WG - 41

Chi Zhiyu was carried back to the Xie family residence. At the time, she was barely conscious and utterly exhausted.

All she could remember was the excruciating pain in her feet and hands—her entire body felt as though it had been run over by a car.

But even through the haze of pain, she recalled that Xie Ye had stayed by her side the whole time.

He tightly held her hand.

And with that grip, he steadied her fraying nerves.

He didn’t let go.

She lay quietly on the bed, using the last dregs of her consciousness to open her eyes and look at him. Somehow summoning the energy, she weakly joked, “Big Brother Ye arrived just in time to play the hero and save the damsel in distress.”

Xie Ye sat stiffly by the bedside, his expression cold as he gazed at her with deep, unreadable eyes. “If it hurts, stop talking. The doctor will be here soon.”

Seeing him like this, Chi Zhiyu sighed. “My whole body hurts. Can’t they hurry up?”

Hearing her words, Xie Ye frowned. “They’ll be here soon. Just hold on a little longer.”

Chi Zhiyu couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer; her eyelids drooped involuntarily. “Then I’ll sleep for a bit…”

Xie Ye, still holding her hand, gave a faint “Mm.” “Sleep.”

As Chi Zhiyu’s awareness began to drift away, fear still lingered in her voice. “Bai Li… she…”

Xie Ye interrupted softly but firmly. “I’m here.”

There was no one else.

So don’t be afraid.

Sleep.

________________________________________

That day, after watching Chi Yan’s car drive away, Xie Ye realized something was wrong when he didn’t see Chi Zhiyu anywhere. Sensing trouble, he impulsively entered the Chi household to investigate.

And he arrived just in time.

To interrupt Bai Li’s loss of control.

At that moment, Bai Li was already beyond herself.

She was in a state of complete失控 (loss of self-control).

By the time she came to her senses, Chi Zhiyu had already been taken away by Xie Ye.

And Xie Ye’s warning made her realize the extent of her own madness.

She raised her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Then, dazed and helpless, she collapsed to the floor.

________________________________________

After that day, nothing like it ever happened again.

Perhaps Xie Ye’s threat had worked, or maybe Bai Li was too afraid to repeat such an act.

She no longer accompanied Chi Zhiyu into the dance studio.

Instead, she shifted her focus to other areas, continuing to impose her demands on Chi Zhiyu.

But her obsession didn’t diminish.

If anything, it grew stronger—and worse.

________________________________________

Listening to her story, Wu Xuan imagined the scene of Xie Ye protecting Chi Zhiyu and chuckled. “I can’t picture Xie Ye looking all tender and caring while protecting you.”

“…” Chi Zhiyu coughed lightly. “You’re imagining it wrong. That’s not how it was.”

“?”

Wu Xuan blinked. “Isn’t the hero supposed to look at the heroine with gentle eyes and say, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect you’?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked back. “Do you think that fits Xie Ye?”

Wu Xuan: “….”

Fair enough.

“So what was it like?” Wu Xuan tilted her head. “The domineering CEO type?”

“…”

“Or was it more like a cute little puppy throwing himself at you, ready to trade his life for yours?”

“…”

As Wu Xuan’s descriptions grew increasingly absurd, Chi Zhiyu quickly cut her off. “No, none of that. Stop making things up.”

“Alright.”

With the topic closed, the two of them arrived at the indoor gymnasium.

As Chi Zhiyu walked along the path, she could hear the commotion and shouts coming from inside, even through the walls.

“Is there some school event going on these days?” Chi Zhiyu asked, slightly puzzled.

“It’s the spring basketball tournament,” Wu Xuan replied. “Didn’t Su Le mention yesterday that they were planning to watch the game today?”

Chi Zhiyu paused. “Watch the game?”

“Yes.”

“Is Xie Ye going too?”

