Free Web NovelChapter 260: Chapter 260: Running a Marathon with a Panda
And so, it was decided. It wouldn’t be too much trouble for Hah’Er; he would just need to stand by the starting line and strike the gong. This was what made the Yunzhong City Marathon unique—no one dared to give a panda a gun, not even a starter pistol. So, the organizing committee changed the rule from starting with a gunshot to starting with the strike of a gong. Besides, a marathon is 42.195 kilometers long, so a one-second difference at the start hardly matters.
Qin Qing had told Shen Yibin all of this, and Shen Yibin had no objections. He just reminded Qin Qing not to forget to register him and Xu Ye for the race.
"Okay, send me both of your ID numbers, and I’ll get you registered. Once it’s done, I’ll drop off your race bibs when I’m in the area." After saying this, Qin Qing got up to leave. The race was just around the corner, and he had a lot to take care of.
’The race is starting soon. Maybe I should change up my training regimen?’ Shen Yibin began to wonder if he could negotiate with Shi Gaofei to cut back on the training sessions where he got his butt kicked, and instead use that time to run laps around the lake.
Once he had the idea, he put it into action. When it came time for their afternoon exercise, Shen Yibin took Shi Gaofei and started jogging around the park’s lake. After three laps, Shi Gaofei glanced back, seemingly surprised that he hadn’t stopped yet. But since Shen Yibin kept running, he naturally didn’t stop either. And so, they ran a total of six laps before finally taking a break.
After resting, Shen Yibin wanted to head straight back to the store, but Shi Gaofei blocked his path, glaring at him intently. He clearly had no intention of giving up his chance to beat the stuffing out of Shen Yibin. Utterly dejected, Shen Yibin had no choice but to put on his protective gear and endure Shi Gaofei’s relentless storm of attacks. The six-lap run had already drained much of his stamina, so there was no way he could keep up with Shi Gaofei’s pace this time. If it hadn’t been for the protective suit, Shen Yibin would have definitely been injured. freewēbnoveℓ.com
And while Shen Yibin was getting his butt kicked, Hah’Er was leisurely playing with his skateboard off to the side, occasionally grunting at Shi Gaofei as if to urge him to hurry up and come pull him along.
And just like that, thanks to a moment of utter idiocy on Shen Yibin’s part, his twice-daily training regimen effectively doubled, adding up to the equivalent of running almost two half-marathons every day.
Meanwhile, Sun Qian also received an invitation from the organizing committee to sing at the marathon’s opening ceremony. The song, of course, would be the same Yunzhong folk song she had performed in the promotional video. Sun Qian didn’t refuse. For one, she genuinely liked the song, and for another, the organizing committee was paying. ’It’s not easy feeding a picky eater like Cheeky,’ she thought. ’I need to grab this chance to earn some more fruit money for him.’
As the race day drew near, the number of tourists in Yunzhong City skyrocketed. Even Shen Yibin’s shop saw an influx of foreigners. They weren’t there to buy pets, of course, but had come specifically to see Hah’Er. After all, the theme of this year’s marathon was "Run a Marathon with a Panda." Hah’Er’s picture was everywhere—on billboards across Yunzhong City, in the athletes’ hotels, at airport exits... It didn’t take much asking around for them to find Shen Yibin’s store.
"Panda! Lovely Panda!" The foreigners squealed in delight as they watched Hah’Er lazing around in the bamboo grove. They would then whip out their selfie sticks to get themselves and Hah’Er in the frame, capturing a rare memento.
Hah’Er looked completely disgusted. ’They’re foreigners, sure, but Sylvie is never this rowdy.’ So he simply turned around, showing the foreigners his backside, and flopped down in the bamboo grove to snore. ’Mhm, I’ll take a nap first, then go to the park to skateboard later.’
"Boss, boss! Are you looking for volunteers? I don’t need a salary, I just want to be able to see the Panda every day!" a few female athletes asked, running up to Shen Yibin.
"Sorry, my shop requires fluency in Mandarin. Can you sing Jay Chou’s songs? If you can fluently rap ’Nunchucks,’ then we can discuss other things," Shen Yibin replied in broken English. ’And after they learn that, they’ll have to recite ’The Ode to the Luo River Goddess.’ I refuse to believe they can handle that.’
"So I just need to know Mandarin? I’ll go back and study hard, I promise!" the young woman replied, her eyes sparkling. Judging by her expression, she would probably run straight to a bookstore for a Chinese-English dictionary the moment she left. Such was the great charm of the Panda! frёewebηovel.cѳm
After a few bustling days, the day of the marathon finally arrived. Qin Qing drove over early in the morning to pick up Shen Yibin, Sun Qian, and Hah’Er. As for Shi Gaofei, Shen Yibin couldn’t bear to leave him home alone, so he brought him along too. He shoved the dog leash into Hah’Er’s paws, hoping the panda could keep an eye on Shi Gaofei and make sure he didn’t cause any trouble.
Shen Yibin was dressed in professional gear today. He wore a pair of specialized ASICS marathon running shoes and a headband to keep sweat from getting into his eyes. He was also wearing a tracksuit printed with the Yunzhong City Marathon logo. Hah’Er, meanwhile, was still clutching his beloved skateboard, dressed in a matching tracksuit of the same style.
After arriving at the venue and waiting for a short while, Mayor Wang finished his speech. Sun Qian and Hah’Er then went on stage to perform the wildly popular Yunzhong folk song. Hah’Er’s endearingly clumsy dance drew thunderous applause from the athletes and audience alike. Countless people whipped out their phones and cameras to capture the rare sight and share it on social media. Following the buzz from Sylvie’s promotional work, Hah’Er was once again in the global spotlight, seen by netizens all over the world.
"Alright, Mr. Shen, have Hah’Er come over here. He’ll hold this mallet, and when I give the signal, have him strike the gong to start the race." Qin Qing led Shen Yibin and Hah’Er over to a giant bronze gong. The professional division was about to start; the amateur division would set off in half an hour.
It really was the Panda acting as the official starter! The sight made the athletes momentarily forget to prepare for the race. Some of them were still standing there, motionless, even after the gong sounded. ’It looks like there won’t be any good records set at the Yunzhong City Marathon this year,’ Shen Yibin thought with a sigh. ’And it’s all Hah’Er’s fault.’
As the professional athletes gradually disappeared into the distance, Shen Yibin and Xu Ye took their places at the starting line. He turned to Sun Qian, who was cheering for him on the sidelines, and said, "I’ll leave Hah’Er in your care for a while." Sun Qian nodded to show she understood.
Hah’Er struck the starting gong again. Shen Yibin and Xu Ye set off at the same time, running forward shoulder-to-shoulder. They hadn’t gone far, however, when a familiar sound came from behind. Shen Yibin couldn’t resist looking back, only to see Hah’Er standing on his skateboard, being pulled along by Shi Gaofei at top speed. They were about to overtake him.
’What the hell, Hah’Er! That’s cheating!’
