Why does my stomach hurt a little

The bell signaling the end of the second period rang.

Immediately after, the "Athletes' March," a tune that struck fear into the hearts of countless students, blasted through the broadcasting speakers, covering every corner of the campus without any blind spots.

"Dun dun dun dun~"

Chen Zhi's stomach was already starting to hurt a little.

Genuine question: is there something wrong with him if he gets a reflex stomachache the moment he hears this highly rhythmic melody?

Chen Zhi sighed, stood up, and blended into the bustling crowd, dragging his feet toward the sports field.

Although he really wanted to ask for leave, skipping the morning run on the first day of school seemed a bit inappropriate.

The various classes were lining up under the commands of their sports representatives.

Chen Zhi stood in the formation for Class 10 of the tenth grade, but his eyes were darting around.

Soon, he spotted his target three formations behind him.

Among a group of girls wearing blue and white school uniforms, one figure stood out prominently.

Lin Wanwan was tall. With her height advantage of 1.72 meters, she stood in the back row of the formation. She was holding the arm of a girl next to her, looking down and talking about something, her ponytail bouncing back and forth.

That was Lin Wanwan's best friend, Chen Xinyu.

He hadn't seen his childhood friend for a few days and kind of missed her, so Chen Zhi decided to catch up with her.

As the command to start running was given, the massive procession began to move slowly.

Chen Zhi hadn't run more than two steps when he suddenly stopped without warning.

"Ouch."

He let out an exaggerated cry, then quickly squatted down, skillfully pretending to fiddle with a shoelace that wasn't even untied.

The students beside him had to detour around him, and the Class 10 formation soon ran far ahead.

Chen Zhi unhurriedly tied his shoelace, silently counting the seconds in his head.

One, two, three... thirty.

Time's up.

Just as the formation for Class 7 of the tenth grade passed by him, Chen Zhi naturally slipped into the back of the line.

Right next to Lin Wanwan.

Lin Wanwan, who was complaining to Chen Xinyu about how awful the cafeteria food was, suddenly felt a figure appear beside her.

She instinctively turned her head, and her beautiful almond eyes instantly widened.

"Why are you only showing up now?"

Lin Wanwan lowered her voice, a hint of imperceptible grievance and complaint in her tone.

"I go to school and come home all by myself every day. I don't even have anyone to talk to. It's so boring."

Since starting high school, the two had been placed in different classes. Although they lived close to each other, Chen Zhi had taken leave for the past few days, resulting in them barely seeing each other.

Chen Zhi jogged along with the team, turning his head and shrugging with a helpless expression.

"I had no choice. Something happened at home."

Lin Wanwan's heart tightened, and she quickly asked.

"What's wrong? Did your parents have a fight?"

"No, not that."

Chen Zhi sighed, putting on an expression of family misfortune.

"It's mostly my uncle. He's too unfilial."

"Huh?"

Lin Wanwan was confused. What did this have to do with being filial or not?

Chen Zhi explained with a heartbroken look.

"He didn't find a wife until he was in his thirties. I went to his wedding a few days ago."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"What's good about it? You don't know this, but when my uncle was in college, my new aunt was still in elementary school."

Chen Zhi shook his head, his tone full of disdain for his uncle's cradle-snatching behavior.

Lin Wanwan froze for a few seconds, then realized what he meant and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Are all you guys like this?"

She curled her lip, her tone carrying a bit of contempt.

"You always like eighteen-year-olds. Superficial and vulgar."

Hearing this, Chen Zhi immediately got defensive and righteously retorted.

"Hey, Lin Wanwan, please don't use your narrow-minded prejudice to generalize all men."

"Those are just the vulgar guys. I'm different from them."

Lin Wanwan looked him up and down suspiciously, clearly not believing him.

"How are you different?"

Chen Zhi straightened his back and said confidently.

"I'm a very dedicated person, and I have higher standards."

"I like them both young and pretty."

The air froze for a second.

"Get lost!"

Lin Wanwan let out a low, embarrassed and angry shout. Using the momentum of her swinging arms, she kicked Chen Zhi hard in the calf.

Chen Zhi exaggeratedly gasped in pain and leaned to the side.

"You violent maniac, who would dare to marry you in the future."

"None of your business!"

Lin Wanwan glared at him with a flushed face, but the previous gloominess in her eyes had long since vanished.

Watching the two of them flirt, Chen Xinyu covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes sparkling with the thrill of shipping them.

