Chapter 37: Relay. "We won!"

Gu Ci's heart pounded in his chest. He rested his forehead against Huo Wenyuan's chest, his breath rising and falling, feeling the steady, strong beat of his heart.

Huo Wenyuan reached out and gently stroked his back, his tone soft and gentle. "Great! Our Gu Ci did it."

Gu Ci looked up, gazing into Huo Wenyuan's smiling eyes. Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation in his chest. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Little Gu Ci, little Gu Ci!" Shang Zui rushed over. "You're amazing, little Gu Ci! You're truly the strongest in the universe!"

Qu Zhi also followed, excitedly exclaiming, "That's amazing, pretty girl! Number 4 is on the principal's running team! Just 0.1 second!"

Gu Ci took a deep breath and smiled. "Thanks to you for giving me strength. Otherwise, I wouldn't know I could do it."

Congratulations echoed from all around, and for a moment, Gu Ci became the center of attention on the playground.

"Oh my god... Gu Ci actually came in first. What can't he do?"

"I think the moment he threw himself into Huo Shen's arms was truly legendary. So pleasing to the eyes!"

"Honestly, aren't they too close? Someone saw them coming out of Huo Shen's lounge together the other day..."

Gu Ci, having just received his certificate, returned to his class area to the sounds of excited cheers.

"Welcome Gu Ci back!"

"Wow, the champions are back!"

"Gu Ci, we love you!"

Gu Ci smiled and thanked them. Sitting in the back seat, a bottle of soda water appeared before his eyes.

Huo Wenyuan said, "Hydrate."

Gu Ci looked at him, took the water, and said, "Thank you, Brother Wenyuan."

He tilted his head back and sipped the water. Huo Wenyuan watched intently from the side. Noticing Gu Ci choked, he immediately offered him a tissue.

Gu Ci quickly put down the water to catch it: "Thank you..."

"No need to thank me," Huo Wenyuan stopped him. "With our relationship, there's no need for such politeness."

Gu Ci nodded, half understanding, but a little puzzled.

Their relationship...

was it because they were close friends?

At the end of the day, everyone in Class 1 was beaming. Today's results were good, and the class currently ranked first in the overall score, three points ahead of second place.

Most of the team competitions would be tomorrow, as the second-place finisher in the new 4x100m event would also be participating. Gu Ci and the others didn't want to neglect it, and even practiced once after today's events. Feeling they were almost there, they walked back, chatting and laughing.

Gu Ci stood in the middle, Shang Zui and Qu Zhi's chatter still ringing in his ears. He glanced forward and spotted Huo Wenyuan waiting at the playground entrance, schoolbag in hand.

"Brother Wenyuan—" Gu Ci couldn't help but call out, running toward him with arms wide open. Huo Wenyuan waited for him with a smile, about to open his arms to catch Gu Ci, but Gu Ci leaned over and took his own schoolbag.

"..." Huo Wenyuan's mouth froze.

Gu Ci asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Huo Wenyuan patted his head. "Go home."

"Huo dog!" A voice suddenly called out from behind. Shang Zui caught up and shouted, "Tomorrow we have the Three Musketeers competition, and cheerleading duties are now yours!"

"All my clappers and whistles, you can use them!"

Huo Wenyuan looked at Shang Zui like he was stupid, not even saying a word. He simply grabbed Gu Ci's wrist and walked away.

Gu Ci: "!"

Shang Zui shouted at the top of his lungs, "Huo dog! You have absolutely no sense of collective honor! Even if you're not cheering for us, you should at least cheer for your little Gu Ci!" Huo

Wenyuan stopped walking, holding Gu Ci's hand, and turned. "I'm cheering for Gu Ci. What's it to do with you?"

Shang Zui choked.

That mouth... is still just as vicious, selfish, and cold!

Huo Wenyuan didn't care about Shang Zui's feelings at all and continued to pull Gu Ci out. Gu Ci turned around and waved goodbye to Shang Zui and Qu Zhi, then turned back to catch up with Huo Wenyuan and asked, "Brother Wenyuan, are you really not going to cheer for Shang Zui and the others? They and you... have a good relationship."

Huo Wenyuan looked straight ahead and said, "Gu Ci, I don't care about anyone else's affairs except you."

Gu Ci: "..."

