23 FIELD TRIP (3)

The first game was just a game of relay. Being young and agile, Xue Guangxi, Kang Sola, and Chen Lingtian faced no problem in winning it.

"Yehey!!!" The boy jumped and jumped in glee. He threw his arms in the air as he jumped.

"Yes!" Xue Guangxi did an inward punch by his side with his fist for the win. Then, he raised one hand and did a high-five with his nephew.

"You two did great." Kang Sola smiled warmly. She decided to set her personal matter with the young man for later. She gave them both a well-deserved tap on the back, literally.

"You too." Xue Guangxi retorted, with equal enthusiasm in his voice. He reached out his hand to her but retrieved it at the last minute. "Okay! We're off to a great start!"

To note, Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi were younger compared to most guardians who were the students' parents.

Although already in their mid-twenties, the youthful energy had still been strong and kicking in their system.

Moreover, being both single and still not pulled down by responsibilities and pressure of having a family and rearing kids, they still own their original optimism and thirst to win these childish games.

Or, perhaps they were simply competitive.

Maybe it was the latter.

The next game was a three-legged race. This time, the little girl, Chen Lihua, teamed up with Xue Guangxi and Kang Sola partnered with Xiao Lingtian.

At the leftmost side, Xue Guangxi stood, his right leg tied to Xiao Lihua's left leg at the ankles.

Likewise, Kang Sola's right leg was tied to Chen Lingtian's left.

Both adults held onto the child's hand tightly. The fire to win ignited inside the participants as they waited for the referee's go signal.

…And the race began.

Around ten teams were participating in total. All the participants scurried on their feet and started each walking.

At first, slowly.

One step.

Two steps.

Before they knew it, most participants have at least reached a third of the race's length. Xue Guangxi and Chen Lihua led by a significant distance.

All seemed going well when suddenly, Kang Sola felt a solid, strong bump hit her shoulder and threw her forward. The intensity forced her to take more impulsive steps which dragged the poor boy with her and onto the ground.

Instinctively, she raised her hand which held the boy's in a tight clasp. That movement saved him from diving headfirst onto the ground. However, as she did so, her left knee bent and scraped against the dusty, abrasive ground when she took a step which was supposed to stabilize her.

Her body dipped, as was her knee, but in the end, she managed not to fall on the ground. Keeping her and the boy's hand as high as she could muster, eyes fully set on the ground and presence of mind winning over, she halted into a stop, heavily panting. She lurched her body forward towards the boy who was as aghast as her.

"Xiao Lingtian, are you okay? Are you hurt, honey?" She ran her hands up and down his arms and back. She wiped the beads of sweat on the boy's forehead with her handkerchief, then glanced at the backs of the participants that went passed them.

"Aunty, you're bleeding!" Eyes almost popping out from its sockets, Chen Lingtian pointed his chubby hand and index finger onto Kang Sola's injured left knee.

"I'm fine, Xiao Lingtian. How about you? Are you hurt anywhere?" She pressed, her lips pursed into a tight line and horizontal lines invaded her forehead.

The boy shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

This time the boy nodded. "Aunty, your knee…"

Kang Sola untied their legs, freeing them both. Then, not letting go of the boy's hand, she limped her way back onto the grandstand near the bleachers.

Some of the medics rushed onto her, but she raised her hand as a signal that they should stay where they were.

At the grandstand, the medics treated her wound and put a clean bandage on it.

"Aunty…" The little boy clung to her side. "Does it hurt a lot, Aunty?"

She tried to smile amidst the pain. "It stings, but it doesn't hurt that much." She lightly squeezed his cheeks with her fingers while her palm cupped his chin. "Hehehe."

The boy couldn't take his eyes from the white bandage.

As expected, Xue Guangxi and Chen Lihua won the race.

When he turned around him, victory clear on his grinning face, he looked for Kang Sola and his nephew.

However, they were nowhere to be found.

Knowing that he's looking for her, Kang Sola waved her hand in the air from the grandstand. Finally, Xue Guangxi saw it and somehow deduced what happened in his mind.

As soon as his legs were free from the constraint, he fetched Chen Lihua in a haste with one smooth swoop, then ran wildly towards the grandstand.

"Uncle, what is it? Why are you in a hurry?" There was panic in her voice.

"I think, Xiao Lihua, your aunt is hurt."

"Hurt?" The little girl croaked and secured herself well by wrapping her arms around Xue Guangxi's neck.

When he reached the grandstand, he went from a sprint into a halt.

Lo and behold, he found Kang Sola smiling and getting cozy with some guy he did not know – a stranger.

The guy offered her some snacks and apple juice which she graciously declined, but he insisted. Xue Guangxi watched as the little commotion unfolded right before him. His hold around Chen Lihua tightened without him noticing it.

"Uncle? Why did we stop?" The little girl did not see what the young man observed since she was facing the other way. When she's about to turn her head in the same direction, Xue Guangxi coaxed her to lie her head on his shoulder.

"I am really sorry, Miss. It's my fault." Xue Guangxi heard the stranger said. "I was in a hurry and miscalculated the distance."

"It's okay. It's just a minor scrape."

"So…" Xue Guangxi butted in. "Her injury is your doing?"

"Guangxi." Kang Sola frowned. She placed one hand on his forearm to stop him from whatever trouble he's planning to whip.

"Taking his side, huh?" He shot her a sharp glance.

"I'm really sorry." The man bowed in apology. Then he went away with his kid.