The school sports meet was fast approaching.
Events like this were usually dominated by the sports majors, but regular classes were still required to have students participate.
So, more often than not, the participants were decided by drawing lots.
The day before the registration form was due, Ji Zhaoxi sneakily signed Jiang Shiyi up for the 1,500-meter race.
She thought no one had noticed her little trick, but unexpectedly, someone in the class had been keeping an eye on her all along.
The registration form was passed around the entire class, but only a scattered few had signed up.
A girl held the registration form, raised an eyebrow as she looked at the names on it, and said, "Look."
She handed the form to the person next to her.
The person next to her looked at the form but didn't see anything wrong. "What?"
The girl glanced at Ji Zhaoxi, who was not far away, pointed at the name on the form, and lowered her voice. "Ji Zhaoxi filled this in."
The person next to her looked at her in shock. "Really? Is she that mean?"
I never would have guessed.
The girl narrowed her eyes. "Since she likes signing other people up so much, I'll just return the favor and sign her up too."
The person next to her let out an "Ah" and hesitated. "Would that be a bad idea? She doesn't look like she can run very well."
The girl scoffed coldly. "That's what she gets for bullying Jiang Shiyi."
She picked up a pen, crossed out the information in Jiang Shiyi's row, and filled in Ji Zhaoxi's name instead.
[Ji Zhaoxi — Women's 1500m]
On the other side of the room, Ji Zhaoxi was still feeling smug about her little trick, completely unaware that she had been targeted.
The registration form was submitted level by level. First, it was reviewed within the class—Ji Zhaoxi happened to be out of the room at the time—then it was looked over by the homeroom teacher, and finally submitted to the grade committee.
Watching the P.E. teacher place the registration form under a thick stack of documents, a hint of triumph flashed in the girl's eyes.
That would teach Ji Zhaoxi a lesson.
It wasn't until the afternoon class meeting that Ji Zhaoxi found out she was registered for the 1,500-meter race.
The homeroom teacher stood beaming at the podium. "I didn't expect our class to be so enthusiastic this time. Even though we'll be competing against the sports majors, no one should feel inferior."
"Take our classmate Ji Zhaoxi, for example. She did an excellent job this time. She's usually so quiet and gentle, but I never expected her to bravely step up at such a crucial moment."
Ji Zhaoxi: ?
Who?
She stared at the homeroom teacher in utter bewilderment.
Meeting her gaze, the homeroom teacher's eyes were full of encouragement. "Ji Zhaoxi even signed up for the 1,500 meters! Let's all give her a round of applause."
The classroom fell silent for a split second before erupting into thunderous applause.
Ji Zhaoxi felt like the sky had fallen on her.
She looked in disbelief at the registration form the homeroom teacher had just brought in. It had already been confirmed by the grade committee, which meant it could no longer be changed.
Jiang Shiyi's name was nowhere to be found under the 1,500-meter event; instead, it had been replaced by hers.
In that moment, Ji Zhaoxi desperately wished she could break her own legs.
She was never a fast runner to begin with, let alone competing against sports majors. She would be left in the dust and humiliated in front of everyone.
At the other end of the classroom, the girl looked at Ji Zhaoxi's expression and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
Her desk mate saw Ji Zhaoxi's devastated look and seemed to realize something. "Did someone else sign you up?"
How was she supposed to answer that?
If they kept talking about it, it would inevitably drag out the fact that she had signed Jiang Shiyi up.
Ji Zhaoxi forced a smile. "I signed myself up."
Her desk mate looked at her with concern. Was that so? But she looked like she was about to cry.
The girl had been keeping an eye on Ji Zhaoxi's reaction. She sneered; Ji Zhaoxi would just have to swallow the bitter pill of her own making.
As soon as class ended, Jiang Shiyi gathered the homework and headed to the teachers' office. The girl immediately followed her.
Along the way, the girl kept bragging about how cleverly she had added Ji Zhaoxi's name to the list. Jiang Shiyi listened quietly, her expression unreadable.
"That Ji Zhaoxi is so awful. Shiyi, you're just too nice."
"Do you remember what happened last time? I seriously suspect Ji Zhaoxi is jealous of you."
The more the girl spoke, the angrier she got on Jiang Shiyi's behalf.
Jiang Shiyi organized her words and said hesitantly, "Thank you, Kezhi. I know you're looking out for me, but I was actually debating whether to sign up for the 1,500 meters earlier. Ji Zhaoxi probably overheard me and signed me up to help."
Xu Kezhi was instantly dumbfounded. "Huh?"
"She wasn't trying to trip you up behind your back?"
Jiang Shiyi nodded. "No, she doesn't hate me that much. She just doesn't know how to get along with others."
Afraid that Xu Kezhi would feel guilty, she quickly comforted her. "But don't overthink it, Kezhi. Anyone else would have misunderstood just like you did."
Xu Kezhi felt like her world was crashing down. "Then what about Ji Zhaoxi? Is she really going to have to run? I thought she was bullying you."
Jiang Shiyi thought for a moment. "It's okay. I'll go ask the teacher. We should be able to cancel it since there's still some time before the sports meet."
Xu Kezhi leaned against the wall in despair. She had called Ji Zhaoxi the bad guy, but it turned out she was the bad guy all along.
"Shiyi, I should go apologize to Ji Zhaoxi..."
Jiang Shiyi tightly grasped Xu Kezhi's hands and said earnestly, "Don't go apologize. I'll handle this. You don't need to feel guilty."
Xu Kezhi stared at her blankly. "But I..."
Jiang Shiyi smiled at Xu Kezhi and softly reassured her. "It's fine. You only did it for my sake. Go back to the classroom, Kezhi. Leave this to me."
Teary-eyed, Xu Kezhi hugged Jiang Shiyi, her voice choking up. "Shiyi, I'll never meddle like this again."
To think she had messed up and now Shiyi had to clean up her mess.
But as for what was really going on, only Jiang Shiyi and Ji Zhaoxi knew the truth.
Ever since Ji Zhaoxi found out she had to run the 1,500 meters, she had been miserable all day.
However, when Jiang Shiyi called her outside, that misery turned into fear.
The wind on the rooftop was strong. The two of them leaned against the railing, the breeze gently fluttering the hems of their skirts.
Jiang Shiyi's feelings were complicated. She didn't know what Ji Zhaoxi was thinking.
If Ji Zhaoxi wanted her to run the 1,500 meters, she would have done it, but not like this.
She didn't like being schemed against, especially when the person doing it was Ji Zhaoxi.
Ji Zhaoxi kept her head down, guiltily picking at the white paint on the railing, not daring to speak.
"A classmate saw you fill in my name, so she crossed it out and put yours down instead."
Ji Zhaoxi's hand paused, and she gave a muffled response.
"I'm sorry."
The trees grew exceptionally lush, and the school had quite a few century-old trees. A few branches were creeping onto the rooftop, their leaves blocking most of the view. Only the faint sounds of playing from the sports field could be heard.
The recent affairs of the Jiang family had already been giving Jiang Shiyi a massive headache. Seeing Ji Zhaoxi act like this on top of it all, she really didn't know what to do.
But looking at Ji Zhaoxi, who kept her head down and didn't dare to look at her, she still let out a sigh.
"I told that classmate that she misunderstood, that you were just helping me fill it out. You don't have to worry about this affecting you."
Jiang Shiyi's voice was very calm, entirely unlike her usual self.
