MM | Chapter 45

Stubborn Mule

Ji Huanyu didn't leave despite the cold reception.

He came down the steps and followed behind Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian, calling Jiang Tian's name a few more times with a tone that seemed to say, "I can't do anything about you."

This tone gave him the upper hand, making it sound to passersby like a gentle father coaxing a sulking son.

The more Sheng Wang listened, the more annoyed he became.

Behind the stands were the submission desk for the broadcast station, the registration office, and the help desk, with students and teachers constantly coming and going. Many glanced their way but didn't dare look too long due to Jiang Tian's cold expression.

"8x200 mixed relay, right?" A teacher at the registration office waved at them from a distance.

Everyone knew the famous figures, so the teacher didn't ask much, directly pulling out a form and pointing to a blank spot: "You two are the only ones from your class who haven't signed up yet. Sign here."

Jiang Tian took the pen and wrote his name expressionlessly.

Sheng Wang nudged him lightly and said, "Sign for me too. My handwriting is too artistic; I'm afraid the teacher won't appreciate it."

His tone was so smug that the teacher snorted in annoyance.

Jiang Tian paused for a moment, his expression softening slightly as he signed Sheng Wang's name. "Didn't you practice?"

Luckily, he wasn't so angry that he wouldn't talk.

Sheng Wang felt relieved but continued, "I practiced enough, but I have to save some strength to surprise Sister Jing in the midterm exams."

The two chatted as if no one else was around, while Ji Huanyu stood a few steps away, waiting. The teacher at the registration office looked up and politely asked, "A parent here to watch their child's competition?"

Ji Huanyu nodded, smiling apologetically, "It's rare to have the chance to watch."

The teacher politely acknowledged that being busy was understandable, as if all issues were brushed aside with that light remark.

The smile on Sheng Wang's face vanished instantly, and he glanced at Ji Huanyu with tightly pressed lips.

When he turned back, he found Jiang Tian's face had turned cold again.

Sheng Wang looked at the teacher with a sigh, thinking, "I just managed to calm him down, and now you're stirring things up."

Jiang Tian put down the pen, stood up straight, and asked, "You've been following us for a while. What do you want to say?"

Ji Huanyu still smiled, showing no signs of embarrassment or unease. His facade was impeccable, but Jiang Tian knew he already regretted coming over.

He was vain and cared about appearances, always wanting to maintain a polished image in front of others, disliking any loss of composure.

The teacher at the registration office felt a bit awkward, unable to leave or stay, so he just laughed awkwardly, watching the three of them.

Ji Huanyu pointed to an empty spot in the distance, "The teacher has things to do. Shall we go over there?"

"It's not on the way," Jiang Tian replied.

Ji Huanyu sighed and called him again, "Xiao Tian."

Jiang Tian remained cold and unmoved.

The teacher watched eagerly, and Ji Huanyu finally gave up. Even at this moment, he maintained his refined demeanor, smiling as he said, "Alright, let's not talk about anything unpleasant today. I just heard about the Affiliated High School's sports meet and came to take a look."

"Then watch by yourself."

With that, Jiang Tian pulled Sheng Wang along, and they entered the field without looking back.

Sheng Wang glanced back midway and saw Ji Huanyu actually went up to the stands. He found a spot on the edge of the parents' viewing area, greeted those around him, and quietly watched the competition.

This afternoon was supposed to be the highlight of the sports meet, with most of the track events concentrated here. A Class had several opportunities to score points.

Gao Tianyang lapped the second place in the 1500 meters and lapped them one and a half times in the 3000 meters. Pepper came in second in both the 200 and 400 meters. Li Yu and Zhao Qiao Na performed exceptionally in the two-person three-legged fun race, taking third place. Others also secured some rankings.

A Class students were practically in heaven, watching their points jump up continuously, unknowingly reaching third place in the grade, just 10 points behind Class 5 in second place and 18 points behind Class 7 in first.

Everyone's hopes rested on Jiang Tian and Sheng Wang. The former was competing in the high jump, while the latter had a hurdle race.

The high jump was in the southeast corner of the field. Due to the need for a run-up, the area was cleared, and they had to wait on the grass about ten meters away. A Class's stands emptied like dumplings, with almost all the boys and girls gathering around.

The event staff had no choice but to bring over some white barriers, drawing a line, and a large group stood outside the barrier.

