WG - 42

“……”

Chi Zhiyu was stunned for a long time before she processed what he had said. “You think I’m lusting after your body?”

Xie Ye tilted his head, looking at her with a meaningful gaze. “Didn’t you just say you wanted to pounce on me?”

Chi Zhiyu paused, pretending to be confused. “When did I ever say that?”

She hadn’t even finished the thought, let alone said it out loud.

Xie Ye smirked. “I heard it.”

“…”

Are you some kind of mind reader?

“I didn’t say it—how could you have heard?” Chi Zhiyu looked at him calmly and explained, “I was just saying I wasn’t being fickle. You must’ve misheard.”

“…”

Xie Ye stared at her, then suddenly called her name. “Chi Zhiyu.”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “Hmm?”

“No need to deny it.” Xie Ye looked thoughtful. “I already know.”

“…”

His words seemed innocuous enough, but Chi Zhiyu felt an inexplicable jolt of panic and blurted out without thinking, “What do you know?”

Xie Ye studied her expression, raising an eyebrow. “What are you afraid of?”

“Hmm?” Chi Zhiyu paused, steadying her voice. “Am I afraid?”

Xie Ye asked lazily, “Why do you look so scared that I might find out something? What are you thinking about?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “I’m not thinking about anything.”

Xie Ye raised an eyebrow again.

When he didn’t speak, Chi Zhiyu pressed her lips together and followed up with another question. “So… what exactly do you know?”

Meeting her gaze, Xie Ye’s lips curved into a faint smile. “You want to know?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Tell me?”

“Alright.” Xie Ye leaned back against his seat, his tone teasing and nonchalant. “Didn’t I just say it? You’re lusting after my body.”

“…” Chi Zhiyu hesitated. “That’s it?”

Xie Ye’s eyes remained fixed on her. Upon hearing her response, he arched an eyebrow. “So you’re admitting it.”

“…” Realizing what she’d implied, Chi Zhiyu quickly shook her head. “No, no!”

Seeing this, Xie Ye shrugged indifferently. “Then never mind.”

“?”

Chi Zhiyu sensed something was off. “What do you mean, ‘never mind’?”

“Oh.” Xie Ye smirked, his tone deliberately provoking. “I’m not telling you.”

Chi Zhiyu was left speechless. “….”

Staring at his arrogant expression, Chi Zhiyu couldn’t shake the feeling that he might actually know something. She wanted to grab him by the collar and demand what he was talking about—but she didn’t dare say anything, afraid she’d accidentally reveal too much herself.

Her emotions were tossed up and down, leaving her restless and uneasy. There was a strange sense of panic bubbling beneath the surface, as if someone had uncovered a hidden corner of her heart.

It was nerve-wracking, yet also filled with an indescribable anxiety.

Frowning, Chi Zhiyu turned her attention back to the game in front of her, her mood growing increasingly gloomy.

“What’s with that serious expression?” Wu Xuan turned to look at her face, puzzled.

Chi Zhiyu scowled slightly. “Just watching the game.”

“You call this watching the game?” Wu Xuan teased. “You look like someone owes you eight million yuan. Hmm, maybe you and Xie Ye really do match.”

Chi Zhiyu didn’t respond.

Wu Xuan noticed her silence, glanced around, and pulled her a little to the side, lowering her voice. “A lot of people are looking at you. Are you nervous or something?”

“Hmm?” Chi Zhiyu looked up at the surrounding crowd as Wu Xuan mentioned it. Instantly, everyone nearby turned their heads away, avoiding her gaze.

Chi Zhiyu noticed this and frowned. “Why are they looking at me?”

Wu Xuan raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “Should I?”

“Are you really living in your own little bubble, oblivious to everything else?” Wu Xuan sighed and whispered, “Everyone thinks you and Xie Ye are dating. That’s why they’re watching what you two are doing.”

Chi Zhiyu hadn’t expected this. “Me and him? Why would they think that?”

“They see how differently Xie Ye treats you compared to others, and how close you two seem. Naturally, they assume you’re together.” Wu Xuan shrugged, stating it as if it were obvious.

