"Surely you're not less than 1.2 meters tall."
Sang Zhi picked out the key words.
1.2 meters, not.
Reverse the order and connect them.
Not 1.2 meters tall.
Sang Zhi was completely captivated by these few words, not noticing what Sang Yan said to the person beside him afterward, nor paying attention to what the person slumped over looked like.
The sun was blazing at this moment. Although the tent provided shade, it wasn't cool, with the sweltering heat everywhere. Her face was slightly flushed from the heat, and her mood was irritable, unable to tolerate his inexplicable slander.
"Where am I not 1.2 meters tall?" Even though Sang Zhi felt she didn't need to prove this statement, she couldn't help but argue, "I'm already 1.55 meters tall. Where am I not 1.2 meters?"
"You're already 1.55 meters? Then this classmate, you look—" Sang Yan said nonchalantly, lowering his eyes to flip through the list, "quite short for your height."
"..."
"Alright, you should mention it in advance from now on. Otherwise, it's too easy to misunderstand."
"..."
Was she supposed to tell everyone she met, "I'm 1.55 meters tall"?
It would sound like showing off.
"Check if the number on your clothes matches the one on the list." Then, Sang Yan nudged the person beside him, "Stop sleeping, come help out, bro."
The person who had been slumped over moved a couple of times before finally lifting his face from his arms.
Sang Zhi glanced over.
The man looked tired, his eyes half-squinted as if unaccustomed to the brightness. After a few months apart, his hair had grown longer, covering his eyebrows and slightly messy from sleep. His skin was a cool, pale tone, but his lips were strikingly red, as if stained with rouge.
His devilish charm hadn't diminished in the slightest, only becoming more alluring.
Duan Jiaxu slowly sat up, leaning back with a drowsy, unhurried demeanor, and lazily responded, "Hmm?"
Sang Zhi stared at him for two seconds, her heart skipping a beat, before abruptly looking away and pretending not to have seen him. She busied herself with something, following Sang Yan's instructions to find her name and number on the list on the table.
Sang Zhi looked down at the number on her chest, then said to Sang Yan, "It matches."
"Your number is quite interesting," Sang Yan remarked idly. "It's as if you're afraid the whole world doesn't know you're 1.55 meters tall."
Sang Zhi was displeased. "It's not like I chose it myself."
Hearing their conversation, Duan Jiaxu lifted his drooping eyelids. Noticing Sang Zhi and the clothes she was wearing, his eyebrows raised, and most of his drowsiness vanished.
Then, he suddenly laughed out loud.
Sang Zhi turned at the sound.
She saw him staring at her clothes, lowering his chin as he laughed, not bothering to hide his amusement. His meaning was unmistakable—he was openly mocking her outfit.
His reaction immediately reminded Sang Zhi of the class uniform she was wearing, which even her grandmother's generation probably wouldn't want to wear. Her ears gradually grew warm, and she took a deep breath, walking angrily to the side.
She could faintly hear Duan Jiaxu chuckling as he said, "Your sister's taste is something else."
"..."
So now it's popular for adults to gang up on kids.
Two! Old! Men!
Sang Zhi simply pretended not to know them.
She stayed with a girl from her class who was also participating in the long jump, waiting for them to finish checking the names and numbers of the participants.
The girl's name was Cen Rui, and she was quite quiet. Seeming a bit bored, she initiated a conversation, "Sang Zhi, do you know those two brothers?"Sang Zhi reluctantly nodded, "But we're not close."
"How did you meet him?" Cen Rui asked curiously, "He seems quite a bit older than us."
"A friend of my mom's," Sang Zhi made up casually.
"Ah?"
"My mom likes square dancing, and they often dance together," Sang Zhi said. "Occasionally, she invites them over for meals, so I got to know him."
The words "square dancing" and "often dance together" struck Cen Rui like a thunderbolt. She asked in disbelief, "You mean square dancing? Like 'Beautiful Seven Fairies' style?"
Sang Zhi replied without changing her expression, "Yeah."
"That's..." Cen Rui's expression was indescribable, finally managing to say, "That's actually quite trendy."
"Not bad," Sang Zhi felt instantly relieved by her reaction. "People that age all seem to like dancing that."
"..."
Soon, Sang Yan called their group over to draw lots for the competition order.
Sang Zhi randomly picked one and was assigned second to last.
There were three registration staff members besides Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu, there was another woman. They all wore matching black short-sleeved shirts and identical white caps.
After registration was completed, they led the participants to the competition venue.
