Let's Do Some Questions - Chapter 52

Song Man felt she shouldn’t have gone to play games at the sports meet opening ceremony that day. If she hadn’t gone there, she wouldn’t have run into Fan Ya who brought her water, and then she wouldn’t have run into Cen Rui who was with Fan Ya. That way, Zhuang Yushi and Qin Xiangyi wouldn’t have known she was here, and this utterly insane scene wouldn’t have happened today.

Qin Xiangyi and Zhuang Yushi, how to put it, Song Man felt they were truly a perfect match. Their idiotic styles were identical. When the two of them stood together, their destructive power towards her was immense.

“Let me formally introduce you, my former childhood friend, Qin Xiangyi, and my former friend, Zhuang Yushi.”

Song Man took a deep breath and introduced the two of them to Chu Fengqiu.

“Wait, why ‘former’ childhood friend!”

“Wait, why ‘former’ friend!”

Two different voices rang out simultaneously.

“Did you two go to a telepathy class together? You’re even more in sync than a year ago.”

“No way.”

“No way!”

“Tsk tsk.”

Song Man spread her hands.

Chu Fengqiu greeted them, her gaze sweeping over Zhuang Yushi. After confirming with her eyes, she decided she wasn’t Song Man’s type. Chu Fengqiu wasn’t so nervous that she’d see any close same-s3x or opposite-s3x friend as a rival. She could tell from people’s expressions whether they had that kind of feeling for Song Man. Clearly, these two, who seemed different in style but were surprisingly consistent, only felt friendship towards Song Man.

“Manman, we grew up together wearing split pants, why are you saying ‘former’ just like that!”

“Well, we haven’t seen each other for over a year. Meeting again just makes us familiar strangers.”

Song Man replied calmly.

Song Man wasn’t a very nostalgic person. In every new place, she made many new friends. If others didn’t actively contact her, she generally wouldn’t take the initiative to greet friends she hadn’t seen in a long time, unless there was something specific to say.

“You have the nerve to say that! It’s not like we could contact you, and you didn’t bother contacting us either.”

Zhuang Yushi said indignantly, holding her umbrella.

“Exactly, exactly.”

Qin Xiangyi echoed.

“Cough cough cough, that was an accident, you know, I lost all my contact info before.”

“Hmph, we didn’t change our contact info. Couldn’t you just have your mom contact my dad?”

Qin Xiangyi snorted lightly. It wasn’t difficult at all.

“Then why didn’t you have your dad contact my mom?”

Song Man retorted.

“Well, your sister said you weren’t in the country and shouldn’t be disturbed. Turns out you were hiding here.”

Qin Xiangyi remembered. He had tried to contact her.

“Yeah, your sister said the same thing.”

Zhuang Yushi couldn’t possibly get Song Zici’s phone number at that level, nor did she dare to call Auntie. She could only ask friends to find Song Qinglan’s number, thinking it would be easier to communicate with someone her own age. Song Qinglan had told her that Song Man was abroad and it was best not to disturb her.

“Damn it.”

Song Man couldn’t help but blurt out a curse.

Then she cursed internally like crazy. Song Qinglan went too far!

Song Man was genuinely angry. How could Song Qinglan do this?

She indulged her, okay, no problem, that was between them as sisters. But interfering with her friendships? That was too much.

Although these friends weren’t particularly important to her—saying that felt a bit hurtful, but it was the truth.

Sensing that Song Man was in a bad mood, Qin Xiangyi and Zhuang Yushi exchanged glances, wanting to say something but not daring to say anything.

Chu Fengqiu sensitively picked up on something. Something seemed to flash in her mind, but she couldn’t connect the dots right now.

“The 3000 meters is about to start.”

Chu Fengqiu squeezed Song Man’s hand, temporarily diverting her attention, hoping she wouldn’t be too upset.

If it were anyone else, Song Man would be thinking, “Run? Screw running!” She’d be itching to call and chew out Song Qinglan. But seeing Chu Fengqiu, her anger dissipated.

There was no time to dwell on it now. The 3000 meters was a class event, and she couldn’t not participate. Song Man decided to put it aside for now and deal with it after the race.

“Okay.”

Song Man let Chu Fengqiu put the number tag on her, rubbed her wrists, and warmed up in place.

Because she had to prepare for the competition, she had been warming up at home these past few days, getting used to the rhythm. So Song Man felt it wouldn’t be a big problem.

“Manman, go do your best, we’ll cheer you on.”

Zhuang Yushi clenched her fists to encourage her.

Song Man twitched the corner of her mouth, feeling like she was about to be executed.

“Manman, I’ll run with you later.”

“With that little frame of yours?”

Song Man looked at Qin Xiangyi, who had spoken, her face full of doubt.

“Hey, I’m a boy, after all.”

“No need, go play somewhere else. And don’t even think about running with me.”

Song Man looked at Chu Fengqiu and lifted her chin towards her.

The announcement was already calling for the 3000-meter participants to gather. Song Man walked towards that direction, and Chu Fengqiu and the others followed.

“Don’t you need me to follow?”

Chu Fengqiu had originally planned to run with Song Man. Even if she couldn’t run the whole distance, she could make Song Man feel her presence.

“No need. Just wait at the finish line. When I see you, I’ll know I’ve finished a lap.”

“Then just wait for the last lap, and I’ll run towards you. That’s all.”

“Understand?”

