Chapter 37: One Step Ahead

The school sports meeting is a competition between the regular campus and the international department, with both schools sharing the same track and field.

At the opening ceremony, all the classes have to form a formation, and right now, they are practicing the formation during PE class.

During the break, everyone gathered to discuss who would be the banner holder for their formation.

The banner holder would carry the class flag at the very front of the formation, and only those who are good-looking, have good posture, and stand out in appearance are qualified for the role. On that day, their costumes would be different from the others. The girls would usually wear dresses, while the boys would wear suits. However, nowadays with the internet, there are also some abstract choices, like wearing a frog or little bear costume to be the team leader.

In the morning, Mr. Yu, the class advisor, said, “Those who want to be the banner holder, come to me to sign up.”

Everyone’s eyes instantly turned to the few people in the class who were particularly good-looking.

Yang Hui was the first to raise his hand and volunteer, “Teacher, can I cosplay as Ultraman to be the banner holder?”

His desk mate sneered, “With so many good-looking people in our class, do you really think you can pull off something abstract?”

“Yeah, if there’s a beauty, it should definitely be the beauty. When she stands at the front, our class will be so impressive.”

Yang Hui awkwardly lowered his hand. “Then I’ll just step back.”

In the eyes of the students, Wei Daiqing and Jiang Mingzhi were the top candidates for the role of banner holder. Guan Jingxu wasn’t bad either, but since there were more boys in the class, the voices of support for the two girls were louder.

According to sources, Wei Daiqing had already signed up with Mr. Yu at noon.

As for Jiang Mingzhi, she hadn’t made a move by the time the last PE class came around.

Everyone started speculating about why she hadn’t signed up.

“Maybe she’s trying to keep a low profile. It’s just holding a sign, not some supreme honor. She probably doesn’t want to do it.”

“I think so too. Jiang Mingzhi isn’t the type to show off.”

“Maybe she’s just playing it cool, planning to appear last and wow everyone.”

“Do you remember last year’s sports day? Wei Daiqing wore a white dress, oh my, she looked like a fairy. The boys from Class 4 were showing off for a long time.”

“That’s probably because Jiang Mingzhi knew she couldn’t compete with Wei Daiqing, so she gave up.”

Meng Yuanyuan knew that Jiang Mingzhi and Wei Daiqing had a history, and she saw this as a good opportunity. If Jiang Mingzhi could get the banner holder spot, it would be a victory, and she could hold her head high.

“Zhi Zhi, when are you going to sign up with Mr. Yu? Don’t be late. I think Mr. Yu will choose someone tomorrow.”

Jiang Mingzhi purposely put on a stern face. “Do you think I can only win if I hold the sign?”

Meng Yuanyuan quickly denied, “No, no.”

Jiang Mingzhi acted even more serious. “You’re boosting her morale and lowering mine. Or is it that you’ve sat next to her before and are actually on her side?”

Meng Yuanyuan got anxious, “How could that be, Zhi Zhi? I only sat next to her for a few days when the semester started. Once, she even said I was too big and took up too much space.”

Seeing her friend nearly stand up in a panic, Jiang Mingzhi switched to a smile and grabbed her hand. “I know, I’m just teasing you.”

She patted Meng Yuanyuan’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m not anxious at all. This way, Wei Daiqing will get even more anxious.”

Meng Yuanyuan thought for a moment and gave her a thumbs up. “Clever!”

The goal was to make the enemy uncertain about her attitude, so they would be anxious.

So, when Yang Hui came to ask her if she was going to sign up as the banner holder, Jiang Mingzhi clearly stated that she wanted to showcase her talents.

As soon as Wei Daiqing heard that Jiang Mingzhi was going to sign up, she immediately switched to a battle-ready mode.

Jiang Mingzhi wanted to laugh. Originally, she hadn’t planned to clash with Wei Daiqing, but since they had become rivals, she couldn’t resist subtly provoking her from time to time.

This made Jiang Mingzhi very uncomfortable.

She wasn’t a person who could ignore such things.

Whenever Wei Daiqing gave her a look of disdain, Jiang Mingzhi would respond with a mocking yet ambiguous expression.

She would lift her chin, glance at Wei Daiqing from above, and then give her a subtle scan from top to bottom, occasionally offering a cryptic smile.

It was guaranteed to make Wei Daiqing feel uncomfortable the whole day.

The next morning, before class started, Mr. Yu casually mentioned, “Is there anyone else who wants to sign up as the banner holder? Hurry up, because tonight during self-study, I’ll come to class to have everyone vote.”

All day long, Wei Daiqing watched Jiang Mingzhi like a fierce rooster, making it clear how much she wanted to win.

Jiang Mingzhi only responded with a vague smile.

Her smile made Wei Daiqing feel uneasy, and it was rumored that Wei Daiqing had already started pulling votes privately.

