Chapter 21

In the morning, Yan Ning had been muttering about not letting Yan Yu slip through her fingers, but she didn’t expect to catch that little rascal so soon.

She was contemplating which posture would make Yan Yu’s apology the most satisfying, and when she lowered her gaze, she noticed Gu Tian obediently standing nearby. Seeing her lost in thought, Yan Ning didn’t disturb her.

Is this child a bit too thin?

Yan Ning glanced at the other girls on the track. While most were not tall and were on the slimmer side, none were as petite as Gu Tian.

Gu Tian noticed her confusion and smiled faintly. “I’ve been in poor health since I was young. I don’t grow much, and I can’t gain weight either.”

“I see. I’m sorry,” Yan Ning apologized for her rudeness, surprised at Gu Tian’s keen insight.

After spending some time with her classmates, Yan Ning had come to realize that they all had their quirks, but she didn’t expect even this randomly encountered young lady to be so sharp.

Yan Yu, having been discovered by Yan Ning, didn’t dare turn his gaze back again.

Having his secret uncovered by the one person he least wanted to find out felt as if he were suddenly naked on a bustling street. The shame was overwhelming, and a faint sense of foreboding crept into his heart—he couldn’t shake the feeling that Yan Ning would do something.

But what could she possibly do? She was like a block of wood, barely speaking at home.

Yan Yu was still worried about Gu Tian. That little girl, with her fragile health, had insisted on joining the competition. With her sluggish pace, she was bound to come in last. She wouldn’t listen to reason, and he was afraid something might happen to her, so he had no choice but to follow her closely from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Yan Wan, from the fourth floor, also noticed Gu Tian.

She was the youngest daughter of a family close to the Yan family, with the Yan and Gu families maintaining strong ties. Yan Yu was quite fond of that little girl, but due to her poor health, Gu Tian rarely attended social events.

Yan Wan formulated an idea. Making Yan Ning’s position in the Yan family difficult would only require a little push in the right direction.

At this moment, the competition on the sports field was about to begin. The gym teacher called out, “Ready!” The competitors, lined up according to their assigned lanes, assumed their starting positions.

As the starting gun fired, everyone dashed forward.

Yan Ning and Gu Tian’s tracks were next to each other, with Gu Tian on the outer lane, so her starting line was slightly ahead.

Yan Ning started at a normal pace and quickly overtook Gu Tian, who trailed behind with her small, shuffling steps.

Yan Ning couldn’t help but let out a soft “Huh?” If her pace was like a high-speed train, and the other students’ pace resembled buses, then Gu Tian’s was akin to a rickety tricycle—one that was falling apart at that.

She sprinted to the front, glanced back, and sure enough, Gu Tian was trailing in last place.

This race required an extra 200 meters compared to the others, making it even harder to control than single-leg long jumps or sprints. From the start, Yan Ning had planned to widen the gap significantly.

By the time she finished the first lap, she had already opened up a half-lap lead over the other competitors.

The students watching from the stands were dumbfounded.

Yan Ning ran faster and faster. As she was about to lap Gu Tian for the second time, she slowed down briefly to observe.

The girl’s strides were small, and she ran slowly, but she was earnest in her efforts.

“Ah!” Suddenly, Gu Tian let out a short yelp as her body tilted forward.

Standing outside the track, Yan Yu’s heart nearly stopped. He shouted in panic, “Tiantian!”

Gu Tian felt her foot trip on something and lost control, falling forward. Instinctively, she shut her eyes.

The anticipated pain didn’t arrive. Instead, she seemed to land in a warm, soft place, accompanied by a pleasant, gentle scent. Tentatively opening her eyes, she saw fair skin before her. Following her gaze upward, she met a pair of sharp, piercing eyes, causing her to shrink back slightly.

Yan Ning was holding Gu Tian, her gaze sweeping over her to ensure she wasn’t injured before asking, “Are you okay?”

Yan Ning had been only a few steps behind when she saw Gu Tian almost fall flat on the track. In two swift steps, she caught her.

Gu Tian stood up from Yan Ning’s arms, lowering her head with a bit of embarrassment. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Tiantian—” Yan Yu called out, trying to run over, but a teacher outside the track stopped him.

Yan Ning stood up, preparing to continue the race.

“Whoosh—” She caught a faint sound in the air and immediately grabbed Gu Tian, flipping sideways to evade the sudden attack.

Just like last time, there was only the sharp sound of a blade slicing through the air with no visible object.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—”

Three consecutive sounds followed. Yan Ning evaded them by constantly shifting her position, but the final one had an especially tricky angle, heading straight for her face.

With one arm holding Gu Tian, Yan Ning leaned back and turned sideways, trying to catch the invisible blade with her free hand. She was a second too late and only managed to brush its tail.

Yan Ning felt a pang of regret but kept Gu Tian tightly shielded in her embrace.

“Ah!” Gu Tian, cradled in Yan Ning’s arms, suddenly screamed in terror, covering her cheek with her hand.

Yan Ning immediately leaped off the track with Gu Tian in her arms. Lowering her gaze to check her condition, her pupils contracted—she saw blood.

Despite trying her best to shield Gu Tian in her arms, the grazing blade still managed to cut Gu Tian’s right cheek. Blood quickly seeped from the wound.