Song Man didn’t need Chu Fengqiu to follow her. She just needed Chu Fengqiu to stand at the finish line, waiting to greet her at the end.

“Okay.”

Chu Fengqiu understood Song Man’s meaning and nodded.

The 3000-meter runners took their positions. When the whistle blew, they all ran out together.

It was common knowledge that when running a long-distance race like this, you absolutely shouldn’t sprint at the beginning. You should conserve energy, maintain a steady pace, and then sprint at the end. Song Man, however, ran ahead of others from the start, causing gasps from the onlookers.

Chu Fengqiu was also a little worried, as Song Man’s behavior was equivalent to expending energy prematurely, but she trusted Song Man.

Song Man, of course, knew the principle of not just blindly charging forward, but she sprinted ahead of others first, then slowed down to a steady pace. This way, she left the main group far behind.

Qin Xiangyi cheered from the side. When Song Man finished the first lap, he ran alongside her, encouraging her.

“Manman, I’ll play a battle song for you! With your BGM, no one can defeat you!”

Qin Xiangyi shouted as he ran, trying to make sure Song Man could hear him clearly.

Song Man didn’t want to respond to him and continued running her own race.

Qin Xiangyi was still holding the megaphone, the prop he had used for shouting earlier. He hadn’t put it down; it was still in his hand.

Qin Xiangyi took out his phone, put it near the megaphone, and started playing a song.

The phone started singing, and the moment it began, Song Man’s body stiffened.

“Love’s magic circling around…”

Circling around my ass!

Qin Xiangyi wasn’t here to cheer her on; he was here to kill her!

“Qin Xiangyi, shut that off right now!”

Everyone present who heard the BGM couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The scene on the field was one person chasing another with a megaphone playing “Love’s Magic Circling Around,” and the other runners nearly choked with laughter at the unexpected sound.

“Manman, you have to keep going!”

Qin Xiangyi shouted, then continued chasing Song Man with the megaphone.

“Qin Xiangyi, what the hell are you doing? Do you know how to cheer? Let me do it.”

Zhuang Yushi pushed Qin Xiangyi aside and snatched the megaphone from his hand.

“Song Man! Go! Song Man! Go!”

Zhuang Yushi’s usual speaking style was sweet and delicate, but when she yelled, it carried a bit of force.

The Class One stands also started cheering. After all, Song Man was running for their class. Whether they were familiar with her or not, they were all cheering for Song Man at this moment.

Class One had more boys, so their shouting was particularly powerful.

Deng Wei saw this and thought, how could he lose when cheering for the boss? He quickly gathered his classmates and told them to cheer for Song Man. The students cooperated, too; after all, Song Man had come from their class.

So, a battle across the field began. Class One wondered what Class Eleven was up to, trying to steal their job, so they cheered even harder. Deng Wei saw this and thought, “Oh, they’re getting fired up,” and roared even louder.

Parents in the stands were confused. First, there was that wave of cheerleading, and then this shouting that echoed across the track. They turned to ask the children next to them.

“Is this Song Man a celebrity?”

“I don’t know,”

The student who answered looked bewildered. We don’t know, and we don’t dare to ask.

Song Man heard their shouts but couldn’t make any response.

All she could do was keep moving forward, conserving energy so she could sprint at the end.

She saw Chu Fengqiu ahead. Chu Fengqiu was standing there, seemingly bringing a cool breeze with her. Looking at her could calm the restlessness in one’s heart. Song Man passed her, silently adding 1 to the number in her mind.

Long-distance running really tested patience. Song Man wasn’t exactly a patient person. Compared to long-distance running, she preferred short sprints, which tested explosive power.

The plastic track emitted its unique smell. Song Man ran, thinking about things.

She was thinking about Song Qinglan.

When Qin Xiangyi and Zhuang Yushi said those things, she was very angry, but now it was a sadness deeper than anger.

Sadness for the sister she once thought loved her so much, who harbored such intentions. Why wouldn’t Song Qinglan let Qin Xiangyi and Zhuang Yushi come find her? Was it because the Qin family had influence and the Zhuang family also had a place in Qingcheng?

Song Man actually didn’t like dealing with those complicated things. If she could, she would prefer to focus on research, immersing herself in the world of academics. That was much more comfortable than considering social etiquette.

Song Man felt that she should find time to have a frank talk with Song Qinglan.

Unconsciously, Song Man was on her last lap.

She looked at Chu Fengqiu standing at the other end of the track. Although she couldn’t see Chu Fengqiu’s face clearly, she knew Chu Fengqiu must be waiting for her.

Hmm, she should have her usual smile on her face, Song Man thought.

It was time to sprint. Song Man suddenly felt a sense of pressure behind her. An alarm sounded in her brain. She didn’t hesitate and ran straight towards the finish line.

She used all her strength. For a moment, she could only hear the wind whistling past her ears and the sound of her own heartbeat.

She swung her arms desperately, saw the red tape stretched across the finish line, and charged towards it.

As she crossed the line, she heard Chu Fengqiu calling her name.

She couldn’t stop and fell into Chu Fengqiu’s arms. Fortunately, Chu Fengqiu didn’t fall and supported her, taking a couple of steps back.

“Was I first?”

Song Man asked.

“Of course.”

Chu Fengqiu wiped the sweat from her forehead with her hand.

“Ah, I’m so awesome.”

Song Man said breathlessly, in broken sentences.

“Yes, you’re awesome.”

She was the sun coming from the opposite direction, filling her entire chest.