The week before the math league.
Comrade Zhang Shuping, who was far away in Yongchuan, also sent them a congratulatory message of encouragement.
A call was made to Lao Lin's office, and Pei Zhi answered the call.
Lao Zhang whispered to Pei Zhi on the other end of the phone for a long time, Lin Zhaoxi lay on the table to observe Pei Zhi's expression, the boy didn't have anything special to say except "um", "ok" and "I will".
When Pei Zhi hung up the phone, Lin Zhaoxi pointed to herself and then to the phone: "Lao Zhang didn't want to say a few words to me?"
"He made you study hard for the exam."
"Gone?"
"Gone."
"Old Zhang is partial to his eyes." Lin Zhaoxi yelled.
"He came to confirm that I will definitely take the league exam." Pei Zhi said.
"Then will you participate?" Lin Zhaoxi suddenly remembered his rank assessment, and asked tentatively, "Have you thought about a strategy with Auntie...that?"
"I will participate, I don't think about it, just adapt to the situation."
—
When Pei Zhi said adapt to the situation, Lin Zhaoxi was actually very relieved.
That night, Pei Zhi and Lao Lin chatted late.
Lin Zhaoxi knew that Pei Zhi must go home after ten o'clock, so when it was twenty past nine o'clock, she couldn't help but remind the two of them.
"Well, do you want to go home?" Lao Lin looked at the clock and quickly pulled away from the state of contemplation, "It's a bit late, shall I take you back by bicycle?"
"No need." Pei Zhi flatly refused, "I can catch the last train and get home before ten o'clock.
Pei Zhi started to pack his things and put on his schoolbag.
Lao Lin put down the things in his hands and stood up, hooked Pei Zhi's shoulders, and took him outside: "Let's go, master will take you to the station."
Pei Zhi obviously wanted to refuse, but in the end he couldn't hold back Lao Lin, and was sent to the bus by Lao Lin himself.
"Send me a message when you get home." Lao Lin raised his head and asked.
Lao Lin looks rough, but he is actually meticulous.
He went back to his office to do the finishing touches, then packed his things, rode his little bike, and drove her home.
The bicycle stopped at the door of the house, and the first thing Lao Lin said was "Pei Zhi should be home."
In the middle of the night, it is easy for people to have a vague sense of time. Lin Zhaoxi said "ah", "Do you know where Pei's family lives?"
"I said he should be home, you give him a call." Lao Lin said.
Lin Zhaoxi took out her mobile phone as she said, feeling a little nervous for no reason.
Pei Zhi didn't pick up the phone immediately, the long "beep" and "beep" made people feel inexplicably panicked.
Finally, the phone was connected, and there was a slightly rapid breathing sound. It seemed that Pei Zhi had just finished running and was trying his best to control his breath.
"Have you arrived yet?" Lin Zhaoxi asked.
"not yet."
"Comrade Lao Lin said that you should be here. He was so anxious that he insisted on urging me to call you."
Pei Zhi paused and said, "I just got out of the car and I'm running home."
"Oh, then text me when you get there."
"I've arrived at the door, don't worry." After Pei Zhi finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
Lao Lin has been standing beside him, hearing the whole process of their conversation, showing a thoughtful expression.
"You are too impatient, Pei Zhi has just arrived home."
"I'm not in a hurry, it's because he's timed out."
"Maybe there are red lights on the road, or it takes a lot of time for him to get off the bus and walk home?".
Lao Lin looked at her: "Sorry, I estimated it based on the maximum value of the interval."
Lin Zhaoxi: "..."
—
Just like Lu Zhihao said "you don't understand", Lin Zhaoxi thinks that after living two lifetimes, she should know more than these little kids, but in fact it doesn't seem to be the case.
Before the end of autumn, the school finally remembered that there was a school sports meeting, so on the Friday before the math league exam, the athletes' march resounded through Anning Experimental High School.
Even high school seniors were dragged down to bask in the sun. Of course, these special students who had to prepare for exams were not spared.
All kinds of cheering manuscripts written for classmates were read on the radio speakers, and the playground was full of noise.
There is also a lively small market on the basketball court to the east of the school. In conjunction with the school sports meeting, there are various magical operations in which participating in the sports meeting can be exchanged for small snacks and small gifts.
Lin Zhaoxi was sitting in the phalanx of class 1. Their homeroom teacher, Teacher Mei, wanted the best class group award in this sports meeting wholeheartedly, so they were not allowed to run around and shout, and their side was very quiet instead. .
The sports committee took the form and reported their names.
Long before the sports meeting, everyone was forced to assign tasks.
"Lin Zhaoxi, there is still half an hour left, your 3000 meters."
"Here!" Lin Zhaoxi raised her hand to show her understanding.
She originally wanted to throw a shot put, but the sports committee insisted on assigning someone to run 3000 meters. At that time, no one in the class was willing to go, and there was almost a commotion to the point of forced appointment. Lin Zhaoxi had no choice but to participate bravely.
Lin Zhaoxi stood up and jumped on the stands.
On the far side of the track, Lu Zhihao was in charge of distributing milk and bread to the athletes. Lin Zhaoxi ran over, took her share, and was stopped.
"Wait, what project are you going to participate in?"
Lu Zhihao grabbed the bread in her hand and asked suspiciously.
"Am I the kind of person who cheats on food and drink? I'm going to run 3000 meters."
"3000?" Lu Zhihao was shocked, "You won't participate in the math league tomorrow? If you can't recover from strenuous exercise, it will affect your test status tomorrow."
Lin Zhaoxi pointed to the stand where their class was as quiet as a chicken: "I sat there for a whole day to affect tomorrow's exam status~"
After she finished speaking, she wanted to go to warm up, but Lu Zhihao still didn't let go: "Have you told Pei Zhi yet?"
