Since the coach had other responsibilities and couldn’t come over immediately, he asked Liang Zhiyi and the other support team members to take good care of Pei Chen and ensure he got home safely.
After the call ended, Liang Zhiyi looked at Pei Chen with a pout. “I’m never helping you lie again.”
Just then, Zhong Xinrou entered the emergency department and walked over, asking Pei Chen, “Is your knee still hurting? Has the pain eased a bit?”
Pei Chen nodded, and Liang Zhiyi introduced her, “Oh, right, this is my mom.”
Pei Chen was momentarily stunned, not realizing that the doctor who treated him was Liang Zhiyi’s mother. His mind went on high alert as he politely said, “Hello, Auntie. I’m Pei Chen.”
Zhong Xinrou smiled gently. “I know who you are. Zhiyi has mentioned you at home before, saying you’re very diligent and excel in your studies.”
Pei Chen responded modestly, and Zhong Xinrou continued in a soft, motherly tone, “You really shouldn’t have been playing with an injured knee. At least you were wearing a knee brace, which helped cushion some of the impact. Otherwise, who knows how much worse it could have been.”
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi felt a little relieved.
Fortunately, she had bought him a good knee brace…
Zhong Xinrou handed the ointment she had prescribed to Pei Chen and reminded him of the precautions he needed to take with his knee. She told him that once everything was settled, he could go home. Pei Chen thanked her for her help.
After Zhong Xinrou left, Ji Fei’er and the other support team member returned with some food, allowing Pei Chen to regain some strength.
A while later, Xuan Xia arrived at the hospital, accompanied by Liang Tongzhou. He was worried about Pei Chen, and seeing that Liang Zhiyi was also there, he felt a bit relieved.
Liang Tongzhou, with a serious expression, said, “Pei Chen, I’m sorry. We couldn’t win against No. 3 High in the second game.”
“It’s okay. You guys don’t need to blame yourselves.”
They were a team, and whatever happened, they would face it together. Besides, there was still one last game left, and the outcome was still undecided.
Xuan Xia glanced at Pei Chen’s knee and, with gritted teeth, expressed his anger toward Song Anchen. “He knew you were injured and still deliberately targeted your knee. He’s been disgusting like this since middle school.”
However, from an objective standpoint, it was a legitimate body collision. The referee wouldn’t consider personal health issues when deciding if it was a foul. Even if they knew Song Anchen’s intention, there wasn’t much they could do about it.
Xuan Xia sighed. “You should take it easy for the next few days and skip training.”
Pei Chen reassured them that there was no need to worry. Remembering the knee brace, he thanked Xuan Xia, “I’m really grateful for the knee brace you gave me. Without it, my knee would’ve been in worse shape.”
“Actually, it was…”
Xuan Xia started to say but noticed the girl gently shaking her head at him. With a sigh, he changed his words, “It’s nothing… I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Noticing it was getting late, Xuan Xia and Liang Tongzhou helped Pei Chen up from the bed, ready to take him home.
Liang Zhiyi went to find her mother. “Mom, my classmates and I are going to take Pei Chen home.”
Zhong Xinrou looked at her daughter’s concerned face and, after a few seconds, gently said, “Zhizhi, it’s late. You should be heading home yourself.”
“Well… I promise I’ll be back soon, and Tongzhou is with me. I’ll come home with him afterward.”
Liang Zhiyi gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and then hurried out, leaving Zhong Xinrou to watch her go, quietly reflective.
–
Outside, the night sky was pitch black.
At the hospital entrance, Xuan Xia hailed a car using his phone. He and Liang Tongzhou stayed with Pei Chen, telling the other support team member to head home first.
A few minutes later, Liang Zhiyi and Ji Fei’er emerged from the hospital, saying they would join them as well. Pei Chen met Liang Zhiyi’s eyes and tried to dissuade her:
“There’s no need. You should head home.”
Liang Zhiyi, knowing what he was worried about, let out a light scoff and softly said to him, “Pei Chen, don’t forget that I have leverage over you now.”
“……”
She was actually using his leg injury to threaten him.
Pei Chen was silent for a moment. Just then, the car arrived—a minivan had taken the job, so all five of them got in together. Pei Chen had no choice but to go along with it.
The night was deep and quiet.
Neon lights flashed quickly past the car windows.
Finally, the car pulled into Pei Chen’s neighborhood. After getting out, Pei Chen looked at Liang Zhiyi, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he quietly said, “You can leave me here.”
“No, I’ll walk you upstairs.”
Seeing her determination, Pei Chen dropped his eyes in resignation and spoke reluctantly, “Please don’t tell my father about my knee. I don’t want him to worry.”
The girl paused for a moment, then gently nodded.
They headed upstairs. The building was old, without an elevator, and the stairway was narrow. The walls were dull and two of the sound-activated lights in the corridor were broken.
When they finally reached Pei Chen’s apartment, he opened the door. Inside, they saw a small space with an old-fashioned shoe cabinet right at the entrance. The furniture was worn out, and though everything was clean, it was clear the place had been lived in for a long time.
Other than Xuan Xia, who had been there before, the other three were taken aback, not expecting Pei Chen’s home to look like this.
