In the end, the elderly couple refused to accept their money, so Pei Chen had no choice but to give in and thanked them. The landlady then asked Liang Zhiyi with a smile, “Young lady, how did you find the food?”
“It was really delicious, the flavors were amazing.”
The landlady beamed, “I’m glad you liked it. Come back often with Xiao Pei.”
“Okay.”
After bidding farewell to the couple, they stepped outside the shop. Pei Chen checked the time on his phone, “It’s already past nine. How will you get home?”
“I’ll check with the family driver,” she replied.
She called the driver and gave him the address. He told her to wait for ten minutes as he was on his way.
Pei Chen said, “The bus stop is just ahead. I’ll wait with you until your car arrives.”
“It’s okay. I can wait for the driver at the bus stop.”
So, they walked ahead together, passing under a pedestrian bridge, with hardly any other pedestrians around.
As she thought about the bowl of noodles she had just eaten, a warm smile spread across Liang Zhiyi’s face. “That bowl of pig trotter noodles was just too good, and the owner and his wife were so warm and welcoming. They’re such lovely people…”
Pei Chen noticed her enthusiasm, and his eyes softened slightly. “Do you like that place a lot?”
She nodded eagerly, her smile bright as she asked, “Pei Chen, will you come with me often from now on?”
She knew that Pei Chen really liked going there, and seeing him happy made her happy too.
“Okay.”
It was a request Pei Chen couldn’t refuse.
Liang Zhiyi mentioned that she wanted to come back next week. Pei Chen cautioned, “The menu there doesn’t have much variety. You might get tired of it.”
“I won’t. I never get tired of good food,” she said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, “And besides, you’ll be there too, right?”
With him, everything felt meaningful.
Finally, Liang Zhiyi said, “Pei Chen, if you ever want to go somewhere you like, you can take me along more often…”
As she was speaking, a small electric scooter suddenly sped toward her from behind.
Pei Chen noticed it and instinctively reached out, pulling her toward him.
She ended up in his arms.
Under the bridge, the lighting was dim, and visibility was poor.
No one else was around to see them.
Liang Zhiyi was wrapped in his jacket, and his hand pressed against her back through the fabric. Her nose accidentally bumped against his chest, and she inhaled the clean, fresh scent of his laundry soap mixed with his warmth. It felt as if he was shielding her from the cold.
For a moment, Liang Zhiyi was stunned, her heartbeat quickening.
Pei Chen could feel the softness of her body, and his mind was suddenly overwhelmed. A few seconds later, he released her, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke in a hoarse voice, “Sorry, I…”
Liang Zhiyi looked up at him, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “Pei Chen, you didn’t do that on purpose, did you?”
“……”
Pei Chen denied it, but the girl noticed that the tips of his ears had turned red, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
She had thought he only blushed when she gave him a kiss, but now, just a simple accidental hug made him react like this.
Liang Zhiyi smiled and said, “It’s okay, even if it was on purpose, it doesn’t matter.”
Pei Chen: “……”
As they stood facing each other, Liang Zhiyi remembered something and spoke softly:
“Pei Chen, I remember you said earlier that basketball was the only thing that kept you company, but now you have many friends and teammates. You’re important to them.”
“Remember, you’re not alone anymore.”
The girl looked at him, her eyes filled with warmth:
“And you have me too.”
“Pei Chen, I’ll always be here for you.”
Pei Chen lowered his eyes to look at her, a flicker of light passing through them, and something in his heart softened.
He had never experienced the feeling of being chosen so resolutely before. Even his mother had chosen to leave him behind for a new, wealthier family.
He was young, and liking someone seemed so pure and simple, but it was also so easily changed, here one moment and gone the next.
How could anyone make a promise that lasted forever?
But in this moment, Pei Chen greedily hoped that what she said was true.
That there really was someone who wouldn’t despise his family, or his imperfect leg, and would always like him, brave and steadfast.
°°°
The weekend passed, and December arrived.
Lincheng officially entered winter.
After defeating Mingchuan Private High, No. 1 High School remained unstoppable, continuing to advance through the competition, winning match after match.
The forums were buzzing with excitement, with many people discussing how strong No. 1 High was this year, and how they seemed to have a real shot at winning the championship.
And who wouldn’t love to watch handsome guys play basketball? All five members of No. 1 High’s school team were good-looking, especially Pei Chen and Liang Tongzhou, whose high-level appearances had attracted many fans from other schools.
In the end, No. 1 High defeated Zhezhi High School in the semifinals and advanced to the final.
The last time they had reached the finals was four years ago.
This year marked the tenth edition of Lincheng’s interschool basketball tournament. In all these years, No. 1 High had never won the championship. In fact, they were eliminated in the round of 16 last year.
But now, they were just one step away from the championship.
The morning after the semifinals, the school basketball team held a meeting.
“You all probably know by now that in the finals, we’re up against our old rivals, last year’s championship team, Lincheng No. 3 High School,” Sun Jing announced.
