"9.80!!!"
Coach Wang Zhen's roar thundered across the track, filled with unbelievable ecstasy and overwhelming shock!
He stared fixedly at the stopwatch in his hand. The bright red digits seemed branded onto his retinas—9.80 seconds!
Even allowing for the slight margin of error that came with hand timing, this result was enough to drive the entire Chinese track-and-field world into a frenzy!
After all, China's current official record for the men's 100 meters was still Su Bingtian's 9.91 seconds, set in 2018!
With this run, Ling Yun had directly improved that record by 0.11 seconds! It was an epoch-making breakthrough!
Wang Zhen could no longer contain his excitement. He rushed over to Ling Yun, who had just come to a stop, and vigorously slapped his shoulders and arms with both hands. He even couldn't resist squeezing the leg muscles that contained such explosive power, praising him incoherently:
"A genius! No! A monster! A once-in-a-century... No, a once-in-a-millennium monster! The future of Chinese track and field! No, the future of world track and field lies with you!"
He could already see his name being recorded in history as "the coach who created a world-record holder"!
"Coach," Ling Yun said with a faintly "exhausted" smile, breathing slightly heavily—of course, he was pretending—"so... does that mean I won't have to attend regular training in the future, and I can still participate in the City Games?"
He tactfully reminded Wang Zhen of his earlier promise.
"Of course! Absolutely! I, Wang Zhen, always keep my word!"
Wang Zhen thumped his chest in assurance, but after his excitement faded, a trace of worry rose in his heart. He earnestly advised, "But Ling Yun, listen to your coach. Even if you're an unparalleled monster, you still need to maintain the necessary training to stay in form. How many exceptionally talented people ended up ruining themselves because of those two words: 'complacency'?"
He truly couldn't bear to see a future superstar who was about to shock the world fall because of laziness.
"Don't worry, Coach," Ling Yun said seriously in response, sensing Wang Zhen's sincere concern. "I promise you, if my performance drops even a little, you won't need to urge me. I'll come crawling back to train immediately!"
"Good! Good! With that promise, I'm relieved!" Wang Zhen's taut nerves finally relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
Talent plus self-discipline—now that was reassuring!
"Then, Teacher, if there's nothing else, can I go back to class first?"
Ling Yun pointed toward the school building.
"Go, go! Study in peace! I'll notify you in advance before the City Games begin!"
Wang Zhen nodded repeatedly, looking at Ling Yun as though he were a priceless treasure.
Ling Yun smiled and said goodbye to Wang Zhen and Zhao Ruixue beside him before turning and leaving the track.
Watching Ling Yun's retreating figure, Zhao Ruixue nudged the still-grinning Wang Zhen with her elbow and teased, "Teacher Wang, how does it feel? Does your face hurt? Who was it that thought he was being too arrogant earlier?"
"Hurts? Hahaha!"
Wang Zhen laughed heartily. There wasn't the slightest trace of embarrassment on his face, only heartfelt joy and pride.
"If this is the kind of 'face-slapping' we're talking about, I, Wang Zhen, would be happy to endure it every day! As long as China can produce a few more geniuses like Ling Yun who bring glory to the country and shock the world, forget about being slapped in the face—even if someone rubbed this old face of mine against the ground, I'd accept it gladly and savor every second of it!"
His eyes shone with incomparable sincerity. It was the wild joy of witnessing the dawn of a new era in his country's track and field.
Zhao Ruixue was infected by his emotions as well. She put away her teasing smile and followed Ling Yun's vanished path with her eyes, filled with boundless longing and anticipation.
Just then, Wang Zhen's gaze swept toward the starting line. Lin Yuxuan was sitting blankly on the rubber track, his head buried deeply in his knees and his shoulders trembling faintly.
"Yuxuan!" Wang Zhen's heart tightened. He hurried over, crouched down, and forcefully patted Lin Yuxuan's shoulder with his large hand. "You're a grown man! Are you going to cry over losing one race? What kind of behavior is that?"
"Coach..."
Lin Yuxuan raised his head. His eyes were red, and his voice was thick with nasal congestion, filled with confusion and self-doubt. "I... I don't want to train in track and field anymore... I want to go back and focus on my academic subjects..."
The devastating blow had instantly stripped him of all confidence and purpose.
"You silly boy! What are you comparing yourself to him for?"
Wang Zhen's voice suddenly rose, his sternness carrying the exasperation of someone who hated seeing wasted potential.
