Xu Chun heard someone running beside her, panting heavily. She turned her head to look, her expression complex—it was actually him.
Murong Beichen, with his head full of multicolored hair, his face slightly distorted from the effort of running, was panting as he kept pace beside her.
On the podium, Director Zhou was furious, shouting into the microphone, "No accompanying runners! No accompanying runners!"
Xu Chun could feel the jealous gazes of almost all the girls on the field directed at her, making her heart flutter slightly.
"Congratulations on successfully unlocking the eighth melon-eating task. You are requested to observe Murong Beichen accompanying the run and eat melon on the Scott High School sports field at this moment."
After many days apart, the familiar system notification sound finally rang out. Zhu Yaya, holding a fruit box with a piece of watermelon stuffed in her mouth, felt almost moved to tears.
Finally, you're here, good thing I never gave up~
Her recently waning motivation had returned!
Yan Heng watched as Zhu Yaya stared at Xu Chun and the accompanying Murong Beichen with shining eyes, seeming quite envious.
Could it be she also wanted someone to run with her?
He lowered his head and asked, "Really envious?"
If she was truly envious, then next time she ran the 3000 meters, he would accompany her too.
"Huh?" Zhu Yaya quickly swallowed the watermelon in her mouth and answered Yan Heng seriously, "Not really that envious. This kind of accompanying run seems to disrupt the race a bit."
After speaking, she glanced somewhat gleefully at the furious Director Zhou on the podium: "Look how frantic Director Zhou is!"
Yan Heng: ...
Buoyed by Murong Beichen's presence, Xu Chun found a surge of energy, mustering all her strength to persist for three laps. One lap around the sports field was 800 meters. During the fourth and a half lap, her vision suddenly went dark, and she collapsed to the side.
Murong Beichen was frantic with worry: "Chun'er!!"
He lunged forward, and both he and Xu Chun fell onto the rubber track. They tumbled together in a tangled heap, rolling several times before Xu Chun ended up pinned underneath Murong Beichen.
Murong Beichen weighed at least 65 kilograms!
Zhu Yaya: ... Tsk tsk tsk.
She suddenly felt so sorry for Xu Chun, saddled with this troublesome Murong Beichen. She had good reason to suspect Xu Chun had been knocked unconscious by Murong Beichen's weight.
Moreover, because Murong Beichen and Xu Chun suddenly fell on the track, a girl running behind Xu Chun couldn't brake in time and almost tripped over them, nearly falling too.
Even from a distance, Zhu Yaya could feel Director Zhou's rage.
"I told you, no accompanying runners, no accompanying runners!"
Murong Beichen hurriedly got up, his face filled with panic as he lifted Xu Chun's upper body, shaking her desperately: "Chun'er, Chun'er, are you okay? Say something! Don't scare your Brother Chen!"
Zhu Yaya: ... The classic "old man, subway, phone" meme expression.
Stop shaking her, you'll only make your Chun'er dizzier!
Murong Beichen looked utterly grief-stricken: "No! I don't believe it! Chun'er, wait! Your Brother Chen will take you to the infirmary right now."
Zhu Yaya thought Murong Beichen would give Xu Chun a romantic princess carry, like in typical romance novels. But she never expected Murong Beichen's brain worked differently from other male leads. This troublesome guy actually hoisted Xu Chun over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Zhu Yaya: ... Well, this is awkward.
Murong Beichen ran with long strides, carrying Xu Chun with both hands, shouting, "Chun'er, Brother Chen won't let anything happen to you! Hold on a little longer!" His eyes glistened with tears, as if Xu Chun were suffering from some fatal illness.
Zhu Yaya: How did this guy become the male lead?
She then saw another boy, dressed rather flamboyantly, also following Murong Beichen toward the infirmary. She knew just from his attire that this was the male supporting character, Ling Yiming.
All the girls in the field screamed.
Zhu Yaya couldn't hold back any longer. She turned and asked Yan Heng beside her, "Are they mentally ill?"
"Probably."
It was clear Yan Heng also despised this group. Zhu Yaya felt somewhat moved; she finally had a normal person beside her.
But regardless, Zhu Yaya had successfully completed this task.
"Congratulations on successfully completing the eighth melon-eating task. Reward: three years of lifespan and twenty thousand RMB."
Listening to the system prompt, she felt thoroughly satisfied. Her little savings stash had grown a bit more!
But this money was only mentioned by the system. How was she supposed to withdraw cash? Where was all this money she'd earned being kept?
To avoid drawing attention, Zhu Yaya deliberately found a quiet corner and persistently called the system's name in her mind: "System 886! System 886!"
But the system didn't make a sound.
Zhu Yaya pondered for a moment. Wait, isn't "886" homophonous with "bye-bye" in Chinese? Could it be the system thought she was saying goodbye and that's why it stayed silent?
This time, Zhu Yaya didn't add the system number, simply calling out "System." The system quickly responded with a beep, ready to answer her questions.
"Initiate cash withdrawal?" The system's cold, mechanical voice sounded.
"Yes." Zhu Yaya nodded decisively. She needed to verify if she had actually received the money from all these tasks!
"Please state the withdrawal amount."
Zhu Yaya thought about it. Today, she'd just test it out with a smaller amount.
"One yuan!"
"Beep— withdrawal amount does not meet requirements."
"Fifty yuan." Zhu Yaya gritted her teeth.
"Beep— withdrawal amount does not meet requirements."
...
"One hundred yuan." Zhu Yaya finally said, somewhat apprehensively, adding, "RMB."
Success at last. Zhu Yaya wondered, why is this system acting like a bank with a minimum withdrawal of 100?
"Withdrawal completed." After saying this, the system fell silent again.
Zhu Yaya was completely baffled.
She carefully checked all around her but didn't see the beloved red silhouette of Chairman Mao on any banknotes. Would it float down from the sky? Zhu Yaya stood dumbfounded in the corner, looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, then added another 45 degrees for good measure. But no matter how long she looked, she didn't see her hundred-yuan bill!
Didn't it say the withdrawal was completed? Where's the hundred yuan? Had she been tricked by this damn system? Had all her efforts over the past month been for nothing?
A wave of sorrow washed over Zhu Yaya, suddenly making life seem hopeless.
As if she had lost her soul, she walked out of the corner in a daze.
Just after stepping out, she bumped into a middle-aged man in a professional suit. The files in the man's hands scattered all over the ground. With a blank expression, Zhu Yaya picked up the files from the ground.
The middle-aged man smiled as he took the files back, then pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Yaya: "Ah, young lady, there aren't many kind-hearted people like you anymore. Consider this hundred yuan a reward."
The disheartened Zhu Yaya was taken aback: "For me?" She was suspicious. Why was this man so nice? Were there other conditions?
Money is valuable, but that doesn't mean one should lose their principles for it.
With a very upright and serious face, Zhu Yaya refused.
But the middle-aged man simply stuffed the hundred yuan into her hand, turned around, and left.
Zhu Yaya was left standing there alone, utterly bewildered, holding the one-hundred-yuan bill. Could this really be the withdrawal money the system mentioned?
She examined the bill carefully. Her unwavering devotion to Chairman Mao allowed her to instantly recognize it as genuine currency.
Zhu Yaya: !!!
Her spirit and energy came rushing back!
