The next morning when Sheng Xia arrived in the classroom, her book box had already been moved to the center.
Although Zhang Shu hadn't arrived yet, she couldn't think of anyone else who would move her things.
After spending time together, she had begun to understand the unpredictable nature of his thoughts. He was the type who seemed cold on the outside but warm inside.
Sheng Xia fished out a chocolate from her bag and slipped it into his desk drawer as a thank-you.
No lollipops or gummy candies—this would have to do.
During the afternoon class meeting, Hou Junqi announced the list of events for the fun sports meet.
The mandatory requirement was full participation, except for those physically unable. So everyone had an event.
Sheng Xia saw that she had been assigned to: "Linked Rings."
She had nine teammates, including Zhang Shu. The ten names were listed in pairs, looking like they were matched up—and her name was right next to Zhang Shu's.
What was this?
Other events had names like "Ten Legs Eleven Feet," "Windmill," "Rolling Forward," "Magnificent Splendor"...
Everyone else had participated before, so the rules didn't need explaining—only Sheng Xia looked completely lost.
Wang Wei said, "If anyone wants to make adjustments, talk to Hou Junqi. But unless there's a necessary reason, try to follow the arrangements. If everyone keeps switching around, the work can't proceed. Everyone should have some sense of teamwork. The fun sports meet is just for playing around, relaxing, and then giving your all for the monthly exams."
Hou Junqi nodded vigorously beside him. "Exactly. I spent days arranging this list, taking into account everyone's physical conditions and relationships. It's completely fair and just, so no complaining—no objections."
"Keep it civil," Wang Wei shot him a look.
Hou Junqi bowed his head. "Got it."
Down below, Xin Xiaohe said to Yang Linyu, "Hah, 'fair and just,' my foot."
Yang Linyu didn't catch on. "Huh? Isn't it fine?"
"Blockhead," Xin Xiaohe grumbled. "Pairing Sheng Xia with Zhang Shu? Shameless."
Yang Linyu took another look at the list. "Sneaky."
Xin Xiaohe's gaze crossed the entire classroom to land on Sheng Xia, who looked utterly bewildered. "Poor thing, she definitely doesn't get it."
When Hou Junqi came down, Sheng Xia tapped his arm. "Hou-ge, do you have the event rules?"
Hearing this, Zhang Shu also looked up, fixing his eyes on Hou Junqi.
Hou Junqi felt the pressure. After hemming and hawing, he said, "I'll explain it to you."
"'Linked Rings' is where two people hold a hula hoop and run. There are five teams in total—it's a relay."
Sheng Xia tried to picture it. "How do you run while holding a hula hoop?"
"You both go inside the hula hoop and carry it while running. The hoop can't touch any part of your body except your hands, can't go over anyone's head, and can't fall to the ground."
Sheng Xia: "That doesn't sound easy to run in, does it?"
Two people inside one hoop—their rhythm had to match, their hands had to hold the hoop without swinging, and they still had to aim for speed. This was...
Hou Junqi said, "If it were easy, would it be called a fun sports meet? The whole point is teamwork."
Sheng Xia thought for a moment, then asked, "I've never done this before—I'm worried I'll drag the class down. Are there any simpler events?"
"The results don't matter. No one cares about that—just have fun," Hou Junqi said, sounding patient. "The other ones are even harder. Want to hear about them?"
"Mm.""Ten-legged race is ten people running with their legs tied together; Windmill is ten people running while holding a long pole; Rolling Forward involves rolling inflatable zorb balls in pairs, with five teams in a relay. Don't think it's easy—it's nothing like playing in the park. The soccer field will be full of zorb balls bumping into each other like bumper cars. You need a strong stomach for this one. Picture Perfect is a variation of hurdle racing, replacing hurdles with tires to crawl through, also as a relay."
After Hou Junqi finished explaining, he glanced at Zhang Shu, who looked amused, then fixed his gaze on Sheng Xia, who seemed intimidated. "Which one do you want? I'll arrange it for you."
Everyone around them was speechless: So much for not blabbering about disagreements.
Sheng Xia was at a loss. She wasn't good at any sports, let alone these fun events, all of which sounded challenging. She was bound to be the weak link.
But...
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Zhang Shu, who seemed completely detached.
But running with him would be awkward.
Seeing her hesitation, Hou Junqi blinked. "Didn't I pick the best one for you? No crawling or rolling—perfect, right!"
Sheng Xia pressed her lips together, unsure whether to nod or shake her head, unable to come up with a rebuttal.
