Chapter 15 — Brother, why are your ears red? [2/3]
“Chen Qian must still be stewing about that,” Xiang Weishi said with a scoff. “He’s been plotting something shady, sent people to message me the other day—wants a rematch.”
Qi Jiang perked up at that. “Gangzi’s crew got the same invite. They were just asking if we’d go. I’m in. I’ve been itching to smack that bastard around anyway—he’s so arrogant and thinks he’s hot stuff. His sportsmanship is terrible, and his character isn’t much better.”
“Of course we’re going,” Xiang Weishi replied.
Xie Hejing, however, stayed quiet. Xiang Weishi nudged him. “Hey, I’m asking you. Going or not?”
From the third-floor window, Nan Xu watched. She couldn’t hear what they were saying. All she saw was Xie Hejing rolling his neck, sipping his Coke, looking perfectly at ease.
Suddenly, as if sensing her, he froze, then lifted his head and looked straight up at her.
Nan Xu startled and jerked back. Behind her, a desk screeched against the floor as it slid a few centimeters.
“What’s wrong?” Wen Qi rubbed her eyes, still groggy. “Class already starting?”
Nan Xu looked apologetic. Luckily the student who sat at that desk wasn’t there. She dragged it back into place, then turned and said, “Not yet. Ten more minutes. You can rest. I’ll wake you when the teacher comes.”
Wen Qi shook her head. “I can’t sleep now anyway. I’ll try out that hand cream I bought. Gotta take care of these hands.” She treated her hands like treasures, always splurging on masks, creams, and serums.
“I’ll keep watch,” Nan Xu nodded.
Meanwhile, outside—
“Xie Hejing, what are you staring at?” Xiang Weishi tilted his head, following his gaze, but saw nothing.
Thinking back to that startled, flustered face, Xie Hejing chuckled to himself.
Xiang Weishi was dumbfounded. Had Hejing lost his mind—laughing at thin air?
But it lasted only a second. Xiang Weishi quickly sobered and said, “So it’s set—after school today, No. 8 High wants a game. You in?”
Xie Hejing’s eyes dropped back down. He shrugged, then casually tossed his Coke can. It arced perfectly into the trash. With a yawn, he said, “Yeah.”
Only then did Nan Xu realize what the class had been buzzing about: after school, No. 1 High and No. 8 High were going head-to-head in basketball. After days of dreary rain, everyone was excited for the chance to cut loose.
A basketball game… would Xie Hejing really go?
She knew he often played basketball, but Nan Xu had never gone to watch.
Wen Qi, on the other hand, didn’t care at all about what everyone was talking about and was busy checking herself in the mirror.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Nan Xu asked, “Qiqi, do you know about the basketball game they were talking about?”
“Of course I do!”
“Who’s going to play for No. 1 High?” Nan Xu asked again.
Wen Qi answered without the slightest hesitation. “Xie Hejing, Xiang Weishi, and the others. It’s always them. Every time they get on the court, it’s like the whole team’s been injected with chicken blood.”
She tilted her chin toward the front.
Nan Xu looked up. A group of girls in the second row—ones she didn’t know very well but still recognized—were planning to buy ribbons after school so they could cheer as a makeshift cheer squad. After sorting it out, they started asking around the class if anyone else wanted to join.
When they got to Wen Qi, she turned them down flat. At most, she’d watch from the sidelines, buy some drinks, and shout a few words of support. Being a cheerleader held no interest for her.
Nan Xu shook her head too. She only wanted to quietly watch the game.
When Xie Hejing and his group came back, the class immediately buzzed with excitement, everyone throwing questions their way.
“Xie Hejing, which guys from No. 8 High are you playing against?”
“Need more players? I want to give it a try.”
“We’re coming to cheer for you!”
“…”
Sitting behind him, Nan Xu’s eyes unconsciously drifted to his profile. Then, realizing he might notice her from that angle, she quickly looked away, afraid of getting caught staring.
“Xuxu, try this hand cream. It smells amazing and it’s super moisturizing.” Wen Qi leaned over and squeezed a generous amount onto her hand.
“Oh, thank you.”
Nan Xu rubbed it in, a little puzzled by her own reaction. Why not just look openly? It wasn’t a big deal.
But every time she was about to meet Xie Hejing’s eyes, she panicked and looked away.
“Give me some too.” Xiang Weishi turned around, reaching his hand across their desk.
Wen Qi smacked his hand back. “Did you even wash your hands? Don’t get our desk all dirty.”
Xiang Weishi gave an embarrassed laugh. He had just been playing basketball, and his hands were filthy.
“Fine, I’ll put some on later,” he said, standing as if to go wash up.
