Chapter 064: Zhang Half-Wall

Zhang Tan narrowly outran Xu Weidong, who had been showing off in front of him for four and a half laps, breaking Shuangdun Middle School’s one-thousand-meter record with a time of 3 minutes and 14 seconds. This victory earned Class 5 of the first year fourteen points at once, raising their total from 18 to 32, propelling them to second place in the rankings.

“In the afternoon there’s still the five-thousand-meter. Grit your teeth, try to break another record!”

Victorious, Zhang Tan enjoyed the treatment reserved for heroes; nearly all the girls in his class gathered around to congratulate him. In stark contrast, Zhu Ran, who hadn’t placed, stood off to the side with only two or three people for company—a difference that naturally swelled Zhang Tan’s sense of pride.

“I never expected to feel vanity because of the admiration of a group of high schoolers. How shameful, I’m really letting my guard down.”

Though his face was red on the surface, inside, he was secretly delighted.

Winning the soccer championship had removed the thorn of regret in his heart, but this victory in the thousand meters was an unexpected joy.

And joy did not end there.

At three o’clock that afternoon, the five-thousand-meter race began.

Not many had signed up, just over a dozen, so everyone was placed in a single group—no heats or finals; this was it. A thousand meters was five laps, so five thousand meant twenty-five laps, requiring at least twenty or thirty minutes of running. But after his rebirth, Zhang Tan exercised diligently—even ten thousand meters wouldn’t be a problem for him.

The five-thousand-meter was a test of endurance, no longer just a contest of speed—maintaining a steady rhythm was key.

Most of the students, who likely didn’t run much in daily life, weren’t remotely his match. In the first five laps, Zhang Tan stayed outside the top three, pacing himself. By the sixth lap, others began to fall behind, and cheers from the sidelines did nothing to help them. Zhang Tan, however, kept his pace, overtaking one runner after another until, after several laps, he was in first place.

Over the remaining dozen laps, he lapped the last few competitors again and again.

As the final lap approached and the judge raised the finishing tape, Zhang Tan, cheered on by his entire class, took a bottle of mineral water, splashed it over his head, and, taking heavy steps, crossed the line.

His time: 21 minutes and 44 seconds—another school record broken.

Another fourteen points for Class 5.

This result might not be much in other schools, but at Shuangdun Middle School, it was a remarkable achievement, rivaling even the best times of sports-focused students in the second and third years. In a rural school, few students devote time to running; even if they’re physically fit, their talent is rarely developed.

To Zhang Tan, breaking records was only natural.

But in the eyes of his classmates, he was a legend. Two events, twenty-eight points—almost half the class’s total.

Even their homeroom teacher, Yu Na, came over to congratulate him.

It was clear how renowned Zhang Tan had become in his class—and his championships in both the one-thousand and five-thousand meters quickly spread among the first-year students.

“Zhang Tan from Class 5 broke two records!”

“He’s talented both in the arts and athletics.”

“Zhang Tan from Class 5 is amazing—so versatile.”

“Who’d have thought? He’s not tall or built, but he’s so strong.”

“If it weren’t for Zhang Tan, Class 5 would’ve lost half its standing!”

Zhang Tan instantly became the most talked-about figure at the school sports meet.

And after the competition, how did Zhang Tan spend his time?

He was busy writing the long martial arts novel “The Four Great Constables Meet in the Capital,” composing melodies for “The Complete Collection of Zhang’s Lyrics,” practicing guitar techniques, pondering whether he could skip class this month for a trip to Hefei, and keeping an eye on how his friends and the girls in his class were doing in their events...

He never cared whether he was in the spotlight.

But some “headlines” are inevitable. If not for Zhang Tan and his record-breaking performances, Class 5 would have been devastated in this sports meet.

Mention Zhang Tan, and his classmates would nod: “That’s right. Zhang Tan is the backbone of Class 5!”

And so “Zhang the Half,” as he came to be known, established an aura of high achievement during his first year.

Of course, “Zhang the Half”—or “Wang the Half,” as they sometimes joked—wasn’t always invincible.

On the third day of the sports meet, the four-by-one-hundred relay saw Class 5 lose the championship, settling for third place and only one point. When the overall results were tallied, with Zhang Tan’s twenty-eight points as well as Zhu Ran’s second place in the hundred meters, first in the two hundred, Zhou Yuxi’s long jump gold, Li Jianjun’s high jump victory, and Sun Lulu’s shot put championship, Class 5 ultimately finished second in the grade.

First place went to Xu Weidong’s Class 6, whose strength was formidable, especially their girls—tough and dominant, sweeping the field.

“Detective, your class just couldn’t cut it.” After the meet, Xu Weidong trotted up to Zhang Tan, gloating, seeking revenge for his loss in the thousand meters.

Zhang Tan waved him off disdainfully as if shooing a fly. “Relying on girls to win? That’s nothing to brag about.”

“Girls are part of our strength, too. If your class’s girls aren’t up to it, who’s to blame?”

“Our girls have other strengths—not in sports,” grumbled Cao Yuchuan unhappily. He was hopeless at athletics, having signed up for the long jump only to finish with a miserable result. He’d been depressed for two days and still hadn’t recovered.

Xu Weidong rolled his eyes. “What does it matter to you how good your class’s girls are? Has it got anything to do with you?”

This was a thinly veiled jab at Cao Yuchuan’s looks—his big cheeks made him unattractive.

Cao Yuchuan got the message and was too upset to respond. Though he considered himself decent-looking, he knew deep down that he really wasn’t. His appearance had always been a source of insecurity. Every mention of it reopened the wound.

Zhang Tan patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t lose heart. There are girls out there with unusual tastes, you know.”

Cao Yuchuan opened his mouth, glared at Zhang Tan and Xu Weidong, then turned away, staring up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

He wanted to say that talent and beauty were the most important things, but then he remembered that, compared to Zhang Tan’s talent, he didn’t have the slightest bit. His grades were mediocre, he was a substitute in soccer, he couldn’t write novels—not even love letters—he couldn’t carry a tune, and in the long jump he’d finished dead last in the preliminaries.

He was the very model of a failure. The more he thought about it, the sadder he became—his wounds bleeding afresh, unstoppable.

After chatting a bit more, Xu Weidong walked off with his classmates.

Cao Yuchuan was still downcast.

Zhang Tan tried to comfort him again. “Don’t get discouraged. At least Liu Luyao and Zhou Chengcheng from Class 2 come to see you every day, don’t they?”

“Detective, please stop teasing me. Who would like me? Those two girls come to see you, not me.” Cao Yuchuan kept gazing at the sky, his voice heavy with sorrow. “I’ve just been fooling myself… But I really like Zhou Chengcheng now, Detective, so you’d better not compete with me.”

“Haha, there’s nothing to compete for. I’m all for refusing early romances, starting with myself.”

Cao Yuchuan stuck out his neck. “What’s wrong with young love? There’s no right or wrong in youth!”

“At the very least, someone has to be willing to date you… But you’re right, there’s no right or wrong in youth. If you want something, go for it. Whether you regret it or not, at least ten or twenty years down the road, you’ll have a brilliant memory.”

With that, Zhang Tan stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled forward. “Go for it, my friend. I’ll help you. When you finally win Zhou Chengcheng’s heart, I’ll make a movie for you—‘Those Years We Chased After the Same Girl’…”

Cao Yuchuan hurried after him. “Just promise, don’t compete with me.”