9 009 Gathering

The final lap.

The cheering grew louder and louder, Zhu Xiangxiang clenched her teeth, using all her strength for the final sprint.

She had been dancing since she was little, and her physical fitness was excellent, but running 800 meters was still a bit deadly.

She caught a glimpse of Ming Jing in the corner of her eye, and the distance between them was getting closer and closer. Zhu Xiangxiang felt tense.

She mustered her strength once more, but suddenly her calf cramped and a sharp pain shot through her leg.

A leg cramp!

Zhu Xiangxiang forced herself to keep running, with the finish line just ahead. She had to persevere... just a little more...

However, at that moment, Ming Jing easily overtook her and crossed the finish line first.

Zhu Xiangxiang, with a pale face, crossed the finish line, both hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

She struggled to lift her head and saw Ming Jing standing calmly in place, her eyebrows and eyes serene, her face flushed...

"Ming Jing, three minutes and fifteen seconds."

"Zhu Xiangxiang, three minutes and nineteen seconds."

"Both of your scores are pretty good," praised the sports teacher.

"Especially Ming Jing, you controlled your pace very well. Have you practiced sprinting before?"

Ming Jing shook her head.

The teacher couldn't help but take a few more glances at her. Compared to the other students who were exhausted after running, she stood out as something special. This girl had talent.

A minute and a half later, Tao Xingxing strolled over, roaring like a muddy swamp, and collapsed on the ground.

Once Zhu Xiangxiang calmed down, she approached Ming Jing and said, "I lost."

Ming Jing glanced at her, "I didn't bet with you."

Zhu Xiangxiang was momentarily speechless, thinking to herself that Ming Jing really was a boring and uninteresting little nun.

The spectators were shocked. Zhu Xiangxiang's reputation as the school's beauty was not only because of her good looks, but also because she was well-rounded in all aspects -- academics, sports, and talents. In the 800-meter race, almost no other girl could beat her.

No one expected a nameless freshman girl not only to beat Zhu Xiangxiang, but also to win so easily.

In an instant, Ming Jing's name spread to every corner of the campus.

At noon, when Ming Jing went to the cafeteria for lunch, she finally experienced the feeling of being famous.

"That's her, the one who beat Zhu Xiangxiang!"

"She's not even that good-looking..."

"Maybe she has a simple mind and highly developed limbs, haha..."

Surrounded by malicious mockery, Tao Xingxing furiously waved her fists, "These gossips are so annoying!"

Ming Jing remained indifferent, as practicing Buddhism meant first cultivating one's heart. If the heart was calm, others could not be stirred.

Her composure greatly impressed Tao Xingxing.

"Jiang Jinchen appeared again! The sun came out from the west! Why has he been coming to the cafeteria every day lately?" Tao Xingxing said, watching Jiang Jinchen and his crew enter.

"Old Chen, why have you been coming to the cafeteria every day lately? Wasn't the food not to your taste before? What, did you take a fancy to some little girl?" Charles Gao had switched back to his playful mode.

Jiang Jinchen got a set meal and sat down in a corner.

By coincidence, he sat directly behind Ming Jing and Tao Xingxing.

Charles Gao's eyes lit up, "Hey, beautiful, we meet again."

Charles Gao directly sat down in front of Ming Jing and greeted her with a cheeky smile.

Ming Jing didn't even furrow her brow, leisurely eating her food.

It is said that men are cheap; the less Ming Jing reacted, the more interested Charles Gao became. In his eyes, Ming Jing's beauty surpassed that of any legendary beauty.

"I heard you won the 800-meter race against Zhu Xiangxiang in P.E. class today. Impressive! I bow to you."

Charles Gao talked nonstop for a long time, but Ming Jing ignored him completely.

Eventually, even Charles Gao felt embarrassed and touched his nose, "Oh, right, there's a party tonight. Wanna go with me? There'll be good food and fun."

He thought Ming Jing would refuse, but to his surprise, she nodded.

Charles Gao was flattered, "You'll really go?"

"Bring Xingxing too."

"No problem."

Tao Xingxing's mouth hung open, wide enough to fit an egg in, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Could she really attend a party hosted by rich kids? Heaven! A dream come true for her!

Ever since Jiang Jinchen and his group appeared, many girls had been observing them. Charles Gao was only second to Jiang Jinchen in popularity, and now seeing him being so attentive to a girl who wasn't a school beauty or any sort of campus belle, with just average looks, many of them felt upset.

Why would such an ordinary girl deserve Charles Gao's attention? She was just a bit taller than average with nothing unique about her.

"Hi, senior, can I sit next to you?" Li Jiaojiao approached Jiang Jinchen with her meal tray, flashing a sweet smile.

It was obvious she had carefully applied her makeup today, with a natural looking yet cunning style, tied her hair in a high half ponytail, looking youthful and sweet.

Jiang Jinchen nodded, and Li Jiaojiao happily sat down across from him.

"By the way, I just heard Senior Gao saying there's a party tonight, can I go?" She blinked her innocent, doe-like eyes, making it hard for anyone to refuse.

Before Jiang Jinchen could speak, Charles Gao waved his hand, "Of course you're welcome!"

Jiang Jinchen glanced at Charles Gao and said nothing.

"Can I bring Zhao Qin too?"

"No problem, the more the merrier! Bring as many friends as you want."

"Senior Gao, you're so nice!" Li Jiaojiao said with stars in her eyes.

People who knew Li Jiaojiao couldn't help but shiver at this scene, this woman was too terrifying!

Zhu Xiangxiang, carrying her meal tray, watched from a distance, her knuckles gripping the tray turning somewhat green.

Just then, she caught a glimpse of Sun Yi approaching from the corner of her eye. Zhu Xiangxiang had an idea, pretending to look down while walking forward, and bumped into him.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." Zhu Xiangxiang quickly apologized.

Sun Yi was about to get angry, but when he saw that it was Zhu Xiangxiang, his eyes immediately lit up with delight, "Are you hurt?"

Zhu Xiangxiang shook her head, her large watery eyes filled with sympathy.

Sun Yi's crush on Zhu Xiangxiang was no secret. He had once very publicly pursued her for a time, but after being rejected by her, he gave up the chase.

"Give me your clothes after you change, and I'll take them to the dry cleaners and give them back to you later."

Zhu Xiangxiang looked down at his limited-edition sneakers soaked in vegetable soup, "I'll give you the Chinese Yuan equivalent for the shoes."

Sun Yi waved his hand, about to say it wasn't necessary, but then he had a thought and took out his phone, "Then let's add each other on WeChat."

After successfully adding Zhu Xiangxiang on WeChat, Sun Yi strutted away, feeling quite pleased with himself.

At that moment, Situ Lin waved to him, "Old Sun, over here."

Sun Yi hesitated for a moment, "Xiangxiang, do you have plans tonight?"

This was an excellent opportunity to get closer to his goddess.

Zhu Xiangxiang raised her puzzled face, "What's going on?"

"If you really want to make it up to me, accompany me to a gathering tonight," Sun Yi said.

Zhu Xiangxiang could feel her heart race. She'd placed the right bet.

Zhu Xiangxiang hesitated, showing a troubled expression, "But..."

Sun Yi, however, didn't give her a chance to refuse, "It's settled then. Wait for me at the school gate after class."

With that, he hurriedly rushed to Situ Lin.

Zhu Xiangxiang stood in place, the corners of her lips slowly curling into a hidden smile.