With only four minutes left before class, Nan Xu pulled out some wet wipes from her bag and handed them over. “Here, use this.”
“Thanks.” Xiang Weishi tore off a couple of sheets.
“Xuxu, squeeze it out for him. He always takes too much himself, and then smears it everywhere,” Wen Qi said while fiddling with her nail clippers.
“Oh, okay.”
Nan Xu picked up the hand cream and was about to squeeze some onto Xiang Weishi’s hand when she happened to catch Xie Hejing looking over.
“Xie Hejing, you should put some on too. We guys need to stay refined,” Xiang Weishi teased with a raised eyebrow.
Xie Hejing scoffed. “This stuff…”
After finishing with Xiang Weishi, Nan Xu tightened her grip on the tube and glanced at Xie Hejing. Tentatively, she asked, “Do you want some?”
It was the first time in days that the two of them had spoken at school, even briefly.
Xiang Weishi rubbed the cream into his hands and asked, “What’s wrong with it?”
“…Guess it’s fine.”
Xie Hejing extended his hand toward Nan Xu, palm slightly open.
Nan Xu looked at him in surprise, then quickly glanced at Wen Qi and Xiang Weishi. Luckily, neither of them seemed to notice.
His hand was pale, with clear veins, and on the back rested a small mole, quiet and unassuming in front of her.
On a whim, she deliberately dabbed the cream right over the mole, secretly delighted. Then, in a calm voice, she said, “All done.”
“Thanks.” His tone was flat, calm, as if he hadn’t noticed her little gesture.
A faint scent of tea lingered in the air.
Once Xie Hejing turned back around, more people came over to chat with him.
The classroom door swung open. Qi Zhixin stood in the doorway. “What’s going on here? The prep bell has already rung—didn’t you hear it? What are you all making such a racket about? Class monitor, discipline committee, are you not doing your jobs?”
Of course, no one in the class dared tell him the real reason. One by one, they all dropped their heads.
Slamming his textbook on the desk, Qi Zhixin put his hands on his hips and glared. “Lately I’ve noticed a lot of you even losing points on classical poetry questions—literally free points. After school today, everyone is copying the poems we reviewed last time three times each before you leave. You’re in senior year now, and I still have to resort to such childish methods to keep you in line.”
Groans filled the room, but after class ended, everyone sat properly in their seats, heads down, copying out the poems while Qi Zhixin supervised from the front.
Xie Hejing wrote fast, and Xiang Weishi scribbled carelessly; the two of them were the first to hand in their work.
Nan Xu wrote slowly, each character carefully formed stroke by stroke. By the time she only had a few poems left, there were barely a handful of students remaining.
Glancing at the clock, she quietly sped up.
Even so, it didn’t help much. She ended up turning hers in second to last.
The very last was a girl named Dong Fanxi—round and soft, with a plump face that looked especially cute when she smiled.
She usually sat in the back row and rarely spoke up in class, but whenever Nan Xu ran into her at the cafeteria, they’d exchange a few words.
“Nan Xu, are you going to the basketball game they were talking about?” Dong Fanxi caught up to her.
“Yeah, but I need to stop by the restroom first.”
“I need to go too. Can we go together?” Dong Fanxi asked hopefully.
“Sure.”
Nan Xu was quick in the restroom. Just as she pushed open the stall door, ready to wash her hands, she heard Dong Fanxi’s cautious voice from the next stall.
“Nan Xu, my period just started… can I borrow a pad? I forgot to bring one.”
“Of course,” Nan Xu answered immediately.
She washed her hands and hurried back toward the classroom, rummaging in her bag until she found a pad and tucked it into her pocket.
But when she turned to leave through the back door, she ran right into Xie Hejing, who was leaning against the doorframe like a wall, blocking her way.
They were standing so close it felt like one more step and they’d be touching. Nan Xu’s heart jumped. She glanced around—no one else was nearby—and only then did she relax a little.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
Xie Hejing lowered his gaze, ignoring her question and asking instead, “What are you still doing here?”
“I went to the restroom.” Thinking of Dong Fanxi still waiting inside, Nan Xu gestured toward the hallway, asking him to step aside.
“I have a basketball game today.” Xie Hejing took a step closer.
The space between them shrank instantly. His warmth pressed in on her. Nan Xu averted her eyes, muttered an acknowledgment, but she didn’t really understand why he had said that out of nowhere.
“I know. So?”
Xie Hejing frowned slightly and repeated, “What are you still doing here?”
Nan Xu blinked, as if she had caught on but not completely. “Oh, I’m going. I just need to drop by the restroom first.”
