Wednesday afternoon had no classes, so Wen Li went to the training base to see Coach Zhang.
When she arrived, Coach Zhang was leading the team through extra drills. Through the glass wall, Wen Li saw many unfamiliar faces—young and inexperienced, but every one of them red-faced with effort as barbells slammed against the floor with dull thuds.
Seeing her waving through the glass, Coach Zhang broke into a surprised smile and hurried out. "Little Li's here!"
Wen Li rushed over and threw her arms around him. "Coach, I missed you so much."
She'd started following Coach Zhang not long after entering the sports school, and over the years they'd grown close—like father and daughter.
Coach Zhang spun her around once. "Have you lost weight?"
Wen Li laughed. "No, same as always."
He squeezed her shoulders. "Then you've lost muscle. Look how thin your arms have gotten."
The two sat down on a bench at the edge of the court, the sounds of the training hall fading into the background. Coach Zhang asked, "Are you coming back? We're still keeping a spot for you on the team."
Wen Li fell silent, unsure how to broach the subject. "My parents don't agree."
"I understand. Last time you got hurt, it scared your parents half to death. What parent wouldn't worry about their child? Your mom called me, crying and blaming me for not taking better care of you. And it was my fault too—you were young and inexperienced, I shouldn't have let you compete…"
His voice started to choke up. Wen Li comforted him. "It was my own fault. I was a bit ungrateful back then."
"You're the best prospect I've ever trained," he said, his voice heavy. "When you joined the provincial team at fourteen and did your first trial lift, I knew you'd make it. That explosive power of yours, that grit—once in a decade. Can you really bear to give it up?"
Wen Li didn't answer.
Could she bear it?
She honestly didn't know. This past year, she'd gone to class every day, no 6 AM morning drills, no grueling training, just fooling around with classmates. She'd been pretty happy, actually—but something always felt missing.
Like a person only lives once, and you need something to hold onto.
"The team's not in a hurry. Take your time to think. But Wen Li, good prospects are rare. I really don't want to lose you."
Leaving the training hall, Wen Li stood on the steps and looked back at the training base.
At twelve, she'd been doing pull-ups against the boys at the sports school when Coach Zhang spotted her at a glance and brought her all the way from the youth squad to the first team.
Coach Zhang never doubted it—he was certain she'd shine on the international stage. But no one expected her to get injured at the peak of her career, and now she'd been sidelined for a year.
Wen Li turned around and headed toward the bus stop. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she answered. "Hello?"
"Lili, where are you?" It was Fu Qin, sounding urgent.
"Over at the provincial sports center," Wen Li said. "What's up?"
"Get back here. Come to the basketball court."
"What, did you set your sights on one of the athletes?"
"No, it's your crush."
"?" Wen Li's composure cracked. "You've got a crush on my crush?!"
Fu Qin was speechless. "Sorry, I'm not a masochist. Your crush is playing basketball."
Playing basketball! Her brain had already started auto-playing the scene—a guy in a white jersey, showing off smooth, defined forearms, the jersey hem lifting with every dribble, hints of abdominal muscles visible.
Wen Li swallowed. "I'm coming right now!"
"When you come back, remember to buy a bottle of water from the store," Fu Qin coached her step by step. "That way you can go give him water."
"Good point. When I get married, you're sitting at the head table!"
Wen Li perked up instantly, frantically hailing a taxi on the roadside to rush back to school.
The street scenes flew past the window. Wen Li's hands rested on her knees, and even the few dozen seconds waiting at a red light felt too long. She wished she could sprint there.
The moment the car stopped, she scanned the payment code, pushed the door open, and ran.
The court was packed—people crowded around in layers, and some girls were holding up phones to record videos. Wen Li couldn't see anything from where she stood, so she stood on her tiptoes, craning to look inside.
"Over here! Over here!" Fu Qin waved at her from not far away.
Wen Li hurried over. "I'm not late, am I?"
"Late? No, but…" Fu Qin stared at the 2-liter bottle of Nongfu Spring water in her hand, lost in thought. "Don't tell me that's the water you bought?"
Wen Li: "Yeah, I was afraid he wouldn't have enough to drink, so I got the big one on purpose."
"Who told you to worry about whether he has enough to drink?" Fu Qin rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "It's not like I actually meant for you to give him water to drink!"
Wen Li was confused. "Then what am I supposed to give?"
"…"
Send you a thousand miles away, maybe.
Another wave of excited screams and applause erupted. With all her dithering, the game had already ended, and the girls swarmed forward in a rush to hand out water.
Through the crowd, she saw Xiao Jinyu surrounded in the middle by a group of girls. He was drenched in sweat, his eyes wet with it too, but his expression was as indifferent as ever—no trace of excitement from winning the game.
Wen Li wanted to push through too, but there were too many people. She didn't stand a chance.
