In the middle of the night, Cheng Zhou got up to use the restroom. Rubbing his eyes in a half-asleep daze, he had just stepped one foot off the bed when he suddenly noticed something glowing in the dorm, casting an eerie, shimmering light. The sight nearly scared him out of his wits.
In that instant, Cheng Zhou felt his heart almost stop, and he banged his head against the bed frame with a thud.
The noise woke Xu Jingyin, who was sleeping on the upper bunk. He tapped on the bed board and asked, “…Zhenzi? What are you doing up so late?”
Hearing Xu Jingyin’s voice was like hearing a savior. Cheng Zhou jumped up and tugged at his bed curtain, panicking as he said, “Jingyin, look quickly. There’s something glowing in our dorm.”
“…”
Xu Jingyin, his sleep interrupted, was exasperated. “…Glowing? Are you still dreaming?”
As he spoke, he pulled back the curtain and peeked out. When he actually saw the glowing object—and even noticed the light swaying. He fell into a state of disbelief.
Fortunately, Xu Jingyin had mentally prepared himself beforehand and managed to stay relatively calm.
“…Where are my glasses?” Xu Jingyin squinted. “Who left the light on? —Wait, do we even have a light like that in our dorm?”
Having company gave Cheng Zhou courage. He got up and fumbled to turn on the light.
Cheng Zhou: “…”
Xu Jingyin: “…”
With the room illuminated, they finally saw that several glowing balloons were tied to the opposite bed, swaying gently as if stirred by a breeze.
“…Balloons?” Cheng Zhou was completely baffled, never expecting that the things that had scared him so much were just these. “Are balloons this advanced now? They can even glow in the dark?”
Xu Jingyin breathed a sigh of relief once he saw what they were. “Probably brought back by Xiao Gu. I thought it was something else. Don’t worry, let’s go back to sleep.”
“Pretty creepy in the middle of the night,” Cheng Zhou muttered as he turned off the light again. “So, it was just balloons. Where did Brother Gu buy these? Went out to have fun without us?”
…
Early the next morning.
Just as Gu Ji got out of bed, he saw Cheng Zhou standing beside him, munching on a steamed bun and speaking in a gloomy tone, “Who went to the amusement park behind our backs last night? Who could it be? A certain Gu someone.”
“…How did you know?”
Gu Ji paused, thinking he hadn’t mentioned this to Cheng Zhou.
“I dreamed about it last night,” Cheng Zhou said resentfully. “The thought of you going to the amusement park without us kept me awake.”
Gu Ji climbed down from the bed. “Oh, really?”
“You didn’t even tear off the logo on the balloons. I knew as soon as I saw it,” Cheng Zhou took a bite of his bun, his tone tinged with envy. “How nice, going out to have fun without your roommates.”
Gu Ji laughed. “Next time, I’ll go with all of you.”
Cheng Zhou was just joking and didn’t actually mind. He sat down on a nearby chair and casually asked, “You never liked these little trinkets when you went out before. Why did you buy so many this time?”
Cheng Zhou wasn’t wrong. Gu Ji usually didn’t buy such toys when he went out. He always felt they were more for kids.
All these things in the dorm had been bought by Yan Congyu.
Gu Ji reached out and touched the balloons tied to his bed. “I suddenly realized these are quite nice.”
“They are nice,” Cheng Zhou said, resting his chin in his hand. “Just a bit scary at night.”
Gu Ji looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Xu Jing happened to pass by while grabbing something and mercilessly exposed him, “He got scared by these glowing things when he got up last night.”
Not expecting this to be the reason, Gu Ji chuckled, “Is that so? Then I’ll cover them up tonight.”
“Everything will be fine from now on,” Cheng Zhou said stubbornly. “It was just too sudden yesterday, and I wasn’t prepared. I’m actually not scared at all.”
“By the way,” Cheng Zhou changed the subject, “How’s your basketball practice going, Gu Ji?”
Casually playing basketball as a hobby and practicing daily for a competition were two entirely different things.
Gu Ji fell silent for a few seconds. “We’ll see.”
After a few days of inconsistent practice from Gu Ji, the basketball match he had promised Xie Chu he would participate in arrived as scheduled.
Nearby universities often held friendly matches where winning or losing wasn’t the main focus. The goal was to make friends and exchange skills. This time, Rongcheng University happened to be the host, and the venue was their open-air stadium.
