Chapter 27: Tell Him

“Lin Cheng?” Li Xiaoran’s eyes widened in delight.

The smile on Zhou Mingyuan’s face stiffened ever so slightly.
“Oh? Classmate Lin Cheng? You came to cheer for Xiaoran too? This drink—”

“Yeah, I’m here to cheer her on.
But Xiaoran’s stomach is pretty delicate—she can’t handle these kinds of energy drinks.
They’d probably upset her.
It’s safer for her to stick to her own water.
And since I’m thirsty anyway, you don’t mind if I take a sip, do you?”

Before Zhou Mingyuan or Li Xiaoran could react, Lin Cheng had already unscrewed the thermos lid.
He raised it as though to drink—

Then his right arm gave a slight tremor, as though stricken with pain.
The movement jolted, and the thermos slipped from his grasp.

Smack.
The thermos clattered to the ground.
Liquid splashed everywhere.

“Ah—sorry, my hand’s not that good yet. Slipped by accident.”
Lin Cheng’s face showed a look of regret.

Zhou Mingyuan stared at him for a long moment before tugging out a smile.
“Heh. No problem. The race is about to start anyway. Good luck, Xiaoran.”

With that, he turned and walked briskly away from the starting area.

Li Xiaoran stood frozen in place, dazed.
She glanced at Zhou Mingyuan’s departing figure, then tugged lightly at Lin Cheng’s sleeve.
Her voice was cautious, nervous.

“Lin Cheng, I—I wasn’t planning to take Zhou Mingyuan’s drink, really. Don’t get the wrong idea…”

“Men and women shouldn’t be so casual with each other.”

Lin Cheng withdrew his sharp gaze from Zhou Mingyuan’s back and turned his eyes on her.
His tone was faint, but the look carried weight.

Li Xiaoran was far too gentle.
If she went on interacting with Zhou Mingyuan with no guard up at all, it was dangerous.

She needed a reminder.
Something that would spark a sense of caution.

And for a teenage girl, nothing flustered her more than the possibility of a scandal—rumors with a boy from her own class.

As expected, Li Xiaoran’s cheeks flushed instantly.
She waved her hands in panic, stammering.

“No, no, it’s not like that! I never thought that way! Please don’t misunderstand…”

Lin Cheng kept his eyes fixed on her, deep and unreadable.
It only made her blush hotter, her words tumbling out faster.

“Really! Honestly! I never even wanted his water. I’ve never thought of having anything to do with him. He’s just a regular classmate—I’ve never even called his name before…”

Lin Cheng felt a measure of satisfaction.
So this little trick worked after all.
Few teenage girls could stand being linked to a boy they didn’t like.

Watching Li Xiaoran’s face turn crimson, her voice stumbling over excuses, he finally allowed himself to relax a little.

At the very least, she would now keep her guard up and maintain some distance from Zhou Mingyuan.

“Alright, alright. I believe you. Focus on the race—it’s about to start.”
He patted her shoulder.

“…Mm!”

Li Xiaoran drew in a deep breath, looked at him once, and stepped to the starting line.

The starting pistol cracked through the air.
A dozen girls sprinted forward.

Lin Cheng positioned himself by the track, where each lap ended.
Every time Li Xiaoran passed, he shouted loudly,
“Xiaoran, keep it up!”

And each time, she turned her head to respond.

But—
The echo of Lin Cheng’s words and that faint, heavy look of his wouldn’t leave her mind.

“Men and women shouldn’t be so casual…”

Did he misunderstand?
Was he… jealous?

It was her fault!
She should’ve rejected Zhou Mingyuan immediately!
Why had she hesitated even a moment?

Now—
Would he think she was that kind of girl?
Would he still bother with her?

…

The more she thought, the messier it became.
The more she thought, the more panicked she grew.

Her pace broke down.
Her breathing grew ragged—not the rhythm of a long-distance runner, but of someone fleeing in fright.

Her mind was full of Lin Cheng’s face, leaving her blind to her own steps.

By the end of the third lap, her focus slipped completely.
Her left foot tangled clumsily with her right.

“Ah!”

