The injured foot slowly went down, and the welts on He Lingfeng's body from the beating quickly faded as well.
The matter at the racetrack was no longer brought up. Ji Jie changed his WeChat note to "Not Crippled" as a commemoration.
The two of them continued going to school together. He Lingfeng still couldn't get up in time for breakfast, and she didn't want to wait around either. Usually, she'd eat her fill, send him a WeChat message to hurry him along, and get in the car first.
He'd rush into the car at the last second, half-asleep on the way, nibbling on the milk and bread Ji Jie had grabbed for him.
When they had no classes for a stretch, He Lingfeng would go buy drinks and make a detour to drop one off at her classroom.
"You've been getting along with He Lingfeng a lot better these past few days."
Cheng Yunqiao had been observing this change up close and was curious. "What happened? How come your relationship suddenly got so good?"
Ji Jie unscrewed the yogurt he'd bought her and played dumb with a calm expression. "Maybe he found his conscience."
"Come on." It was obviously just playing him for a fool. Cheng Yunqiao half-jokingly wrapped her arm around Ji Jie's neck. "You're still not telling me the truth with me. Are you not treating me as a friend? Spill it, spill it."
"Nothing special, really. Maybe it's just that after spending time together, you naturally get more familiar."
Ji Jie changed the subject. "Are you going to watch training after school today?"
"…Huh?" Cheng Yunqiao said. "Sure. Are we going to watch Wei Chao, or He Lingfeng?"
"It's hard to watch just one of them, isn't it? They're so inseparable when they fight."
"Pfft, hahaha, that's true."
She giggled uncontrollably, twirling a strand of hair with her finger, then lowered her voice and probed mysteriously into Ji Jie's ear. "So what about you and the class monitor? How do you feel about him?"
"No particular feeling." Ji Jie spoke honestly.
"How can that be? Do you need me to help you ask him out to hang out again?" She was very enthusiastic. "Just like last time, I'll call another friend. The little pig boss has been under tight control by his family lately, so he probably won't be able to come out for a while."
"No need." Ji Jie shook her head. "We don't have anything to talk about. Better not force it."
Setting everything else aside, she and Chu Yao would never develop anything anyway.
Personality was the decisive factor. Looking at that boy, she occasionally felt like she was seeing a kindred spirit.
When it came to the flutter of romance, similarity never matched complementarity.
"Alright." Cheng Yunqiao paused, not showing too much disappointment, her tone still light. "Then I'll come find you in the afternoon."
She originally had her own little clique, and lately she'd been spending a lot of time with Ji Jie, which inevitably drew some complaints.
In the original story, Cheng Yunqiao had introduced Duan Baoni into her little clique. But she was clearly an unwelcome guest who wouldn't be accepted, and as a result, she suffered some grievances at the hands of the other girls.
When she was being ostracized, only Cheng Yunqiao stood up for her. Naturally, she also treated Cheng Yunqiao as her only friend.
The current Cheng Yunqiao didn't seem to have made any move to bring her into the clique yet, and was currently maintaining relationships on both sides.
She was also someone with a lot of energy. Ji Jie thought with admiration.
She herself started getting tired after more than ten sentences of social interaction a day.
In the original story, Duan Baoni, though not very outgoing either, went to the gymnasium with Cheng Yunqiao almost every day.
Thanks to the original story, she now had to go to the gymnasium frequently as well.
There was still one plot point she hadn't completed, and the novel didn't specify the exact date or time it happened. This left her in a passive position, forced to come back again and again to try her luck.
There were always many girls who came to watch the volleyball team's training. Sitting in the stands with Cheng Yunqiao, she didn't stand out.
Ji Jie didn't really understand this kind of behavior.
She had never been a fan of any celebrity, nor had she ever been to a concert in person. She didn't understand what it felt like to watch someone you liked from afar.
Would your heart feel content? Or, having seen clearly the distance between you and him, would it feel even more bitter?
Sometimes she would observe the girls beside her. Their expressions were so focused, their eyes shining brightly as they gazed into the court—a passion like fire. Adoration and love surged in their hearts, brimming in their eyes, written all over their faces.
She felt a faint envy. Because she had never experienced that thrumming rush of first love, she couldn't imagine what it was like.
Perhaps life was meant to have emotional turbulence. People with intense feelings often lived more vividly.
But her heart was conservative, calm—she only sought stability.
She didn't need intense excitement or stimulation; as long as she maintained a mild level of contentment, that was happiness enough.
Just as she was lost in thought, new subtitles popped up in her peripheral vision.
