Chapter 45

Jing Huan couldn’t stand those little dirty tricks on the court. Back in high school someone had deliberately stuck out a foot to trip Gao Zixiang during a match, and later he and Gao Zixiang had retaliated with countless trips of their own.

Tit for tat — childish, but effective. After that, the guy never dared play ball with the two of them again.

With so many people watching, the boy felt humiliated. He stood up to save face, but Xiang Huaizhi stood in front of Jing Huan, blocking half of his shoulder, striking a protective pose.

“Brother Xiang, that’s a foul,” the boy gritted his teeth. “Putting everything else aside… shouldn’t there be free throws?”

Xiang Huaizhi sneered at him. “You’re tired of bumping people, so now you’re learning to dive?”

“Fake fall…” The man hesitated, then snapped, “Fake fall my ass! He ran into me!”

“With the two of you built like that…” Xiang Huaizhi paused, “He ran into you?”

Jing Huan: “?”

As soon as Xiang Huaizhi said that, the guy helping the student was taken aback, instinctively glancing at Jing Huan before turning back to look at the burly man.

Among the boys, Jing Huan’s build wasn’t actually skinny, but compared to the burly man, he looked much smaller.

Thinking of the luck of the people around him, a few coughed and let go of the strong man’s hand.

“Forget it, forget it, it’s nothing, basketball always comes with bumps and bruises,” someone smoothed things over. “Carry on.”

“Damn…” the strong man muttered under his breath, but knowing the matter couldn’t be pursued, “Fine.”

Just as Jing Huan was about to return to his spot, someone grabbed his arm.

“Go back to your original position,” Xiang Huaizhi said.

“No,” Jing Huan insisted, “I’m going to play defense—”

Just as he finished speaking, Xiang Huaizhi suddenly reached out his hand toward him.

The boy’s hand hovered over his head for a moment, then, afraid of messing up his hair, finally settled on his lower back and, with a little force, gently pushed him forward.

“Go back,” Xiang Huaizhi said, “and do as you’re told.”

“……”

Xiang Huaizhi’s hand was large; Jing Huan’s top was thin, and she could clearly feel the warmth from his palm spreading slowly from her spine throughout her body.

That hand had just been moving around on his head… what was it trying to do?

Before Jing Huan could think any more, the others were already urging them on. She came to her senses: “…Got it.”

Because the score was so lopsided and after that little incident, the opponents had lost all fighting spirit. The last quarter was almost all Jing Huan scoring, and they won by a large margin in the end.

Jing Huan walked to the bench to wipe her sweat with a towel and smiled at Xiang Huaizhi beside her: “Senpai, is that guy really from the basketball team? He didn’t seem fit to play at all—he wasn’t even as good as Lu Wenhao.”

Xiang Huaizhi nodded in agreement: “He was no good. Probably the school coach saw his build and wanted to try training him.”

Saying that, Jing Huan remembered what had happened earlier.

Xiang Huaizhi wiped his sweat dry, picked up the bottled water and was about to twist it open when his wrist was suddenly grabbed by the person next to him.

Immediately, the scent of shampoo mixed with a faint hint of sweat wafted into his nostrils.

He turned his head in confusion and saw the person beside him lean in toward him, then with the other hand grab the hem of his T‑shirt and lift it straight up.

The guy’s skin was paler than many girls’, with streaks where sweat had slid across it.

Jing Huan drew a gentle breath, the faint lines of her abs showing through.

“Senior, what you just said was a bit condescending,” Jing Huan said earnestly. “I have abs too, you know, even if they’re not that pronounced yet…”

Xiang Huaizhi looked for a few seconds before awkwardly averting his gaze.

“Mm,” he said, controlling his pace. “You’re better than him.”

“Of course, I can dunk on his head with my eyes closed.”

Jing Huan had just replied when he realized something was off.

Why did Xiang Huaizhi’s words sound so much like he was coaxing a child?

He opened his mouth to say something else, but an unopened bottle of mineral water was handed to him.

The girl wore a long-sleeved top with a short skirt, her hair tied into two ponytails, a faint fragrance about her. She looked at Jing Huan with a shy expression.

