Seeing the message, Wen Moxue could not help bursting into laughter.
It had really not been easy. From ignoring him, to wanting to drive him away, to completely brushing him off, Fu Cheng had given him every kind of cold shoulder in existence and had finally pried open this old clam.
Of course, the older man was probably only a little interested in his body right now. Wen Moxue was still some distance away from achieving his goal and needed to keep working.
Two days later, the school sports meet began.
The 3000 meter race was scheduled for the afternoon of the second day. Shuyan had somehow gotten his hands on a DV camcorder and said he wanted to record Wen Moxue’s heroic running posture.
Wen Moxue had not gone running for three or four days, and he clearly felt it was harder than before.
But he was already well known, and the 3000 meter race was a flashy event. Combined with the recent forum incident, an enormous crowd came to watch. Cheers filled the air nonstop, and even the broadcast was filled with encouragement messages sent by who knew which fangirls or fanboys. He had originally given up on placing at all, but with all that pressure, he felt embarrassed to slack off. His feet subconsciously sped up.
But his stamina was what it was. The price of starting fast was that after five laps, he clearly could not keep up anymore. His legs were moving mechanically. Calling it running was generous. Some of the people cheering beside him were walking faster than he was.
Wen Moxue felt like his feet were filled with lead. He really wanted to stop.
Several classmates running along the track could see he was running on empty and shouted themselves hoarse encouraging him.
"A Xue, you are the best, keep going."
"Do not give up, only two and a half laps left. Even walking to the end gets you a placing."
"Blossoms dazzle the eyes, but you are the most dazzling today. A Xue go."
"A Xue keep going. A Xue will win."
......
Wen Moxue’s ears were buzzing, and he could not really hear what they were shouting.
Because he ran fast in the beginning, he was currently in third place, but a few boys who had been conserving energy were steadily catching up. He quickly dropped to sixth.
Another boy passed him. Wen Moxue knew more would pass him and no longer cared.
But after passing him, the boy suddenly made a gesture at him before quickly running off.
Wen Moxue noticed the movement, but he did not see clearly what gesture it was.
He signaled to the classmates running beside him to quiet down and asked breathlessly, "Did any of you see what gesture that guy made at me?"
Everyone looked at each other. What gesture?
Their attention had been on Wen Moxue. He was dripping with sweat, his cool pale skin covered in moisture, his face flushed red from the heat, making him look even more eye catching than usual. He was already the center of the entire field. And the other boy had made the gesture discreetly, so basically no one saw it.
But basically no one did not mean absolutely no one.
A girl immediately said, "I saw it, it was the middle finger."
"Yes, I saw it too. It was the middle finger," another classmate said.
Hearing that, everyone exploded.
"Damn, what department is that idiot from?"
"Is he sick, flipping the middle finger?"
"He must be jealous of A Xue’s popularity, stupid little hater."
……
Wen Moxue squinted and looked at the boy. He realized the boy was one of He Rao’s close friends.
Back when Meng Qingzhu had forced his way into joining them, He Rao had ignored him, but this boy had offered to take Meng Qingzhu with him.
Wen Moxue was petty. If someone flattered him, he might not care much.
But if someone mocked him or insulted him, it would definitely ignite his fighting spirit.
There were two laps left, a total of 800 meters. Those who still had stamina began to accelerate.
The boy was probably not a sports major, or he was a very weak one. After passing Wen Moxue, he did not speed up further and kept about a 30 meter distance between them. It seemed he only wanted to pass him.
Everyone assumed that because Wen Moxue had sprinted in the beginning, he would not be able to maintain it.
Fans were many, but haters naturally existed too. Meng Qingzhu and his group were already gloating as people passed Wen Moxue one after another.
Every time someone passed him, someone would even boo maliciously.
Just as Wen Moxue was about to drop to eighth, and Meng Qingzhu’s group started booing again, Wen Moxue suddenly seemed recharged and began accelerating.
The cheers from the field erupted like a tsunami, drowning out the small cluster of boos instantly.
Meng Qingzhu’s smile froze on his face. He could not believe Wen Moxue still had energy.
A final burst. It had to be his final burst.
He thought that, but then watched Wen Moxue, at a not so slow speed, overtake the boy who had just passed him. Then, fueled by everyone’s cheers, Wen Moxue caught up to the boy who had flipped him off and passed him too.
The classmates who had been furious earlier erupted into applause and collectively booed the middle finger boy.
The boy was stunned that Wen Moxue could pass him. He tried to accelerate and take the lead back, but he was already exhausted. Trying to speed up only messed up his breathing rhythm, letting the people behind him pass instead.
There was one and a half laps left.
Wen Moxue maintained the speed he had just picked up and, pushed by the deafening cheers, surged forward and reached fifth place.
In the final lap, everyone began to sprint.
Wen Moxue did not know what place the boy who flipped him off was currently in, but he had one breath left in him and refused to fall behind that guy. He gave everything he had and maintained his speed, ultimately taking an excellent third place finish.
The top ten results were recorded for the 3000 meter race. Wen Moxue had originally planned on finishing last, so even he did not expect himself to be this strong.
Completely drained, he was panting heavily while classmates supported him. Everyone around him was ecstatic.
Shuyan ignored the fact that he was drenched in sweat and hugged him directly. "A Xue, you were amazing. You are my god."
The race continued, and the boy who had flipped him off ended up finishing sixth.
The 3000 meter race was so exhausting that even sixth place earned five points for the class.
For comparison, simpler events only awarded five points for first place.
