On the red and green rubber track, twenty students stood lined up.

Dazzling sunlight poured onto the ground, making the fine rubber particles sparkle.

The air was filled with a faint smell of evaporating rubber.

Facing the sunlight, Chu Tao squinted against the intense brightness. As he raised the notebook to shade his eyes, the whistle blew, and all the students sprinted forward in unison.

Dust billowed up on the track, swirling gently in the wind before slowly settling.

Chu Tao’s vision blurred for a moment, colorful flashes appearing through the dust as he strained to see the runners.

Among them was one person, running at an impressive speed, pulling far ahead of the rest.

After watching for a moment, Chu Tao recognized Jiang She.

Jiang She’s height gave him an advantage—long legs and strong strides made it seem as if every rubber particle beneath him propelled him forward, making his movements both effortless and swift.

Chu Tao was still holding Jiang She’s jacket. The sleeve slipped from his wrist, dangling in the air and fluttering in the breeze like a flag waving for Jiang She.

He shielded his eyes with one hand, his gaze never leaving Jiang She.

It seemed Jiang She hadn’t been exaggerating.

Huainan No.1 High School’s track was 400 meters around, so the 1000 meters required two laps and an extra bend.

By the time Jiang She finished the first lap, Xu Yuan, Fang Sheng, and the others were already trailing by dozens of meters.

In the second lap, everyone else began to slow down, while Jiang She sped up instead.

The distance between him and the rest only widened. Even the PE teacher couldn’t help but mutter, “He’s really fast.”

As Jiang She ran past Chu Tao again, he suddenly lifted his hand to his lips and blew a kiss toward him.

Caught off guard, Chu Tao accidentally bit the inside of his cheek, a sharp pain followed by a faint taste of blood in his mouth.

They say that when athletes sense victory approaching, the first person they look for is the one most important to them.

Chu Tao took a deep breath, gripping the pen so hard it nearly snapped.

On the final bend, Jiang She seemed to almost impossibly pick up even more speed, crossing the finish line as the PE teacher clicked the stopwatch.

Instinctively, Chu Tao looked at the teacher.

Swallowing the metallic taste in his mouth, he immediately asked, “How fast?”

Before the others finished, the teacher glanced at the stopwatch. “Two minutes and thirty seconds—that’s the level of a national second-tier athlete!”

“So fast?” Even though Chu Tao knew Jiang She was quick, hearing the time still surprised him.

The PE teacher sighed, “It’s a shame that this year they canceled the extra points; otherwise, he could’ve earned ten points for the college entrance exams.”

In previous years, anyone who met the national second-tier standard would receive a ten-point bonus on the college entrance exam.

Ten points could make a big difference in the intense competition of the college entrance exam, allowing someone to pull ahead of a large group of others.

Inwardly, Chu Tao thought the same thing—it really was a pity.

Holding the notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, Chu Tao recorded Jiang She’s time next to his name.

The rest of the students staggered to the finish line, most of them collapsing on the ground, breathing heavily, eyes shut tight as if they might pass out any second.

They hadn’t exercised in over a year, and suddenly pushing themselves to the limit for a 1000-meter run was overwhelming.

The PE teacher walked over and kicked each of them lightly. “Don’t just lie there—get moving, or you’ll end up with a sagging stomach!”

“Ugh, I can’t get up!”

“My legs are about to snap, and so is my windpipe.”

“My head’s spinning, and I’ve got a headache. Am I having a brain hemorrhage?”

“My throat’s killing me—anyone got water?”

Groaning, everyone struggled to their feet, clutching their chests or stomachs, wandering around the finish line.

Each of them was drenched in sweat, faces flushed, looking thoroughly miserable.

Fang Sheng leaned on Jiang She’s shoulder, panting, “Oh my god, why did you run so fast?”

Jiang She replied dismissively, “Are you handicapped or what?”

Out of breath, Fang Sheng pointed to himself. “Hey, I still finished in three minutes! Full marks!”

Fang Sheng wasn’t slow; in other classes, his time would have been impressive.

But Jiang She was so exceptionally fast that everyone else’s times seemed mediocre by comparison.

Jiang She shook off Fang Sheng’s hand, slipped one hand into his pocket, and walked over to Chu Tao.

Chu Tao had already recorded the results. He held out Jiang She’s jacket to him. “Here.”

Jiang She took the jacket, but instead of moving back, he stepped even closer.

“How was it?”

Chu Tao looked up at him, finally admitting, “Pretty good.”

Jiang She smiled, sunlight highlighting his profile, outlining his features in fine lines of light. For a moment, even his eyes and brows seemed to glow.

He pressed, “How good is ‘pretty good’?”

Chu Tao’s throat tightened. “Very fast.”

Jiang She leaned in, “Am I impressive or what?”

