In Pei Chen’s eyes, at this moment, Liang Zhiyi was half-squatting in front of him, her almond-shaped eyes solely focused on him, filled with tenderness as she gently asked him if it still hurt.
Pei Chen’s fingers, gripping the towel, turned pale as his tightly guarded wall of pride crumbled in an instant, and the emotions he had been suppressing were on the verge of breaking free.
He moved his lips slightly, and with difficulty, asked, “Did Xuan Xia tell you about this?”
“I first heard it from someone else, and then I asked Xuan Xia about it. Xuan Xia only said that you had been in a car accident…”
Hearing this, Pei Chen’s mind flooded with memories.
After the car accident in the third year of middle school, he recuperated and returned to school. Many people were concerned about his leg because they had heard that his leg had sustained permanent damage, making it difficult for him to return to the basketball court.
The boy who had once been so full of vigor on the basketball court had now become someone who could barely walk normally.
Many looked at him with pity, and behind his back, they lamented his poor and struggling family and his now impaired limbs.
There were also those boys who had been jealous of his basketball skills, who mocked him behind his back, gloating, “Pei Chen is just a cripple now; let’s see him try to play basketball again.”
Not long after he returned to school, during a physical education class, they were supposed to do a physical fitness test. The teacher told him he didn’t have to participate in the 50-meter run, but he insisted on taking the test like everyone else.
As he ran, his knee felt as if it was being torn apart, the pain excruciating. He crossed the finish line under the pitiful and astonished gazes of the crowd. That night, when Pei Chen returned home, he saw that his entire knee was red and swollen, a shocking sight.
Now, back on the court, he didn’t want to care about others’ comments or malicious remarks.
He could ignore all of them.
Except for Liang Zhiyi.
He couldn’t help but care about her opinion.
He admitted that it was because of his ridiculous and pitiful pride. He didn’t want her to treat him with sympathy or pity.
Even a little bit of it made him feel unbearably torn apart.
Pei Chen lowered his eyes. Liang Zhiyi knew he was very proud and probably didn’t want others to know. Hearing him ask, she gently explained:
“Pei Chen, don’t overthink it. I was just worried about your knee and wanted to know how your leg is healing. Does your knee still hurt?”
Pei Chen remained silent for a long time before replying hoarsely, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Seeing her gaze fixed on his scar, he felt uneasy and tried to cover it. But to his surprise, she took the bottle of medicinal oil from beside him, her eyes curving into a smile, “Pei Chen, let me help you apply the medicine.”
He was stunned for a moment, then watched as she lifted the sports pants covering his knee, fully exposing his scar. After the first surgery, a ten-centimeter-long scar was left on his knee, hideous and prominent.
He thought the girl would at least show a moment of discomfort upon seeing it, but her eyebrows remained relaxed as she poured the medicinal oil onto his knee and began to rub it in.
The girl’s hands were different from a boy’s. Liang Zhiyi’s fingertips were delicate, and her movements were light, careful not to hurt him.
The sight of the gentle and patient girl reflected in Pei Chen’s eyes. His hands clenched tightly, and though he wanted to stop her several times, he found that he couldn’t push her away.
As Liang Zhiyi applied the ointment, she asked curiously, “Pei Chen, didn’t you say your leg doesn’t hurt anymore? What’s this medicine for?”
“It’s to relax the muscles and bones. Applying it after exercise helps prevent pain the next day.”
She nodded in understanding. “So, your knee has completely healed?”
He hesitated for a moment.
“Yes.”
Liang Zhiyi felt reassured. “That’s good. But you should still be careful when exercising, okay? Don’t get injured.”
She added playfully, “If you get hurt, I’ll be heartbroken.”
Pei Chen lowered his lashes, feeling even more conflicted inside.
After she finished applying the ointment, Liang Zhiyi stood up and handed the bottle back to him. She noticed the knee brace he had set aside, which looked a bit worn from use.
Given Pei Chen’s family situation, he probably couldn’t afford a particularly good knee brace.
But his legs were what needed the most protection.
An idea formed in Liang Zhiyi’s mind.
Pei Chen took a sip of water, then stood up. Liang Zhiyi, still standing in front of him, smiled up at him. “Pei Chen, I’m heading out alone anyway. Let’s go eat together.”
“I don’t have time tonight.”
“Are you going home?”
“I have a part-time job at Xinhua Bookstore at six, so I need to get there now.” Lately, he hadn’t been working much due to training, but he still wanted to go whenever he could.
