The monthly exam had arrived once again, and Yu Qian’s grades had improved significantly. She had risen from the fourth-lowest rank in the class to twenty-eighth place.

Peking University was within reach! Yu Qian was filled with confidence.

Just as she was cheering herself on, Fang Xue, the sports committee member, approached with a registration form in hand.

“Qianqian, the school’s autumn sports meet is happening in two weeks. Do you want to sign up for an event?”

“I’m not good at sports.”

Yu Qian felt troubled. She was truly bad at sports. Running 800 meters alone left her utterly exhausted. Participating in the sports meet would just make her an easy target for other classes to defeat.

“Please, just pick something. There are still plenty of events without participants.”

Fang Xue looked at Yu Qian with pleading eyes. Half of the slots on the registration form were still empty.

Yu Qian was never good at rejecting girls. Under Fang Xue’s relentless persuasion, she finally chose an event— shot put.

It didn’t require much time or effort and all she had to do was throw a ball. What could possibly go wrong?

As she filled in her name, she glanced at the list and saw that Lin Niannian and Bai Qiming had signed up for the relay race, while Jiang Zheng hadn’t signed up for anything.

She turned to look at Jiang Zheng, who was sleeping on his desk, feeling a bit puzzled. The sports meet was a great opportunity to show off. Shouldn’t Jiang Zheng be eager to participate?

After all, he had the persona of a playboy and was a well-known figure on campus with countless admirers. How could he possibly miss such a spotlight moment?

Though she was curious, Yu Qian didn’t ask. Instead, when Lin Niannian heard Yu Qian had signed up for shot put, she excitedly promised to cheer for her during the event.

When Jiang Zheng later found out from Lin Niannian that Yu Qian had registered for shot put, he mercilessly mocked her, “Well then, Little Sister Qianqian, you better work hard. Don’t just fail to bring glory to our class, make sure you don’t embarrass us either.”

Yu Qian retorted, “At least I signed up for something, unlike some people who didn’t even bother.”

Jiang Zheng smirked. “Oh, my apologies. I was personally appointed by the P.E. teacher as a scorekeeper. I have no choice but to sit this one out.”

“Huh?”

Seeing her momentarily speechless, Jiang Zheng raised an eyebrow smugly. “Who knows? I might just be the one keeping score for the shot put event. Let’s hope you do well enough that I won’t be too embarrassed to write down your results.”

Yu Qian was so annoyed that she didn’t want to continue the conversation. She buried herself in her books, determined to block out all distractions.

────ρя


Two weeks passed quickly, and the sports meet officially began.

Yu Qian changed into her sports uniform and carefully tied her hair into a neat bun. With this look, she almost seemed like she had seriously prepared for the competition.

At that moment, she stood by the relay track, cheering alongside her classmates for Lin Niannian and Bai Qiming.

Lin Niannian was the third runner. By the time she received the baton, their team had fallen behind. Fortunately, Bai Qiming, the anchor, made an incredible comeback in the final stretch.

When Bai Qiming crossed the finish line first, Yu Qian couldn’t help but cheer along with everyone else.

“Niannian, that was amazing! We won first place!”

“Our class got another first place!”

“Bai Qiming looked so cool when he was running!”

Listening to the excited chatter around her, Yu Qian handed Lin Niannian a bottle of water. “Niannian, you ran so fast just now!”

Her praise was sincere— Lin Niannian was genuinely quick.

If it hadn’t been for the mishap during the first baton exchange, their class would have dominated from the start.

“It was alright. I like running.” Lin Niannian said with a smile. She often goes for morning runs with Bai Qiming, and with years of dance training since childhood, her physical fitness has always been excellent.

“Qianqian, when’s your shot put event?”

“After the rope skipping competition, it’s up next.”

The two of them walked toward the shot put area, where several students were already warming up.

Among them, one particular figure stood out.

“Hey, Ah Zheng is here!” Lin Niannian, with her sharp eyes, quickly spotted Jiang Zheng holding a clipboard and eagerly shook Yu Qian’s arm.

Yu Qian followed her gaze and, sure enough, saw Jiang Zheng.

