Aug 16, 2024
He runs so fast, no wonder he's so hard to catch.
"Su Zai Zai the Little Fairy's Diary"
Su Zai Zai's smile froze on her lips.
Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, tangling into a knot.
Zhang Lu Rang stood there quietly.
The night breeze blew, bringing with it the atmosphere of the evening.
Su Zai Zai opened her mouth.
She wanted to say, "Yes."
Yes, I like you-a lot.
Because of you, rainy days are no longer just rainy days.
They've become a day to remember, the day I first met you.
And because of you, my otherwise mundane youth has suddenly become vibrant and alive.
-Silence.
The dormitory supervisor walked out of the dormitory entrance and shouted, "Students! Hurry back! We're about to close the doors!"
Zhang Lu Rang's brows furrowed, and he spoke with a hint of impatience, "Su Zai Zai."
The sound of his voice startled her, making her shiver.
All those sweet words she had rehearsed in her mind, all those confessions that were on the tip of her tongue...
They were immediately replaced by something else, scared off by his impatient tone: "I-I never thought about it, really, never... I swear..."
"I swear..." Even her voice wavered uncertainly.
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, but now, due to her nervousness, it was a bit unclear.
Yet the words "fifteen years old" were particularly distinct.
Zhang Lu Rang: ".
Seeing the cracks that had finally appeared on Zhang Lu Rang's frozen face, Su Zai Zai felt embarrassed, but she couldn't find any more words.
She chickened out.
She was really afraid that if she spoke, his response would be a serious and cruel rejection.
Next time, she thought. The next time he asks, she'll definitely admit it.
Zhang Lu Rang glanced at her.
For some reason, his own cheeks also turned slightly red, a faint blush appearing.
Then he turned around and walked away, his steps a bit hurried.
It was as if he was fleeing.
Su Zai Zai practically sprinted back to the dormitory.
Jiang Jia was already in bed, and when she saw Su Zai Zai's flustered state, she asked curiously, "What happened to you?"
It was almost lights-out time, so Su Zai Zai didn't have time to explain. She quickly grabbed her clothes and rushed to the shower, shouting as she ran, "I'll tell you when I come out!"
She took a quick, five-minute shower.
By the time she came out, the dormitory lights were already off.
Su Zai Zai hurriedly went to the balcony to wash her clothes, then returned to her bed with wet hair.
She pulled out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Jiang Jia.
Su Zai Zai: I just tried to casually get closer to the handsome guy.
Jiang Jia: Hahaha, so what did you do?
Su Zai Zai: I called him "Rang Rang," using the "Rang" from his name, and he noticed right away...
Su Zai Zai: I suddenly realized he's really sharp.
Jiang Jia: ...
Jiang Jia: Did you think he was dumb? How could he not notice that?!
Jiang Jia: You call that "casual"?!
Su Zai Zai stared at the screen for a moment.
Then she honestly replied: Okay, that's not what I wanted to talk about.
Su Zai Zai: He just asked me if I liked him...
Jiang Jia replied instantly: OMG! What did you say?!
Su Zai Zai: I think I'm really weird. I don't even know why I said what I did.
Jiang Jia: Huh?
Su Zai Zai: ...I told him I'm only fifteen, and I haven't thought aboutthings like that.
106/708
This time, there was no immediate reply.
Su Zai Zai then heard a burst of laughter from the bed above.
Jiang Jia: ... You're fifteen.
Jiang Jia: So does that make your handsome guy fifty?
Su Zai Zai: [Crying and biting a handkerchief.jpg]
Jiang Jia: Hahaha, but actually, that's not so bad! Top students definitely don't date early! I think if you had admitted it, he might have rejected you on the spot, and then he'd probably avoid you from now on.
Looking at that message, Su Zai Zai fell into thought.
Su Zai Zai: But if I don't admit it, how can I pursue him? 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 I'm hogging the toilet without actually using it.
Jiang Jia: What kind of metaphor is that...
Jiang Jia: I'm curious about what you really want. Do you want tocatch him and be with him?
Reading that message, Su Zai Zai put down her phone, her eyes vacant.
She seemed lost in thought.
After a while, she replied: I want to wait until after we graduate from high school. I don't want to affect his studies.
Then, feeling guilty, she added: ... But I just can't help it.
I want to see him, be near him, talk to him.
I think about him all day long. If I don't see him for a day, I get restless.
I know it's not right, but I just can't help it.
After the opening ceremony of the school sports meet, Su Zai Zai was lounging in Class 9's tent, idly playing on her phone.
She was still debating whether or not to bring water to the handsome guy.
It felt like their interaction yesterday had ended on a sour note...
If she went to bring him water now, what would that look like? It would be like offering her face up to be slapped.