Liang Zhiyi felt sorry for him, knowing he was exhausted and still couldn’t go home to rest. “I’m not in a hurry to go home tonight. I’ll go with you to the bookstore.”
Pei Chen met her bright eyes and understood her intention. He looked away and said, trying to stay calm, “You should go home early.”
As he turned to leave, she grabbed his wrist, a pang of bitterness rising in her heart as she softly asked, “Pei Chen, do you dislike me?”
His heart clenched tightly at her words.
“…No.”
“Then why haven’t you wanted to talk to me this week?”
Pei Chen couldn’t find the words.
He just didn’t want to give her any more hope, hoping she would grow to resent his coldness and give up on him.
Maybe others would laugh at her, laugh at how a girl like her, a well-off young lady, could have such poor judgment. She should be interested in other, more outstanding boys—not someone as lowly and impoverished as him.
Liang Zhiyi said, “If you don’t dislike me, then you can at least consider me a friend, right? I don’t think I’m that annoying. I’ll go with you to the library, you can do your work, and I’ll read my books. How about that?”
Her almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile as she looked at him.
Pei Chen’s emotions churned inside, but in the end, he couldn’t resist her request and quietly agreed:
“Let’s go.”
The girl immediately beamed, grabbing his hand and urging, “Let’s go, let’s go.”
…
They were the last to leave the basketball court. Pei Chen first headed to the restroom in the nearby teaching building to change out of his basketball uniform.
Liang Zhiyi waited by the entrance, sending a message to Liang Tongzhou, fabricating an excuse that something had come up at school, and telling the driver to take him home first.
A moment later, Liang Tongzhou replied:
“I’m already home.”
“And don’t think I’m stupid. Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to?”
Liang Zhiyi: “??”
Another message from Liang Tongzhou came in: “I knew there was something going on between you and Pei Chen.”
“…”
So he had figured it out.
She knew she couldn’t hide it from him for long. After all, there were only a few people left at the basketball court earlier, and it was too obvious who she was going to meet.
Besides, she had publicly admitted in class a few days ago that she liked Pei Chen. How could that news not have reached Liang Tongzhou’s ears?
Just as she was starting to think this was a bit troublesome, an idea struck her.
Although she and Liang Tongzhou often bickered, they had a very close sibling relationship. Now that both boys were on the school team, maybe her brother could be “useful” to her, lending a helping hand in her efforts with Pei Chen?
Liang Zhiyi’s mind raced with little schemes, and a satisfied smile spread across her face.
Pei Chen finished changing and walked out, only to see Liang Zhiyi standing under a sweet-scented osmanthus tree, her dress fluttering in the breeze, lost in thought and smiling to herself, her eyes adorably curved like crescent moons.
A faint warmth flickered in his heart as he walked over. Just as Liang Zhiyi was lost in her daydreams, Pei Chen’s figure suddenly appeared in her view.
He looked at her calmly:
“Finished daydreaming? Can we go now?”
“…”
When did he come out? She didn’t even notice…
Liang Zhiyi’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she quickly pulled herself together, muttering, “Let’s go, let’s go, hurry up.”
With only ten minutes left until six o’clock, as they walked out of the school gate, Pei Chen said, “You should go get something to eat. I’ll head straight to the bookstore.”
“Ah, how can you skip a meal?”
He had just finished playing basketball, expending so much energy. How could a big guy like him not be hungry, especially when he still had to work afterward?
As they passed by a bakery, Liang Zhiyi suggested, “Let’s buy some bread. I’ll just have a piece of bread, and you definitely need to eat something.”
In the end, he reluctantly followed her into the shop and picked out a piece of bread. When they were about to leave, she noticed something and turned to grab two bottles of yogurt. After paying, she handed him one of the bottles, insisting, “Drink this yogurt too, and you’re not allowed to refuse.”
Pei Chen could only thank her and accept it.
They ate their bread as they walked to the bookstore. Liang Zhiyi wasn’t really hungry; she mainly wanted to make sure he ate.
Once they arrived at the bookstore, Pei Chen told her, “I’ll be working in the storage area today, moving books. You can sit in the reading area.”
“Alright.”
Pei Chen headed to the bookstore’s workroom to get his uniform.
Inside, a fellow part-time worker, a female student, turned to see him and smiled suddenly. “You’re here tonight?”
“Yeah.”