Chapter 35: The Aloof God Cannot Be Approached (10)
After the eleven-day National Day holiday, Huo Xian finally saw his deskmate, Mei Heng, again. In the past September, Mei Heng had attended class so few times that it could be counted on one hand. After the “prank” incident, Mei Heng hadn’t come to school, and the Mei family hadn’t put any pressure on the school. Instead, Deputy Director Qiu was transferred.
A new desk was placed in Class 9 along with Mei Heng’s return. This new desk was prepared for him, so after he left, Huo Xian enjoyed a desk to himself – an unexpected bonus.
If Huo Xian could ignore Mei Heng’s occasional glares, he might have been even happier.
However, something did make him happy soon enough – at the Monday flag-raising ceremony of the new week, Mei Heng read a self-criticism in front of the entire school and apologized to him.
[Did something happen that I don’t know about?] Huo Xian was quite puzzled. This apology was really unlike Mei Heng’s style.
Huo Yuan replied: [The Mei family, generally speaking, has a good family atmosphere. The Mei family spoils their children, but Mei Heng is clearly spoiled excessively.]
Hearing this, Huo Xian curiously asked: [Huo Yuan, do you know the activities and conversations of the original owner’s parents and others?] The Mei family didn’t pursue the “prank” and even made Mei Heng apologize publicly. He didn’t think it was due to the influence of a single student; it was more likely that Huo’s father, Huo’s mother, or the Huo family had done something, but he didn’t know.
Huo Yuan asked back: [Do you want to monitor them?]
Hearing this question, Huo Xian immediately understood: [Will it cost points again?] Although it was a question, he was quite certain.
[Yes.] Huo Yuan admitted, pausing for a moment, then sounding a little dejected: [I… I can’t help you with anything without points. Am I really useless?]
Huo Xian was sure that the word “useless” was a recent addition to Huo Yuan’s vocabulary.
He comforted him: [If everything were done by you, how could our host’s abilities be demonstrated? The Management Bureau wouldn’t need a host mode.]
That made sense, but Huo Yuan still felt useless, even inferior to You Zi’an’s system. His points were restricted, and he couldn’t even give Huo Xian a compressed time space for studying.
[Huo Yuan.] Huo Xian called out.
[…Yes?] Huo Yuan responded hesitantly.
[There’s something you can help me with. Would you be willing to help?] Huo Xian seemed not to hear his dejection and asked with a smile.
Hearing this, Huo Yuan immediately cheered up: [Tell me!]
Huo Xian smiled: [Help me organize and collect some exam questions from various subjects. It might be a bit tedious, are you willing?]
[Yes! Of course, I’m willing!] Huo Yuan readily agreed. [I’ll do it now!]
Huo Xian: Actually, there’s no need to rush.
…
In October, the school sports meet was probably the most lively event.
As class monitor, Huo Xian needed to collect the names of those who signed up to participate. This was also the first time in three weeks he spoke to He Wenqu, and it was literally his first time actively interacting with him.
He Wenqu originally wanted to act aloof and sarcastic, but considering Huo Xian’s cold and unapproachable personality, he didn’t doubt that Huo Xian would turn around and leave if he said anything sarcastic.
Although he decided not to act aloof, he still had to act a little: “I can do all the events, but the rule is that one person can only participate in two events. I have a choice paralysis disorder.” He paused, suggesting: “How about the class monitor giving some advice?”
Huo Xian gave his opinion without hesitation: “1500 meters and 3000 meters.”
He Wenqu: “…”
Huo Xian explained: “Currently, no one has signed up for these two events.”
Just then, Mei Heng passed by. He glanced at the list Huo Xian was recording, and suddenly sneered: “Huo Xian, as class monitor, you don’t have any sense of honor at all. You’re not setting an example?”
As soon as he spoke, He Wenqu warned with his eyes: “Hey!”
Whether it was He Wenqu’s overwhelming personal charm or other factors, he and Mei Heng had been at odds before, but miraculously, the two eventually reconciled because of a mobile game. Mei Heng didn’t hide his change of attitude towards him, but he hadn’t let go entirely, feeling that easily forgiving Mei Heng’s previous actions was a betrayal of Huo Xian, yet he also thought that boys are boys, they don’t fight to become friends, it didn’t seem necessary to be too calculating. He was still conflicted.
