Chapter 414: The First
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The playground was buzzing with excitement under the sun, as everyone seemed to be swept up in a frenzy.
A group of enthusiastic students, directed by the counselor, cheered for the competitors, and one name was ringing out particularly loudly.
“Nannan, you’re the best!”
“Nannan, go for it!”
“Nannan, I want to have…!”
Lin Nan turned her head at the sound, only to witness a familiar scene — Chen Yao had just knocked Big Dog to the ground and was dragging him out of the crowd.
Today, the audience was larger than usual, mainly because the competition was right after roll call, and most students planned to wander around before slacking off.
It was the final of the women’s 400 meters.
Lin Nan scanned her competitors.
On the neighboring track, a girl in red sports shorts stood tall at about 1.75 meters, her legs were so long that they almost made Lilith look short. One can only imagine that this girl could cover in two steps what it took Lin Nan three!
A few girls showed off their professionalism, dressed in athletic gear and sporting high-tech running shoes, while only a handful, like Lin Nan, wore short-sleeve shirts and shorts.
Lin Nan had forgotten to dress appropriately today; hence, she was rocking her white sneakers.
She was worried her shoes might fly off mid-race, so she crouched down to tighten her shoelaces a bit more.
Word on the street was that the long-legged girl had previously participated in city-level athletic competitions and even clinched some awards.
Feeling a bit timid, Lin Nan thought, although she had magic as her ace up the sleeve, her control over it was still a work in progress. She wondered if she might accidentally set a world record from over-exerting herself.
Before the race, she was trying to look cool like the other female competitors, stretching her legs or jogging in place to get in the zone, while her eyes darted back and forth, finally spotting Tu Junhui in the crowd.
She grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.
You’re definitely dressed for success!
Tu Junhui’s face looked not-so-pleased, and he responded with a thumbs-down.
Look at him, no sense of class honor at all.
Lin Nan stretched her limbs a bit, and when the judge shouted “Go!” she immediately leaped off the starting line.
Under the influence of her magic boost, she thought about how she shouldn’t run too fast and draw too much attention. She kept control of her speed, cautious that she might accidentally smash a world record, while casting wary glances at her competitors, determined to only be a smidge faster than them.
She nearly crossed the finish line at the same time as the long-legged girl next to her. Lin Nan looked up at Tu Junhui, only to see him looking as pale as a ghost.
Chen Yao hurried over, unable to comprehend how Lin Nan had managed to run so quickly, but utterly concerned as he helped support her, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Compared to her last race, Lin Nan felt much more comfortable now, yet she still feigned weakness, leaning on Chen Yao and making her brows furrow in an adorably delicate manner.
She increasingly felt she had become a master of deception to hide her magic.
But Chen Yao seemed to enjoy this fragility Lin Nan was putting on. His strong, battle-hardened girlfriend was already a huge surprise; now, finding out she could run almost as fast as him was a whole new kettle of fish. Used to Lin Nan’s dainty demeanor, he was struggling to catch up with this new revelation.
“How about a break? Let’s celebrate your first place with some milk tea?” Chen Yao suggested, smiling, “It’s only fitting!”
“No way, I need to keep an eye on Tu Junhui and make sure he wears women’s clothes.” Lin Nan glanced around until she quickly spotted Tu Junhui trying to sneak away.
Her eyes lit up and she was about to chase after him, but then suddenly remembered her current persona. After a couple of steps, she slowed down dramatically, looking woeful, “My legs are weak.”
“Relax! Why are you obsessed with making everyone wear women’s clothes lately?” Chen Yao said, bemused as he watched his girlfriend.
Who knows, maybe he was influencing Lin Nan; it seemed these days she had quite the vendetta against others.
“You could make that student of yours dress up too. She’s only 16, way easier to convince than Tu Junhui.”
Lin Nan’s eyes brightened even more at this suggestion: “Good point!”
“But we can’t let Tu off so easily, that would be too generous.” Lin Nan continued, “Even if he doesn’t dress up, he has to treat me to a nice meal, or he’ll pay for this!”
Tu Junhui had an annoying habit of making sarcastic comments at Lin Nan. Though she knew he meant no harm, face-off banters always ended up with Lin Nan in the losing corner. Now that she had an excuse for revenge, she wasn’t about to back down without a fight.
“He can run, but he can’t hide.” Chen Yao chuckled.
As students gradually trickled away from the playground, Lin Nan and Chen Yao planned to head back to their rental apartment.
But just as they walked past the boys’ dormitory entrance, Lin Nan abruptly noticed that the dorm manager wasn’t around today.
Her mind kicked into gear. She halted, looking around.
Chen Yao walked a few steps, turned his head, and noticed Lin Nan had vanished. He looked back to see her tiptoeing into the boys’ dormitory like a ninja.
He sighed and followed her, watching as Lin Nan peeked around anxiously.
Approaching the dorm’s window, Lin Nan peeked inside and saw the dorm manager sprawled on his bed, casually waving a fan while humming an unknown tune.
Now she was at ease and quickly gave Chen Yao a signal to follow her before rushing toward the dormitory stairs.
Returning to the boys’ dorm after so long felt nostalgic for Lin Nan, especially seeing the students running around in nothing but their underwear.
The stairs were always littered with trash; two enormous garbage bins clearly couldn’t handle the volume, and heaps of disgusting trash formed little mountains. The familiar stench of decay filled the air and she wondered how she ever ignored it before.
Arriving at the familar dorm door, Lin Nan quietly pushed it open and peeked inside.
Tu Junhui had shed all but his underwear, reclining in a chair, legs crossed, and while patting his belly, complained to Xiong Da, who was horizontally splayed on the bed, “That Lin Nan is making me dress up! What on earth is a fat guy like me doing in a dress?!”
“Didn’t you lose a bet to her?” Xiong Da quipped, his head still down as he continued scrolling on his phone. “You’re a big guy, but a bet’s a bet.”
“How was I supposed to know she could run that fast? She probably cheated! She must have bribed the other competitors!”
Chen Yao eventually caught up and couldn’t help but smack Lin Nan’s protruding backside as she leaned on the door.
Oh, that felt great.
Lin Nan yelped in surprise, covering her behind as she turned around, ready to deliver a kick, “What’s wrong with you?!”
“Whoa! Lin Nan?!”
Now her cover was completely blown. Inside, Tu Junhui stood up in a panic, hastily throwing on his clothes and pants with the speed of a startled chicken.
