The news of the school’s “F4+1” fight spread quickly, becoming the perfect entertainment for students during their breaks.
During PE class, the sports fields were filled with students in athletic gear. On the basketball court, two people playing one-on-one became the center of attention.
They had already played two rounds. Sweat soaked their jerseys, their hair was damp, and droplets ran down their jawlines. In a moment of confrontation, one held the ball while the other spread his arms to block, neither willing to back down.
“Song Qie has never fought with me before. Now he’s fighting me because of you. Lu Beihuai, don’t you think it’s disgusting to drive a wedge between us?”
Lu Beihuai held the ball. He met Zhou Ming’s hateful gaze and felt a pair of eyes watching him from the sidelines. The usual gloom left his expression as he gave a light chuckle:
“My apologies.”
Those casual words instantly enraged Zhou Ming. The final round of the game turned into a total battlefield.
“I heard the F3 and Lu Beihuai fought because of Song Qie.”
“What’s the story? Tell me!”
“You don’t know? It’s all over the group chats. They say Song Qie demanded the three of them apologize to Lu Beihuai and told them never to bully him again. Apparently, Song Qie has fallen for Lu Beihuai.”
“Huh? No way. Didn’t Zhou Ming like Song Qie?”
“All of the F3 like Song Qie, okay? Plus, the four of them are childhood friends. Lu Beihuai is basically the newcomer stealing the show.”
“What about Lu Beihuai? I know his background isn’t great, but with that face, I still see him through a ‘rich young master’ filter. What does he think about Song Qie liking him?”
“What would you think? Song Qie used to bully him constantly. If he says he likes him now, Lu Beihuai must think he’s seen a ghost.”
“Then what’s the point of this match?”
“Um… male competition?”
“But you just said Lu Beihuai doesn’t like Song Qie.”
“Lu Beihuai’s dad is the driver for Song Qie’s family. He probably just has to be nice to the employer’s son to help his dad get a raise. It’s all for show.”
Sure enough, after Zhou Ming finished his game with Lu Beihuai, Shen Tingsi stepped up to play him next. It was clear the three of them intended to wear Lu Beihuai out through one-on-one matches.
Song Qie, wearing a sun hat and sitting in the corner drinking water: “…”
He originally wanted to play, but this body simply couldn’t handle that kind of exercise. He had been told to sit on the sidelines and watch.
Moreover, he was still mentally hiding from his earlier embarrassing social moment and didn’t want to talk to the F3 yet.
So, he ended up overhearing a lot of explosive gossip. The F3 all like “Song Qie”? For real?!!
Although he had met many gay people while studying abroad, he was straight—rock-solid straight.
…This plot was getting way too difficult.
He tilted his head slightly, looking out from under the brim of his hat at Lu Beihuai on the court.
After several rounds with the F3, Lu Beihuai was drenched in sweat. His hormones were on full display; he looked nothing like the person who would submissively endure being treated like a dog.
Specifically, the explosive power of his jump during a slam dunk was incredible. His shirt lifted slightly, revealing a tight waist and abs. The muscle lines on his arms looked like they were about to burst through his clothes. It was hard to believe he was just a high schooler; if someone said he was a professional athlete, people would believe it.
Even more impressive was his endurance. He had managed to go three rounds one-on-one with each of the F3—nine rounds in total.
He was so persistent.
If I ever got into a real fight with Lu Beihuai, I’d probably be crushed—
Just then, his eyes met Lu Beihuai’s as the latter stopped. His heart skipped a beat. Those deep black eyes were staring straight at him, like a predator discovering its prey. He felt a chill down his spine.
“…”
Song Qie silently looked down and bit his straw, pretending he hadn’t seen anything. Scared. Truly scared. High school boys these days were ridiculous. Their height was ridiculous, and their builds were ridiculous.
“Song-Song, do you want to play?”
As Song Qie tried to hide, he heard Xie Jingchu’s voice. Before he could look up, a shadow fell over him. He blinked and slowly raised his head.
Xie Jingchu had sweat on his forehead and was holding the ball. He was annoyed after losing to Lu Beihuai. Seeing Song Qie biting his straw and staring blankly up at him, looking a bit surprised, Xie Jingchu felt a tug at his heart. Song Qie’s cheeks were flushed pink from the sun, and he looked so pretty and fair. Seeing him this obedient made Xie Jingchu’s heart itch.
He had never seen this side of Song Qie.
He leaned down, smiled, and took the water bottle from Song Qie’s hand, drinking directly from the straw. “Want to play? I’ll let you win.”
Song Qie’s eyes widened as he watched Xie Jingchu put the straw in his mouth: “…”
“Xie Jingchu, stop bothering him. He just got better. Your parents will have to settle the score with his parents if he gets sick again.” Shen Tingsi walked over as well, lifting his shirt to wipe sweat and revealing his toned stomach.
Song Qie was hit with a direct visual of abs. He took a deep breath: “…”
Just as he finished his breath, he saw Shen Tingsi take the water bottle from Xie Jingchu and drink from the same straw.
“…”
While he was trying to process this, Zhou Ming walked up to him.
Song Qie was silent for two seconds, then tilted his head to look up at Zhou Ming. Seeing the man staring down at him gloomily, his heart tightened. “…What?”
“Was it worth fighting with me over Lu Beihuai? Do you actually like that coward?”
Song Qie: “…?”
“Or did I do something to upset you?” Zhou Ming finally asked the question he couldn’t figure out for the past two nights. He leaned down and squatted next to Song Qie, resting his arms on his knees. He looked at him sideways: “You have to give me a reason.”