Hou Junqi continued, "This really is the most suitable. 'Picture Perfect' needs someone petite, 'Rolling Forward' can't be too heavy, so by the time we get to 'Linked Rings,' there aren't many slim people left. It's hard to assign!"
With things put this way, any further objection would seem unreasonable. Sheng Xia nodded.
A classmate nearby chimed in, "Brother Hou, what happened to fairness? How come you're giving special treatment?"
"Shut it!" Hou Junqi scoffed. "Can't I give the goddess special treatment? Want to be the banner holder instead?"
The boy fell silent, and everyone laughed.
It made sense—Sheng Xia was carrying the banner, so she couldn't be crawling or rolling.
She was the face of their class.
Someone muttered under their breath, "You probably forgot how you assigned Zhou Xuanxuan to 'Rolling Forward' last year..."
Hou Junqi heard it and shrugged, his expression saying, "What are you gonna do about it?"
Zhang Shu called out to Hou Junqi, "Wanna hit the snack bar?"
Hou Junqi checked the time. "Now? It's almost dinner."
Zhang Shu said, "My treat."
"What?! Seriously?" Hou Junqi jumped up. "You're treating me? For real? What good deed did I do today? Let's go, let's go!"
The two left through the back door, passing by Sheng Xia's window. She overheard Hou Junqi ask, "Hey, Shu, did that person who used to send you snacks stop?"
Zhang Shu chuckled. "Switched to chocolates now."
"Tsk tsk," Hou Junqi patted Zhang Shu's shoulder. "Persistent, huh."
Sheng Xia: "..."
...
Over the next two days, Sheng Xia realized that "Linked Rings" was indeed a good choice. It didn't require much practice, unlike "Ten-legged Race" or "Windmill," which needed all ten team members to train together.
Xin Xiaohe was the leader of the "Windmill" team. Every afternoon after class, she'd hoist the soft pole and rally her teammates to practice.
Lu Youze was in the "Picture Perfect" group. After the first day of practice, on their way home, Sheng Xia noticed his elbows were bruised, worse than anyone else's. Lu Youze joked, "No athletic talent. Never played those games as a kid."
"Me neither," Sheng Xia could only offer this consolation.
"Have you practiced your event with Zhang Shu yet?"
"Not yet."Lu Youze said, "Last year I did 'Interlocking Rings.' It sounds simple but it's actually quite difficult, and..."
Sheng Xia slowed her pace, listening attentively.
"There might be some physical contact," Lu Youze glanced at her.
Sheng Xia had already considered this point. Since their bodies couldn't touch the hula hoop, they would inevitably have to stand quite close. But compared to "Ten Legged Race" where you had to hold the waist of the person next to you, or "Rolling Forward" where you might end up tumbling onto your teammate, "Interlocking Rings" was relatively better.
"Sports are just sports," Sheng Xia said.
Lu Youze paused, then nodded in the darkness.
Her words sounded nice, but when Zhang Shu approached her with a hula hoop during PE class, her palms still grew sweaty with nervousness.
Zhang Shu, however, showed no particular expression, his tone somewhat indifferent: "Sheng Xia, let's practice."
"Okay," she replied, tossing aside the basketball and following him to the soccer field.
To prevent falls, "Interlocking Rings" was held on the grassy field.
By the time Sheng Xia and Zhang Shu arrived, the other pairs from their class were already there. Their arrival completed the group. Among them, Sheng Xia was somewhat familiar with one pair—Zhou Xuanxuan and Qi Xiulei.
Team leader Qi Xiulei had already arranged the order. Sheng Xia and Zhang Shu were in the fourth leg, while Zhou Xuanxuan and Qi Xiulei themselves took the final sprint position.
"Each pair should practice on their own first. We'll just practice the handoff near the end of class," Qi Xiulei said.
Zhang Shu gave her a questioning look. "Where should we go to practice?"
Sheng Xia glanced around. "How about the far side?"
Zhang Shu raised his brows slightly and gave a small nod. "Let's go!" With that, he slipped the hula hoop over her head. Sheng Xia felt it settle around her waist, followed by a tug pulling her forward.
"What are you doing?!"
He walked ahead, pulling the hula hoop, which encircled her, forcing her to follow step by step.
This guy! What kind of twisted amusement was this?!
Zhang Shu turned back with a grin, catching sight of her displeased expression. He continued walking backward, hands gripping the hula hoop, his teasing eyes full of mischief.