“If Xie Ye has nothing better to do, Li Taoran will definitely drag him along. I thought you said he wasn’t going.” Wu Xuan glanced at her watch. “It’s been fifteen minutes since the game started. Want to go take a look?”

Thinking about how she always saw fangirls at the basketball court, Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Let’s go.”

Wu Xuan: “….”

Every year, the affiliated high school hosted a basketball tournament—not just within the school but across the entire district. Besides the boys’ basketball team from their school, teams from other campuses also participated.

This was typically an event where the girls in school would come to “admire” the male students, though some genuinely came to watch the games.

Still, the majority of attendees were boys.

When Wu Xuan and Chi Zhiyu entered through the entrance, the cheers from the surrounding students instantly amplified several times over, deafening in their intensity.

Chi Zhiyu glanced around at the sea of students encircling the basketball court. It was impossible to tell who was who amidst the crowd.

Wu Xuan was on her phone, trying to call someone. When the person on the other end picked up, she immediately asked, “Where are you guys sitting? I’ve brought A-Yu to watch the game too.”

After hearing the response, Wu Xuan rolled her eyes. “Brother, there are so many people wearing uniforms here. Do you really think we can find you?”

“…”

Wu Xuan: “Alright, fine. We’re coming over now.”

After hanging up, Chi Zhiyu asked, “What did they say?”

“Li Taoran told us to head toward the front of the basketball court. They’re sitting in the middle section of the stands, and he’ll come meet us.”

“Huh?” Chi Zhiyu blinked. “How did they manage to get seats?”

The seating in the indoor basketball arena was limited, and by the time senior year students finished class and arrived, there were rarely any spots left. Most people had to stand along the sidelines to watch the game.

Wu Xuan pulled Chi Zhiyu forward through the throng of people, casually remarking, “Li Taoran’s a clever guy—he always finds a way to secure seats.”

The crowd was so dense that Wu Xuan held onto Chi Zhiyu tightly to make sure she didn’t get lost. Meanwhile, the other students were completely focused on the game, oblivious to the two of them.

Just then, the whistle blew, signaling halftime.

The crowd momentarily loosened, and Chi Zhiyu was suddenly jostled, her shoulder colliding with someone. She furrowed her brows in irritation.

The boy who had bumped into her immediately turned around, startled. Seeing Chi Zhiyu, he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry!”

Before Chi Zhiyu could respond, someone emerged from the crowd and asked, “What’s going on?”

Wu Xuan looked up at the two newcomers. “Why are you guys out here?”

Su Le explained, “Li Taoran went to the restroom. He said you two were here, so we came out to meet you.”

“He must’ve really needed to go,” Wu Xuan quipped.

Xie Ye noticed Chi Zhiyu clutching her shoulder and frowned. “What happened to your shoulder?”

The boy realized that the person standing beside Chi Zhiyu was none other than Xie Ye. Instantly, he connected the dots with the rumors circulating around school about the two being in a relationship.

“Oh, I accidentally bumped into this classmate earlier,” the boy stammered, glancing nervously at Xie Ye before turning back to Chi Zhiyu. “I’m really sorry.”

Chi Zhiyu waved it off. “It’s fine. I’m okay.”

Xie Ye gave the boy a quick once-over but didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned to Chi Zhiyu and asked, “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

“?”

Chi Zhiyu was dumbfounded. “Why is this my fault?”

Xie Ye drawled lazily, “Would you have gotten hit if you were paying attention?”

“…” Chi Zhiyu was speechless. “Brother, I only have two eyes.”

The boy’s eyelid twitched at the word “brother.”

Brother? Was there something flirtatious about this?

Su Le decided the situation was inappropriate and suggested, “Let’s go. Back to the stands.”

“Right, let’s hurry.” Wu Xuan tugged Chi Zhiyu forward, while Xie Ye walked on her right, shielding her from the crowd.

Li Taoran had secured a spot right in the middle of the stands, offering a perfect view of both ends of the basketball court—the best seat in the house.

