Duan Jinghuai withdrew his gaze and licked the corner of his mouth as a smile spread across his face. He pushed back his sweat-soaked hair and let out a resounding shout for Luo An. Luo An grunted in response and executed a fake move to slip past the defenders before passing the ball to Duan Jinghuai.
Duan Jinghuai strode to the three-point line, planted his feet, sprang upward, and raised his arms. The ball rolled smoothly off his palm. The basketball traced an arc through the air and fell steadily through the hoop without even grazing the rim. The gym went quiet for two seconds before exploding into a deafening roar of cheers.
Shi Yu cheered from his perch on the ladder, and his eyes shone like a sunlit pond. Jiang Yu was equally stunned and shouted at the top of his lungs that Duan Jinghuai was incredible. He snatched a support flag from the hand of Shi Yu and joined in the cheering for Duan Jinghuai and the school team.
Xie Jiahao grumbled inwardly that this ice beauty display was far more exhilarating than any soft girl in a sailor suit. The game entered a fever pitch. After the perfect three-pointer from Duan Jinghuai, the rest of the players seemed to have been injected with adrenaline. They fought desperately with every pass, stride, and layup. Soon, the point gap began to close.
The cheering from Shi Yu remained loud enough to drown out every other girl in the stands. Duan Jinghuai dribbled along the flank with defenders from the other school spreading their arms like shields to stay glued to him. He feinted past a blonde player, found an opening, and surged forward. As he approached the basket, he nimbly wrapped the ball behind his back. The defender lunged at empty air as Duan Jinghuai stepped into a layup.
With a heavy thud, the ball dropped through the net. The screams in the gym were loud enough to collapse the roof. Duan Jinghuai jumped and bumped chests with his teammates while sweat danced like crystals in the air. The score was tied. Shi Yu shouted that Duan Jinghuai was amazing, and his clear voice echoed through the gym.
The judges on the panel frowned with displeasure and whispered while exchanging looks. This was the gym of the other school, and most of the judges were teachers from that institution. When their school had been leading, they were all smiles and boasted to the visiting officials about the success of their athletic programs.
However, since Shi Yu had climbed the ladder to lead the cheers, the score had miraculously been tied. It felt like a thorn in their sides and made them feel uncomfortable and embarrassed in front of the officials. Soon, two burly security guards stood before Shi Yu and Jiang Yu. One guard told the students they were being too loud and were seriously affecting the concentration of the players, so they had to leave.
Jiang Yu knew this was the turf of the other school and asked with disdain if they were louder than the cheerleaders of the opposing team. As if on cue, the opposing cheerleaders began chanting a slogan in unison. The guard stated this was an order from the school leadership and told them to comply.
Jiang Yu understood perfectly that since the score was tied, those old fossils could not sit still and were looking for a reason to nitpick. He spat on the ground and complained that they were not casting spells. He looked up at Shi Yu, who seemed not to have heard a word. Shi Yu pushed away the face of the security guard and leaned forward to shout for Duan Jinghuai with the veins in his neck visible.
Jiang Yu thought to himself that Shi Yu was truly impressive in many ways. After several shoves, the security guards became impatient. One growled and asked if they did not understand that they were being told to get out. The shout was heard on the court. Duan Jinghuai frowned and glanced over while running. Through the gaps between players, he saw the thin and pale face of Shi Yu. The beautiful brows of Shi Yu were knit, and his eyes held a look of deliberate ferocity as he glared at the guard.
The referee blew the whistle for a timeout. Wiping sweat from his face, the jaw of Duan Jinghuai worked as he adopted a dark and menacing expression. Xie Jiahao would later brag that in that suffocating atmosphere, he was certain that if the guard had touched Shi Yu, Duan Jinghuai would have charged in to fight.
Ultimately, Jiang Yu slipped away. To avoid delaying the game, Shi Yu was forced to walk out of the gym under the watchful eyes of the two guards. The game took place in late December. Winter had arrived, and the stone steps outside the gym were shrouded in a misty white fog. Shi Yu was wearing only his school uniform and a thin sweater. The wind carried a bone-chilling cold that seeped through his clothes, and soon he was frozen through.
But he seemed to have no sensation of it. He stood straight on the stone steps and listened to the cheers echoing from the gym speakers. It felt as though his blood was heating up along with the noise. The match on the court was intense and filled with the sounds of collisions and heavy breathing. The game was ending, and the score was neck and neck.
As the countdown began, the heart of everyone was in their throat. The clenched fingers of Shi Yu tightened, and his knuckles turned white. Seconds later, a wave of applause hit his eardrums like a heatwave. Through the speakers, the announcer shouted that First High School had won with a score of 54 to 50.
