CS - 31

After dinner, Lin Zhe Xia returned home. Lin He and Wei Ping took turns complimenting her on winning the award.

Wei Ping: “I always said that your talent for public speaking is obvious to everyone. In fact, Uncle has noticed it for a long time.”

Lin He was also satisfied: “You did well this time. Go do your homework now.”

Wei Ping held the award certificate, more excited than if he had gotten a promotion: “Uncle will hang this certificate up right away. How about we put it opposite the dining table so we can see it every time we eat?”

Lin He sighed: “Why don’t you just stick it on the front door so everyone passing by can see it?”

“Good idea,” Wei Ping turned to ask, “What do you think, Xia Xia?”

Lin Zhe Xia, the one with the supposed speech talent: “... I think it’s better to tone down my brilliance. Otherwise, others might feel inferior.”

“…”

They chatted briefly.

Lin Zhe Xia went back to her room, put down her backpack, and unzipped it.

She paused, then took out the rabbit keychain hidden in the backpack’s compartment.

After some thought, she placed the little rabbit keychain on her desk so it could keep her company while doing homework.

But as soon as she placed it there, she felt uneasy and put it into a dust-proof cabinet.

Soon, the official notice for the joint sports meet between their school and Experimental Affiliated Middle School arrived, and each class actively began signing up.

The PE monitor of Class Seven usually had an easy job but was now bustling around tirelessly.

The PE monitor shouted while holding the sign-up sheet: “Is anyone else signing up? We’re still short one person for the girls’ relay race.”

“No one?”

“This is such a rare opportunity for sports; it only happens once a year. Shouldn’t everyone cherish it?”

Lin Zhe Xia glanced at the others, saw no one responded, and raised her hand: “I’ll do it. Sign me up.”

After school that evening, she coincidentally bumped into He Yang at the entrance of their residential area with Chi Yao.

Lin Zhe Xia waved to He Yang: “Spiritual alumnus—”

He Yang, carrying his bag, walked over: “I didn’t expect you to be right about what you said at the start of the semester. Now that we’re having a joint sports meet, I really have become your spiritual alumnus.”

The three of them walked together.

He Yang asked: “What events did you all sign up for?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “I signed up for the relay race.”

He Yang turned his head: “What about my brother Yao?”

Chi Yao calmly replied with two words: “Basketball.”

He Yang exclaimed: “Shit!” He continued, “I signed up for basketball too. I originally planned to shine alone, but now with you here, how am I supposed to show off tomorrow?”

Lin Zhe Xia nodded deeply: “When it comes to showing off, you definitely can’t compete with him.”

Chi Yao remained silent.

But he made a small gesture he occasionally did—his hand circled behind Lin Zhe Xia’s neck, his fingers spread apart, lightly pinching in a somewhat threatening manner.

This time was different from last time. Last time, his fingers were very cold from holding an ice cream bar, but this time they were very warm.

Lin Zhe Xia stiffened momentarily.

Fortunately, no one noticed anything unusual. He Yang continued talking: “How about this, Brother Xia, can I ask you for a favor?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Huh?”

He Yang started imagining: “During tomorrow’s basketball game, bring me some water to help boost my image. It would be embarrassing if no one paid attention to me when I leave the court. If possible, call my name passionately a few times to make it seem like I’m very popular.”

Lin Zhe Xia still felt the lingering touch on her neck and was slightly distracted, not really paying attention to what he was saying, only catching the word “water.”

Her mouth moved faster than her brain and she readily agreed: “Sure.”

“…”

On the day of the sports meet, everyone took a bus to the large outdoor stadium near the school.

The area outside the stadium was filled with parked cars. With the combined crowd from both schools, the venue looked extremely crowded.

The uniforms of Experimental Affiliated Middle School were blue, making them easily distinguishable.

Teachers stood guard at the entrance to ensure students followed the rules and didn’t leave early.

Inside, the stadium was circular, with stands on the outer circle and athletic fields on the inner circle.

Lin Zhe Xia entered with her class and sat on the stands daydreaming after enduring the school leaders’ speeches.

The competition proceeded quickly, and before long, most of the morning events were over.

Chen Lin was going to participate in the long jump later. Before leaving, she asked: “What are you thinking about?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “I’m wondering why I agreed to such a boring request yesterday.”

Chen Lin: “?”

“Forget it, it’s nothing,” she said, “Go compete and do your best.”

After Chen Lin left, Lin Zhe Xia sighed while looking at the bottle of water she had bought in advance for He Yang.

Why had she agreed?

Actually, she knew the answer herself.

Because she had been distracted yesterday.

And the reason she had been distracted was that recently, she seemed to have started magnifying some details of her interactions with Chi Yao.

These details could easily stir her emotions.