The situation happened so suddenly that when the teacher saw the blood on Gu Tian’s face, his heart skipped a beat.

“Tiantian—” Yan Yu ran over, and upon seeing the blood on Gu Tian’s face, he shoved Yan Ning aside. “What are you doing?! You jinx! Do you know she…”

“Brother Yan Yu!” Gu Tian called out, holding a handkerchief to her cheek.

Yan Ning looked at the handkerchief soaked in blood, feeling completely at a loss. “What happened? Your blood…”

“Gu Tian can’t handle injuries. As soon as she bleeds, it’s hard for her to form a scab. How could you… How could you let her get hurt on her face?” Yan Yu’s voice was filled with anger. “If you’re mad at me, why take it out on her?”

He thought Yan Ning had intentionally carried Gu Tian on the track to take revenge on him.

“I didn’t.”

“Are you still making excuses? I don’t like you, and you’re upset with me, so you target her? She’s been frail since she was a child, can’t run or jump, and only after much persuasion did her family let her participate in the race, just to experience a normal school life. Why are you so petty, so despicable, that you’d hurt her too?” Yan Yu exploded in anger.

“It’s not like that, Brother Yan Yu…” Gu Tian covered her face, the blood almost completely soaking the handkerchief.

But Yan Yu misunderstood, and she tried to clear up the misunderstanding. Yan Ning didn’t want to hurt her, she had been trying to save her.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this for now. Teacher, we need to get Gu Tian to stop the bleeding quickly.” Yan Ning was too tired to argue with Yan Yu. The little rascal had his mind clouded by anger, and there was no reasoning with him.

“Ah, okay, we’ll take her to the infirmary right away. You…”

“I’ll go too,” Yan Ning said.

Gu Tian had a special condition, so if the nurse at the infirmary couldn’t stop the bleeding, Yan Ning would figure out how to help her.

Yan Ning hadn’t finished the 1,000-meter race. By the time she and Gu Tian returned from the infirmary, the competition had already ended.

Gu Tian tugged at Yan Ning’s shirt, lowering her head with red-rimmed eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s all because of me.”

Yan Ning gently patted her head, her voice soft. “It’s okay, it was just a race.”

“But—”

“It’s really fine. When you’ve recovered, you can come find me in Class 5 to play,” Yan Ning squatted down to look Gu Tian in the eyes.

“Okay, I’ll definitely come find you.” Gu Tian’s big eyes, already wide, suddenly sparkled as if starry light had been scattered in them, looking bright and lovable.

A driver from Gu Tian’s family waited at the school gate. A chubby aunt got out of the car and carried Gu Tian into it.

Yan Ning watched as the car disappeared from her view before turning and heading back to school. When she returned to the area for Class 5 in Grade 7, she found Chen Kai. “Sorry, I couldn’t finish the race.”

It had been a race she was sure to win, but the accident prevented that. Ultimately, it was her responsibility. The responsibility for Gu Tian’s injury also lay with her, and Yan Ning felt a bit downhearted.

Chen Kai was holding various forms in his hands. When he looked up and saw her, he patted the seat next to him. Yan Ning walked over and sat down.

“How could you run so fast? Whoosh—just like that, you overtook that girl from Class 3. You’re so strong, even when carrying someone, you could do a side flip—so cool!!! Even though you didn’t win the race, you were amazing! Can you teach me how to do a side flip?”

The first “Yan Ning fan” from Class 5 of Grade 7 had appeared, but Yan Ning hadn’t noticed it yet.

She just felt that Chen Kai’s eyes were bright, and he was very excited, but he didn’t blame her for losing the race. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As for what happened today, she had thought a lot on the way back from the infirmary. If it wasn’t an alien, then there was only one possibility—Yan Wan.

Yan Ning admitted she had always underestimated Yan Wan. Yan Wan might have some kind of support that she hadn’t considered, and her personality was extreme and crazy. To make a move on her in such a public setting was really reckless.

Without 007 by her side, she would have to investigate Yan Wan’s background herself.

Yan Ning gently stroked the silver bracelet on her right wrist. Right now, her spiritual power is limited to Class C.

Even so, there were still many things she could do.

—

After Yan Ning’s race was over, she called Qiao Yingxue and Lu Fengfeng to the dance classroom.

As the day was nearing its end, Yan Ning suddenly remembered, “You’ve been with me every day, won’t your program be affected?”

Lu Fengfeng was sitting in a corner of the dance classroom, eating snacks, with a pile of snacks beside her.

She usually looked ethereal, as if she were above worldly matters, but in private, she was a total foodie. Every time she took a break, she would hide in a corner like a hamster, munching away.

She would always pull different snacks out of her bag, eat some herself, and also share with Yan Ning and Qiao Yingxue.

“Hey, you’re worried about me?” Lu Fengfeng popped a milk candy into her mouth, her eyes widening a bit, as if flattered.

“Of course I’m worried. If you don’t pass the next round because of me, I’ll feel even more guilty than if I didn’t make it myself,” Yan Ning said, popping a milk candy into her mouth too.

“Uh.” Lu Fengfeng scratched her head, half-closing her eyelids to hide the expression in her eyes, but the upward curve of her lips revealed her mood.

Qiao Yingxue, sitting to the side, watched the scene, secretly amazed. “Ningning actually has the upper hand!”