Sang Zhi actually found it hard to believe.
Although she knew Nanwu University would have student volunteers, the idea that Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu would sign up seemed like pure fantasy to her.
Not wanting to be teased by either of them, she walked at the back with Cen Rui.
Once they brought everyone to the competition venue, the registration staff's task was complete.
Sang Zhi gradually relaxed, praying they would leave quickly. It was just past eleven, and the sun was getting increasingly intense. She crouched down, hiding in the shadow of the person next to her.
Not long after, someone suddenly placed a hat on her head.
Blinded by the sunlight, Sang Zhi instinctively lifted the brim and looked up.
When she saw who was in front of her, her expression froze.
Shifting her gaze, she noticed someone else standing nearby. None of her earlier prayers had been answered - neither of them had left, and now they had come to find her.
Duan Jiaxu crouched in front of her, his hair appearing lighter in the sunlight. He tilted his head slightly, resting his arms on his knees, and said with a teasing smile, "Little Sang Zhi is dressed quite beautifully today."
Sang Zhi didn't want to acknowledge him.
Sang Yan stood nearby, holding a camera that had appeared from somewhere. The next moment, he aimed it at Sang Zi and added fuel to the fire, "You could enter a beauty pageant."
"Brother!" Sang Zhi widened her eyes, "Why are you taking photos?"
"Mom and Dad asked me to," Sang Yan bent down slightly, bringing the camera closer. "Not bad, kid. Dressed like Miss Hong Kong today."
"I haven't even mentioned that you're dressed like Popeye today," hearing the mockery in his words, Sang Zhi immediately jumped up to grab his camera. "No photos! You never take pictures when I actually look good!"
"Is that so?" Sang Yan wisely raised his hand high, asking humbly, "When do you look good? Could you let your brother know? Otherwise, I wouldn't know."
"..."
As Sang Zhi tried to jump up again, he immediately pressed down on her head.
She couldn't move at all.
She felt like she was about to explode, but was completely restrained by him, utterly helpless. Swallowing her anger, Sang Zhi wisely said, "Brother, I won't take it anymore."Sang Yan's hand still hadn't let go.
Sang Zhi persisted, "You can keep filming, it's fine."
She truly felt miserable.
Originally, Sang Yan going off to college was something she considered heaven-sent, worthy of endless gratitude. But she never expected that even during school, she'd have to endure Sang Yan's torment.
As if he hadn't heard her, Sang Yan's eyes crinkled slightly, maintaining his original posture: "Am I not filming properly?"
"..." Sang Zhi couldn't take it anymore and threatened, "If you keep this up, I'm telling Dad."
"Go ahead, tattle," Sang Yan said indifferently. "I won't be home for a long time anyway."
They remained deadlocked for a moment.
Duan Jiaxu had been squatting nearby watching for a while. Soon, he stood up, pulled Sang Yan's hand off Sang Zhi's head, and said teasingly, "Can you stop bullying my little sister?"
Sang Yan: "?"
Although she knew this guy wasn't much better than Sang Yan.
But having someone to rely on, Sang Zhi shamelessly hid behind him, borrowing his authority: "Hear that? My brother told you to stop bullying me."
Sang Yan stared at the two of them for a long moment, finding it absurd: "Who's your brother?"She naturally pointed at Duan Jiaxu."
"Fine, bro." Sang Yan put down the camera in his hand, seeming to find this trade quite worthwhile, his expression turning cheerful. "She's yours now."
Before they knew it, it was Sang Zhi's turn for her event.
When it came to sports, Sang Zhi wasn't actually good at any event, but after weighing her options, she still thought the long jump would be easiest. She straightforwardly chose it.
This was Sang Zhi's first time participating in a school sports meet competition.
Originally, she didn't feel nervous, thinking she'd just jump and leave. Whether she could place or not wasn't something Sang Zhi had considered at all.
But now, unexpectedly, there were two extra people watching her.
Sang Zhi slowly exhaled.
She stood on the runway, glanced ahead at the takeoff line, and mentally estimated how many steps she needed to run. Soon, hearing the referee's command, she started running forward.
When she reached about a meter from the takeoff line, Sang Zhi paused her steps, then continued running forward. As if afraid of stepping on the line, she glanced sideways with her peripheral vision, accurately stopped right before the takeoff line, and jumped forward with all her might.
The world quieted down, leaving only the sound of whipping wind around her.
After a few seconds, the referee came over with a measuring tape, looking careful and serious: "Number 0155, first attempt score zero—zero point five meters."