【To be completed — Under the gaze of Wei Chao, Huo Yuxi, and others, before 4:10 PM, open Wei Chao's personal locker in the men's locker room of the gymnasium, take out the handmade chocolates inside, tear up the packaging and labels, and throw the entire box into the trash】
【Countdown — 00:20:00】
【Current — 30/100】
Ji Jie: "…"
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
This was the first time she'd seen such an elaborate set of instructions. To prevent her from exploiting a loophole, they might as well have specified which hand she should use to pick up the chocolates.
Was it really necessary to be this meticulous?
Ji Jie secretly rolled her eyes at the air.
This petty… mute-and-deaf task notification.
**
Training was about to end. Cheng Yunqiao suddenly noticed something, stood up and looked down, then headed toward the back and off the stands. "Wait for me."
"Okay." Ji Jie was still carefully reading the task requirements, trying to find some loophole within the limited time.
She came back quickly, her face full of worry. "I saw a girl sneak into the players' locker room. She was holding something in her arms—looked like she was going for Wei Chao."
So the plot was starting already?
Ji Jie couldn't figure it out, but glancing at the countdown ticking away, she picked up the conversation. "Ah, what does she want to do?"
"Who knows. Delusional fans like that are the worst." Cheng Yunqiao said, "The players hate it when outsiders go in. What if something goes missing? There are even news reports on foreign sites about anti-fans poisoning food and water cups. If something happens, it'll be impossible to explain."
Just as she'd hoped. Hearing this, Ji Jie volunteered, "We'd better go take the stuff away! Don't let her hurt Wei Chao."
"Mm-hmm." She nodded. Ji Jie added, "So are you going now? I'll keep watch for you."
"…"
Cheng Yunqiao's expression stiffened for a moment. She wasn't sure if Ji Jie was messing with her by saying that on purpose.
Ji Jie's expression looked calm and sincere. She pursed her lips and said in a meek tone, "But I… I'm a bit scared. What if I get into a conflict with someone? I'm really not good at arguing with girls."
Ji Jie sighed. "Fine, I'll go then. Can you keep watch for me?"
"Of course." She answered immediately.
With her keeping watch, there was no need to worry about the protagonist missing the crime scene.
Ji Jie stood up hesitantly, then turned to look at her again, as if on edge.
In reality, she was using her peripheral vision to confirm that Huo Yuxi had also shown up today.
Good. Conditions met. She deliberately dragged out the pause, waiting until Huo Yuxi noticed and turned to look before withdrawing her gaze.
"Go on, don't be scared. I'll watch out for you." Cheng Yunqiao was still cheering her on. "They'll be heading back to the locker room soon."
Ji Jie took a deep breath and gave her an ambiguous smile. "Okay."
Then, with her back to the lively court, she walked toward a stretch of silent shadow to complete the so-called mission.
The men's locker room had already appeared once as a mission location. That time she'd taken a small risk and nearly burned herself senseless, but at least she'd figured out the specific penalty for mission failure, so she felt somewhat grounded.
Still, she hadn't managed to avoid this trip. Ji Jie entered the empty locker room and searched for her target.
There were no names written on the lockers, but she knew Wei Chao wore jersey number 9. The locker marked with a 9 was right in the center. The school uniform he'd worn before changing had been tossed directly onto the bench against the bottom of the locker, not even put inside.
That spoiled-rich-kid behavior was enough to confirm it was this one.
A wave of noise was approaching from outside, even faster than expected. Ji Jie opened the locker door. Inside was a set of dry t-shirts and pants. A box of chocolates had been stuffed into the deepest part of the locker, hidden behind clothes, with only a pink corner peeking out.
Delivered by hand, then hidden away—the shyness of a girl's secret feelings was plain to see.
Ji Jie had to take the clothes out first, then stretch her arm to reach the chocolates.
The timing was really too perfect. Just as both her hands were full, an angry shout came from the locker room entrance. "What are you doing now?!"
Ji Jie turned to look, and the first thing she met was a pair of panicked doe eyes.
"I—I tried to stop—" Cheng Yunqiao stammered, trying to defend her with a clumsy excuse. "Baoni just wanted to borrow the restroom, right?"
Right my foot. All of them had their eyes wide open—who couldn't see her hands full of stuff? Especially holding Wei Chao's personal clothing.
She really did look like a perverted sasaeng fan.
Eight minutes left on the countdown. Everyone who needed to be here was here. Having confirmed the preconditions, under everyone's watchful eyes, she unhurriedly put the unimportant things in her hands—Wei Chao's clothes—back into the locker first.
Then she tore off the chocolate box's wrapping. Ji Jie caught sight of the brief confession note written on it and paused, unable to bring herself to do it.
