In the blink of an eye, two days of the sports meet had passed. Shen Yuqing had thoroughly enjoyed himself these past two days he never imagined a simple sports event could have so many exciting activities.
The third day arrived.
Today marked the final day of the sports meet. When Shen Yuqing arrived at the academy, the campus was still bustling with energy. Students running stalls had already set up their goods early in the morning.
Shen Yuqing wandered around, in no hurry to head inside. Instead, he waited until he spotted Song Wangzhuo entering.
Song Wangzhuo had a competition today and was wearing the school-issued sportswear a simple red-and-white design that somehow looked like high-end fashion on him.
Shen Yuqing noticed many people discreetly raising their phones or light-brain devices to snap pictures of Song Wangzhuo. Unlike before, they weren’t even trying to hide it now. A crowd had gathered around him, cheering him on.
Song Wangzhuo merely gave a slight nod before his gaze landed on Shen Yuqing, who was standing further away. Unconsciously, his eyes softened just a fraction.
Carrying his belongings, he walked over. As soon as he reached Shen Yuqing, the latter asked, “What’s with all those bags?”
Song Wangzhuo unzipped one to show him it was a fresh set of clothes. “It’s hot today, and there’s the closing ceremony tonight.”
Though their homes were close by now, Song Wangzhuo likely wouldn’t go back. He’d just change into clean clothes in the restroom.
Shen Yuqing made an understanding sound. “Alright, let’s go then.”
Registration confirmation was in about ten minutes, and since they were still at the college entrance, it would take some time to reach the field.
As the two walked toward the field, many necks craned in their direction.
Shen Yuqing clicked his tongue. “With this kind of attention, if you wanted, you could probably get a girlfriend right here, right now.”
Song Wangzhuo merely glanced at the crowd staring at them but didn’t respond.
Once they reached the field, Shen Yuqing looked around. “I’ll go find a seat. Good luck.”
His eyes then fell on the bag Song Wangzhuo was carrying. “Want me to hold onto that for you?”
Song Wangzhuo glanced down. “No need. There are lockers outside for clothes.”
Shen Yuqing nodded. “Got it.”
The 1500-meter race was scheduled for 10 a.m., and it was already 9:30. Song Wangzhuo had timed it perfectly drop off his clothes, then head back with just enough time to spare.
Shen Yuqing found a shady spot to sit, watching Song Wangzhuo’s retreating figure. Suddenly, his eyelid twitched. Huh? What was that about?
He rubbed his eyes, and the twitching stopped. Yet, an uneasy feeling lingered in his chest as if something was about to happen.
Frowning, Shen Yuqing called out to the system. [Track Song Wangzhuo’s movements for me.]
Confused but obedient, the system accessed the school’s electronic surveillance and replied, [He’s still heading to the classroom.]
Maybe he was just being overly sensitive.
Shen Yuqing relaxed slightly just as a volunteer passed by, handing out water. He took a bottle, tilted his head back for a sip, and settled in to wait for the 1500-meter race to begin.
With time to spare, he asked, [Do you think Song Wangzhuo will win?]
[Of course, the male lead will win!] the system declared. [Don’t let his usual silence fool you he’s strong.]
[“That’s true, if the protagonist wasn’t strong, he wouldn’t be the protagonist.”] Shen Yuqing replied: [“Actually, there’s just one thing I don’t understand. He doesn’t seem to like conflicts even when others bully him, he just quietly walks away. Why is that?”]
The Song Wangzhuo he saw last time in the bar alley was full of wild energy.
But this wasn’t something he could just ask about directly.
[“…I don’t know either.”] The system muttered: [“The protagonist always has his own reasons.”]
That made sense.
Shen Yuqing sighed and continued watching people come and go on the sports field.
Soon, volunteers began clearing the area. Shen Yuqing glanced at his watch there were still ten minutes left.
Why hadn’t Song Wangzhuo returned yet?
Changing clothes shouldn’t take this long.
Shen Yuqing turned his head toward the direction Song Wangzhuo had left, scanning the crowd, but his figure was nowhere to be seen.
“Participants for the men’s 1500-meter race, please gather at the starting line.”
The announcement blared over the speakers. Shen Yuqing lowered his gaze and called Song Wangzhuo, intending to hurry him up.
But the call went unanswered until it automatically disconnected.
Was his phone buried in his bag and he couldn’t hear it?