Gu Ji only had to play one match and felt no pressure. He secured a row of seats with a good view in the front section for his roommates and Yan Congyu.
Cheng Zhou and the others weren’t new to watching school basketball games. After entering the stadium and greeting Gu Ji, they settled into their seats with ease.
“What about Yan?” Cheng Zhou asked, knowing Yan Congyu was supposed to come. He glanced at the still-empty seat beside him. “Hasn’t he arrived yet?”
Gu Ji replied, “He might still be on the way.”
By the time the match was about to start, the stadium was already more than half full. In Gu Ji’s memory, school basketball games rarely drew such a large crowd. Usually, filling half the seats was considered a lot.
He overheard some players nearby commenting on the unusually large turnout but didn’t pay much attention. Instead, he glanced at the seat reserved for Yan Congyu, which remained empty. Yan Congyu still hadn’t arrived.
Gu Ji checked his phone. It was already past the time they had agreed on, and he began to feel a vague sense of unease.
While others might be late due to unforeseen circumstances, ever since Gu Ji had met Yan Congyu, he had never known him to be late. In fact, Yan Congyu always arrived earlier than planned.
As time passed, the audience for the match had taken their seats, and the players for the first game began preparing to enter the court.
Sitting in the backstage lounge, Gu Ji noticed that the message he had sent Yan Congyu earlier still hadn’t been answered. After a while, he decided to call him.
The phone rang, but no one picked up.
Frowning slightly, Gu Ji thought for a moment, then grabbed his phone and went out to look for Yan Congyu.
Since Yan Congyu had promised to come, Gu Ji didn’t doubt that he would stand him up. Instead, he worried that Yan Congyu might not have found the place.
The open-air stadium had several entrances. After stepping outside, Gu Ji circled the perimeter. People were frequently coming and going, but he didn’t spot Yan Congyu among them.
…Had he really not come?
Holding his phone, Gu Ji felt uncertain. After waiting outside for a while, he heard the sound of the match starting inside and eventually decided to head back in.
On his way back to the backstage lounge, Gu Ji passed by a closed door and accidentally heard the sound of a table colliding with something from inside.
The stadium was noisy, and Gu Ji couldn’t hear clearly. He thought it was the logistics staff moving things around, but then he suddenly heard a few indistinct curses, accompanied by the sound of heavy objects hitting the floor, as if an argument had broken out.
Gu Ji knocked on the door. “…Is anyone there?”
The commotion inside the room abruptly stopped, as if the sounds he had just heard were merely an illusion.
Without giving it much thought, Gu Ji pulled the door handle, intending to take a look inside. But as the door swung open, he froze in surprise.
“Xiao Yan, what are you doing here?”
This room was usually used for storing sports equipment and miscellaneous items, making the space feel cramped and narrow. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a golden outline around the boy inside.
Aside from Yan Congyu, there were two other people in the room. One leaning against the wall, and the other being held by the collar by Yan Congyu. Both of them looked disheveled.
Yan Congyu hadn’t expected Gu Ji to barge in. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, and he instinctively released the collar of the person he was holding. The other boy immediately breathed a sigh of relief, gasping for air and quickly retreating to the side.
Gu Ji was completely bewildered, unsure whether to ask why Yan Congyu was here or why he was fighting.
The tables, chairs, and equipment in the room were scattered in disarray. Combined with the sounds he had heard outside, there was no doubt about what had happened here.
Yan Congyu watched as Gu Ji walked toward him, his expression obscured by the backlight.
Suddenly feeling at a loss, Yan Congyu wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. “I…”
Gu Ji approached him and asked softly, “Are you hurt?”
Yan Congyu was taken aback. Before he could respond, his hand, resting at his side, was suddenly grasped by the other.
Gu Ji had seen Yan Congyu painting before and knew his hands were beautiful—slender, pale fingers holding a paintbrush. But now, those hands were marred with scrapes and bruises, with faint purple marks around the knuckles.
Gu Ji remained silent, and Yan Congyu wanted to speak but didn’t know how to begin.
Yan Congyu could only force a smile. “It’s nothing serious.”
Gu Ji frowned, gently touching the wounds on Yan Congyu’s hand as he asked softly, “…Does it hurt?”
Yan Congyu looked at Gu Ji and shook his head.
Gu Ji’s gaze swept over the two others in the room. He released Yan Congyu’s hand and walked over to the person curled up against the wall. Without warning, he kicked him.