【To the best player number 9:
Hello! I'm your classmate, and although you may have never noticed me, I've liked you for a long time.
The chocolates are handmade by me. I hope you can try one—they say eating them lifts your mood.
Keep going! In my heart, you'll always be the best number 9!】
Simple, sincere encouragement. A confession that asked for nothing in return.
A straightforward girl with pure intentions.
"It's not—what are you doing here?!" He Lingfeng pushed through the crowd, running over covered in sweat, staring at her in bewilderment. "What's this? Whose is it?"
"Someone gave it to Wei Chao to eat." Ji Jie steeled herself and tore the confession on the label to shreds along with the packaging. The kraft paper box inside was revealed, emitting a sweet chocolate aroma.
She looked for a trash can and found that the trash bag inside had just been replaced, so she felt reassured and threw it in hard, saying loudly, "She put it in stealthily, up to no good, she must have sabotaged it. Yunqiao saw it too!"
"…"
Among the crowd, Cheng Yunqiao had already disappeared. Only a speechless crowd of onlookers remained.
He Lingfeng didn't need to look to know that the chocolate inside was heart-shaped. He was desperate about her emotional intelligence. "That was someone's confession gift, you know!"
【Completed】
【Current — 35/100】
Ji Jie immediately behaved, standing in place with her hands hanging down, nodding, "Oh oh, okay."
"…"
The players crowded in, laughing and shoving. Wei Chao walked in first, passing her with a blank expression, grabbing his clothes and quick-dry towel as he headed to the shower room. "Ridiculous."
"Ha, sorry to disturb you. Take your time showering." Ridiculously, she made her ridiculous exit.
"Hey wait," He Lingfeng braced himself and pulled her back. "Wait for me at the entrance, five minutes, I'll go to the tutoring center with you."
She was a girl after all—letting her walk alone would be too awkward. He owed her a life-saving favor, so he'd just have to let his buddy down.
Ji Jie said, "But I'm not going to the tutoring center today."
"…"
"I'm heading off first."
She left the noisy locker room alone, heading toward somewhere quiet. Vanishing into the shadows, unsung and unnoticed.
She didn't see behind her that Wei Chao had stopped in his tracks and sneered coldly at He Lingfeng. "Why are you being so kind?"
"Tsk." He Lingfeng draped an arm over his shoulder. "She's my sister, after all."
"…"
"She was also worried someone might harm you."
Wei Chao had nothing to say. He scanned him with a look that said "you sit at the same table as idiots," and brushed his hand away.
He Lingfeng appeared graceful on the surface, speaking up for her, but internally he was still breaking down. After all, he was at the age where reputation mattered, and having a dumb sister seriously affected his bad boy image.
Ji Jie squatted in a corner hugging her phone, WeChat messages coming one after another.
【I really can't with you】
【What is going on in that head of yours?? Even if something really happened, just tell me! I'm on the team too, aren't I? That's way more convenient than you】
【Wei Chao never eats chocolate. If I asked him for it, he'd just hand it over casually. Was it really necessary for you to embarrass yourself in front of so many people?!】
【Ahhh so embarrassing ahhhhh】
【I really can't with you!!】
Can't with her from beginning to end.
It was because he treated her as one of his own that he felt embarrassed on her behalf. Ji Jie quietly finished reading the messages, feeling a little touched inside.
The group finished showering and noisily headed off to eat together. The gym quickly returned to calm. She walked out from the corner of the bleachers.
The locker room still had hot steam lingering in the air. She squatted in front of the trash can and carefully took out the box of chocolate.
It looked okay, nothing had leaked out. Unfortunately, the confession note could no longer be restored.
She knew who sent the chocolate. The name was written in the plot, it just didn't get much page time for this girl.
Ji Jie put the chocolate into her backpack, left the gym, and returned to the teaching building.
Every administrative class had a fixed homeroom classroom, and each would leave dedicated lockers for its own students. She found Wei Chao's classroom. It happened to be after school, and there was no one around.
A row of light gray lockers was set into the entire back wall of the classroom. Each locker door had a small label on it, corresponding to a name and student ID number.
She found Qiao Ling's name. On the locker door was a cute cat-head sticker, as well as a small metal lock. She reached out and shook it, confirming that it was locked.
It looked like there was no way to put the chocolate back today.
Doing a good deed really was not easy. Ji Jie sighed inwardly, put on her backpack, and got ready to go home. When she turned around, she froze for a moment.
Huo Yuxi was standing behind her, completely silent. She did not know how long she had been watching her.
"Do you really like touching other people's things?"