Chapter 32: Exclusive to Jinjiang 2/2

A group of teenagers waved their fists, each one spirited and enthusiastic.

In Song Fuzhi’s class, the total score was very close to the adjacent class. The students were either ecstatic for winning or beating their chests for losing. One boy narrowly missed the first place, almost crying. Song Fuzhi went over and awkwardly comforted him.

Whether laughing or crying, Teacher Song found them adorable. The unrestrained and wholehearted youth, giving their all, were very infectious.

Prepared for revenge, Teacher Song heartlessly documented their rich variety of expressions with his camera.

By the afternoon, the students’ competitions were completely over. When the host announced the scores, the entire school held its breath.

“In the second-year group, first place, Class 4 of the second year, 87 points. Second place, Class 3 of the second year, 85 points—the scores of these two classes are quite close! It’s really amazing, the history is surprisingly similar! Is Class 3 going to repeat the same fate, losing by two points again? Can Class 4 defend their title and become the reigning champions once more?”

The students in Song Fuzhi’s class exclaimed, sounding ten times more miserable than when they learned about a math pop quiz, “No way? Last year, it was just two points, and this year, it’s two points again? Ahhh, I can’t live! Class 4, if you have the guts, we’ll challenge you one-on-one!”

The two classes were originally sitting next to each other. After the host announced the scores, Class 4’s students arrogantly laughed, “Yo, yo, long time no see, and Class 3 is still like this?”

This was too dramatic. Although other classes lost miserably, they enjoyed the spectacle. Even the first-year juniors came to observe with a strong presence.

In the midst of the chaotic atmosphere, the host held the microphone and explained, “However, the competition is not over, and the victory is not decided yet—next up is the teacher’s competition! The teacher’s scores will be added to the class’s total score. Can the history of last year be rewritten? Let’s wait and see!”

The two classes, who were fighting a moment ago, now jointly exclaimed, “What the hell!”

Their grudges were unexpectedly placed in the hands of the teachers!

Originally, this part of the event was just meant to strengthen the teacher-student relationship, a casual and relaxed activity. After all, teachers didn’t have many events, and winning wouldn’t add many points, so it shouldn’t change the overall standings.

But who knew that the difference in scores between the first and second places would be just two points, not more or less—just those two points?

Two points, a distance that could be caught up, a fate that could be reversed!

The host announced the upcoming events and lineups, and the teachers walked onto the field in a scattered manner.

The teachers were acting very casually, chatting and laughing.

“Mr. Li, it’s been a long time since I exercised.”

“Mr. Huo, after the sports day, let’s go for a drink!”

“What event is this? Oh, oh, two people with three legs, haha. How do we play this?”

The students on the sidelines were getting annoyed. “You guys are enemies; compete seriously!”

After this round, the students finally felt the same frustration that their teachers felt when they looked at their messy exam papers. Class 3 and Class 4’s teachers were given high expectations by the students.

Originally, the teachers were planning to relax and take it easy, but seeing their students anxiously watching, they had no choice but to put in a hundred and twenty percent effort.

After the two-legged race and jump rope, the score gap between Class 3 and Class 4 narrowed to one point.

The teachers of Class 3 did their best, recovering one point!

But it was still one point short.

So hateful, just that one point!

The host announced, “The final event, long-distance running. Participating teachers…Class 3, Teacher Song Fuzhi; Class 4, Teacher Xiao Yuan.”

The students were outraged. “Xiao Yuan? Teacher Xiao is a PE teacher! Why does he represent Class 4 in the race?”

“Anyone could have run; why does it have to be a PE teacher?”

The organizing teachers signaled everyone to calm down and explained, “The class teacher for Class 4 had urgent matters at home this afternoon and couldn’t come. Other teachers participated in other events, and running 2,000 meters unprepared is not safe. So, we asked the PE teacher to fill in. Teacher Xiao used to practice weightlifting and has never professionally trained in running.”

 The students were still unwilling, passionately shouting, “This is unfair! Why?”

Yao Xinxin was so distressed that she was about to cry, shouting at Song Fuzhi, “Teacher Song, they’re bullying you!”

In fact, Song Fuzhi learned about this just two hours before them.

Originally, the class next door was supposed to have their class teacher participate, but his father suddenly felt unwell, so he went back to take care of his family.

Replacing him with a PE teacher was also a consideration for the school. Long-distance running was not a popular event, and finding someone willing to participate at the last minute was not easy.

Some teachers were also getting older, and even if they wanted to participate, the school was worried about safety. Therefore, they chose a PE teacher.

Xiao Yuan was a particularly honest and sturdy man. He specifically approached Song Fuzhi and said, “Teacher Song, don’t worry, I won’t run too fast.”

Song Fuzhi looked at him with a half-smile and asked, “What do you mean? Are you planning to take it easy on me? Does that align with the spirit of sportsmanship?”

“No, no, no!” Xiao Yuan quickly waved his hands. “It’s not like that. I mean, I really can’t run fast. I used to be at the bottom of the team when it came to running.”

Considering he was a professional athlete, saying he couldn’t run fast was relative. Song Fuzhi bumped his fist against Xiao Yuan’s. “In any case, let’s give our best effort. Let’s compete well later.”

The school was actually quite helpless. Originally, they wanted teachers and students to enjoy themselves together and implement the traditional spirit of “friendship first, competition second.” However, the students’ desire for victory was too strong, and the atmosphere was too intense to control.

In the end, it was Song Fuzhi who calmed the students’ emotions. He clapped his hands twice to make everyone quiet.

Surrounded by students with angry faces, Song Fuzhi’s voice remained calm and gentle.

Even with a face full of anger, the students listened attentively to Song Fuzhi’s calm words.

“Here, the school tried its best to select a teacher who is not good at running for the competition. It’s an effort to be fair.”

The students couldn’t understand, yelling, “How is this fair? This is clearly unfair!”

Song Fuzhi didn’t argue. He spoke in a steady voice, “Maybe in the future, you will understand that there is no absolute fairness in this world. There may be many more unfair things than this. You might also face a situation like mine—running a race, where your opponent may not be a PE teacher but someone riding a motorcycle or driving a car—those who have been ahead of us since birth.”

The speech was long, and the field was noisy, but Song Fuzhi’s voice was clear and gentle. The students gradually quieted down.

Some students frowned, muttering to other students in a low voice, “This is too annoying; why is it like this? What should we do?”

Song Fuzhi smiled slightly. “Yeah, what can we do? We can only run hard, practice hard—without a racing car, make ourselves sprinters.”

“High school may be the closest time in life to a fair racetrack.” Song Fuzhi’s voice suddenly softened. “Here, you can rely on your own strength to outrun those who drive cars.”

The students listened as if they understood, all paying serious attention.

“Hey, let’s not digress.” Song Fuzhi smiled and raised his voice. “Promise me one thing, okay?”

The students nodded, but the expressions on their faces were still gloomy.

Song Fuzhi smiled and said, “Trust me once.”

“Teacher Song wants you to win the championship.”