The boy who had been hit groaned in pain, unable to even lift his head.
“Tan Yang,” Gu Ji crouched down, his tone unreadable.
Tan Yang realized he had been recognized. The pain was intense, and he tried to retreat but found himself backed against the wall with nowhere to go.
He looked at Gu Ji and tried to plead, “…I’m sorry, this time—”
Before Tan Yang could finish, Gu Ji grabbed him by the collar and landed a solid punch to his face. The sound of fist meeting flesh echoed, and Tan Yang’s head snapped to the side.
A bruise spread across Tan Yang’s lips. The pain finally made him realize that Gu Ji was serious. Panic-stricken, he grabbed Gu Ji’s sleeve in fear. “Gu Ji, you can’t do this. If Qingran finds out—”
Another punch landed on his face, and Tan Yang fell silent, desperately trying to shrink against the wall.
The other boy in the room was from the basketball team of another school. When Gu Ji glanced at him, his legs trembled, and he hurriedly defended himself, “It was all Tan Yang. It has nothing to do with me.”
Gu Ji ignored him, instead taking Yan Congyu by the hand and leading him out of the room.
Yan Congyu hadn’t yet grasped what was happening, but he first noticed that Gu Ji was guiding him out of the gymnasium. Only then did he remember what he had forgotten.
“…Your match,” Yan Congyu glanced back, seeming somewhat hesitant. “Has it started?”
Gu Ji replied, “We’re going to the infirmary first.”
Yan Congyu knew his own condition. Aside from the scrapes on his hand, he wasn’t injured anywhere else. He didn’t want Gu Ji to miss the match because of him, so he tugged lightly on his arm. “I’m fine.”
“You need to get checked,” Gu Ji insisted, pulling him along. “The cuts on your hand need to be disinfected.”
Yan Congyu glanced up at the clock on the wall and saw that the match had already started. Growing anxious, he said, “Let’s go to the infirmary after the match is over.”
Yan Congyu was stubborn, but Gu Ji was even more unyielding. The two of them stood at the gymnasium entrance, locked in a stalemate. One wanting to go inside, the other determined to head to the infirmary.
Gu Ji refused to budge. “Injuries shouldn’t be delayed.”
Yan Congyu held onto Gu Ji. “Then I’ll go by myself. You go to your match.”
Whether he watched the match or not didn’t matter to him, but he couldn’t let Gu Ji give up the game for his sake.
Since Yan Congyu refused to move, no matter how strong Gu Ji was, he couldn’t drag him along.
He finally stopped and sighed inwardly. “Do you know the two people from that room earlier?”
Yan Congyu replied, “…No.”
“One is from our school’s basketball team, the other is from the opposing school’s team,” Gu Ji said with a slight smile. “The two of them got beaten up by you like that—the match is definitely going to be delayed.”
Yan Congyu couldn’t gauge Gu Ji’s attitude and couldn’t tell if he was angry. Cautiously, he asked, “…I’m sorry?”
The infirmary wasn’t far from the gymnasium. Gu Ji glanced at him. “Who are you apologizing to?”
Yan Congyu felt guilty. He hadn’t meant to ruin Gu Ji’s match, but things had taken an unexpected turn, and it seemed like he had still ended up spoiling it.
“Don’t you have anything else to say?” Gu Ji asked.
Yan Congyu lowered his gaze, his thoughts in disarray. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Gu Ji paused for a moment. He truly had no idea what was going through Yan Congyu’s mind.
Earlier, when Gu Ji saw Tan Yang and the other boy in the equipment room, he had already guessed what might have happened.
In his previous life, he had experienced too much, and memories from his university days were over a decade old. Some things weren’t so easy to recall.
Tan Yang was also on the school basketball team and was a key player. As a sports major, he had more training time and frequently participated in matches, which allowed him to get to know many players from other schools.
In one match during his past life, Tan Yang had colluded with a player from the opposing team, playing dirty and intentionally fouling. On the court, rapid movements were inherently dangerous, and having to guard against both opponents and teammates eventually led to Gu Ji being forced to leave the game due to injury.
Gu Ji still remembered this incident, though in his memory, it hadn’t happened at this time. Perhaps his breakup with Lin Qingran had caused related events to shift accordingly.
In his previous life, when he was still with Lin Qingran, Tan Yang had acted out of jealousy and resentment. But in this life, they had already broken up long ago, so that reason no longer held up. Gu Ji was genuinely curious about what part of him had made Tan Yang so fixated.