Based on the regional divisions, No. 3 High was placed in the lower bracket, where they effortlessly defeated all the other teams, emerging as the champions of the lower bracket.
Among all the high schools in Lincheng, No. 3 High was the team that struck fear into the hearts of their opponents, having won the interschool championship for three consecutive years.
No. 3 High was so formidable because the school had a strong basketball culture. Each year, they recruited a few students who excelled in basketball and often sent talented players to the provincial basketball team. As a result, many skilled basketball players aspired to get into No. 3 High.
Since the inception of the interschool basketball tournament, No. 1 High had faced No. 3 High five times, and the record was an embarrassing five losses. Even in the year they finished as runners-up, they lost to No. 3 High.
This time, everyone was determined to win the championship.
Throughout the morning, the team watched footage of No. 3 High’s previous matches and videos of their recent games.
As they watched, Sun Jing pointed out, “This year, No. 3 High has a particularly standout player, number 11, their center—Song Anchen.”
“Song Anchen…” Xuan Xia murmured upon hearing the familiar name, her brow furrowing slightly as she instinctively glanced at Pei Chen, who was sitting across from her.
Wang Weibo, sitting nearby, chimed in, “I’ve heard of Song Anchen. He won the MVP in last year’s city basketball tournament. He’s pretty good. I think he went to… which middle school again?”
Xuan Xia suddenly spoke up, “Xingzhou Middle School.”
“Right! Xingzhou! He was specially recruited by No. 3 High. Hey, how do you know that?”
“I used to go to Xingzhou,” Xuan Xia replied, pausing briefly before adding, “Pei Chen did too.”
“Wow, so you guys were teammates?”
“Song Anchen and Pei Chen used to play the same position, but he’s grown a lot taller since then and now plays center for No. 3 High.”
“So, you must know him pretty well, right?”
Xuan Xia let out a short laugh, “More than just ‘know him,’ we’re extremely familiar with him.”
“You’ve got to admit, the guy’s got skills…”
On the screen, Song Anchen was seen aggressively dribbling past the defense, executing a powerful tomahawk dunk that electrified the entire crowd, exuding the aura of a court king, far more dominant than before.
Pei Chen watched the screen, his mind flooded with memories.
After the car accident, Song Anchen had looked at him as if he were a loser, a sneer tugging at the corners of his mouth as he asked mockingly, “With your leg ruined, can you still play basketball?”
Pei Chen stared silently at the screen, his dark eyes betraying no emotion.
The rules for the interschool basketball finals were a best-of-three series, with one game each week over three weeks.
A week after the semifinals was the first game of the finals, held at the Provincial Sports Center. The logistics teams from both schools were responsible for their respective teams’ needs.
On Saturday afternoon, all the players from No. 1 High were to gather at the school gate and then take a bus to the Provincial Sports Center.
After Liang Zhiyi and Ji Fei’er boarded the bus and walked to the back, they saw Pei Chen already seated.
He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, looking as cool and distant as ever, though the tips of his exposed ears were slightly red from the cold.
Next to him, Xuan Xia noticed Liang Zhiyi and raised an eyebrow, “Zhiyi, do you want me to give you a seat?”
Hearing this, Pei Chen, who had been looking at his phone, immediately lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Liang Zhiyi.
In the silent exchange, she smiled playfully at him, causing a subtle ripple in his usually calm demeanor, his heartbeat effortlessly disrupted.
With a playful tone, she replied, “No need, I’ll sit with Fei’er.”
The main reason was that she was worried she wouldn’t be able to resist talking to Pei Chen if she sat next to him, which might disturb his rest. Tonight’s game was crucial.
Half an hour later, the bus arrived at the Provincial Sports Center.
Entering the practice gym, they began their warm-up exercises.
Around four in the afternoon, after the team had finished dinner, Pei Chen headed to the locker room. As he walked, he felt a faint, sharp pain in his knee again.
The pain was like a flash of lightning, brief but noticeable.
He had already felt some discomfort during the afternoon’s practice.
Frowning, Pei Chen bent down to press on his knee when suddenly, a male voice called out from behind him:
“Pei Chen, long time no see.”
The voice was casual and somewhat lazy, and even though he hadn’t heard it in a long time, Pei Chen immediately recognized who it was.
Straightening up, he turned around to see Song Anchen walking towards him.
Song Anchen was tall, with well-defined muscles, his expression a mix of a subtle smile and indifference. His gaze, resting on Pei Chen, held a blend of curiosity and expectation.
As he approached, Song Anchen curled his lips into a smirk and said, “Well, well, what a surprise.”
“It’s been a while since I last saw you. Just came over to say hi,” Song Anchen said, his tone casual but laced with mockery.
He glanced down at Pei Chen’s knee and let out a disdainful laugh. “I heard your leg is almost healed. I have to say, I didn’t expect that.”