Shi Niannian remained stunned for a long while, leaning her face back slightly, taking the ice-cold cola in her hand.
The side of her face that had been pressed against the can was cool and moist, the heat from her exercise finally dissipating.
She looked at Jiang Wang, not understanding why his anger had disappeared, and stammered: “Thank you.”
Jiang Wang supported himself on his knees and asked: “Why didn’t you take first place?”
“She was too… fast,” she replied slowly, her clear eyes looking at him.
This was her unique gaze—clean yet somehow hollow, without much emotion, as if nothing could make her angry, easily convincing others to believe whatever she said.
Jiang Wang snorted softly: “So you know how to lie.”
Shi Niannian hadn’t expected her lie to be completely seen through, felt embarrassed, and blushed.
Her fingertips tapped on the cold cola can.
“Can’t… be faster than her.”
“Afraid that if you took her first place, those people would bully you again?”
She nodded very slightly, still with a calm expression.
Not showing a trace of dissatisfaction or grievance, as if whether she won first place or not simply didn’t matter, as though she had reached a state of enlightenment.
Jiang Wang had been competitive ever since Jiang Chen first hit him when he was young. He had fought his whole life, and when he was younger, he fought fiercely and viciously, without considering consequences.
He couldn’t understand Shi Niannian’s personality.
Jiang Wang slightly curled his lip and glanced away.
The sports meet was especially lively, with many students from other schools who had sneaked in wearing No. 1 High School uniforms. Cheers and screams filled the air.
After the women’s 800 meters, another round of new competitions began.
The starter pistol’s sound pierced the clouds.
The sound made Jiang Wang’s ears a bit numb. He reached up to gently adjust the hearing aid in his ear canal, turning his head toward the field.
Shi Niannian placed the cold cola can beside her and reached into her pocket.
Because she was running the 800 meters, Jiang Ling, afraid of her getting low blood sugar, had taken her to the school store in the morning to buy something.
Two candies.
Wrapped in semi-transparent fluorescent wrappers that made a rustling sound when rubbed.
She unwrapped one and put it in her mouth.
Jiang Wang turned his gaze back from the field to see Shi Niannian extending her hand to him, a small orange candy sitting in her snow-white palm.
“For earlier,” she pursed her lips, speaking with effort and sincerity, without stuttering this time. “Thank you.”
Jiang Wang looked at the girl’s clean palm for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and smiled: “Just this?”
Shi Niannian looked at him, not understanding.
Jiang Wang raised his hand to point at his brow bone, where the blood mark had formed a shallow scab, adding a completely different flavor to such a face.
“One candy for one injury?”
Shi Niannian also felt that her thank you seemed too small.
She lowered her eyelids, closing her fingers again to grasp the candy back.
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, Jiang Wang snatched the candy.
He unwrapped it and tossed it into his mouth.
He braced his hand on the cement ground and sat down on the step next to Shi Niannian, dusting off his dirty palm.
He sat close, his thigh touching hers.
She was still wearing loose shorts that reached mid-thigh, which brushed against Jiang Wang’s athletic pants that outlined his thigh muscles. She felt uncomfortable and inconspicuously moved a little to the side.
Jiang Wang chewed the candy into pieces in two bites.
Fruit candy, sweet and sour, is quite tasty.
“Got any more?” he asked.
“…What?”
“Candy.”
“No more.”
Jiang Wang glanced at her: “So stingy.”
So she turned her pants pockets inside out to show him: “Really… no more.”
The young man suddenly leaned closer, bringing the hot air around his body with him, smiling ambiguously: “Don’t you have one more in your mouth?”
His voice was very pleasant to hear.
Especially when tinged with amusement, it carried a lazy quality, emerging from his throat, slightly deeper than other boys’ voices, making one’s heart flutter.
Shi Niannian found Jiang Ling at the edge of the high jump field.