"Why do you train in track and field? To compete in the Olympics? No! You do it to get into a good university! For your own future! Lin Yuxuan, listen carefully! Your results and your Level 2 Athlete certificate are advantages that countless ordinary students couldn't even dream of having! You don't need to compare yourself to a monster destined to stand at the summit of the world! Your opponent is yourself! Do you understand?!"
Wang Zhen's words struck Lin Yuxuan's confused heart like heavy hammers.
Lin Yuxuan stared blankly at his coach. The confusion in his eyes gradually faded, and a glimmer of light reignited.
That was right. Why had he started training in track and field in the first place? Was it to surpass all limits and become the world's number one?
No. It was to change his fate, for that university acceptance letter that would allow him and his family to live better lives!
Ling Yun's heights were beyond his reach, but that didn't mean his own efforts had no value!
"I... I understand, Coach!"
Lin Yuxuan drew a deep breath, wiped his face forcefully, and his eyes grew firm once more.
"I won't compare myself to him! I... I'll keep training! For my university!"
His voice was still slightly hoarse, but the dejection had vanished completely.
Seeing his student finally recover from the blow, Wang Zhen relaxed and patted him on the back in satisfaction. "That's more like it! Get up! Keep training!"
Ling Yun returned to the classroom door right on time, and the bell signaling the end of class rang at that exact moment.
The Math Teacher had just left when Ling Yun stepped inside.
"Brother Yun!" Zhou Da immediately came over like a shark that had smelled blood. His small eyes gleamed with gossip and certainty. "Let me divine the answer... Hmm! If nothing unexpected happened, you must have used that inhuman speed to shatter the coaches' little hearts, right? You got the City Games spot?"
He had completely evolved from his initial shock into Ling Yun's "number-one superfan" and "chief prophet."
"Mm. It's settled."
Ling Yun sat down calmly, as though he had merely taken a stroll around the track.
He was sharing this with Zhou Da purely to satisfy the man's curiosity and, incidentally... well, to show off a little while keeping a low profile.
"Holy crap!!! 9.80 seconds?!" After hearing Ling Yun's brief account, Zhou Da nearly leaped out of his chair. His voice cracked, and he hurriedly covered his mouth and lowered his volume.
"Brother Yun! My dear Brother Yun! This... this isn't even a question of making it to the Olympics anymore! You're going to win the gold medal and break the record!!"
He was so excited that he could barely speak coherently. He subconsciously touched his pocket, where Ling Yun's autograph was hidden. This was an investment with the potential to become a family heirloom!
"Shh—" Ling Yun raised an index finger to his lips and made a silencing gesture. His expression said, "Keep it low-key. This is basic operating procedure." "Lower your voice. It hasn't been confirmed yet."
"Got it, got it! Absolute confidentiality! Zhou Da's mouth is secured by three separate locks!"
Zhou Da immediately mimed zipping his lips shut and thumped his chest in assurance.
His greatest strengths were his tight lips, his loyalty, and his ability to handle situations. That was also why he had become Ling Yun's "personal straight man."
As the two were talking, Jiang Yingqing floated over like a light butterfly, concern written across her face. "Brother Ling Yun, how did the test go just now? Did everything go smoothly?"
Ling Yun couldn't be bothered to repeat himself, so he raised his chin toward Zhou Da.
Zhou Da understood immediately. In an instant, he became completely absorbed in his role, describing the "earth-shaking achievement" at the track with vivid gestures and flying spittle. His bearing made it seem as though he himself had run the 100 meters in 9.80 seconds and shocked the coaches.
"Oh my gosh! Brother Ling Yun, you... you're way too amazing!"
After hearing everything, Jiang Yingqing's beautiful eyes opened wide, filled with pure worship and admiration. Her delicate face flushed with excitement. "How can someone as perfect as you exist in this world...?"
She murmured, her heart pounding.
Yet beneath that overwhelming worship and joy, a powerful sense of crisis quietly began to grow.
Ling Yun's radiance was becoming more and more dazzling. A boy as outstanding as him would definitely have more and more exceptional girls surrounding him in the future... What was she supposed to do?
Jiang Yingqing felt a little flustered.
For the moment, she couldn't think of any particularly effective solution and could only secretly make up her mind.
She had to appear beside Ling Yun often! Care about him more! Talk to him more! She absolutely couldn't let anyone else get the first opportunity!
She had seriously studied "dating guides" online, after all. All those relationship bloggers said that tsundere behavior was outdated now. When you met someone you liked, you had to take the initiative and boldly show your feelings!
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