Sheng Xia refused to be led around like a dog! She quickened her pace, pulling her waist away from the hoop, nearly causing it to fall. Zhang Shu yanked his arm, speeding up as well, keeping the hoop snug against her waist. She sped up again, and he matched her pace.
And so the cycle continued.
The entire soccer field echoed with Zhang Shu's laughter, triumphant in his mischievous game.
The other pairs on the field watched as the two of them pulled and chased each other, their expressions blank with disbelief.
Qi Xiulei sighed. "Didn't they get enough of each other during class? Now they're here to show off?"
His partner, Zhou Xuanxuan, shot him a look. "What nonsense are you talking about? Zhang Shu just likes to tease people. Let's hurry up and practice!"
Qi Xiulei rubbed his nose and chose to stay silent.
And so, Sheng Xia was dragged to the edge of the field like a dog on a leash. Before she could even voice her complaint, Zhang Shu had already ducked under the hoop from below.
His sudden closeness caught her off guard. Instinctively, she took a step back, but the hoop trapped her, leaving little room to retreat. His chest was mere inches away, his breath warm against the top of her head. Sheng Xia froze in place.
The top of her head aligned with his jaw, her eyes level with his throat...
His Adam's apple bobbed, the sharp angle pressing against thin skin as if it might break through at any moment—a sight that would leave onlookers breathless.
Sheng Xia's gaze locked in place, her heart pounding like thunder.
What on earth was inside his throat? It was... so big..."Is there a map on me?" A casual voice came from above. "Look ahead."
Sheng Xia snapped out of her thoughts, leaning back slightly before slowly raising her head. Their eyes met as Zhang Shu tilted his head slightly to lower his gaze. "Handsome?"
Sheng Xia glared at him before turning away, simultaneously stepping half a pace in front of him.
Zhang Shu chuckled.
He was beginning to understand why Hou Junqi had been so excited that day. When she glared at someone, it was truly... peculiar and oddly amusing.
Moving around inside a single hula hoop was quite difficult. Hou Junqi's reasoning for picking someone slender wasn't unfounded.
Both Sheng Xia and Zhang Shu were slim, so there was still ample space.
But, "How are we supposed to run like this?" Sheng Xia murmured.
She glanced at other teams—most had girls in front and boys behind, with the girls barely touching the hoop while the boys held it up with both hands. To maintain balance, the boys left the back half of the hoop empty, making the front half crowded.
"Let's stand back-to-back," Zhang Shu suggested.
Sheng Xia turned back: "Huh?"
"Turn around, each holding the hoop in front of us. No one said we have to face forward," Zhang Shu stepped back to give her space. "We'll run sideways."
Sheng Xia understood—this way, they wouldn't interfere with each other at all, and there'd be almost no physical contact. As long as their steps and rhythm matched, they could move quickly.
Except... the running posture might look a little awkward.
She suddenly smiled. "That's a great idea!"
The afternoon sun shone bright and fierce, casting its light fully on the girl's smiling face, dazzling Zhang Shu's eyes. He coughed lightly and turned away. "Got it?" His question sounded a bit deliberate.
Sheng Xia nodded. "Got it."
This method was indeed much faster. Other teams soon followed suit, and within half the class, everyone had pretty much mastered it. They then practiced the relay.
The relay was simple—just pass the hoop to the next team.
Throughout the entire class, none of the "physical contact" Lu Youze had mentioned occurred, all thanks to Zhang Shu's clever solution. Back in the classroom, Xin Xiaohe asked about their practice, and Sheng Xia recounted everything truthfully.
Xin Xiaohe looked surprised. "Zhang Shu is that gentlemanly?"
Gentlemanly? Well, she supposed that was one way to describe it.
Most boys wouldn't mind physical contact—some might even enjoy it. After all, in sports, a little bumping was inevitable.
Yet he had found an alternative approach, actively avoiding it. Maybe it was because he liked someone, so he kept his distance from other girls.
Though sometimes the things he said to her were a bit...
Sheng Xia wasn't sure how to judge it, because upon closer inspection, there wasn't really anything to it. Most likely, she was just overthinking things due to her own sensitivity.
Objectively speaking, his approach in this matter was commendable.
Sheng Xia nodded lightly.
"Doesn't seem like him..." Xin Xiaohe muttered. "Maybe he's all talk?"
Sheng Xia didn't understand. "Huh?"
"Enjoy the sports meet! Heeheehee."
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