On the way to the field, Ling Yun and Zhou Da ran into Jiang Yingqing and Su Yue, who had just come out of the restroom arm in arm.
"Yingqing!"
Ling Yun naturally waved at Jiang Yingqing.
When she saw him greet her, Jiang Yingqing's eyes lit up. She pulled Su Yue along and hurried over.
"Yingqing," Ling Yun asked with a hint of confusion as he looked at the girl approaching, "how come you haven't come over to talk to me once since you got to school today?"
Normally, she was always the first one to come over.
"Hmph!"
At his words, Jiang Yingqing pursed her little lips and glared at Ling Yun unhappily.
"Brother Ling Yun, you still have the nerve to ask! You barely spent any time in the classroom today! I finally waited until class ended and wanted to come find you, but then I saw you and Zhou Da walking out together with your arms around each other. How could I bring myself to interrupt your 'deep brotherly bond'?"
Her tone was filled with a little grievance.
"What the hell?! You're blaming that on me too?"
Zhou Da instantly bristled when he heard that, his face full of indignation.
"Fine, fine, you two talk. I'm just a nuisance here, forced to watch you two being lovey-dovey! I'm off!"
With that, he decisively clasped his fists, then "rolled" toward the field without looking back. His round figure radiated the resolve of someone who knew he absolutely shouldn't stay here.
Watching Zhou Da flee in such a comical panic, Ling Yun, Jiang Yingqing, and Su Yue all burst out laughing.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
Su Yue turned her gaze back, lightly nudged Jiang Yingqing with her elbow, and deliberately drew out her words with a teasing smile.
"Brother Ling Yun? Yingqing, when did your relationship suddenly develop this far? You sound so intimate!"
Her beautiful eyes glittered with gossip.
"Oh, come on! Yueyue! You... What nonsense are you talking about?"
Jiang Yingqing's cheeks flushed bright red in an instant, like ripe apples. She bashfully punched Su Yue, lowered her head without daring to look at Ling Yun, and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, completely unsure how to explain herself.
"Haha, I was only joking."
Su Yue stopped while she was ahead, then turned toward Ling Yun generously and extended her hand with a bright smile.
"Hello, Ling Yun. Let's properly introduce ourselves. I'm Su Yue. Even though school started quite a while ago, this is the first time I've talked to you from this close. Hmm... You really live up to your reputation. You're handsome from every angle!"
Her tone was sincere and forthright, and she did nothing to hide her admiration.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Ling Yun smiled politely as well and lightly shook her hand.
"You're very beautiful too, and you have a wonderful air about you."
His response was humble and appropriate.
However, Jiang Yingqing, standing to the side, watched as her new best friend chatted so naturally and openly with the boy she liked. A faint sense of wariness inexplicably rose in her heart.
Scenes from those television dramas about "guarding against fire, thieves, and best friends" instantly flooded her mind.
Although... although Ling Yun wasn't her boyfriend yet, that subtle sense of danger refused to go away.
The three of them chatted idly as they made their way to the field.
Once they arrived, Ling Yun immediately got into position and began organizing the class into orderly lines.
"Ring-ring-ring—"
The bell rang right on time.
Teacher Zhao walked briskly to the very front of the lines in a sharp athletic outfit, looking energetic and heroic.
Her gaze swept across the entire class. When it passed over Ling Yun, she quickly blinked almost imperceptibly, sharing a knowing smile that only the two of them understood. Then she spoke loudly:
"Good morning, students! I'm your Physical Education Teacher, Zhao Ruixue. I hope that over the coming year, we can enjoy the fun of sports together and get along happily!"
"Wow—!"
"Our Physical Education Teacher? She's so young and beautiful!"
"Oh my gosh, that face..."
A wave of suppressed exclamations and whispers immediately broke out among the students.
Clearly, none of them had expected the striking beauty before them, with her outstanding bearing and gorgeous appearance, to be their Physical Education Teacher!
"All right, enough with the pleasantries." Zhao Ruixue clapped her hands, suppressing the commotion, then announced with a "kind" smile, "According to school regulations, the first Physical Education class of the new semester will begin with the physical fitness tests!"
"Ah—?!"
"No way! Again?!"
"I thought running a thousand meters for the high school entrance exam meant I was finally free!"
"The nightmare has returned!"
The students instantly wailed in misery, anguished cries rising one after another.
Zhao Ruixue ignored the "howling of ghosts and wailing of wolves" and looked directly at Ling Yun. "Ling Yun, take a few students to the sports equipment room and bring over the equipment needed for the tests."
