Chapter 9 Part 2

“Lin Zhexia,” Class 7’s instructor led the class back to training and saw a distracted person in the line when he turned back, “What are you zoning out for, chop chop.”

So Lin Zhexia could only catch up slowly.

Her mind only had the words “20 laps”.

20 laps.

In this weather, running 20 laps.

She suddenly felt that the instant noodles last night weren’t one bit good anymore.

In the afternoon, when all classes were training, only Chi Yao took off his military training jacket and ran laps on the field.

Before, Lin Zhexia had reminded him to buy sunscreen, otherwise he would turn tan. But that was just a joke. Even after several days of exposure to the sun, the skin of the youth on the field was still dazzling pale. He probably felt hot, so he took off his jacket and cap while running.

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Mbld obld ryppkdt bkp nzypp, bl vbalo vblx vs y csu.

Rv oyp vbl sdl obs sqqlale bkx oyvla zypv vkxl sd vbl nswav.

Oynb nzypp pvyule okvbkd vblka nzypplp’ sod dyaaso ynvkhkvu yaly. Wkapv, vblu pvsse pvkzz kd xkzkvyau rspvwal, vbld vblu raynvknle xyanbkdt.

Nkd Hblmky bye yzoyup clld tsse yv xyanbkdt, cwv vbkp vkxl, pbl nswzed’v blzr zssjkdt yv vbl xyd awddkdt zyrp sd vbl qklze. Jlnywpl sq vbkp, pbl xyanble iwkvl nzwxpkzu sa xyel psxl svbla xkpvyjlp.

Fsxlsdl dlyacu pyke iwklvzu, “Tl’p pvkzz awddkdt.”

“Tso xydu zyrp byp kv clld?”

“4 sa 5 zyrp, R vbkdj? Tl pvkzz byp shla 10 zyrp vs ts.”

Mbl vaykdkdt pssd ldele. Pwakdt vbl xke-plppksd calyj lyazkla, Ubld Nkd yzps qlzv twkzvu yde pyke, “R qllz, iwkvl wdnsxqsavyczl.”

Tang Shuxuan, “Me too.”

Chen Lin, “But why did he admit to it? The cams weren’t clear.”

Lin Zhexia, who had not spoken for a long time, finally figured out why Chi Yao confessed. She said, “Because he didn’t want to involve everyone to be punished together, he has always been a person who will admit to his actions. Besides, if the instructors weren’t able to find someone, they might also check the cams from other angles.”

Tang Shuxuan, “Cams from other angles… then wouldn’t you…”

Lin Zhexia didn’t continue after that.

She took a glance at the field, and then suddenly got up.

The chief instructor didn’t need to lead a team himself, his job was to stand on the sidelines and supervise.

He was pacing back and forth when he saw a little girl with a ponytail running towards him from afar.

Some sweat appeared on the little girl’s fair face, she said as she gasped for breath, “In-instructor.”

The chief instructor asked, “What’s the matter?”

Lin Zhexia was actually a little nervous.

But when she thought about the 20 laps, she still picked up her courage and said, “Reporting! I want to admit my mistake on my own initiative. Actually, the person who climbed over the wall last night…”

Chief instructor, “Yeah?”

Lin Zhexia, “It’s me.”

The chief instructor went silent.

He went silent for a long time.

It was so long that Lin Zhexia wondered whether the chief instructor was thinking about how to punish her.

Or, if he’ll ask why she only came forward to admit her mistakes now.

However——

“Your height doesn’t really allow you to do so,” The chief instructor said after the silence, “how did you climb over? Show me right now how you climb without using a ladder.”

Lin Zhexia, “…”

She indeed, can’t do it.

Chief instructor, “And how did you plan on explaining why you went out over the wall?”

Since the lie was exposed from the beginning, she could only say honestly, “I came in a hurry, so I still haven’t come up with the reason yet.”

Then, she tried to explain by bringing up the snacks, “But it really does have something to do with me, it’s all because of me that—”

The chief instructor found it funny and interrupted her, “Alright, no need to say more.”

Lin Zhexia, “It’s really me. Last night, I…”

Chief Instructor, “I know.”

Lin Zhexia didn’t finish speaking, and didn’t understand what the chief instructor knew, “?”

“Adolescence, I understand you girls’ minds.”

Lin Zhexia was stunned, “It’s not that…”

Chief Instructor, “But even if you like a person, you can’t be like this.”

Lin Zhexia, “It’s really not that…”

“At your age, you should focus on learning,” The instructor said lastly, “I will treat it as if I have never heard of it, you can go back to your team now.”

Lin Zhexia couldn’t defend herself.

