"She's gone now, doesn't that mean she doesn't want to run? She said she had family matters, but that's clearly just an excuse."
"Exactly, rich people love to lie, and their excuses sound so high-minded."
"..."
Everyone chimed in, accusing Mianmian of running away and being selfish for not considering the collective honor.
"Who said I'm gone? Can't I leave for a moment because of family matters? Xiao Guo, here's your brown sugar water and hot water bottle, use it quickly." Mianmian walked in with a smile, her beautiful eyes sweeping coldly over the girls who had been speaking. She returned to her seat and handed the items to Xiao Guo.
Seeing Mianmian arrive, Qian Xiao Guo immediately perked up and said loudly, "Some people are just dark-minded, always thinking the worst of others. It just shows that such people are psychologically unhealthy. Our Mianmian is not an irresponsible person! Nor is she someone who disregards collective honor!"
Mianmian chuckled and said, "Since everyone is so eager to bring glory to the class, why don't I switch projects with you? Such a good opportunity, I'd feel guilty if I kept it to myself. Who wants to switch with me?"
The faces of several girls turned pale and green, and no one spoke.
"That's not right. When I came in, I heard you all speaking so confidently about collective honor and bringing glory to the class. Now that I'm offering to give you the opportunity, I believe you'll do even better than me, running faster for the class's honor."
"Exactly, no more empty talk. Let's do something practical. If you don't want to switch, I can only assume you don't care about the class honor at all and were just trying to slander a classmate," Qian Xiao Guo chimed in angrily.
"We of course didn't mean that. Jiang Mianmian is so slender, she must be fast, so she's the right choice."
"Then you're mistaken. I've had poor health since childhood and have undergone two major surgeries. I've never participated in sports meets and only agreed to this one out of desperation for Xiao Guo. For our class's honor and performance, you should switch with me. You wouldn't be so disregardful of the class honor, would you? No, right!" Mianmian looked at the girls who had been speaking with a look of feigned shock.
After all, they were only first-year students. The girls were so flustered by her words that they stammered, unable to speak.
"They would! They morally blackmail others with their high-sounding words! But when it comes to themselves, they become cowards!" Qian Xiao Guo also shouted angrily.
"Morality is for self-restraint, not for binding others!" Mianmian said and stopped paying attention to the group.
However, Qian Xiao Guo became worried, "Mianmian, have you really had two surgeries? Then I'll run. I can't let you take the risk."
"It's alright, my body has long since recovered. I had surgery when I was young, and I've recovered well since then. I also want to test my stamina," Mianmian comforted her.
In fact, Uncle Jin had always advised her not to participate in strenuous exercise for fear of adverse effects on her health. Even though she had recovered well, she had undergone two major surgeries and needed to be cautious.
But Mianmian wanted to try, to see if her body was the same as a normal person's.
After resting, the students returned to the sports field. The long-distance race was scheduled to start at 5 PM, when the sun was not too strong, so the teacher had deliberately arranged it for that time.
Therefore, Mianmian helped other students by handing out water and towels and cheering them on.