RCJM Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Hii

Once again, sorry for the late update! And I have further bad news...

I'm going overseas for two weeks so I won't be uploading potentially for the next 3 weeks, but I will try to make it up when I get back > <

Hope you enjoy today's chapter~

Du Ruo sat in the stands, looking at the sports field.

He Huan Huan held a large bag of potato chips, munching on them. She handed one to Du Ruo, who stuffed it in her mouth, and found it tasteless.

On the sports field, long jump and high jump participants were competing. 

He Huan Huan bit off half her potato chip and suddenly sighed: "Ah, sometimes I really want to fall in love."

The absent-minded Du Ruo came to pay attention and looked at her strangely: “It’s autumn now, so suddenly?” She saw that He Huan Huan was looking somewhere in the stands.

Jing Ming was sitting at the bottom of their class's stand, his long legs resting on the railing, playing with his phone, his head down. Min En Zhu sat beside him, leaning against him, sometimes touching his collar, sometimes playing with his hair. Very intimate.

He seemed to be playing a game and paid no attention to her; she leaned over to look, then naturally wrapped her arm around him, looked at his screen and laughed to herself. After laughing, she lightly pecked his cheek, subtly and quickly without leaving a trace. 

Jing Ming was still looking at his phone and had no reaction to the kiss.

Du Ruo stared at them.

"Don't you sometimes want to fall in love?" He Huan Huan withdrew her gaze and said honestly, "I sometimes do think about it. I feel a little envious when I see others falling in love, but it’s only occasionally. Haha."

"There are many boys and few girls in our school. If you think about it, you will easily find a boyfriend."

"Really? Then why don't our senior sisters have boyfriends?"

"..." Du Ruo looked at her speechlessly. "I'm comforting you. Can't you just accept this kindness without talking back?"

He Huan Huan chuckled. Du Ruo couldn't help but laugh too.

At the bottom of the stands, Jing Ming stood up; he intended to watch the two girls from their class compete in the three-legged race. Min En Zhu, on the other hand, had no interest and stayed seated, playing with her phone.

Jing Ming walked down from the stands and headed to the competition area.

He Huan Huan put away the potato chip bag and said: "The three-legged race is starting. Our class has two more girls competing. Let's go watch."

Du Ruo agreed. She was the only girl in their class so did not sign up for this event.

At the starting point of the track, He Huan Huan went to cheer for her classmates.

Du Ruo caught sight of Chen Si and Wang Huai Yu, who were walking around with their legs tied together. A group of boys from their class, Jing Ming, Zhu Tao, and others were standing around giving advice. 

Zhu Tao: "Hold on to each other's arms.”

Zhang Lei: "Shout the beat. One, two, one."

Jing Ming didn't say anything and looked at the "three legs" of the two moving around. Suddenly, he laughed: "They're going to fall."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Si and Wang Huai Yu stumbled, and Zhang Lei and others quickly reached out to support them.

Jing Ming folded his arms and watched.

Chen Si scolded Jing Ming: "You jinx."

Jing Ming was amused: "Is it my fault that you can't coordinate well?"

"Of course it looks easy to you."

"Can't you use your brain?" Jing Ming teased. "Your steps are too small, too broken and frequent. Naturally, it is not easy to keep in tune. It would be weird if you didn’t fall. Take bigger steps, reduce the number of steps, and lower the frequency."

Wang Huai Yu thought about it: "You're right."

Xia Nan overheard and said: "Got the secret, thanks."

Jing Ming glanced at her and then joked to Chen Si and Wang Huaiyu, "The tricks’ been heard by your opponent, good luck with that."

Chen Si: "We won’t really lose. What if we tie?"

Jing Ming said: "Xia Nan's legs are longer than yours."

Chen Si laughed angrily, stretched out his arm and pointed at Jing Ming twice.

All the girls laughed.

Du Ruo didn't share the happy atmosphere. She and Jing Ming couldn't get along like ordinary classmates. It had always been that way.

The referee blew the whistle for participants to gather. The onlookers dispersed.

On the signal, pairs of girls with legs tied together ran towards the finish line, while the boys smiled and cheered beside the track.

As expected, Xia Nan and Qiu Yu Chen took first place, followed by Chen Si and Wang Huai Yu in second place.

