She understood perfectly that a long-distance race was never about the distance covered, but about winning in the end. Therefore, being in the lead now wasn't a victory, and falling behind wasn't a loss. Only the one who persevered until the finish line was the true winner.
From the corner of her eye, she could always see Yun Bu Ji's figure. He seemed to be constantly trying to follow her without being too conspicuous, and a smile touched her lips.
Yun Bu Ji also wanted to bring her water, but the thought of Jiang Tian Ci, that scumbag, talking to her stopped him. He feared nothing in the world, but he was afraid of ruining her reputation.
He absolutely would not allow his bad reputation to affect her.
So, he could only accompany her in this way, silently running beside her.
Suddenly, Jiang Tian Ci rushed out to give Mian Mian water. Mian Mian had just drunk some and didn't want more; she also didn't want to stop. Jiang Tian Ci said, "Jiang Mian Mian, drink some water. I've put a lot of glucose in it."
Mian Mian shook her head, indicating she wouldn't drink. She didn't want to speak, and she didn't have the energy to speak now.
"You should drink a little," Jiang Tian Ci reached out to pull Mian Mian.
Just as he was about to touch Mian Mian, a strong force yanked him away, spilling the glucose water in his hand.
"Yun Bu Ji, why are you pulling me?" Jiang Tian Ci's expression soured, and he questioned angrily.
"I should be asking you that! What do you want by pulling the campus belle? Don't you know she's in a long-distance race? Doing this will not only affect her, but it could also harm her. Are you an idiot? You do things without thinking! A moron like you, and a 'campus hunk'? Who the hell is blind!" Yun Bu Ji wished he could beat this bastard up. It was fine if he was an idiot, but why did he have to endanger others!
Mian Mian glanced back but didn't stop running. She continued forward, knowing he was there, so she ran with peace of mind.
Yun Bu Ji's words made Jiang Tian Ci's face turn a shade of green and white. The surrounding classmates also whispered. Yun Bu Ji's words made sense. How could one randomly pull an athlete who was running? It was a truly foolish act. Before the meeting, the teacher had explicitly warned them that this could be dangerous.
"I was just worried she might get dehydrated. I forgot."
"Forget your ass! If you have nothing else, scram! Don't drag others down with your stupidity!" Yun Bu Ji spat, then turned and left.
Jiang Tian Ci trembled with rage. No one had ever dared to curse him like this. He wanted to go and fight Yun Bu Ji, but he knew he couldn't beat that hooligan.
Coupled with the strange glances from around him, his pride was severely wounded. He left with a cold expression, saying nothing.
Yun Bu Ji didn't care about any of that. He only cared about Mian Mian's condition.
Mian Mian's clothes were soaked with sweat, large drops rolling down her forehead, even blurring her eyes. She raised her hand to wipe them away, still progressing at a snail's pace.
At first, the classmates were willing to cheer for her, but then they felt she was running too slowly and even began to resent her, no longer cheering for Mian Mian. Only Qian Xiao Guo cheered for her.
Qian Xiao Guo hated her own body. Why did her period have to come at this exact moment? If she could have run for Mian Mian, Mian Mian wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
She had only completed four laps, only halfway.
At this point, Mian Mian was already starting to feel difficulty breathing. Her chest felt constricted, her throat grew increasingly dry. Her running movements seemed mechanical. Sweat continued to pour down, her small face reddened, and her originally rosy lips began to dry.