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Half an hour later, Hu Referee walked to Song Jixing with a smile on his face, holding the recorded surveillance footage.

"Miss Song Jixing, right? Could we have a talk? My surname is Hu. I'm from the Y City Marathon Association and am a referee for this competition," said a muscular man in his thirties.

Song Jixing nodded. She had expected there would be a time like this.

"Sure," she said.

Song Jixing followed the referee to a temporarily commandeered office in a nearby rest station and sat down. On the table there were several bottles of mineral water and a plate of chocolate nut bars.

"I asked Miss Song to come chat alone because I wanted to ask if you've had any related training before?" Hu Referee asked gently.

Marathon training? Of course she hadn't.

Song Jixing: "I haven't had any running training, but I learned martial arts for a period of time."

"Was it dancing or martial arts?"

"Martial arts." She had practiced swordplay in the cultivation world for hundreds of years, so that counted as martial arts.

Hu Referee hmm-ed a few times, his smile even brighter than before! So she was from a family of martial artists. That's understandable, understandable! Chinese martial arts are profound indeed and surely beneficial for running.

Hu Referee smiled and asked one last question, though it was somewhat impolite, but for the sake of fair competition he had to ask, "Miss Song, I have a question I must ask, though it's a bit rude. But for the fairness of the competition, I'd like to ask if you've taken any drugs before the race?"

"You mean stimulants?" Song Jixing's expression was frank. "No, I'm very healthy and haven't taken any drugs. I can cooperate with hospital examinations."

"Good, Miss Song! I believe you! You don't need to worry about your ranking, you are the deserving champion." As he spoke, Hu Referee took a badly wrinkled business card out of his pants pocket.

"Miss Song is very talented in long distance running. Has Miss Song ever considered participating in some major competitions, international events? To compete with athletes from various countries on their turf?" Hu Referee asked cordially.

The surveillance footage along the route was very comprehensive, capturing Song Jixing's entire half marathon, especially when a bunch of people were astonished to see Song Jixing stop for water for a few minutes midway. If Song Jixing hadn't stopped, would she have broken the world record today?

Of course, breaking world records in a competition at their level would not be officially recognized anyway.

After watching the footage at 5x speed, the referees unanimously agreed that Song Jixing was a genius marathoner.

Although there were suspicions she took stimulants, stimulants weren't all-powerful drugs that could enable someone untrained to break world records.

At international competitions, athletes were expressly prohibited from using stimulants. But some insidious and shameless countries would fabricate medical records for their athletes, passing off stimulants as therapeutic medicines.

Of course, even with drugs, some athletes still couldn't beat African competitors. They were just making a fool of themselves.

Even if Song Jixing did take drugs today, it didn't negate her talent for marathon racing. As long as she was led onto the right path, she could shine on the international stage.

This was also why Hu Referee specifically came to find Song Jixing.

Song Jixing smiled politely and made an excuse to decline, "Thank you, Hu Referee, but I'm still a student and haven't graduated yet. I don't plan to be an athlete."

Hu Referee couldn't help but sigh regretfully. "What work does Miss Song want to do after graduation?"

Song Jixing: "Acting!"

Only then did Hu Referee take a close look at Song Jixing's face - she really could be an actress.

But wasn't it too wasteful to send such a promising athletic talent into acting? There were countless good-looking people on TV, but a naturally gifted athlete like her could hardly be found among millions.

Hu Referee continued persuading, "Miss Song, being an athlete, there are only two or three competitions a year. International events are held only once every few years. Not only would it not interfere with your acting career, it could even help you gain fans!"

That was true in theory, but athletes trained every day when not competing instead of sitting at home waiting for the next event.

Hu Referee advised earnestly, but if not for her shifu and shijie at home, Song Jixing might have been swayed.

Competing just a couple times a year to support herself - what a dream life!

Unfortunately, she could not.

"I'm sorry, Hu Referee, but I've already signed with an entertainment company. I'm very satisfied being an actress and have no plans to take on other side jobs. Thank you for your kind offer!" Song Jixing stood and bowed.

"It's almost noon. I'm going to get some lunch and rest."

"Does Miss Song have time this afternoon? I could take you to the municipal sports bureau to have a look?"

"Thank you for your kindness, but I have other matters in the afternoon." She still had the full marathon to run in the afternoon.

"Well then..." Hu Referee slapped his thighs, full of regret. "Then at least let me walk you out!"

He just couldn't understand it. How could such a promising athletic talent only want to act? It was so frustrating!

"No need to trouble yourself, I can walk myself." Song Jixing declined.

"It's no trouble, I'll just walk you to the door!"

The two walked to the door together!

Song Jixing strode off briskly, leaving Hu Referee standing there watching her back, lamenting for a long time.

After a while, several middle-aged men gathered around.

"Old Hu, how did it go? Did she agree?"

Hu Referee shook his head.

"Why didn't she agree? What a good prospect! Did you explain it to her carefully?"

"I did!" Hu Referee was very helpless. "She said she doesn't want to be an athlete and wants to be a celebrity instead. She even said she signed with an acting company. What more could I say to persuade her?"

"Ah, kids these days! Why do they all want to be big stars?"

The middle-aged men lamented helplessly.

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

The afternoon competition started quite late. Song Jixing had just casually ordered some lunch at a roadside restaurant before coming over to compete.

There were clearly fewer athletes in the afternoon than the morning. Marathon running wasn't something you could just do if you felt like it - it required exceptional endurance.

Many who finished the half marathon in the morning didn't have the strength to run the full marathon in the afternoon, let alone those who had never run long distances before.

Song Jixing looked over the crowd and noticed the African athletes mixed in had been swapped for different people.

She silently tightened her shoelaces and calculated what time the race would finish. After running, she could conveniently buy some groceries on the way home to make dinner.

With the whistle sounding again, Song Jixing rushed out with the crowd.

Hu Referee, who happened to be passing by, saw a familiar figure in the crowd and was suddenly stunned. Wasn't that Song Jixing?

Why was she running the full marathon too?