After the third class, the two unlucky ones, Liang Zhiyi and Xuan Xia, followed the headmaster to the office.
The headmaster told them to finish their workbooks in the office before returning as punishment for not paying attention in class.
The two each took an empty seat, and the headmaster smiled as he asked them to sit down, “You can sing out loud in the office now, no need to hold back.”
“…”
After teasing them, the headmaster left the office to attend to other matters.
Liang Zhiyi sat at his desk, her little head resting on her elbow, still immersed in awkwardness, feeling utterly helpless.
There would be no more happiness in her life, boo hoo…
She started working on the last few questions when suddenly a shadow fell over her. Looking up, she saw Pei Chen walking over to the desk, his tall, slender figure exuding confidence.
His brows lowered slightly, and his cool gaze just happened to land on her.
Liang Zhiyi immediately smiled, “Pei Chen, did you come to see me?”
The boy placed the practical report materials on the desk and said indifferently, “Just submitting some materials, not here to check on the Tibetan compatriots.”
“…?”
He was mocking her!
She puffed her cheeks angrily, “It’s all your fault, and now you’re making fun of me!”
“My fault?”
Feeling wronged but still trying to stand her ground, she looked up and said righteously, “The homeroom teacher came, and you didn’t even give me a heads up.”
Pei Chen’s lips twitched slightly, and he said in a calm voice:
“I saw how engrossed you were in your singing, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“…!” This person is infuriatingly bad, ugh!
“I’ll never be the best with you in the world again.”
She decided she wouldn’t like him for a minute.
Pei Chen: “…”
She lowered her head, refusing to look at him, but a few seconds later, she heard Pei Chen’s voice drop, “I was writing the test paper just now, so I didn’t notice when the homeroom teacher came in.”
Liang Zhiyi pressed her lips together, finished writing the last question, and then stood up with an air of arrogance, “Alright, I forgive you.”
The girl suddenly remembered something, “Oh, Pei Chen, I received the school’s notice this afternoon. I can join the logistics team for your basketball game.”
The boy seemed slightly surprised, “You want to join the logistics team?”
“Yeah.”
Pei Chen suddenly thought of Liang Tongzhou, and his eyes darkened slightly.
“Why?”
The girl met his gaze, her eyes shining like stars. Leaning close to his ear, she softly whispered, “Because you’re there, of course. Why else?”
Hearing this, Pei Chen’s usually calm and dark eyes, hidden behind his glasses, showed an imperceptible ripple. His thin lips tightened slightly.
Liang Zhiyi looked into his eyes and murmured softly, “I heard this basketball game is really important, so I thought I’d help out. Actually, I originally only wanted to be your personal support.”
The boy lowered his gaze and said, “It’s not necessary; the logistics work is tiring.”
“That’s no problem. As the saying goes, behind every successful man, there’s a woman who quietly supports him. I’m more than happy to be that person.”
Pei Chen: “…” What nonsense.
“How about it? Doesn’t that make you feel moved?” The girl grinned.
Pei Chen’s brow twitched with mild irritation as he replied coldly, “I’d be more moved if you sang Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.”
“……”
What did he mean? Was he not going to let that go?
Furious, Liang Zhiyi grabbed her workbook and glared at him, “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
She turned and left the office. Pei Chen watched her back, his lips twitching slightly. Suddenly, a voice filled with lazy frustration sounded beside him:
“Even an outsider like me can hear it. Could you two stop flirting so openly? Can you consider my feelings for once?”
Pei Chen froze for a moment and then turned to glare coldly at Xuan Xia, who was sitting at the back desk, “Can you stop talking nonsense?”
Xuan Xia, who had been listening to their entire conversation, twirled a pen and chuckled, “Isn’t it true? And don’t think I can’t see that something has happened between you two recently. I’ve got sharp eyes, you know.”
Pei Chen felt a slight stir in his chest as he tidied up the materials on the desk. Finally, he looked at Xuan Xia and said, “Actually, if you sang Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, I’d be pretty moved too.”
Xuan Xia: “……”
This guy must be crazy!!
After the little incident with Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, life resumed its usual rhythm of daily studying. However, for Pei Chen, aside from his studies, another important matter was preparing for the interschool basketball game.