Just then, Chen Zhi suddenly stopped running again.

"Hiss~ Why is this shoelace so stubborn."

Complaining, he squatted down once more.

Lin Wanwan ran a few steps ahead, glanced back at the figure squatting on the ground pretending to tie his shoe, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"What an idiot."

This time, Chen Zhi squatted for much longer.

He patiently watched class after class pass by him.

Until the flag of Class 1 of the tenth grade appeared in his line of sight.

As the advanced placement class of Jiangcheng First High School, commonly known as the rocket class, Class 1 had a noticeably different vibe from the other classes.

Many of them wore glasses, their footsteps were uniform, and everyone's face bore a cold expression that said, "Don't bother me, I'm getting into top universities."

And among this group of boys radiating the aura of top scholars, a girl with a high ponytail stood out exceptionally.

Li Zhiyi.

She looked like an innocent little cabbage that had wandered into a monastery, appearing particularly delicate and fresh among a group of science geeks.

Chen Zhi timed it perfectly, and the moment Li Zhiyi passed by, he once again smoothly slipped into the formation.

The boys from Class 1 around them instantly cast wary glances.

In their eyes, Li Zhiyi was the class's national treasure-level protected animal. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also well-behaved, sensible, and a top student.

Normally, the boys were even afraid to speak loudly for fear of startling her. Now, a wild kid from another class had suddenly popped up and tried to get close to her. How could they tolerate this?

Chen Zhi completely ignored the hostile eyes glaring at him from all sides.

With his hands behind his back, he slowed his pace, walking beside Li Zhiyi with the posture of a school dean inspecting the work.

"Zhiyi."

He cleared his throat and spoke in an old-fashioned, elder-like tone.

"How have your studies been lately? Are you keeping up with the pace?"

Li Zhiyi, who had been focused on running, was startled by the sudden voice.

She turned her head, and upon seeing it was Chen Zhi, her tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Immediately after, her fair, pretty face quickly flushed with a layer of red.

"It's... it's okay."

She lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito.

The fists of the Class 1 boys around them instantly clenched.

Where did this creep come from!

How dare he publicly flirt with their class beauty!

Several sharp glares pierced into Chen Zhi. If looks could kill, Chen Zhi would have been riddled with holes by now.

Chen Zhi was completely oblivious to this, and instead pushed his luck by leaning in a bit closer.

"Have you been listening carefully in class? Don't think you can slack off just because you got into the honors class."

Li Zhiyi buried her head even lower, her ears turning completely red, and nodded obediently.

"I've been listening carefully."

Seeing her looking so soft, vulnerable, and easily pushed around, the mischievous streak in Chen Zhi's heart was immensely satisfied.

But he didn't have the heart to keep teasing her, especially since the murderous glares from the guys around them were practically materializing.

Chen Zhi straightened up and swept his gaze over the boys who were glaring daggers at him.

Then, right in front of everyone, he said loudly to Li Zhiyi.

"Alright, study hard."

"If anyone dares to bully you, just tell me, and I'll teach them a lesson for you."

The boys in Class One nearly coughed up blood.

Bully?

Who exactly is the one bullying her here?!

We treat her like a goddess on a pedestal, and you're the only outsider who comes right up, getting handsy and verbally teasing her!

We have truly never seen such a brazen and shameless person!

Li Zhiyi was blushing furiously. She gently bit her lower lip and replied in a small voice.

"O-okay."

Chen Zhi nodded in satisfaction, having accomplished his mission, and made his exit.

"Oh man, how did my shoelace come undone again?"

Under the collective get lost glares of the Class One boys, Chen Zhi squatted down on the track for the third time.

This time, he squatted there for a solid minute and a half.

He waited until the formation of Grade 10 Class 10 came back into view.

As it turned out, because he was running so slowly, his own class had actually lapped him.

Chen Zhi calmly stood up, dusted off his pant legs, and casually slipped back into his original spot in the formation.

Right at that moment, the Athletes' March playing over the loudspeakers came to a halt.

The command to dismiss rang out.

Chen Zhi wiped some non-existent sweat from his forehead, looked at his panting classmates around him, and let out a heartfelt sigh.

"What an exhilarating and hearty run."

The sports representative standing next to him had a twitching mouth. Looking at this guy who had run less than two hundred meters the entire time and had hopped between three different classes just to flirt with girls, he had to suppress a very strong urge to kick him.