Running in the summer is actually much more comfortable than in the winter.
In summer, it’s already hot and you sweat even without running, but after running, you can take a cool shower and feel refreshed; in winter, sweat makes you sticky and uncomfortable, and it’s even harder to take a shower.
Before you turn on the shower, you don’t want to, but once it’s on, you don’t want to stop.
Qin Guanglin was panting and jogging slowly, He Fang picked up a small twig from somewhere and occasionally tapped him with it, "Hurry up, you’re so slow."
"I’ve run so far, let’s rest for a bit."
"You’re not even walking as fast as that old lady, hurry up."
"Find me an old lady who walks that fast, will you?" Qin Guanglin wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave her a resentful look.
He thought it would just be a casual run, but they ended up running for nearly an hour without any breathers.
"You can’t even last as long as a girl," He Fang disdainfully tapped him again, "Isn’t that embarrassing?"
"..."
The word "lasting" stung a bit, Qin Guanglin wasn’t sure if Teacher He meant it on purpose, but he immediately dropped his near-death facade and energetically sprinted forward, even waving back, "Hurry, keep up with me."
"Why are you running so fast?" He Fang was displeased again, catching up in a few quick steps and tapping him again, "Even pace, do you know what that means? Are you racing?"
"My pace can remain constant, that’s also even." Qin Guanglin grumbled and slowed down, "Where are we running to?"
"For an hour."
Sweat was also dripping from He Fang’s forehead as she persisted, promising to keep up the pace without any ambiguity.
"I’ve never heard of time-based running, others run a few kilometers, but you directly say one hour..."
"I like it that way."
"Can we take it slower? Start with half an hour, then forty minutes after a few days, then an hour." Qin Guanglin looked at her somewhat pityingly, wondering why she had to prove herself.
"Nope, we’re doing it all at once." He Fang replied breathlessly, "You’ll get used to it after running a few more days."
A perfect relationship must have good habits and a fit body; lacking anything doesn’t qualify as perfect.
"So how are we getting back?"
"..." He Fang froze and slowly stopped, "Seems like we should start heading back?"
??
Qin Guanglin was puzzled, "Run back? Isn’t that almost another hour?!"
"It seems so..." He Fang looked back guiltily, "You should have reminded me when we reached the half-hour mark."
"..."
"..."
The two faced each other, Qin Guanglin sighed and sat down on the curb, "I’m dead tired; I can’t run anymore."
Sometimes even Teacher He could miscalculate; he was only focused on running for an hour and didn’t think about how they’d get back.
"Don’t sit down just after a run; it’s bad for your health." He Fang grabbed his arm and vigorously pulled him up, "Let’s walk slowly."
"Fine, we’ll walk back." Qin Guanglin supported himself to stand and turned back in the direction they came from, "You must be tired too, right?"
"Of course, I am."
"Who made you insist on running anyway? Running in the middle of summer, we could’ve just skipped it... or maybe found a gym, wouldn’t it be nice to walk on a treadmill with air conditioning?"
Qin Guanglin felt like he was just tagging along, as He Fang wanted to maintain her figure by proposing they run, and then he got dragged into it.
"That’s useless, running just makes you fatter." He Fang scoffed at the treadmill, "It’s better to walk or take the stairs, you need to keep it up, otherwise if one day you become fat, I’ll despise you."
"If you get fat, I certainly won’t despise you."
"I won’t get fat."
"Neither will I."
"Stop the nonsense; we’re running every day anyway." He Fang pouted, forgetting when he even started gaining weight, but she was taking early precautions.
"Let’s rest for a bit." Qin Guanglin quickly walked a few steps and sat down on a bench in the nearby plaza, "If you’re afraid of getting fat, why not dance like them every day? It’s quite good."
In the central spot of the small plaza, a group of older ladies were gathered dancing with folding fans, their moves quite enchanting; he imagined He Fang among them and couldn’t help but laugh, "I think that would work."
"I already told you I won’t get fat, I’m worried about you getting fat," He Fang laughed as she looked at the dancing, "Should I buy you a folding fan and you try dancing?"
"I’m not dancing."
Qin Guanglin leaned back in his chair and exhaled, looking up at the starry summer night sky, "We’re wasting such nice weather on running."
"What wouldn’t be a waste then?" He Fang looked up, agreeing the weather was indeed nice.
"Just sitting like this, looking up at the sky for an hour would be better than running." Qin Guanglin stretched his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, "We’ll take a car back later."
"We still have to walk back; it’s our first day running, we need to see it through to the end, don’t think about slacking." He Fang wrinkled her nose, swatting his arm, "Don’t hold me; you’re all sweaty and it stinks."
"Like you didn’t sweat."
Qin Guanglin didn’t care and still held her close, "Look, there are Altair and Vega, separated by the Milky Way, unable to meet. But us being able to sit together is already very fortunate, why bother running?"
"Which one is Altair? Which one is Vega?" He Fang asked, looking up.
"Uh... I don’t know, I just know they’re on opposite sides of the Milky Way."
"Pfft."
He Fang snorted softly, and quietly leaned on his shoulder, not speaking again.
Indeed, just being able to sit together was a happiness in itself.
This was something she once longed for, and now that it was really happening, she wanted even more.
Humans, always so greedy.
"What kind of life do you want?" She gazed at the sky for a while, then gently asked.