Chapter Forty-Two: A Bit Too Bullying

After the preliminary round of the junior boys' 400-meter race, Zhou Xuan and his friends were done with their morning events. Stretching his arms, Zhou Xuan called out to Zhou Lin and the others, "It's almost eleven o'clock now. Let's go have lunch. After running so many times, I'm getting pretty hungry."

"Yeah, me too," Zhou Lin replied. How could Zhou Lin not be hungry? He had cheered the loudest while competing himself. Having such a childhood friend filled Zhou Xuan's heart with joy.

Everyone ate lunch happily and then returned to their dorms to rest. The afternoon events would begin at two, featuring the junior boys' finals for the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters. The finals would be a single round, with rankings determined by performance. First place would receive a certificate and earn three points for their class. Second and third places would also receive certificates, earning two and one point respectively.

Zhou Xuan's specialties, the 1500-meter and 5000-meter long-distance races, would take place the next morning. By about eleven o'clock tomorrow, the entire sports meet would conclude with the closing ceremony.

As for this afternoon's finals, everyone believed Zhou Xuan had little hope of taking first place. Looking at the results from the preliminaries, Zhou Xuan's opponents were simply too strong, especially Wei Linxi.

Wei Linxi, Luo Fei, Li Jing, and Wang Wen, together with Zhou Xuan, comprised the highlights of the afternoon's finals. Judging by current standings, Wei Linxi was dominating, having taken first place in three events, essentially securing the top spot. Moreover, Wei Linxi had been first in two consecutive school meets, and sixth at the city meet. In everyone's minds, his strength was overwhelming—Zhou Xuan was no match.

Luo Fei was another athlete who had broken twelve seconds in the 100 meters, with a solid hold on second place. Li Jing and Wang Wen were runners-up in the 200 and 400 meters respectively, and the gap between them and perennial third-place Zhou Xuan was not large.

Everyone agreed that Zhou Xuan's best hope for a good ranking was to fight for second place in the 200 and 400 meters against Li Jing and Wang Wen.

By half past one, the sports field was bustling with people as teachers and student council members prepared for the afternoon's events. Both Zhou Xuan and Wei Linxi, as well as the others, had arrived early to warm up in anticipation of the finals.

Spectators began to gather along the track, eager to see who would dominate the arena and bring glory to their class. The once quiet field was now alive with chatter and movement.

With just over ten minutes until the 100-meter final, Zhou Xuan was warming up near the field. The sports monitor, Li Qing, was with him, chatting. Li Qing had lost his event that morning, coming in third and earning a single point. So far, things looked bleak. The high jump, long jump, and shot put events were finished, and Class Six had only won first place in the girls' shot put, while Li Qing had placed third in the boys' long jump. With just four points in total, their scores trailed far behind Classes One and Two, leaving the homeroom teacher embarrassed.

Li Qing had come over hoping Zhou Xuan would do his best to secure a ranking and boost the class's score. The girls' events—the 100, 200, and 400 meters—were also underway, but none of the girls from Class Six were strong contenders; the best they could hope for was maybe fourth place in the finals, their prospects depending largely on luck.

So everything hinged on whether Zhou Xuan could pull off a miracle and earn a ranking, ideally second place. Given the current situation, first place was locked down by Wei Linxi, and essentially out of reach.

At that moment, Li Qing noticed Zhou Xuan was still wearing an ordinary pair of canvas shoes, and was immediately shocked. "Seriously, Zhou Xuan, don't you have a decent pair of running shoes? You're wearing canvas shoes—how can you compete in those?" He gestured toward Wei Linxi and the others. "Look at Wei Linxi and Li Jing—they're all wearing specialized spiked shoes, which can really improve their times."

Zhou Xuan realized he only had this pair of canvas shoes, no proper running shoes, and replied helplessly, "This is all I've got. What else am I supposed to wear? Are those special spiked shoes really faster?"

Li Qing slapped his forehead, regretting that he'd forgotten to remind Zhou Xuan to buy better running shoes for the meet. Even if he couldn't get professional shoes, at least some athletic sneakers would have been better.

But Zhou Xuan was still wearing canvas shoes—what was this nonsense? They're meant for walking, and the thin soles are hardly suitable for running.

"Bro, wearing spikes can usually improve your time by 0.2 to 0.5 seconds, and since you're wearing canvas shoes, the gap might be 0.5 to 0.7 seconds," Li Qing said, now doubting Zhou Xuan's prospects.

It was clear that Wei Linxi and the others hadn't shown their full strength during the preliminaries. People tended to hold back a little, saving their best for the finals and the championship.

"Don't worry, even if I'd bought new shoes, it would take a month or two to break them in. In just a couple of days, they might not even be as fast as my canvas shoes," Zhou Xuan said confidently, trusting in his own ability.

Given the circumstances, it wasn't wise to have Zhou Xuan wear random shoes. If they didn't fit well, his performance could suffer even more.

"It can't be helped now. I should have asked earlier, it's my fault for the oversight," Li Qing said with regret.

"Don't worry, Li Qing. I think these shoes are just fine," Zhou Xuan reassured him.

"And your starting technique probably hasn't been trained properly either. Meanwhile, Wei Linxi and the others have taken part in several meets and received special coaching from the PE teacher. Their starts are much more professional than yours. That's another 0.2 seconds you'll lose. The more I think about it, the less hope I have that you'll get a ranking," Li Qing sighed.

"Come on, Li Qing, don't discourage me like that," Zhou Xuan replied.

Wang Wen and the others had noticed Zhou Xuan's predicament.

"Seriously, Zhou Xuan's still wearing those canvas shoes from this morning? That's so unprofessional," one remarked.

"For real! We've all switched to spikes, and he should at least have proper running shoes," another added.

"You know, Zhou Xuan's family isn't well off. He only gets fifty yuan a month for living expenses—how could he afford running shoes?"

"Poor newbie, doesn't know a thing! Just wait for him to embarrass himself in the finals."

"Yeah, Wei Linxi and his crew are really skilled. The PE teacher even gave them extra training before the last city meet. Their starting positions and running form are way above ours. If they give it their all in the finals, their results will definitely surpass the preliminaries. It almost feels unfair for Zhou Xuan."

"This is bad for Zhou Xuan. He was third in the preliminaries, but if he can't even make the top five in the finals, it'll be a laughingstock. He'll embarrass himself in front of everyone."

"Especially since the school beauty is watching. Do you think she'll lose interest in Zhou Xuan because of this?"

"Heh, I'm really looking forward to that!"