"Yes, Teacher Zhao."
Ling Yun nodded and quickly picked out several boys to leave with him.
The equipment was soon in place. Under Zhao Ruixue's arrangements, Ling Yun began organizing the students to complete each test in an orderly fashion.
The first event was height and weight.
There wasn't much technical skill involved, and most people passed with ease.
Although the students were a little nervous, they all stepped up openly to take the measurements.
"Zhou Da! Stop hiding! It's your turn. What are you dawdling for?"
Ling Yun's gaze swept over the fat boy at the back of the line, who was doing his best to shrink into the crowd.
"Brother Yun! Brother Yun! Let them go first! I'm not in a hurry! I'll go last! Last!"
Zhou Da waved his hands repeatedly, his chubby face filled with a refusal to face public execution.
Seeing his expression of someone prepared to die, Ling Yun sighed helplessly and nodded. "Fine, you can go last."
Only after all the other students had finished their measurements and moved toward the next area did Zhou Da sneak over to the height-and-weight scale, taking three shuffling steps for every one normal step.
He drew a deep breath and stepped onto it like a warrior severing his own arm.
The result was as consistent as ever: a height of 170 centimeters and a weight of 130 kilograms.
Looking at the glaring numbers on the electronic display, Zhou Da's face instantly collapsed. His eyes were full of pleading as he gazed pitifully at Ling Yun.
Ling Yun glanced at the physical-test form, then at Zhou Da's expression, which was practically about to cry, and immediately understood.
He picked up his pen and quickly changed Zhou Da's entry to a height of 172 centimeters and a weight of 100 kilograms.
It was just a formality anyway. There was no need to embarrass his good brother in front of everyone.
"Brother Yun!!!!"
When Zhou Da saw the "beautified" data, he was so moved that he nearly burst into tears. He opened his arms and tried to give Ling Yun a loving bear hug.
"Stop right there! Da Zi!" Ling Yun reacted quickly, dodging with a flash and looking disgusted. "Don't repay kindness with hostility! I just finished filling out your form, and you already want to disgust me?"
"Hehehe, sorry, Brother Yun. I was too touched! I couldn't help myself!"
Zhou Da scratched his head, grinning foolishly.
Next, the tests entered the "hardcore" portion: pull-ups for the boys and sit-ups for the girls.
The boys and girls tested separately.
Ling Yun led the boys to the horizontal bars, while Zhao Ruixue took the girls to do sit-ups.
The scene in the boys' horizontal-bar area was absolutely brutal.
Most of the boys considered it an achievement just to hang on. Managing one or two repetitions was already their limit, and only a handful passed.
In the end, only two people got full marks: Ling Yun and Niu Li.
Niu Li's perfect score was entirely thanks to what "the rules allowed."
The standards for pull-ups in the physical fitness test were relatively lenient. As long as a student's chin passed the bar and the movement wasn't too distorted, it counted.
Niu Li could originally do only ten proper pull-ups, but by twisting his entire body and borrowing momentum, he forcibly "swayed" his way through twenty. His face and neck turned red from exhaustion, but at least he passed.
As for Ling Yun...
He easily jumped onto the horizontal bar, his movements as textbook-perfect as could be.
His body stayed straight, his arms exerted force vertically, his chin passed steadily over the bar, and his rhythm remained even and powerful.
One, two, ten, thirty... His speed did not diminish in the slightest.
The boys went from astonishment at the beginning to numbness later on. In the end, all that remained in their hearts was a single thought: What the hell?
Ling Yun completed a full hundred standard pull-ups in one go!
His face wasn't red, and he wasn't even breathing hard, as though he had merely done a warm-up.
Only when he found it truly too boring did he stop, landing lightly on the ground.
Silence enveloped the area. Every boy looked at Ling Yun with nothing but deep awe and the exclamation that he was "not human."
The gap between them was no longer something effort alone could bridge.
The sit-ups on the girls' side were relatively easier, but perfect scores were just as rare.
In the end, only one person easily achieved a perfect score: Jiang Yingqing, whose frequent Rock Climbing practice had given her incredibly strong core strength.
After the two tests ended, the students followed the teachers toward the sandpit at the edge of the field, dragging bodies that were either exhausted or numb.
(I'm entering the verification period now. This is the author's first time writing a book, so I don't know how it is. If you have any requests, feel free to mention them. If you're enjoying it, handsome guys and beautiful girls, please give it a little push and send some free gifts—thank you! (^ω^))
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