Chi Zhiyu noticed their water bottles and clothes laid out on the bench, but Li Taoran hadn’t returned yet. The long bench still had empty seats.

Su Le grabbed his own belongings and let Wu Xuan sit down. Naturally, Chi Zhiyu picked up Xie Ye’s things and took his seat.

To her left was Wu Xuan, and to her right was Xie Ye. Su Le casually sat next to Xie Ye.

The surrounding spectators, seeing Xie Ye and Su Le return with Chi Zhiyu and Wu Xuan, were momentarily confused.

Once they realized that Chi Zhiyu was among them, the gazes directed at Xie Ye became tinged with curiosity.

There was plenty of gossip about Chi Zhiyu and Xie Ye around school. Ever since someone spotted Xie Ye shielding Chi Zhiyu from a stray basketball during an outdoor practice session—and the subsequent series of interactions—the rumors about them dating had only grown louder.

The senior-year students didn’t comment much on the rumors, as they weren’t directly involved. Still, they never denied them either. Students from other grades assumed it was an unspoken truth.

Though the two weren’t often seen together in public, and no one confirmed the authenticity of their relationship, many quietly believed they made a good pair.

One was ethereal and aloof, the other domineering and cool-headed.

They seemed perfectly matched.

Now, with both parties present, whispers and stares began to circulate. Wu Xuan ignored them and instead asked, “Who’s playing today?”

Su Le answered, “Our team versus Huai Bei District.”

“Huai Bei, huh.” Wu Xuan clicked her tongue but said nothing further.

“What’s up?” Chi Zhiyu asked, noticing her reaction. “Does Teacher Wu have an opinion?”

Wu Xuan opened her mouth to reply, but the referee’s whistle cut her off.

Halftime ended, and the players returned to the court.

Chi Zhiyu recognized the members of their school’s basketball team and shifted her gaze to the opposing side. The Huai Bei team wore light blue uniforms. The players were all about 180 cm tall, lean and athletic. Her eyes moved upward, taking in their faces.

Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. Wu Xuan, finishing her assessment, turned to meet Chi Zhiyu’s gaze and smiled. “What do you think?”

Caught, Chi Zhiyu cleared her throat. “Mm, not bad.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Xuan immediately turned to someone nearby and loudly announced, “Xie Ye, A-Yu thinks the boys from Huai Bei are all very handsome. She wants to date them!”

Chi Zhiyu: “….”

Chi Zhiyu: ?!

Xie Ye, catching the last few words, turned his head and raised an eyebrow. “What are you planning to do?”

“…” Chi Zhiyu shook her head vigorously. “No, no, she’s exaggerating.”

Wu Xuan raised her hand. “What I said is absolutely true.”

Chi Zhiyu: “….”

Bullshit.

Xie Ye shot her a glance. “Earlier, you were accused of being fickle. Looks like you move fast.”

Chi Zhiyu choked. “I’m not fickle! This is appreciation. If it were you standing in front of me, I’d have already pounced—”

At that moment, Chi Zhiyu’s rationality snapped back into place.

She swallowed the rest of her sentence.

“How? And then what?” Xie Ye teased, dragging out his words with a mischievous tone. “Pounced on what?”

“…”

“Nothing. I was just saying I appreciate them. Not what you’re thinking.”

Xie Ye raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what am I thinking?”

Chi Zhiyu calmly replied, “Aren’t you the one who thinks I’m fickle?”

“…”

“Oh.” Xie Ye spoke slowly. “I used to think that, but I’ve changed my mind.”

“?”

Chi Zhiyu paused. “Changed what?”

Xie Ye drawled lazily. “My perception of you.”

Chi Zhiyu blinked, processing his words. “Mm?”

“I now think…” Xie Ye looked her up and down, stretching out his tone. After a brief pause, he spoke slowly, enunciating each word. “You covet my body.”

“…”

“For a long time.”

“…”

Chi Zhiyu: ?