Chарtеr 10: Yоu Нelp Mе Рick Up thе Ball
Wеn Yао rеturnеd tо the dоrmitоrу. Еveryоne was still taking their аftеrnoоn nар аt this timе, and shе fеlt shе hadn’t sleрt еnough еither, so she lаy bаck down on thе bed tо cоntinuе sleeрing.
In the evening, еvеrуоne went оut tоgеthеr for a mеal, thеn headеd to clаss.
After сlass, a few оf thеm mаde рlаns to go to thе gymnаsium tо plaу badminton fоr a whilе, whiсh lаsted nеarly twо hours.
Wen Yао hаd never engaged in such intense ехercise befоrе and was utterlу еxhausted. After returning to the dormitory, the soreness in her wrists fully set in.
Xu Chao lay upside down on the bed, her voice slightly hoarse. “The college is recruiting volunteers. Tomorrow, our Foreign Languages School is having a basketball league match with the Physics School, the Mathematics School, and the Law School.”
Tang Li was also scrolling through group messages, looking puzzled. “Why hold a competition right after the semester starts?”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday. I’m sleeping all day. Not going.”
Xu Chao continued scrolling. “You’ll want to go.”
Tang Li instantly understood and flipped over to sit up.
“Are those guys there too?”
Xu Chao pursed her lips into a curved smile and nodded vigorously. “Xie Zongxun and Gu Yanche from the Mathematics School are there, and Pei Zhaolan from the Physics School is too. All three top-tier guys are there. You’re not going?”
“Holy crap, are there still spots available?”
“Sign up quickly! Yao Yao and Yingying, do you want to join too?”
Wen Yao shook her head. “I won’t go.”
Although she really wanted to cheer for Pei Zhaolan, the thought of Xie Zongxun being there made her resist the idea intensely.
She didn’t want to see him at all.
Chi Ying also said she wouldn’t go.
The next morning, Tang Li and Xu Chao let out sharp screams.
Xu Chao: “My mom insisted I go home today. She said if I don’t go back today, she’ll cut off our mother-daughter relationship.”
Tang Li: “My little sister fell this morning. I have to go to the hospital to see her today.”
Both of them turned their pleading gazes toward Wen Yao and Chi Ying.
At 2:30 p.m., Wen Yao and Chi Ying, wearing little red vests, were receiving training at the gymnasium.
They didn’t actually have to do much—just distribute water, keep score, hand out towels, and occasionally cheer.
Not far away, Gu Yanche gestured for Xie Zongxun to look toward the court. “Both of them are here.”
Xie Zongxun glanced over indifferently and saw Wen Yao bending over, carrying an entire box of water as she moved it to the side.
Quite strong.
Wen Yao and Chi Ying had come with a mission. The other two insisted they take videos and photos to send over.
Wen Yao felt overwhelmed. Filming Pei Zhaolan was fine.
She didn’t want to film Xie Zongxun. If Xie Zongxun was such a jerk, his friends probably weren’t much better either.
“I’ll film Pei Zhaolan’s part, okay, Yingying?”
Chi Ying nodded. She had always been accommodating toward Wen Yao, perhaps due to their compatible personalities—she really enjoyed spending time with her.
The game officially began, and Wen Yao felt her ears were about to explode on the spot.
The names of those guys could be heard clearly throughout the entire venue, followed by them scoring basket after basket.
She didn’t understand much about the game, only noticing that the scores for the Mathematics School and the Law School kept skyrocketing, with Xie Zongxun and Gu Yanche scoring like crazy.
“What are you spacing out for? Cheer!”
Wen Yao was inexplicably singled out, and her hand holding the phone to record trembled slightly as she joined in the cheering.
“Pei Zhaolan, go! Foreign Languages School, go! Physics School, go!”
Gu Yanche dribbled the ball close to where Wen Yao was standing. When he faced off against Xie Zongxun, he smirked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Your little sweetheart isn’t calling your name, huh? So tragic—she didn’t even glance at you.”
Xie Zongxun caught the ball, his tone somewhat cold. “Get lost.”
The first half ended, and Wen Yao, as a volunteer, hurriedly went to distribute water and hand out towels.Pei Zhaolan walked over slowly, took the water from Wen Yao’s hand, and drank it all in one go.
“I heard you cheering for me, thanks.”
Wen Yao smiled softly, “Yeah, it was really exciting.”
“By the way, I just took a few photos and videos of you. My friend really likes you and wants me to send them to her. You don’t mind, do you?”
