Chapter 17: P.E. Class
For once, the P.E. teacher wasn’t sick, nor was he pretending to be.
Turns out, the math teacher who was originally supposed to take this period had to leave for some last-minute training.
But Chen Cheng would’ve rather had math class than be stuck under the blazing sun. The moment she stepped onto the field, she wilted like a dying plant, looking utterly miserable.
At least she had layered a white tank top under her uniform, so people wouldn’t see the outline of her bra after she started sweating.
But this also meant she was even hotter now.
"Chengcheng~ Line up!"
Hu Wei, a petite girl, ran over, grabbed Chen Cheng’s arm, and pulled her into formation.
"Ugh, I’m dying… Are we seriously running today?"
"Want me to ask the teacher for you?"
Hu Wei, ever the helpful friend, was about to leave the line and find the teacher when Chen Cheng pulled her back.
"Forget it!"
Her cheeks turned slightly red. Sure, periods were a normal thing, but she still found them embarrassing and didn’t want anyone knowing.
"But what if you have to run?"
"I’ll just jog slowly."
Her cramps weren’t as bad today, definitely not like yesterday morning, when she was curled up on the floor in pain. She had taken painkillers, so she figured she could handle it.
Besides, there was no way she’d let herself fall behind the other girls, especially not someone as tiny as Hu Wei, who was barely 150 cm tall!
Their class had about 40 students, all lined up by height. Chen Cheng, at around 165 cm, was considered above average for a southern girl. Though still shorter than the tallest girls, like Li Wanyi, who was over 170 cm.
This also meant she ended up standing close to Li Wanyi, who stared at her sharply with a fierce expression, making her scalp tingle.
She had never been this intensely watched by another girl in her previous life…
"Class monitor, lead the warm-up jog."
"Class monitor?"
Since they hadn't had P.E. in a while, Gao Dong, An Yuan's new deskmate, just kind of froze for half a minute, then finally went up front to lead the warm-up jog.
As soon as they began running, the line fell apart, stretching into a long, messy snake.
An Yuan casually jogged over to Chen Cheng’s side, his pace barely faster than a walk.
"Why don’t you just tell the teacher?"
"It doesn’t hurt anymore…"
"You just don’t want to say it out loud."
Since Chen Cheng was jogging slowly, An Yuan could easily keep up just by walking a little faster, chatting with her like it was nothing.
"Most of the time, after the warm-up run, P.E. class is over anyway."
"Really? I don’t even remember."
Chen Cheng was already a little out of breath. She glanced ahead, only to catch Li Wanyi looking back at them again and again.
She sighed. "Why don’t you just get a girlfriend? Otherwise, she’ll keep thinking I’m trying to steal her man."
"And it’s only been a few days, but the whole class is already gossiping about us. It’s disgusting."
That actually lined up with An Yuan’s own thoughts. "Yeah, maybe get a girlfriend first, so I can get more used to it.""
A teenage body paired with a mind that had already “tasted the pleasures of life” made him restless—especially since his own ‘brother’ kept tempting him at the worst times.
"More used to it?" Chen Cheng frowned slightly.
She didn’t want to interfere too much in An Yuan’s relationships, but since she was already involved in the drama, she figured she might as well speak her mind.
"You’re not seriously going to become a playboy just because of Li Wanyi, are you?"
An Yuan half-joked, "Every urban time-travel protagonist gets to be surrounded by beautiful women. I never got to enjoy that in my last life, so I should make the most of it now."
Then he met Chen Cheng’s incredulous stare.
For some reason, he suddenly felt awkward and embarrassed, quickly looking away.
"Just kidding."
"Let's hope that's true."
To be honest, Chen Cheng's family wasn’t that conservative. Back in high school, when she was still a guy, her mom had actually encouraged her to date.
But she had been a hardcore believer in pure love, so much so that by the time she was twenty-seven, she was still a virgin. It wasn't like she never dated. She had chances, but she just never took that step.
She didn’t expect everyone around her to be as serious about relationships as she was. But when someone treated women like clothes they could change at will and bragged about it like it was something to be proud of, she usually kept her distance from people like that.
"Just because you ran into a bad girl this time doesn’t mean you won’t meet someone great in the future. Don’t give up on yourself!"
Noticing that An Yuan was showing signs of turning into a playboy, Chen Cheng tried to talk some sense into him.
"I already said it was a joke." An Yuan chuckled awkwardly.
"Oh~ sure."
After running half a lap, Chen Cheng realized that the P.E. teacher wasn’t even paying attention to the students. So, her slow jog turned into a leisurely stroll, and she wiped the sweat off her forehead and neck with the back of her hand.
Her short hair, damp with sweat, stuck uncomfortably to her face and forehead. Even though it only reached her ears, it still felt too long and thick. Just a little movement, and she was sweating non-stop.
At the same time, the dull ache in her lower abdomen was getting worse.
So, she quietly slipped into the group of students who had already finished a full lap, pretending she was done too.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a sharp cry came from nearby. Chen Cheng turned her head and saw Hu Wei flat on the ground, face down in the dirt.
She had fallen hard, but quickly rolled over and sat up, looking miserable as she buried her face and whimpered.
Since she was her best friend, Chen Cheng quickly dragged An Yuan along to check on her.
"Are you okay?"
Hu Wei lifted one foot, not daring to put it on the ground. Tears and snot streamed down her face as she sobbed, "My ankle… I twisted it..."
Being so petite and baby-faced, she looked especially pitiful when she cried.
"Can you stand? I’ll help you up?"
"No… It hurts..."
Chen Cheng had never been good at comforting people, especially not a crying girl. She just stood there awkwardly, watching as more and more classmates gathered around in concern.
"I’ll take you to the infirmary."
Without hesitation, An Yuan crouched down in front of Hu Wei, turning his back to her.
"Climb on and hold onto my neck."
The infirmary wasn’t far, just on the first floor of the office building next to the track.
Carrying Hu Wei on his back, An Yuan ran there in just a few minutes, with Chen Cheng and Chen Shuting following close behind.
"Teacher! She twisted her ankle while running."
The school nurse, who had been typing on a computer, immediately stopped what she was doing and motioned for An Yuan.
"Set her down on the chair. Let me check."
Chen Cheng didn’t have anything to do, so she stayed near the doorway, not wanting to get in the way.
She watched as An Yuan took care of Hu Wei, and suddenly, she thought...
They actually look pretty good together.
Like a big golden retriever and a tiny kitten, even their height difference was kind of cute.
But then she frowned.
Hu Wei is way too short, and she’s got that baby face... She’s not An Yuan’s type at all.
Hmm...
Chen Cheng's frown deepened as she suddenly realized something.
If An Yuan really got a girlfriend... wouldn’t that mean he wouldn’t have time to hang out with her anymore?
Forget hanging out, even if she just casually threw an arm around his shoulders or acted a little too close, his girlfriend would definitely get jealous.
After all, she was a pretty girl now. No girlfriend would trust their boyfriend’s female best friend. And no boyfriend would trust their girlfriend’s male best friend either.
That thought left a sour taste in her mouth.
It was the same kind of jealousy she felt when An Yuan played games without her at the internet café or played basketball and didn’t invite her.
A kind of possessiveness over a close friend.
She had felt this before, but back then, it was vague and just made her a little unhappy.
Since she became a girl, though, that possessiveness had only gotten stronger, so much so that now, even looking at Hu Wei made her feel weird.
What a joke! They don’t match at all!
Hu Wei’s way too short. There’s no way An Yuan would ever be into her!