HLM – Chapter 1027 Make Sure to Pass It Steady

There wasn’t much to see at an elementary school sports day—most of the kids were of average fitness, and there weren’t any thrilling competitions.

Still, participating was fun, and the atmosphere was lively.

The events were divided by grade: first to third grade formed one group, while fourth grade and above formed another.

Dale was in the lower-grade girls’ group. She had a crushing advantage. Eva had tied her hair into a ponytail, which swayed as she ran, and she shot ahead like a streak of lightning.

Wang Bo waited at the finish line and high-fived her in celebration as she ran past.

Another little girl was lagging behind. Realizing she was about to lose, she flopped onto the track and began crying while rolling around.

A teacher ran over and picked her up, but the child’s parents didn’t feel embarrassed—they laughed along with the spectators.

Next was the girls’ 800-meter run—a long-distance race for the lower grades. Wang Bo thought 800 meters was quite far for these little girls.

However, the parents had no objections, believing that children were naturally meant to be active. Eight hundred meters was a bit long, but it was good for building endurance and resilience, so they encouraged their children to participate.

Dale also joined this race. Having already placed first in the 100-meter sprint and the long jump, she had become a tiny celebrity, attracting a lot of attention.

Because of her cuteness and charm, many boys ran over to cheer for her. Wang Bo watched with amusement.

Unsurprisingly, she took an absolute lead from the start, quickly pulling half a lap ahead of the second-place runner.

“She’s like the wind,” Principal Grand laughed heartily.

Then something unexpected happened. After running for a while, Dale was about to lap the last-place runner. The girl was short but ran with determination, showing strong willpower.

Seeing her about to be lapped, she gritted her teeth and sped up—but in doing so, she lost her balance and tripped.

Dale reached her side and, without hesitation, stopped to help her up before continuing to run.

From the stands, people applauded, and someone shouted loudly: “Excellent! That’s the spirit of a knight! Dale is truly an outstanding young knight!”

The fallen girl’s condition worsened; she seemed to have sprained her ankle, her face full of pain.

A teacher went to help her off the track, but she stubbornly shook her head and hopped forward on one leg.

After helping her up, Dale ran again, covering more than fifty meters in a short time.

Hearing the spectators’ discussion, she glanced back. Seeing the girl still trying to run, she stopped and hesitated, looking between the girl behind and the finish line ahead.

After four or five seconds of hesitation, she swung her ponytail and ran back, supporting the girl by the arm and helping her run forward.

Seeing this, Wang Bo and Eva immediately stood up, raising their hands and applauding. Many parents also stood, the applause growing more intense than ever.

The second-place girl came from behind, lifted the injured girl from the other side, and together they crossed the finish line.

Dale high-fived her new friend and separated. When she returned to Eva, she expressed her true feelings, saying in frustration: “I lost a championship.”

After saying this, tears welled up in her eyes.

Eva hugged her gently and smiled: “Dale, you’ve won another championship. You just defeated a selfish, proud version of yourself. This victory is more important than winning a hundred championships on the track.”

“Really?” Dale asked.

Eva stroked her ponytail: “Yes, my dear. Later, you’ll understand that in life, you have to fight many battles with yourself. Victories over yourself are more worth being proud of than victories over others.”

Having lost one championship, Dale didn’t want to lose another. The next event was the relay, which she wasn’t confident about.

The relay didn’t rely on a single person—it depended on teamwork. Seeing her worry, Wang Bo went over to give her some advice:

“You run the last leg. When you receive the baton, you should already be in full sprint. Don’t wait here for your teammate—go ahead and run with her. When you get the baton here, your speed will be higher.”

“So, under these circumstances, remember—make sure to pass it steady! Absolutely, absolutely make sure to pass it steady. It’s hard, but you can do it. I have faith in you, Dale. If you do this, you will definitely win the championship!”

Dale looked confused: “Wh-why do I have to do this?”

“Because it saves time! Trust me, running like this will surely win. Your teacher here is an athlete!” Wang Bo patted her shoulder.

Dale nodded with difficulty: “Okay… luckily the third-leg runner, Anlia, likes me.”

The relay began. As a second grader, her speed was slower than the third graders. Her teammates in the first and second legs fell slightly behind, though the gap wasn’t large.

When the third-leg runner approached, Dale waited behind the starting line. As soon as the runner got close, she began running with her. Wang Bo shouted: “Run like this, but make sure to pass it steady!”

Hearing this, Dale’s face showed determination. While running, she hugged the third-leg girl and pouted, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Wang Bo’s shout stopped abruptly. The applause and cheers from the stands fell silent…

“What’s going on?” someone asked in shock.

“Oh my, are these kids showing their love at the sports day?”

“Don’t overthink it. It’s just innocent friendship. ‘Pass it steady’ has nothing to do with kissing.”

The third-leg girl froze as she was kissed, and Dale anxiously shouted: “Keep running, Anlia! Hurry to the finish line and give me the baton!”

The girl blinked blankly, then hurried forward and handed the baton to Dale.

Dale took the baton and ran as hard as she could. However, the earlier pause by the third-leg girl had wasted time, and their team was already behind.

Even though Dale ran very fast, they still didn’t win, ultimately finishing second.

Having lost another championship, Dale felt like crying. She shouted at Wang Bo: “You said kissing would win the championship?!”

Wang Bo said: “Ye-yes, passing steady can win, but why did you kiss her?”

“You told me to kiss her!” Dale shouted angrily. “It’s your fault! You tricked me! You said it would win!”

Eva sighed beside them: “It’s Joint-stability, not ‘kiss’. ‘Pass it steady’ doesn’t mean kissing.”

Dale froze, looking around. Almost everyone was giggling, and some kids were shouting: “Dale kissed a girl!”

Wang Bo said: “From now on, I’ll try to speak to you in English.”

Dale opened her mouth and bawled loudly.

Not only had she lost the championship, she had also lost face—a blow she simply couldn’t accept.