Chapter 107: Affection and Honor

In the sprint team of Pengcheng Province, Lu Suo had been training the athletes these past few days using the 4x100 meters relay methods provided by Lu Jinrong. However, Lu Suo himself had not yet participated in the training. As the anchor and core of the 4x100 meters relay, Lu Suo’s absence left the practice lacking its soul.

But in recent days, Lu Suo had indeed been busy. Though he claimed not to mind, the pressure weighing on his mind was immense. Pan Kai’s 100 meters time of 10.15 seconds at the Thailand Open loomed over Lu Suo like a mountain pressing down on his shoulders.

After using the Glass Crown to process two attribute points at the Quancheng meet, Lu Suo tested himself within the team, clocking 10.20 seconds for the 100 meters—his current best. At the time, Lu Jinrong had comforted him, saying, “There’s still the 200 meters. Pan Kai isn’t as good as you in that.”

Indeed, Pan Kai’s official 200 meters time was 20.60 seconds, whereas Lu Suo’s 20.58 seconds barely surpassed Pan Kai’s, earning him the right to claim the domestic top spot.

“He’ll improve in the 200 meters too,” Lu Suo said.

True enough. Pan Kai’s previous official 100 meters time had been 10.30 seconds, and suddenly he leapt to 10.15 seconds. Who could say what progress he might have made in the 200 meters?

But Lu Suo could not avoid it. Since the moment he broke with the national team, he had chosen the path of facing the entire domestic sprinting world alone.

Everyone on the Pengcheng sprint team knew Lu Suo was under great pressure, so they didn’t bother him. Yet whenever Lu Suo finished talking with the coach and began watching their training, the others grew uneasy.

Despite having been with the Pengcheng team for less than six months, Lu Suo had already won the provincial games championship, the East Asian Youth Games title, and victories at the indoor invitationals in the capital, Rongcheng, and Quancheng. His winning events spanned indoor 60 meters and 200 meters, as well as outdoor 100 meters and 200 meters.

His indoor 60 meters and 200 meters times were particularly outstanding. But his teammates also saw that his 100 meters was exceptional. While others barely broke 11 seconds, Lu Suo was already pushing toward 10.20 seconds.

No matter the outside turmoil, to the athletes of the Pengcheng sprint team, Lu Suo was unquestionably their leader. Just his presence watching them unsettled their rhythm.

Only Tian Shiwei remained calm.

“Old Lu, what are you sitting here for? Go on, don’t disturb our training,” Tian Shiwei urged Lu Suo away.

“Coach, may I practice the 4x100 relay with them?” Lu Suo raised his hand and asked Lu Jinrong.

Lu Jinrong nodded. He never stopped Lu Suo from training in whatever way he wished, trusting that Lu Suo knew what he was doing. The boy’s resolve had earned Lu Jinrong’s full support and respect ever since the moment he boldly challenged Li Yan at the East Asian Youth Games sprint press conference.

Lu Suo spent the entire afternoon practicing baton handoffs. Currently, within the team’s 4x100 roster, Lu Suo and Tian Shiwei were indispensable anchors, with two other positions still to be filled. Although Wang Peng, Lin Lishuo, and Qian Feng performed best, the others were not far behind. After all, it was about grabbing onto two strong legs to fly; who didn’t want that?

With this mindset, the athletes trained all the harder while Lu Suo was involved.

That evening, when Lu Suo entered the dining hall surrounded by teammates, it felt as if a dignitary were touring through. Seeing Juno, the relay members immediately cleared a seat beside Lu Suo and settled her there.

Juno glanced at the sprinters and teased Lu Suo, “Planning to start your own team, huh?”

Lu Suo blushed at the joke and told everyone to stop following him around, “Go on, find your own place to eat.”

“Listening to the big sis~” The team dispersed with a cheerful roar.

“Not bad to be called that,” Juno smiled approvingly at the title.

“They insist on following me to learn some running tips, but I’ve got no experience to share,” Lu Suo shook his head.

“Why doesn’t anyone ask me to be the big boss and teach high jump tips?” Juno laughed, then summed up, “Guess my results aren’t impressive enough.”

“You’re amazing too,” Lu Suo said.

“Just a silver at the East Asian Youth Games,” Juno replied. “If I don’t make a mark at the National Games, I won’t have the face to stay on the provincial team. Might as well retire.”

The National Games were not just about the games themselves—they were the selection trials for the Asian Games and the Olympics. Poor performance there meant real consideration of retirement for Juno.

Lu Suo listened thoughtfully, nodding in empathy.

“The National Games won’t be hard for you... Are you worried about Pan Kai?” Juno asked.

“Yes,” Lu Suo admitted.

“10.15 seconds is really impressive. What’s your best now?” Juno inquired.

“10.20 seconds, but going faster risks injury from the Glass Crown,” Lu Suo explained.

“Only 0.05 seconds difference... you can beat him!” Juno encouraged.

“You believe in me more than I believe in myself,” Lu Suo laughed.

“Yeah, I believe in you more than you do,” Juno said, her eyes shining.

Lu Suo paused, almost hearing the sound of a ‘favorability increase’ notification in his head. For some reason, his gaze landed on Juno’s lips. She wasn’t wearing lipstick due to training, but they still looked vividly alluring.

In that moment, the noises in the dining hall seemed to fade away, and the distance between them felt especially close.

Suddenly, someone appeared and broke the atmosphere.

“Are you two the only ones eating here?” Tian Shiwei said. “Coach just detained me for no reason—how weird...”

The mood vanished instantly.

Juno narrowed her eyes at Tian Shiwei, who inexplicably felt a chill.

...

December 29th.

Lu Suo set off for Fengtian.

This was the final stop of the 2004 Indoor Athletics Invitational.

Though the previous three stops had passed without incident, this fourth leg had drawn unusual attention.

Lu Suo saw many posts online expressing keen interest in this competition. Both Houlang and 163 had even created special pages, each claiming they would conduct on-site special interviews.

Lu Jinrong also learned through certain channels that this meet was indeed attracting exceptional attention. The source was Guan Zhaoyue of the Nanyue Provincial Newspaper.

A month after the East Asian Youth Games, Guan Zhaoyue, the newspaper’s chief editor, brought his intern editor once again to cover Lu Suo’s performance in Fengtian.

“Old Guan, does the provincial paper have enough budget?” Lu Jinrong teased when they met at the airport.

“The paper didn’t approve travel expenses,” Shen Yingying answered for Guan Zhaoyue. “He’s paying out of pocket.”

Such dedication... Lu Jinrong clasped Guan Zhaoyue’s hand in gratitude. “Much obliged.”

“Loyalty and friendship are priceless,” Guan Zhaoyue sang, gripping Lu Jinrong’s hand.

“Alright, alright, enough already,” Lu Jinrong quickly begged for mercy.