I Like Your Pheromones - Chap 18
The brilliant 3000-meters race not only moved the students, but it also moved some of the teachers who were present.
There were four P.E. teachers responsible for the second-year class. In this sports competition, all four teachers were part of the judging team. One of the teachers, whose surname is He, taught both class ten and the P.E. class. When he saw his students put in so much effort for the sports competition, he was very touched.
“What an exciting match!” Teacher, He said to Zhao Minjun, “Teacher Zhao, the Duan Jiayan of your class is a good student! It’s been a long time since I last saw a child with such a sense of collective honor! ”
Zhao Minjun said with a smile: “He really does have a sense of honor and he’s indeed a good student.”
On the second day of the sports competition, knowing that the sports class and class ten were facing off in the final event, Teacher He volunteered to step up onto the platform. He decided to temporarily serve as the commentator of the relay race, so the teachers and students of the whole school could fully experience the delight of the sports competition.
Wanting to hype up the stakes, before the event, Teacher He announced: “This 4 x 400-meter relay race is crucial. If class ten wins these 5 points, they will surpass the sports class in one fell swoop, taking first place in this sports competition. On the contrary, if the sports class wins steadily, they will win the championship two consecutive times. This sort of decisive event, we usually call it…”
Teacher He pondered for a long moment and still did not know what to call it.
Someone under the platform called out: “Teacher, this is called the Battle for the Emperor’s Mountain.”
“Yes, exactly! The Battle for Emperor’s Mountain is about to start.” Teacher He very cooperatively picked up the topic: “before the competition, let the two classes of students encourage the athletes. The students of the sports class can cheer first!”
“Come on, brother Lin! Show us the style of being on the provincial team!”
“Tanned classmate, charge forth for us!”
When the PE class yelled enough, Teacher He began to encourage the other class: “Students of class ten, let the athletes hear your cheers!”
“You got this, class president!”
“The school grass is the most handsome! The school boss is the most awesome!” *T/N: School grass = most handsome boy in the grade (Lu Xingci). School Boss = Duan Jiayan.
“Class ten is superb*! ” *T/N: Slang meaning awesome. See the end for notes.
“The students on both sides are very passionate.” Teacher He was very satisfied: “Then let’s introduce the contestants of the two classes again. The first runner of class ten is Duan Jiayan, followed by Chen Yue, Zhou Xingchen, and Lu Xingci; the first one of the sports class is Jiang Lin, followed by Gu Chengyu and Zhou Qiao, with the last one being Lin Zheng. They are all handsome guys and are very eye-catching, standing on the runway. ”
Gu Li, standing by the starting line, screamed while waving his hand: “Zhou Xingchen! Move over a bit! Don’t get in the way of me taking pictures of Brother Lu and Xiao-Duan! ”
“…†Zhou Xingchen was speechless: “I’m really amazed by that girl. Instead of taking Polaroids of her boyfriend, she’s only thinking of taking pictures of you two all day.”
Duan Jiayan was curious: “Why?”
“I don’t know. She said she was a fan of how you and brother Lu looked together. You should quickly find a girlfriend to turn her from a fan into just a passerby. Same for brother Lu.”
“Sure,” said Lu Xingci, who kicked the track with the sole of his shoes and answered casually, “would you like to introduce one to me?”
“You want me to go through the effort of introducing you to a girl just to have you reject her with a single word?” Zhou Xingchen shook his head: “I don’t do such offensive things.”
“I don’t need your introduction.” Duan Jiayan smirked, raising his eyes. He answered lazily: “I’m too handsome. Ordinary people can’t catch up to me when they chase me.”
Zhou Xingchen couldn’t help laughing, at a loss as to how to diss him. Lu Xingci raised his chin and motioned Duan Jiayan to look over at the tanned boy who was first to run from the PE class: “In a bit, don’t let that tanned student catch up to you.”
“Don’t worry,” Duan Jiayan said, “the one who can catch up to me has yet to be born.”
Lu Xingci suddenly asked, “what about Jiang Qinian?”
Duan Jiayan corrected his opinion like water flowing swiftly and smoothly downward: “then, of course, I’ll slow down and wait for her.”
Lu Xingci said with a smile: “Do you like her that much? What do you like about her?”
Duan Jiayan: “She’s beautiful, tall, and sends me milk tea.”
Chen Yue exclaimed: “Your requirements are so low?”
Duan Jiayan very honestly answered: “Beauty is most important.”
As he said this, he suddenly looked at Lu Xingci and crooked his lips: “If you were a young lady, you would definitely be very beautiful too.”
