Once the physical education class finished assembling, the PE teacher walked over wearing sunglasses. The silver whistle around his neck blew with a sharp “Wheee-!”
“At ease! Attention! Dress right… dress!”
After the formation commands ended, he handed the attendance roster to Li Changlin. “Sports representative, take attendance.”
“Zhao Che.”
“Here.”
“Gu Yu.”
“Here.”
“Wang Anran.”
“Here.”
“Zhou Wei.”
“Here.”
“Wei Junjie.”
Zhou Wei answered again, “Here!”
The PE teacher pushed up his sunglasses slightly and squinted at him. “Why are you answering twice? Are you also named Wei Junjie?”
“Teacher, Wei Junjie is in the bathroom taking a dump. He asked me to answer for him,” Zhou Wei explained candidly, triggering a sudden burst of low chuckles across the class.
Speechless, the PE teacher waved his hand, telling Li Changlin to continue.
When roll call ended, the PE teacher announced that the physical education department had a last-minute meeting. He instructed everyone to run two laps around the playground first, and then spend the remaining time in free activity. Wei Junjie, who had just returned from the bathroom, was penalized with an extra lap. Panting after his run, he suggested, “Come on, let’s go play soccer! It’s not easy to finally get a chance to relax.”
Li Changlin and several other boys agreed. Zhao Che turned his head to look at Gu Yu, who hadn’t spoken nearby. He remembered from his past life that Gu Yu didn’t seem to enjoy participating in these things. However, constantly burying oneself in studies wasn’t a good way to live either; he had to help him fit in more.
So, he grabbed Gu Yu’s arm and headed toward the soccer field, paying no mind to whether the other person would refuse or not. “Let’s go, time to relax a bit!”
Unexpectedly, the person behind him not only didn’t refuse, but even responded calmly, “Mm.”
The soccer field was encircled by a 400-meter track. The rubber surface, which had been freshly repainted last year, was baking hot under the sun, giving off a faint chemical smell.
Gu Yu tilted his head slightly, instinctively covering his nose.
This subtle gesture didn’t escape Zhao Che’s eyes. His footsteps paused as he searched his memory.
Huh? Didn’t Gu Yu have some kind of illness… Ah, rhinitis! I’ll buy him a nasal spray after school.
Just as he was thinking, he looked up and heard Li Changlin talking to a student athlete.
Li Changlin walked forward and said politely, “Hey man, could you spare us some space? We just need that small section on the south side to play.”
“No, we can’t!” A student athlete with a “No. 2” printed on his chest refused without even looking up.
Li Changlin instantly lost his temper. “You guys aren’t using such a huge field anyway. Can’t you condense your practice space? Other students need to play soccer too!”
“I said no means no! Get lost, don’t interrupt our training.” When Athlete No. 2 looked up, his tone was filled with disdain.
People from both sides quickly gathered around, and the atmosphere instantly turned tense. Zhou Wei couldn’t help cursing, “Fuck, is this playground owned by your family?”
“If you’ve got the guts, come and take it! What are you barking about here?” someone from the athlete group chimed in.
Watching the two groups turning red-faced and arguing intensely over the right to use the soccer field, Zhao Che didn’t push to the front. Instead, he spoke up, interrupting them: “Have you argued enough?”
As his voice carried over with the wind, the few who were in the heat of the argument paused, turning their heads to look at him. He tilted his chin toward a nearby empty space, his voice flat and unbothered: “If you won’t yield, then let’s compete for it with actual strength.”
Athlete No. 1 said, “Don’t make us laugh! Who doesn’t know Class 1 ranks at the absolute bottom in sports?”
When Athlete No. 2 swept his gaze over Gu Yu, his expression turned even more mocking: “I don’t know what my goddess sees in you either. You look like you’d collapse at a single touch—better go back to solving exam questions, don’t make trouble here.”
He then looked at Zhou Wei, who was wearing glasses. “And you, playing soccer with glasses on—be careful your lenses don’t fly off later, leaving you searching all over the ground!”
“What’s wrong with me wearing glasses!” Zhou Wei was flushed with anger. “It’s still better than you guys being simple-minded and all brawn!”
As the class monitor, Wei Junjie rolled up his sleeves to step forward when he saw them insulting his classmates, but Zhao Che pulled him back.