Today, he was wearing a white cap and a black baseball jacket, exuding a youthful and charismatic aura.

Yu Qian had to admit that based on looks alone, Jiang Zheng could easily outshine most people.

Jiang Zheng also noticed them. His peach blossom eyes curved into a playful smile. “Where’s Ah Ming?”

Lin Niannian replied, “Ah Ming was sweating, so he went to change clothes.”

Hearing that, Jiang Zheng curled his lips in disdain. “Such a troublesome person.”

Then, he turned to Yu Qian and flashed a flamboyant smile. “Well, what do you think, Little Sister Qianqian? Surprise! I’m the shot put scorer.”

“Tch, can you help me cheat or something? What’s there to be surprised about?”

The three of them bickered for a bit before the announcement for the shot put competition came through the speakers. Not far away, the teachers blew their whistles.

Lin Niannian quickly cheered Yu Qian on.

Yu Qian waved at her and walked toward the shot put group, while Jiang Zheng headed over to stand beside the teachers.

────ρя


Yu Qian was the fourth to compete. Watching the ones before her throw farther and farther, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Even though she had already prepared herself to just participate, when the moment arrived, her heart still raced uncontrollably.

“Contestant number four, get ready.”

Hearing the call, Yu Qian swallowed nervously, walked into the circle, and picked up the metal ball. She held it in both hands and moved it to rest behind her right ear.

She bent her knees slightly, but as she felt her arms lacked strength, she instinctively leaned her body backward, trying to use inertia to launch the ball.

Jiang Zheng, watching from the side, frowned at her posture.

Yu Qian felt she had positioned herself correctly. Taking a deep breath, she swung her arm forcefully and hurled the metal ball forward.

However, she had leaned back too much, and as she threw, she accidentally twisted her waist.

A sharp pain shot through her, causing her hand to tremble. The metal ball, which was supposed to soar forward, instead dropped straight down from midair and landed squarely on her foot.

The unexpected accident stunned everyone.

“Yu Qian, are you okay?!” Jiang Zheng was the first to react. He quickly strode over, bent down, and picked up the metal ball, tossing it aside.

“Qianqian, did it hit your foot?!” Lin Niannian looked flustered.

The scene grew chaotic.

“It hurts……”

A sharp, overwhelming pain spread through Yu Qian’s foot, making her whole body tremble. Her fingers clenched into tight fists, her teeth gritted together, and only her heavy breathing could be heard.

Seeing her face turn pale, Jiang Zheng’s heart tightened. Without thinking further, he bent down, scooped her up, and sprinted toward the infirmary.

Yu Qian trembled in his arms, her forehead covered in cold sweat from the pain.

“Quick, Doctor! She got hit by the shot put ball!” Jiang Zheng, panting, placed Yu Qian on the infirmary bed.

The school doctor rushed over and carefully removed Yu Qian’s shoe. By now, the top of her foot was already red and swollen.

The doctor gently pressed on the swollen area.

“Hiss…… Ah…… it hurts!” Yu Qian gasped, her fingers gripping the bedsheet tightly as her face twisted in pain.

“You’ll need to go to the hospital for an X-ray. A bone fracture or break can’t be ruled out.”

The doctor looked serious. The infirmary had limited equipment and couldn’t conduct a deeper examination, so they could only provide basic treatment for now.

“Then we’ll go straight to the hospital.”

Bai Qiming, who had received Lin Niannian’s call, arrived quickly. Hearing the doctor’s words, he immediately took out his phone to contact the driver.

Lin Niannian, seeing Yu Qian sweating profusely from the pain, quickly pulled out a tissue and gently wiped her forehead.

After making the call and arranging the transportation, Bai Qiming stepped forward, ready to carry Yu Qian on his back.

After all, they were siblings in name. He felt somewhat responsible for her.

But before he could reach the bed, Jiang Zheng stepped in front of him.

“I’ll do it.” Jiang Zheng frowned as he looked at Yu Qian’s dazed expression, feeling an unfamiliar sense of heartache rise in his chest.

Bai Qiming looked at Jiang Zheng in surprise. His reaction…… wasn’t normal.