Seeing He Wenqu’s expression, Mei Heng rolled his eyes and sneered lightly before returning to his seat, actually giving He Wenqu some face.
Seeing this, He Wenqu also breathed a sigh of relief. To prevent Huo Xian from delving into the changes between him and Mei Heng, he quickly continued the previous topic: “The 1500 meters and 3000 meters should both be on the last day in the afternoon. After running 1500 meters, I definitely won’t have the energy to run 3000 meters. Or should I choose one between the two, and then sign up for a short sprint and relay within 400 meters?”
Huo Xian looked at the registration list and picked one: “200 meters, we only have one classmate signed up for this, and we can also sign up for the 4×100-meter relay.”
“Okay.” He Wenqu rarely heard Huo Xian say so many words at once, and had no objections. “Then for the long-distance run, class monitor, you can also decide for me?”
Huo Xian looked up at him. Whether intentionally or not, he gave a wink.
Huo Xian almost snapped his pen in half.
To be honest, he couldn’t accept He Wenqu’s wink. It was a little… disgusting.
He Wenqu was usually rather carefree and not sensitive to emotions, but strangely, he sensed disgust on Huo Xian’s unchanging icy face after receiving his wink, which made him feel a little stifled.
It was just a wink, was it necessary?
He didn’t think that a proper person would give someone a flirtatious wink, although he didn’t think there was any flirtatious intent, but… actually, he did have some improper thoughts.
Huo Xian filled in 3000 meters for him in the registration column; he planned to run the 1500 meters himself.
…
The sports meet was held on the weekend. It rained on Friday, dispelling the last bit of autumn heat. The weather was clear and pleasant, a rare day suitable for sports.
The 1500-meter and 3000-meter races were both held on Sunday afternoon. High school long-distance running events didn’t have preliminaries, only finals.
Although Huo Xian was known for being cold in Class 9, his authority was quite high, even higher than the class teacher. In the words of a certain unknown student, the class monitor was practically like a headmaster, his face and indifferent aura alone were enough to inspire awe.
Surprisingly, although Huo Xian was extremely cold, no one disliked him; many people even respected him. After all, Huo Xian only showed coldness and didn’t like socializing, but he wasn’t mute. If his classmates had problems, he would help if he could, especially when it came to solving problems. If you asked him, you would basically get a detailed answer, he never perfunctorily handled them. It was because of his rigorous and patient attitude that the students in Class 9 respected him after just a month.
Getting sidetracked…
After receiving his race number, Huo Xian stood at the starting line of the track. Coincidentally, You Zi’an was next to him.
Seeing him, You Zi’an was slightly stunned. In his memory, Huo Xian didn’t seem to participate in the sports meet… Maybe, in this do-over, some things would be slightly different.
The two nodded to each other as a polite greeting, and then had no further interaction, waiting for the starting gun.
[Ding dong.] Huo Yuan, who was paying attention to Huo Xian’s race, quietly went online, [Huo Xian, go for it!]
Huo Xian slightly curled his lips: [Thank you, I will.]
You Zi’an happened to glance at him, just catching this faint smile. He was stunned for a moment, then looked away and lowered his head – there was a reason why He Wenqu liked Huo Xian; his appearance alone was enough to make people’s hearts flutter.
He tightened his hand at his side. When he looked up again, his eyes were resolute.
Huo Xian could sense the change in You Zi’an’s aura, but didn’t pay much attention.
Soon, the starting gun fired, and all the participants started running at the same time.
The 1500 meters was three and three-quarters laps, a short distance in long-distance running. It wasn’t long for Huo Xian, after all, he now went for a morning run after getting up, but to get a good time, just running the full distance wasn’t enough. The speed had to be increased, and how to control breathing, allocate stamina, and accelerate were all things to pay attention to during the race.
Huo Xian didn’t start at full speed, but he wasn’t too slow either. He maintained a position around fifth or sixth, and in his mind, Huo Yuan was also helping him correct his running posture and arm swing.
For others, Huo Yuan’s guidance would be a waste of time and disrupt their rhythm, but not for Huo Xian. He could correct his movements and adjust his breathing and rhythm according to Huo Yuan’s reminders. It could be said that his motor nerves and limbs were very coordinated.