Du Ruo went up to congratulate them.

Qiu Yu Chen was untying the rope on her leg. When she saw Du Ruo, she was surprised: "Xiao Cao, aren’t you running the 400 metre race? Why are you still wearing a skirt now?"

"... Oh my God, I forgot!" Du Ruo broke into cold sweat. "I'll go back and change right away."

He Huan Huan grabbed her and said: "Don't even think about it! The 400 metres is about to start. All the boys from our class have gathered. 

Sure enough, there were fewer boys around. Some of the boys had left during the two-legged race, and they were now assembling at the other end of the field.

Several volunteers came over to clear the track, announcing that the race was about to begin.

The four of them had just entered the field when the starting gun sounded, and the men's race had begun.

Du Ruo panicked: "What do I do now?"

He Huan Huan: "Just wear this outfit and run. Don't worry, there's no rule that says you have to come in first. The important thing is to participate. The sports meet is just for fun."

"But I can't run in high heels."

Xia Nan, the owner of the high heels, quickly took off her sports shoes: "Let's switch."

"..."

"What are you waiting for? Take them off quickly."

Du Ruo removed her shoes and put on Xia Nan's sneakers. Then she looked at herself in the formal dress and covered her face: “Does it look strange?"

Qiu Yu Chen laughed: "Now you care about looking strange?"

He Huan Huan found it amusing and was very excited: "Skirts and sneakers are popular now!"

Du Ruo sighed, feeling hopeless: "It’s over. If I run like this, I will attract everyone’s attention. So embarrassing…"

Xia Nan glanced at her: "Don't worry, I'll take pictures of you when you’re running."

"..." Du Ruo whispered, "No photos."

Qiu Yu Chen shrugged: "We definitely won’t be the only ones taking photos."

He Huan Huan cheered: "Exactly! Haha, it's going to be so much fun!"

"You guys..." Du Ruo sighed in resignation with no more time to chat. Her top priority was to rush to the 400-metre meeting point.

Her three dormitory friends followed to cheer her on.

The four girls ran like crazy across the grassy field.

Du Ruo rushed out of the field and ran to the starting point, looking around for the registration point. Someone shouted at her: "Watch out!"

She froze as everyone around her moved left and right, as if something dangerous was coming.

Footsteps were approaching quickly from behind.

Du Ruo turned around.

Jing Ming crossed the finish line of the 400-metre race at high speed and crashed into her!

He was shocked and could no longer stop and avoid her. He instinctively reached out and hugged her, and the two collided  and fell to the ground. His chin hit her temple hard, and she grimaced in pain.

Boys are so heavy!!!

She was going to be crushed!

Apart from feeling pain all over her body, he was hot and sweating, and his heat enveloped her. He weighed on her like a mountain.

He was so heavy she could barely breathe, her heart pounded wildly, and her internal organs were aching.

Jing Ming was stunned. He quickly put his hands on the ground, stood up, and picked her up, glanced up and down, and asked: "Are you okay?"

Du Ruo's heart was racing uncontrollably. Her face turned red and white, and her whole body ached. She couldn't say a word, and just shook her head mechanically.

Min En Zhu ran up to Jing Ming and asked anxiously: "Are you hurt?"

Jing Ming said: "I'm fine."

Min En Zhu looked at Du Ruo with a puzzled expression and a hint of dissatisfaction.

No girlfriend would like the scene that unfolded.

She asked Du Ruo: "Why were you blocking the finish line?"

Jing Ming wasn't interested in getting involved and said: "Let's go."

Min En Zhu left her alone and followed Jing Ming.

Although Du Ruo was shocked by the collision just now, she had no time to take care of her violently beating heart. She quickly walked to the starting line and sprinted on the track as the starting gun sounded.

She ran like the wind, as if she were trying to escape from some monster looming over her.

She held her fluffy white skirt and ran wildly on the runway. She appeared delicate but was taking the lead.

"Look at that girl, she’s running in a skirt!"

The students in the stands were all drawn to the spectacle, smiling kindly, watching, cheering, and taking photos with their phones.

Lively, cute, willful, and free, this was what a university sport meet should be like!

They wouldn't know how panicked the girl holding her skirt truly felt.

