Su Zаi Zаi stооd with the bright light behind hеr, hеr bасk tо the glow, most оf hеr facе shrouded in shаdоw.
Yеt hеr еуes seеmed to shine even brighter in соntrast.
Shе smiled, hеr еуеs curving likе а сrеsсent mоon in the sky, сlеar аnd sparkling.
"Goоd luck with tomоrrow's cоmреtitiоn," shе sаid.
Zhаng Lu Rang lowеrеd his eуеlids, аs if pоndering sоmеthing.
After а mоment, hе lifted his gaze.
Нis eyes wеrе сleаr, and from his throаt саme а саlm, соmрosеd quеstion.
"Dо yоu like me?"
Сhaрtеr 11
Нe runs sо fаst, nо wоnder he's so hаrd to catch.
—From Su Zаi Zai the Little Fаiry's Diarу
Su Zai Zаi's smilе frozе at the corners of her mouth.
Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, tangling into a knot.
Zhang Lu Rang stood quietly there.
The evening breeze blew, ushering in the atmosphere of night.
Su Zai Zai opened her mouth.
She wanted to say, yes.
I like you, I really do.
Because of you, rainy days are no longer just rainy days.
They are memorable days when I first met you.
And because of you, such an ordinary youth suddenly became vibrant.
—Silence.
The dormitory auntie stepped out of the building and shouted, "Students! Hurry back! We're closing the doors soon!"
Zhang Lu Rang's brow furrowed, his tone tinged with impatience. "Su Zai Zai."
Su Zai Zai trembled all over at the sound.
Those sweet words circled in her mind, those confessions reached the tip of her tongue.
But because of his impatient tone, they were instantly frightened into something else: "I never thought about that, really, never, I swear..."
"S-swear..." Her pronunciation was off.
Su Zai Zai's face flushed bright red as she awkwardly defended herself, "I'm only fifteen this year..."
Her voice was soft and sweet, now slightly slurred with nervousness.
Yet the words "fifteen years old" were heard with particular clarity.
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
Seeing the cracks finally appear in Zhang Lu Rang's icy expression, Su Zai Zai felt embarrassed but couldn't say anything more.
She chickened out.
She was truly afraid that any reply she might receive would be serious and cruel rejection.
Next time, she thought. When he asks again next time, she would definitely admit it.
Zhang Lu Rang glanced at her.
His cheeks inexplicably reddened too, a faint trace.
Then he turned and walked away, his steps somewhat hurried.
As if fleeing in defeat.
Su Zai Zai practically sprinted back to the dormitory.
Jiang Jia was already in bed and, seeing her reckless state, asked curiously, "What happened to you?"
It was almost lights-out time, so Su Zai Zai didn't have time to explain. She hurriedly grabbed her clothes and ran toward the shower room, calling out as she went, "I'll tell you when I come out!"
She took a five-minute battle shower.
By the time she emerged, the dormitory lights were already off.
Su Zai Zai quickly washed her clothes on the balcony before returning to bed with damp hair.
She pulled out her phone and sent Jiang Jia a WeChat message.
Su Zai Zai: I just tried to subtly get closer to the great beauty.
Jiang Jia: Hahaha, so what did you do?
Su Zai Zai: I called him Lùràng, the 'Rang' from his name, and he noticed right away...
Su Zai Zai: Suddenly I think he's really sharp.
Jiang Jia: ...
Jiang Jia: Do you think he's stupid? How could he not notice that?!
Jiang Jia: You call that subtle?!
Su Zai Zai stared at the screen for a while.
Then she honestly said: Okay, that's not what I wanted to say.Su Zai Zai: Just now he asked me if I liked him...
Jiang Jia replied instantly: Oh my god! What did you say?!
Su Zai Zai: I feel like I'm really strange, I don't even know why I said something like that.
Jiang Jia: Huh?
Su Zai Zai: ...I told him I'm only fifteen this year, I haven't thought about these things.
This time, the other side didn't reply immediately.
Su Zai Zai heard a burst of laughter coming from above.
Jiang Jia: ...You're fifteen.
Jiang Jia: So does that make your big beauty fifty years old?
Su Zai Zai: [Biting handkerchief and crying. jpg]
Jiang Jia: Hahahaha but that's actually pretty good! Top students definitely don't date early! I think if you had admitted it, he probably would have rejected you right away, and he'd probably avoid you whenever he saw you from now on.
Looking at this line of text, Su Zai Zai fell into thought.
Su Zai Zai: Then how do I chase him if I don't admit it QAQ
Jiang Jia: ...That's up to you, I've never chased anyone before orz
Su Zai Zai: But if I don't admit I like him and still try to chase him...
Jiang Jia: ?
Su Zai Zai: It feels like hogging the toilet without using it.
Jiang Jia: What kind of analogy is that...
Jiang Jia: I really want to know what you're actually thinking right now? Do you want to chase him and be with him?
Seeing this sentence, Su Zai Zai put down her phone, her eyes empty.
Lost in thought.
After a while, she replied: I want to wait until after high school graduation, I don't want to affect his studies.
After sending it, she felt guilty and added: ...But I just can't help it.
She wants to see him, wants to get close to him, wants to talk to him.
She thinks about him all day long, and if she doesn't see him for a day, she feels restless.
She knows it's not good, but she just can't help it.
After the opening ceremony of the school sports meet.
Su Zai Zai was curled up in Class Nine's tent, bored and playing with her phone.
