.
He lifted his long legs, ready to continue up the steps toward them.
The sports students now looked more like a herd of deer that had caught the scent of a predator.
Wen Yufeng’s reputation as the school tyrant had been cemented through numerous conflicts with people like them. They were all too familiar with his fighting skills.
Just then, Qin Qing suddenly ran over and blocked Wen Yufeng’s path, lifting her head to look at him.
“I remember telling you—what I’d do if your wound reopened.”
The aggressive aura surrounding Wen Yufeng suddenly dissipated.
After a couple of seconds, he looked down at her, resigned.
“It might not reopen.”
Hearing this, Qin Qing’s eyes widened. She grabbed his left arm and, without another word, started pulling him away.
Wen Yufeng’s gaze flickered for a moment, but in the end, he only cast a cold glance at the sports student who had spoken.
Then, with a resigned smile, he let Qin Qing lead him away.
A few moments later, they reached the edge of the field.
Qin Qing, who had been walking ahead, stopped.
Then she turned around, looking up at Wen Yufeng with a determined expression.
“I won’t be interacting with that guy from Class 7 anymore.”
Qin Qing clenched her fingers.
“He’s not as good as you.”
After saying that, Qin Qing slowly shook her head.
“No, none of them can compare to you. —You’re the best.”