Chapter 28: Congratulations to You
The others chimed in as well.
Xu Nian said, “Jiujiu, they’re right. Your health is most important. Just being able to finish 3000 meters is impressive—you don’t need to care too much about anything else.”
Xu Nian’s mother added, “That’s right, Jiujiu, your health comes first. Don’t push yourself so hard over the 3000 meters that you hurt yourself.”
Lin Yuejiu nodded.
“Alright, it’s your turn now. Go on.”
“Okay.”
Lin Yuejiu walked toward the track. Xu Nianshen remained standing there without moving. As she passed by him, she heard him say quietly, “I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line.”
She put on her race bib, went to the starting line, and got into position, eyes fixed ahead. She remembered—the first-place class in the 3000 meters would get eight points.
The moment the referee signaled the start, she pushed off and began to run. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chen Qianxi in the front row pull out a banner with her name on it.
“Jiujiu, go for it!”
Lin Yuejiu lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. Weren’t they supposed to agree on no cheering?
At the beginning, everyone sprinted off quickly, while Lin Yuejiu kept a steady pace, leaving her at the back.
Lin Rumeng muttered, “Is my sister doing this on purpose? She heard her classmates say it’s okay, so she’s running this slow?”
Chen Qianxi turned her head, giving her a cold look. “Are you Lin Yuejiu? Do you know what she’s thinking? Are you a worm in her stomach?”
Lin Rumeng instinctively shook her head.
Chen Qianxi snorted. “Since you’re not, then why are you talking?”
After snapping at her, she turned back to watch the race.
Lin Rumeng looked aggrieved and turned to Lin Zhen and Lin Min. “Dad, Mom, I didn’t even do anything. I was just sharing my thoughts. Why is my sister’s friend so mean?”
Lin Zhen said nothing, while Lin Min smiled lightly. “It’s fine, just a little joke, don’t take it to heart.”
Lin Rumeng pouted.
Others in the stands couldn’t help discussing.
“She’s way too slow, isn’t she? It’s already the second lap— even if she started steady, she should be picking up speed now.”
“She has her own strategy. Why are you so nosy?”
The person still wanted to say more, but someone from Class 1 of Year 2 couldn’t hold back and shot back, “Are you watching this race with your mouth?”
The talker shut up.
On the track, Lin Yuejiu kept her slow, steady pace. She really was conserving her strength for the final sprint, but honestly, running 3000 meters was exhausting.
Time passed, and finally she reached the second-to-last lap. She had already gradually overtaken several runners. Just as she was preparing to speed up, someone behind her overtook and accidentally bumped into her. Lin Yuejiu lost her balance and fell forward.
The people in the stands gasped in shock. Xu Nian, Xu Nianshen, and Chen Qianxi all shot to their feet in alarm.
Fortunately, Lin Yuejiu reacted quickly, bracing herself with her hands and using the momentum to push back to her feet. She stopped running for a moment and looked down at her left palm—her fair skin had been scraped by the plastic track, leaving it bloodied. Half of her palm was raw and bleeding, stinging fiercely. Even though it was already evening, the track had been heated all day by the sun, making it both burning hot and searingly painful. Her eyes welled with tears from the pain.
Those sitting farther away couldn’t see her injury. They only saw her stop running and began murmuring.
“Why did she stop? Is she giving up?”
“She’s definitely exhausted. And with her classmates saying it doesn’t matter, she probably doesn’t want to keep running.”
“Just look at her—so delicate. She doesn’t look like someone who could finish 3000 meters.”
Chen Qianxi couldn’t take it anymore. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward Lin Yuejiu, “Jiujiu, don’t listen to that nonsense!”
“Lin Yuejiu, charge forward!”
Lin Yuejiu looked up toward the stands and saw Chen Qianxi holding up a hand-made support banner, shouting with all her might.
Turning her head back, she vaguely caught sight of the figure of the young man straight ahead.
She forced back her tears, ignored the pain in her hand, and took off running. Like Chen Qianxi said—she couldn’t care about those people. She had to push forward.
The next moment left everyone stunned.
Her sudden burst of speed came out of nowhere. Everyone had thought she’d given up—who would have guessed she’d suddenly dash forward, lightning-fast, overtaking one runner after another? Those running closest to her could hear the pounding footsteps coming from behind, getting closer and closer, and had a gut feeling—she was about to pass them.
She had been saving her strength for the final sprint, but that unexpected pain had already drained a lot from her.
Yet Chen Qianxi’s words had given her a different kind of strength.
When she first signed up for the 3,000 meters, it wasn’t entirely for her class. She had her own personal reason.
Ever since the “real vs. fake daughter” incident, she had been the target of constant gossip and criticism. Even though she always said it didn’t bother her, she wasn’t made of steel—of course it affected her, more or less. She wasn’t some invincible person. So she had wanted to use this 3,000-meter race as a way to release all the pent-up feelings she’d been holding inside.
Chen Qianxi’s shout had been the spark that lit the fuse, igniting everything she’d been holding back.
Right now, she didn’t want to hold back anymore.
As the finish line drew closer, she saw that Xu Nianshen really was waiting for her there.
She lifted her gaze and locked her eyes straight on him, running even faster.
She wanted to hug him. That was all she thought in that moment.
The instant her body hit the red finish tape, all of Class 2, Year 2, jumped to their feet in excitement.
Lin Yuejiu also flung herself straight into Xu Nianshen’s arms.
Her momentum was so strong that Xu Nianshen staggered back a few steps before he steadied himself and held her securely.
The girl in his arms looked up and gave him a bright smile, “I did it, Xu Nianshen.”
The calm eyes of Xu Nianshen curved with a rare smile, “Mm, you did it.”
“Congratulations.”
Congratulations on making peace with yourself.
The moment Lin Yuejiu crossed the line, Chen Qianxi had leapt up in excitement and dashed down the stairs from the stands.
As if sensing something, Lin Yuejiu glanced back to see Chen Qianxi rushing toward her, and Xu Nianshen also seemed to notice—he let her go. Lin Yuejiu then ran forward and threw herself into Chen Qianxi’s arms.
Chen Qianxi hugged her tightly, shouting in excitement, “Jiujiu, you were amazing! You did it! Our Jiujiu is the best!”
This sentence made the Lin family momentarily dazed. In the past, they had often said this line to her.
Chen Qianxi felt something damp against her neck. She slowly let go and saw tears streaming down Lin Yuejiu’s face. But Chen Qianxi just smiled, wiping away her tears with her fingers, “So you finally know how to cry.”
Every time Chen Qianxi asked, Lin Yuejiu would always say she was fine, never showing any weakness or tears in front of her.
Now that she was crying, Chen Qianxi was actually happy.
If she still never cried, she would have worried herself to death.
Many people saw Lin Yuejiu crying and asked, “Why is she crying?”
A friend standing nearby rolled their eyes, “Seriously? You wouldn’t cry if people insulted you? Some of you cry after just one mean comment—Lin Yuejiu’s been openly criticized for ages. If it were you, you’d probably have depression by now.”
The four members of the Lin family all heard this. Lin father and Lin mother felt a twinge of guilt, and Lin Yimo looked at the tearful Lin Yuejiu with an ache in his heart—she had never cried before.
Someone from Class 2, Year 2, chuckled, “Hey, stop making up stories. Our goddess Lin is clearly crying from happiness at winning first place.”
