Chapter 17: Unexpected Lingering with Beauty
By mid-April, the temperature in Chuanhai had already risen. Outsiders often said that Chuanhai had no spring or autumn, only summer and winter. The biting cold wind only lingered briefly on the Jinjiang River before disappearing with the flowing water. The athletes’ attire on the sports field was proof of this. Under the bright sun, athletes in shorts and t-shirts were warming up, beads of sweat already forming on their foreheads. Lu Li had heard that in the northern parts of China, people still had to wear cotton-padded jackets and gloves at this time of year.
Chu Jingyi was participating in the high jump. The little girl, with her hair in a ponytail, was warming up, her eyes shining with a fiery light. Silly Goose was an all-around talent. Besides her excellent academic performance, she was also musically gifted and quite athletic. It was just that her other talents were so outstanding that people often overlooked these minor strengths – just like Lu Li. He wasn’t thinking about the high jump at all, just staring at Silly Goose’s delicate face with a silly grin. Why did she look more and more adorable?
Silly Goose had a large fan base among the students. Even before she appeared, boys and girls were holding up banners that read: “Miss Chu Jingyi will win!”
Lu Li and An Baili tried to get closer, but someone in the fan group shouted, “Is that Lu-dog?”
“Ahhh!! Kill Lu-dog!”
“Get him!”
Lu Li was so scared that he ran away, not daring to go near Yi Bao’s fan club again. He hadn’t even done anything to them, had he?
An Baili giggled. “Honey, do you know what the students are calling you now?”
“What?”
“Old dog, Lu-dog, that dog Lu… haha, none of them are nice words.”
Lu Li wiped the sweat from his forehead, lamenting the intensity of teenage jealousy. It was just because he had won the hearts of the beauties. Unlike him, the great and saintly Lu Li, who was unfazed by the ups and downs of life, always calm and collected. These youngsters still had a long way to go…
After watching from the stands for a while, Lu Li felt bored. These student athletes were just amateurs. The high jump competition was especially comical. After the first round, all the first-year high jumpers were eliminated. Soon, it was the second-year high jumpers’ turn. Lu Li spotted Silly Goose among them and couldn’t help but feel nervous. Could Yi Bao really clear the bar? Would she get hurt?
He overheard a few students in front of him whispering, “Who’s that girl in the middle? She’s so pretty.”
“You don’t know her? That’s Chu Jingyi, the former school beauty…”
“I’ve only heard of her, never seen her. I only saw Wen Hupo at the New Year’s Eve party.”
“Don’t get too excited, let me tell you something…”
“What?”
“She’s taken.”
“What?! By who?”
“Lu Li.”
“Which Lu Li?”
“The Lu Li who acted opposite Wen Hupo at the New Year’s Eve party.”
“How dare he!” Lu Li heard the boy slam his fist on the chair angrily. It seemed he had made another enemy for no reason.
The second-year high jumpers were more physically developed and performed better than the first years. After the first round, all the athletes, including Jingyi, cleared the bar. After the bar was raised in the second round, some athletes started getting eliminated, but Silly Goose remained steady. It seemed he didn’t have to worry too much about Yi Bao.
Just as Lu Li was starting to relax, the third round began. Only four athletes remained in the second-year group. This round would probably decide the winner. Chu Jingyi’s biggest weakness was her height. She was the shortest in the group. Although her legs weren’t short, her jumping power was limited. Standing in front of the high bar, Chu Jingyi looked particularly petite.
An Baili muttered, “Maybe Jingyi should just give up. I don’t think she can clear it this round. After all, she’s not a professional athlete…”
Lu Li had the same thought, but he didn’t say anything, just led An Baili closer to the field. Chu Jingyi was the last to jump. She nervously fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her gaze scanning the audience. The moment she saw Lu Li, her anxiety subsided. Silly Goose smiled sweetly and gave him a thumbs-up.
For Chu Jingyi, there wasn’t really anything she had to win. She had never been very ambitious. She just wanted to make her parents proud. Just like this high jump competition, she didn’t really care about winning. But when she heard Wen Hupo’s declaration of victory, a fire ignited in her heart. She felt like she couldn’t be worse than Wen Hupo, at least not in front of Lu Li. If Wen Hupo could do it, she could do it too… She didn’t want to lose to other girls, especially those who liked Lu Li…
With this thought in mind, Chu Jingyi jumped.
The girl’s graceful figure, as she arched backwards, coincided perfectly with the rising sun. The brilliant rays of light seemed to cradle her, the image of a heaven-blessed beauty etched in everyone’s minds.
Heaven might have favored the beauty, but misfortune also lingered.
Lu Li’s face paled with fear. He stepped onto the railing, about to jump down from the stands and rush onto the field.
Chu Jingyi hit the bar and fell awkwardly onto the mat. Her small figure seemed to be swallowed by the soft cushion, and she didn’t get up. Lu Li was the first to react, faster than everyone else by more than a second or two. While everyone else was still stunned, he had already jumped over the barrier, past the judges, and rushed to the mat.
“Jingyi!”
His voice was filled with panic. Only in the face of an accident did he realize how important Chu Jingyi was to him. He would probably never meet another girl like her again, so pure, so kind, so gentle, her heart completely his.
Chu Jingyi lay on the mat, sobbing softly. “Why did you come?… I didn’t want you to see me cry…”
Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“My foot hurts…” she whimpered.
Lu Li saw the teacher from the judging panel approaching and noticed that everyone’s eyes were on them. He decisively lifted Silly Goose onto his back. “Teacher, Chu Jingyi is forfeiting the competition, I’m taking her to the infirmary.” A young judge wanted to say something, but another judge stopped him. They just watched as Lu Li carried Chu Jingyi away from the high jump area.
Chu Jingyi’s face had never been so red, not from embarrassment at failing the high jump, but from being carried away so intimately by Lu Li in front of so many people. She felt like by tomorrow, everyone in the school would know about their relationship… Thinking of this, Silly Goose couldn’t help but whine, “Why did you run in here…”
“I was worried you were hurt.” Lu Li said, panting. “If you were hurt, my heart would bleed. I thought, what would I do if I never saw such a beautiful girl again?”
“Silly… it’s just a sprain, it’s not that serious.” She smiled happily, her cheek pressed against Lu Li’s back, and she secretly kissed his shirt.
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