But Tan Yang doing something like this was expected. What surprised Gu Ji even more was that Yan Congyu would be involved in this matter.
After arriving at the infirmary, the school doctor examined the injury on Yan Congyu’s hand and took out alcohol and cotton swabs from the cabinet.
“Take a seat,” the school doctor said. “We’ll disinfect it first.”
Yan Congyu sat down on the chair in front of the school doctor, who applied the alcohol-soaked cotton swab to the wound with a rather rough touch.
Watching the doctor’s movements, Gu Ji felt it must be painful. There was no gentleness at all. He couldn’t help but remind, “Doctor, please be a bit gentler.”
“You’re his friend, right? Then you can take care of the rest,” the school doctor glanced at Gu Ji. “I’ll go get the medicated oil.”
The school doctor stood up and left to fetch the medicine. Gu Ji, who had long been bothered by the doctor’s rough handling, sat down and picked up the alcohol swab to disinfect Yan Congyu’s wound himself.
His movements were gentle, carrying a hint of caution.
Yan Congyu could almost feel the warmth of the other’s breath against his skin, a slight itch making his fingertips tremble faintly.
Gu Ji pressed his hand down firmly. “Don’t move.”
“…”
Yan Congyu’s mind was still on the match. He glanced at the time and confirmed, “It really won’t delay things, will it?”
“It won’t,” Gu Ji replaced the cotton swab and looked up at Yan Congyu. “The match isn’t important. Right now, I’m more curious about something else.”
Yan Congyu asked, “What is it?”
Gu Ji found it hard to believe. “How did you manage to take on both of them?”
Yan Congyu didn’t appear weak; his height was above average among his peers. However, the other two boys were basketball players, and one of them was even a sports major. The difference in physique was significant.
Gu Ji had never imagined Yan Congyu could fight. His preconceived notions came from usually seeing him hold a paintbrush, never expecting him to be capable of taking down a sports major in a fight.
“…”
Yan Congyu paused for a moment. “Their reactions were too slow.”
“Even with slow reactions, there were two of them,” Gu Ji pondered briefly. “Xiao Yan, you’ve been hiding your skills.”
Facing both of them at once, even Gu Ji wasn’t entirely confident he could win.
Yan Congyu smiled faintly. “I learned a bit before.”
“That’s impressive,” Gu Ji said, carefully finishing the disinfection before joking, “I’ll have to be careful from now on. I might not be able to beat you.”
Yan Congyu instinctively explained, “I wouldn’t hit you.”
Gu Ji didn’t take it seriously and instead grew curious. “How about we spar someday? Let’s see if I can take you on.”
“No.”
Yan Congyu shook his head, unwilling. He didn’t want to fight Gu Ji.
Whether hitting Gu Ji or being hit by him, neither was a good outcome—he wanted neither.
Gu Ji felt a bit disappointed. “…Do you think I can’t beat you?”
Yan Congyu let out a soft sigh. “I probably can’t beat you.”
If Gu Ji insisted on fighting him, he might not even be able to bring himself to raise a hand.
The wound on his hand was already treated. Gu Ji held the alcohol swab and asked, “Are you injured anywhere else?”
Yan Congyu shook his head.
Gu Ji seemed unconvinced and personally checked again. The easily injured areas like the face and neck were fine, and there were no scratches behind the ears either.
He then pulled up Yan Congyu’s sleeve a bit further.
Yan Congyu froze for several seconds before snapping back to reality and said helplessly, “I’m really not injured.”
A short while later, the doctor brought them the medicated oil and explained some precautions.
“It’s not a big issue, just be more careful in the future,” the school doctor said.
After picking up the medicated oil, the two left the infirmary and headed toward the gymnasium.
Yan Congyu glanced at the time again, worried. “What if we miss the match?”
“We won’t,” Gu Ji shook his phone. “The captain will call if it starts.”
If Xie Chu couldn’t find him, he would definitely call first. Besides, there was still a mess over there that hadn’t been sorted out yet. It wouldn’t be his turn for a while.
Yan Congyu finally relaxed, his steps no longer hurried.
Gu Ji casually slung an arm over Yan Congyu’s shoulder and sighed softly. “Xiao Yan, I thought you weren’t coming earlier.”
When the match was about to start and he still hadn’t seen Yan Congyu, he had felt a bit disappointed.