Pei Zhaolan smiled gently, “Want a close-up shot?”
Wen Yao nodded, doing her best to secure benefits for her roommate.
Pei Zhaolan gave a thumbs-up, his lips curving slightly toward the camera—a gentle, sunny kind of handsomeness.
Wen Yao immediately forwarded it to the group chat.
Xu Chao and Tang Li bombarded her with voice messages.
During the second half, Wen Yao didn’t really feel like watching anymore. The crowd was already large, and as long as she came back early later to help clean up the venue, it would be fine.
So Wen Yao pulled Chi Ying along and sneaked out quietly.
“I want to get ice cream from the south gate.”
Chi Ying nodded, “Okay.”
The two of them slowly made their way to buy ice cream.
Indoors.
Xie Zongxun began targeting Pei Zhaolan aggressively, appearing both deliberate and casual, nearly causing injuries several times.
Gu Yanche cooperated with him, amused.
Even this ice block could get so worked up—a rare sight.
He didn’t forget to throw cold water on the situation: “Alright, if you hurt someone, you’ll be the one obediently comforting them. Leave yourself an out, will you?”
Xie Zongxun shot him a cold glare, “Shut the hell up. I have nothing to do with her.”
Gu Yanche raised an eyebrow indifferently.
Well, someone’s triggered.
The second half was too intense. By the time Wen Yao returned with half a box of ice cream, the match was already over.
Only a scattering of volunteers remained in the venue, cleaning up.
She hurried over to help. Earlier, Chi Ying’s boyfriend had asked her out, so Wen Yao let her go—she could handle things on her own.
Wen Yao was meticulous by nature, tackling one task seriously at a time. By the end, all the other volunteers had left. After tossing the last basket of trash, she went to retrieve the ice cream she’d left on the bleachers.
It had probably melted by now, but that was fine—she could just drink the sweet liquid. Wen Yao cheered up again.
However, another hand with distinct knuckles reached for it first, holding it high above her.
Wen Yao was forced to look up. Xie Zongxun stood there, holding a basketball and staring motionlessly at her, his expression far from pleasant.
Wen Yao held her breath and quickly pulled out her phone, relieved to find no messages from him.
“You… you didn’t text me.”
Xie Zongxun lowered his hand and drank the remaining half-melted ice cream in one go.
Wen Yao’s pupils trembled slightly, her face flushing with anger. “That was mine! You… mmm…”
Before she could finish, he pulled her in by the waist and kissed her deeply, the sweet taste lingering between their lips.
The basketball in Xie Zongxun’s arms fell to the ground, thudding rhythmically like a metronome keeping time with Wen Yao’s heartbeat—thump after thump.
“Consider it returned.”
Xie Zongxun released Wen Yao, lightly licking the corner of his lips.
He frowned slightly, looking disdainful. “What did you eat? It’s disgustingly sweet.”
“No one asked you to eat it.”
Wen Yao wiped the corner of her mouth, bent down to pick up the basketball from the ground, and glanced around—no one was left.
She tilted her chin up to look at Xie Zongxun, her eyes glistening. “I want to shoot a basket.”
Xie Zongxun nodded and led her onto the court.
Wen Yao stood outside the three-point line, and the ball in her hands traced a perfect arc into the hoop.A flicker of delight crossed Wen Yao’s eyes. In high school, she had focused mainly on studies, with only one club activity per week. She had actually wanted to join the basketball club, but after learning it was all boys, she quietly backed out.
“Help me pick up the ball. I want to keep playing.”
Xie Zongxun stood still, unmoving. How dare she order him around.
Knowing she couldn’t boss him around, Wen Yao jogged over to retrieve the ball, then shot one after another into the hoop.
She was surprisingly accurate—from start to finish, she didn’t miss a single shot, finally collapsing tiredly against the backboard.
Xie Zongxun watched her the entire time. When she finished, he handed her the half-empty water bottle from his bag.
After a moment’s thought, Wen Yao unscrewed the cap and drank.
“Had enough fun?”
Water droplets still clung to the corner of Wen Yao’s lips as she glanced at him, confused.
“Now it’s my turn to play.”
Xie Zongxun bent down and hoisted her onto his back. Wen Yao hadn’t secured the cap on her water bottle, and the remaining water splashed down his neck and back.
“What are you doing?”
Wen Yao kicked her legs, struggling. This position was so uncomfortable.
She wasn’t some accessory of his!
Slap—
A crisp slap echoed through the empty gymnasium. Wen Yao’s breath hitched.
“Stop squirming.”