Before the evening self-study session started, Yang Hui asked Jiang Mingzhi, “If you get selected, what kind of dress are you planning to wear?”

Jiang Mingzhi seriously discussed with him, “How about a princess dress? Actually, I also like those dresses with a strong aura, the kind that queens wear.”

In just a few words, more and more classmates joined in the discussion, talking about the length of the dress and comparing Japanese and American styles.

Wei Daiqing’s head was nearly smoking with anger, thinking that Jiang Mingzhi was trying to cater to these boys’ taste in aesthetics, just to get them to vote for her.

Before she could curse her for being shameless, she heard Jiang Mingzhi say:

“Unfortunately, I’m not interested in being the banner holder at all. I’ll give the spot to Wei Daiqing. If you have any suggestions, you can talk to her.”

Yang Hui was disappointed. “Ah, you don’t want to be the banner holder?”

He had really wanted to vote for Jiang Mingzhi, since he had already seen Wei Daiqing holding the banner before and wanted to enjoy the view of a different beauty.

Meng Yuanyuan said, “Yeah, my deskmate didn’t even sign up, and you’re all gathered here. Are you trying to nominate her?”

Thus, Wei Daiqing became the banner holder.

Mr. Yu directly announced it on the podium: “This time, the students weren’t very active. Only one student signed up, so there’s no need for voting. We’ll just have Wei Daiqing as the banner holder.”

Wei Daiqing’s face looked unpleasant. There was no joy in her victory.

It’s a frustrating feeling when you’ve prepared so hard for a competition, only to be told that your opponent doesn’t even think you’re worth competing with.

And why was it just her who signed up? Even if there was one more, they could have gone through the voting process, and she could at least have had a “victory moment.”

The way it happened made it seem like Jiang Mingzhi had given up the spot to her.

Jiang Mingzhi smiled and started clapping first. “Congratulations.”

A few scattered claps sounded from the class, some mocking, others like slaps to Wei Daiqing’s face.

She felt like a clown, fighting for something that no one else wanted, treating it like a treasure.

Mr. Yu stood on the podium. “Alright, I hope everyone will actively participate next time when there are physical activities. The sports meeting is coming soon, and those who aren’t participating in the competition should help out those who are—bring them water, write speeches for the broadcast station, and let our class’s name be heard all over the school! Do you understand?”

“Understood.”

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The day of the sports meeting arrived as scheduled.

It was a sunny day, and all the students were arranged by class on the outer edges of the track, waiting to enter in sequence.

The air was filled with the familiar sound of the warm-up music, mixed with the dry scent of the rubber track being baked by the sun, creating a soundtrack for the youthful energy unique to the campus.

Jiang Mingzhi and Meng Yuanyuan tiptoed, trying to look toward the flag-raising platform.

As the classes passed the flag-raising platform, they would stop there for three minutes. Some classes performed dances, some chanted slogans, and others sang songs.

These things, which seemed silly and awkward to do, looked lively from the outside.

Unfortunately, with so many people, Jiang Mingzhi didn’t have a significant height advantage, and couldn’t see what was happening over there. She could only make guesses based on the host’s commentary over the loudspeakers.

Behind her, Guan Jingxu asked, “Aren’t you tired from standing on your tiptoes?”

Jiang Mingzhi quietly let her heels fall to the ground, stubbornly replying, “I’m not tired. I’m a little swan.”

The boy lowered his eyes and smiled lightly. “After the opening ceremony, the school’s public account will post a video.”

Jiang Mingzhi pouted. “Then I won’t bother watching.”

What student would seriously watch the school’s public account? If they didn’t see it live, the interest was gone. Most would just watch their own class’s segment, and some students even found it too awkward to watch.

Jiang Mingzhi stopped paying attention to the situation on the field and turned to Meng Yuanyuan. “No need to watch. We can’t see anything anyway. How about we chat for a bit?”

As she turned around, she came face to face with Guan Jingxu. He seemed to be bathed in sunlight, his hair falling gently, wearing the same summer school uniform as the other boys.

The navy blue collar and cuffs of his deep blue polo shirt, supported by his broad shoulders, gave him a handsome, sculpted look.

When he saw Jiang Mingzhi turn around, his smile deepened, and his brows and eyes curved in a way that seemed to melt into the sunlight.

The young man was in a good mood, with the light shining from the corners of his eyes and mouth.

Even though Jiang Mingzhi considered herself more experienced than most girls, she still found herself caught off guard by his good looks.

Before she could speak, a classmate maintaining order shouted, “We’re about to enter. Get into formation!”

Jiang Mingzhi flashed him a bright smile and turned to take her place.

One by one, the classes passed the flag-raising platform. In this summer, youth continued, and together, they turned the brightest page of the years.