Chu Tao: “…”

The PE teacher cut in seriously, “Stay humble, student. Don’t put pressure on your classmates—just focus on your own progress.”

Jiang She’s face fell. “Pressure? On him?”

Chu Tao turned away, suppressing a smile.

He tossed the notebook into Jiang She’s arms. “Here, you record now. I’m getting ready to run.”

Jiang She instinctively caught it and then asked, “Want me to hold your jacket?”

Knowing how particular Chu Tao was about cleanliness—always folding his collar neatly—Jiang She figured he wouldn’t want his jacket lying on the dusty ground.

Chu Tao waved him off. “No need.” He hadn’t planned on taking it off.

Jiang She couldn’t help but warn, “Run slowly; no one’s competing with you!”

Chu Tao called back, “Got it!” For the first time, he found Jiang She a bit… naggy.

The remaining students reluctantly lined up on the track, each standing at their mark along the curved starting line.

Chu Tao bent slightly forward, fingertips lightly pressing his knees as he focused on the track ahead.

While everyone else had taken off their jackets, he hadn’t.

School jackets were baggy and light, catching the wind and adding noticeable resistance while running.

Fang Sheng clicked his tongue in admiration, “Class rep’s got confidence—running with his jacket on is like wearing a wind catcher.”

Xu Yuan muttered beside Jiang She, “Please, Jiang She could run faster than him even with sandbags on.”

Fang Sheng frowned at Xu Yuan. “Why are you always comparing Jiang She to the class rep?”

Xu Yuan, equally puzzled, replied, “What’s weird is you’re always praising the class rep lately. You switching sides?”

To Xu Yuan, Class 3 seemed to be forming two camps: those who hadn’t joined Jiang She’s “group” started gravitating toward Chu Tao, while Jiang She’s loyal followers remained by his side.

Fang Sheng rolled his eyes. “Idiot.”

Jiang She cut in impatiently, “Quit arguing. Hold the notebook.” He tossed it to Fang Sheng, then pulled out his phone.

Fang Sheng asked curiously, “What for?”

Jiang She opened the camera app, switched to video mode, zoomed in, and aimed it at Chu Tao.

“Rare opportunity.”

With the sound of the whistle, Chu Tao took off.

After the start, they were free to change lanes, so Chu Tao merged into the inner lane before reaching the curve.

As his muscles stretched, his ribs started to ache, but it was bearable. Thanks to Jiang She’s cold and hot compresses, the bruising had faded significantly, leaving only a faint purple mark.

Chu Tao maintained the lead, his bangs bouncing with each step, occasionally brushing against his thick lashes.

He had a habit of running with his lips pressed, head slightly lowered, and his gaze fixed in a determined direction. His slender eyes curved subtly at the edges, his jawline forming an elegant arc.

Through Jiang She’s camera, Chu Tao’s figure was captured mid-run. The sunlight was intense, casting a slim shadow along the track, mirroring his lean frame.

On that small screen, Chu Tao was the sole focus.

Xu Yuan, confused, asked, “Why are you filming the class rep?”

Fang Sheng muttered, “Your IQ, seriously…”

Jiang She chuckled, “Don’t tell him. Let him figure it out.”

Even though Chu Tao had agreed to take it easy, his competitive spirit still drove him to stay in the lead.

At the finish line, his breathing was a bit ragged, and a light sweat dotted his forehead.

The PE teacher called out, “Two minutes, 59 seconds!”

Not bad.

Chu Tao pressed his lips together, glancing over at Jiang She, who had his phone trained on him.

Walking over, clutching his ribcage and steadying his breath, he confronted Jiang She, “Were you filming me?”

Jiang She calmly saved the video, raised his phone, and said, “You’re running so fast. Isn’t it natural for a fan to record?”

Even though Chu Tao wasn’t as fast as Jiang She, there was no way Jiang She was actually his “fan.” Clearly, there were other motives.

Already feeling warm from running, Chu Tao’s neck turned even redder at Jiang She’s comment.

His eyes flashed with embarrassed frustration as he reached for Jiang She’s phone. “Delete it!”

But Jiang She was ready, lifting his arm high to hold the phone out of reach.

With his height and long arms, Jiang She raised the phone far above Chu Tao’s reach. In a flash of annoyance, Chu Tao impulsively jumped up to grab it.

Just then, Jiang She lowered his hand, taking a step closer. Chu Tao didn’t have time to react and landed squarely in Jiang She’s arms.

A faint, soothing scent mixed with the air, carrying the light fragrance of hyacinth.

Fresh from his run and a bit sweaty, Chu Tao’s suppressant was weak, and with Jiang She so close, even his voice seemed to carry a hint of pheromone allure.

Jiang She placed a hand on Chu Tao’s waist, a playful glint in his eyes as he teased, “What’s this? The class rep throwing himself into my arms?”