Damn it, why was he so popular! She stood on her tiptoes, peering inside. If he dared to accept someone else's water, it was over.
She would never talk to him again.
Whether her threat actually worked or not, Xiao Jinyu really didn't accept anyone's water. He silently walked away from the crowd.
Wen Li hugged the bottle, about to chase after him.
The next second, her hand loosened—the mineral water was snatched away.
She turned around and saw Ji Cheng's infuriating face.
He twisted open the cap, tilted his head back, and poured the water into his mouth.
Ahhh, that was the water she'd gotten for Xiao Jinyu!
"Ji Cheng! Have you no shame?!" She kicked at him, but Ji Cheng dodged it nimbly.
He gulped down more than half without any hesitation, then, satisfied, shoved the bottle back into her arms. "Thanks."
Wen Li looked at her water with heartache—there was only half left!
"Still, our Lili knows how to care for her big brother." Ji Cheng casually ruffled her hair, messing her bangs into a tangled mop.
"I care for your grandma!" She raised her hand and slapped his arm, leaving a red handprint. "Who told you to drink it? This is mine! My water!"
"It's just a bottle of water, look how stingy you are. Want me to spit it back out for you?"
"Are you disgusting or what?"
"I'll buy you a new one tomorrow."
Tomorrow would be too late. Wen Li was so angry she wanted to kick him again. But Ji Cheng had already swaggered off, casually running a hand through his sweaty hair, leaving her with what he thought was a very cool back view.
"Just you wait!" Wen Li shook her fist at his retreating figure. "Next time I'll put laxatives in the water!"
"I'll be waiting."
Ji Cheng didn't even turn around, his voice just as infuriating.
Wen Li genuinely wanted to charge over and beat him up, but Fu Qin called out from not far away: "Lili, come here quick, what are you doing? Xiao Jinyu is about to leave."
Oh right, Xiao Jinyu! She almost forgot the main thing.
The crowd had already dispersed. Xiao Jinyu was wiping sweat with the collar of his jersey, revealing a glimpse of his abs, walking expressionlessly toward the edge of the court.
Wen Li dashed over in one stride and grabbed the hem of his shirt.
He was pulled to a halt, turning to look at her. "What?"
Because he'd just finished playing, the corners of his eyes were slightly red, his lashes wet with sweat and clumped together, making his pupils look darker, deeper, and even more alluring.
…Seductive again.
Wen Li pressed her lips together, trying to make her smile sincere: "I came to give you some water!"
Xiao Jinyu glanced at the half-full bottle swaying in her hand, his tone flat but somehow carrying a hint of sarcasm: "One bottle of water for two people. You sure know how to save effort."
"…" Wen Li was choked for a moment. "No, there was a thirsty dog on the road just now. I felt sorry for him and gave him some. If you mind, I'll go buy you a new one."
"No need."
Xiao Jinyu turned and walked away.
Entering the classroom, he stopped, Wen Li's expression from just now replaying in his mind.
He wondered if his tone had been too harsh. She wasn't his anything—why couldn't she give water to someone else?
He spaced out for a while, only snapping back to reality when someone patted his shoulder from behind.
It was Su Yucheng, slapping his thigh as he said: "Brilliant. That girl is absolutely brilliant. Why didn't I ever think of that? The reason I've been single all these years is probably because I only ever had one target at a time. I need to learn from her—don't put all your eggs in one basket. One rod catches two fish, one bottle of water for two people, multitasking with parallel processing. If it doesn't work out on one side, it'll work on the other. Genius. If I'd had her awareness, how could I still be single?"
Xiao Jinyu was speechless. "Where did you come from?"
"From the court. I heard everything just now."
"…"
"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I was just worried you wouldn't be able to resist temptation."
"…"
Su Yucheng sighed. "But she's pretty bold. And you two are even roommates. What if it gets exposed?"
"I already told you, she's not trying to get with me."
"Then what are you so bothered about?" Su Yucheng said. "Don't tell me you're bothered because she's not trying to get with you?"
Xiao Jinyu: "…"
_
"Daddy, do you think I should go salvage my image?" Wen Li sat on a chair, calmly reviewing the situation. "I need to go explain things to him."
"Finally getting it?" Fu Qin sat on a chair painting her nails, looking up at her with great relief. "Just go explain to him that you weren't…" casting a wide net.
The words "casting a wide net" were still in her mouth when Wen Li suddenly slammed the table and shot to her feet. "I'm going to explain to him right now—I really didn't give him the water I used for the dog!"
Fu Qin: "…"
This kid was beyond saving.
"Just forget it," Jiang Zao said as she passed by, patting her shoulder. "I did a quick calculation. You're not going to win him over this month."
Wen Li still held a sliver of hope: "What about next month?"
"Next month you'll be used to it."
"…"