Being interrupted like that, Song Hongyu suddenly felt his mood lighten.

Zhang Zhixing, however, seemed to get addicted to the game. She tapped his chest again and said in a deliberately exaggerated voice, “Big bad guy, waaah~.”

Although her actions and tone were intentionally dramatic, Song Hongyu found her irresistibly adorable—so much so that it drove him crazy.

How could someone be this cute…

Another gust of cold wind swept through, and the little spark of fire in Song Hongyu’s chest suddenly roared into a raging blaze.

He grabbed Zhang Zhixing’s wrist and pulled her forcefully toward him.

Caught off guard, Zhang Zhixing fell into his arms. She looked up in slight panic, her gaze locking directly onto Song Hongyu’s deep, intense eyes.

He leaned in slightly, his heartbeat accelerating.

One hand rested on her shoulder as he said softly, “Zhang Zhixing.”

His husky voice reverberated between them.

Zhang Zhixing responded with a gentle “Mm.”

Maintaining their close proximity, Song Hongyu felt his mouth grow dry.

After a few moments, he abruptly pushed her away, turned his head, and spoke coldly, “Alright, it’s time to go home.”

What the—

A string of silent curses flashed through Zhang Zhixing’s mind.

She suspected that this man would probably pause mid-intimacy to say, “Hold on, I need to take a call.”

Zhang Zhixing glanced at the electric scooter, a sly idea forming in her mind.

You want me to drive you home after leaving me hanging? Dream on!

She clung to him, refusing to get up, and whispered, “I have a sports meet next week. Are you coming to cheer me on?”

Song Hongyu looked at the little girl in his arms and responded lightly, “Sure.”

“Great! Then let’s go home!”

Zhang Zhixing sprang to her feet, her smile bright and sunny.

After taking a few steps, she turned abruptly and called out, “Song Hongyu! What flavor is the lollipop I gave you?”

Song Hongyu, still holding the lollipop in his mouth, mumbled, “Lemon.”

“I want one too.”

Song Hongyu froze for a moment, his mind going blank.

Then he felt a sudden weight on him.

Zhang Zhixing pushed him down onto the bench with surprising force!

“I love lemon the most,” she said.

She leaned in and lightly kissed Song Hongyu’s lips.

His body stiffened completely.

Straightening up, Zhang Zhixing waved at him cheerfully. “I’m heading home now!”

She hopped onto the scooter and sped off, giggling internally.

Heh, you can figure out how to get home yourself.

Still reeling, Song Hongyu sat on the bench, maintaining his composed and imposing demeanor.

But inwardly, he was in complete turmoil.

Disoriented and overwhelmed, he had forgotten how to breathe, how to walk, and even who he was.

How could things have gone so far?

---

“This text, my requirement is…”

Click—

The Chinese teacher’s lecture was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, causing a small commotion in the previously quiet classroom.

Song Honglang sauntered in, his usual nonchalant demeanor on full display, slinging his backpack onto his desk before sitting down.

The teacher frowned slightly but resumed teaching.

As soon as Song Honglang sat down, the boy in front of him turned around and whispered, “Finally decided to show up for class?”

“Mm,” he replied indifferently, slumping over his desk, ready to sleep.

The boy muttered under his breath but said no more, turning back to focus on the lesson.

Lying there uncomfortably, Song Honglang shifted and opened his eyes.

The seat next to him was still empty.

His drowsiness evaporated, leaving him with a heavy, suffocating feeling.

It had been some time now, but he couldn’t shake the memory of her sitting there, complaining to him as if it had happened only yesterday.

Song Honglang didn’t consider himself some lovesick fool or think that his feelings for Zhang Zhixing ran particularly deep. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was like a wound on his little finger—small yet profoundly painful whenever touched, reminding him that it hadn’t healed.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself not to dwell on it.

“Zhang Zhixing, please read this passage aloud.”

His eyes snapped open, and he held his breath.

Several seconds passed, but no voice came.

“Teacher, Zhang Zhixing is at the stadium for sports meet training this afternoon.”

“I see. Class president, you read it then.”

The class president began reading, but Song Honglang couldn’t fall back asleep.

His mind was suddenly fixated on one thing: the stadium.

---

That afternoon, the stadium was mostly empty, save for a few participants.

Zhang Zhixing stood out in a corner, lying flat on a mat and staring blankly at the sky, inwardly cursing her poor planning.

She had signed up for the sports meet just to skip afternoon classes and celebrate Song Hongyu’s birthday, but since the party was in the evening, it had all been a waste.

Worse yet, she had randomly signed up for the high jump, completely forgetting she had no idea how to do it. Now she was stuck actually training.

After wallowing in self-pity, Zhang Zhixing stood up to practice.

The meet was only a few days away, and while it didn’t matter if she performed poorly, she couldn’t just fail completely.

Starting at the line, she sprinted forward, shifted her weight upward, and leaped—

Thud.

Zhang Zhixing flopped right in front of the bar without clearing it.

Frustrated, she pounded the mat and buried her face in it.

Why was this so hard?!

A faint chuckle came from nearby.

Zhang Zhixing whipped her head up and saw Song Honglang sitting casually not far away.

Propping his face on one hand and tapping his knee with the other, he seemed to be watching her with amusement, though his expression remained impassive.

Feeling even more self-conscious, Zhang Zhixing scowled and resumed practicing.

After a few more attempts, she still couldn’t manage even the basic form.

Dejected, she sighed and headed to the restroom to wash her face.

Moments after she left, a group of rowdy boys arrived at the track, led by the sports committee member.

“Yo, Lang-ge? What are you doing here?”

(TL/N: Lang-ge -> Brother Lang)

Carrying milk tea and snacks, the committee member froze when he met Song Honglang’s icy gaze.