Song Sirui looked around and said, "When did our class get so many girls?"

Gao Tianyang sighed, "In your dreams. If there were really this many, I'd die laughing."

A group of girls from other classes laughed and said, "We'd like to join, but your A Class doesn't accept us."

Gao Tianyang put his arm around Sheng Wang's shoulder and asked, "Are you here to see my Tian-ge or my Sheng-ge?"

The girls giggled and pushed each other but refused to answer.

The crowd was lively and noisy, but Sheng Wang was distracted because Jiang Tian hadn't smiled all afternoon.

The bar was raised higher and higher, and Jiang Tian ran up again and again, leaping over it with his back. His height and long legs made him eye-catching as he soared over the bar.

The crowd held their breath when he started and erupted in cheers when he landed, growing more enthusiastic each time.

The more heated the surroundings, the colder he seemed.

The girls nearby seemed to like this, with one even whispering to her companion, "He's sweating, but he feels cold."

Sheng Wang heard this and couldn't help but laugh.

A whistle sounded not far away, and the field's broadcast began calling for hurdle athletes to check in. Sheng Wang glanced over, seeing a few boys with number tags walking behind the stands.

The girls suddenly gasped, and Sheng Wang turned back to see Jiang Tian walking over to the barrier after finishing a jump.

Gao Tianyang asked, "Tian-ge! Tired?"

Jiang Tian stood by the barrier and took the water bottle from Sheng Wang's hand, "Not bad."

Class 3 and Class 9 were tough competitors, following him through three heights without anyone being eliminated. Sweat dripped from his forehead and temples, sliding down his jawline to his neck. When he tilted his head to drink, his Adam's apple was glistening.

Sheng Wang squinted and quickly averted his gaze.

"The hurdles are starting?" Jiang Tian suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Sheng Wang was momentarily confused.

Jiang Tian handed back the half-finished water bottle and nodded toward the broadcast area, "I heard them calling names."

"Oh, right." Sheng Wang screwed the cap back on and said, "I should head over."

Jiang Tian nodded and said, "Good luck."

The white wooden hurdles were already set up on the track. Some spectators followed Sheng Wang onto the track, but most remained in the southeast corner, as Sheng Wang's finish line was also there.

While warming up, Sheng Wang saw from a distance that the high jump had reached a new height. The boy from Class 9 failed three times and had withdrawn, while the one from Class 3 was attempting his second try.

Sheng Wang lifted his leg, rolled up his short sleeves, and leaned forward.

As the starting gun fired, the boy from Class 3 failed his third attempt and was eliminated.

Sheng Wang smiled and cleared the second hurdle.

In school sports meets, it's usually hard to create a big gap in the 100-meter dash, especially in the boys' group, where the first and last place are only a few steps apart. But hurdles are different; some adapt well, while others don't, and the gap becomes apparent.

After three hurdles, Sheng Wang was in the lead group. This group had only two people: him and the P.E. committee member from Class B.

Before this, the committee member had been practicing on the field for a week, with much more practice than Sheng Wang, and crossed smoothly without mistakes.

But perhaps Sheng Wang's performance in the mixed relay was too impressive, putting pressure on him. At the official competition, he stumbled a bit, knocking over several hurdles.

At the last hurdle, a sudden cheer erupted from a corner of the field, with Gao Tianyang's loud voice carrying far: "Tian-ge, awesome—"

Did he win?

Sheng Wang instinctively glanced over, seeing the crowd gather and the girls jumping with excitement.

In that split second, Sheng Wang realized that being distracted had consequences. The Class B committee member was startled by the cheers, tripped, and fell onto Sheng Wang's lane.

Sheng Wang instinctively wanted to dodge, but his foot was already in the air.

He only had time to curse in his mind before landing.

His left ankle made a cracking sound, and he fell to his knees.

In that moment, Sheng Wang was almost stunned by the pain.

Shouts of concern came from the field, with people calling his name, but he couldn't make out much, only feeling a buzzing in his ears amidst the noise.

Soon, the pain-induced ringing subsided. Clutching his ankle, he opened his eyes to see the Class B guy holding his backside and groaning, which he found amusing—first and second place tumbling together, how embarrassing.

Sheng Wang grimaced but couldn't help laughing.