Not only did she fail to help Chi Yao explain and share the blame and punishment, but was also stamped with the identity of Chi Yao’s brainless fanatic pursuer.

She returned to class and continued to stand in military posture.

Then at the next break, she ran to deliver water to Chi Yao.

She followed beside Chi Yao and ran with him for a bit, “Are you still able to run? Do you want to drink some water?”

Chi Yao took the water in her hand, gulped a few mouthfuls, and then handed it back to her.

The sweat on his forehead wetted his bangs, and he gasped for breath a little as he spoke, “It’s only twenty laps, not that tiring.”

Lin Zhexia, “Then don’t gasp.”

Chi Yao, “Why don’t you tell me to stop breathing instead?”

As they talked, they ran half a lap.

Lin Zhexia felt a little guilty, “It’s all my fault.”

Chi Yao didn’t hesitate to say, “As long as you know.”

His nonchalant attitude dispelled Lin Zhexia’s guilt for him.

Lin Zhexia felt much better and returned to normal chatting mode, “But I think you are also somewhat responsible. Doing good deeds isn’t suitable for you, you should’ve let me starve to death in the dorm yesterday.”

“You’re right,” Chi Yao sneered, “Next time, I’ll most definitely starve you to death.”

Lin Zhexia also said, “Actually, I took the initiative to find the instructor just now. I said that I was the one who climbed over the wall. I wanted to help you by sharing a few laps with you, but he didn’t believe me.”

Chi Yao, “You might have some hope if you grow another 20 centimeters.”

Holding the water, Lin Zhexia tried to tell herself that she can’t be angry even if he called her “shorty” 20 times just based on these 20 laps.

Fortunately, the instructor wasn’t so sadistic. When Chi Yao finished the 6th lap, the chief instructor called him over and told him to run the rest later in batches.

But in the evening——

On the field, there was no such running figure.

Lin Zhexia endured her embarrassment and went to find the chief instructor again, “Instructor, has Chi Yao finished?”

The chief instructor looked at her again with a look as if he saw through her, “He’s in the infirmary.”

Lin Zhexia panicked for a moment. She had no time to pay attention to the instructor’s teasing this time, and her voice trembled when she spoke again, “Infirmary?”

The head instructor let out an “mn” and was about to continue speaking.

But the girl in front of him seemed to have lost her soul. Before he could finish his words, the girl ran straight to the infirmary in the very next second.

He shook his head, and felt like he saw through everything once again, “Students nowadays…”

The infirmary was beside the canteen.

It was only a few hundred meters, yet Lin Zhexia felt that it was such a long path.

In fact, she began to worry the moment she heard about the 20 laps, which is why she gathered up the courage to ask the instructor if she could help him run several laps.

……

Because, only she knew that Chi Yao was quite frail before.

This before, refers to nine years ago.

She ran, passing through the hot summer wind.

As if running through this wind into another summer.

~

The summer 9 years ago, the heat was unbearable, and their ears were filled with the enthusiastic chirping of cicadas.

Seven year old Lin Zhexia followed Lin He off the car. The car stopped at the entrance of the alley, which was covered with stone bricks. The gray stone bricks were burning hot after bathing in the blazing sun.

Wei Ping was busy moving things down from the car.

“Xiaxia,” Lin He, who was much more youthful in the past, rubbed her head with a smile, she squatted down and said, “this is where we will be living together in the future.”

Lin Zhexia was holding an old doll in her hand, but she didn’t speak.

She was also very different back then.

Seven years old Lin Zhexia was considered one of the tall ones among kids her age. She was thin and had no expression on her face, her big eyes were full of defensiveness.

——Her whole being seemed like a young hedgehog.

Wei Ping took the suitcases down and smiled at her.

She grabbed the doll tightly and turned her head away.

She noticed the street sign on the roadside and raised her head with difficulty.

“Nanxiang Street”.

This place was very unfamiliar to her.

This uncle, surnamed Wei, was also very unfamiliar, everything was very unfamiliar.

Lin He said to her, “The house’s still messy. There’s still a moving truck coming later. The workers have to unload and things will be moving in and out. How about you sit on the side first? Don’t go in until the move is finished.”

“Kay.” Lin Zhexia answered.

So she held the old doll in her hand and sat on the steps at the door of the opposite building to watch them move things.

The sun was really dazzling.

She watched for a while.

Then, “clack”, the sound of the door lock opening suddenly sounded behind her.

She turned back, looking against the light. She saw a boy about her height. His skin was so pale that he looked unhealthy. His lips were also pale. Other kids his age still had baby fat on their faces, but his facial features had already become three-dimensional.

A sharp jawline, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes, but frail.

–

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