"..."
Sang Zhi could faintly hear people laughing nearby. Pretending not to hear, she scratched her head: "Do I need to jump again?"
Referee: "Two more jumps."
Sang Zhi didn't really want to jump anymore, but she couldn't break the competition rules: "Oh."
Standing on the sidelines watching, Duan Jiaxu found it hilarious, his shoulders shaking slightly: "What's up with your sister? Running that fast to the takeoff line, then stopping to do a standing long jump?"
"This kid is cautious and timid," Sang Yan said, having recorded the whole scene with his camera, his lips quirking. "Probably afraid of falling."
The second time, Sang Zhi followed the same pattern.
But she did improve somewhat, jumping 0.8 meters this time.
Passing by Sang Yan, she heard what sounded like him clapping, offering considerate encouragement: "Such a long jump—still shorter than a single step I take."
"..."Chen Mingxu happened to come to watch the competition. Seeing Sang Zhi's lack of enthusiasm, he scolded her harshly and demanded that she give her best effort in her final jump.
Even if her long jump skills were lacking, she still had to jump properly.
Attitude determines everything.
Stimulated by both Chen Mingxu and Sang Yan,
Sang Zhi pressed her lips together, as if competing with someone, and decided she must achieve a good result this time to prove them wrong. She adjusted her breathing and began running forward slowly.
She accelerated midway.
She took off about five centimeters before the takeoff line and landed in the sandpit. Then, just as she had imagined countless times, she lost her balance, twisted her ankle, and leaned forward.
Instinctively, Sang Zhi reached out to break her fall, scraping her hands on the sand, which stung sharply. Then, she tumbled face-first into the sandpit.
A volunteer immediately rushed over to help her up. "Are you okay?"
Tears of pain streamed uncontrollably from Sang Zhi's eyes. She hissed in pain but didn't cry out, forcing out the words, "I-I'm fine."
Her ankle throbbed with excruciating pain, and despite struggling for a long time, she couldn't stand up.
No one had expected this situation.
Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu hurried over, and even Chen Mingxu, who had been watching from a distance, ran to her side.
Duan Jiaxu was closer and reached Sang Zhi first. He crouched beside her, grabbing her arm gently without applying force. "Can you stand?"
Sang Zhi began to regret her stubbornness. More than the pain, what mortified her was falling so clumsily in front of everyone. She hung her head and shook it.
Sang Yan grabbed her other arm, frowning. "Why didn't you just stick to the standing long jump?"
Only then did Sang Zhi burst into tears, overwhelmed with grievance. "Weren't you the one mocking me?"
Together, the two of them pulled her up.
Sang Yan crouched down. "Get on my back. Let's get some ointment on that."
Chen Mingxu watched from the side, feeling guilty. "Sang Zhi, are you okay? I shouldn't have said those things to you. If I'd known, I would've just let you jump however you wanted. The important thing is to enjoy participating..."
Sang Zhi climbed onto Sang Yan's back, tears still in her eyes, suppressing her sobs as she said, "It's fine..."
Her reaction only made Chen Mingxu feel more remorseful. He turned, about to say something else, when he suddenly noticed Duan Jiaxu standing nearby. "Sang Zhi's brother? What are you doing here?"
"Ah, I remember now," Chen Mingxu began to ramble. "You mentioned last time that you're studying at Nanwu University, right? I'm really sorry for not taking better care of your family's child..."
Then, he noticed Sang Yan carrying Sang Zhi and paused in confusion. "And who is this?"
Sang Zhi's scalp prickled.
Her thoughts instantly drifted back to the parent-teacher meeting half a year ago. At that moment, the pain seemed trivial, overshadowed by overwhelming guilt and fear.
How should she answer?
If she said he was the real Sang Yan, her actual brother, all her lies would be exposed, and she'd be doomed.
Or should she say he was her brother's friend?
But then why was he carrying her? That would seem strange.
Seeing Sang Zhi so tense, Duan Jiaxu also recalled something and was about to speak.
In the next moment, Sang Zhi tightened her arms around Sang Yan's neck, as if trying to strangle him or block whatever he was about to say. Her mind went blank, and without thinking, she blurted out two words in desperation.
"Dad."
Sang Yan immediately turned his head. "?"Pain and nervousness fueled Sang Zhi's tears, which fell in big drops. She sniffled, her words coming out in sobs: "Teacher, th-this is my dad..."
"..."
Author's note: Duan Jiaxu: Something seems a bit off?
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