“Senior…” she blinked, “this is for you.”

It was nothing unusual for a girl to bring water to two classmates; back when they were first-year students, people had to take a number and wait in line just to give Xiang Huaizhi a bottle of water. After Xiang Huaizhi coldly refused for half a semester, that scene gradually faded.

Xiang Huaizhi pressed his lips together—looking at the situation now, he felt like a third wheel.

Jing Huan looked up and smiled, “Thanks, but no need, I have water.”

“You already finished it, I saw,” the girl said, blushing. “This is the one I just bought, and it’s still cold.”

“Sorry, I don’t like drinking cold water.” Jing Huan nodded toward the half-empty bottle left on the bench with his chin. “And I still have another bottle here.”

The girl: “But that’s Senior Xiang’s…”

“We’re close, we don’t mind, we’re all sharing it.” Jing Huan wasn’t lying—he often drank from the same bottle as Lu Wenhao and the others, as long as he didn’t touch the mouthpiece with his lips. “Right, senior?”

Xiang Huaizhi raised an eyebrow slightly, and after a moment replied, “…Mm.”

After the girl left, Jing Huan licked his lips. He hadn’t felt thirsty until he mentioned it; now he actually did.

He looked around, but there were no unopened bottles of water left.

Seeing his little movements, Xiang Huaizhi asked, “Thirsty?”

“A little,” Jing Huan rubbed his stomach. “Then, senior, I’ll go first. I need to get something to eat at the school gate.”

Watching his actions, Xiang Huaizhi frowned. “You didn’t have breakfast?”

“Not yet, I was planning to go back and catch up on sleep.” Jing Huan said, then picked up the phone on the bench. “Let’s play again next time, senior.”

“Wait.” Xiang Huaizhi called after him. “Come with me, it’s on me.”

Before he could respond, Xiang Huaizhi added, “Consider it a reward for helping me win.”

Ten minutes later, the two of them walked side by side into the braised chicken rice shop near the school.

Xiang Huaizhi’s reasoning was simple: he invited Jing Huan to a meal, which could help the other save a bit on living expenses.

“Senior, the braised chicken here is especially good!” Jing Huan broke apart his chopsticks and handed them to him. “I order from this place all the time.”

Xiang Huaizhi smiled faintly, took the chopsticks. “I know, someone told me about it.”

Jing Huan nodded. “That person has good taste.”

Xiang Huaizhi: “……” He could even turn that into praise for himself.

After a few bites, Xiang Huaizhi remembered something: “How much was the resort you stayed at last time for one night? I’ll transfer you the room fee.”

Jing Huan looked up: “Huh? No need, that was on Lu Wenhao—he treated us. I didn’t spend any money.”

The resort trip really had been Lu Wenhao’s treat—on the condition that Jing Huan had given him a pair of limited-edition sneakers for his birthday, only a few hundred pairs worldwide. When Lu Wenhao saw them his eyes welled up; he almost called Jing Huan his father.

Xiang Huaizhi nodded, thinking no wonder.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, Jing Huan sipped her soup and pulled out her phone, deftly typing with one hand.

Feeling the vibration from his pocket, Xiang Huaizhi stopped chewing.

A few seconds later.

Buzz, buzz…

It vibrated twice more.

Xiang Huai’s expression was delicate; he took out his phone.

Xiaojing: Brother, are you awake? >.<

Xiaojing: [Start bed-sharing.jpg]

Xiaojing: Brother, when will you be online today? [points]

Xiang: …In a bit.

Xiaojing: Okay. [picture] Look, I’m eating braised chicken!

The braised chicken rice from the photo was placed right in front of him.

The two of them were sitting face to face but chatting on WeChat — Xiang Huaizhi had never encountered this before.

He originally planned to reply later, but when he saw his own chopsticks and bowl in the picture, Xiang Huaizhi found himself oddly compelled to type.

Xiang: With a friend?

Xiaojing: It’s a duck.

Xiang Huaizhi stared at the screen and couldn’t help but laugh. Had he caught it—why was he also splitting personalities?

He was just about to turn off his phone when the other person sent another message.

Xiaojing: Ah, brother, don’t misunderstand, it’s a female friend >