Chapter 353: Childhood Friends Must Be Cultivated from a Young Age (36)

Li Li did not join the track and field club; he chose the basketball club. He used to run and exercise frequently at school, so he had a certain advantage in endurance and physical strength over most people.

He felt very confident, not for any other reason but because he was a main player on the basketball team and had won awards in previous events, giving him an eighty percent certainty of winning this race.

Unlike others, he didn’t choose to pace himself at the start. Instead, he directly surpassed most competitors and held steady in second place.

The first place runner was a muscular guy who seemed to enjoy the limelight too much and overexerted himself. By the time they reached 500 meters, he was already struggling.

Li Li smirked and easily overtook him.

Cheers erupted from the stands, and the excited expressions of the girls moved him.

Although Li Li was also handsome, he didn’t narcissistically think the girls were cheering for him, so the only explanation was…

He looked back and was slightly surprised to see An Ziyu closely following behind, maintaining a not-too-close but not-too-far distance.

Li Li felt a bit tense but didn’t panic. He adjusted his breathing and slightly increased his speed.

An Ziyu didn’t catch up.

Li Li breathed a sigh of relief and thought of Jiang Luoluo, a faint smile appearing on his face.

When the girls’ screams erupted again, he knew An Ziyu had caught up again. He couldn’t help but look back and find that the distance between them had shortened even more.

They had already run 900 meters. Li Li’s heart tightened. He knew An Ziyu had won the 100-meter race, but with such a short interval, it was impressive that An Ziyu could still keep up with him.

By the time they reached 1,200 meters, Li Li noticed that An Ziyu was still closely following him, not falling behind by a single step.

His breathing faltered for a moment, but with victory in sight, he steadied his mind and quickened his pace.

The cheers and screams from the crowd continued nonstop.

At 1,300 meters, Li Li started to panic. He could feel An Ziyu closing the gap again, causing him to grit his teeth and speed up even more.

By 1,400 meters, An Ziyu had caught up and was running alongside Li Li.

Li Li’s heart was in turmoil. He felt like his rhythm was being deliberately disrupted by An Ziyu. He also started to feel his energy waning. But with the finish line so close, he couldn’t give up. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself forward with all his might.

The two figures sprinted at high speed, with the girls’ cheers growing louder and louder as they competed fiercely, overtaking each other.

Cold sweat appeared on Li Li’s forehead. His chest felt like it had a lead weight in it, and his breathing became increasingly labored. He glanced sideways and saw that An Ziyu’s breathing was even more steady than his own.

Sensing Li Li’s gaze, An Ziyu slightly lifted the corners of his lips, revealing a faint smile with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

Before Li Li could ponder the meaning, An Ziyu had already overtaken him.

There were only 20 meters left to the finish line.