Differently?

Chi Zhiyu paused.

Wu Xuan observed her expression and guessed, “You don’t think Xie Ye treats you the same way he treats everyone else, do you?”

At this, Chi Zhiyu’s eyes flickered, and she countered, “What do you mean?”

Wu Xuan quickly glanced at Xie Ye, then lowered her voice to give an example. “Take me, for instance. I’ve known him for years, but I’ve never seen him fetch water for me or show any concern about my grades—or even exchange basic pleasantries.”

“…”

“And honestly, if he ever did ask about my life, I’d probably think he was either crazy or possessed.”

“…”

“Plus, he and I have almost never been alone together, let alone had any physical contact. The only girl he touches is probably you. Do you know what he usually asks me when he talks to me?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “What?”

Wu Xuan mimicked Xie Ye’s usual cold, indifferent tone and deadpanned, “‘Where is she?’”

“…” Chi Zhiyu burst out laughing at Wu Xuan’s imitation.

“You’re laughing?” Wu Xuan clicked her tongue. “I’m starting to think he only sees me as your friend.”

Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu’s expression became contemplative. She looked up and asked, “So you think Xie Ye treats me differently from others?”

Wu Xuan nodded. “Not just me. Everyone’s spreading rumors that you two are dating. What do you think?”

Chi Zhiyu recalled Xie Ye’s recent behavior—and the way he’d acted earlier. “I think…”

Before she could finish, Li Taoran finally returned from the restroom. He glanced at Chi Zhiyu and Wu Xuan, gave them a quick wave, and immediately called over Xie Ye and Su Le. “Old Yang and the others got held up. We’re still short a few players, and time’s running out. You two, come with me to fill in.”

“Huh?” Wu Xuan interjected. “Fill in for what?”

Li Taoran was in a hurry and casually replied, “You’ll see,” before trying to lead them away.

As Xie Ye stood up, Chi Zhiyu remained seated, looking up at him. “Where are you going?”

Xie Ye took his jacket from her arms and lazily asked, “Red or blue—which do you prefer?”

Chi Zhiyu didn’t understand the question and hesitated, but she answered honestly, “Red.”

“Got it.” Xie Ye nodded, then reached out and ruffled her hair with his palm, messing it up. Casually, he said, “Stay put and don’t wander off.”

With that, he withdrew his hand and followed Li Taoran.

Wu Xuan watched the three of them leave, utterly bewildered. Turning to Chi Zhiyu, she asked, “What did Xie Ye just say to you?”

Chi Zhiyu lifted her hand to smooth her hair, a bit slow to respond. “He told me to stay here and not move.”

“Hmm?” Wu Xuan furrowed her brow. “Why does it feel so mysterious? What’s going on?”

Chi Zhiyu didn’t know either and shook her head.

But recalling Xie Ye’s earlier actions, she unconsciously raised her hand to rub her head. Her gaze dropped, lost in thought, ignoring Wu Xuan’s words beside her.

“…”

Wu Xuan called her. “A-Yu, why are you holding your head like that?”

“Oh.” Chi Zhiyu snapped out of it and lowered her hand. “Check if my hair’s messy because of Xie Ye.”

Wu Xuan glanced at the top of her head. “It’s a bit frizzy. Let me fix it.”

Chi Zhiyu lowered her head to let Wu Xuan tidy it up.

“There.” Wu Xuan withdrew her hand and complimented, “You look like a celestial being descending from heaven.”

Chi Zhiyu couldn’t help but smile faintly.

At that moment, the whistle blew, signaling the end of the current match.

The two turned their attention back to the court. Wu Xuan glanced at the scoreboard and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, our school won.”

Chi Zhiyu didn’t feel particularly moved, but she joined the applause and celebration anyway. Glancing at the time, she asked, “Is this the last game of the day?”

“Probably.” Wu Xuan frowned. “But where did Li Taoran and the others go? The match is already over.”

The basketball players had already left the court, and staff began cleaning and wiping the floor.