Duan Jianya so boldly teased Lu Xingci. Chen Yue and Zhou Xingchen didn’t know what to say for a moment. They were all surprised at Duan Jiayan’s ability to behave atrociously in front of the King of Hell.
“If you were a young lady,” Lu Xingci looked straight into Duan Jiayan’s amber pupils. He deliberately paused for a moment and answered lazily: “I would want to chase you.”
Chen Yue: “Hahahahaha!”
Zhou Xingchen: “Hahahahahaha!”
“…” Fuck.
Duan Jiayan was made a fool of. He gloomily withdrew his stare.
In a few minutes, the game will start.
“The last event.” Zhou Xingchen stretched out his hand and motioned for everyone to gather: “Remain calm. Become reckless when it’s the right time to do so.”
Chen Yue cooperatively placed his hand on top of Zhou Xingchen’s hand: “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! Haidilao is calling.”
Lu Xingci also placed his hand onto the pile.
Duan Jiayan was the only one who hadn’t moved.
All three of them were looking at him.
Duan Jiayan accepted his fate and put his hand on the back of Lu Xingci’s hand: “Come, come, don’t make me look like I don’t belong to the same group.”
“Ahhhhh! Zhou Xingchen, get out of the way!” Gu Li was covered in so much sugar that she almost suffocated on the scene. Seeing Zhou Xingchen block her shooting angle, she almost went crazy: “Holding hands! I must have a front-facing photo of them holding hands!”
“…”
Duan Jiayan and the tanned boy both sprinted forward when the gunshot, which symbolized the start of the race, rang out.
One of the two had such white skin that he was almost transparent while the other was so dark that he attracted people’s attention in the crowd. They sported amazing speeds, like two different colors of the wind–
“A Black and White Pair of Demons! It’s called a Black and White Pair of Demons! ” Teacher He very excitedly explained on the platform: “such a fast speed has far exceeded the level of a high school sports competition! What a wondrous game!”
In the last stretch of the first leg, Duan Jiayan saw that the tanned runner and he were at each other’s tails. He sped up with determination and threw out a large gap between him and the tanned runner.
Cheers broke out from the playground.
“Duan Jiayan is ahead! He handed the baton to Chen Yue. Can Chen Yue maintain his advantage? ”
The boys of class ten wailed from beside the runway:
“Brother Yue! Tomato pot!”
“Beef Tallow Pot!”
“Shrimp Pot! I want to eat shrimp!”
Chen Yue tried his best to sprint forward, but his speed was a little slower. Instead, he was overtaken by the second runner of the sports class. When two classes handed over the baton to the third runner, class ten had fallen behind a little.
Zhou Xingchen received the baton and charged forward. The third runner of the PE class had a small stature, but he ran very fast. Seeing the gap growing, Zhou Xingchen was only five or six seconds late to deliver the baton to Lu Xingci.
Lu Xingci received the baton and dashed forward.
“Come on, come on! Class president, come on!”
“The difference is too large,” the girls in class ten scrunched their brows, and some of them almost cried: “What can be done? The class president can’t catch up.”
“Do you know why we put Lu Xingci last?” Chen Yue comforted her: “It’s because he’s strong.”
“The two classes have separated a distance of a quarter of the sports field track. Lin Zheng of the sports class is far ahead.” Teacher He was very involved in the drama: “Can Lu Xingci still make it through this hopeless situation?! The race is almost too bloody for me to watch! ”
The whole playground was drowned by cheers. Even Zhao Minjun couldn’t help shouting: “Cheer for Lu Xingci!”
Song Yi was the first to yell: “Male god!”
Zhou Xingchen: “Brother Lu!!!”
Chen Yu: “Haidilao!!!”
After Song Yi shouted, he jabbed the unmoving Duan Jiayan: “Xiao-duan, come on, cheer the class president on!”
On the flag-raising platform, Teacher He suddenly slapped the table and stood up, with his eyes wide open: “My God! What is Lu Xingci doing? He’s speeding up! He has caught up with Lin Zheng! …Two people are tied side by side! They’re tied!”
Zhou Xingchen and Chen Yue also turned to look, waiting for Duan Jiayan to speak. It’s almost like if he didn’t say something, he would be the only orphan among them.
Suddenly and inexplicably.
As so it appears.
Duan Jiayan inhaled.
“Lu Xingci–!” Duan Jiayan yelled in a loud voice: “I want the first place! Run faster!”
They are separated by a little less than half of the sports field track, surrounded by deafening cheers, while Teacher He is still making a racket from on top of the platform.
Logically speaking, Lu Xingci should not hear his voice.
