Playing Ball

The next morning, Pei Huan woke up feeling perfectly fine. After breakfast, she headed to school with Pei Yan.

“You got caught in the rain last night?” Pei Yan brought up the topic.

“Yeah,” Pei Huan admitted without hesitation.

“Didn’t Mom tell you to take an umbrella? How did you still end up soaked?” Pei Yan sounded puzzled.

“I lost it by accident,” Pei Huan lied with a straight face.

Pei Yan looked her over for a moment but didn’t press on about the missing umbrella. Knowing Pei Huan’s careless nature, she might not even notice if it was lost.

Before heading upstairs at school, Pei Yan reminded her, “Don’t get distracted in class, okay? If I hear you’re sneaking snacks again, I’ll tell Mom.”

“Would I do something like that?” Pei Huan retorted stubbornly.

Pei Yan shot her a flat look. “You should remember how many times you got complaints from teachers in your first year.”

Pei Huan scratched her nose awkwardly. Back in her first year, she’d often been reported for chatting and eating during class, which had led to quite a few calls home. She’d toned it down since, but her love of snacks was hard to resist.

Watching Pei Yan walk off, Pei Huan couldn’t help but grin mischievously and flash a middle finger at his back. Suddenly, Pei Yan turned around, and Pei Huan immediately switched to a harmless wave as if nothing had happened.

Pei Yan simply lifted his hand in reply before heading off.

Pei Huan returned to her classroom. Li Xuan and Wang Xun had arrived early and were chatting away, balancing on their chairs with smug expressions—clearly trying to outdo each other with tall tales.

Seeing Pei Huan enter, Li Xuan greeted her, “You’re early today.”

“You’re even earlier than me, aren’t you?” Pei Huan raised an eyebrow.

After a few exchanges, Pei Huan put down her bag and sat down. Lu Yinghuai wasn’t early today, and with nothing better to do, Pei Huan started chatting with the boy in front of her.

“Did you catch the NBA game yesterday? It was amazing,” he said.

“I did!” Pei Huan replied, animated by the familiar topic. “Some of those plays had me cheering out loud.”

“Right? Which team do you support?”

Pei Huan named her team, and it happened to be his favorite as well. The two instantly bonded, their eyes sparkling with camaraderie.

They chatted for a long while. Lu Yinghuai sat down beside Pei Huan at some point, but she didn’t even notice. He watched them, his gaze lingering coldly on Pei Huan for a moment before he looked away.

Before morning reading, someone came to collect homework, cutting Pei Huan’s conversation short. She handed in her work and, surprised to see Lu Yinghuai, asked, “When did you get here?”

He glanced at her with no particular expression. “While you were enjoying your chat.”

There was a hint of displeasure in his tone, but Pei Huan didn’t pick up on it. “Really? I wasn’t paying attention.”

Hearing this, Lu Yinghuai lowered his head to his book, clearly not in the mood to talk.

Bored, Pei Huan tried to strike up a conversation. “What time did you get home last night?”

“Didn’t check,” Lu Yinghuai replied coolly.

“But it was pouring last night. Did you take a taxi?”

“No,” he answered.

Pei Huan was surprised. “You walked in that downpour? Weren’t you soaked?”

“It was fine,” he responded briefly.

Actually, half his pants and much of his shirt were drenched by the time he got home. He’d considered taking a taxi but dismissed the idea since he had an umbrella in hand. He ended up walking home.

“And you?” Lu Yinghuai suddenly asked.

“Me what?” Pei Huan was caught off guard by the question.

“You got rained on too. Didn’t catch a cold?” he asked in a low, deep voice.

“Nope. I guess I’m just tough,” Pei Huan replied, a little proud.

Lu Yinghuai studied her face, and only after confirming she was truly fine did he let out a quiet breath. After all, he’d taken her umbrella; if she’d gotten sick, he would have felt guilty.

They chatted a bit until morning reading started. The English teacher was supervising, and Pei Huan read half-heartedly, soon nodding off, her head drooping dangerously close to the desk.

While reading his own book, Lu Yinghuai kept a watchful eye on her, worried she might topple over onto the table.

After math and language classes, the third period was PE. Most girls, including Pei Huan, weren’t keen to go. She dawdled until only a few minutes were left before class, then reluctantly went downstairs with Tang Yue.

The usual warm-up was an 800-meter run. After lining up on the track, they started running, but Pei Huan and Tang Yue soon fell behind—far behind. Watching Lu Yinghuai’s tall figure ahead, Tang Yue sighed, “Every time I see Lu Yinghuai, I have to admit he’s got a great body.”