“Don’t be impulsive,” Zhao Che said, taking a step forward. A faint smile hovered at the corners of his mouth, yet his aura instantly dominated the scene. “Don’t just talk with your mouths. Want to compete?”
How dare you say my Gu Yu looks like he’d collapse at a single touch? Just wait and see if I don’t kick your ass down later!
Intimidated by his presence, the captain of the student athletes said grumpily, “Zhao Che, right? Since you want to compete, fine by us. Let’s do a 5v5—first to five points wins, one point per goal.”
“Deal,” Zhao Che agreed cleanly.
Athlete No. 2 even made a point to sneer at Gu Yu, who was standing to the side: “Hmph, nerd, just you wait!”
There were nine of them in total, and they needed to choose five to play. Who should sit out became a problem. Wei Junjie looked at Zhou Wei: “Cheer for us from the sidelines. You’re usually weaker at soccer.”
Zhou Wei kicked him. “Damn it, you pig, who are you calling weak?”
Li Changlin quickly pulled the two apart. “Alright, alright. Zhou Wei, the monitor is just worried you’ll get hurt. The opposing side are all pros; they won’t go easy on us.”
Thinking it over, Zhou Wei found it made sense. He gave Wei Junjie a harsh glare, then turned and walked toward the spectator stands.
The final lineup taking the field was Zhao Che, Gu Yu, Wei Junjie, Li Changlin, and another classmate. On the student athletes’ side, it was their captain leading Athletes No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4.
“Let’s go!” Li Changlin stretched his ankles, his eyes burning with an unyielding spirit.
The referee was someone from the athletes’ side. The moment the soccer ball was tossed into the air, Li Changlin charged forward to header it, sending the ball toward the opponent’s midfield.
Like an arrow leaving the bowstring, an athlete dashed over, his cleats making a harsh scraping sound against the turf. He raised his leg, intercepted the ball, and immediately took a shot at the goal. As a result, Wei Junjie dove in the wrong direction, and the ball went straight into the net.
“1 to 0!” A burst of cheers erupted from the athletes’ side.
Sitting in the spectator stands, Zhou Wei watched Wei Junjie’s clumsy performance and was just about to shout a curse when he heard the athletes’ taunts floating over, immediately getting into a shouting match with them.
Over the next few minutes, the game was almost entirely one-sided. The athletes coordinated seamlessly, scoring consecutively, and the score quickly reached 4 to 1. The only point Class 1 earned was brought in by Zhao Che through an extreme slide tackle.
During a break before a kickoff, Li Changlin lowered his voice in anxiety and asked Gu Yu beside him, “What do we do, Brother Yu? If we lose one more point, it’s game over.”
Gu Yu watched the figures running on the field and said calmly, “Don’t rush.”
Li Changlin’s heart was pounding. We’re about to lose, how can I not rush?
Yet in the very next second, Gu Yu left everyone jaw-dropped. When the referee kicked off again, he dashed forward like a gust of wind, taking possession of the ball first.
The red-and-white school uniform was particularly eye-catching on the field. He nimbly dodged past two defenders, dribbled the ball a few more steps, and snapped a direct shot at the goal. The movement was crisp and decisive, and the ball landed securely into the net.
“2 to 4!” Zhou Wei leaped up from the sidelines, cheering.
Before the athletes could react, Gu Yu shook off his defenders once more. Facing the goalkeeper, he calmly pushed the ball into the net to score another point. Immediately following that, he slipped right through two players, executing a precise pass to Zhao Che. Zhao Che didn’t disappoint—he delivered a header, bringing the score to a 4 to 4 tie.
The field and the stands instantly boiled over with excitement. The athletes grew anxious, and their defense turned increasingly fierce.
During the final decisive play, Zhao Che received the ball and was about to dribble past the defensive line when Opponent No. 2 intentionally raised his foot, his cleats scraping hard across Zhao Che’s lower leg. He stumbled, but bearing the pain, he kicked the ball over to Gu Yu.
A perfect arc crossed through the air—the ball was in!
Zhao Che had originally planned to personally blast the opposing team into the ground, but he hadn’t expected Gu Yu’s soccer skills to be so surprisingly good! Enduring waves of sharp pain from his leg, he walked over to Gu Yu’s side, his face full of pleasant surprise: “That was so cool!”
