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

Jiang Che quickly finished washing up, returned to his desk in his room, and took out a stack of test papers from his bag.

Come to think of it, he hasn't studied any academic subjects since the afternoon of the day before yesterday when he was in PE class.

Although he had to get up at five o'clock the next morning, Jiang Che decided to make use of the evening to learn as much as he could and catch up on all the lessons he had missed as soon as possible.

The clock on the wall ticked away.

They studied until midnight.

Jiang Che was initially very energetic, but later he became physically and mentally exhausted.

So he put down his pen, got up and stretched a bit, then turned off the light and went to bed.

Before going to bed, he set three alarms, one every five minutes.

After doing all this, Jiang Che put down his phone, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

……

I didn't sleep very soundly.

His dreams were filled with images of Liu Zhenguo chasing after him with a leather whip.

Although it's a bit funny, Jiang Che felt it was incredibly real and terrifying in his dream.

"Ring ring ring—"

Just before his buttocks were about to be whipped raw, the alarm clock suddenly rang in his ears.

Jiang Che was suddenly awakened, opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, panting heavily, his heart pounding.

After calming himself down a bit, he picked up his phone and glanced at the time: 5:04.

It was still pitch black outside the window, without a single ray of light, and there was the sound of the cold wind rattling the window.

Compared to the cold, dark outside, the bed was warm and cozy, as if some kind of strong glue was sticking you to it.

Jiang Che closed his eyes and struggled painfully for two seconds. Although his body really didn't want to go, his reason told him that he definitely couldn't not go.

I'll do anything for my wife.

The boy gritted his teeth, took a few deep breaths, and then threw off the blanket.

After quickly washing up and getting dressed, Jiang Che pushed open the door of his home and went downstairs, exiting the building at 5:25.

Facing the howling cold wind, he shrank his neck, put his hands in his pockets, and walked towards the place where he had first met Liu Zhenguo yesterday.

From a distance, he saw a person standing under a street lamp beside the track.

Liu Zhenguo was dressed in a dark gray tracksuit, his back ramrod straight, standing there like a javelin.

Jiang Che jogged over and greeted him with a smile, "Good morning, Grandpa Liu."

Liu Zhenguo raised his wrist and glanced at his watch; it was 5:28.

"Not late, not bad." Liu Zhenguo put down his hand, glanced at Jiang Che, and said, "You're punctual, kid. You didn't keep this old man waiting for you."

"No way."

Jiang Che chuckled and cracked his ankles a couple of times. "If I dared to be late for your place, you'd beat me to death later."

Stop being so cheeky.

Liu Zhenguo snorted, his face still stern, but his eyes clearly showed more satisfaction.

Nowadays, there aren't many young people who can get out of bed at this hour.

Not to mention that he's a rich young master who's used to a life of luxury.

Yesterday, Liu Zhenguo thought Jiang Che was just talking, but today, seeing that he actually came to him on time, he was surprised but also relieved.

"Since you're here, let's stop with the nonsense."

After regaining his senses, Liu Zhenguo pointed to Jiang Che's down jacket and said, "Take off your coat first."

"what?"

Jiang Che was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously tightened his collar. "Grandpa Liu, are you taking it off now? It'll freeze to death."

They've only just come out; their bodies haven't even warmed up yet.

"Take it off when I tell you to."

Liu Zhenguo glared at him, "How can you run in such a thick down jacket? Take it off after you warm up, otherwise you'll catch a cold more easily."

"Okay, okay, I'll take it off."

Jiang Che had no choice but to take off his down jacket and hang it on a nearby tree branch.

He was only wearing a thin long-sleeved sports shirt underneath, and the cold wind chilled him to the bone.

Jiang Che's legs were trembling from the cold, his teeth were chattering, and he could clearly feel his hands and feet gradually losing sensation.

"Are you cold?"

Liu Zhenguo looked at him and just laughed, without a trace of sympathy. "It's okay to be cold. You won't be cold once you start running."

"This first lesson will teach you how to warm up."

Liu Zhenguo didn't rush to teach him how to run; instead, he first demonstrated a few warm-up exercises himself.

"Listen carefully, a marathon is not a sprint. If your joints are not flexible enough, you'll be exhausted before you even finish half the race."

His movements were very precise. It seemed that he deliberately slowed down his movements to accommodate Jiang Che, making sure that each movement was done perfectly so that Jiang Che could see it clearly.

Jiang Che dared not be careless in the slightest and followed along to learn.

After a few sets of exercises, I felt much warmer and less uncomfortable and stiff than at the beginning.

"Alright, that's enough."

Liu Zhenguo stopped what he was doing, pointed to the circular running track in the community, and said, "I won't run too much today. Let's start with a 10-kilometer run to test the waters."

"How many?!"

Jiang Che's eyes widened, almost thinking he had misheard. "Ten kilometers? Wasn't it only five kilometers yesterday?"

"You're scared of ten kilometers? If that's your mindset, I advise you to give up as soon as possible. You won't be able to run forty-two kilometers."

He glanced at Jiang Che sideways and said, "If you're scared, go back to sleep and don't waste my time here."

It's an obvious provocation tactic, old-fashioned but very effective.

Jiang Che fell for it, rolling up his sleeves and exuding confidence, "Who's afraid of who?"

He assumed a starting stance, "Just you wait and see."

"Enough talk, run!" Liu Zhenguo ordered.

Jiang Che immediately rushed out.

With Liu Zhenguo watching over him this time, he didn't dare to rush in too aggressively at the beginning.

Liu Zhenguo rode an old-fashioned 28-inch bicycle, which he had somehow acquired, slowly following beside Jiang Che.

"Take smaller steps!"

"Your breathing is erratic! Three steps in, one breath out; three steps out, one breath in!"

"Straighten your back! What did I teach you yesterday? Don't stand like a shrimp!"

Throughout the journey, Liu Zhenguo's scolding never stopped.

When Jiang Che reached the fifth kilometer, he had difficulty breathing, and his legs had long since lost all feeling. He couldn't exert any strength at all and was relying entirely on muscle memory to keep going.

He glanced at Liu Zhenguo, who was riding his bike leisurely beside him, and swallowed back the words "I can't do it anymore".

We can't back down.

By the time I finally finished running ten kilometers, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

Jiang Che switched from running to walking, struggling to adjust his breathing. After catching his breath, he collapsed limply onto the grass, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Even in the dead of winter, his clothes were still soaked with sweat, sticking to his body and feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Liu Zhenguo parked the car, then walked over to him and kicked the sole of his shoe. "You're already down?"

While complaining, he pulled a bottle of mineral water from his pocket and tossed it to Jiang Che. "But you were able to complete ten kilometers on your first try, so your performance was passable."

This is already a very high evaluation that Liu Zhenguo could give.

When he was in the army training new recruits, he saw countless greenhorns running ten kilometers as if it were their life.

Jiang Che not only persevered through the entire race, but his pace also met his expectations, which was a pleasant surprise for Liu Zhenguo.

He looked at the boy lying on the lawn not far away, and an idea gradually took shape in his mind.