“Right? Even I’ve been charmed by him a few times,” Pei Huan admitted.

“Seriously?” Tang Yue was skeptical.

“Of course! I’ve never seen a guy better looking than him.”

“Not even your celebrity crush?”

“Compared to Lu Yinghuai, my idol isn’t even worth mentioning,” Pei Huan scoffed.

They burst into laughter, nearly running out of breath after just one lap.

After finishing, Pei Huan and Tang Yue bent over, panting, and complained about the frontrunners as if they were racing for food.

After warm-ups came the main PE lesson, then free time. Li Xuan and Wang Xu invited Pei Huan to play basketball, but she waved them off, too tired to move.

“You’re weak today, Huan,” Wang Xun teased.

“Not everyone’s as full of energy as you. Go have fun,” Pei Huan shooed them away.

Once they left, Pei Huan sat in the stands, shivering in the cold winter wind.

“Pei Yan, come play!” someone shouted.

The call snapped Pei Huan out of her daze. She looked over to see a group of boys inviting Pei Yan to join their game. By coincidence, Pei Yan’s class and her own had PE at the same time on Fridays. The shout drew the attention of all the girls in the stands.

“Coming,” Pei Yan replied, jogging down from the stands.

Pei Huan was friendly with Pei Yan’s group since childhood. They spotted her huddled in the stands and called out, “Come play, Pei Huan!”

Pei Huan wrinkled her nose and waved them off. After saying goodbye, the group headed to the basketball court, trailed by a crowd of girls.

“You’re pretty popular, Pei Huan. So many people asking you to play,” Tang Yue nudged her.

“Popular? As if you weren’t part of the same crowd as a kid,” Pei Huan shot back.

Tang Yue laughed; their group had grown up together, and it was rare they’d all ended up at the same schools from elementary through high school.

Suddenly, shrieks erupted from the basketball court. Pei Huan and Tang Yue craned their necks to see what was happening.

They couldn’t see much from a distance, so Pei Huan stopped a girl heading over. “What’s happening on the court?”

“Lu Yinghuai’s playing!” the girl replied excitedly.

Pei Huan was surprised. She’d heard he could play, but hadn’t seen him on the court all semester.

“Should we go watch?” Tang Yue suggested.

Pei Huan agreed at once.

There were already plenty of girls courtside. Pei Huan and Tang Yue found seats while Yuan Tao and Tao Ranxi sat in the front row. Pei Huan glanced at them, then focused on the court.

Lu Yinghuai’s movements were crisp and precise—stealing the ball, sprinting to the three-point line, jumping, shooting.

A perfect three-pointer.

The whole crowd cheered, and even Pei Huan couldn’t help herself.

He really was dazzling.

They were playing against Pei Yan’s class. After scoring, Lu Yinghuai glanced up at the stands, searching for someone. His gaze lingered a few seconds at Pei Huan’s spot before he turned back to the game.

“Did Lu Yinghuai just look our way?” Tang Yue asked excitedly.

“I’m not sure,” Pei Huan replied, shaking her head.

Throughout the game, Lu Yinghuai’s performance was outstanding—even Pei Yan, impressive as he was, seemed overshadowed, though he still had plenty of fans cheering him on. After all, Pei Yan was just as handsome.

When the game ended, Yuan Tao approached Lu Yinghuai, offering him a bottle of water. “Have a drink, Huai.”

Lu Yinghuai glanced at the bottle, then walked past her. Yuan Tao’s hand hovered awkwardly in the air until Li Xuan came over, took the water, chugged a big gulp, and joked, “Class Belle, you’re too kind—bringing me water and all.”

Yuan Tao smiled faintly, not engaging with Li Xuan’s banter. She was still caught up in the disappointment of being ignored by Lu Yinghuai.

“Yuan Tao just tried to give Lu Yinghuai water, but he didn’t take it. He really has no sense for these things,” Tang Yue teased.

“Maybe he just doesn’t like water,” Pei Huan joked along.

PE ended quickly, and back in class, Pei Huan took a drink and glanced at Lu Yinghuai beside her.

“You were really cool playing basketball today,” she suddenly said.

Lu Yinghuai paused mid-drink. “You were there?”

“Yeah, I watched the whole thing.”

“I thought you didn’t come,” he said quietly.

Pei Huan grinned. “Why would I miss my deskmate’s game?”

“Mm,” was all Lu Yinghuai replied.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Huan asked, sensing something off.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head.

He tilted his head back for another sip, hiding the faint curve of his lips.

For a moment on the court, Lu Yinghuai had thought he was seeing things, but she had really come to watch him play—specifically him.

With that thought, his mood turned bright and clear.