Chapter 36: It’s Not Like It’s Impossible :

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Jiang Mingzhi pointed to the honey-glazed chicken wings on the plate. “Why don’t you try my wings?”

Zhuang Heyang laughed. “When did Jiang Meimei grow wings?”

“No.” Guan Jingxu didn’t move.

Seeing that his friend was clueless, Zhuang Heyang became a little anxious. Did he not understand the concept of give and take? The more back and forth there was, the greater the chance for something to develop.

He reached for the chicken wing with his chopsticks. “Jiang Meimei, if he doesn’t want it, I’ll take it.”

Guan Jingxu knocked his chopsticks away and grabbed a piece of chicken wing from Jiang Mingzhi’s plate.

Zhuang Heyang clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, “What’s he pretending for?”

Jiang Mingzhi pointed to the two remaining chicken wings on her plate. “There’s still some left. If you want them, go ahead and take them.”

He waved his hand. “No, Jiang Meimei, you’re so skinny. Eat more meat. I won’t fight you for it.”

Meng Yuanyuan, who was chewing on stir-fried beef, immediately felt the food in her mouth lose its appeal when she heard this.

Jiang Mingzhi said to her, “Yuanyuan, you should eat more too, so you have the energy to run.”

Zhuang Heyang added, “Yeah, yeah, you’re going to run 3000 meters.”

Meng Yuanyuan didn’t hear the usual comments like “You’re too fat, you should eat less.” She had heard those words too many times before. Back when she used to eat with that middle school friend, she’d always remind herself to eat less.

After high school, the two of them were split into different classes, so she didn’t hear those comments often. But whenever they hung out or had milk tea together, her friend would say something about it.

What annoyed her was that her friend always had this “I’m saying this for your own good” attitude. It made her mad, but she couldn’t really get angry. Still, it hurt to hear it.

That’s why she preferred hanging out with Jiang Mingzhi.

Jiang Mingzhi never said those hurtful things disguised as advice.

“We’ll start running for half an hour every day at the track. Do you want to join us?” Jiang Mingzhi invited the two boys, mainly because having more people would help with mutual supervision, making it easier to stick with it.

Zhuang Heyang replied, “Sure, I’ve signed up for the 1500 meters. You guys better cheer for me.”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled. “I’ll be there as long as you don’t ask me to read a script while you’re running.”

She also had a job at the school’s broadcasting station, where they kept track of the events people had signed up for. Liao Jin would soon finalize the schedule for the sports meet.

She had been at the broadcasting station for almost a month, and was already familiar with the process, having read scripts three or four times.

Zhuang Heyang joked, “If you’re going to read a script while I’m running, then I want the broadcast team to cheer me on instead.”

“Sure.”

As they were quietly eating, Guan Jingxu suddenly spoke up. “Will the broadcasting station be too busy at that time?”

Jiang Mingzhi asked, “What, are you planning to be an outside helper?”

Guan Jingxu smiled, and his laughter sounded like a refreshing mountain stream in the summer, sending ripples through Jiang Mingzhi’s heart like a stone dropped into water.

“It’s not like it’s impossible.”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled, “I’ll tell Liao Jin. She’ll definitely be happy.”

But will you be happy?

Guan Jingxu silently asked himself in his heart.

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At 7 p.m., the four of them went to the track. With the sports meet approaching, the number of people running on the field multiplied at an accelerated rate.

After a simple warm-up, they started running. At first, Jiang Mingzhi was full of enthusiasm, pumping up Meng Yuanyuan to push herself, determined to be the queen of the track.

After half a lap, she decided walking was fine. She’d rather be the turtle of the track than speed up.

As for Meng Yuanyuan, she had left the other two boys to take care of the “motivation,” while she was responsible for just lying back.

Guan Jingxu passed her, lapping her once, then slowed down as he came up beside her. “Can’t run anymore?”

Jiang Mingzhi nodded.

Guan Jingxu said, “Then you can rest on the grass for a bit.”

Jiang Mingzhi was tempted, but when she thought of Meng Yuanyuan, who had asked her to join, energized by the encouragement and the flag she had set, it would be too embarrassing to be the first to give up.

Clenching her teeth, she sped up, “I can still run a little.”

“I’ll keep you company.”

Jiang Mingzhi kept her mouth shut and said nothing.

After running one and a half laps, she waved her hand. “I’m done, no more running.”

