Qi Anlu performed well in the 800-meter race and advanced to the final the next day.
Gu Zhijing was going to run the 3000-meter race. At first, he wanted to wear the sash that Nian Suian had given him, but in the end, Nian Suian firmly suppressed this idea and took it away, not allowing him to be a conspicuous target.
"Be good, and there'll be a surprise for you after the race," she said.
"Really?"
"Really!"
Before the race began, Nian Suian, Gu Junxing, and Butler Su positioned themselves near the finish line. Butler Su had even brought the drum that Nian Suian had bought!
"Su, I can't believe you actually brought that!" Nian Suian had thought it was a bit too over-the-top after buying it, so she hadn't brought it to school. She was surprised that Butler Su had brought it along.
"Of course! We need to cheer for the young master! I've even practiced how to drum most effectively!" He then demonstrated on the spot, and it was truly quite energizing.
After the start, Gu Zhijing maintained a position in the middle of the pack. At first, he was relatively relaxed, even playfully acknowledging his family and friends cheering from the sidelines. However, after three laps, he fell silent.
"Go! Go!"
Butler Su's drumming sparked a wave of voices from the spectators, and everyone began cheering for all the runners.
In the end, amidst the cheers, Gu Zhijing crossed the finish line in sixth place. The school rules stated that the top eight in the 3000-meter race would earn points, so Gu Zhijing had managed to bring honor to his class.
After crossing the finish line, Gu Zhijing was so exhausted he wanted to sit on the ground, but fortunately, Gu Junxing was quick to catch his son and walked with him for a while.
Still panting, Gu Zhijing asked Nian Suian, "Where's the surprise?"
"It's at home. You'll see it when we get back," Nian Suian replied. She had received a call from the courier that morning saying the item had been delivered to their house, which was why she had mentioned it to Gu Zhijing.
"Then I want to go home now."
"No, we can't leave early. It'll be yours soon enough, why rush?" During the sports meet, it was difficult to manage the students, and to prevent them from sneaking out and potentially getting into trouble, the school had rules against leaving campus or taking leave easily.
"Alright."
"Come on, let's go sit down and rest for a bit," Nian Suian patted Gu Zhijing, who was still hanging onto his father. He was almost as tall as his dad now, but still acting like a big baby.
With Gu Zhijing's race over, the family of three had nothing left to do for the afternoon. They sat contentedly in the stands, eating snacks and watching the other events.
Nian Suian noticed three young girls sitting in front of them whispering and occasionally glancing back at her. Clearly, their skills at gossiping discreetly needed work.
So, the next time they turned around, Nian Suian propped her face on her hand and smiled at them.
A round-faced girl with her hair in buns immediately blushed and stuttered, "Big sister, you're so pretty."
Nian Suian hadn't expected this to be the topic of their discussion. She raised an eyebrow, but being complimented still made her happy. She graciously said "Thank you" and even shared some snacks with them.
"Thank you, big sister," the little ones replied politely. After complimenting Nian Suian, they didn't forget about Gu Junxing beside her.
"Uncle, you're very handsome too. You're the youngest and most handsome of all the dads in our class."
What could Gu Junxing do but thank them? Clearly, they hadn't realized the inconsistency in calling Nian Suian "big sister" and Gu Junxing "uncle." Gu Junxing wasn't shameless enough to ask his son's classmates to call him "big brother"...
Nian Suian, on the other hand, couldn't contain her laughter upon hearing Gu Junxing being called "uncle." Gu Junxing could only give her a helpless look.
As soon as they were allowed to leave that day, Gu Zhijing was eager to go home.
He stood up and said to Nian Suian and Gu Junxing, "Big sister, uncle, let's go home."
"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Nian Suian burst out laughing, showing no mercy to Gu Junxing's dignity.
Even Butler Su nearly failed to hold back his laughter, having to recall every sad event in his life to keep from laughing out loud.
Gu Junxing didn't say anything the whole way home, which surprised Gu Zhijing.
However, when they got home and Gu Zhijing was about to enter, Gu Junxing blocked him.
"Is this your home, nephew? Go find your dad somewhere else."
"I'm sorry, Dad!" Young Master Gu knew when to be humble.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad..."
Of course, in the end, Gu Junxing couldn't withstand the constant apologies and let him enter the house.
"Little Mother-Sister, where's my surprise?" Gu Zhijing asked.
Nian Suian pointed to a delivery box placed on the cabinet by the entrance. "Open it yourself."
"Oh my god!"
"Oh my god! Are these those shoes?"
"The limited edition ones, right?" Looking at the shoes in the box that he had wanted to buy for a long time but never managed to, Gu Zhijing felt like kissing them right then and there.
Nian Suian had learned about these from Gu Zhijing's social media posts. She had initially planned to remember them for a future birthday gift, but when she unexpectedly got a chance to buy them earlier, she decided to surprise him with them now.
"How did you manage to buy these?" he asked.
"With money," she replied. As long as you have enough money, it's fine. She was a bit of a wealthy lady now, and buying a pair of shoes was no big deal.
"Ah, thank you so much!" Gu Zhijing exclaimed, dancing with excitement. "From now on, if you need anything, just say the word. I'll be your most loyal servant."
Although Nian Suian couldn't see what was so special about these shoes no matter how she looked at them, seeing Gu Zhijing so happy made the purchase worthwhile.
After his excitement died down, Gu Zhijing immediately took the shoes back to his room. He planned to take 360 photos of them and then reverently place them in the center of his collection cabinet.
After Gu Zhijing went upstairs, Gu Junxing asked Nian Suian, "How much were the shoes?"
"Why do you ask? Big sis has money!"
Nian Suian was so good to Gu Zhijing that Gu Junxing was almost jealous.
So, Gu Junxing deliberately said, "December 24th is my birthday."
Nian Suian pretended not to understand, "Oh! So you're turning 36 soon?"
Nian Suian patted Gu Junxing's shoulder, "Take care of your health, Uncle Gu."
She quickly slipped away before Gu Junxing could react.
Uncle Gu?
Gu Junxing laughed in exasperation.
-- At the Qi household
Every time Qi Anlu returned home, he would count to three before entering, preparing himself mentally.
Today, when he opened the door and didn't see anyone on the sofa, he immediately felt relieved.
"You're back?" a voice called out.
"Dad." The breath he had just let out was quickly sucked back in.
"I've just prepared a test paper for you. Go do it."
Qi's mother felt a bit sorry for him, "He just got back. Let the child rest a bit and eat before doing the test."
Hearing Qi's mother speak, Qi's father frowned and was about to say something.
Qi Anlu quickly intervened, cutting off his father's words, "It's alright, Mom. I'll do it before eating."
The end result would be the same anyway, so why involve his mother and have her criticized too?