Lin Zhe Xia stopped thinking about it and took out her phone, noticing that He Yang had sent her several messages twenty minutes ago:

I’m going on the field soon, Brother Xia, don’t forget -

Recognize me, I’m number 12 -

Can you find me? I shouldn’t be too ordinary in the crowd. Even if I look a bit ordinary, with our years of acquaintance, you should be able to spot me in the sea of people, right? -

Whether I maintain face at Experimental Affiliated Middle School depends on you -

I’ll treat you to bubble tea tonight, thank you so much!!!

Lin Zhe Xia replied: I want thirty cups.

Da Zhuang (He Yang): … Let’s not talk about whether I have enough pocket money, can you even drink that much??

Lin Zhe Xia took advantage: I’ll drink three cups a month for ten months.

After replying, she put down her phone and looked inside the venue.

There were many people inside. Some were running on the track, referees were blowing whistles, and scorers stood at various event endpoints recording scores.

The basketball games were scheduled on the right side. The players from Experimental Affiliated Middle School wore jerseys with their school name, making them easy to identify.

The second half seemed almost over. She found He Yang dribbling and was about to pick up the water bottle to go down from the stands when suddenly a force pressed on her shoulder—someone’s hand pushed her back.

She turned around to see Chi Yao, who had already changed into his jersey.

The No. 2 Middle School’s jersey was black, and the loose jersey had “0” written on it. This number had a carefree vibe, matching the youthfully ignited pupils of the boy, though he appeared nonchalant.

The stands were tiered, with no barriers between each level.

Chi Yao crouched on the step above, pressing her back, then his hand veered midway, taking the water bottle from her hand.

Although Lin Zhe Xia wanted to break her promise internally, she still needed to honor her commitment to He Yang, so she said: “If you want water, buy it yourself.”

Chi Yao: “I’m too lazy to go.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “...”

Thinking that he was also going to play soon, she compromised: “Then I’ll buy you some later. This bottle is for He Yang first.”

Chi Yao finally said: “I didn’t mean to compete with him.”

He paused, then said in a condescending tone: “I’ll take it down to him.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “?”

She wasn’t sure why he suddenly decided to interfere with her water delivery agreement with He Yang.

With a subtle anticipation she didn’t fully realize, she asked: “Why can’t I deliver it?”

Chi Yao, holding the water, glanced at her and said: “Is it really that hard to understand?”

It was really hard to understand.

Just as Lin Zhe Xia was about to nod, she heard him say again:

“I’m petty, I don’t want to see him steal the spotlight.”

“…”

This person... quite manipulative.

Lin Zhe Xia was taken aback by his brazen attitude and forgot to stop him. By the time she came to her senses, Chi Yao had already taken the bottle of water she intended to give He Yang and gone down from the stands.

After a while, she lowered her head, opened the chat with He Yang, and sent two messages:

Big Strong (He Yang), take care of yourself -

I can’t save you anymore

On the basketball court, the referee blew the whistle.

He Yang stopped preparing to dash forward to grab the ball. He bent over to catch his breath, fanning himself with his jersey collar while waiting for Lin Zhe Xia to come support his image.

He was all ready—

In a moment, he would gracefully and stylishly receive that bottle of water in front of everyone.

He planned to act cool and nonchalant, as if it were routine—

Lost in these thoughts, He Yang adjusted his breathing. The next second, he heard a familiar voice.

“Hey.”

A bottle of water appeared in front of him. He looked up along the bottle and saw his brother Yao’s overly handsome face: “Your water.”

He Yang felt a mix of emotions: “Why are you giving it to me?”

Chi Yao: “Any problem with that?”

He Yang: “A big problem. Look across the entire basketball court, who the hell gives water to another guy?!”

Chi Yao remained expressionless: “So you’re more special than them.”

He Yang: “... Thank you very much.”

Chi Yao: “Others just attract girls’ attention, but you’ve conquered your opponent.”

He Yang: “... I really thank you very much.”

Chi Yao let go of the bottle: “You’re welcome.”

A few minutes later, the basketball court changed players.

The scoreboard reset to zero, and Cheng An No. 2 Middle School’s match officially began.

Lin Zhe Xia sat on the stands. Cheng An fell behind in the first half, and in the second half, when the critical point came, Chi Yao seemed ready to enter the game. Amidst cheers led by someone shouting “Chi Yao,” she saw He Yang’s reply:

I’m impressed -

As soon as I left the court, many people asked who gave me the water -

There were even requests for contact info, too many to handle.

Among these lines, the first thing Lin Zhe Xia caught was “too many to handle.”

She typed back: You gave it out?

Big Strong (He Yang): Yes, so many people were asking, I didn’t know how to refuse so I gave it.

“A lot of people are shouting Chi Yao’s name,” Chen Lin finished all her events and returned to her seat, “The most outrageous part is, within five minutes of Chi Yao being substituted in, even girls from the neighboring school were inquiring.”