But the boy running towards them, through the thick crowd, Duan Jiayan faintly felt that the man seemed to glance at him.
“–Lu Xingci surpassed Lin Zheng! My God, he’s not following reason at all! ”
Hearing this, Chen Yue couldn’t help laughing: “Is Teacher He pretending that this relay race is a ball sports game? He’s commentating with so much enthusiasm.”
Zhou Xingchen also laughed: “His program gets full marks.”
At that moment when Lu Xingci crossed the finish line, he had to run forward for a couple more meters before he slowed to a stop because of his speed.
He bent down and put his hand on his knee. After intensive for a little while, he wiped the sweat with his right hand.
When he looked up, he saw several faces looking at him.
“Let’s congratulate class ten for winning the relay race!” Teacher He was full of passion on the platform: “Congratulations to them winning the championship of this year’s games!”
“Class president sir,” Duan Jiayan said with a smile: “you’re very handsome today.”
“Lu Xingci–!” Chen Yue howled and pounced on him: “My male god! My father! My Lu-father!!”
Zhou Xingchen also pounced on him: “I can always rely on Lu Xingci and Duan Jiayan! Thank you for carrying us to victory!”
Duan Jiayan was hesitating whether to rush over, but Song Yi next to him whined, pulling his arm and rushing into the crowd, which directly led to Duan Jiayan bumping into the back of Lu Xingci.
Duan Jiayan: “…”
Not only them, but others were also rushing to this side. After Chen Yue’s crazy energy subsided, he took two steps back. Suddenly, he noticed a shallow scratch on Lu Xingci’s arm.
“Your arm is bleeding?”
“I was scratched by something just now.” Lu Xingci said, “what’s on your clothes?”
“It’s most likely my meal card. I switched for a metal cover just yesterday.” Chen Yue said: “Do you need me to kneel down and apologize? I shall kneel down at once.”
“It’s only a little scratch.” Lu Xingci’s tone is natural, and he knew his position very well: “Stand back up after kowtowing then.”
“…”
“Lu Xingci.” Zhao Minjun came in a hurry: “a simple closing ceremony will be held in a moment. The first, second, and third places classes have to send someone to take the stage to retrieve the prize. You should go.”
Lu Xing said goodbye and suddenly turned back.
The boy’s dark eyes swept over Duan Jiayan, a shallow glance.
“Didn’t you want first place?” He said: “Go get it.”
Duan Jiayan was stunned, his first reaction was that even in such a noisy environment back then, he still heard it all.
Then he came back to his senses: “I’ll retrieve it? Is it appropriate? ”
Zhao Minjun looked at Lu Xingci and then at Duan Jiayan: “There’s nothing appropriate or inappropriate about it. It’s fine as long as the student is in our class.”
Zhou Xingchen was the first to express his attitude: “Anyone can retrieve it. It’s just a certificate. Anyway, I don’t mind if you go.”
“We are following a fatuous and self-indulgent ruler.” Chen Yue also said with a smile: “If you want first place, would His Majesty not grant your wish?”
Duan Jiayan couldn’t help laughing.
Lu Xingci couldn’t hold back either and smiled while giving Chen Yue a light kick: “Did you get addicted to acting?”
Duan Jiayan headed onto the stage to retrieve the prize.
The sports class got second place and class one was third place.
Perhaps the school authorities also thought that Teacher He’s passionate commentaries just then were very good and let Teacher He continue to narrate the closing ceremony before he came down from the platform.
“Then, please let the class representatives who won the first and second place say a word of encouragement to each other,” Teacher He said. “Thank your opponents. It’s their presence that makes you stronger.”
“Brother,” the tanned student looked at Duan Jiayan, “I misunderstood you a little before. After this sports meeting, the past is in the past. That last relay was really good. Our class is sincerely convinced of the loss. ”
“Jiang Lin made such sincere comments. What does Duan Jiayan want to say?”
In front of all the teachers and students, Duan Jiayan suddenly stretched out his hand.
His thumb pointed up.
Teacher He was very interested: “What does Duan Jiayan mean?”
“I’m giving him a compliment,” Duan said: “Continue to work hard next year and strive to surpass us.”
“…”
“It’s good, it’s good.” Teacher He laughed buoyantly: “Let’s place friendship first and the competition second.”
Under the platform, Chen Yue almost let out a wild laugh: “How can he be so funny, hahaha! I like it! Of course, it’s him who thought of that.”
Lu Xingci watched Duan Jiayan on the platform and raised the corner of his mouth.
He answered:
“He is pretty interesting.”