With the screams as a backdrop, the tension in the chest of Shi Yu finally broke. He let out a long breath while his temples throbbed, and the excitement in his mind slowly ebbed away. His muscles began to cramp, and he realized the cold had long since settled into his bones. His body trembled, and his frozen fingers were stiff. A thin mist of moisture covered his long eyelashes.
He rubbed his hands and blew hot breath into his palms. The next second, a large and thick jacket enveloped him from behind, and a warm source of heat embraced him. His ears, which were stung by the cold wind, finally began to thaw. Jiang Yu would later tell him that after the referee announced the result, Duan Jinghuai did not even stop to celebrate. He grabbed his jacket almost instantly and ran outside.
Shi Yu turned around and looked up while feeling hot breath on his nose. Duan Jinghuai was still wearing only his thin basketball jersey. His sweat had been dried by the wind, but his skin was still burning hot. He looked at Shi Yu breathlessly with the light in his eyes burning like fire.
The nose and eyes of Shi Yu were red from the cold. His eyelashes drooped quietly, and his eyes were bright and clear with a smile as he noted that Duan Jinghuai had won. He looked incredibly pure. The knuckles of Duan Jinghuai tightened. His throat felt dry, and he could hardly hide his agitation. He took a small step back to hide his disarray and wrapped the jacket tightly around Shi Yu while his brow furrowed slightly. He asked if Shi Yu was stupid for getting kicked out for shouting so hard.
Shi Yu replied that he was afraid Duan Jinghuai would not hear him. He lifted his eyelids, and his pupils looked innocent and alluring. The heart of Duan Jinghuai skipped a beat. He looked away uncomfortably and cleared his throat. After a long pause, he managed to say that he would have won whether Shi Yu cheered or not.
Shi Yu gave a simple response and nodded. Duan Jinghuai thought to himself how obedient the boy was. Shi Yu sniffed while looking small and adorable bundled in the oversized jacket. Duan Jinghuai felt a bit at a loss and stepped forward while his tone softened. He asked if Shi Yu was still cold. Shi Yu began to say it was okay and noted that he thought Duan Jinghuai was the one who must be cold.
Before he could finish, Duan Jinghuai took his two hands and placed them against his own neck. The frozen palms pressed against the warm skin and gradually absorbed the heat. That warmth traveled up from the fingertips of Shi Yu like a flame and warmed his heart.
A sudden notification sounded. The scene before his eyes dissolved into an illusion, and all the sounds faded away. Shi Yu snapped his eyes open and panted slightly as he stared blankly at the familiar ceiling. It was a dream. He had actually dreamed of high school events so clearly and with such warmth and detail that he could even recall the expressions of everyone. He let out a long breath and looked at his pale fingertips in a daze. The warmth of the neck of Duan Jinghuai seemed to linger there as if everything were happening anew.
Recalling how he had impulsively run down from the stands, he felt his face grow hot again. The sound of the whistling wind seemed to linger in his ears. He had not been thinking of anything then because he simply wanted to tell Duan Jinghuai how he felt and wanted him to win. He covered his eyes with his wrist and sighed. He realized that losing himself because of Duan Jinghuai was something that had happened more than once.
Once he steadied his chaotic emotions, he checked his phone. It was a message from Assistant Yu noting that the PR department was preparing to film a promotional video for a tourist attraction developed by Junyi. The department had signed a popular male star, and the endorsement required an outdoor backdrop. Both sides had agreed to a collaboration. Since Junyi had initiated the request, Shi Yu needed to make an appearance.
At ten o’clock in the morning, he appeared at the filming site wearing a well-tailored navy blue suit. He looked cold and elegant with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high bridge. His tall and straight figure exuded an air of nobility and drew frequent looks from those around him. Many staff members from magazines were seeing the CEO of Junyi for the first time. After staring in amazement, they secretly took photos and claimed he was even better looking than the star they were filming.
The male star was reclining on a lounge chair for the shoot. His features were delicate and beautiful, and his skin was thin and translucent. A small red mole sat below the corner of his eye. His waist was slender and made him look soft and fragile. Flashbulbs went off as he posed with practiced ease. Shi Yu stood quietly by the monitor. The photographer wanted to greet him, but Shi Yu shook his head to stop him.
The name Zhou Yangyi sounded familiar. As the first set of photos finished, the star froze for a moment before stepping forward to greet him warmly. His voice was soft and pleasant. Shi Yu suddenly remembered that during the pool party Hao Shuai had thrown for Xie Jingting, this young star had been there. He remembered the boy had given his room card to someone.