"What should I tell Pei Zhi?"
"Shouldn't you tell your boyfriend about this when he reported that you were going to run 3,000 meters?"
Lin Zhaoxi was overjoyed, and said solemnly, "It's like this, my boyfriend listens to me."
—
Plastic track, before the starting line.
More than 20 runners participating in the 3000-meter race huddled on the track, waiting for the starting gun to fire.
The grass next to the starting line was crowded with students who came to cheer.
Lin Zhaoxi took a glance and didn't see anyone in her class. Instead, behind the crowd, she saw Pei Zhi, who was wearing a school uniform with a red ribbon.
Guess it was Lu Zhihao who told the news, and Pei Gott, who was dragged somewhere to be a mascot, ran over here.
Lin Chaoxi waved at Pei Zhi and laughed.
Brother Pei nodded "indifferently".
"boom!"
Just then, the starting gun rang.
Lin Zhaoxi shuddered, the adrenaline was secreted at a high speed, and he started to run wildly with the large army.
Footsteps ran over the plastic track, and the sound of cheering on the radio rang through the sky. For a few hundred meters, Lin Zhaoxi's mind went blank, and she just kept her head buried and ran wildly.
When she took a breath, her chest stagnated and she realized that she was tired from running.
Because of her wild run just now, she is now in the first echelon of the entire long-distance running team. In front were three girls who looked good at running, and behind her were about a dozen people.
Lin Zhaoxi focused on nothing else, and began to follow her own pace, trying to maintain the first echelon without being distracted from the rhythm.
On the second lap, she ran past Pei Zhi again.
On the grass and by the starting line, the cheering crowd dispersed a lot, and there were sporadic students who accompanied the runners to chase the athletes to deliver water.
Lin Zhaoxi didn't ask for water, but when she ran past Pei Zhi, she gave him a 2.
Before she could see the expression on the boy's face, she had already taken a big step and continued the long march.
On the third lap, the physical strength dropped very obviously.
Lin Zhaoxi's footsteps were heavy, and she couldn't keep up with her breathing. Every time she gasped for breath, she felt like she was exhausting all her strength, and her eyes turned white, which was probably the case before her physical strength was exhausted.
Looking up again, she found that Pei Zhi was still in his original position. Lin Zhaoxi nodded at Pei Zhi with difficulty, and started the fourth lap.
A girl needs to run 7.5 laps around the playground for a 3,000-meter run, so she needs to persist for another 4 and a half laps.
It's also halfway through the race schedule, when people's physical strength reaches a certain limit, they will have such thoughts-why the hell am I here to suffer this, can't I just sit in the stands for a day
Lin Zhaoxi scolded herself in her heart, while gritted her teeth and persisted. It seemed that after venting his anger on himself, he could squeeze out some energy and continue running.
5th lap.
He could no longer move his arms, and there was something like a lead block stuffed into his chest, and his breathing was fast and fast, as if he was about to spew out fire.
One after another, students withdrew from the competition and were forced to walk around the infield with the support of their classmates.
It's not that Lin Zhaoxi never thought of stopping, but when she looked up and saw the boy standing on the lawn, she felt that she had to persevere.
Behind Pei Zhi was the blue sky of autumn, he was like a benchmark, standing tall and straight, unbreakable by the wind, motionless from beginning to end.
Although she didn't make any movements, Lin Zhaoxi always felt that Pei Zhi was watching her and encouraging her all the time.
The time started from when he stood on the sidelines, and it seemed like a long time ago, Pei Zhidu had been watching her silently...
On lap 6, the brain was about to go on strike.
Lin Zhaoxi was confused, she didn't know what she was thinking just now, why she always felt that Pei Zhi was watching her.
The sound of cheering on the side of the playground was very loud, as if the rostrum was taking the lead in encouraging them, but the whole space became extremely quiet.
She seemed to be wrapped in some kind of burning translucent bubble, only her own violent breathing could be heard.
She didn't know what speed she was using to move forward, she only knew to persist until the end, although this persistence seemed inexplicable.
All the experiences flowed at the speed of light in her mind.
Probably it was really "on the verge of dying", and my thinking was out of control.
Lin Zhaoxi heard Lao Lin tell her "no big deal" in the noodle shop, and saw Pei Zhi turn around in the corridor of the teaching building.
The picture seemed to be too sad, her eyes went dark, she couldn't breathe, and she quickly adjusted her thoughts.
She thought of Lao Lin eating watermelon with her in the yard at home, or the scene of Pei Zhi and her sitting at the bus station reading a book. But she still couldn't help thinking of the countless encounters between her and Pei Zhi on this campus a long time ago.
Pei Zhi, who was in high school, walked towards her, they passed by, she turned her head and glanced at him, and then she was in a good mood all day.
These pictures were fragmented and edited like a montage, frame by frame, and she looked at herself like a bystander.
I didn't understand it at all before, but now it seems that her eyes were full of longing.
Not longing to be the girl standing next to her, but longing to be like him.
Finally, Lin Zhaoxi took a step forward, and when she looked up, she saw Pei Zhi now.
The boy is still standing under the blue sky, on the green grass, and beside the bright red runway, standing out like a benchmark, always reminding her.
"The last 200 meters." His voice sounded, not particularly loud, but extremely stable and real
Lin Zhaoxi nodded vigorously at him. Although Pei Zhi didn't say any words of encouragement, it was like the best answer to Lu Zhihao's question.
No matter what she decides, Pei Zhi should support her. Even if it's a meaningless thing, even if it's a thing that needs to do our best, it may not necessarily have results.
At the end of the runway in the distance, a red line symbolizing the finish line was drawn, and the girl in front of her began to sprint.
Lin Zhaoxi plucked up her courage and started running recklessly.