For some reason, Shen Yuqing’s eyelid started twitching again, more violently this time, deepening the uneasy feeling in his chest.
Pressing his lips together, he stood up, deciding to check the classroom.
[Side quest updated. Please check, Host.] Side quest?
Before Shen Yuqing could process it, the system continued issuing the task.
[1: Run the 1500-meter race in Song Wangzhuo’s place. 2: Rescue the severely injured Song Wangzhuo.] Damn it! He knew it!
No wonder his eyelid had been twitching Song Wangzhuo really was in trouble!
Just as he was about to go find Song Wangzhuo, the system stopped him: [Please complete Task 1 first.]
Wait, the male lead is seriously injured! Is this race even necessary now?
Shen Yuqing was frantic. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and asked: [Does “substitute” have to be me? Or can I find someone else?]
[No requirements.] The system replied. [Only the result matters.]
That made things much easier.
Shen Yuqing looked around and spotted a familiar face from their class. He walked over and tapped the guy’s shoulder. The classmate turned, startled, and asked, “What’s up?”
“Can you run the 1500-meter race for Song Wangzhuo?” Shen Yuqing said seriously. “I’ll pay you to do it.”
Before the classmate could respond, Shen Yuqing pulled him toward the starting line. “I have an emergency to deal with. Name your price after you finish, and I’ll pay.”
The classmate frowned. “Did something happen to Song Wangzhuo?”
He was sharp being in the same class, he knew Song Wangzhuo wasn’t the type to bail without reason.
Lately, Song Wangzhuo had been spending a lot of time with Shen Yuqing. Could it be…?
The classmate’s gaze lingered on Shen Yuqing, eyes filled with scrutiny.
“He’s fine,” Shen Yuqing said. Yeah, right.
The classmate’s face clearly screamed disbelief, but he still said, “I’ll run for Song Wangzhuo. No need to pay me.”
They were classmates, and on days when he hadn’t finished his homework, Song Wangzhuo would usually turn a blind eye and let it slide. For that reason alone, he’d definitely lend a hand.
After getting the response, Shen Yuqing didn’t have time to say much else. He simply said, “Then go ahead and run.”
With that, he quickly walked away.
As he walked, he asked, [Where is Song Wangzhuo right now?]
The system replied, [Tracking in progress.]
Meaning it couldn’t locate him at the moment.
Shen Yuqing felt a pang of frustration. [Can you not drop the ball at critical moments like this?]
The system didn’t dare respond.
Left with no choice, Shen Yuqing headed toward the classroom building to look for clues.
With the competition about to start, most people were either at the temporary food stalls or watching the event at the sports field.
The academic buildings, in contrast, were eerily quiet.
The mecha department’s building was still quite far, he’d have to circle around the central pavilion to get there.
Shen Yuqing glanced up at the upper floors before decisively taking the stairs. Each building had connecting walkways above, making the overhead route faster.
Once he made up his mind, he ascended, urging the system to hurry up and locate Song Wangzhuo as he went.
“Hey, you think the guy we left there will be fine? You hit him pretty hard earlier.”
Shen Yuqing abruptly halted mid-step before the turn, then cautiously peeked around the corner. Two alpha males were walking ahead, their backs to him.
Frowning, Shen Yuqing realized they were too far away to hear clearly now.
After a brief hesitation, he quietly trailed after them.
Fortunately, the two seemed too absorbed in their conversation to notice they were being followed.
“Relax, once we get the money, we’ll just skip to another planet. Even if he doesn’t make it, no one’s finding us,” the other replied dismissively. “Besides, the surveillance there’s been broken for ages. Even if they do track him down, tough luck he ran into us.”
He paused. “And judging by the employer’s attitude, they might even want him gone.”
“Who knows?” the other muttered. “Still, we shouldn’t end up with blood on our hands for no reason.”
Shen Yuqing’s expression darkened. [Call the police and track them. I’m going after Song Wangzhuo now.]
From their brief exchange, he picked up the crucial detail broken surveillance.
Given the timeline of Song Wangzhuo going to drop off his things, they couldn’t have taken him off-campus. He had to still be at the academy.
And there was only one place on campus without surveillance, a spot he and Song Wangzhuo had visited just two days ago.
Back then, he’d even joked that if something happened there, it’d take forever for anyone to find them.
Little did he know, those words would come back to haunt him.