Liang Zhiyi, having grown up in a wealthy family, was especially shocked. No wonder he seemed so uncomfortable when he visited her house before, and no wonder he was so adamant about her not coming here.
Pei Chen opened the shoe cabinet to find slippers for them, then awkwardly said, “I don’t have enough slippers at home. Maybe you can just come in without them…”
“It’s fine, we’ll just take off our shoes. You girls can wear the slippers,” Xuan Xia suggested.
They all calmly removed their shoes without showing any surprise. Just then, Pei Yongxia rolled out of the bedroom in his wheelchair and was surprised to see so many people.
Everyone politely greeted Pei Yongxia, “Uncle, Pei Chen got injured while playing basketball, so we brought him home.”
“Injured? Is it serious?” he asked with concern.
Pei Chen assured him it was just a minor bump, and Pei Yongxia invited them to sit down.
Xuan Xia and Liang Tongzhou helped Pei Chen to his room, while Pei Yongxia wheeled himself toward the kitchen, saying, “You all sit down, I’ll get you some water…”
Pei Yongxia entered the kitchen, opened a cabinet, and took out some disposable cups. As he reached for the kettle on the dining table, a cheerful voice interrupted him, “Uncle, take it easy. I’ll do it.”
He turned to see Liang Zhiyi and warned her to be careful of the hot water. After she finished pouring, he asked, “Are you Pei Chen’s classmate?”
The girl nodded and smiled sweetly, “Hello, Uncle. I’m Liang Zhiyi, Pei Chen’s deskmate and part of the support team for the tournament.”
“Hello, hello…” Pei Yongxia responded, suddenly recalling something. “Ah, yes, I remember Pei Chen mentioning that he got a new deskmate this semester.”
Liang Zhiyi smiled, her eyebrows arched, “Yes, I just transferred to Class Nine this year. I didn’t expect Pei Chen to have mentioned me.”
Seeing the young girl’s bright smile, Pei Yongxia couldn’t help but return it warmly. “Young lady, thank you all for taking the trouble to bring Pei Chen home tonight…”
“It’s no trouble at all; it’s what we should do,” Liang Zhiyi replied with a smile.
“You should go and sit in the living room,” Pei Yongxia urged.
Liang Zhiyi nodded and helped carry the cups into the living room, placing them on the coffee table.
Pei Yongxia tidied up the blanket on the sofa, making space for the two girls to sit. It wasn’t often that Pei Chen’s classmates visited, so he scratched his head with a shy smile, saying, “Sorry, the place is a bit small and cramped…”
“It’s fine, really, it’s not cramped at all,” they reassured him.
Pei Yongxia then tried to go to the kitchen to wash some fruit for them, but Liang Zhiyi quickly stopped him. Seeing his limited mobility, she couldn’t bear to let him exert himself and insisted that it wasn’t necessary—they would just sit for a while.
Giving up, Pei Yongxia asked about the specifics of Pei Chen’s injury. Liang Zhiyi, careful to protect Pei Chen’s secret, explained that it was just a collision during the game that aggravated an old knee injury and that he would be fine after resting for a few days.
Hearing this, Pei Yongxia sighed with concern, “This boy has been getting bumps and bruises from basketball since he was little.”
“Uncle, I heard from Pei Chen that he’s loved basketball since he was a child.”
Pei Yongxia nodded, recalling the past, “This boy’s had a tough life. I feel like I’ve failed him. After I ended up in a wheelchair and divorced his mother, he had to endure a lot with me. He matured faster than other kids his age, and he’s always been so reserved. The only time he seemed truly happy was after coming home from playing basketball.”
After Pei Chen’s car accident, Pei Yongxia had seen firsthand how much his son suffered. He knew that basketball was more than just a game for Pei Chen—it was a vital part of his life.
“Since the accident, he’s been working hard on his rehabilitation, all so he could participate in this competition.”
No one knows a child better than their parent. Pei Yongxia was well aware that this inter-school basketball tournament had been Pei Chen’s dream for years. So, even though he worried about his son’s knee, he still encouraged him to compete.
Pei Yongxia’s eyes reddened slightly as he spoke, “My son hasn’t had an easy life, not a single day.”
Listening to Pei Yongxia, Liang Zhiyi felt her heart ache.
After finishing their conversation, she decided to check on Pei Chen and headed to his bedroom.
Inside, Xuan Xia and Liang Tongzhou were chatting with Pei Chen about the basketball game. When Liang Zhiyi entered, she noticed how simple the room was, with Pei Chen leaning against the headboard, having changed out of his uniform.
Seeing her, Xuan Xia raised an eyebrow at Pei Chen, “I’ll go grab some water.”
Liang Tongzhou also stood up and left the room.
Now, only the two of them were left in the room.
Looking at Pei Chen, Liang Zhiyi couldn’t help but think about what Pei Yongxia had said, and a wave of sadness washed over her.
The boy she liked was so good, so exceptional—he should have been shining like the sun.
At this age, he should be full of energy, enjoying a carefree, happy life.
But his moments of happiness were so few. Even though his love was something as simple as playing basketball, he didn’t even have the blessing of a healthy body to pursue it.