After the third class on Friday afternoon, all the team members gathered at the basketball gym for training.
After completing basic physical training, the coach said, “Today, we’re going to play an intra-team match. Team 1 will play against Team 3. This is to help you better understand your teammates and improve your teamwork.”
This was the first time they had played a match during their training sessions.
Everyone was excited upon hearing this, eager to flex their muscles and jokingly planning to knock each other down during the game.
Upon hearing this, Liang Tongzhou raised his hand to signal the coach and spoke with a lazy tone, “Coach, I’d like to switch with Wang An. I’ll play guard for Team 3.”
The boys around burst into laughter when they heard this. “Tongzhou is the undercover agent sent by Team 1!”
“No, he’s just trying to help out Team 3, hahaha.”
“Hey, or maybe he just wants to match up against a certain someone?”
Liang Tongzhou’s gaze met Pei Chen’s as he smiled and said, “It’s just a practice session anyway. Besides, I want to get to know our Team 1 members in a different way.”
Everyone picked up on the underlying meaning in his words, sensing the tension Liang Tongzhou was stirring up, and they all laughed and jeered.
It was clear to everyone—going to Team 3 as a guard meant he specifically wanted to go up against Pei Chen.
The coach also noticed the competitive atmosphere between them, but he understood that this kind of psychology could actually help everyone perform better, so he approved the change.
As they headed to the side of the court to prepare, Xuan Xia patted Pei Chen on the shoulder and whispered with a grin, “He’s clearly coming after you, man.”
Pei Chen unscrewed a water bottle, took a sip, and remained unfazed, not letting the situation bother him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll back you up later,” Xuan Xia added. Just then, Liang Tongzhou and the other boys walked over.
When he reached them, Liang Tongzhou looked at Pei Chen, smiled, and in a voice only they could hear, said, “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. I want to see what you’ve got that made you replace my brother. No offense, but honestly, I’m not convinced.”
Pei Chen lowered his gaze, placed the water bottle on the chair, and walked towards the court, leaving behind a calm, emotionless reply: “That’s fine.”
You’ll find out soon enough.
Both teams took their positions on the court, and as the coach blew the whistle, the game officially began.
Everyone quickly got into the competitive spirit. Liang Tongzhou clearly targeted Pei Chen, keeping a close watch on him, trying to cut off every possible passing route.
Team 3’s other players worked in sync with Liang Tongzhou, blocking Pei Chen at every turn.
Pei Chen dribbled the ball, and Liang Tongzhou guarded him closely. Pei Chen glanced at Xuan Xia, and with just a look, his long-time friend immediately understood. The next moment, Pei Chen made a feint and passed the ball to Xuan Xia.
Xuan Xia made a jump shot and hit the basket with precision.
“Ohhhh…”
Applause erupted from Team 1, and a flicker of surprise crossed Liang Tongzhou’s eyes.
He hadn’t even seen what move Pei Chen made, and the ball was already passed?
The game continued, and the ball was turned over. Liang Tongzhou dribbled the ball, and after a few deceptive moves, he scored with ease.
The boy’s gaze swept over to Pei Chen, and he smiled with a hint of mischief.
From that moment on, he tightened his defense against Pei Chen even more, wearing his intent to “target” him clearly on his face. Pei Chen felt it but didn’t respond to the challenge, focusing entirely on executing his own tactics.
With a few deceptive moves, Pei Chen easily tricked the heavy defense, moving swiftly and gracefully towards the basket. He spun around and made a quick layup, scoring effortlessly.
The teammates couldn’t help but shout in admiration.
Pei Chen, breathing lightly, let the beads of sweat roll down his firm and well-defined muscles. Beneath his dark hair and strong brows, his usually cool and composed features showed a rare hint of unrestrained defiance. He lifted his gaze and calmly met Liang Tongzhou’s stunned eyes.
The game continued with back-and-forth exchanges, with both sides scoring.
As the game progressed, Liang Tongzhou noticed that every move Pei Chen made was exceptionally smooth and precise. His style was sharp yet effortless, as if he was playing with his opponents at will.
It felt like Pei Chen could score whenever he wanted or assist his teammates in scoring without breaking a sweat. He controlled the pace of the game so thoroughly that it seemed like the entire match was being played on his terms.