Song Qie thought, Isn’t it obvious? It’s because you guys were bullying him.
“Forget it, let him cool off first.” Shen Tingsi handed the empty water bottle to Zhou Ming.
Zhou Ming took it and took a sip from the straw.
Song Qie: “…”
Are they really close enough to share one bottle and one straw?
The silence was deafening.
Oh no, could all that gossip be true?
This… can “Song Qie” even handle this!!!
But his only goal was to save the “blackened” Lu Beihuai! He didn’t know how to handle this kind of plot.
“Are you blaming me for not saving you first that day?” Zhou Ming watched Song Qie, who was looking down without speaking. The tip of Song Qie’s ear peeked out from under his hat. Zhou Ming couldn’t resist and reached out to touch it.
Song Qie suddenly stood up and ran toward Lu Beihuai, who was playing alone on the court. “I want to play ball!!!”
Argh!!! He really couldn’t handle that suffocating atmosphere.
“Beihuai, play with me.” Song Qie jogged over, slightly out of breath. He looked up at him. “I’ll just play with you.”
Better to stay near Lu Beihuai. This guy actually hated him.
Lu Beihuai caught the ball and stopped. He turned and saw the boy in the sun hat looking up at him with eyes that seemed to be pleading for help. His cheeks were flushed—maybe from the sun, maybe not—and even his earlobes were red.
Lu Beihuai reached out with his other hand and quietly took off Song Qie’s hat. “Okay.”
It really was different now. Before, Song Qie hated having Lu Beihuai around, especially when the other three were there; he would tell him to get lost. Back then, Lu Beihuai was the one who thick-headedly insisted on staying.
But now, Song Qie ran to him without being asked. He was looking up at him with watery eyes, sending a clear signal that he really, really wanted to be on good terms.
And he says he doesn’t like me.
He clearly likes me way too much.
Zhou Ming’s face darkened again as he watched the two on the court. Shen Tingsi and Xie Jingchu sat on the bench, watching the scene with complicated feelings.
It was frustrating. The four of them had grown up together. They didn’t know where this poor kid Lu Beihuai came from. A driver’s son having the nerve to always hang around Song Qie.
Unfortunately, Song Qie was “bad at playing but loved to play.” He couldn’t beat Lu Beihuai at anything, yet he insisted on provoking and annoying him.
Song Qie felt their gazes. He kept his back turned to the three on the sidelines, trying his best not to look at them to avoid awkwardness.
Suddenly, he felt a long arm wrap around his shoulders, tilting his body. In a back-hug-like position, they were now facing the three people on the sidelines.
Lu Beihuai grabbed Song Qie’s arm from behind, lifting his hand to the correct angle for a shot. His palm covered the back of Song Qie’s hand. Using Song Qie’s palm for power, he stood at mid-court and threw the ball.
With a thud, the ball hit the backboard and went into the hoop. A mid-court three-pointer.
The ball landed and rolled right to Zhou Ming’s feet. It was a silent provocation.
When Song Qie met their three gazes, he went numb: “!!!”
He turned his head in shock to look at Lu Beihuai: “…”
At least give me a heads-up before you start a fight!!
Lu Beihuai let go of Song Qie’s arm and apologized to the three of them: “Sorry, I got too caught up in teaching him. I forgot you were there. We’ll switch sides.” He then looked down at Song Qie and said tenderly, “Let’s go practice shooting on the other side.”
He gripped Song Qie’s shoulders and turned him around.
Song Qie: “…” I was literally just facing away from them!!!
He felt Lu Beihuai was using him to provoke the others. Truly a “scheming boy.” He couldn’t help but shake off Lu Beihuai’s hand and walk to the side with the ball.
“Are you angry?”
Lu Beihuai saw Song Qie with his back turned, holding the ball. He walked to his side and coaxed him in a low voice: “Young Master, I didn’t do it on purpose. I just saw you wanted to shoot but couldn’t make it. Don’t be mad, okay?”
Song Qie thought, Of course I’m not mad about that! He was mad that this scheming boy was clearly using his kindness to drive a wedge between him and the F3. This was not helping him at all.
Feeling the lingering gazes from the sidelines, he didn’t want to start a scene. He just moodily bounced the ball and tried to shoot.
He missed every single one.
“…” Fine, this body really was weaker than his old one. It clearly hadn’t been exercised much. He wasn’t great at basketball, but he could usually at least play a bit.
As he stood in front of the hoop thinking about practicing a two-pointer, he suddenly felt his waist being gripped. He was lifted up. He let out a cry of surprise as his feet left the ground, only to find himself being held high up right in front of the hoop.
He was being held face-to-face with the basket.
…OMG.
What terrifying arm strength.
Nearby classmates stared with wide eyes, quickly pulling out their phones to zoom in and take photos. WOC!! This was the best gossip of the night!
The camera captured the relatively small boy holding the basketball, easily lifted to the hoop by the tall Lu Beihuai. Lu Beihuai was personally delivering the boy who couldn’t score right to the basket so he could put the ball in.
Under the hoop, sunlight and shadows intertwined. One looked up, one looked down, their eyes meeting.
Honestly, it was a beautiful picture.
Song Qie felt the large, powerful palms supporting him. He held the ball, his body trembling slightly. He looked down at Lu Beihuai, feeling a bit dizzy from the height.
Their eyes met.
Lu Beihuai looked up at the Song Qie he was holding. Seeing the boy looking like he was about to cry from fright, he held him steadily and smiled gently:
“It’s okay. I’m holding you, you won’t fall. Just put the ball in.”