As the boy gasped for air and his classmates helped him register his score, Wen Moxue, who had finally caught his breath, walked over.
"Referee, I want to report this Liao Jiayuan. During the race just now, he flipped his middle finger at me," Wen Moxue said.
Everyone immediately turned to look.
The referee frowned. "Do you have any evidence?"
"I saw it."
"I saw it too."
The classmates who had seen it quickly stepped up to support him.
But Liao Jiayuan’s classmates were not backing down.
"We did not see anything."
"Yes, where is the evidence? Do not make things up."
"You were all booing Liao Jiayuan earlier. We saw that."
The crowd argued noisily.
The referee frowned, troubled. "We need evidence to make a judgment."
Liao Jiayuan looked at Wen Moxue with open provocation. "Exactly. Without evidence you are slandering me."
Wen Moxue’s classmates were furious at his smug expression.
Just then, Shuyan squeezed in with the DV. "The evidence is here. I recorded everything, teacher."
"……" Liao Jiayuan’s smile froze completely.
Insane. Someone had actually recorded the entire 3000 meter race with a DV.
After discussion, the referees decided to cancel Liao Jiayuan’s result for making an obscene gesture at a fellow student.
He had suffered through the entire exhausting 3000 meters, finally earned a sixth place finish, and now it was void. He was so angry he almost fainted.
The greener Liao Jiayuan’s face became, the happier Wen Moxue felt.
Third place in the 3000 meter race. He felt like he could brag about it for a lifetime.
But the aftermath of overexertion hit hard. After returning to his dorm, he took a shower and immediately fell into a deep sleep. He even skipped dinner. He only woke up the next day from hunger, feeling sore all over.
He was a hero of the day, so he did not have to go to the venue. After eating something, he lay on his bed scrolling his phone, harassing Fu Cheng.
A Xiao Li: Brother brother, I finished the 3000 meters.
A Xiao Li: Super strong, I got third.
A Xiao Li: [Happy Spinning GIF]
Fu: Congratulations.
A Xiao Li: Brother you are so cold QAQ
A Xiao Li: But you still look handsome being cold.
A Xiao Li: Another day of loving brother so much (shy)
Fu: "......"
Fu: Should I celebrate with you?
A Xiao Li: But I do not want to move today, my legs hurt so much.
After sending that, Wen Moxue suddenly thought of something. He lifted the blanket, pressed his legs together, took a picture and wanted to send it to Fu Cheng, but felt it was too plain.
He thought for a moment, came up with a better idea, and took another picture to send.
It was a rest day, so Fu Cheng did not have work. Ji Weiyang had invited him to the equestrian club to ride.
After changing into his riding gear, Fu Cheng walked out. He was tall with long legs, and years of training made his body under the riding suit look powerful and explosive.
A staff member led over two majestic thoroughbreds. Ji Weiyang said, "They just imported these pure blood horses. Competition level. Impressive, right?"
"Not bad."
Fu Cheng took the reins from the staff. The horse was tall. Someone without skill could not mount it at all.
The staff brought a mounting block, but Fu Cheng declined.
He placed a hand on the saddle and with a light push, his entire body lifted off the ground as he leapt onto the horse in one fluid motion. The movement was so clean and powerful that the staff at the equestrian field burst into applause.
Ji Weiyang was still struggling onto his horse using the mounting block and staff support when Fu Cheng felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw that Wen Qianqian had sent him a picture on WeChat.
Fu Cheng paused for a moment, hesitated, then opened the image, mentally preparing himself for impact.
But he was still impacted enough that his grip on the reins tightened slightly.
Wen Qianqian had sent a picture of her legs pressed together, clearly without pants, her hand placed on her own thigh, squeezing a handful of soft white flesh. The places where her fingers pinched showed several faint red marks, subtly suggestive.
A Xiao Li: My legs are so sore, brother come rub them.
She was really...
The horse felt the tight reins and kicked its legs unhappily. Fu Cheng returned to himself and replied with a frown.
Fu: Stop sending these photos. What if you run into someone bad who posts your pictures online?
How annoying. Pretending to be righteous again.
Wen Moxue crossed his legs on the bed and replied like an incurable lovesick fool.
A Xiao Li: I only send them to brother. I know brother will not.
Fu: You are so skilled. Only sent to me?
Well obviously. He had only pretended to be a girl to scam him.
Wen Moxue knew Fu Cheng, this old man, was definitely conservative. He had probably been with multiple women and even had a son, yet still demanded the girl be pure and innocent.
So he had to cater to that preference.
A Xiao Li: (crying) What does brother think of me? I have never even been in a relationship, I saved my first kiss for brother, and you still doubt me.
A Xiao Li: These poses and angles are all from online guides. I practiced little by little.
A Xiao Li: If you had not ignored me before, I would not have used these methods to get your attention.
A Xiao Li: (aggrieved) I cannot believe you think that of me. I do not want to talk to you anymore.
Wen Moxue felt that he had been too much of a simp before. Now that the other party had taken the bait, he needed to throw a little tantrum to make the man cherish him.
Men, including himself, were all like that. They did not like doormats. Playing hot and cold was what hooked them.
So he closed WeChat and happily got up to eat his takeout.
Fu Cheng was not so conservative that he required purity or anything like that. He only thought she did not seem like a beginner, and he did not want her to be tricked. Who knew he would make things worse.
He sent a few messages explaining, but the person who usually replied instantly had not answered even after he finished two laps on the horse.
Fu Cheng frowned, dismounted, let the horse graze by the side, and called her.
It only rang twice before she hung up.
"……"