She stumbled backward, but someone caught her arm to steady her.
A lazy voice followed:
“Sorry, are you okay?”
She looked up and recognized the boy in front of her—it was Song Anchen.
Over the past few days, she had learned from Xuan Xia about the grudge between Pei Chen and Song Anchen from their middle school days. Seeing him now, she froze for a moment, then quickly withdrew her arm from his grasp with a look of disdain.
She took a step back as Song Anchen stared intently at her, smiling. “Apologies, I wasn’t watching where I was going and accidentally bumped into you.”
Meeting his gaze, Liang Zhiyi forced a smile and replied, “It was my fault for not paying attention.”
After all, when encountering someone disgusting, she should have taken the initiative to avoid them.
Song Anchen raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re part of the No. 1 High School’s logistics team, right?”
“Is there something you need?”
He stepped closer and, in a low voice, said, “I’m a player from No. 3 High School. Friendship first, competition second, right? How about we get to know each other, maybe exchange WeChat? Just as friends.”
Liang Zhiyi looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, “The game’s about to start. Tell me, do No. 3 High School players really have so much free time that they can make friends right now?”
She curled her lips into a smirk, “Besides, I don’t befriend people who use underhanded tactics on the court. Sorry.”
Song Anchen’s expression stiffened. “What did you just say?”
“You know very well what you did to Pei Chen. Do I really need to spell it out?”
“Do you have any proof?” he sneered.
“Everyone knows about your dirty, despicable mindset. Do you think everyone else is an idiot? Only a loser would resort to such tactics against someone better than them.”
She had always been protective of those she cared about, and she couldn’t help but stand up for Pei Chen.
Finally, she looked at him, her eyes turning cold, “Back off. You think you can hit on me? Go take a look in the mirror first.”
Song Anchen had never encountered such an assertive girl before. “What the hell? You better stop right there…”
He reached out to grab Liang Zhiyi, but suddenly, a hand pulled her back, and a boy stepped in front of her, blocking the way.
Pei Chen raised his gaze, his eyes cold as ice as they locked onto Song Anchen. His thin lips curled slightly:
“Try laying a hand on her.”
Song Anchen’s eyes widened in shock as he saw Pei Chen standing there in his uniform—how was he here?!
Pei Chen’s injury was so severe; how could he even be standing?
Pei Chen stared at him, his gaze frosty, and said in a chilling tone, “Trying to start something before the game? Planning to forfeit early?”
For the first time, Song Anchen could clearly feel Pei Chen’s anger, and it was over a girl. He laughed bitterly, “What, is she your girlfriend?”
“What’s it to you?”
Just then, someone called out to Song Anchen from ahead. Clenching his fists and thinking about the humiliation Liang Zhiyi had just dealt him, he gritted his teeth and had no choice but to walk past them.
After Song Anchen left, Pei Chen looked down at the girl, his brows furrowed slightly, “Are you okay? Did he give you any trouble?”
Thinking about how strongly he had just protected her, Liang Zhiyi’s heart felt as sweet as if she had just eaten honey. Her eyes curved into a smile, “I’m fine. Do you really think I could be bullied?”
Hearing this, the fire in Pei Chen’s heart gradually subsided.
He didn’t care much about Song Anchen’s attitude towards him, but Liang Zhiyi was his bottom line—no one could cross that.
She looked at him, “By the way, did you finish warming up?”
“Yeah, we’re about to head onto the court.”
“Earlier, a lot of students who support you brought you gifts and asked me to pass them along. I’ve been holding onto them for you.”
Pei Chen acknowledged this, and Liang Zhiyi’s eyes softened as she looked at him, “Pei Chen, I also prepared a little something to cheer you on.”
“What is it?”
“Hold out your hand.”
He wasn’t sure what mischief she was up to this time, but he still cooperated and extended his hand. Liang Zhiyi gently held his palm and placed something in it:
“I originally planned to give you a blueberry-flavored lollipop.”
She opened her empty palm and smiled at him:
“But I realized I had already finished it.”
Pei Chen: ?
While he was still puzzled, the girl suddenly placed her hands on his shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and softly pressed her lips to his cheek.
A warm, soft sensation spread across his skin.
His heart skipped a beat.
Pei Chen froze in shock as he felt her lips slowly pull away. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, and she smiled brightly:
“So, I can only give you a blueberry-flavored kiss.”
Then she looked at him with a smile:
“Pei Chen, do your best tonight.”
“No matter the outcome, you’re the best in my heart, unmatched by anyone.”
After she left, the corridor fell silent. Pei Chen stood there, his lowered lashes trembling slightly. The sweet scent of blueberries still lingered at the tip of his nose, gently tugging at his heart.
The feeling of her warm lips seemed to linger on his cheek, and his heart pounded wildly, sending heat rushing to his ears, turning them red.
Earlier in the afternoon, after the pre-game meeting, he had been under immense pressure.
Because of his leg, and because of the outcome of this final match.
But now, recalling the girl’s gentle encouragement and that unexpected kiss, it felt like a powerful force had swept away the heaviness in his heart, leaving her presence firmly imprinted there.
Liang Zhiyi was like the sun.
Even a dark, lightless moon could be illuminated by her.
—
As night fell, the Provincial Sports Center’s arena was packed with people. Exciting, energetic music filled the air, and the atmosphere was electric even before the match had begun.
Ten minutes before the game, both teams entered the arena.
In addition to the students, several scouts were present tonight.
They were from various prestigious universities in the country, much like talent scouts, here to spot students with exceptional basketball skills, hoping to recruit them into their universities through special admissions.