She was still struggling with whether or not to go give Big Beauty some water.
It felt like they parted on bad terms yesterday...
If she went to give him water now, what would that look like? It would be like offering her face for someone to slap.
Before Su Zai Zai could finish her internal struggle, the broadcast she had been waiting for sounded in her ears.
"Students participating in the preliminary round of the men's 100-meter dash for first-year high school, please report to the registration desk immediately."
Su Zai Zai immediately stood up, took the camera bag out of her backpack, pulled out the DSLR, hung it around her neck, and ran toward the registration desk under the blazing sun.
Completely forgetting her earlier dilemma.
By the time Su Zai Zai reached the registration desk, Zhang Lu Rang had just finished checking in.
The registrar led him and a few others toward the starting line of the track.
Su Zai Zai stealthily took a few photos of Zhang Lu Rang.
Unexpectedly, he noticed right away.
Being discovered, Su Zai Zai actually felt relieved.
She lowered the camera, revealing her entire face, and called out loudly, "Smile!"
Zhang Lu Rang indifferently looked away.
Su Zai Zai didn't mind either. She lowered her head to look at the photos she had just taken, a satisfied smile curling her lips.
Soon they reached the starting line of the track. Zhang Lu Rang was assigned to lane one.
He was wearing Class One's white class uniform, with his pants changed to a pair of knee-length black athletic shorts. He looked much more energetic than usual, but his eyes were still as cold as frost.
There were thirty classes in the first year, with eight lanes on the track. They were divided into four groups to run, and the top eight fastest times would advance to the finals, competing again in the afternoon.
Class Nine happened to be separated from Class One, placed in the second group.
Soon, the race was about to begin.The athletes took their positions.
Zhang Lurang bent over, hands on the ground, back knee kneeling, neck relaxed, head naturally lowered—a classic starting posture.
As the referee’s “Ready!” rang out, his focus sharpened even more, poised and ready to spring into action.
At the sound of the gunshot, all the competitors sprinted forward with all their might.
Su Zaizai had already positioned herself at the finish line, standing in place with her camera recording.
The crowded surroundings buzzed with cheers and screams echoing in her ears.
Although Zhang Lurang wasn’t much faster than the others, he still led the pack, breaking through the finish line first.
Cheers erupted like an explosion.
She watched as he continued running a short distance due to momentum before gradually slowing to a walk on the track, breathing slightly labored, his cheeks flushed.
Without hesitation, Su Zaizai quickly walked over, shoved the bottle of mineral water in her hand into his grasp, and turned to leave.
After a few steps, she glanced back and saw him staring at the bottle for a moment.
Soon after, he unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and gulped down the water, his Adam’s apple bobbing as sweat trickled down.
Beside him were girls from his class, their faces filled with admiration, excitedly chattering about something.
Zhang Lurang’s bottle was already half-empty. He screwed the cap back on, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, squinted slightly, and looked at her.
Su Zaizai grinned and snapped a photo of his expression.
His expression stiffened, and he immediately averted his eyes.
Having completed her water-delivery mission, Su Zaizai was about to turn and head back to her class’s tent when Zhang Lurang suddenly called out to her.
“Su Zaizai.”
Not expecting Zhang Lurang to call her name, Su Zaizai was caught off guard and turned to stare at him blankly.
Zhang Lurang took an unopened bottle of water from a girl nearby and walked toward her.
He stopped about a meter in front of her, stretched out his hand, and offered her the water, saying softly, “Your water.”
Looking at the bottle, Su Zaizai’s mood instantly soured.
Su Zaizai didn’t move, and Zhang Lurang held his position, unmoving as well.
The two stood in a stalemate for a moment.
Not wanting to make things too difficult for him, Su Zaizai wrinkled her nose and decided to compromise. “If you want to return the water, fine, but I don’t want this bottle. Give me back the one I just gave you.”
“…”
“The one you drank from.”
Zhang Lurang lowered his hand, his expression turning somewhat indescribable. “What are you going to do with it?”
Su Zaizai hadn’t really thought it through—she just didn’t want another girl’s water.
But Zhang Lurang’s reaction…
Su Zaizai blinked, her interest piqued. “I don’t know what I’ll do either.”
“Maybe I’ll lick it…”
He stiffened all over.
“Ah, no, I mean add—add some water to it.”
“…”
“My Chinese isn’t very good,” Su Zaizai said shamelessly.
Zhang Lurang’s cheeks flushed, whether from the exercise or something else.
His jaw tightened, his lips twitched, but he didn’t know what to say.
After a long pause, Zhang Lurang finally managed to squeeze out three words, his tone stiff.
“You’re insane.”
Su Zaizai froze.
Her reaction inexplicably lifted Zhang Lurang’s spirits.
Three seconds later.
Su Zaizai snapped out of it, blinking her starry eyes as she exclaimed excitedly, “Say it again.”
Zhang Lurang: “…”
“Say it again, please.”At that moment, Zhang Lurang's principles vanished into thin air.
Just a bottle of water...
It didn't matter if it wasn't returned.
With a stern face, he turned and walked away.
Chapter Twelve
The Great Beauty, Zhang Lurang, Lùràng, Campus Heartthrob.
—From Su Zaizai's Little Fairy Diary
The afternoon featured the men's 100-meter final for the first-year students.
Both Zhang Lurang and a boy from Class Nine, Wang Nan, had made it to the finals.
As soon as the announcement for the roll call was broadcast, Su Zaizai immediately dashed toward the track.
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