70. Extra 4: Campus

No. 1 High School was the best high school in the entire Haishi. Back then, tutoring hadn’t been abolished yet, and the third-year students only had half a day off on Sunday afternoons.

With small tests every three days and big tests every five, academic pressure was high. The most common way for boys to relax and unwind was, of course, basketball.

Lin Ke’s injury was minor, and he recovered in two months, proclaiming himself the king of the court. He and Jiang Yan had played basketball together for three years, their coordination seamless; one glance or a hand gesture was enough to understand each other’s intentions.

All the basketball courts were full. There were more spectators than players. Teenage hormones stirred, and cheers and whistles after a successful shot were fervent and boisterous.

Lin Xingzi’s leg injury hadn’t fully healed, so she sat far away. The wind seemed to carry the clean scent of the boys.

The smell of coconut laundry detergent.

Lin Ke passed the ball to Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan caught it, leaped, and accurately shot the ball into the hoop. A cheer erupted from the court. He bent over, panting, and pulled up his collar to wipe off sweat. Lin Ke shouted “Nice!” and ran a few steps closer to high-five him, his fingers inadvertently lifting his school uniform, revealing his waistline.

Jiang Yan from Class 3-1 was famously a good student and even more famously hard to pursue. He always kept to himself, his life a two-point line between classroom and dormitory. His name consistently topped the honor roll, and his ID photo posted on the bulletin board had been stolen countless times.

As time went on, everyone knew that this lofty genius wasn’t interested in dating.

As long as the “study god” didn’t have a girlfriend, he belonged to everyone.

“Wow!” There was no shortage of bold girls around, and a round of playful teasing erupted.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ke deliberately grabbed the hem of Jiang Yan’s blue and white school uniform T-shirt and pulled it higher. Two seconds later, he was pinned to the ground and given a beating.

Laughter filled the basketball court, and the heat wave washed over them, making Lin Xingzi’s ears burn. She touched her cheek, thinking she must have worn too many clothes when she left home.

But she was only wearing a set of autumn blue and white school uniform.

A tissue was handed to her.

“What?”

Lin Sang: “Wipe your drool.”

“...”

After one game, Lin Ke and his friends gave up the court to others and walked out arm-in-arm.

“Let’s go, get some water.”

“I don’t need any; my sister prepared it for me,” Lin Ke hooked Jiang Yan’s shoulder, wiping away a sincere tear. “My sister specially came to school to bring me water even on her day off. This sibling bond is too touching.”

Lin Sang: Idiot brother.

Their parents probably gave all their intelligence to Lin Sang. Lin Ke’s brain was a waste. Lin Xingzi nodded frantically, “Yes, yes.”

There were two bottles of water next to her. Lin Ke tossed one to Jiang Yan.

Lin Xingzi heard him quietly say, “Thank you.”

Lin Ke asked what they were eating for dinner, chattering about this and that, incredibly noisy. The faint, heavy panting of the boy reached her ears. Lin Xingzi turned her head to look at Jiang Yan.

He was drinking water, his Adam’s apple prominent.

“You drank mine,” she blurted out.

Jiang Yan froze, looking down to meet the girl’s gaze. Sunlight passed through the yellowing leaves of the sycamore trees, dappled shadows falling on her face and on her school uniform, just like his.

Lin Ke had casually tossed it to him, and he hadn’t noticed it wasn’t a full bottle.

She had drunk from it.

That hot evening, the summer wind and cicada chirping, the soft touch of the girl’s kiss on the back of his neck, and the hidden, shameful physiological reaction in his lower body...

All the details he had forcibly forgotten burst forth at this moment.

How could her lips be so soft?

A faint, ethereal scent lingered in his nostrils. He even remembered the slight tickle of the girl’s hair brushing his arm.

A surge of restless blood rushed through his body. His already uneven breathing grew heavier. A drop of sweat fell from his chin. The girl looked up at him, unblinking. He forcibly averted his gaze.

“I, I’ll go buy another one. Wait a moment.”

“I want mango slushie!”

The group that had just come off the basketball court was all in the cold drink shop. Jiang Yan waited a few minutes for them to leave before walking in.

The owner said the mango slushie sold the best.

He ran up the hundred steps, and when he handed it to Lin Xingzi, the top layer hadn’t even melted.

Lin Xingzi ate half of it and then felt something was wrong. She was very itchy.

“What flavor is this?”

“Mango.”

She had an allergic reaction the first time she ate mango when she was little. After that, Li Qing and Lin Xudong never let her touch it again, so she had long forgotten what mango tasted like.