"Still laughing?!" A voice came down.

Sheng Wang looked up to see Jiang Tian, who had somehow run over from the high jump area, squatting in front of him.

"Don't squat, help me up—" Sheng Wang hooked his arm around Jiang Tian, using him to stand on one foot.

Jiang Tian frowned, glaring at him, "What are you doing?"

"There are only a few meters left. Let me hop over first!" Sheng Wang released his grip and hopped forward on his left foot.

"You!"

He didn't need to look to know Jiang Tian wanted to strangle him.

The other class was far behind them, and the unexpected incident had caused them to pause. By the time they reacted and started running again, they had already lost some time.

"Damn!" Sheng Wang cursed in pain, watching Class 9 pass him and cross the finish line first.

He hopped with a light and breezy feeling, and even with one leg, his hops were larger than most people's steps. In no time, he was close to the finish line.

The stands thought he was doomed to be last, but never expected this, and they started cheering for him. A Class's cheers were deafening.

Class 2 passed by, reaching the finish line before him.

Sheng Wang hopped again, finally catching up, the white line under his feet marking the end. The next second, he saw Jiang Tian coming in from the sidelines, catching him just in time.

"Damn, it hurts!" Sheng Wang unceremoniously leaned his weight on Jiang Tian.

The Class B committee member had planned to lie down but was spurred to get up, crawling over the line, surprisingly making it into the top six and earning a point.

"You're amazing!" He sat on the track, tending to his scraped knee, shouting at Sheng Wang.

"You're not bad either!" Sheng Wang laughed, mimicking his tone, but when he turned, he met Jiang Tian's stern face.

"..."

Sheng Wang immediately stopped laughing, behaving himself, and even gingerly lifted his left foot, "Ouch."

"Ouch, my foot." Jiang Tian said, "Let me see."

He squatted down, and Sheng Wang used three fingers on his shoulder for balance.

"Can you move it?" Jiang Tian asked.

Sheng Wang tried moving it, "It's okay, it hurts, but not completely—"

His words were cut off as Jiang Tian's fingers gently pressed his ankle joint.

"Why are you dodging?" Jiang Tian asked, "Did it hurt?"

Sheng Wang felt like the whole school was watching his foot, a thin layer of blood rising on his neck, "It's okay, get up, let's talk back at the stands."

"Back to the stands!" Gao Tianyang came over with He Jin and a group of classmates.

"Go to the clinic." He Jin said sternly, "Try being reckless again next time!"

"No, wait, don't pull my hand." Sheng Wang felt a crowd trying to help him, laughing and leaning more on Jiang Tian, "He can take me, you guys have other events, why crowd around?"

A group of people jostled and squeezed onto Road No. 3. Sheng Wang finally convinced most of them to return to the field after a lot of reminders.

Jiang Tian looked at the distance on Road No. 3 and said, "I'll carry you."

Sheng Wang quickly waved his hand, "No, limping is embarrassing enough, I don't want to be stared at all the way."

Gao Tianyang also said, "We can take turns carrying you, it's no trouble."

Sheng Wang immediately let go and hopped forward, "Goodbye, I'll walk myself."

Gao Tianyang shouted, "Are you a mule, so stubborn?"

Sheng Wang: "Yes."

Jiang Tian caught up and supported him, turning to Gao Tianyang, "I'll take him, you go back."

Gao Tianyang hesitated, then seemed to think of something, "Alright, you two go ahead, I'll find something good and be right back."

Sheng Wang quickly hopped a few more times.

The distance from the field to the clinic wasn't far, but it wasn't a flat road. From the branch of Road No. 3, there was a curved slope, and after two loops, it led to the clinic.

Sheng Wang hung onto Jiang Tian, hopping all the way, arguing all the way about whether or not to be carried.

Just as they were about to reach the slope, Sheng Wang heard the sound of wheels behind him.

Puzzled, he turned to see Gao Tianyang pushing a large object, grinning, "Sheng-ge, I got you a wheelchair. If you really don't want to be carried, you can ride up in this!"

Sheng Wang was dumbfounded.

"Isn't this a bit too much?" He was stunned for a while, then pushed Jiang Tian, "Forget it, turn around."

With that, he wrapped his arms around Jiang Tian's neck and hopped onto his back, "Between the wheelchair and your back, I choose your back."