You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

Jiang Che quickly put on a coat, then went to the balcony to answer the phone.

"Xiao Jiang, I hope I'm not disturbing your rest by calling you so late?"

Liu Zhenguo's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding somewhat tired from his long journey.

"How could that be?" Jiang Che smiled slightly, then took the initiative to ask about Liu Zhenguo's situation, "Grandpa Liu, how have things been in Beijing these past few days? Are things going smoothly?"

"Oh well, whatever. I just finished a meeting and I'm on my way to the airport."

Liu Zhenguo sounded somewhat sullen. "These past few days I've been so busy in Beijing, with endless meetings and endless squabbles."

"I've heard everything from Mengyao about what happened back home."

Jiang Che sensed a hidden meaning in Liu Zhenguo's words. The things he was referring to about home were probably the antics Liu Wei had caused in the hospital and during training these past few days.

He didn't rush to respond, his gaze fixed on the scattered lights on the distant street, waiting for Liu Zhenguo to continue.

"That bastard Liu Wei, after being in the army for so long and holding such a high position, has only filled his head with self-interest and scheming." Liu Zhenguo sighed. "Jiang Che, don't take the nonsense he said at the hospital that day to heart."

"That kid has been wicked since he was a child, always thinking about taking shortcuts. I've beaten him up a lot for this before, but I didn't expect him to be so unrepentant."

"When we get back, I'll deal with him personally and give you an explanation."

"No need, Grandpa Liu. Instructor Liu Wei is only thinking of Liu Mengyao. I can understand his thoughts," Jiang Che replied calmly.

The only reason I can still speak politely to Liu Zhenguo in a calm and peaceful manner is because of Liu Zhenguo's sake.

Jiang Che's feelings for Liu Wei had long since plummeted to rock bottom.

In Jiang Che's eyes, a person who would use his own sister as a bargaining chip for a marriage alliance, even if he was wearing a military uniform, was not worthy of high regard.

"Understand my ass, he's just obsessed with money."

Liu Zhenguo knew that Jiang Che was just being polite, and he cursed a few more times on the other end of the phone, glaring at him with his beard.

"I'll be going back to Lincheng first thing tomorrow morning. I'll personally train you and Wang Kai then, and I'll make sure that bastard never shows his face in front of you again."

Jiang Che smiled and said, "Then I'll be waiting for you to come back."

"Alright, that's enough about personal matters. Let's get down to business."

Liu Zhenguo's tone suddenly became serious.

Seeing that the topic had finally come to the point, Jiang Che put away his smile and straightened up from leaning against the railing.

His guess was right. The matter that made this veteran call so late at night to give instructions could not possibly be as simple as just apologizing for his son.

"Registration for the winter marathon officially closes at 5 p.m. today," Liu Zhenguo said in a deep voice. "The list hasn't been released yet, but I managed to get a copy of the participant list through someone in advance."

"Jiang Che, this situation is much more complicated than we expected."

"Are there any tough guys on the list?" Jiang Che asked.

"They're more than just tough nut to crack."

The sound of papers being turned over came from the other end of the phone. "Chen Feng, Zhao Lei, and Sun Yang are all active professional athletes on the provincial track and field team."

"Especially Chen Feng, who won the bronze medal in long-distance running at last year's National Track and Field Championships. His personal best has reached the level of a national first-class athlete."

Provincial track and field team member, active, first-class athlete.

These words alone would be enough to give an ordinary high school student a hard time, but now they seem to be stacked up like a buff, all of them being applied to this Lincheng Marathon.

Jiang Che's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was now almost dead. He knew very well what the words "professional athlete" meant.

He originally thought this was just a battle of wits among local long-distance running enthusiasts in Lincheng. With his current physical condition and Liu Zhenguo's special training over the past two weeks, getting a top-three finish was a piece of cake.

Even with time running out and his opponents being formidable, he was confident that he could fight his way through with sheer grit.

But this sudden change directly raised the game difficulty from easy mode to hell level.

What's the difference between this and Empowering Bro bombing the three lower levels? This is a completely unethical and destructive attack.

Although he has a good foundation and has been working hard to train recently, he has only been training for less than half a month.

Those people grew up training in sports schools and provincial teams from a young age, and their daily tasks consisted of nothing but running.

This gap cannot be bridged by talent alone.

"Why would they come to participate in a local competition like this in Lincheng?" Jiang Che asked, somewhat puzzled. "This level of competition isn't very prestigious for professional athletes like them, is it?"

"Of course, it's for the special sports admission quota at Peking University," Liu Zhenguo answered. "Xiao Jiang, you're underestimating the significance of Peking University."

"That's the ultimate goal for students across the country. Think about it carefully, even professional athletes, how many years can they stay in the provincial team?"

"After I retire, without a decent diploma, my career prospects won't be very bright."

"So it's normal that these people are flocking to Peking University like crazy; who wouldn't want to add another layer of prestige to their resume?"

Although the Lincheng Marathon is a local event, its prestige has been distorted because it is affiliated with Peking University's special sports admission quota.

Those professional athletes from provincial teams run these races to secure a spot at a top university for themselves. Even if they don't need it, they can make room for their family members or close acquaintances.

For a moment, both people on the other end of the phone fell silent.

Jiang Che leaned back against the railing, lost in thought. Judging from the current situation, it seemed that getting into the top three would be a bit difficult.

However, if you don't rank in the top three, you can't get into the special admission program, which basically means you'll have no chance with Peking University.

If he couldn't get into Peking University, it meant that his parents would send him abroad to study as planned, and naturally he wouldn't be able to attend the same school as Su Qinghe.

Moreover, Mom said today that since he chose this path himself, he can only succeed and not fail, otherwise she will break him and Su Qinghe up.

Therefore, for Jiang Che, this is not just a matter of a quota; it is a matter of whether he can live comfortably for the next few years and whether he can protect Su Qinghe.

There doesn't seem to be a better way right now; the only way out is to continue training.

"I see."

After a long while, Jiang Che slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. His previously somewhat solemn gaze gradually turned cold, revealing a hint of sharpness. "Since we can't avoid it, let's just have a go at it."

Whether it's the provincial team or the national team, anyone who gets in the way must be kicked aside.

Unless both legs are broken, you have to crawl to the finish line.

"It's good that you have the ambition."

Seeing that Jiang Che did not back down, Liu Zhenguo's tone was tinged with relief, "However, having the will is not enough; we still need to take concrete actions."

"Now that we're facing increased intensity from our opponents, we need to adjust our training plan accordingly."

"Tomorrow is the weekend, and I want to see you and Wang Kai downstairs at five o'clock sharp in the morning."