3 Campus Antagonist

The arrival of the sports meet provided Yang Yunan and his friends with the perfect excuse to skip self-study sessions. Every time there was self-study, he would gather a group, clutching basketballs, and rush to the stadium—outdoors when it was sunny, indoors when it rained—without missing a day.

Chu Xiang wasn’t particularly keen on joining, but whenever Yang Yunan called him, he would sluggishly fall in with the group, then half-lie on the sidelines, appearing to watch the game but mostly dozing off until his friends finished.

During this period, a short-haired girl with hair cut to her ears could often be seen outside the basketball court, tirelessly practicing long jump over and over again.

In his previous life, the protagonist’s first impression of Cheng Jin was here.

While Yang Yunan and the others played basketball on the court, he sat on the sidelines, his gaze shifting to a girl who persistently ran, leapt, and sweated profusely on the long jump field, refusing to give up.

His eyes were involuntarily drawn to her, curiosity stirring in his mind: How many times could she keep this up? How many more attempts before she improved?

Cheng Jin wasn’t naturally gifted at long jump—at least not in the protagonist’s eyes. It was only when he one day impulsively sat down between the basketball and long jump fields and offered some pointers that she seemed to find the key, finally correcting her previous mistakes.

That was how they came to know each other.

But this time, thanks to Yang Yunan, Chu Xiang didn’t have the leisure to rest on the sidelines. When they went to play basketball, he practiced his sprints; after sprinting, he trained in shot put.

During a break, Yang Yunan’s dog sneakily glanced over, watching Chu Xiang’s powerful shot put throw and somehow felt as if he himself were the target, promptly pulling his buddies back to the basketball court.

“Play basketball, play basketball. We didn’t see anything!”

They eagerly awaited the monthly exam before the sports meet.

When Yang Yunan was dragged by Chu Xiang to cram every night, he lamented, “Why must you only memorize Chinese and English! What about physics, chemistry, biology? I’d rather study science!”

Chu Xiang calmly replied, “I’m good at science, but I can’t remember the compulsory texts.”

Yang Yunan: Do you think I believe that?

After the monthly exam, Yang Yunan believed it.

Damn, Chu Xiang actually could! His rank jumped more than twenty places ahead.

Chu Xiang remained calm: “I still remember what I learned before.” But that “before” was from the previous life; he hadn’t forgotten all his high school knowledge yet because he died after falling ill.

Yang Yunan was stunned for a quarter of an hour, then cheerfully proud of his friend.

“Who would’ve thought you’re a genius, improving so much just by copying homework every day!”

Chu Xiang corrected him: “I haven’t copied homework in years.”

Yang Yunan’s ears automatically blocked that out.

When the monthly exam results came out, the school sports meet began.

With their number tags pinned on, Chu Xiang and Yang Yunan stood out in the crowd.

Yang Yunan was bright, outgoing, and athletic, while Chu Xiang was reserved and gentle like cold jade—both tall, their long legs in sports shorts making them tower above the others at the starting line.

Though it was a competition for the second-year students, the first and third years came to watch, especially the first-year girls, who heard two handsome seniors would compete and crowded to catch a glimpse.

Cheng Jin was dragged along by her friends; seeing the two, her last bit of curiosity vanished, especially when she saw Yang Yunan and curled her lip, muttering, “All show, no substance.”

At the starting line, Yang Yunan raised his eyebrows at Chu Xiang, confident and rebellious: “Chu Xiang, I’m giving you a three-second head start.”

Chu Xiang raised his eyebrows back: “No need. You break the record, I’ll fight for the top three.”

Yang Yunan paused, then laughed heartily: “Alright, deal! Loser is a dog!”

Chu Xiang fell silent, hiding a smile, ignoring this ridiculous friend.

Yang Yunan added, “Or the loser can call the winner ‘Daddy.’”

“I’ll say you’re my daddy just for that,” Chu Xiang retorted.

Yang Yunan chuckled at Chu Xiang’s continued silence, bending down to prepare for the start.

“Ready—”

It was a thrilling sprint race that gripped the hearts of all spectators; cheers of “Go! Go! Go!” were louder than ever.

“Go! Go! Go—ah—”

---

In the preliminaries, Yang Yunan broke the school record.

Everyone was ecstatic; they witnessed the moment when Yang Yunan ran like a lone horse ahead, breathtakingly handsome!

