Age of Legends

Chapter 202 Who Exactly Is It? (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader!)

The noise was somewhat unsettling, but Shen Nuoyi knew she couldn't afford to lose her composure. She had always been able to stay calm, whether in an exam or a competition. She used to be a bit absent-minded and didn't put in much effort, but she always performed exceptionally well during crucial exams or critical moments.

The same applies now; she also wants to perform well, because that way her recent training won't be meaningless. Although someone else reported her for 1500, she didn't appeal. The book says that when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility, it must first test one's will and strengthen one's body. Lately, she's felt quite mentally strained, and she can only put in the effort to study to shake off the panic and emptiness in her heart.

She felt it wasn't enough. She had only wanted to run a little, but the arrival of the sports meet gave her the perfect excuse. In addition, someone wrote her name on the list, which actually helped her out and prevented people from noticing anything unusual.

So Shen Nuoyi would run every day on her own initiative. Others thought she was training, but she was just running all the time. Even though she ran countless laps every day, she would not enter the classroom until evening self-study time, covered in sweat. Even though her thighs and calves ached and her ankles were sore after running, she seemed to feel a little better and get some relief for a moment.

But in the end, she still had to go to the race. Did she not think about winning? No, she did want to win, because since she had already signed up, it would be embarrassing if she couldn't outrun others.

She didn't want to lose face.

There was another underlying factor that motivated her to train: her competitors were also very strong. Yuan Lihong, who ran the women's 1500m in the senior year, had won the championship since her freshman year and was a renowned female athlete. Liu Qing had also consistently ranked second, and together with Yuan Lihong, they basically swept the gold and silver medals; both were extremely formidable.

Besides, many of the names on the list are girls who have repeatedly won awards in high school track and field. Although Shen Nuoyi is said to have a chivalrous spirit, she has never actually competed against these girls in track and field. Shen Nuoyi did win a gold medal in the girls' high jump, but that was in her first year of high school.

Now there are two formidable obstacles ahead, as well as a group of opponents no less capable than her. Since she's running away, she doesn't want to suffer a crushing defeat.

Because she didn't want to experience the frustration of constantly losing again during this period.

Needless to say, the women's 1500-meter race is a popular event. Every time it's held, you can see a strange scene: people on the track will follow the runners like migratory birds as soon as the starting gun fires, cheering, shouting, and escorting them from one end of the track to the other. This actually puts a lot of pressure on the athletes.

This time, the participation of Shen Nuoyi has further amplified the excitement and pre-competition atmosphere.

The referee began issuing numbers, calling out names of girls like Yuan Lihong first, and then Shen Nuoyi. Shen Nuoyi stepped forward to receive her number, 9. Zheng Xue and another girl, Xu Rui, helped Shen Nuoyi pin her number to the back of her sports vest with a safety pin.

People have already started to gather on the playground.

It's like a storm is brewing.

"Don't be nervous, don't worry! Keep running! We've all seen you've been training a lot lately, and we believe you can run very well!" Zheng Xue encouraged Shen Nuoyi.

She kept seeing Shen Nuoyi pursing her lips, and knew that she must be very nervous right now.

Xu Rui also said, "Go for it, Nuoyi! Bring glory to our Class 5!"

"Mm." Shen Nuoyi nodded slightly.

On this kind of field, a competition has formed between the collective and the individual; the atmosphere is electric, and the passion is running high. Perhaps in retrospect, it will just seem like an ordinary high school sports meet. But in reality, the shouts of those teenagers, the tearing, burning sensation in their lungs as they ran, and the aching, throbbing pain from lactic acid buildup in their legs—even if they can't recall them years later, or even remember the tension of that time, they can still vaguely feel that atmosphere, those people swaying in front of them, the clear sunset they've never seen again, and the melancholy of watching that day end.

……

Amidst the commotion on the playground as the highly anticipated women's 1500 competition was about to begin, Zhang Chen approached Zhuang Yanyue and handed her a bottle of water.

"This is... thank you! Actually, I really wanted you to win too..." Zhuang Yanyue happily accepted the water, her smiling face revealing two dimples.

The reviewer next to them glanced at the two of them, then turned away. His family was pressuring him to get married, but he had no one to marry. So out of sight, out of mind, he rolled his eyes at them.

"You're really dedicated. You don't even drink water and keep reading from the script. Aren't you tired?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Hehe, I'm pretty strong. I've always been a social butterfly, and I get more excited in these kinds of situations. It's not too tiring, it's just that the scripts are so boring. As the show goes on, I feel like I'm a successor to socialism..." Zhuang Yanyue laughed again, "Besides, it's not like I'm always on air. When there aren't any major projects, I'm usually quite free. Many projects are over in no time, and nobody submits their scripts. Only the next project, the women's 1500m, is like that, a long-distance running event."