The crowd around them gradually dispersed, some preparing to leave. Suddenly, a voice came over the microphone: “Today’s school basketball matches have concluded, but the spirit of sports continues! To relieve the stress of the senior year students preparing for exams, we will now hold a surprise friendly match. Let’s welcome both teams to the court!”

This announcement caught everyone off guard. What?

A final showdown? Why hadn’t anyone been informed?

“Holy—” Wu Xuan snapped out of her daze and looked at the players entering the court, letting out an exclamation. “Isn’t that Li Taoran and Su Le?”

The first to enter were the blue team players. Leading them was none other than Li Taoran, who waved enthusiastically to the audience. Su Le stood second-to-last, also smiling and waving.

Chi Zhiyu noticed they were wearing blue jerseys.

And there was no sign of Xie Ye among them.

Suddenly, she remembered the question Xie Ye had asked her before leaving. Her mind raced to a possibility.

Chi Zhiyu’s gaze immediately shifted to the area behind the blue team. Sure enough, the red team followed closely behind. Leading them was a classmate from the neighboring class. As each member entered, everyone noticed the figure standing at the end of the red team.

The boy was tall and lean, wearing a white T-shirt under a red jersey. His expression was calm, his dark eyes unreadable, and his lips faintly curved. There was an air of arrogance about him, as if he overlooked everyone else.

When the crowd recognized Xie Ye, they all froze for a moment.

The next instant, thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the venue.

Xie Ye walked into the red team’s area, positioned near the right side of the stands—but from Chi Zhiyu’s perspective, he was directly across from her.

Very close, as if facing her.

Chi Zhiyu stared at Xie Ye’s red jersey, her earlier suspicions growing stronger. It was as if those on the court had noticed her gaze.

Xie Ye turned his head, lifting his eyes to meet hers. His dark, narrow eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, exuding an aura of aloofness and sharpness. When he locked eyes with someone, it always felt cold and superior.

The people sitting in the middle section of the stands, including Chi Zhiyu, were momentarily stunned when he suddenly turned his head.

After holding each other’s gaze across half the court for a few seconds, Xie Ye broke eye contact first, turning his attention to the referee ahead.

Chi Zhiyu blinked, understanding the meaning conveyed in his gaze.

—Wait and watch how cool Big Brother Ye is.

The corner of her lips curved upward silently.

Still such a child.

Wu Xuan watched the three who had just left now step onto the court and was utterly baffled. “What’s going on with these guys? They’re actually playing?”

“Didn’t Li Taoran say someone got held up earlier?” Chi Zhiyu reasoned. “Maybe they’re substitutes stepping in to cover for now.”

“Oh, right.” Wu Xuan realized. “But I can’t believe Xie Ye’s playing too. The fangirls are going to lose their voices cheering.”

After saying this, she patted Chi Zhiyu’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Xie Ye doesn’t pay attention to them—he won’t even spare them a glance.”

Chi Zhiyu pursed her lips. “Then what counts as paying attention? Liking someone?”

“If it’s on the court,” Wu Xuan winked, “after scoring, the first person a guy looks at is usually the one he likes. Kind of like a kid showing off how amazing they are.”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “I see.”

Wu Xuan was about to say more, but suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! It’s starting!”

Chi Zhiyu quickly turned her head to locate Xie Ye.

The referee’s whistle blew, and Li Taoran secured the opening ball. He dribbled toward the red team’s court. Lin Jie tried to block him but fell for his feint.

As Li Taoran rapidly advanced toward the basket, a figure suddenly flashed past him from the side. Before he could react, the ball slipped from his grasp.

It had been intercepted.

Xie Ye was already dribbling through the red team’s half-court and into the blue team’s territory.

“I—” Li Taoran swallowed the curse on his lips as he realized what had happened.

You weren’t allowed to swear during official matches, or the referee would issue a yellow card warning.

In those few seconds, no one expected the situation to change so abruptly.

The blue team hadn’t had time to defend when Xie Ye had already sprinted to the three-point line with the ball.

He stopped abruptly, raised his arm, jumped slightly backward, and lightly cradled the basketball with both hands. Extending his arms fully, he flicked his wrist downward sharply. The ball left his hands, soaring high into the air in a perfect arc before swooshing cleanly through the net.