What a beautiful misunderstanding.

Jing Ming walked through the centre of the track and field, slowly calming down his frantic heartbeat after running 400 metres.

Min En Zhu stepped forward and held his hand, saying: "You are not allowed to hug other girls in the future, got it?"

Jing Ming was confused: "Hug who?"

"Just now." She pouted and said: "Don’t you know others will fall for you too?"

Jing Ming was speechless: "Nonsense."

He walked toward the stands and happened to see Du Ruo running across the track holding her skirt. She looked slender and weak but could actually run faster than a rabbit.

After Du Ruo ran the 400 metres, she looked like a fish thrown ashore, her blood vessels about to burst. The originally beautiful dress was now soaked with sweat and wrinkled.

All her classmates came over to congratulate her for finishing first, but she could only gasp for breath, unable to react.

She drank some water and slowly made her way across the field, and her condition began to improve slightly.

She returned to the stands and sat there for a long time, but she didn't know why she was sitting there.

Gradually, the heat and chaos within her body subsided little by little. The sweat evaporated, and she felt a faint, invading coolness.

All the commotion had disappeared, receding cleanly, like a beach at low tide.

As if nothing had happened.

As evening approached, most of the competitions had ended, and there were only a few people in the stands.

Du Ruo absentmindedly glanced in that direction. Everyone in Chen Si's class had already left.

Qiu Yu Chen came over and said that their class was dismissed and asked if Du Ruo wanted to go back to rest.

Du Ruo agreed.

The various colourful ribbons and gold streamers from the opening ceremony in the morning were now scattered on the field. At this moment, as the sun set, the field looked deserted and messy.

Du Ruo and her roommates walked back to their dormitory. Along the way, the autumn breeze blew gently, and the leaves rustled above their heads.

After a lively day, the music ends and everyone disperses.

A sense of desolation after the festivities swept over them, like the returning tide of the sea at night.

The four girls were a bit weary. They were all tired after a long day and couldn't find the energy to speak. They walked quietly through the campus together.

Du Ruo walked, raised her head, took a deep breath, and looked at the sky, the setting sun, the trees, and the windows of the boys' dormitory building.

On the balcony of the third floor, there was a white shirt hanging out to dry with a black embroidered ribbon on the back of the shirt.

She immediately recognised it as Jing Ming’s. He had once worn it to a public English class.

The night wind blew, and she felt a little cold. She wrapped her coat tightly and quickened her pace: "Let's go back to the dorm quickly, I’m freezing to death."

"You're wearing too little." He Huan Huan said, "But you look really pretty, Xiao Cao. So beautiful, you truly turned into a little fairy today, hahaha."

"Pfft." Du Ruo laughed and said, "Now this little fairy is coming back to reality. Going back to the dorm, changing clothes, eating, then heading to the library!"

Qiu Yu Chen sighed weakly: "You're still going to the library today? I have no energy."

Xia Nan: "I'm not going either, I'm exhausted."

Huan Huan: "I have to go, I haven't turned in the group assignment yet."

Du Ruo smiled: "Let's go together then."

Translated by evienRose

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RCJM Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Du Ruo walked into the boys' dorm, the dormitory auntie didn't stop her.

The corridor was a little dark, and the air was filled with the smell of male hormones, dry and slightly cool, which made her feel somewhat uneasy.

She took a breath and went up to the third floor under the slightly curious gazes of the oncoming boys.

As she walked down the corridor, she saw several girls in different dorm rooms holding various materials and preparing props for the sports meet.

The door of room 308 was open.

Li Wei and several boys from the class were sitting on the floor doing handicrafts. On the table and floor were piles of paint, drawing paper, sticks, ribbons, and golden paper.

The boys were arguing with each other:

"Red and green looks so ugly."

"Your combination is even more ugly, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. You think we’re making a rainbow wand?"

Du Ruo knocked on the door: “What's all the noise about?"

"Perfect timing! The wand, how do you want it? The materials are all here. Just tell us, and we'll make it for you."

"We’re just worried that you won't like our design."

"He wants to glue a bunch of gold streamers to the wand, which is very pompous."

"You're the pompous one, this is called shining and eye-catching!"

The boys started arguing again.