"Then I'll give you one that won't be boring."

"Huh?" Zhuang Yanyue was stunned for a moment. The next moment, she saw Zhang Chen hand her a piece of paper.

It was a sports meet promotional paper with flyers printed on the front. Turning it over, the back had Zhang Chen's somewhat messy handwriting, as if it had been written in a hurry.

“This is…” Zhuang Yanyue’s gaze froze after reading the contents.

"Here's a script that won't be boring. You can read it... Of course, it's up to you whether you read it or not." Zhang Chen finished speaking and left.

Zhuang Yanyue looked at the paper, paused for a moment, and then, as if possessed, placed it on top of a stack of manuscripts that had been approved by the reviewers.

……

The women's 1500-meter race was divided into several rounds. The first round started first. After the starting gun fired, the girls, dressed in cool sportswear, shot off, and the crowd erupted in cheers. After a brief competition, some girls crossed the finish line. There were eight teachers standing there, one for each lane, each with a stopwatch to keep track of the time. Since the race was the final, the rankings were determined by the time taken, so the goal was to minimize errors.

In long-distance running, the difference in physical fitness between girls becomes particularly apparent, with some already lapping those behind them. Sometimes, even after the runners at the front have finished long ago, the runners still have a lap to go. While everyone cheers for the last runner, those at the very back are probably feeling like they want to die.

After the first round, Shen Nuoyi was in the second round.

As a result, the atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the audience on the entire playground increased dramatically. Even those watching from the sandpit and other track and field areas, who were not there to watch, were drawn in by the crowd and turned their heads toward the starting line.

Shen Nuoyi was in the second lane, with Yuan Lihong on her left and Liu Qing on her right. What she feared most came to pass: the women's champion and runner-up were both there, competing on the same field, which made everyone else pale in comparison.

The starting gun fired. A thunderous roar of cheers erupted.

Amidst the shadowy figures of the crowd, Yuan Lihong, leading the charge, rushed out first, followed by Liu Qing, and then Shen Nuoyi. This performance elicited a gasp of surprise. Her ponytail swayed behind her, and her long legs beneath her white sports vest and shorts were breathtaking. Everyone knew Shen Nuoyi had good athletic genes, but no one expected her to be second only to Liu Qing.

When starting her training each day, Shen Nuoyi combined some precautions for running laps with key points she had researched online, mainly focusing on maintaining her rhythm. This is middle-distance running, not sprinting. If she started sprinting right away, she would likely quickly deplete her energy reserves and end up being overtaken by others.

So it's important to conserve your energy and stay close to the person in front of you. But some monsters can run at a steady pace that's comparable to your sprint.

Shen Nuoyi originally planned to run at about 70% of her usual pace, but once she started running, she realized that this speed was not enough to keep up with Yuan Lihong and Liu Qing ahead of her. Moreover, Shen Nuoyi also began to notice that although she had explosive power, her endurance and stamina seemed to be declining rapidly.

After running for a while, the fourth-place runner whizzed past her at a bend, which immediately dampened Shen Nuoyi's spirits. She could only grit her teeth and speed up. When she reached about 80-90% of her full speed, she finally returned to third place. The gap between second and first place was still about 20 meters.

She worked so hard to keep up in the first lap, but in the second lap she gradually fell behind and came in fourth place. The danger was that the fifth and sixth place behind her started to push hard.

Yude is a standard 400-meter track. To run 1500 meters, you need to run three laps plus an additional 300 meters. The second lap is over. Shen Nuoyi is now in fifth place.

Regretful voices came from all around. She felt breathless; every breath she took felt dry and burning in her heart and lungs. Her lungs were desperately trying to breathe, her chest heaving violently as she tried to draw in as much oxygen as possible to generate more energy and extract more physical strength.

She just didn't want to lose, but she started to be surpassed by others one after another, and a sense of frustration overwhelmed her.

She didn't want to lose, and now it's turned into her not wanting to give up.

At least finish the race. Even if you're weak, even if you come in last, you should still finish...

But now even my feet feel as heavy as lead...

The cheers and shouts from the crowd were deafening, but everyone noticed that as soon as Shen Nuoyi started to fall behind, the cheers seemed to subside. Perhaps they had already sensed Shen Nuoyi's frustration... and some people were starting to feel disappointed. Was Shen Nuoyi just a pretty face after all? She looked good, and her clothes were youthful and sexy, but her repeated falls behind made it seem like she was just like herself—starting off strong but eventually fading into obscurity?
Even the person involved could deeply feel this. Shen Nuoyi only appeared cold on the surface, but the extent to which she overthinks every day is no less than anyone else's. Right now, she can almost picture the disappointment people feel towards her as the shouts fade away.

