Chapter 254: Su He Wins
Bai Dongliang nearly passed out from anger!
We’re all from the same compound, all men—yet instead of supporting me, you’re cheering for that Su girl?!
Besides, I’m still ahead by one and a half laps! How could she possibly catch up?!
Meanwhile, Su He was crying her heart out. Just thinking about the 1,000 yuan she’d spent on the potion made her tears flow even harder.
That said, running in front of such a huge crowd actually felt… pretty good.
Most importantly, after taking the potion, she didn’t feel tired at all!
Even the sweat was just from the heat.
On a raised platform not far away stood several people. One man in his forties asked Director Jing beside him:
“That girl—is she the Su He you mentioned?”
Director Jing immediately replied, “Yes, Chief, she’s Su He from An County Food Factory. I already thought she was impressive—bold, perceptive, and smart. I didn’t expect her to be this tenacious as well.”
Gu Wenlian nodded. “Indeed. For an untrained girl to persist this long, she’s relying entirely on willpower.
And I think she has great potential. Look—her last few laps have been at a steady pace.
She must have hit a limit and triggered her potential. With proper training, she’d be excellent soldier material.
After the race, talk to her and see if she’s interested.”
Director Jing was delighted—mainly for Su He. He was sure she would agree.
After all, in most people’s eyes, joining the compound was far better than being a secretary at some county food factory.
The track was 400 meters per lap; 10,000 meters meant 25 laps.
At this point, Su He had completed 22 laps, while Bai Dongliang had finished 23.
She was still nearly a full lap behind.
Almost everyone believed Su He would lose—there was no way she could overtake him at her current pace.
Bai Dongliang thought the same.
No matter what, as long as he won, he could salvage some dignity.
But then—
In front of everyone’s disbelieving eyes, Su He… sprinted.
Three laps early. A full 1,200 meters ahead of schedule.
Had she miscounted?
Or was she trying to overtake by accelerating early?
But at this stage, with her stamina supposedly depleted—could she maintain that speed?
Bai Dongliang staggered forward, sneering. To him, this was just a last, futile struggle.
Victory was his.
Yet soon, he realized the distance between them had shrunk to less than half a lap!
The female medics shouted themselves hoarse:
“Su He, push a little harder—you’ll catch him!”
“He’s out of strength! His legs are shaking—you can definitely overtake him!”
“Hold on! You can win!”
Others in the compound joined in, cheering loudly.
At this point, it was no longer about men versus women—everyone loves an underdog turning the tables.
Director Tian wiped his tears while shouting encouragement, feeling both heartache and pride.
Amid the roaring cheers, Su He overtook Bai Dongliang.
Less than half a lap remained to the finish line.
As she passed him, she gave a light smile. “You’re nothing special.”
Bai Dongliang was furious and panicked. Exhausted, he stumbled and fell flat on his face.
He wished he could just pass out.
Losing a 10,000-meter race to a young girl—worse, a local girl—how would he ever show his face again?
Su He didn’t spare him another glance.
Like a nimble deer—still sniffling as she “cried”—she sprinted toward the finish line.
The moment she crossed it, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.
If not for the fact that she was a young woman, they might have tossed her into the air in celebration.
As for Bai Dongliang, still staggering behind—no one even bothered to look.
The women disliked him; the men found him embarrassing.
Supported by several female medics, Su He walked for a while—she couldn’t stop immediately after intense exertion.
Wherever she passed, there was applause and praise.
She couldn’t help but reflect: playing the weak might earn sympathy, but people ultimately prefer to applaud strength.
After catching her breath, she walked up to Bai Dongliang.
“Comrade Bai, this race wasn’t about personal grudges—we only met today.
I just wanted to prove that women are not fragile ornaments, nor the ‘parasites’ you described.
Women contribute across every field. ‘Women hold up half the sky’ is not an empty slogan.
I hope today helps you let go of your bias and make a real change in your thinking.”
Bai Dongliang’s face flushed between red and pale. He wished the ground would swallow him whole.
If she had insulted him, he might have argued back.
But her righteous words left him speechless.
Director Zhang grinned broadly. “Su He, didn’t expect you had this in you! Not to mention anything else—your endurance is impressive!”
Su He lowered her head shyly. “To be honest, my grandmother trained me.
We were poor. For the sake of one egg, she’d chase me around the village with a fire poker—ten laps at a time.
In the end, it all comes down to poverty.
That’s why I’ve been working so hard to promote our factory’s instant noodles. If sales go up, it’ll boost our hometown’s economy and help everyone live better lives…”
Many listeners were deeply moved. Quite a few came from rural backgrounds themselves and understood her sentiments.
Soon, people began calling out:
“Director Zhang, Su He’s had it tough—let’s order more instant noodles!”
“Yeah, you can eat two packs in one meal—ordering tens of thousands isn’t much!”
“Exactly! Military and civilians are one family—might as well support her!”
Director Zhang waved his hand. “That’s not my call—go talk to Old Jing!”
Still, he thought the same—such delicious instant noodles, and they’d only ordered ten thousand packs? Not even enough to fill the gaps!
On the platform, Gu Wenlian said to Director Jing:
“That girl Su He is indeed clever—even now she’s promoting her product.
But it’s for her hometown’s development, so there’s nothing to criticize.
Increase the order to fifty thousand packs. We’ll see about future orders later.
Also, her burst in the last three laps was impressive—she’s a rare talent. Make a serious effort to recruit her.
And have Bai Dongliang report to my office. What a disgrace.”
“Yes, Chief.”