Just as Su Zai Zai was still wrestling with this decision, the long-awaited announcement came over the loudspeaker.
"All participants in the boys' 100-meter preliminary race for Grade 10, please report to the check-in area immediately."
Su Zai Zai immediately stood up, pulled out her camera bag from her backpack, grabbed her DSLR, hung it around her neck, and ran to the check-in area under the blazing sun.
She completely forgot about her earlier hesitation.
When Su Zai Zai arrived at the check-in area, Zhang Lu Rang had just finished checking in.
The official led him and a few others toward the starting point on the track.
Su Zai Zai sneakily snapped a few photos of Zhang Lu Rang.
But to her surprise, he noticed her right away.
Once she was caught, Su Zai Zai actually felt relieved.
She lowered the camera, revealing her whole face, and called out, "Give me a smile!"
Zhang Lu Rang indifferently looked away.
Su Zai Zai didn't mind, lowering her head to check the photos she had just taken, satisfied with the results.
Soon they reached the starting point of the track, and Zhang Lu Rang was assigned to lane one.
He was wearing Class 1's white uniform, with black knee-length athletic shorts instead of the usual pants. He looked much more energetic than usual, though his eyes were still cold as frost.
There were thirty classes in the first year, and the track had eight lanes. The students were divided into four groups, with the top eight fastest times advancing to the finals, which would be held in the afternoon.
Class 9 was in the second group, meaning they wouldn't compete against Class 1 this time.
Before long, the race was about to start.
The runners took their positions.
Zhang Lu Rang bent down, placed his hands on the ground, knelt on his back knee, relaxed his neck, and let his head hang naturally -a classic starting stance.
As the referee called "Ready," Zhang Lu Rang's focus sharpened, ready to burst forth.
At the sound of the starting gun, all the runners charged forward with all their might.
Su Zai Zai had positioned herself at the finish line, holding up her camera to record the race.
The crowd was bustling around her, with cheers and shouts echoing in her ears.
Zhang Lu Rang wasn't much faster than the others, but he was still in the lead, breaking through the finish line first.
The cheers erupted like a bomb going off.
She saw him run a short distance beyond the finish line due to inertia, then slowly walk around the track, his breathing a bit heavy, and his cheeks flushed.
Without hesitation, Su Zai Zai hurried over, shoved the bottle of mineral water in her hand into his, and turned to walk away.
After taking a few steps, she looked back and saw him staring at the bottle for a moment.
Before long, he unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and drank, his Adam's apple bobbing as the sweat dripped down his face.
Nearby, the girls from his class looked at him with admiration, chattering excitedly.
Zhang Lu Rang quickly drank more than half the bottle, then screwed the cap back on and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He squinted slightly and looked in her direction.
Su Zai Zai cheerfully snapped a photo of his expression.
His face froze, and he immediately looked away.
Having completed her task of delivering the water, Su Zai Zai was about to turn back to her class's tent when Zhang Lu Rangsuddenly called out to her.
"Su Zai Zai."
Not expecting him to call her, Su Zai Zai was caught off guard and turned around, staring blankly at him.
Zhang Lu Rang took a bottle of unopened water from one of the girls and walked toward her.
He stopped about a meter in front of her, stretched out his hand, and offered her the bottle, saying softly, "Here's your water."
Looking at the bottle, Su Zai Zai's mood immediately soured.
She didn't move, and Zhang Lu Rang didn't lower his hand either.
The two of them stood there in a standoff for a moment.
Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Su Zai Zai wrinkled her nose and decided to compromise: "If you want to return my water, I don't want this bottle. Give me back the one I just gave you."
"The one you drank from."
Zhang Lu Rang lowered his hand, his expression becoming somewhat indescribable: "What are you planning to do?"
Su Zai Zai hadn't thought much about it-she just didn't want water from another girl.
But his reaction...
Su Zai Zai blinked, suddenly intrigued: "I don't know what I'll do either."
"Maybe I'll lick-"
He stiffened.
"Ah, no, I mean add-add some water back in."
"I'm not very good at Chinese," Su Zai Zai shamelessly said.
Zhang Lu Rang's cheeks were tinged with red, whether from the recent exercise or something else.
His jaw tightened, and his lips moved slightly, but he didn't know what to say.
After a long pause, Zhang Lu Rang finally forced out three words, his tone rigid.
"You're crazy."
Su Zai Zai was stunned.
Her reaction inexplicably improved Zhang Lu Rang's mood.
Three seconds later.
Su Zai Zai snapped out of it, her eyes sparkling with excitement,"Say it again."
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
"Please, say it again."
At that moment, all of Zhang Lu Rang's principles evaporated.
It was just a bottle of water...
No need to return it.
He stiffened his face and turned to leave.