Listening to their respective opinions, Du Ruo found that her dear male classmates had strong practical skills in class and were excellent at experimental design. However, they had a mysterious misunderstanding of aesthetics when it came to the magic wand, either envisioning it as a Sailor Moon prop or something out of the world of Barbie Fairytopia.

Considering that she would be the one carrying the wand across the field, and embarrassment would fall on her, she said: "I’d better do it myself. You guys can focus on other things."

"Okay, sure." They still had to design the class banner and T-shirts.

Du Ruo bent down to choose materials.

The boys chatted while doing their crafts:

"How was Jing Ming’s game yesterday?"

"He made it to the finals."

"Obviously, anyone would guess that. How was the match?"

"He destroyed the opponent's robot in 20 seconds."

"Wow."

She became curious and asked Li Wei: "Has your Prime team been participating in competitions recently?"

"No. It's Jing Ming's individual competition."

"Oh." She didn't ask further.

There were many so people in the dorm there was no place to sit.

Li Wei said: "Du Ruo, you can go to my dorm. It's quieter."

The alarm rang in her mind: Li Wei was in the same dorm as the three boys in the next class.

He added: "My roommates have all gone out, so no one will disturb you. My desk is on the right side of the door."

She hesitated for a second, then took her materials and went to 307.

The lights were on in the room. No one was there.

Stacked bunk beds, towels, a basin, a plastic bottle stuffed with cigarette butts, clothes draped on a chair... It wasn't too messy.

There was a faint scent in the room. It was a mix of male body odour and laundry detergent. It was impossible to tell who it belonged to. But the smell of cigarettes should not belong to Jing Ming. In Du Ruo’s impression, he didn't seem to have the habit of smoking. He carried a very clean scent that could be smelled if you got close.

She put her things on the table to the right of the door.

Li Wei's desk was a mess, piled with books, scraps of paper, and notes. She cleared a little space, then scanned the other 3 beds, and recognised Jing Ming’s desk at a glance, located by the window next to Li Wei's.

It was obvious.

His base cabinet was filled with all kinds of expensive shoes, a Mac on the table, a set of headphones hanging, books and some mechanical models on the shelf, and a bunch of robots under the table.

A pair of ripped jeans and a black hoodie were draped over the bed. 

Just as she was about to sit down, she saw the computer on Jing Ming’s desk flicker – the computer was on, and it seemed like he would come at any time.

She thought about it and picked up her things to go to the next door to avoid embarrassment.

But suddenly, Jing Ming's voice came from outside: "You have nothing better to do?"

She was shocked. Before she could react, the door was pushed open. Jing Ming hung up his phone and walked in the door with a dark face. He suddenly stopped and stared at her in surprise. Half a second later, he glanced at her up and down again:

"What are you doing here?"

Caught off guard, she immediately said: "Li Wei asked me to come." After saying that, she placed her things on Li Wei's desk.

Jing Ming looked at her for a while, then raised the corners of his lips and smiled coldly: "Stay here."

He walked back to his desk, moved his clothes off the bed and put them into the cabinet. Then, he leaned against the stairs next to the bunk bed, getting something unknown. After a while, Du Ruo heard the sound of a machine running.

Turning around, a robot that looked like a tank was waving its little pincers and running towards her with determination.

Du Ruo was in a daze as the little robot ran to her feet, turned its two big Q eyes to look at her, then raised its little pincers, and hit her ankle with a “boom”.

After the attack, it turned around and ran away, quickly running behind Jing Ming’s feet and hiding.

Du Ruo: "…"

Jing Ming leaned against the stairs and asked: "Did that hurt?"

"It hurts!"

It was hard to believe that this robot was not weak.

"That's good," he said.

Du Ruo didn’t understand.

And he didn't explain. He seemed to be in a bad mood. He sat down, prepared to put on his headphones, but her attention was captured by the little robot. She was so curious that she asked uncomfortably: "Did you make that robot?"

"Hmm." He replied without looking back, not very enthusiastic.

The embarrassment couldn't suppress her curiosity, and she asked softly: "It walks very stably, but it has tracks, so it should be stable. Does a robot like that still need a gyroscope?"

He paused, his hand with the headphones halfway to his ears. He glanced at her, and said nonchalantly: "You probably haven't covered that part in your textbooks yet, right?"

