At noon, Pei Chen stayed for lunch at the Liang household. He spent the afternoon tutoring Liang Tongzhou on a wide range of subjects.
By the end of the day, Liang Tongzhou was thoroughly impressed by Pei Chen. Not only was this guy great at basketball, but he was also incredibly smart.
Liang Tongzhou wanted Pei Chen to stay for dinner, but Pei politely declined, saying he had things to do at home. Reluctantly, Liang let it go, but before Pei left, he gave him a quick tour of his room, showing off his basketball memorabilia.
Pei Chen noticed several signed basketballs and jerseys autographed by famous basketball stars—items that were clearly not easy to come by.
These were things Pei Chen had never dared to even dream of owning.
Liang Tongzhou asked if Pei Chen liked any of the stars and offered to let him pick one as a token of gratitude. However, Pei Chen declined, feeling that the gesture was too extravagant.
When Liang Tongzhou excused himself to go to the bathroom, Pei Chen stepped out of the bedroom. After a moment, he heard some movement near the staircase. When he looked up, he saw Liang Zhiyi coming into view.
She was descending the stairs, wearing a cute, soft yellow sweater dress.
When she saw him, she exclaimed, “Pei Chen?!”
Originally, Liang Zhiyi had planned to have dinner at Ji Fei’er’s house tonight, but due to some unexpected issues, she came home early.
Downstairs, the housekeeper had mentioned that Liang Tongzhou had invited a friend over, and she had been curious about who it was.
“Pei Chen, so you’re the one tutoring my brother today! When did you get here…?”
“This morning,” he replied.
“I can’t believe Liang Tongzhou didn’t even tell me!”
Ah, she had missed such a great chance to see Pei Chen.
“I was just here to help him with his studies.”
“Pei Chen, why don’t you stay for dinner?”
At that moment, Pei Chen felt out of place. Meeting her expectant gaze, he awkwardly replied, “I have something to take care of; I need to go home.”
“Ah… but it’s okay to stay for dinner before you leave.”
“No, I really can’t.”
In the end, Liang Zhiyi didn’t insist. Just then, Liang Tongzhou came out of the bedroom, and the siblings walked Pei Chen to the gate of the villa complex.
On the bus ride back, Liang Tongzhou noticed the disappointment on Liang Zhiyi’s face and teased, “Look at you, all disappointed. I knew it—you’ve been defending Pei Chen in front of me all this time because you like him, huh?”
“…”
Didn’t he already figure that out yesterday…?
Liang Zhiyi didn’t deny it. She turned and glared at him, “You invited him over today, and you didn’t even tell me.”
“You two sit next to each other five days a week. Is it really that big of a deal?”
Liang Tongzhou smirked, “Today, he even asked me if it was your idea to invite him over. It seemed like if it had been your arrangement, he wouldn’t have wanted to come. I don’t know, but it seems like Pei Chen might…”
Liang Zhiyi rubbed the tip of her nose and softly said, “You don’t have to say it; I know he doesn’t like me.”
Liang Tongzhou glanced at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Who wouldn’t like someone as cute as my sister?”
Liang Zhiyi huffed, knowing he was trying to comfort her.
“I remember Pei Chen’s family situation isn’t that great, right? Sis, have you ever thought that maybe it’s not that he doesn’t like you, but that he feels you two aren’t a good match?”
Liang Zhiyi had sensed Pei Chen’s discomfort around her that evening. She knew he was very proud, and perhaps the significant difference in their family backgrounds was a big issue for him.
Lowering her eyes, she murmured, “I don’t care about any of that…”
She truly didn’t care what kind of family Pei Chen came from, whether he was rich or poor. She simply liked him for who he was.
Liang Tongzhou sighed. “Of course, we don’t care about that. But Sis, have you ever thought about it from his perspective? If I were Pei Chen, I might be concerned about it too.”
Liang Zhiyi paused, her mind reeling.
So, is that why Pei Chen has been so distant with her…?
She let out a soft sigh, suddenly feeling lost.
That evening, after dinner, Pei Chen headed to a basketball court in a nearby park to practice. The court was surrounded by residential buildings, and people were strolling by, while not far off, some older women were dancing to music.
He kept repeating the motion of laying up and shooting, sweat dripping down and soaking through his jersey.
After a while, Xuan Xia’s voice called out, “I’m here.”
Pei Chen had called Xuan Xia earlier, asking him to come play basketball. After placing his phone on a nearby bench, Pei Chen tossed the ball to him and said calmly, “Let’s play for a bit.”
…
Twenty minutes later, both of them were exhausted and headed to the nearby bench to rest. Xuan Xia drank some water and, unable to resist, asked with a smile, “You didn’t just call me to play basketball, did you?”