“5 to 4! We won!” Li Changlin jumped up excitedly, hugging Wei Junjie beside him.
The athletes looked thoroughly defeated and grumbled a few words, but still relinquished the field.
Zhou Wei taunted from the side, “Stubborn as a dead duck!” Then he turned and shouted at Gu Yu and the others, “Holy shit, that was awesome! God Yu, you were hiding your true strength! That was insane!”
Li Changlin nodded along. “Yeah, when he said ‘Don’t rush’ earlier, I thought we were done for! Who knew he’d turn the tables so fast!”
“Of course! Didn’t I say our Gu Yu has always been smart and sharp? He can easily…” Halfway through his sentence, Zhao Che heard Gu Yu’s voice tense up: “Are you alright, Zhao Che?”
Only then did everyone notice that a section of Zhao Che’s pant leg was already soaked red with blood. The game had been so intense earlier that nobody noticed he was injured.
“Brother Che, how did you get hurt like this? Go to the infirmary, quick!” Wei Junjie gasped.
Zhao Che rolled up his pant leg, revealing three deep and long cuts, yet he still smiled and said, “It’s fine. Got scraped by cleats while scrambling for the ball just now. Minor injury.”
Gu Yu’s face darkened, his tone carrying an unquestionable firmness: “To the infirmary.”
“Going, going, don’t pull a long face.” Seeing that he was upset, Zhao Che quickly complied. Limping over to his side, he even deliberately softened his voice: “Student Gu Yu, my leg hurts so much. Can you give me a hand?”
Gu Yu didn’t say a word; he simply raised his arm, giving him a point of support. Looking at the forearm in front of him, Zhao Che leaned on it without hesitation.
Zhou Wei and the others wanted to follow along, but Zhao Che stopped them with a wave of his hand. “Don’t waste the field I traded a good leg for. Go play! Having your Brother Yu accompany me is enough.”
*
On the way to the infirmary, Zhao Che didn’t stay quiet for long, chattering away in Gu Yu’s ear: “Gu Yu, why aren’t you talking to me?”
He wouldn’t actually be angry, right?
“Brother Yu? God Yu? Deskmate? Ah Yu?”
Driven to close his eyes from the noise, Gu Yu said softly, “Shut up.”
Zhao Che behaved for a few seconds, then leaned in close with a cheeky smile, lowering his voice even further: “Don’t be unhappy. I didn’t expect that guy to stretch his leg out so far either…”
Before he could finish, Gu Yu suddenly stopped in his tracks. Tree shadows fell across half his face, veiling the emotions in his eyes. He lowered his gaze to look at Zhao Che’s bleeding pant leg, his eyelashes trembling slightly. When he looked up again, the distance in his eyes had softened a bit as he asked softly, “Does it hurt?”
???
Zhao Che was stunned by his look. It felt as if his heart had been gently stung by something. Why does Gu Yu seem a bit different from usual? Is he… feeling bad for me?
After his shock, he let out a couple of dry laughs: “Ah, haha, it doesn’t hurt. A real man—what’s a little pain like this?”
Gu Yu pursed his lips, his voice very soft: “Be careful next time.”
“Don’t worry.” Receiving Gu Yu’s care, Zhao Che instantly felt puffed up with pride. “Is Student Gu Yu feeling bad for me?”
Gu Yu remained silent for a few seconds, before emitting a single sound from his throat: “Mm.”
Holy shit, it’s confirmed! Gu Yu really feels bad for him! Looks like taking this kick wasn’t in vain at all!
All the way there, he was surrounded by this novel feeling. By the time he snapped back to reality, he was already sitting on a chair in the infirmary.
Holding a cotton swab dipped in transparent liquid, the school nurse approached the wound: “Endure it a bit. Hydrogen peroxide disinfection might hurt a little.”
“Go ahead.”
The moment the cotton swab touched the wound, Zhao Che almost leaped up in pain, but he forced himself not to make a sound, with only a thin layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
You call this hurting ‘a little’? This single touch has his head buzzing right now. Sigh… if Gu Yu weren’t here, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to hold back a scream.
So between his image and endurance, he yielded to endurance.