It was like the disappointed look in her parents' eyes when she was doing poorly in school and her parents were arguing fiercely.

She just didn't want to be abandoned, didn't want to be left behind, didn't want to disappoint people, and didn't want to see those looks in her parents' eyes again. Only then did she realize what was happening.

Looking back, I realize that luck played a bigger role.

Now, there's no room for trial and error, and the luck of the past is gone. Despite her best efforts and reluctance to lose, reality delivered a harsh slap in the face: if she was going to lose, she was going to lose.

Just then, a sweet female voice suddenly came from the speakers set up around the stage.

It was Zhuang Yanyue. She was holding the speech and reading aloud: "A letter of encouragement to Shen Nuoyi!"

On the playground, in the stands, there were still students who had been wandering around aimlessly, playing with their hands and not caring about the sports meet. Suddenly, they all looked over there.

It is said that kings should not meet.

But this is a case of one phoenix against another.

Zhuang Yanyue actually cheered for Shen Nuoyi!?
"Shen Nuoyi—"

After a pause, Zhuang Yanyue recited aloud: "You must cast aside your cloud-patterned robes, tear off three thousand feet of solitary light! Wash the sky until it is as blue as if it had been washed, and do not allow any wispy clouds to obscure the clear sky!"

"Holy crap!" The group exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Zhuang Yanyue's voice, which seemed capable of shattering the enemy's courage. "This is like the east wind blowing and the war drums beating!"

The reviewer next to me was also stunned. "Did I approve such a manuscript?"

"It is often said that youth is the antithesis of mediocrity."

Today, the stadium roars in unison, helping you catch the stars and chase the autumn breeze.

You will surely ride the rainbow with your hand and tread upon the breathtaking beauty with your feet.

"Just waiting for you to overtake on the bend and amaze everyone, your ponytail billowing in the wind."

Zhuang Yanyue read it aloud, and another roar erupted on the playground.

As if in coordination with Zhuang Yanyue, Shen Nuoyi accelerated at the start of the third lap, getting faster and faster. Perhaps influenced by morale, he overtook one person after another.

Meanwhile, on the podium, the school leaders exchanged glances, and Chen Qiushi spoke up, "This shows real youthful spirit! Our students are excellent!"

Zhuang Yanyue's voice continued to play on the radio, seemingly carrying drumbeats, or like a battle horn, as Shen Nuoyi chased after it.

"Women in red are no less than men in black, and their spirits are even stronger when their clothes are soaked with sweat."

May you ride ahead unchallenged, leaving beauties in the dust, and all the beasts in the school bow down in admiration!

Oh my god... this twist is truly astounding.

This caused another burst of laughter.

Shen Nuoyi was unsure whether she was embarrassed or annoyed; she probably just wanted to finish running quickly so she wouldn't be completely ruined like this!
So much so that acceleration caught even the two players in the lead off guard.

"Don't say she's a girl, she blooms like a lotus on the field."

If I cannot reach the champion's stage today, then I will meet her under the moon in my dreams.

A young person should shine like a radiant light, striving to be among the best in the world!

When Zhuang Yanyue read, "If I don't stand on the champion's podium today, then let's meet under the moon in my dreams," someone shouted, "Does this mean that if she doesn't stand on the podium, then we've agreed to meet in her dreams? This guy is such a pervert! It must have been written by a guy. Who is it?"

But then the next line, "A young man should shine like a thousand rays of light, striving to be the best in the world!" brought the scene to a sudden halt. All the previous banter and jokes came to an abrupt end.

Upon hearing the lyrics about extreme suicide, Shen Nuo only wanted to run as fast as she could to end it all. But when she had already surged to third place and was getting closer and closer to the two ahead of her, she suddenly realized that her previous feelings of defeat and frustration had been transformed by the lyrics into a driving force to finish the race quickly. This had caused her to overlook her physical limits and thus exceed them.

The girls crossed the finish line one after another.

Yuan Lihong came in first, Liu Qing second, and Shen Nuoyi third. The three were very close in ranking, meaning that even if the girls competed in the next round, Shen Nuoyi would most likely still come in third!
And as expected, when the results were finally released, Shen Nuoyi came in third, winning the bronze medal.

Although he didn't surpass the top two performers in Yude Wannian, Shen Nuoyi's performance at this moment was enough to make people remember him.

Seeing the bronze medal awarded to her on the podium, Shen Nuoyi suddenly realized that the cheering speech had actually made her achieve something she previously thought was impossible... Who was it?
A premonition, and even a strange expectation, inexplicably swept through her heart...

Then, not only Shen Nuoyi, but countless others began to inquire about it.

Who is this writer who dares to make the entire school's beasts bow down?

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This is an extra chapter for the patron. It's so late, thank you to everyone who's still waiting. You can actually read the next one the next day.

(End of this chapter)