"Oh. I learned about it after class." Her focus was still on the robot. "Is there a robot competition coming up?"

"Hmm." He hung the headphones around his neck, ran his hand through his hair, and slid a finger on his touchscreen computer.

Du Ruo nodded thoughtfully, planning to go back and look up the competition date and venue. 

Such a good opportunity must be experienced

Just as she was thinking about it, he turned his head and looked at her: "Do you want to see it?"

"Ah." She nodded.

He lifted his headphones off his neck, got up, walked to a classmate's desk, took out a ticket from the bookshelf, and handed it to her.

She was stunned, took it, and said: "Thank you."

The competition was scheduled after the sports meet. It was a VVIP ticket, no seat number.

"Arrive twenty minutes early and call me.”

"Oh."

Jing Ming returned to his desk, picked up his headphones again and put them on, ignoring his surroundings, as if she would disturb him to death.

She glanced at him. He was typing on the keyboard with his headphones on. The white light from the screen was reflected on his face, and his eyes were shining.

She suddenly felt like she was back in the Internet café.

She took a deep breath, put away the ticket, and calmly worked on her crafts.

Occasionally, she stole glances at the robot. It stayed at Jing Ming’s feet obediently and silently.

The little guy was really cute, she thought.

She also wanted to learn about robots. Mm, she'd go back and research more about it.

The two of them peacefully minded their own business. His keyboard rattled, while the coloured paper rustled on her side.

Suddenly, his phone rang, playing an English song on his bed, with a laid-back melody, but Du Ruo couldn't catch the lyrics clearly.

The phone kept ringing, but Jing Ming didn’t seem to hear it.

Du Ruo finally heard the lyrics clearly: "I’m listening to you."

The ringing stopped, and after ten seconds of silence, it started ringing again.

Jing Ming still didn't respond.

Haa, playing games with such high volume. Du Ruo called him: “Hey!”

No response.

She picked up a stick and tapped the stairs near his desk, and he looked at her with an indifferent expression, as if facing a stranger who approached him.

She pointed at the bed plank above his head.

Jing Ming took off his headphones, stood up and picked up his phone from the bed. After answering the call, he glanced at Du Ruo, slightly defensive. With others around, he didn't immediately start talking.

The girl on the other end spoke rapidly like pouring beans, making a clatter of noise.

With a calm tone, he said: "Are you done?"

After a few seconds, he said: "In the dormitory. What's the matter?"

"You'd rather play games than come out to see me! Don't make excuses that you're working on some kind of machine!" Du Ruo heard the accusation.

Jing Ming's face turned slightly blue and became a little ugly. He walked towards the balcony away from Du Ruo, as the other end followed up with another big complaint.

He closed the balcony door.

The ball of coloured thread on Du Ruo's desk fell to the ground. As she stood to pick it up, she saw Jing Ming's computer open with Protel running, designing a drawing.

So he wasn't playing games.

She returned to her seat feeling a little guilty, but on the balcony, the fighting escalated.

When Jing Ming spoke again, he was very impatient: "Fine. I’m so f*cking tired from arguing with you all day long."

Not sure what Min En Zhu said back but Jing Ming lost his temper: "Are you f*cking sick?"

"We’re over. Min En Zhu, this time it’s a clean break. Don't come here to beg me again!"

"Whoever gives in is a grandson!" [1] TL/N: 谁服软谁孙子!

"…" Du Ruo was shocked and frightened.

Was she witnessing a breakup?

Why was she still sitting here? She quickly packed her things to leave. Just as she got up, Jing Ming came back from the balcony with a dark face. He threw his phone on the table, sat down, didn’t even look at her and continued to work on his computer.

The headphones crackled.

Du Ruo slipped to the dormitory next door with her hair standing on end.

Half an hour later, she finished making the props and passed room 307 as she left and heard the phone ringing inside. Inadvertently glancing in, she saw the desk lamp and computer were both on, but Jing Ming wasn't there, and the phone kept ringing.

Walking out of the dormitory, she bumped into Min En Zhu, who was anxiously phone calling downstairs.

When she saw Du Ruo coming out of the building, she looked surprised. When they passed each other, she approached with some embarrassment and said: "Classmate..."