Inexplicably, he felt a little flattered.

The next day, the sports meeting continued. The individual events were almost complete, and Xie Bu Ruo's face was almost broken with a smile. He said to the students, "Classmates, the sports meet is almost over. We're still firmly in first place in the overall score. As long as the team competition holds up, the study tour I promised you will be arranged immediately! The prize money our class receives will also be used to fund the study tour!" "

Great!"

"Thank you, bro!"

"Come on, brothers and sisters! Last day, go for it!"

Everyone prepared confidently for the next competition. Just as the final men's 4x100m race was about to begin, something went wrong.

Athletes from the neighboring class were practicing baton handovers in advance. Shang Zui had wanted to gather his classmates for practice, but another runner suddenly got sick with a stomach upset. He'd made four trips to the restroom in a matter of seconds, but he still hadn't gotten better, and he was nowhere to be seen.

Shang Zui was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. With twenty minutes left before the race, he rushed to the restroom to catch him. "Boss, are you okay? Can you run?"

The "Boss" replied in a troubled voice, "Brother, I might not be able to. Listen..."

Shang Zui: "..."

He didn't know whether to pinch his nose or cover his ears.

The competition was about to begin, and their competitor was still tied for second place. If they dropped the ball, they would likely be overtaken. Shang Zui immediately informed Gu Ci and Qu Zhi of the situation.

Qu Zhi frowned and looked around: "...The squad leader is good at sports, why don't we let him take over?"

Shang Zui: "What a tough guy! The squad leader just swam and did the high jump, his butt is numb from the fall, and he still wants to run the relay without a break?"

Qu Zhi: "Well, what do you say? The sports committee member will go?"

He and Shang Zui went to find another sports committee member, but unexpectedly, this guy had dislocated his wrist while throwing the javelin, and whether he could hold the baton firmly was another matter.

Qu Zhi: "..."

His eyes caught Huo Wenyuan sitting alone under the umbrella in the referee area and being chatted up by his junior high school girl: "Do you want to... let Huo Wenyuan come?" "

He has practiced boxing for so many years, he must have explosive power, maybe he can even carry the team!"

Shang Zui rolled his eyes at him: "Are you dreaming? I've known Huo Wenyuan for so many years, don't I understand him? It was the math teacher and Xie Bu Ruo who took turns persuading him to go to the previous Olympiad. I don't know how many people would watch him run, but he is willing to contribute to the excitement! I'm going to eat * while standing upside down!"

Qu Zhi: "Swear to God!"

Shang Zui: "I swear to God!"

Qu Zhi: "Little pretty, let's go!"

"?" Shang Zui couldn't help but want to punch him. "You're trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

Gu Ci blinked. "How about... give it a try?"

Huo Wenyuan wasn't one for fun, and he usually didn't attend large events like sports meets. But perhaps the experience-sharing sessions and dances beforehand had sparked an opportunity for the student union, and they invited him to be the referee as soon as the deadline for this sports meet was set. They'd just been trying it out, but he'd actually agreed.

Had his idol changed?

Some of his junior schoolmates took advantage of the situation to ask for his contact information. Huo Wenyuan naturally refused out of hand, but they were surprisingly persistent, dragging their feet for almost ten minutes. Just as Huo Wenyuan was about to speak more decisively, he caught a glimpse of Gu Ci running towards him, his expression filled with unprecedented urgency.

"Brother Wenyuan, help!" Gu Ci was running breathlessly, so desperate that he didn't even notice the two junior schoolmates waiting beside him.

Huo Wenyuan stood up immediately and looked at Qu Zhi and Shang Zui. "What's wrong?"

Gu Ci said, "Student Chen has a stomach problem and can't run. Now we're short one person for the 4x100. Can you come?"

Shang Zui and Qu Zhi nodded nervously and expectantly.

Huo Wenyuan: "..."

In almost a second, he made his decision. He turned to the two female students next to him and said, "Sorry, I've already made it clear I'm not."

Then he said to Gu Ci, "Let's go."

Gu Ci then noticed the other two girls and smiled awkwardly at them. The two girls blushed and shook their heads, waved goodbye, and fled.

"Oh my god..." Shang Zui gasped. "Huo Gou really agreed. Am I dreaming?"

Qu Zhi also stared. "Every time I see Gu Ci, I always see miracles happen..."

