Chapter 45: Records Shattered! The Legend Spreads!

In the following matches, Zhou Xuan gave his all, fully displaying his peak strength. Each time, he would sprint to the lead within thirty meters, quickly overtake the frontrunner, and ultimately finish first with a comfortable margin.

In the 200-meter final, Zhou Xuan took first place with a time of 22.35 seconds, breaking the city middle school games’ 200-meter record. In the 400-meter final, he again secured first place with a time of 51.62 seconds, once more shattering the city record for that distance.

But the legend didn’t end there. The next morning, Zhou Xuan’s extraordinary streak continued in both the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter races. In the 1,500 meters, he won first place with a time of 3 minutes and 52 seconds, breaking yet another city record. In the 5,000 meters, he claimed victory with a time of 15 minutes and 22 seconds, setting a new benchmark for the city’s middle school games.

During the subsequent 4x100-meter relay, Zhou Xuan ran the anchor leg. Even though Class Six was trailing by more than twenty meters, he turned the tide, leading his team to a stunning first-place finish.

With that, Zhou Xuan’s participation in all his events came to an end. He competed in six events and won first place in every single one, achieving a magnificent feat—a miracle in its own right.

It could be said that his achievement was unprecedented and likely never to be surpassed. Out of the total eighteen events for boys and girls in the junior division, there were eighteen first-place finishes in all. Zhou Xuan alone brought six first places to Class Six, earning a remarkable eighteen points. With four additional points from his classmates, Class Six amassed a total of twenty-two points, ranking first among more than twenty junior classes—twelve points ahead of the second-place class.

Homeroom teacher Liu was overjoyed, showering Zhou Xuan with praise. The students of Class Six were equally thrilled, exuberant, and filled with admiration for Zhou Xuan.

He was simply extraordinary—single-handedly creating an unprecedented glory for Class Six.

Due to his repeated record-breaking performances, Zhou Xuan was affectionately dubbed the “Sports Maniac” by everyone. At the awards ceremony after the games, Class Six in the third year of junior high swept seven first-place prizes, commanding the spotlight. Zhou Xuan was named Best Athlete, receiving the award personally from the principal of Second Middle School.

Principal Gu himself hadn’t expected Zhou Xuan to excel not only academically but also to stand out so impressively in sports. Seeing the competition results presented before him, he was left astounded. It was a pity, he thought, that Second Middle School was only a junior high; if it were a university, Zhou Xuan’s future achievements would surely bring the school great prestige.

When presenting the award, Principal Gu came before Zhou Xuan, handed him the certificate in person, and encouraged him: “Zhou Xuan, you’ve done exceptionally well! I hope you keep striving, not only achieving greater heights in sports, but also continuing to excel academically.”

Zhou Xuan accepted the certificate, shook hands with the principal, and promised, “Principal Gu, please rest assured, I will continue to work hard and live up to your expectations.”

Principal Gu added, “Next week’s city essay competition—I wish you success there as well.”

Surprised that the principal remembered his participation in the essay contest, Zhou Xuan replied, “Thank you, Principal. I’ll do my best.”

At the photographer’s request, Zhou Xuan and Principal Gu posed together for a commemorative photo.

After the successful completion of the games, the school returned to its usual calm. Yet the records Zhou Xuan set continued to spread far and wide.

At the Monday flag-raising ceremony, school leaders summarized the outcomes of the games and urged all students to learn from Zhou Xuan, striving to become well-rounded students of the new era, excelling in virtue, intellect, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. The publicity department was also tasked with highlighting the achievements of the games, promoting Zhou Xuan as a representative of Second Middle School, and using this as an opportunity to encourage everyone to improve and aim for even better results in next spring’s city middle school games.

As expected, within two days, the latest school journal featured a dazzling report on Zhou Xuan’s performance at the games:

“Our school’s 1997 Autumn Student Games, held from the 15th to the 16th of last week, concluded successfully. Students from all grades strove valiantly and achieved outstanding results. Among them, Zhou Xuan from Class Six of the third year of junior high broke multiple track and field records with his superb skills and unwavering determination.

In the boys’ 100 meters, Zhou Xuan set a new record of 10.93 seconds, surpassing the one set by a student from Third City Middle School at last year’s city games. He then went on to break city records in the 200 meters, 400 meters, 1,500 meters, and 5,000 meters, one after another, achieving a series of remarkable results and elevating our school’s athletics to new heights.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xuan also achieved the highest overall score in the midterm exams of the first semester of the third year, with a total of 604 points. His spirit of diligent study, improvement in academic performance, and persistent training to enhance his athletic skills is exemplary for all students. Zhou Xuan is a living embodiment of our school’s commitment to quality education and a model student of the new era, excelling in virtue, intellect, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor.”

But that was not all. On Tuesday evening at 8 p.m., NC County News broadcast a segment about Second Middle School’s sports meet:

“Last week, NC County Second Middle School held its annual autumn student games. Thanks to the concerted efforts of all teachers and students, the event was a complete success. Notably, Zhou Xuan from Class Six of the third year continuously broke city middle school records in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 1,500 meters, and 5,000 meters. Zhou Xuan’s success signifies a significant advancement in the athletic standards of our county’s students.”

With continuous media coverage, Zhou Xuan became well-known not only throughout the school but also to many in NC County, who had now heard that Second Middle School had a student named Zhou Xuan who had broken numerous records at the games. The news also reached First County Middle School, First City Middle School, and Third City Middle School, arousing their interest in Zhou Xuan’s outstanding abilities.

After seeing the news, the principal of First County Middle School personally called Principal Gu to inquire about Zhou Xuan. Upon learning that Zhou Xuan also excelled academically, he instructed the admissions director to pay special attention to Zhou Xuan during next year’s high school entrance exams, to make contact with him early and ensure he was not recruited away by First or Third City Middle School.

First and Third City Middle Schools naturally took note of Zhou Xuan as well, though they lacked the proximity and advantage of First County Middle School. Still, after learning about Zhou Xuan, they too began to focus special attention on him.

No matter what happened outside, Zhou Xuan continued to carve out time to write at Li Yunxi’s house, striving to finish “Those Things of the Ming Dynasty” as soon as possible.

Moreover, on Friday he would, under the guidance of his language teacher, Mr. Chen, head to the city to participate in the essay competition.

Zhou Xuan had already made up his mind: after the essay contest, he would apply to rent a place off-campus.

“The internet age is coming. I need to start my plan to make money,” Zhou Xuan thought.