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and found a spot on the grass that was a little more spacious to sit on.

Guan Jingxu sat down beside her.

“You’re not running anymore? Well, that’s just perfect. I’ll talk to Liao Jin about you being an outside helper.”

“Sure.”

Guan Jingxu sat down about twenty centimeters away from her, his long legs bent, both arms resting on his knees, and his back slightly curved—showing the carefree demeanor typical of a young man.

“When Liao Jin asks you what events you signed up for, I’ll let her know.”

“High jump, 200-meter hurdles, and a relay.”

The lights on the track were dim, and the grass on the inner track was so dark that it was hard to see people. Guan Jingxu’s face was hidden in the shadows, but he was boldly staring at Jiang Mingzhi’s face, which was illuminated by her phone screen.

Tiny beads of sweat were on her nose, and the light from her phone reflected in her eyes, as if a bright moon were shining in her pupils.

Guan Jingxu couldn’t help but think, if the school were to crack down on early relationships, wouldn’t they be driven away by the discipline teacher for sitting so close, a boy and a girl together?

From a distance, Zhuang Heyang’s voice reached them, encouraging Meng Yuanyuan: “Come on! Close your mouth, stretch your steps! Look, Jiang Meimei and Guan Jingxu have already run ahead, catch up with them!”

Guan Jingxu: “……”

Jiang Mingzhi clearly heard him as well. She chuckled lightly, leaning slightly toward Guan Jingxu, placing a hand over her mouth, and whispering, “I feel like we’re like carrots in front of Meng Yuanyuan, always being chased but never caught.”

They had already started slacking off, but Meng Yuanyuan still thought they were ahead and kept them as her goal. It was just like a donkey being dangled a carrot.

Guan Jingxu didn’t really hear what Jiang Mingzhi said; he could only feel her body close to his, like a small sun, making his heart race and his body heat up.

Jiang Mingzhi pulled up a math problem on her phone and asked Guan Jingxu to help her solve it.

Guan Jingxu took the phone from her hand, their skin lightly touching, and a sweet feeling spread in his heart.

The proximity of a girl so close to him made his mind race. He could feel her slightly heavy breathing from running and smell the faint fragrance on her. Everything about this made him lose focus.

He stared at the problem for a long time.

So long that Jiang Mingzhi finally asked, “Haven’t you finished reading the question yet?”

As she spoke, she looked up and realized that Guan Jingxu’s side profile was so close to her lips, just a fist’s distance away.

She could kiss him with the slightest movement.

Jiang Mingzhi quickly leaned back, trying to cover it up. “This question is really hard.”

“Mm.” Guan Jingxu forced himself to focus on the problem.

But the burning heat in his ears reminded him of the fluttering feelings in his chest. Thankfully, it was dark here, and Jiang Mingzhi couldn’t see it.

After briefly explaining the steps to her, Guan Jingxu saw that the time was almost up. He looked around for Meng Yuanyuan and Zhuang Heyang’s figures. “It’s time to go.”

“Mm,” Guan Jingxu stood up first and extended his hand to her. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Mingzhi stared at the slender hand of the boy, froze for a moment, and then naturally placed her hand in his, using his strength to stand up.

Where their fingers interlocked felt electrified, and Guan Jingxu felt like his palm was on fire. Her hand was so soft, too soft for him to dare grip tightly.

After standing up, their hands quickly separated. Jiang Mingzhi patted her behind and called out to Meng Yuanyuan, who was about to run over to them, “Let’s go, no more running.”

Meng Yuanyuan immediately rushed into her arms, hoarsely complaining, “I’m dying.”

“You finished running for half an hour, you’re amazing,” Jiang Mingzhi said, half-dragging her toward the track exit.

Zhuang Heyang chimed in from the side with sarcastic remarks. “Amazing? Running one lap, walking two laps, like being pushed around in a dung ball.”

Jiang Mingzhi shot him a glare.

On the first day, how could he discourage her enthusiasm?

Guan Jingxu punched him on the back. “If she’s a dung ball, then what are you?”

“A dung beetle.”

Meng Yuanyuan coughed and laughed, covering her throat and calling out, “My throat, my throat~ Baoyuan!”

The dim streetlights stretched the shadows of the boys long, and laughter filled the air on the campus.

A person’s youth holds many nights, but the night of being 17 feels like an age-restricted period. When you reach maturity and look back on it, you’ll realize how precious those aimless youth days truly were.