The next afternoon, the competition was the 5,000-meter race, and Zhi Ying was still wearing a school uniform with a thin woolen thread underneath.
"Is that a sports student? He looks very strong!" Han Jiaojiao shook her hands anxiously, worried about Zhi Ying.
Of the six players on the field, Zhi Ying stood on the far right, near the podium. The student next to her was dressed in cool clothes: a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and a pair of sneakers. She even did a backflip on the spot.
The other contestants still had the appearance of competition; at least they could calm down and warm up after seeing their opponents so arrogant. Zhi Ying was not only wrapped up like a Zongzi, but her eyes were wide open. She was very impressed by this player, and her eyes were full of respect and admiration.
…
(Zongzi (粽子) is a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves and usually steamed or boiled. It's commonly eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, which occurs on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month)
…
Zhao Qian, who was standing on the edge of the drill ground, had already covered his eyes and felt really ashamed.
The referee blew his whistle, and all the players lined up, each in a ready-to-run position.
There were running aids on the starting line, and obviously, no one except professional athletes would use them. The amateur players were already in their positions, except for Zhi Ying.
She squatted on the starting line, lowered her head to study the running aid, and even stuck her foot out to poke it.
This time, even Han Jiaojiao couldn't stand it anymore, so she covered her face and looked elsewhere, trying to mask her embarrassment.
"Classmate, are you ready?" the referee teacher asked Zhi Ying helplessly.
"Oh, I am ready." Zhi Ying retracted her foot, and then slowly moved the running aid aside.
Zhi Ying's appearance as a country bumpkin from the villageside made the professional athletes next to her laugh, and some people began to laugh softly on the side of the drill ground.
The referee teacher raised his gun with a serious face before shouting, "Ready–"
The first to start was the athlete, followed by Zhi Ying. A discerning person can see that the running posture of the athlete is very standard. As for Zhi Ying, who had short hair and long legs, her running posture was very unrestrained.
There were many unsuspecting juniors and seniors in the stands complaining, "Is that a student running on behalf of others? Can't they see that the gender is wrong and that allowing a boy to compete with a girl in a 5,000 meter race is shameful? Does he still want face?"
"She's a girl!" The freshman next to them shouted to them after hearing their words and explained on behalf of the champion of their grade with great loyalty.
The athlete slowly pulled away from everyone, except Zhi Ying, who remained tightly behind her. One lap, two laps, three laps. By the fourth lap, the athlete had already surpassed the other players by a full lap, and the distance was still increasing.
On the drill ground, everyone in the stands was shouting excitedly.
This kind of "crushing others" competition was indeed exciting. A small number of them were cheering for the players in their own class, but more of them had the psychology of watching a play and were attracted by the crushing speed of the athlete.
Zhi Ying began to slow down, and she quickly found herself behind by half a lap from the runner in front of her.
Li Ge was very anxious with a telescope, from who knows where he got it, as he observed the runners through it.
"Ying Ying, are you running out of stamina?" Han Jiaojiao clasped her hands on her chest, extremely nervous.
Zhi Ying couldn't feel the emotions of the audience; she just felt that the school uniform was a bit of a hindrance, so she slowed down and started to undress.
There was an uproar on the field, and everyone's attention turned to Zhi Ying.
Zhao Qian stood on the side and shouted, "Here! Zhi Ying, here!"
Zhi Ying heard him and threw the school uniform over to him in the air. She continued to take off the thin sweater on her body, and shoved the clothes at Zhao Qian when she ran past him.
It really felt different when she didn't wear as much. At this time, Zhi Ying was behind by a full lap, while others were behind by two or three laps.
Zhi Ying began to increase her speed, and easily started to narrow the distance between her and the athlete.
Although the professional athlete had a better understanding of equipment and stronger stamina than the average person, she had only been practicing for a short time. Long-distance running was not her strong suit. By the third-to-last lap, her breathing rhythms had already begun to become chaotic.
Zhi Ying immediately caught up in the back, and the athlete didn't care at first, thinking that she was just another athlete who was behind her by a few laps, nothing to worry about.
Just staring at Zhi Ying's short hair, the athlete suddenly recalled that she had never seen this back. As if recalling something, the athlete was too surprised to run for a while.
The tension in the stands was palpable as spectators held their breath, captivated by the unexpected turn of events.
"Oh sh*t, she's being surpassed!" There was a sudden commotion in the stands at the astonishing sight.
The athlete, too surprised to continue, gradually slowed down, covering her abdomen with one hand as she watched Zhi Ying pull farther ahead.
As Zhi Ying pushed her limits, her determination was evident in her every stride, drawing gasps and cheers from the crowd.
Although it was an autumn sports meeting, the actual weather was almost early winter. The athlete began to taste a faint smell of rust in her mouth, which was caused by running too hard and the cold weather.
Zhi Ying appeared oblivious to the situation, her pace quickening with each moment. On the opposite side of the drill ground, the students of Class Two in the stands erupted in excitement, chanting Zhi Ying's name fervently. Even students from other classes nearby were caught up in the moment, inexplicably exclaiming with enthusiasm.