I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

Looking at the boy who had just done such a thing in public, yet was now sitting there calmly smiling at her, Lin Mu suddenly felt that the boy had become hateful again.

But it's only to a very small extent.

After all, it was she who initially threw herself into his arms and then made him play along.

"Is this kind of thing normal for childhood sweethearts?"

In response to Lin Mu's question, Chen Junqian simply nodded as if it were a matter of course:

"I don't know about other childhood sweethearts, but for Mu Mu and me, I think it's a very normal thing. Otherwise, wouldn't Mu Mu have been subjected to those rumors for nothing?"

"Alright, let's rest a little longer. Mu Mu, go and take the remaining two tests. If you perform normally, you should be able to get about 70% of the points in this physical fitness test. That will reduce the pressure of the high school entrance exam. Sigh, I was actually planning to save this trick for August, but it's good to use it now."

What does "keeping it until August" mean?

"Oh, wasn't there military training back then? I was worried that Mu Mu might not be able to handle it, but now it seems that Mu Mu's physical fitness is getting better and better."

Hearing Chen Junqian's answer, Lin Mu suddenly felt a little regretful. After all, the scenario of fainting from heatstroke or feeling unwell during military training and being carried to the infirmary sounded like something out of a romance novel...

Well, it seems that even now, someone still hasn't realized a certain fact.

That means there's no need for any special setting. Many interactions, like a princess carry, can be achieved simply by her saying it.

Seeing Chen Junqian and Lin Mu interacting so closely from the audience seats, Zhu Wenyun naturally thought of the three phrases she had once conceived: "The bright moon hangs high, but it does not shine on me alone," "It does not shine on me alone," and "It once shone on me alone."

In fact, any scenario and emotion can be used as the core of a romance novel and expanded upon, but Lin Mu is the first female protagonist that she feels she can identify with and experience in all three scenarios, which is completely different from herself, who is just pretending to experience the three emotions.

Looking back now, these three scenarios can indeed be seen as three stages of a relationship, especially for childhood sweethearts.

First, there was Zeng Duzhao.

Then it is not just me who is alone.

Finally, it is the only one who does not shine upon me.

If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't imagine what Lin Mu's next two steps would be and that the theme of her new book had already been decided, Zhu Wenyun would want to start a new book with him as the female lead right there.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wenyun unconsciously began to put herself in Lin Mu's shoes again, her gaze fixed on the two people on the track as if she were being drawn in by a magnet.

Zhu Wenyun didn't think much of the intimate interaction between the two, but the other students around her kept glancing at her intentionally or unintentionally. After all, according to the rumors in the middle schools of Guoning, she should be the girlfriend of the boy on the field.

Then they saw Zhu Wenyun gripping the railing of the stands.

It was just like watching a reaction video. The students around them excitedly turned into onlookers, glancing at Lin Mu and Chen Junqian, then quickly turning back to look at Zhu Wenyun's facial expressions and hand gestures. It was as if a commentator was just about to provide real-time commentary.

"Okay, now we can see that Lin Mu has crossed the finish line. She didn't stop, she still hasn't stopped! What! She actually jumped right into Chen Junqian's arms! Let's congratulate her... no, we should quickly cut to the camera to see Zhu Wenyun's reaction in the audience!"

That's about it.

Judging from the atmosphere at the scene, the crowd around Chen Junqian was boiling when he gave her a princess carry. The screams and cheers almost shook the sky, and it really felt like watching a World Cup final.

It was a princess carry!

Zhu Wenyun watched Chen Junqian carrying Lin Mu, walking through the crowd against the light like a victorious general. She suddenly regretted not taking the first time with this position under some pretext of research. And now that they were already in this position, she was able to resist the urge to go for a quick kiss.

As for the many people around? Zhu Wenyun never cared about such things; her actions always came much faster than her thoughts.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt bored and turned to leave, and indeed it was her turn to participate in the physical test.

As it turns out, just as the editors of the public account had prepared two completely contradictory reports, the students watching from the sidelines naturally prepared two sets of stories as well.

Shocking! Zhu Wenyun was devastated after witnessing her boyfriend's sweet interaction with Lin Mu, resulting in a severe failure in her physical fitness test!

What?! Zhu Wenyun, after witnessing her boyfriend being intimate with a girl in her class, channeled her grief and anger into strength, and excelled in the physical fitness test by a landslide!

A few minutes later, the following explanation replaced the previous one and was put on the lips.

However, they soon discovered that the above method could be reused simply by changing the name.

Just replace Zhu Wenyun with a real ex-girlfriend.

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

PS2: I suddenly remembered a comment from a group member that seems quite fitting here. Just take it as a joke: Sister Xu isn't just a district, Sister Xu is the S1 season champion!

