Mistaken Canary Chapter 38 (Part 2)
Chapter 38.2
With only three laps left, Ying Tongchen and Zheng Zhinan were still leading by a large margin.
Ying Tongchen, drenched in sweat under the harsh sun, continued pushing himself forward, while Zheng Zhinan stuck close beside him, matching his pace. Every now and then, Zheng Zhinan would apply mental pressure, hoping to make him give up.
"I’m telling you… buddy, you won’t beat me this time, because… I’m running for first prize to… confess to Sheng Wu. I have lov—love as my motivation, and you don—don’t have that." Zheng Zhinan panted, barely able to catch his breath. "So, just… let me win the race, okay?"
Before Ying Tongchen could respond, a cool burst of air blew past.
He turned to look, only to see Zhuo Shu running up beside him, holding a small pink whirring fan in his hand.
"Again? Why are you here?" Ying Tongchen asked succinctly. "Steal my first place?"
"Don’t talk, conserve your energy, deep breaths," Zhuo Shu said, jogging alongside him.
"Here like this—what will they think?" Ying Tongchen questioned.
Zhuo Shu, loud enough for the students to hear, shouted, "Mr. Ying, you dropped your wallet again!"
Ying Tongchen: "......"
"Last lap, get ready for the sprint," Zhuo Shu said, still holding the little fan as he ran beside him.
"Not going for first place," Ying Tongchen said, tilting his chin toward Zheng Zhinan’s direction. "He can take the trophy and confess."
"Th—Thanks, buddy, I’m off!" Zheng Zhinan started his sprint.
Zhuo Shu snickered, "Tch, do you really think he’ll succeed in confessing just because he gets the trophy? How naive. Didn’t you see how straightlaced he was earlier? Honestly, if he loses, it might actually give the other person a chance to comfort him."
Ying Tongchen: "......" He couldn’t even argue back.
"You go ahead, I don’t know you," Ying Tongchen said, feeling that the two of them were already attracting too much attention. "Too embarrassing."
Zhuo Shu, unbothered, responded confidently, "If you keep running so slowly, the embarrassment will just drag on longer. Might as well go all out and finish it quickly."
Hearing this, Ying Tongchen lifted his head and began to run, trying to get away from the annoying Zhuo Shu.
Zheng Zhinan, who was speeding up, suddenly felt a gust of wind pass him and shouted in shock, "Ying Tongchen! You liar! Ahhh, I’ll race you!!"
Ying Tongchen crossed the finish line and was helped up by others. He looked at Zheng Zhinan, who had just missed it, and suggested, "You should perform a dramatic crying scene right here."
Zheng Zhinan: "?"
A crowd gathered at the finish line, and Sheng Wu poked Zheng Zhinan’s arm, "It’s okay, you’ll do better next time. Don’t get discouraged, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight."
Zheng Zhinan: "!"
Ying Tongchen laughed as he stepped out of the crowd, and a large, shapely hand holding a bottle of mineral water was extended to him. He was about to take it, but the hand didn’t let go.
Zhuo Shu held the water bottle, pressing it against his face. "Walk for a bit, drink later."
Ying Tongchen froze for a moment and looked up at him.
The noise around them and the scorching sun made him only aware of the warmth on his face—both hot and cold at the same time.
He took the cold water, pressing it to his own face, then turned to continue walking. He lowered his voice, "Thanks."
"I need to take Zhuo Zi home," Zhuo Shu walked alongside him. "When you’re free, we should sit down and talk properly."
"Yeah, but the next few days are busy with school stuff. We have parent-teacher meetings coming up, so maybe after that?" Ying Tongchen replied.
"Parent-teacher meetings?"
"Mm."
As they were talking, the two returned to Class 2's base.
Class 2 students: "Welcome back!"
"Teacher Ying is the best!"
"Zhuo Zi’s gege is amazing too!"
"Thanks to Zhuo Zi’s gege for helping us with the running."
Ying Tongchen asked him, "Did they ask you to do that?"
Zhuo Shu nodded vaguely. In fact, the original plan was for the sports committee rep to run with Ying Tongchen for the last lap, but Zhuo Shu had volunteered to help after saying he needed to return his wallet.
Zhuo Shu stuffed the fan into Zhuo Zi's backpack, lifted her onto his back, waved goodbye to the classmates, and was about to head home.
"Wait!" Zhuo Zi suddenly called out, "Teacher, could you help me carry my backpack? It’s too heavy."
Ying Tongchen glanced back at the sports field. Several teachers were still walking around the track, looking like they'd be at it for a while. He then agreed, "I'll walk you to the car."
The three of them made their way to the parking lot. Zhuo Zi turned her head and glanced at Ying Tongchen's profile, then suddenly laughed, "Mr. Ying, you and my brother's boyfriend look really alike."
Ying Tongchen froze, "What?"
Zhuo Shu turned around, eyes wide in disbelief. "When did this happen? How come I don't know about it?!"
"You confessed it last time!" Zhuo Zi interrogated. "Who was it that told mom and dad they had a boyfriend?"
Zhuo Shu stopped in his tracks, feeling a sharp gaze directly landing on him. It felt like a barrage of bullets, puncturing him with multiple holes.
He awkwardly scratched his head, "It’s not like that... Teacher, let me explain."
"Why bother explaining to me? I'm not your teacher," Ying Tongchen sneered.
Zhuo Zi shot him a look of disdain. "And that night, you had such a deep bite mark on your neck. You still want to deny it?"
Ying Tongchen gave him an equally disdainful glance. "Mr. Zhuo, mind your manners. You have a minor at home."
Zhuo ‘No Manners’ Shu: "......"
A silent soul suffering in silence, unable to voice his torment.
Zhuo Zi continued, "Teacher, do you know why I said you ‘look’ like his boyfriend? Because he had a photo taken of his couple’s hand-heart with a man in Wimbledon Hotel, and our whole family saw it. You really do look like him. But that guy is not a native, so I knew it wasn’t you."
Ying Tongchen’s eyelashes fluttered involuntarily.
"My mom secretly told me that my brother already admitted it. That guy is his boyfriend."
"......" Zhuo Shu looked up at the sky in silence. Why hasn’t the time machine been invented yet?!
"Boyfriend?" Ying Tongchen glanced at Zhuo Shu.
Zhuo Shu quickly shot back, "Yes, sometimes he likes to play with fire, so you can’t blame me for lacking manners, right? If you have time, Mr. Ying, maybe you could educate him. After all, there’s a minor at home, no?"
Ying Tongchen: "......"
The second ‘No Manners’ man has been successfully caught.
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Author’s Note:
Ying Tongchen: Seriously. You want me to educate myself?