"Eh?"

"Can girls enter the boys' dormitory?"

"Normally, no, but during the week before the sports meet, it's allowed. Just these few days."

"Ah, thank you." Min En Zhu smiled with relief, and ran upstairs.

She had such a beautiful smile, Du Ruo thought. She was tall and slender, and she dressed well.

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but wonder, have they broken up?

This matter came to an end very quickly.

On the day of the sports meet, the weather was very good.

The autumn sky was high and blue, and the leaves around the track and field were half green and half yellow, brightly coloured.

The entrance ceremony of each class can be described as spectacular.

Some wore Republic of China uniforms, some were in ancient costumes, some were in Western court attire, some were wearing military uniforms and carrying rockets, and one class even created a steam train.

Du Ruo's class was the last to enter.

That morning, Xia Nan did her makeup and styling. At first, Du Ruo resisted, but Xia Nan said: "No matter what, you're the class flower. Don't let your class down."

Du Ruo then submitted.

After half an hour of fussing, all three roommates were surprised: "Xiao Cao, I just found out today that your facial features are quite nice, but your skin colour is usually too dark."

"My home is close to the tropics, and we have strong sunlight all year round."

"There is basically no sun in Beijing. You'll become fairer. …Oh, your collarbone looks so good."

Du Ruo was also taken aback when she was pushed in front of the mirror. The girl in the mirror was a bit pretty.

With makeup on, her hair styled, a white tea flower pinned in her braid, wearing a white dress and high heels, and the straps of the dress revealing her delicate shoulders and collarbone. She held a shiny and exquisite commanding wand and led the team to the stage.

She picked up the wand and gave various commands in turn, waving horizontally, raising it high, raising it above her head, turning the wand, raising both hands and spinning it.

The boys, one by one, row by row, followed her instructions, changing into various complicated formations, squatting, standing up, changing formations, crossing each other, doing mechanical dances, and doing robot movements.

The entire performance was innovative and joyful, and highly enjoyable to watch.

There was a round of applause on the stage. On the sports field, the students cheered enthusiastically, especially He Huan Huan and the others.

After her performance, Du Ruo put away her staff, and saw from the eyes of the audience that she performed successfully. She smiled confidently and brightly at her roommates, but her eyes met Jing Ming in the crowd. His class was also standing there.

His eyes met hers briefly before he looked away.

...

At the end of the opening ceremony, Du Ruo happily walked up the stands, just as Jing Ming came down from the upper level.

She held her breath slightly, and turned sideways to make room. When the two passed by, he seemed to be in a good mood and said:

"Your outfits’ not bad."

Du Ruo was stunned for a moment, while he had already walked down the stands and was far in the distance.

A gentle breeze rustled the treetops, and flowers blossomed in her heart. She walked briskly to the top of the stand and sat down.

The trees were dense, and their branches swayed with the wind.

The autumn sunlight shined on her in specks of light filtered through the green and yellow canopy.

She carefully gathered her skirt and couldn’t help but touch her collarbone, remembering the way her roommates had complimented her about how good they looked and how beautiful she looked today.

Not long after she sat down, Qiu Yu Chen came over and handed her a jacket: 

“Put it on quickly. Don’t catch a cold.”

"I'm not cold." Du Ruo said, holding the jacket in her arms.

"Alright, I’ll let you be beautiful for a while longer." Qiu Yu Chen touched her face, "Dear, you are so beautiful today! But remember to put on clothes later and don't freeze."

"I know."

Du Ruo sat high up and had an excellent view. She gazed at the central track where competitions were taking place, and unconsciously glanced at the stands of the next class. Someone was missing.

But soon, she spotted Jing Ming.

He walked over from the stage, changed out of the class's printed T-shirt and into a set of Adidas sportswear accentuating his fair skin and tall physique. His sunny figure attracted many eyes from the stands.

After taking a few steps, a girl caught up with him and the two of them went to the stands together.

Min En Zhu and him were wearing matching outfits.

The tall girl looked really good in sportswear—refreshing and neat.

Du Ruo fell silent for a moment and put on her jacket.

The autumn wind blew, and her exposed legs became freezing cold.

Translated by evienRose

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