Chapter 97: Keep Going (Part 2)

As a deafening roar erupted from the other end of the stadium, Hsu Yu-Wei was standing on the waiting line in the jump rope testing area, doing her final ankle warm-up.

To be fair, the rumors Xu Youwei told Lin Mu about their childhood sweetheart relationship weren't entirely false. As a female protagonist certified by the system as a "Campus Star," she would attract attention and envy if she walked next to Chen Junqian. She was the kind of girl who could easily attract attention on any sports field, even with rumors about her and Chen Junqian. With her well-proportioned figure and neatly tied high ponytail, even when wearing the most ordinary baggy school uniform, she couldn't hide the vibrant energy that years of sports had given her.

That's why the physical test, which was a super difficult task for Lin Mu, was just a simple game that Xu Youwei could easily get full marks for by just sweating a little. The amount of exercise was even less than her and Chen Junqian's daily activities. She also got full marks in the 800-meter physical test that had just ended without any pressure.

This has always been a unique quality that Hsu Yu-Wei can be proud of.

Actually, she wasn't like Lian Xinyu in Zhu Wenyun's book. She firmly believed that a boy as outstanding as Chen Junqian, who was always ahead of everyone else, would only appreciate someone equally strong and able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. That's why she worked so hard to become better and was competitive in everything she did, just to stand in the position closest to him and prove with her strength that she was the girl who deserved him the most.

This was clearly a personal addition by the author, Zhu Wenjun. For Xu Youwei herself, she simply became good at sports because she had been running around with Chen Junqian in the countryside, rice paddies, and city streets and alleys since she was a child.

Then, following the sound waves coming from the other side of the stadium, she turned her gaze and saw Chen Junqian bending over, holding the petite girl in a rather ambiguous yet extremely doting princess carry in front of hundreds of eyes.

The early summer sun shone down on them without reservation, as if coating their embrace with a soft, fairytale-like halo. His childhood sweetheart lowered his head and said something to the girl in his arms, and then the two of them left.

Xu Youwei's first reaction was whether something had happened to Lin Mu, but she immediately thought that even if something had happened, Chen Junqian was by her side so she didn't need to worry too much. Then she felt a wave of discomfort and stood there blankly. The jump rope that she had been casually swinging in her hand fell to the ground with a thud onto the rubber track.

The girls waiting for their tests around them were in an uproar.

"Wow, isn't that Chen Junqian from Ningzhong High School? Hugging a girl in front of so many teachers? Is this some kind of privilege for top students?"

"Wasn't it said that Zhu Wenyun from Jinzhong was her girlfriend? How come she's hugging someone else, and even carrying him in a princess carry?"

"What do you know? That's his childhood sweetheart, I heard her name is Lin Mu, and they have a very good relationship!"

"That's what you call childhood sweethearts, we're just neighbors who've known each other since we were little..."

"It's already considered good if it's not just Chunzhu and Meima."

Childhood sweethearts, again childhood sweethearts. I don't know if it's because of a certain increasingly popular romance novelist, but I feel that this idiom, which used to be mostly used in books, is now appearing more and more on the lips of many students. But hearing it at this time makes Xu Youwei feel particularly bitter.

After all, she was Chen Junqian's childhood sweetheart.

However, Xu Youwei also knew very well that this was not a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Lin Mu was certainly doing his best, and Chen Junqian was also taking good care of him. It was such a simple and obvious principle.

What she cared about, or rather what she resented, was actually the scale of the other party's actions—they always made such a big fuss.

It all started with that first pecan festival...

Before Xu Youwei could continue recalling, she heard the proctor call her name:

"Field No. 5, Xu Youwei, No. 0042, prepare for the jump rope test."

The stern voice interrupted Xu Youwei's dazed thoughts. She was suddenly pulled back to reality, hurriedly bent down to pick up the jump rope on the ground, nodded haphazardly, and then walked into the testing area.

The anti-slip texture on the jump rope handle, which she had grown accustomed to touching, suddenly felt strangely unfamiliar in her hand. Xu Youwei took a deep breath, forcing herself to pull her gaze away from the black figure that was gradually blending into the crowd in the distance, and then desperately tried to mentally prepare herself:

It's okay, it's just jump rope. You could jump 180 times and get full marks even with your eyes closed.

"Ready—beep!"

The electronic timer emitted a sharp start sound, and Xu Youwei exerted force with her wrist, instantly transforming the rope shadow into a semi-transparent arc.

"Shuashuashua——"

For the first dozen or so, she jumped quite smoothly and quickly thanks to muscle memory.

However, when I jumped to the thirtieth one, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a girl from some class excitedly cupping her face in her hands, recounting the details of the princess carry she had just received to her companions:

"You didn't see the look in his eyes just now? It was so irresistible! I almost fainted for Lin Mu!"