Xie Ye landed and turned his head toward Chi Zhiyu’s direction. His pupils were as dark as ink, and his eyebrows arched slightly, exuding an air of brilliance and pride.

Chi Zhiyu sat frozen, her breath catching.

The arena fell silent for a brief moment, followed by ear-splitting screams from the girls and roars from the boys.

Chi Zhiyu snapped out of it, surrounded by the amplified cheers pressing down on her heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump—it raced faster than ever.

She recalled the instinctive glance Xie Ye had given her earlier and connected it to Wu Xuan’s hint.

—After scoring, the first person a guy looks at is usually the one he likes.

Chi Zhiyu felt her ears and cheeks burning as if she were in a sauna. The intense heat spread from her earlobes down to her rapidly beating heart.

It wouldn’t stop.

The game continued, but Xie Ye had already captured everyone’s attention with his opening shot.

However, he didn’t seek to hog the spotlight. Several times, he passed the ball to his teammates, staying back to defend.

Coordinating with the overall strategy.

Still, nearly half of the red team’s points came from Xie Ye’s three-pointers. He made no mistakes, and no one could stop him.

Every time he broke through to the three-point line, it was a guaranteed hit.

Every student in the venue watched Xie Ye’s three-point shooting form, while the girls’ screams and cheers never ceased. But amidst the noise, everyone also noticed who Xie Ye occasionally glanced at.

Chi Zhiyu had grown numb to the frequent glances from the crowd.

Xie Ye didn’t look at her every time he shot. Aside from that first arrogant, blatant glance, he mostly focused on the game. Only occasionally, when he passed near her position, would he glance up at her.

But the spectators loved drama. Every time Xie Ye scored, the students around her cheered wildly before immediately turning to look at Chi Zhiyu.

And Xie Ye hadn’t even been looking at her!!!

At first, Chi Zhiyu felt embarrassed. Later, she grew numb and simply pulled on Xie Ye’s winter coat, zipping it up and using the wide collar to hide half her face.

It was as if to say: Go ahead, look all you want—I’m invisible anyway.

...

The referee’s whistle blew, signaling the end of the first half.

The score difference between the red and blue teams was minimal. After all, Li Taoran and Su Le weren’t weak opponents, and relying solely on Xie Ye, the red team couldn’t pull too far ahead.

The players left the court to catch their breath. Chi Zhiyu saw a few people enter through the entrance and quickly locate Xie Ye and the others.

She guessed the real players had returned.

Sure enough, not long after, Wu Xuan’s phone rang. She answered, said a few words, and hung up. Turning to Chi Zhiyu, she said, “Let’s go. Li Taoran wants us to meet them downstairs.”

Chi Zhiyu nodded, keeping Xie Ye’s coat on as she stood up and followed Wu Xuan down the stands. They leisurely walked to the players’ rest area.

As Wu Xuan talked about the earlier match, Chi Zhiyu listened absentmindedly. Just as she heard Su Le’s voice, she instinctively turned her head toward the sound.

There, standing directly opposite her, was Xie Ye. Li Taoran stood beside him, one hand resting on his shoulder, seemingly remarking on something.

Xie Ye was still wearing his jersey, his black hair soaked with sweat. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead to his jawline, and he casually lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his face.

As the fabric rose, it revealed his lean waist and well-defined abs.

This scene caused Chi Zhiyu’s brain to flood with heat.

Similarly, she heard waves of excited, feverish screams from the girls around her.

Beside her, Wu Xuan and Li Taoran walked together to talk on the side.

By the time Chi Zhiyu snapped out of it…

Xie Ye had just raised his head and noticed her gaze. Seeing where her eyes were fixed, he raised an eyebrow, then slowly lowered his shirt. With a teasing lilt in his voice, he drawled, “Caught staring, huh—”

His tone lifted slightly as he bent down slightly to meet her gaze. Lazily dragging out his words, he paused for two seconds before delivering the final blow in a cheeky, playful tone: “Little pervert.”