A sharp cry split the air.
Li Xiaoran crashed to the ground, scraping against the coarse rubber track.
Fire seared through her knees and elbows.

Lin Cheng’s face hardened, his body tense, ready to rush over.

Falling hurt badly enough.
Falling on a school track was worse—skin scraped raw, especially in the cold.

The weather today was only twelve or thirteen degrees.
Not winter, but far from warm.

Li Xiaoran lay sprawled on the track, pain lancing through every limb, vision dimming.
Panic and helplessness welled up, her eyes burning red.

Blood seeped from her knee beneath the school uniform.
She dragged herself a little to the side and stared at the raw, torn patch of skin, tears stinging her lashes.

When she lifted her head, she saw Lin Cheng running toward her.
And at that moment, only one thought filled her mind:

Forget the race!
It hurts!
I just want to explain!

Lin Cheng, don’t misunderstand me!
I really don’t have anything to do with that guy!
He’s a bastard—I wouldn’t care if he died!

Meanwhile, hovering close to Lin Cheng, Su Wanqing had been watching everything.
She saw it clearly—
The faint, dim light in Li Xiaoran’s body suddenly flare to life.

She could possess her!

She might be slow to grasp things, but even a fool would realize this by now.
When the glow dimmed, she couldn’t attach.
Now it had lit up again—so of course it meant she could.

A chance.

Su Wanqing surged forward toward the light.

Buzz.
A strange tether snapped into place.

“Ugh…”

Li Xiaoran gave a muffled groan.
Her eyes went hazy for a split second—then lit with joy.

It was real.
Oh my goodness!

Ow ow ow ow ow!!

The sting of scraped knees and elbows hit Su Wanqing like a hammer, wrenching cries from her throat.

But alongside the pain came exhilaration.
The feeling of being alive!

Hot air flooding into her lungs.
Her body, pushed to the limits of a long-distance run, gasping, burning.
Her thighs and calves heavy, trembling with strain.

And she craved it all.

She glanced up.
Lin Cheng was nearly there.

Running away mid-race isn’t what a heroine does.
Since you signed up, you finish it.

Su Wanqing chuckled silently to Li Xiaoran in her heart.

She was selfish.
Right now, she didn’t want Li Xiaoran getting too close to Lin Cheng.

Clenching her teeth, Su Wanqing pressed her palms hard against the ground.
Ignoring the sting of torn skin, she forced herself upright.

“You okay? Can you keep running?” the supervising teacher asked anxiously.

“Yes!”

Su Wanqing’s voice was firm.
She steadied her breath and pushed forward, rejoining the runners.

Lin Cheng skidded to a halt nearby, his hand hovering mid-air.

So she really wanted to finish the race.
All he could do was respect that.

“Xiaoran, careful—go for it!”

Wind roared past Su Wanqing’s ears.
Her body strained and surged, every step sharp with pain.
But the pain only made her feel more alive.

Her pace didn’t falter.
If anything, she began overtaking others, drawing glances from the stands.

Immersed in the thrill of life, she suddenly looked up.
And froze.

From the bleachers, Zhou Mingyuan’s gaze bore down on her.
Expressionless.
Cold.
Detached.
Like a predator studying prey.

Su Wanqing stiffened.
That look.

It was the last look she had ever seen before her death.
Exactly the same.

Back then, in the car, Zhou Mingyuan had stared at her with those same eyes.
And now—he was looking at Li Xiaoran the same way.

Could it be—
Li Xiaoran was his next target?

For a heartbeat, her chest filled with sorrow, pity, and rage all tangled together.

She hated Zhou Mingyuan.

But sympathy? Pity? No.

She and Li Xiaoran weren’t wrong.
They weren’t sick.
They didn’t deserve this.

The one who deserved to die was Zhou Mingyuan.
That beast.

Lin Cheng had to know.
She had to tell him Zhou Mingyuan had set his sights on Li Xiaoran.

The chain on her ankle forbade her from revealing her own truth—
But Li Xiaoran had nothing to do with her past.
This much, she could say.

The lap was nearly done.
And at the end of it, Lin Cheng was waiting.

Su Wanqing pushed harder, legs burning, breath tearing.
She had to reach him.

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