Nowadays, many universities have similar policies: if you have an outstanding talent in a particular area, you can be specially admitted without the usual emphasis on academic scores. In previous interschool tournaments, a few students were discovered this way, which is why so many boys are eager to make it to the finals. Besides the honor, there’s a chance to catch the eye of a scout.
When Liang Zhiyi entered the arena, she also ran into classmates like Zhi Mian and Fan Gao. Tonight, there were more students from Class Nine than usual, all here to support No. 1 High School.
They headed to the stands, while Liang Zhiyi went to the workbench at the side of the court.
At seven o’clock, the starting lineups of both teams stood up and walked onto the court.
The crowd erupted in cheers, but everyone quickly noticed that Pei Chen was still seated on the bench, not playing.
For a moment, many were stunned:
“Pei Chen isn’t starting?! Is it because he’s too injured to play?”
“Oh no, I’m going to cry! This is such an important final, and he can’t play!”
“His leg injury must be really serious. He wasn’t supposed to play at all…”
“It’s over. Can No. 1 High even beat No. 3 High without him?”
The arena buzzed with shock and concern. On the court, Song Anchen noticed Pei Chen still sitting on the sidelines and felt a wave of relief.
He had suspected it—Pei Chen’s injury was too severe for him to play.
Without Pei Chen, who could possibly challenge him?
After the coin toss, each team moved to their selected sides. Xuan Xia, Liang Tongzhou, and the other three players huddled together:
“Let’s do this, and let’s do it for Pei Chen!”
“Today, let’s show them what No. 1 High is made of!”
The basketball was tossed into the air.
The game had officially begun.
Lan Zhi, jumping higher than anyone on No. 3 High, seized the ball first and quickly passed it to Xue Peng, who was filling in for Pei Chen. Xue Peng made a feint before passing the ball to Wang Weibo, who quickly maneuvered under the basket, spun on the spot, and jumped to dunk the ball.
No. 1 High executed a flawless play, scoring the first two points.
The crowd erupted in cheers, but No. 3 High quickly launched their counterattack.
Soon after, Liang Tongzhou received the ball, broke through Song Anchen’s defense, and swiftly drove to the basket, slamming the ball in with force.
As Liang Tongzhou turned to face the visibly angered Song Anchen, he smirked slightly—a small act of vengeance for Pei Chen.
At the end of the first quarter, the score remained close, with No. 1 High School trailing slightly.
During the break, the logistics team handed out water to the players, and Sun Jing discussed strategy with them. Pei Chen shared his observations on the weak points he noticed in No. 3 High School’s defense.
Xuan Xia asked, “Pei Chen, when do you plan on going in?”
With a calm expression, Pei Chen replied, “Let’s wait a little longer.”
As they prepared to return to the court, Liang Tongzhou finished his water, and Ji Fei’er handed him a towel, her smile bright, “Keep it up! You’re playing super well today!”
Liang Tongzhou wiped his sweat, smiled back at her, and then placed the towel aside before heading back into the game.
The second quarter began with No. 3 High’s team centering their strategy around Song Anchen, who scored several times in quick succession, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
No. 1 High launched a quick counterattack, but the players from No. 3 High began using some underhanded tactics to disrupt their plays, none of which were called out by the referees.
“Seriously, how disgusting can you get?” Xuan Xia fumed.
The referee blew the whistle to maintain order, but seeing the smug expressions on the faces of the No. 3 High players only fueled Xuan Xia and his teammates’ anger. They had no choice but to swallow their frustration.
In the stands, the No. 1 High supporters were visibly upset, and both Liang Zhiyi and Ji Fei’er were fuming as they watched the game.
“Why aren’t the refs calling these fouls? No. 3 High is clearly breaking the rules!”
“Their play is so dirty! They’re doing it on purpose! This is infuriating!”
In the front row, Pei Chen watched the court intently, his deep brown eyes revealing nothing of what he was thinking.
At the end of the second quarter, No. 3 High had pulled ahead by ten points.
During the break, the No. 3 High players exchanged mocking smiles. “No. 1 High is really going all out today, huh?”
“Of course they are, it’s their last chance to put up a fight.”
“In the third quarter, let’s try to extend our lead to twenty points and leave them no chance of coming back.”
“Those idiots don’t realize whose home court this is tonight, do they?”
The third quarter began.
As a shooting guard, Liang Tongzhou worked hard to find opportunities to attack, but the No. 3 High players focused heavily on him, leaving him little room to make plays.
No. 1 High fought hard to close the gap, but it was an uphill battle.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Song Anchen stole the ball from Wang Weibo and performed a pull-up layup, forcefully dunking the ball into the basket.
Song Anchen basked in the cheers from the crowd, casting a disdainful smile towards No. 1 High, as if to ask—
See that? Who’s the real king of this court?
But the next moment, the referee blew the whistle for a substitution. On the sidelines, No. 1 High signaled for a player change.
All eyes turned to the court, and they saw Pei Chen gesture to the referee before stepping onto the court.
Song Anchen, who had been reveling in his dominance, froze in disbelief.
He can still play?!
In the stands, the students who admired Pei Chen shot to their feet, cheering excitedly:
“Pei Chen is actually going in!”
“Oh my god, I’m crying! Go, Class Monitor! You can do it!”
“His leg injury was so bad… Can he really play? This is heartbreaking…”
The entire arena erupted as the crowd chanted his name loudly.
On the sidelines, Liang Zhiyi watched as the boy stepped onto the court, as if emerging from a desolate darkness into the light that belonged solely to him.