“Jiang Yan.”

She sighed softly, yet her eyes and brows were full of laughter.

“You’re done for.”

Jiang Yan was confused. When he looked down at her, he noticed small red rashes appearing on her fair neck.

Lin Xingzi was admitted to the hospital again.

The doctor recommended staying overnight for observation. Lin Xingzi didn’t dare let Li Qing know, so she pleaded with Lin Sang, coaxing and threatening her to call Li Qing and tell her she was staying at their house for the night.

Zhan Yan somehow found out and rushed to the hospital. Lin Ke and Lin Sang were both shooed away, but he shamelessly insisted on staying.

“Xingzi, you have trouble walking. You can’t be alone at night. Let me stay with you.”

He had something going on at home and had taken leave two days after school started; he wouldn’t be back at school until next week.

Lin Xingzi found him in the way. If anyone was to stay, it should be the ‘culprit’ who caused her allergy. “There’s only one bed here. Are you going to sleep in the toilet?”

“I can just lie on the floor by the bed for the night.”

“Men and women shouldn’t touch each other. It’s inappropriate, no, absolutely not!”

“This is a hospital. Maybe the previous occupant of this room is no longer with us. Aren’t you scared?”

“...”

Jiang Yan withdrew his gaze and gently closed the room door. In the corridor, his shadow stretched long. The night wind was cold, and his sweat-soaked school uniform clung to his back, chilling him to the bone.

Zhan Yan made a single phone call and she was moved to the best ward. The best doctor, who wasn’t supposed to be working today, also rushed over to examine her, while what he could do was utterly insignificant.

“Student, were you the one who brought that allergic girl to the hospital just now? She’s looking for you.”

After the nurse walked away, Jiang Yan returned to the ward. Lin Xingzi was on an IV drip, and the rash on her body hadn’t subsided. Her skin was fair, making her look pitiable.

“Are you thinking of abandoning me and going back to school?”

“I’m allergic because you gave me mango. If you hadn’t given me mango, I wouldn’t be allergic. All this is your fault; you have to take responsibility.”

It was already dark, and he hadn’t shown up, making Lin Xingzi increasingly anxious. She asked the nurse to help find him.

“If you leave, I’ll call the police.”

The air was filled with the scent of disinfectant. The girl’s exposed arms were red. Jiang Yan pursed his lips, his hands, hanging by the seams of his school uniform trousers, clenched.

After a long time, he spoke softly, “I won’t leave.”

________________________________________

As the holidays approached, the school held a New Year’s Day party. Of course, this was only for first and second-year high school students; third-year students dutifully attended evening self-study.

The music from the auditorium faintly drifted over, evoking envy and excitement.

Lin Ke was never one to sit still. Some people had already secretly snuck out to watch the performances. He checked the time, figured it was about right, and called out to Jiang Yan, who was engrossed in his studies at the desk in front of him.

“My sister is dancing tonight. Come on, let’s go cheer her on,” he pulled a roll of red cloth from his backpack. “I even brought a banner.”

“Didn’t you organize all the notes? You can give them to her too; her final exams are coming up soon.”

Lin Xingzi was the youngest in her class and generally well-liked. She arrived late, and her classmates had saved a spot for her. After two performances, it would be her turn, so she had to go backstage to prepare early.

Even though Lin Ke was holding the banner and shouting the loudest, she saw Jiang Yan first.

She was wearing a down jacket over a dress, two slender white legs exposed to the air. Jiang Yan subtly shifted his gaze away.

The surroundings were noisy. He had been distracted just now and hadn’t heard what she said.

Lin Ke found a good excuse for him. Yes, he was there to give her notes.

“I... have something for you.”

“Then wait for me downstairs. I’ll come find you after my performance.”

Lin Xingzi turned around and covered her chest, taking a deep breath. Her abnormal heartbeat was drowned out by the screams.

She missed several steps while dancing, even though she had practiced countless times.

What was he giving her?

...A love letter?

He was so clumsy with words, what would he say?

No, no, Ms. Li would break her legs if she found out about a puppy love.

Why not? She’s so smart; she just needs to keep it a secret!

“No, no, I’m a young lady of a wealthy family, and you’re a pauper. It’s impossible between us.”

Unless...

She suddenly stopped, her smile freezing at the corners of her mouth.

The cold wind howled, the streetlights were dim, and the shadows of the sycamore trees on the ground were blurred. Lin Xingzi stood at the intersection. Not far from her, Jiang Yan held a girl in his arms.