Xu Youwei panicked instinctively. The scene she had just witnessed kept replaying uncontrollably in her mind, and her hands and feet became disoriented.

"Snapped!"

The heavy plastic rope whipped against the surface of her sneakers, making a crisp striking sound. The rope got stuck and tripped her calf, not too hard, but enough to make Xu Youwei adjust the rope and swing it behind her before continuing.

But once the dam of one's mindset cracks, it can collapse in an instant.

She had just regained her rhythm and jumped less than twenty times when she tripped again. The jump rope, which she used to control perfectly, now seemed to be deliberately working against her, and no matter how she jumped, it didn't feel right.

"Thirty seconds left in the countdown."

The proctor next to me gave a timely reminder.

Xu Youwei could only grit her teeth and start all over again.

In the rope skipping test area with a dozen or twenty people, everyone else was steadily increasing their counts, but she, in area number five, was like a beginner who had just learned to skip rope, constantly repeating the process of being tripped, restarting the rope, and being tripped again.

"Beep—Test complete."

As the minute ended, the jump rope in Xu Youwei's hand stopped counting, and the final total score was fixed at 115. When that cold number appeared on the electronic screen on the jump rope handle, Xu Youwei froze on the spot.

One hundred and fifteen.

For Xu Youwei, who can easily jump 180 times, this is her worst result ever, without exception. The similar situation made her vaguely recall the last semester when she saw her grades drop far below the admission score for Ningzhong High School.

What if I fail to meet the cutoff score because of those few points in the physical fitness test?

As it turns out, Xu Youwei's associative abilities were quite good. In no time, her mind had already gone from the possibility that she might be rejected from Ningzhong High School because of those two insignificant points that she should never have lost, to Chen Junqian and Lin Mu walking hand in hand into the same campus, continuing their childhood romance, while she would be cruelly isolated from their world because of those two points, going to a completely unfamiliar school and never intersecting with them again.

After putting down the jump rope, Xu Youwei quietly sat down in the nearby rest area.

Actually, before today, she always thought she could calmly face the relationship between Chen Junqian and Lin Mu. After all, she had been thinking about bringing them together to achieve her final plan. Going back further, the intimacy between the two on the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year was far greater than today. Why did she still have such a strong reaction now?

Is it because in this long-standing three-way relationship, when facing Lin Mu, she has always maintained a secretive, almost tolerant attitude, as if she were standing on high ground?

Knowing that you're progressing faster than the other person, knowing that you've already done more intimate things... it all boils down to what's called a sense of superiority.

That's why she can proudly relinquish the public title of childhood sweetheart. She can magnanimously watch Lin Mu enjoy his care freely in the sunlight, and even feel that Lin Mu only gets Chen Junqian's face, while she has Chen Junqian's substance.

until today.

Until just now.

When Chen Junqian, in front of more than two thousand people on the playground, under the noses of all the teachers and students, openly and even ostentatiously picked up Lin Mu, Xu Youwei suddenly realized that although Lin Mu had never intended to deliberately show off anything, the two of them always managed to create a huge commotion in public.

If we trace back to the source, it should be the pecan festival five years ago, when the missing person's broadcast reached almost the ears of most of the citizens of Guoning. Then came the creation of Three Fierce Xu, whose names and images were incorporated into the design of the mascot. As the brand gradually became a super big brand, not to mention the large flagship store standing in the city center, you can easily find their snacks in almost every convenience store, and then see the familiar two figures and names on the packaging.

Then there was the time when Lin Mu was protected by Chen Junqian during chemistry class in front of the whole class, the huge fireworks display during the Spring Festival this year to send New Year's greetings to the people of Ningxia, and Chen Junqian accompanying Lin Mu to exercise every morning during the early reading class this semester in front of many people. Finally, there was today.

Compared to these contents that are openly displayed to the public, those secret interactions and private relationships that she once treasured and was proud of are more like all the little things she did to that wall after the other party moved out. They are like dark green moss growing in the gutter, not only lifeless, but also... unable to see the light.

Thinking about this makes me feel a surge of self-loathing and extreme embarrassment. The words in Zhu Wenyun's new book have changed their appearance but still found her in the same way. My pitiful flutter only exists in the darkest and most insignificant corner, while the most intense and bright sunshine has been laid out without reservation as the red carpet for Lin Mu to walk towards him.

However, the physical fitness test process would not stop just because someone was in a bad mood. Xu Youwei herself still had one last volleyball passing test to complete, but she was still thinking about Chen Junqian and Lin Mu. She was thinking that if it was this test, the other party couldn't just stick behind Lin Mu and guide her through the volleyball passing like the three of them did in private... That would be cheating.

It's cheating.

Cheating……