Cheng Jin bounced on the spot, holding her friend’s hand, surprised to find herself cheering for that arrogant senior.

After a moment’s embarrassment, she got excited again.

That’s the allure of competitive sports.

At the finals, even more people came—almost every interested student in the school gathered to watch the potentially record-breaking race.

Yang Yunan lived up to expectations, breaking his own preliminary record.

Class 3 students ran alongside him, cheering collectively at the finish line. The announcer at the broadcast station passionately read the prepared celebration speech.

Yang Yunan, legs weak from running, was supported by classmates and looked around for Chu Xiang. But the crowd surged, everyone excitedly surrounding him, making it impossible to spot anyone else.

“Where’s Chu Xiang? What place did he get?” he asked someone nearby.

“Fourth—pretty impressive.” A calm voice came with a handed bottle of water. Chu Xiang looked up and saw Wu Qiyun, the studious class monitor focused solely on academics.

“Fourth isn’t top three; what’s the big deal?” Chu Xiang said, watching Yang Yunan surrounded by classmates, a faint smile on his lips.

Wu Qiyun said plainly, “You only trained for a little over a month. The least effort for the greatest result—that’s genius.”

Everyone knew Yang Yunan loved sports; for the sports meet, it was just a matter of his willingness, not difficulty. But Chu Xiang was always lazy and uninterested in sports, barely active during PE.

Chu Xiang took the water and poured it over his face.

The water cooled his flushed skin, trickling down his cheeks and hair ends. A few droplets splashed onto Wu Qiyun’s glasses and cheek.

She looked up at the sudden wildness in Chu Xiang and froze, her heartbeat quickening twice. Suddenly, she understood why everyone kept saying they were handsome before the competition.

Startled, she remained quiet until Chu Xiang shook off the water droplets and looked down at her.

“Everyone’s congratulating Yang Yunan. Why aren’t you going?”

Wu Qiyun opened her mouth, speaking honestly, “You did well too. I came to congratulate you.”

Chu Xiang’s eyes curved sincerely: “Thank you, I’m happy.”

Wu Qiyun relaxed. She and Chu Xiang had little in common, just classmates; after the congratulations, there was nothing more to say. She hesitated, wanting to leave.

Just then, Yang Yunan pushed through the crowd and found Chu Xiang, excitedly declaring, “Chu Xiang, you lost!”

Chu Xiang smiled helplessly, “Let you stay at my place for three days as the bet. How about it?”

Yang Yunan thought for a moment, agreed. The monthly exam was over; he really didn’t want to go back to Chu’s house to study. “Deal!”

Chu Xiang grinned and leisurely walked off. This fool had agreed to stay at Chu’s house before the sports meet; now that it was over, it could easily be thirty days instead of three. Yang Yunan could go home anytime.

The next event was about to begin, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Yang Yunan had exerted himself so much that he was limp, sitting in the rest area, even feeling nauseous.

He went to the restroom to vomit.

Cheng Jin turned into the restroom and was startled to see Yang Yunan leaning over the sink.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Both had been too competitive because of the bet—Yang Yunan pushed himself to breaking records until vomiting, while Chu Xiang wasn’t feeling well either, slumped in the rest area. He shamelessly asked the class monitor to fetch him another bottle of water, lips pale as he sipped slowly, trying to quell the discomfort in his chest.

Wu Qiyun hadn’t left when she wanted to; seeing his pale face, she dared not go, quietly sitting nearby to watch over him, worried he might be unwell in other ways.

Chu Xiang had plenty of experience with sports meets since childhood, but this was the first time someone stayed by his side. Remembering how she helped the class monitor collect homework and bring it to the gym, he couldn’t help but ask, “Has the class monitor always been this responsible?”

Wu Qiyun took off her earphones and looked over but didn’t catch what he said.

Chu Xiang didn’t repeat himself; he reached over and pulled her earphones, asking, “What are you listening to?” Then he put them back on.

It was English listening practice.

He looked up in surprise: “So hardworking?”

Wu Qiyun replied, “Might as well be busy.”

She didn’t take back her earphones and quietly leaned back, listening.

Suddenly, a broadcast announcement called for Cheng Jin from Class 1 of the first year to report immediately to the long jump field.

---

Raising an eyebrow and stretching his legs, Chu Xiang asked Wu Qiyun, who had accompanied him for a while, “Want to go watch the long jump?”