Tang Shu Xuan joined in the conversation: “I heard it too. People from Experimental Affiliated Middle School were talking about it.”

Chen Lin was amazed: “This popularity—I never expected that Chi Yao wouldn’t just dominate in our school but even extend his influence outward.”

Lin Zhe Xia listened silently.

Chen Lin noticed her reaction and asked: “What’s wrong? Why do you look unhappy?”

Lin Zhe Xia looked up: “Ah?”

Then instinctively denied, “No, I’m fine.”

Chen Lin: “This still counts as fine? Your lips are drooping.”

Lin Zhe Xia hadn’t realized she was unhappy.

Her chat with He Yang still lingered on “I didn’t know how to refuse so I gave it.”

At No. 2 Middle School, except for the start of the semester when some people were eager to try,

Afterward, few dared to ask for Chi Yao’s contact information.

Everyone gradually accepted an unspoken rule: Don’t get close to Chi Yao.

But people from Experimental Affiliated Middle School didn’t know this, so she hadn’t faced such a situation in a long time.

At the start of the semester, although she was slightly reluctant—it was closer to not wanting to share a friend.

And now, her unhappiness seemed significantly different.

Lin Zhe Xia thought about it and still felt she had no reason to be unhappy because of this, probably attributing it to other emotions: “It must be too sunny, I feel a bit stuffy.”

Chen Lin reached out to check her forehead: “No fever. Shall I switch places with you? My spot has a bit of shade, it’s not as hot.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Okay, if you feel hot later, tell me, and we’ll switch back.”

After switching spots, Lin Zhe Xia continued watching the basketball game.

Objectively speaking, Chi Yao’s high popularity wasn’t without reason.

Even though the venue was packed with people, when he appeared, everyone’s eyes automatically gravitated towards him.

Cheng An lagged behind significantly in the first half, but after he entered the game, the situation began to change.

The teenager wearing the No. 0 jersey broke through the opponent’s defense to create scoring opportunities—

On the scoreboard, Cheng An’s score kept climbing.

Under the blazing sun, all the light of summer seemed focused on the young man on the court. Back passes tore through the opposing defense, and with a buzzer-beater, the final score reversed completely.

Screams erupted beside Lin Zhe Xia: “Chi Yao—”

Unless it was her imagination, from the moment Chi Yao appeared on the court, the cheerleading team originally cheering for Experimental Affiliated Middle School seemed to lower their volume. After reducing their cheers, whispers began around: “Who is he?”

“The neighboring No. 2 Middle School…”

“They’re all shouting, Chi Yao? Which ‘Chi Yao’?”

“…”

After a while.

Their topic shifted: “He’s off the court, how strange, no one brought him water. I should have gone earlier.”

In the whispers, someone said:

“It seems his personality is notoriously bad, everyone thinks he should die of thirst.”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia felt speechless hearing this.

Chi Yao had some real skills.

After the basketball game ended, Chi Yao was nowhere to be seen on the field.

Class One and Class Seven stands were far apart, making it inconvenient for her to go find him.

On the field, competitions continued one after another. Distracted, Lin Zhe Xia couldn’t help sneaking out her phone and opening the chat window with Chi Yao.

She hesitated, deleting and retyping in the chat box, and finally sent: What are you doing

Two or three minutes later, her phone lit up—

In the locker room—

Changing clothes

Lin Zhe Xia typed back: Oh

Then, letter by letter, she tapped: I thought you were chatting with a lot of people-?-

Where did those people come from

Strange.

Just a simple question mark and four words, and her mood improved slightly.

Lin Zhe Xia replied: Just some naive fools blinded by your facade.

Chi Dog: If you’re sick, go see a doctor

Lin Zhe Xia sent a fist-shaking emoji.

After a while, just as she was about to put down her phone to watch the game seriously, the phone in her palm vibrated slightly again.

Chi Dog: [Picture]

Chi Yao had sent a screenshot.

The screenshot showed a personal settings page. Under the section “Ways to add me as a friend,” all methods displayed were closed.

WeChat ID, business card recommendations... all methods were shut off.

Meanwhile, He Yang furiously sent her a bunch of messages—

Damn it—

Chi Yao is too ruthless—

Refusing friend requests—

How can someone be like this?—

Arrogant, pretentious bastard!!!—

I should change too, I should become mysterious, pretend to be overwhelmed by people adding me—

I’ll change it right now!!!!!!

Lin Zhe Xia: “…”

She copied and pasted what Chi Yao had sent her and sent it to He Yang: If you’re sick, go see a doctor.

Chen Lin was chatting with Tang Shu Xuan nearby. Midway, she glanced at Lin Zhe Xia again, concerned about her condition: “By the way, are you still feeling stuffy?”

“Not anymore,” Lin Zhe Xia put away her phone and said, “It seems the wind has picked up.”