The fifth day of the return, not much time left until the next crossing.
Winter mornings are exceptionally dark, the black in the sky like ink that will never dissolve.
At 6 o'clock, several members of Daybreak had already changed into their sportswear and ran into the early morning mist, braving the cold wind.
They started from Xingshu Road, crossed the wide Wangcheng Avenue, and entered Luopu Park.
Qing Chen was at the forefront, blocking the howling wind, making it slightly easier for those behind to run.
At one point, Hu Xiaoniu, Zhang Tianzhen, and Nangeng Chen, who were following behind, suddenly felt that Qing Chen was like the alpha wolf in a snowstorm, using the most resolute attitude to clear the way for the pack behind him.
Qing Chen ran a fixed five kilometers every day, not deliberately running more. Even during training, one must exercise moderation and not completely exhaust the three people behind him.
As everyone gradually stopped, Hu Xiaoniu suddenly noticed Qing Chen frowning and gently covering his left side.
Nangeng Chen turned to look. How could someone with Chen’s physical fitness possibly get a stitch from running?
When he saw where Qing Chen was holding, he realized a problem: “Chen, aren’t your ribs fully healed yet?”
“Ribs? What’s wrong with Qing Chen’s ribs?” Zhang Tianzhen asked in confusion.
“Chen’s ribs cracked in the last crossing,” Nangeng Chen explained, “The doctor told him not to engage in strenuous exercise for 90 days.”
Now, Zhang Tianzhen and Hu Xiaoniu were truly shocked. They never imagined that the young man leading them had injuries.
If Nangeng Chen hadn’t reminded them, they wouldn’t have noticed at all!
Not only were the two of them shocked, even Nangeng Chen was shocked.
Because if he hadn’t noticed something unusual today, even he, who knew about the injury, would have almost forgotten that Qing Chen was still injured.
Qing Chen’s daily performance was just too normal!
Hu Xiaoniu carefully looked at Qing Chen. He couldn’t understand why the other party, with his injuries, could still persevere and run every morning.
Moreover, the other party acted like nothing was wrong despite his injuries, while he, Zhang Tianzhen, and Nangeng Chen, without any injuries, were exhausted.
Previously, when Hu Xiaoniu first met Qing Chen, his impression of the young man was that he was a good student and could kill enemies.
But now he realized his perception was too shallow. There really was such a person in this world: smarter, fiercer, more resilient, and more hardworking than you.
Hu Xiaoniu had nothing except more money than Qing Chen, but would someone like Qing Chen always be without money?
Hu Xiaoniu looked at Qing Chen and said, “I’m really convinced, I really am.”
“It’s nothing serious,” Qing Chen said calmly, “If it were really unbearable pain, I wouldn’t have come out to run.”
“I’m a little curious,” Hu Xiaoniu felt a little strange, “I don’t mean anything else, I’m just curious why you joined Daybreak.”
In his opinion, someone like Qing Chen wouldn’t be content with a subordinate position and would obediently follow the Boss’s orders.
It’s not that Hu Xiaoniu had rebellious intentions and wanted to sow discord.
He really couldn’t understand it.
In fact, Hu Xiaoniu’s judgment wasn’t wrong, he just didn’t know that Qing Chen was the Boss.
Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, “The Boss saved my life.”
“I see,” Hu Xiaoniu thought that a life-saving grace should indeed be repaid a thousandfold, this reason was sufficient.
At this time, the three people who had just finished running five kilometers should have been sitting on the ground exhausted.
But looking at Qing Chen, they suddenly seemed to have something stuck in their hearts, and none of them complained of tiredness.
During the day, Qing Chen was still lying on his desk in class, looking like he was asleep.
It wasn’t until evening that he finally raised his head, not even having eaten lunch.
Nangeng Chen and the others found it strange. Even if he was sleeping in class, he shouldn’t be able to sleep so soundly.
Now, the classmates in the class had started secretly giving Qing Chen nicknames, calling him the ‘Sleeping God.’
However, for Qing Chen, every minute and every second was fulfilling. Every time the target moved a meter further, his heart would feel a little more joyful.
When school was dismissed in the evening, Nangeng Chen was about to leave with Qing Chen.
However, just as he was about to get up, Qing Chen pressed him back: “Stay at school, don’t leave, and attend class properly.”
“Huh?” Nangeng Chen’s mind was a little blank: “Chen, you don’t usually say that, and I see you’re ready to leave.”
“I can leave, you can’t,” Qing Chen said.
“Why?” Nangeng Chen didn’t understand.
“I’m the academic god, are you?” Qing Chen calmly asked.
Nangeng Chen glanced at the setting sun outside the school window, which was about to disappear behind the buildings, and suddenly asked: “Chen, I can feel that you are more serious today than yesterday, so there is danger about to happen, and that’s why you don’t want me to leave school, right?”
“Don’t think too much, stay in the classroom and leave school normally,” Qing Chen patted his shoulder and turned to walk out of the classroom.
Just as Qing Chen walked out of the classroom, he was stopped by Xu Zimo, who was also going to Xian City to participate in the AMC10 mathematics competition. Xu Zimo was from the neighboring Class 2 of Grade 2 and seemed to have been waiting here just after class.
When the students passed by the two of them, they couldn’t help but cast surprised glances, seemingly curious about what would happen between the two academic prodigies.
Xu Zimo was holding a test paper and said to Qing Chen, “Qing Chen, there’s a trigonometric function problem here, can you explain it to me?”
The students nearby were stunned. During the last monthly exam, Xu Zimo was the top student in his grade. He needed Qing Chen to explain a problem he couldn’t solve?
But Qing Chen had been busy sleeping in class lately.
Qing Chen casually glanced at the test paper: “I don’t know how to do this problem.”
Xu Zimo hesitated: “Then let me explain it to you.”
At this moment, the onlookers were all stunned. It turned out that Xu Zimo wasn’t asking for help, but looking for an excuse to talk to him!
Qing Chen looked at Xu Zimo calmly and said seriously, “I don’t have time now, and I don’t need to, thank you.”
With that, Qing Chen went downstairs.
The evening glow shone on the corridor, casting people’s shadows on the walls, stretching endlessly.
Xu Zimo watched Qing Chen’s departing back and pursed his lips.
Nangeng Chen muttered in the classroom: “Wow, ruthless…”
Hu Xiaoniu glanced at him, but felt that this was something to be expected.
Nangeng Chen asked: “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”
“Don’t you think it’s incongruous for him and that girl to stand together?” Hu Xiaoniu said: “I felt this way last time with Yang Yang. At that time, at sea, someone was chasing Yang Yang, but when we gossiped, we always felt that no matter who stood with her, it felt very incongruous. It was like placing a stone next to a brilliant diamond; no matter who it is, they would be overshadowed, and the style is simply different.”
“Besides, they are no longer in the same world. The girl’s world is still narrow, and she only has the path of further education ahead of her, but Qing Chen is different. He is facing a much broader world, two worlds.”