The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Regardless of the process, the winner takes all, and he was the best in the competition.

He stood up shakily, stumbling as he tried to find some water, but his eyes unconsciously drifted towards Xu Nian's direction.

Just as the match began, the beautiful young woman with an exceptional temperament and sweet looks that he had noticed rushed to Xu Nian's side. She carefully bent down, gently supporting Xu Nian's shoulder with one hand and tenderly stroking his back with the other, asking anxiously, "Honey, how are you? Are you alright? Is anything bothering you?"

Xu Nian's chest was still heaving violently as she slowly regulated her breathing. Her lips moved slightly as she whispered, "No... I'm fine."

Then, he lowered his head apologetically: "I'm sorry, I didn't get first place, I've embarrassed you."

"What are you saying?" Xu Xi pouted, took out a tissue she carried with her, and gently wiped the sweat from the man's forehead and cheeks. She then unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and carefully fed it to Xu Nian, sipping it slowly. "You're already amazing, running as fast as the wind. If it weren't for the opponent who has trained for so many years, first place would definitely be yours."

Watching this scene from not far away, the orange-shoes couldn't help but feel a little envious.

He was clearly the one who won first place; he was clearly the victor of this competition.

But why did he feel like he had lost, and his heart felt empty?

Even the sweet mineral water I was drinking seemed to taste bitter.

……

After the 3000-meter race, it was time for the 4×400-meter relay race.

The team that Jiang Xun, Su Zhe, Luo Chen and Xiao Chen participated in the competition arrived at their respective preparation lines and nervously made their pre-competition preparations.

Unlike the other contestants, this competition was not only a matter of skill but also a matter of life and death for them; they had a reason not to lose.

If you lose, you'll have to endure another month of grueling training from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, something nobody wants to go through again.

Even after many days of training, Xiao Chen, who used to have a lot of fat on his stomach, has lost weight, and his clothes that used to fit him well now look a bit loose.

It seems that such grueling training didn't bring only bad things.

But Xiao Chen was unwilling to suffer like that anymore, even if it meant losing all his excess weight.

After all, when Long Teng trains his troops, he truly doesn't treat them like human beings.

"On your marks, get set—beep!"

As soon as the referee blew his whistle, Su Zhe, holding the first baton, darted out like an arrow, swinging his arms vigorously and running forward with all his might, gritting his teeth.

As the class monitor, he was well aware of his responsibilities and knew he had to take the lead and seize the advantage in the first leg to lay a solid foundation for his teammates.

Exciting songs, such as Zhang Jie's "Against the War" and "The Most Beautiful Sun," were playing on a loop from the speakers by the playground. These are songs that are frequently played at the school sports meet.

Hua Chenyu's "Dust in the Fireworks" is another example; without exception, they are all extremely rhythmic and make people feel excited.

400 meters is exactly one lap around the track. Thanks to the grueling training he had undergone recently, Su Zhe lived up to expectations, arriving at the handover point for the second runner with a commanding lead of nearly a quarter of a lap over the runner behind him.

Luo Chen had been waiting there for a long time. He steadied himself in a horse stance, leaned forward slightly, and stretched one hand behind him with his palm facing up, ready to take over at any moment.

Su Zhe shoved the baton into Luo Chen's hands with a heavy thud, "Here you go, Lao Luo, good luck!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his legs went weak, and he squatted on the ground, panting heavily.

The next second, Luo Chen gripped the baton tightly and dashed off like a shadow chasing the wind.

Counselor Qin Xin stepped forward, helped Su Zhe off the track, sat him on a bench nearby, gently patted his back, and then took out a bottle of mineral water, feeding him small sips, which drew envious glances from the other athletes.

On the other side, Xu Nian leaned against the railing next to the podium, watching Luo Chen sprint across the playground, and couldn't help but marvel: "Luo Chen is really amazing. A while ago, he even had trouble running a lap, but now he not only runs so easily, but he also runs so fast."

"That's right, look who taught him." Long Teng, sitting to the side, grinned and said smugly.

The third baton was taken over by Xiao Chen. The moment he received the baton from Luo Chen, he puffed out his big belly and gritted his teeth as he sprinted forward.

"Keep it up, Lao Xiao!"

Jiang Xun's voice came from the other side of the playground. He was standing at the fourth baton exchange position, his eyes fixed on Xiao Chen, waiting for his arrival.

Thanks to the previous efforts of Su Zhe and Luo Chen, they currently maintain an absolute lead.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xiao Chen noticed that the second-place runner behind him was already more than half a lap behind.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but he still dared not slack off, determined to maintain the advantage his roommates had secured.

Taking a step, swinging your arms, taking a deep breath—every movement is done with all your might.

Under the blazing sun, Xiao Chen's back was quickly soaked with sweat, his sportswear clinging tightly to his body.

After all, his weight is almost twice that of an average person, and the effort he expends with each step and the weight his feet bear are also twice that of an average person.

After half a lap, Xiao Chen was drenched in sweat and panting heavily. It felt like a huge rock was pressing on his chest, and his breathing became increasingly rapid. Even the classmates who were cheering him on seemed to appear as phantoms, becoming blurry and indistinct.

He shook his head hard, trying to clear his mind and continue running forward, but his physical strength had already reached its limit.

My breathing became increasingly erratic, and sweat slid down my forehead, seeping into my eyes and causing a bitter stinging sensation.

His vision blurred, and he instinctively raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his eyes.

"Huff...huff..."

Just as he squinted and vigorously wiped the sweat from his eyes, his left foot accidentally stepped on his right heel, and he instantly lost his balance.

In an instant, he fell forward like a collapsing hill, crashing heavily onto the rubber track.

"Boom!"

"Old Xiao!"

Jiang Xun shouted anxiously at him, "How are you? Are you alright?"

Xu Nian and Long Teng, who were watching from a distance, changed their expressions instantly upon seeing this scene. They quickly stood up and ran towards Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen gritted his teeth, used his hands to support himself on the ground, and struggled to get up.

But as soon as he applied force with his palm, a sharp pain shot through him.

He looked down and saw that his palms were cut open and bleeding, and he also felt a sharp pain in his ankles.

It seems he twisted his ankle in that fall.