Chapter 26: Sports Day

Silence.
Su Wanqing stared blankly at Lin Cheng.
His fingers were merged with her transparent body.
Every word he spoke was like a stone dropped into the lake of her heart, rippling outward again and again.

The truth.
Had Zhou Mingyuan always intended to kill her?
And she had never even noticed.

All this time, Lin Cheng had never given up on protecting her—
Even when she was alive, treating him with indifference, impatience, even calling him a freak and driving him away.
He still remembered her.
He was still thinking of seeking justice for her.

“Lin Cheng…”
Su Wanqing whispered softly, for the first time with such reliance, such peace of mind.

Lin Cheng pulled his hand back and gave one last look at the empty corner shrouded in darkness.
There was a hint of relief in his gaze, as though the young lady he once knew really was standing there, and he had finally spoken the words buried in his heart.

“Let’s go.”
He stood up.
The keys in his hand jingled crisply as he walked to the back door of the classroom.
He pulled it open, and his figure melted into the dim light of the corridor.

Click.
The door closed gently behind him.

And at that very instant—
The shadow in the corner shifted.
The faint, unseen wisp of a soul was no longer huddled in fear, but as if lifted gently by an invisible, warming breeze.

Su Wanqing’s gaze clung tightly to that closed door, to the direction where Lin Cheng had gone.
No hesitation at all.
That fragile wisp of a shadow passed smoothly through the shut classroom door, following in his steps without faltering.

Moonlight still poured through the windows, spilling cleanly onto the floor and illuminating the rows of desks and chairs.

Gone.
Death.
When a person is killed, they die.
It’s when a dead person keeps on living—that’s the strange thing.

Su Wanqing trailed closely behind Lin Cheng.
Her eyes never left his face.

Back at his room—
She slipped in first, curling up on the bed.
She watched him wash up, strip down, and crawl into the blankets.
And then she slid into him, merging with his body.

Su Wanqing was terrified of dying.
Truly terrified.
The real kind of death.
The kind no one remembers.
The kind that erases you completely.
She feared it all.

“Lin Cheng… as long as you still remember me, I should be able to keep on living, right?”
She murmured faintly, burrowing deeper into his body.

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, spilling across Lin Cheng’s face.
He sat up with difficulty, yawning.

Getting up in the morning was already hard enough in high school.
In the third year, it was even harder.

It was April, and the air still carried a chill.
Lin Cheng wrestled with the blankets for a while before finally putting on his clothes and heading to wash up.

In the bathroom, he accidentally noticed the skin on his injured right hand.
It was smooth, flawless—only a faint, pale mark remained.
It looked nothing like a hand that had had its bones broken just a month ago.

He clenched his fist.
The joints were firm, strength surging through his grip.
Even more agile and powerful than before.

Facing the mirror, Lin Cheng tried a few simple stretches.
His body moved fluidly, muscles more defined and taut than even yesterday.
His whole spirit and energy had been renewed, his gaze bright and clear, sweeping away the heaviness and fatigue that had weighed on him for so long.

This must have been the system’s reward—
A one-point-five times improvement in physical ability.
It had fully activated only after his arm had healed.

Lin Cheng mused silently, then finished washing up and changed into his school uniform.

At six-fifty—
He arrived at the classroom.
Li Xiaoran was already at her seat, head lowered, arranging her stationery.
The moment she saw Lin Cheng come in, her eyes lit up.
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she hurriedly waved.

“Lin Cheng!”

Lin Cheng walked quickly over and sat down.
“Morning, Xiaoran.”

“Morning!”

She noticed right away that he seemed unusually full of energy today—
Especially his right hand, which had always looked stiff before.
Just now, he had actually vaulted over a desk with it.

“Lin Cheng, your hand…?”

Lin Cheng rotated his wrist casually.
“Mm. It’s completely fine now. Guess it just healed fast.”

“That’s great.”
Li Xiaoran’s joy was sincere.
Then, remembering something, she started chattering excitedly.

“Oh right, you know what? Something funny happened in our dorm last night! That Bai Xue, she…”

The things a high school girl could talk about with a boy regarding her dorm were usually nothing but little trifles.
Honestly, they were pretty boring to listen to.
Sometimes she’d mention small spats between the girls.
Most of the time, boys wouldn’t even understand what those dorm disputes were about.

Still, Lin Cheng played along, smiling here and there.

The classroom slowly filled with people.
Since the sports day was happening that morning, the atmosphere was far more lively than usual.
Through the windows, one could already see staff setting up the track and students gathering in formation on the field.

At seven forty-five—
The familiar sports meet bell rang.
The same bell that usually signaled the hated ten-fifteen morning exercises suddenly sounded almost pleasant.

“Let’s go!”
“Head to the field!”

The classroom burst into excitement.
Many students even carried their stools out with them.
Lin Cheng walked at the very back of the crowd.

That afternoon, Zhou Mingyuan’s gathering awaited.

[Key plot character: Li Xiaoran]

Zhou Mingyuan’s true target… was Li Xiaoran.
But the real question was—what exactly did he intend to do?

The sports meet was in full swing.
Li Xiaoran’s 3000-meter race was scheduled for ten o’clock.
It was the toughest endurance event for girls.
Not many signed up.
At the starting line, just over a dozen were warming up and stretching.

Lin Cheng estimated the time and went ahead to the lap-end point, ready to cheer her on every round.
But just as he was about to reach it—
He froze.

Not far away, Zhou Mingyuan was walking straight toward the group of girls warming up.
And his target was clear.
The one bending over to stretch her legs—Li Xiaoran.

Without hesitation, Lin Cheng altered course, quickening his pace to follow behind.
Zhou Mingyuan seemed utterly unaware.
He approached with practiced calm, his face wearing just the right touch of concern.

“Xiaoran, how’s the prep going? Three thousand meters isn’t easy.”

Li Xiaoran straightened up.
Seeing him there, she was a little surprised, but still answered politely.
“Mm, it’s fine. I’ll just try my best to finish.”

Zhou Mingyuan pulled out a sleek thermos emblazoned with a popular sports drink logo.
“Here. Freshly mixed electrolyte drink with some glucose—it’s great for replenishing energy. Have a bit before the run, it’ll help.”

Several nearby girls looked over enviously.

“Ah? Thank you, but it’s no trouble—I brought water myself…”
Li Xiaoran gestured at the plain plastic bottle on the ground.

“No need to be shy. Take it. I brought this just for you.”
Zhou Mingyuan pushed the thermos closer insistently, smiling smoothly.
“We’re classmates—it’s only natural to help each other out.”

Just as Li Xiaoran hesitated—
A slender, steady hand reached out first and gripped the thermos firmly.

“You’re really thoughtful, Young Master Zhou.”
Lin Cheng’s voice cut in sharply from the side.