After Self-Discipline Made Me Unstoppable, My Ex-Girlfriend Regretted It in Tears - Chapter 4:

Chapter 4: What Expert? Just a Rookie!

Century Park in Jiangdong was known as the holy ground for running in Magic Capital for a reason.

The running track that circled the park was exactly 5 km per lap, making it perfect for training.

At Gate No. 3, there was even a convenient running service center.

Runners could store their belongings, change clothes, and charge devices for free. After finishing, they could also scan a code to use the shared shower facilities.

Moreover, after the park walls had been removed, runners could enjoy the fresh air of this urban green lung while taking in the scenery of lush leaves and blooming flowers along the way.

Running here was both comfortable and relaxing.

Professional and amateur runners alike gathered here.

No matter the time of day, countless figures could be seen running, pouring out sweat and passion.

At this moment, a man and a woman wearing vests labeled “Dongchang Club” were running side by side on the red track.

“Xiao Xia, the further you go, the more you need to control your breathing. Follow my rhythm, breathe like this—huff, huff, huff!”

He Jiagui kept stealing glances at the beautiful face beside him.

His gaze couldn’t help but drift downward, landing on the proud curves pressing against her sports vest.

But he quickly pulled his eyes back, pretending to be serious as he continued instructing.

Xia Zixin had noticed his gaze long ago, but she didn’t mind. Instead, she felt secretly pleased.

If it weren’t to show off her figure, why would she wear such tight yoga pants and a sports bra for running?

The loose club vest she wore on top was merely for appearance.

Of course, she couldn’t say much at the moment. She was already exhausted.

Her body, which rarely exercised, was drenched in sweat after running nearly 5 km. Her breathing came in soft, rapid gasps.

“Just hang on a bit longer, only 200–300 meters left.”

As the coach assigned by the club, He Jiagui kept encouraging her in a gentle tone.

Just as he spoke, a gust of wind suddenly swept past them!

“What the hell? Who’s that? So fierce?”

He Jiagui turned his head to look.

A figure rushed past them like a roaring truck, charging forward.

“He’s… he’s so fast! Coach He, is that handsome guy… is he one of those legendary experts?”

Even speaking was difficult for Xia Zixin, but she still asked excitedly.

Hearing the girl he liked praise another man, He Jiagui immediately felt a pang of jealousy.

“What expert? He’s just a rookie!” He Jiagui scoffed.

“A rookie?”

“A complete rookie! His running posture isn’t even standard. What I taught you is a hundred times better than his!”

“But he runs really fast!”

Xia Zixin watched as his figure quickly disappeared around the bend.

“What’s the point of being fast? Back in middle school, I ran 200 meters faster than him!”

“Your goal is to run a half marathon. Long-distance running is all about pacing.”

“With the way he’s sprinting, he’ll burn out in 200–300 meters at most! We might even catch up to him later!”

He Jiagui spoke with absolute confidence.

But soon, reality slapped him in the face.

Xia Zixin finished the remaining 200–300 meters, yet they still hadn’t seen that handsome guy again.

There was nearly a 1 km straight track here, but they couldn’t even spot his shadow.

“Maybe he already got in a car and left?” He Jiagui muttered stubbornly.

“Don’t sit down right after finishing. Walk a bit.”

He accompanied Xia Zixin as they slowed down to a walk, then they stopped by a small kiosk beside the track to rest.

Just as He Jiagui was thinking of an excuse to invite the beautiful girl out for a meal…

“Tap tap tap!”

A familiar, rapid rhythm of footsteps suddenly echoed.

They instinctively looked up.

The “truck” from earlier had appeared again!

And just like before, he dashed past them at incredible speed!

“What the hell?”

He Jiagui stood there, stunned.

“Did he just lap us?” Xia Zixin asked, a question that made He Jiagui feel extremely embarrassed.

But thinking about it, it didn’t seem like a big deal. They had been sitting and resting, so whether they were lapped or not didn’t really matter.

Then He Jiagui suddenly realized something.

Did this guy really finish a full lap at that speed?

“5 km… how long did he take? Was it even 20 minutes?”

He couldn’t help but glance at his watch.

He hadn’t timed the “truck,” but he had checked the time when Xia Zixin finished earlier.

It seemed to have been about 20 minutes.

“A 4-minute pace? No way…”

He Jiagui stared in disbelief at the figure fading into the distance.

Had he actually encountered a real expert?

“No, that running posture is too bad. What expert runs like that?”

“Xiao Xia, listen to me. You mustn’t learn from this kind of person. I know a runner who can finish a full marathon in under 3 hours…”

Still unwilling to admit it, He Jiagui shook his head and began boasting about the real expert runners he knew.

…

That unprofessional “truck” was Li Bai.

To be fair, He Jiagui wasn’t entirely wrong—Li Bai really was a rookie.

It was his first time running, and his posture wasn’t even as good as Xia Zixin’s.

But that didn’t stop him from running 10 km at full speed!

With five points added to his stamina, his body had become incredibly resilient.

Following advice he had read online, he set his sports watch to a pace that could break 3 hours in a full marathon—4 minutes 15 seconds per kilometer.

This pace was much faster than when he used to run 10 km back in his hometown.

Even so, the first 5 km felt surprisingly easy.

Only after starting the second lap did he begin to feel a slight fatigue.

Still, even if he finished at this pace, he would likely have energy left in reserve.

“Should I go even faster? Let’s see what my limit is.”

After running 1 km into the second lap, Li Bai decided to stop looking at his watch.

He simply ran.

Accelerate!

Spring had already arrived. The afternoon in Magic Capital was neither cold nor hot.

Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, and a gentle, warm breeze brushed past the colorful flowerbeds.

Li Bai was like an arrow shooting forward, shattering the sunlight and leaving the wind behind!

“So this is what it feels like to chase the wind?”

“This feels amazing!”

He ran with excitement, his legs moving so fast they almost blurred beneath him.

One runner after another was overtaken along the way.

Until a runner holding up his phone while recording noticed him.

“Hey, someone’s trying to drop me? Brothers, I can’t let that slide!”

He lifted his phone and lengthened his dark, slender stride, accelerating to catch up.

“Bro, you’re running at a 4-minute pace!”

Since he had just started running, his stamina was still full, and he easily caught up with Li Bai.

“It’s rare to see amateur runners maintain a 4-minute pace. Want to run together?”

Although he sounded friendly, Li Bai was breathing heavily and had no energy to respond.

“My name’s Ji Ziyang, from Magic Capital Jiabaomeng Running Team. My personal best is 2 hours 49 minutes. What about you?”

The guy was enthusiastic, but Li Bai didn’t really understand terms like “4-minute pace” or “PB.”