Even though Liang Tongzhou was strong, Team 1, under the seamless cooperation between Pei Chen and Xuan Xia, dominated Team 3 throughout the match.
By the end of the scrimmage, any doubts about Pei Chen’s abilities had vanished.
After the game, the coach gave everyone a ten-minute break. Liang Tongzhou and a few friends went to get some water, still trying to process what they had just witnessed.
“Holy crap, what kind of demon is that Pei Chen?!”
“I didn’t even notice when he passed the ball just now…”
Liang Tongzhou glanced over at Pei Chen in the distance and, after a moment, patted his friend on the shoulder, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “The coach replacing you with him is completely understandable.”
“Huh?” His friend was taken aback by how quickly Liang Tongzhou had changed his tune!
On the other side, as Pei Chen was resting, he noticed Liang Tongzhou walking toward him.
When he arrived, Liang Tongzhou licked his lips and rubbed the back of his neck, a bit awkwardly. “When the first quarter was about to end, how did you manage that pass?”
Pei Chen hesitated for a moment, then picked up the ball from the ground and slowly demonstrated the move for him.
After watching, Liang Tongzhou nodded, “So that’s how you did it…”
Seeing that Pei Chen wasn’t cold or distant toward him despite the earlier targeting, Liang Tongzhou suddenly felt a bit childish and petty. He finally spoke up:
“I owe you an apology. I was a bit harsh before. It’s just that I felt like you hadn’t done anything, yet the coach put you in as a starter. I wanted to stand up for my friend. But now I see you’re a lot better than him. I admit it.”
Pei Chen’s expression softened slightly. “It’s fine. After all, we’re all going to be facing other opponents together.”
That’s why he hadn’t engaged in the conflict Liang Tongzhou tried to stir up during the game. He had only one goal in mind, and everything else was irrelevant.
With everything out in the open, the tension between the two boys dissipated. Xuan Xia, standing nearby, chuckled and tried to lighten the mood: “We’re all teammates, after all. You two will need to work together in the future.”
Liang Tongzhou smiled and looked at Pei Chen. “How about a 1v1? I still want to spar with you a bit.”
Pei Chen agreed.
The two headed back onto the court and played another round, this time without any emotional baggage—just a pure exchange of skills.
After the game, as they walked off the court, Liang Tongzhou smirked, sipping water, and said to Pei Chen, “You play really well. No wonder my sister always defends you, saying you’re particularly impressive.”
Pei Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, “Your sister?”
“Yeah, your deskmate.”
Pei Chen froze for a moment. Seeing his confused expression, Liang Tongzhou casually added, “She’s my sister. We both transferred to No. 1 High School this year.”
Hearing this, Pei Chen paused, suddenly piecing everything together in his mind.
Of course—they both had the surname Liang. How did he not realize sooner?
Feeling a bit awkward, Pei Chen asked, “You and your sister don’t look much alike, do you?”
“Yeah, everyone’s always said that. I take after my dad, she takes after my mom,” Liang Tongzhou clicked his tongue, “But clearly, I got the better looks.”
“…”
Pei Chen couldn’t help but notice that both siblings seemed to share a certain level of self-admiration.
After the break, the coach called everyone together for a brief analysis meeting, summarizing the issues from the earlier scrimmage. The players gained a better understanding of each other.
As it approached six o’clock, the training session ended.
A few of the boys headed to the locker room. Liang Tongzhou caught up with Pei Chen and Xuan Xia, saying, “Hey, let’s grab a bite to eat together?”
Since Pei Chen joined the team, the players hadn’t spent much time together outside of training. But after the scrimmage, they were starting to bond. Liang Tongzhou suggested they go grab a quick meal off-campus before heading home, especially since they didn’t have classes the next day.
Xuan Xia agreed, and Pei Chen also nodded, sending a message to Pei Yongxia to let him know.
Some of the guys had other plans and left, leaving a group of eight. They changed clothes and walked out of the gym. Just then, Liang Tongzhou received a call—it was from Liang Zhiyi. He picked up, “What’s up?”
“Our logistics team just finished a meeting. Are you guys done with training?” The logistics team had a small meeting during the fourth period that afternoon, and as soon as it ended, she called him.