Something about the look made his heart skip a beat.

“Uh… everything okay?” he asked nervously, forcing a smile.

Song Honglang didn’t respond, just tapped his knee thoughtfully.

The committee member began to sweat under the weight of the silence.

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhixing returned, droplets of water flinging off her hair and hands as she jogged back to the track.

The sports committee member glanced at Song Honglang, feeling increasingly uneasy.

What does this mean? Is he warning me to stay away from her?

Without saying a word, Song Honglang placed a hand on the committee member’s shoulder and said, “Watch closely.”

The committee member stiffened, a chill running down his spine as he swallowed nervously, his gaze darting to the hand on his shoulder.

The two of them silently watched Zhang Zhixing attempt the high jump.

She stood at the starting point, took off in a straight sprint, then leapt forward with a swing of her legs.

Thud!

Zhang Zhixing crashed into the high jump bar and landed sprawled on the mat.

She got up, retrieved the dislodged bar, and carefully set it back into place.

“See that?” Song Honglang said softly, his tone laced with mocking amusement. “Did you see all the mistakes she made trying to jump that height?”

Oh, so that’s what this is about.

The committee member sighed in relief and chuckled. “Yeah, I saw. She didn’t know how to approach, couldn’t control her center of gravity, and didn’t even warm up properly. She basically did everything wrong.”

“She doesn’t know the first thing about it,” Song Honglang said, patting the committee member’s shoulder as his lips curled into a faint smile. “Right?”

“Right, you can tell at a glance—she’s completely clueless—ah!”

Bang! Crack!

Before the committee member could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. His arm was twisted backward, and he was slammed against the wall, his face contorting under the pressure.

Panicking, the committee member struggled and stammered, “Lang-ge, what’s going on? Did I say something wrong? I was just casually commenting—ah!”

Song Honglang’s grip tightened on his wrist, making the pain unbearable.

The committee member was left gasping for breath, his face twitching from the pain.

Song Honglang’s expression was dark, his tone still light yet chillingly indifferent.

“Didn’t you see it? What reason would a clueless bookworm like her have to sign up for the high jump?”

He chuckled, though his laugh was icy cold. “Li Qiang, did you think tricking her into signing up was enough? Time was so precious you couldn’t spend even a few minutes teaching her the basics? Do you not know how easy it is to get injured doing this?”

Li Qiang avoided his gaze, guilty as charged. He had indeed thought signing her up was sufficient and hadn’t bothered to teach her anything.

But even if he had ten times his current courage, he wouldn’t dare admit it now. He stammered, unsure of what to say, when Song Honglang grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall again.

Bang!

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhixing failed another jump.

She lay on the mat, pouting.

Three days of practice, and she still couldn’t get it right. It was beyond embarrassing.

“Lang-ge—Lang—”

A voice reached her ears, and Zhang Zhixing turned her head.

Her eyes widened in shock at the scene not far away.

She saw Li Qiang being dragged along like a corpse by the imposing figure of Song Honglang. Panic surged in her chest.

Is he going to make an example out of him to scare me?!

Song Honglang tossed Li Qiang to the ground without a word.

“Take her name off the list,” he said coldly.

Li Qiang, barely able to catch his breath, stammered, “Lang-ge, it’s already submitted—it can’t be removed.”

Out of patience, Song Honglang grabbed Li Qiang’s head, ready to strike again, when Zhang Zhixing’s voice rang out.

“What are you two doing?”

Zhang Zhixing stood nearby, her brows furrowed.

“None of your business,” Song Honglang snapped, crossing his arms. His voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Go back to practicing your little-kid-level jumps.”

Her temper flared.

Zhang Zhixing prided herself on keeping her dignity, but his taunts hit a nerve. She felt humiliated and irritated.

“This is the athletic field,” she said icily. “Don’t cause trouble here.”

“Take her name off the list,” Song Honglang repeated, kicking the prone Li Qiang. “Or find someone to replace her. Stop playing dead.”

“Lang-ge, I really can’t. How about I start teaching Zhang Zhixing the high jump right now?”

Li Qiang’s voice was hoarse, his forehead bruised and battered.

Zhang Zhixing finally realized they were talking about her.

Frowning, she turned to Song Honglang. “I can handle my own practice. I don’t need you to interfere.”

“Who said I was interfering?” Song Honglang smirked mockingly. “You’re just embarrassing yourself. I’m trying to keep you from disgracing our class.”

Zhang Zhixing wasn’t angered but replied with a colder expression. “Regardless, I don’t want you involved in anything to do with me. If you two have personal issues, take them elsewhere.”

Song Honglang felt a tightness in his throat, making it difficult to breathe.

He let out a derisive laugh and kicked Li Qiang again. “Fine. No replacements. Let’s see you jump. Do it now.”

He turned and walked away, standing off to the side in silence.

Zhang Zhixing helped Li Qiang to his feet and asked softly, “Are you alright?”

Li Qiang trembled as he avoided looking at Song Honglang’s pristine white sneakers. “I’ll be fine. I’ll go to the infirmary later.”

Zhang Zhixing stood and prepared to resume practice, only to find Song Honglang still watching her from nearby. Leaning against the wall, his posture screamed, Let’s see you fail.

Her jaw tightened in determination.

Standing at the starting line, she sprinted forward and jumped.

Thud.

Her head hit the high jump bar directly, and her vision blacked out momentarily.

“Hiss—”

Zhang Zhixing took a while to recover, her head spinning as a dull ache radiated from the impact.

As she steadied herself, she heard a mocking voice.

“Does it hurt? If someone had spent even ten minutes teaching you the basics, you wouldn’t be making such a fool of yourself.”

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