Wu Qiyun looked carefully at his face, seeing some color return, then put away her earphones and shook her head: “You go. I’m heading back to class.”

Chu Xiang had no choice but to stroll to the long jump field alone, where he saw the hurried Cheng Jin and then the casually strolling Yang Yunan.

The two noticed each other through the crowd and approached simultaneously, speaking in unison:

“What are you doing here?”

“You’re watching too?”

Yang Yunan rubbed his nose. After vomiting, he felt better and, seeing Cheng Jin rushing to compete, couldn’t help but follow to see how this tomboy would perform.

Chu Xiang raised an eyebrow at this and felt a bit sentimental.

Could it be that they had some connection again? Yang Yunan might not even know it himself—he did have some special feelings toward Cheng Jin.

As for himself, did he like Cheng Jin? Certainly not; she was just a familiar stranger. Was it necessary to fight over this girl?

Chu Xiang’s gaze returned to the field, where the short-haired girl was on the runway—starting, stepping on the board, leaping...

Her agile figure traced a perfect arc through the air—neither fragile nor weak, but full of strength and vitality.

A very likable girl.

But life is short and unpredictable; no one knows what tomorrow holds. One should not force themselves to like someone, nor pretend to like to deceive a girl.

Chu Xiang looked beside him at Yang Yunan, who grumbled but couldn’t take his eyes off Cheng Jin, quietly cheering for her first jump.

He smiled; friends were important too.

A new athlete was already on stage. Chu Xiang stretched lazily, feeling his chest open wide.

“I have money and freedom, life is full of infinite possibilities. Why cling to these trivial obsessions?”

Like or not, let it be. Do what you want now—that’s true happiness.

Recalling those days filled with boundless hope but no chance to realize them, Chu Xiang’s eyes flickered with emotion. He patted Yang Yunan’s shoulder firmly.

“This is no fun. Let’s go.”

Yang Yunan wanted to see what place Cheng Jin got. If she missed ranking, he’d be sure to tease her. Hesitating, he said, “Let’s watch a bit more.”

Chu Xiang didn’t force him: “Go sleep in the library. Call me if anything.”

“Alright.” Yang Yunan waved and went back to watch.

Chu Xiang walked slowly, feeling unusually free and at ease. Leaving the noisy playground, he entered the administration building’s library, found a sofa booth, and lay down to rest and sleep.

Wu Qiyun came to return a book, saw the large dark figure, startled, then realized it was Chu Xiang—this person had fallen asleep here...

The sports meet passed just like that. Yang Yunan became famous overnight, gaining many admirers among the first years, while Chu Xiang, too, attracted fans with his strength in the long jump event, which drew a large crowd at the finals.

After the sports meet, the class teacher announced that seating would be rearranged based on the recent monthly exam results.

Because Chu Xiang’s grades had risen rapidly, widening the gap with Yang Yunan, the two who once sat close were now far apart. Chu Xiang inexplicably found himself seated among a group of “top students.”

In front were the class monitor and her friends; behind was the physics whiz who excelled in a single subject, and his deskmate ranked in the class top ten.

Yang Yunan accused Chu Xiang of betraying their group. Chu Xiang stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Maybe the teacher wants a bunch of top students around me to ‘reform’ me and help me improve even more?”

Yang Yunan’s gaze turned pitiful instantly.

The “top student” group was different indeed. Sitting among them, Chu Xiang found everyone attentive in class and frantically working on exercises during breaks at a rapid pace. Their notes and error corrections were meticulously organized. The whole rhythm felt like a high-speed channel.

Strangely, Chu Xiang was swept up in their efficiency, rarely zoning out in daze anymore.

Having top students nearby made studying convenient—if he didn’t understand something, he’d tug on the ponytail of the girl in front, as if pulling a string. Upon tugging, Wu Qiyun would glance back softly, and Chu Xiang, enduring her silently shooting glances, humbly asked for help...

Whether it was from pulling the ponytail too much or karma, one day during activity class, with few people in the classroom, Chu Xiang dozed on his desk. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his scalp. Dazed, he opened his eyes. Aside from the class monitor steadfastly working on problems at her desk, no one else was around.

He rubbed his sore scalp and went back to sleep.

Only students like Wu Qiyun could calmly and steadily maintain such daily study routines. Yang Yunan and his friends were constantly sighing and complaining. Winter passed into spring, and finally, the annual spring outing arrived.