After two laps, everyone’s speed had slowed down. The leader was already half a lap ahead of the second place. Huo Xian was in fifth place, but the second, third, fourth, and fifth places were close together. It wasn’t difficult to overtake, but the last half lap was the time to accelerate. However, judging from the leader’s momentum, he wanted to use his early advantage to run to the end.
[Huo Xian, you can accelerate.] Huo Yuan monitored his condition in real-time.
[Okay.] Huo Xian made some adjustments and gradually increased his speed.
By the last lap, Huo Xian had overtaken the third and fourth place runners. The second-place runner, sensing someone trying to overtake him, immediately accelerated, even using his body to block the way. As a result, another runner was able to overtake him.
It was You Zi’an.
In the original owner’s memory, You Zi’an won second place in the 1500 meters. The original owner, because someone intentionally blocked him, only overtook him at the end, winning third place.
[Huo Xian, overtake him from lane 2 and sprint.] Huo Yuan said.
After Huo Xian responded, he took advantage of the fact that the runner in front of him was annoyed by You Zi’an’s overtaking and passed him from the side, increasing his speed at the same time.
The wind whistled past his ears. The stamina he had preserved was released completely at this moment, without reservation.
He ran past You Zi’an and gradually approached the leader, his speed not only didn’t decrease, but actually increased.
The Class 9 students in the stands cheered for him, but he couldn’t hear anything; he could only hear the sound of the wind whistling past his ears.
One step, two steps, three steps…
The leader never expected that he would lose in the final sprint after giving it his all in the early stages. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sprint again, but he had invested too much energy in the early stages, resulting in a lack of energy later, and could only watch helplessly as the championship was taken away by someone else.
Huo Xian ran for a while before stopping, and ahead, with He Wenqu leading, the Class 9 students were already waiting with water and towels.
He Wenqu ran towards him with a beaming smile, praising incessantly: “Huo Xian, you’re amazing! The final overtake was so cool!!” He opened his arms, wanting to hug Huo Xian.
Huo Xian, who had been walking forward, stopped, stepping back half a step, avoiding his embrace.
He Wenqu stood there awkwardly with his arms outstretched, feeling a little embarrassed. But soon his expression changed, and he quickly ran towards You Zi’an behind Huo Xian.
It turned out that You Zi’an was surrounded by classmates. He was accidentally pushed over by some students who came to pick up other athletes, and his hand was accidentally stepped on during the chaos.
After receiving the water from a classmate, Huo Xian thanked him, but didn’t drink it immediately; it’s not good to drink water immediately after exercise.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at You Zi’an, whose hand was being held and rubbed by He Wenqu, who was breathing on it. Of course, he wasn’t jealous, and You Zi’an wasn’t the point. The point was the system on him; unfortunately, in this world, he didn’t have X-ray vision, and couldn’t see the system, nor the white wisps of luck.
Because Huo Yuan said: [The rogue system wants to steal your luck!]
[Steal luck?] Huo Xian guessed from his tone that the theft was unsuccessful, but this was the first time he heard of this.
Huo Yuan said angrily: [Generally, mechanical lifeforms don’t have the ability to obtain the luck of a non-bound host, but if the level is high enough, and they are close to someone whose luck is rising and flourishing, they can steal some.]
Huo Xian asked: [What will happen if my luck is stolen?]
Huo Yuan was even angrier: [You might be half a step behind the second place, or you might be pushed down and have your hand stepped on, like You Zi’an!]
When he said this, Huo Xian understood: [So, You Zi’an’s fall and being stepped on is because you did something?] Wouldn’t it have cost points?
[Heh, a rogue mechanical lifeform dares to set its sights on a tasker signed by the Time and Space Management Bureau. It deserves the backlash.] Huo Yuan learned to sneer. After a pause, he said huffily: [So shameless, so rogue, I want to catch it and devour it!!!]
[Wait…] Huo Xian stopped him, gently comforting him: [Be good, don’t get angry at the rogue, it’s not worth your points.]
[But it wants to steal your luck.] Huo Yuan was still unwilling.
Huo Xian smiled and comforted him: [Didn’t you already protect me and make it suffer a backlash?]
[But the one who was injured was You Zi’an, not the rogue system.] Huo Yuan was still unsatisfied.
Huo Xian said slowly: [It’s okay, there will be other opportunities.]
In a person’s life, it’s neither short nor long, isn’t it?
Author’s Note: Xian Ge doesn’t want to kill You Zi’an, really!