As Ye Fei finished a lap, Ye Yunqi caught up to him. Seeing him covered in sweat, she asked with concern, "Brother, are you okay? Should I tell the teacher so you can stop running?"
Shaking his head, Ye Fei replied, "I'm fine, I can keep going. I feel like it's beneficial for my body."
"Alright, if you can't handle it, just stop. Everyone knows your condition, no one will say anything. Don't push yourself too hard!" Ye Yunqi advised. Seeing Ye Fei nod in agreement, she continued running ahead. She was always the strongest in sports in their class and couldn't let others surpass her.
By the time they reached a lap and a half, Ye Fei's vision was getting blurry. The air he breathed felt like it was on fire, hot and seemingly ineffective. No matter how he breathed, it never felt like enough.
"Ye Fei, are you okay?" A clear voice made Ye Fei feel a sudden coolness in his hazy mind. Turning around, he saw Lin Ling running beside him with a caring expression.
Surprised that Lin Ling had surpassed him by a lap, Ye Fei smiled and said, "I'm fine. This exercise is good. It might make me stronger."
Lin Ling smiled gently at him, not saying anything, just running slowly beside him without overtaking him.
"Ling, you should run faster, don't wait for me. If you end up in the last ten, you'll be punished," Ye Fei urged her, not wanting Lin Ling to suffer with him.
However, Lin Ling shook her head. "I'm tired too. Let's just run slowly."
Understanding Lin Ling's character, Ye Fei knew it was hard to change her mind once she had decided. So, he focused on running faster to ensure she didn't fall into the last ten places.
A few steps later, Lin Ling called out to Ye Fei again. Turning to her, he noticed a blush on her face, not from exhaustion but rather shyness. Perplexed, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Do you push yourself this hard to exercise for me?" Lin Ling blushed even more.
Ye Fei chuckled, "You could say that, but it's also for myself. Why do you ask?"
Blushing deeply, Lin Ling hesitated before saying, "You mentioned yesterday about being concerned if your body can satisfy me in the future."
Realizing her point, Ye Fei was deeply moved. "You're such a good girl, always considering me. I'm fine, Ling. Please don't cry. Seeing you cry is more painful than running three more laps."
Lin Ling wiped her tears away, saying, "Okay, I won't cry. Please stop running too, okay? I'll talk to the teacher for you."
"For now, I want to endure a bit longer," Ye Fei smiled. "Don't worry. If I can't continue, I'll stop. I don't want to strain myself. I have a great wife like you to be with for many years."
"Who said I want you to accompany me for many years?" Lin Ling blushed, spat at him playfully, and ran alongside him without surpassing him, keeping him company.
With Lin Ling's presence, Ye Fei felt more energized and less tired while running. He soon completed the second lap. Lin Ling had finished her third lap but continued running slowly beside Ye Fei. Ye Yunqi had already finished but didn't interrupt them when she saw Lin Ling supporting her brother.
After assigning other tasks to the students who had finished, Tang Rou observed Ye Fei and Lin Ling with growing anger. While everyone was running diligently, these two seemed to be leisurely running and chatting, not showing respect to her as their teacher.
Tang Rou had always disapproved of high school students being in relationships, considering it a distraction from studies. Seeing Ye Fei and Lin Ling acting intimately while running irritated her. Despite their good looks, she found their behavior distasteful and decided to teach them a lesson later.
With Lin Ling by his side, Ye Fei finally completed the third lap, faster than before. However, he was exhausted, on the verge of collapse. Lin Ling supported him, preventing him from falling. His entire body was drenched in sweat, as if caught in a downpour.
Tang Rou called over ten students, including Ye Fei and Lin Ling, and said to the eight of them, "Each of you, add one more lap and go run now." Then, she turned to Ye Fei and Lin Ling, saying, "You two, each run three more laps!"
"Teacher, I have something to discuss with you," Lin Ling knew that if Ye Fei continued running, he might really exhaust himself, so she stopped Tang Rou, wanting to explain Ye Fei's physical condition to her.
"Whatever it is, talk after you finish running!" Tang Rou frowned. These two not only were in a relationship but also seemed to have a disregard for the teacher.
Finally catching his breath, Ye Fei was able to speak and asked, "Teacher, didn't you say only the last person would have to run an extra three laps? Why punish her too? She just finished running four laps, and you should have noticed that if it wasn't for me holding her back, she wouldn't have been in the last ten."
"You also acknowledge that you held someone back?" Tang Rou sneered. "Then why aren't you running properly? It's too late to say anything now. It's because of you that she has to run three extra laps!"