Pei Chen stayed silent, and Xuan Xia immediately caught on. “So, there’s something you need to talk about? Go ahead, what’s up?”
Pei Chen took a sip of water, his eyes downcast, and after a long pause, he finally spoke, “It’s about Liang Zhiyi.”
Xuan Xia: !!
“Whoa, I knew it!”
Pei Chen then explained how Liang Zhiyi had been pursuing him lately. He had originally planned to deal with it on his own, but after coming back from the Liang family’s house that evening, his mind was in complete turmoil, and he had no idea what to do.
After hearing everything, Xuan Xia patted Pei Chen on the shoulder. “I’ve always known you’d care about Liang Zhiyi. Don’t deny it—if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be so torn up about it.”
Xuan Xia continued, “I get what you’re thinking. The economic gap between your families is something you can’t just ignore, but at the same time, you’re finding it hard to turn her down.”
Xuan Xia knew Pei Chen’s family situation well and understood that it was a significant obstacle for him. But as a friend, he wasn’t sure what more he could do to help.
He tried to reassure him, “Honestly, why rush yourself into making a decision? If you’re this conflicted, maybe you should just let things take their course and see where your heart leads you.”
Xuan Xia gave him another encouraging pat on the shoulder. “Just like Liang Zhiyi said, for now, just consider her a friend. You don’t need to put so much pressure on yourself about the rest.”
After they finished talking, noticing it was getting late, Xuan Xia said he should head home.
Then, a thought crossed his mind, and he suddenly smiled. “By the way, I can see you’re under a lot of stress lately. How about we go somewhere next Saturday to relax? You can pick the place.”
“Isn’t the midterm in two weeks? Do you really have time to go out?”
“Come on, do I ever worry about my grades? Big exam, big play; small exam, small play—it’s a rule. We have to go. I’ve been wanting to get out anyway.”
Pei Chen thought for a moment. “How about we go seafaring?”
He mentioned a small, undeveloped island near Lincheng, known for its good environment.
Xuan Xia, with a grand gesture, agreed, “Alright, it’s settled then. We’ll camp overnight and return the next day. Just pack your things, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
The weekend passed, and the new week began. With the midterm exams fast approaching, everyone was fully immersed in intense revision.
For Pei Chen, though, exams were a breeze. He was already ahead, having entered the second round of review.
The week flew by quickly.
After school team practice ended on Friday night, Xuan Xia reminded him, “Don’t forget, tomorrow we’re going seafaring. Be ready by 9 AM, and I’ll pick you up at the entrance of your neighborhood.”
“How are we getting there?” Pei Chen asked.
“I rented a car.”
“Alright, let me know how much it costs.”
“Got it, got it.”
That night, Pei Chen returned home and packed his backpack. He also called a volunteer from the community to ask if they could check on his father the next day.
Usually, several volunteers from the community would visit Pei Yongxia, asking if he needed any help. So when Pei Chen was away, like during military training or school, his father could always reach out to them if needed.
That night, Pei Chen slept well. The next morning, he woke up early, went to the market to buy some groceries so that his father could easily prepare meals.
As it neared 9 AM, after finishing breakfast and reviewing his English vocabulary, Pei Chen left the house.
As Pei Chen approached the entrance of his neighborhood, he noticed a van parked there. He was still wondering about it when the window of the front passenger seat rolled down, revealing Xuan Xia’s head. Xuan Xia waved at him, “Pei Chen, over here! Get in!”
Pei Chen walked over and opened the rear door, only to be met with a chorus of loud voices shouting, “Surprise!”
He looked up and saw that the van was packed—not just with Xuan Xia, but with a group of familiar faces: Liang Zhiyi, Liang Tongzhou, Fan Gao, Ji Fei’er, and Zhi Mian.
The five of them burst into laughter. “So, Master Pei, surprised?”
Pei Chen: “…”
What on earth was going on?
Xuan Xia leaned out from the front seat and laughed, “Well, it would’ve been boring with just the two of us, right? The more, the merrier, so I invited them along.”
Pei Chen: “…”
He knew it—Xuan Xia was definitely up to no good.
Everyone in the van laughed, urging Pei Chen to get in. Realizing there was no way out, he reluctantly climbed into the van. Trying to suppress his laughter, Liang Tongzhou pointed to a spot and said, “That’s the only seat left. You can sit there.”
Pei Chen turned his head and saw that the seat was next to Liang Zhiyi.
She was wearing a clean white sweater, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, and her bright, almond-shaped eyes sparkled, outshining even the sunlight outside.
Pei Chen froze, meeting her gaze, and his heart began to race uncontrollably.