The next day was the 1000-meter race, and third-years were participating as well. Shen Yi was once again in the lineup of athletes, and the other competitor from Class Ten was Chen Feng.

Jiang Xiaoyue dragged Qin Jiao along again, but this time, Qin Jiao was careful not to bring a water bottle. Not far away, she saw Lin Nian, who was holding a water bottle and a towel, her eyes fixed eagerly on the field.

Perhaps sensing someone’s gaze, she turned her head. Upon seeing it was Qin Jiao, she even offered a small smile.

Qin Jiao returned a faint smile of her own.

But once they broke eye contact, Qin Jiao was certain. ’Lin Nian is definitely up to something again.’

’Around this time in my last life, I had already been expelled. Lin Nian and Chen Feng were still at school then. What were they doing?’

’Studying and dating.’

’That’s what I knew. Anything else likely had nothing to do with me.’

’After all, by then, I was already back in my hometown, completely overwhelmed.’

’Considering who stood to gain from being associated with those two... With Lin Nian, I didn’t even have to guess. Her family situation was even worse than mine, and all her efforts were focused on escaping that terrible home.’

’That left only one other person. What Lin Nian was doing had to be related to Chen Feng!’

’And Chen Feng, in turn, was connected to Shen Yi!’

Qin Jiao thought of the kind Mr. Du, then the sweet but naive Du Liya, and finally, Shen Yi... who seemed less short-tempered and difficult to get along with than he was in her previous life.

She hesitated.

’Should I warn him?’

"Wow, Qin Jiao, look! First and second place are both from our class!" Jiang Xiaoyue and a few other girls cheered, Lin Nian’s voice among them.

Qin Jiao took a closer look. Sure enough, the runners in first and second place were none other than Chen Feng and Shen Yi.

’They were only two steps apart, with Shen Yi trailing Chen Feng. He must have only started working out recently; of course he couldn’t compare to Chen Feng, who had done manual labor since he was a child and was naturally athletic.’

’Actually, there was something from my past life that I never quite understood. Chen Feng had clearly only joined the Shen Family when his mother remarried into it. Even if he had changed his name, why did the family fortune end up in his hands?’

’Even if Shen Yi was moody and unpredictable, not the type to inherit the family assets, he shouldn’t have ended up with nothing at all.’

’What was even stranger was that Shen Yi’s own father seemed to treat Chen Feng very well, too.’

’If my downfall in the last life was mainly due to Lin Nian’s scheme ruining my reputation, then Shen Yi was probably plotted against by Lin Nian and Chen Feng just as much, if not more.’

At this thought, Qin Jiao started to feel that he was actually a bit pitiful.

The finish line happened to be right near them. Qin Jiao didn’t know where the sudden rush of excitement came from, but she abruptly stood up and shouted, "Shen Yi, come on!"

Shen Yi knew his stamina wasn’t as good as Chen Feng’s. He had been gritting his teeth, staying hot on his heels, the taste of blood already filling his mouth.

’But having been given a second chance, he didn’t just want to change his fate—he wanted to prove he was better than Chen Feng!’

’He no longer expected to find any fatherly love from the man whose heart had turned against him. He just wanted to make his father see how terribly wrong he had been!’

And just as Shen Yi felt he couldn’t run any farther and was about to lose Chen Feng, he suddenly heard someone shout, "Shen Yi, come on!"

’That familiar voice... he had heard it across two lifetimes!’

His body, which had been on the verge of collapse, suddenly felt as if it were flooded with limitless energy!

With a sudden burst of speed, Shen Yi accelerated, overtook Chen Feng, and surged across the finish line!