Chapter 58: Got Jealous
At the sound of Teacher Tian Jing’s whistle, the boys’ 1000-meter endurance run officially began.
Chen Mo stood at the starting line, his expression calm, yet radiating the composure of a seasoned veteran. Although this body had returned to his high school days, the muscle memory and physical foundation forged by a decade as a criminal detective were etched into his very bones.
Besides, his high school body wasn’t much weaker than his body from ten years later. Even though he was still developing, he was already at a stage of peak physical strength.
In the initial stage of the race, Chen Mo deliberately slowed his pace, blending into the middle of the pack.
For the first 200 meters, a few of the top student-athletes took the lead as usual, drawing a wave of cheers from the girls watching from the sidelines, who were waiting for their turn at the standing long jump.
After all, their speed was demonstrating a speed that put them far ahead of the pack.
These students didn’t actually need to run so fast; they just wanted to bask in the girls’ cheers.
In a real endurance race, a steady pace was always best.
Unaffected by his surroundings, Chen Mo maintained an even breath, his stride as regular as a precision timepiece. This was the endurance running technique he had drilled at the police academy, where every step was a precise calculation of energy expenditure.
The turning point came on the third lap.
Just as the other students’ steps grew heavy from lactic acid buildup, Chen Mo suddenly accelerated like a cheetah.
The explosive power that had earned him the nickname "Lightning Mo" on the force was now on full display. The swing of his arms widened abruptly, the muscles in his calves tensing into sharp lines, and in an instant, he blew past five other runners.
Beside the track, Zhang Ji, who was recording the girls’ scores, jerked his head up to see it happen. His hand shook in surprise, his pen leaving a long ink streak on the paper.
"Wow! Brother Mo is amazing! Go, Brother Mo!" Zhao Yuanyuan exclaimed, jumping up and down with delight when she saw his performance.
Su Yuqing’s eyes lit up as she watched Chen Mo’s performance.
Athletic boys possessed a unique kind of charm, and when one’s skill far surpassed everyone else’s, it made them shine even brighter.
For a moment, Su Yuqing found herself captivated by the vibrant energy and handsome figure he cut, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
In the last 300 meters, Chen Mo was running thirty percent faster than even the student-athletes during their final sprints.
Tian Jing was also stunned when she saw this.
As a professional, she could see better than anyone just how flawless Chen Mo’s 1000-meter run was.
The steady, yet fast, pace he set at the beginning had been maintained with impossible consistency.
It was a performance you’d expect not from a high schooler, but from a meticulously trained military officer, police officer, or professional athlete.
And his sprint on this final lap only served to highlight his astonishing stamina and powerful physique.
Even if an ordinary high school student managed his steady pace from the start, pulling off a final lap this fast would be anything but simple.
For a moment, everyone’s eyes were focused on Chen Mo.
The gazes of the girls taking their tests, the boys still on the track—some exhausted with tongues lolling, others still composed—all locked onto Chen Mo. Seeing his final sprint, they couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.
The student-athletes, in particular, were utterly dumbfounded.
The moment Chen Mo began to sprint, they had scrambled to give chase, but they simply couldn’t keep up.
Chen Mo just pulled further and further ahead. Their attempt to chase him only depleted their stamina faster, meaning their times for this 1000-meter run would actually be worse than their personal bests from practice.
Watching Chen Mo fly down the track like a cheetah, Tian Jing grew so excited that her hand clutching the stopwatch tightened abruptly!
She realized his running form had the hallmarks of a special forces soldier or a professional athlete: the slight forward lean of a charge, the expert technique of landing on the balls of his feet, and even a breathing rhythm that seemed specially trained.
When Chen Mo crossed the finish line with a time of 2:55, the entire field fell silent.
This time was five seconds faster than the school record and even met the recruitment standards for some university sports programs.
Tian Jing stared at the stopwatch, checking it three times, her eyes wide as saucers. She knew better than anyone what a terrifying amount of training it took for a non-professional to break the three-minute barrier.
"Brother Mo, you’re so cool! You left all the jocks in the dust!" Zhao Yuanyuan exclaimed, running over to Chen Mo, her eyes sparkling with adoration.
Seeing this, Huang Mao, who had been jogging along at his own sluggish pace, suddenly felt a pang of jealousy.
He usually didn’t mind how close Chen Mo and Zhao Yuanyuan seemed. He could tell their dynamic was more like that of a brother and sister, not a boy and girl with romantic feelings for each other.
Chen Mo and Su Yuqing, on the other hand, acted more like a couple in love.
Their interactions weren’t overt, but they gave off a feeling of budding affection.
He could tell Chen Mo simply doted on Zhao Yuanyuan as a little sister. She, in turn, always called him "Brother Mo" and treated him like an older brother—sometimes being bratty, sometimes a bit clingy, and sometimes bickering playfully. That’s why he never got jealous of their day-to-day interactions.
He could clearly see the nature of their relationship.
But the look of pure adoration Zhao Yuanyuan was giving Chen Mo now really got to him. ’It’s not just jealousy, though,’ he thought. ’It’s envy. I want her to look at me like that, to praise me like that.’
Huang Mao, who had been jogging along at his own leisurely pace, suddenly began to sprint like a madman.
"Whoa! Yellow Hair, you can run too! Go, go, go! You’re about to pass the person in front!" Seeing Yellow Hair suddenly accelerate, Zhao Yuanyuan played along and immediately started cheering for him.
This instantly restored Huang Mao’s sense of balance. A sweet joy filled his heart, and suddenly, the ache in his legs vanished as if it had never been there. He even felt a new surge of stamina.
The power of love is a formidable thing. In previous tests, Yellow Hair had always goofed off, clocking in a failing time of nearly five minutes.
To think that today he would actually finish in under four and a half minutes.
This was mainly because Chen Mo had never shown any desire to compete before, nor had he ever sprinted so crazily.
Zhao Yuanyuan wouldn’t just shout and cheer for anyone; it had to be someone she was close to. As a result, Huang Mao had never felt that competitive drive.
Now, with Chen Mo leading the way, Huang Mao felt motivated as well.
Seeing this, Chen Mo couldn’t help but smile, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"Chen Mo..." At that moment, Zhang Ji, the sports representative, found himself walking toward Chen Mo. "I remember in last week’s test, your time was around four minutes. It’s only been a week. What happened? Did you mutate or something?"
After recording the times for the next few students to cross the finish line, Tian Jing also turned to Chen Mo in amazement. "Chen Mo," she said, "I never would have guessed you had this kind of talent. Have you ever considered becoming a professional athlete? You might even be able to compete in the Olympics and bring glory to our country one day."