Yan Congyu felt a pang of guilt. “Next time, I’ll come earlier.”
Gu Ji hadn’t expected that even after all this, Yan Congyu still refused to mention the reason for the earlier fight. It would have been so easy to explain if he had just said it.
Although Gu Ji had guessed what might have happened, speculation was still just speculation. The only ones who knew the exact details, aside from the two who got beaten up, were Yan Congyu.
“I waited for you for so long,” Gu Ji began playing the emotional card, lowering his voice. “I even went out looking for you, and you didn’t answer my calls.”
Only then did Yan Congyu notice the new messages and missed calls on his phone. “…Sorry, I didn’t see them.”
“Is that so?” Gu Ji withdrew his arm from Yan Congyu’s shoulder and said quietly, “I thought you didn’t want to be friends with me anymore.”
Yan Congyu’s pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately clarified, “I never thought that.”
Gu Ji hummed in acknowledgment. “I know.”
Yan Congyu felt the other’s tone was dismissive, as if he didn’t believe him at all.
Ever since Gu Ji had said that, Yan Congyu felt as though a misunderstanding had come between them. He had actually arrived early and even brought water for Gu Ji.
But while looking for Gu Ji, he had accidentally overheard others talking. Yan Congyu hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but he happened to catch Gu Ji’s name in their conversation, which caught his attention.
That was when he realized the two were discussing how to play dirty on the court and intentionally target Gu Ji by colliding with him.
When he heard one of them laugh and say, “When he goes for the ball, hit him from the side—right in the waist. We’ve tried it before; he’ll be in the hospital for at least half a month,” Yan Congyu ultimately couldn’t hold back.
He didn’t want to tell Gu Ji because their methods were too disgusting, using such underhanded tricks on the court. He was afraid it would affect Gu Ji’s mood during the match.
But now, because of those two, Gu Ji didn’t trust him anymore.
Yan Congyu regretted not hitting them harder earlier and wished he could go back and beat them up again.
“…I came early,” Yan Congyu said, not wanting Gu Ji to misunderstand him. After hesitating for a long time, he finally explained, “But I got held up by those two from earlier.”
Gu Ji asked, “And then?”
Still unwilling to let Gu Ji be exposed to such dirty tactics, Yan Congyu vaguely replied, “We had some words.”
Gu Ji couldn’t help but want to laugh. How could Xiao Yan be so adorable? Even now, he still wouldn’t say it?
“Then let me take a guess?” Gu Ji tilted his head to look into Yan Congyu’s eyes and smiled. “Did you know they were planning to target me during the competition?”
Being so close, Gu Ji could clearly see the shifts in Yan Congyu’s expression. From shock to disbelief, and finally a forced return to calm.
“No,” Yan Congyu denied. “Just focus on the competition. There’s nothing like that going on.”
Gu Ji gazed at Yan Congyu, then suddenly leaned against him and laughed. “Xiao Yan, you don’t have to protect me like this. There are some things I can handle.”
Yan Congyu guessed that Gu Ji might know something, but he wasn’t sure how much. He gently patted Gu Ji’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about that. Go play the game, and I’ll keep an eye on things from the sidelines.”
Gu Ji’s mind wandered for a moment, suddenly thinking how wonderful it would have been if he had met Yan Congyu earlier in his past life. This thought had crossed his mind before, but at this moment, it felt especially intense.
When they entered the gymnasium, the court was buzzing with noise, as if a heated argument was underway. Among the crowd, Gu Ji spotted Xie Chu.
He first escorted Yan Congyu to his seat.
Cheng Zhou greeted them, “Classmate Yan, you’re finally here.”
“Brother Gu, this is so entertaining,” Cheng Zhou said, clearly enjoying the drama. “The game hasn’t even started yet, and one side has already lost a key player. They’ve been arguing ever since, and it’s still going on.”
“With so many people here today, I heard this is the largest audience for any of the recent matches. It’s a shame they’re causing such a scene. Everyone’s just waiting now.”
For Cheng Zhou, who wasn’t particularly passionate about basketball itself, this kind of gossip and conflict was far more engaging.
Gu Ji glanced toward the court and, upon hearing Cheng Zhou mention that one side had lost a player, immediately connected it to what had happened earlier.
He leaned down, bringing his lips close to Yan Congyu’s ear, and whispered, “Xiao Yan, you’re the one behind this, aren’t you?”