Word of Huo Wenyuan filling in for the 4x100 spread like wildfire. As the competition approached, the seats on the playground were collectively moved forward a row, and it was the volunteers who were maintaining order who reminded them to move back.

"Step back, make way for the runners..."

"Everyone, stop crowding, and don't use your phones to disrupt the competition!"

The crowd outside the track roared. Even the graduating students in the teaching building came out, leaning over the railings to secretly take photos.

"Huo Wenyuan running the relay? I can't even imagine it... He's trying to sneak up on me, right?"

"How could that be possible! The four of them are all standing on the track. Oh my god, look at the muscles in Huo Wenyuan's arms. Can boys his age really have such tones?"

"These four from Class 1 are so kind to my eyes! Look at their positions. Senior Wenyuan is behind Gu Ci, holding the last baton?"

"Hello, have you noticed a pattern? Wherever Senior Gu Ci is, Huo Wenyuan will appear in public?"

...

Amidst the chatter, Gu Ci took his place on Lane 3, taking his starting stance, arms extended behind him, ready to take the baton. Ahead, Huo Wenyuan also leaned forward. As he did so, someone gasped.

"Cool...ah!"

As the referee's signal gun sounded, Quzhi unsheathed his sword, baton in hand, and sprinted forward, practically on par with runner #1. In a burst of speed and sprinting, they passed the baton to runner #2 almost simultaneously.

Shang Zui took the baton and, waving his hands frantically, ran toward Gu Ci. But runner #2 was also a formidable force. The two were parallel for a moment, but soon, a short distance separated them, and he became the second to pass the baton to runner #3.

The moment Gu Ci took the baton, he swiftly and lightly caught up, the excitement intensifying as they watched Gu Ci miraculously close the gap.

Then came the final leg.

The entire crowd erupted in excitement, Huo Wenyuan's cheers echoing. Under countless gazes, the focal point shot out like a flash of lightning, his agility and swiftness leaving the other runners far behind before they could even make out.

Everyone present was stunned.

"Is that... it?"

"How many seconds did he run?"

"Just checking, that guy just now... was Huo Shen? Am I seeing correctly?"

The opponent next to him gasped, exclaiming he couldn't keep up. "I thought Qu Zhi and Shang Zui were fast enough, but Gu Ci is fast too, and Huo Wenyuan is even faster. Are they some kind of freak? Why aren't they on the training team?"

"We won!" Shang Zui and Qu Zhi rushed over and hugged Gu Ci. "We won, we won!"

Gu Ci turned and smiled at Huo Wenyuan, his face flushed, still brimming with the joy of winning. At the finish line, a long line of people lined up to offer them water. Besides the class monitor and his group, Shi Fei and Liu Zhihe had also been waiting for a long time with two bottles of water.

Seeing Gu Ci approach, Liu Zhihe immediately wanted to step forward, but the monitor of Class 1 got there first and stuffed the water into Gu Ci's arms.

Liu Zhihe's mouth opened silently, and he silently withdrew his hand.

"Sister, sister, sister!" Qu Zhi trotted over and took the water from Shi Fei's hand. "I knew you'd come pick me up!"

Shi Fei, clearly having other motives, reluctantly pushed her brother aside and looked at Huo Wenyuan with a cautious, tentative look.

She stepped forward: "Wenyuan, drink some..."

"Thank you." Huo Wenyuan accepted the water from the squad leader, responding to Shi Fei's gesture.

Shi Fei's eyes dimmed, and the water in her hand hung in the air, neither rising nor falling. Shang

Zui saw this, feeling a pang of pain in his heart. He tactically ignored the attentive and concerned cultural and sports committee member and casually said, "Where's the water? Why isn't anyone giving me some?"

Shi Fei raised her hand and hesitantly offered it to him: "Do you want some?"

Shang Zui: "!!!"

Thank goodness for the lucky lady!

The water delivery blunder was over. With the referee's call, the four stood on the highest podium, bathed in a shower of colorful ribbons. Gu Ci bowed politely, thanked her, and accepted the certificate.

At the closing ceremony, the chief referee announced the results: Class 1, Grade 2, ranked first in the sports meet. That same day, Xie

Buruo announced the news of the field trip to the class:

this Friday, the whole class will go to Linghai Beach.