Once he had his answer, Xie Hejing’s frown relaxed. He stepped aside, answering with a flat “Mm.”
Nan Xu was anxious to get going, but curiosity nagged at her. Why was Xie Hejing here instead of on the court already? Weren’t they supposed to be playing warm-up games first?
“Are you here to walk me over? I know which court it’s on, I can find it,” she said.
“You’re overthinking. I just came to get some water.” Xie Hejing pulled out his flask, glanced at the classroom water dispenser—empty—and then down at his own bottle—also empty.
“Didn’t Qiqi buy water for you guys?” Nan Xu asked, puzzled.
“I only drink my own,” Xie Hejing said, his voice calm and his expression turning cold.
“Oh, then take your time with the water. I’ll head on ahead—see you at the court later. Bye!”
On the way to the court, Dong Fanxi kept thanking Nan Xu, making her feel a little embarrassed.
After chatting for a few minutes, Nan Xu realized Dong Fanxi was actually quite good at conversation—soft-spoken and thoughtful. It was strange, though; in class, she always seemed so lonely.
Dong Fanxi volunteered the reason herself. “I know I’m chubby. Back in middle school, some boys would always make fun of me. I didn’t like talking to anyone.”
“But you’re great. You even greeted me first.”
“Thanks.”
Nan Xu paused, feeling a twinge of guilt for unintentionally reminding her of sad memories. She decided to pull Dong Fanxi along and keep chatting with her.
When they reached the court, Nan Xu’s eyes immediately landed on Xie Hejing.
He wore a bright red jersey, moving as if the court itself belonged to him. With a quick pivot and a smooth jump, he scored again.
The cheers never stopped.
The energy from No. 1 High was overwhelming. Nan Xu noticed that a lot of students from other classes had come too.
Standing by the court was the slender figure of Wen Qi—the same one who had refused to be part of the cheer squad. Somehow, she had brought a huge megaphone with her.
“Everyone, follow my lead and shout!”
Wen Qi effortlessly took control of the situation.
“No. 1 High!”
She raised the megaphone.
The crowd shouted back: “Go!”
“No. 1 High!” Wen Qi called again, putting one hand to her ear and lifting the other holding the megaphone higher to signal everyone to be louder.
The crowd roared: “Awesome!”
The sheer energy made the opposing team from No. 8 High grind their teeth in frustration. No matter how loudly they shouted, they couldn’t compete.
Each of them glared fiercely at Wen Qi.
She smirked arrogantly, turning up the volume on the megaphone. The harder they glared, the louder she made it. Then, with a free hand, she gestured toward them, as if daring them to shout even louder—she couldn’t hear them anyway.
Nan Xu couldn’t help laughing at Wen Qi’s provocative antics.
Just then, Wen Qi glanced toward the door and saw the late-arriving Nan Xu. She pressed the megaphone a few more times and then set it aside to run over. A recorded loop of “Go No. 1 High! No. 1 High is awesome!” kept playing.
“Why are you only here now? The game’s already started,” Wen Qi said.
Dong Fanxi quickly explained, “Sorry, it’s my fault. I held Nan Xu up.”
“It’s okay,” Nan Xu said warmly with a smile.
Looking at Wen Qi’s excitement, Nan Xu teased, “I thought you weren’t going to join the cheer squad?”
Wen Qi turned her head and gestured with her chin toward the other side. “Those ribbons are pretty, but they don’t have any presence. You wouldn’t believe how loudly the other side was shouting during the warm-up match. Xie Hejing was nowhere to be found, so we had a terrible start. Our momentum was completely gone, how could I not come?”
Nan Xu curved her lips into a smile. Given Wen Qi’s energy and attitude, she really was the only one who could lead the squad effectively.
“Of course you had to come, Qiqi. You’re amazing!”
Wen Qi lifted the corner of her mouth at the compliment. “It’s not bad, I guess.”
Once they entered the court, No. 1 High, with Xie Hejing and a few others, dominated the early games.
But the last game was a little unpredictable. In the final thirty seconds, the score was still tied.
Both teams’ hearts raced. No. 8 High stopped holding back; it was the last round, and they shouted as loudly as No. 1 High.
The atmosphere in the court was electrifying. People from other courts had gathered to watch, forming layers of spectators all around, almost three deep on each side.
This was a rare scene—losing this round would be a huge blow to anyone’s pride.
Chen Qian seemed to see a chance to make a comeback. He targeted Xie Hejing and charged at him maliciously. When it looked like he might miss, he even reached out to shove him.
Everyone on the sidelines saw it clearly.
Nan Xu inhaled sharply. If Xie Hejing got pushed, there’d be no way to stop it in time—it would be dangerous.
She furrowed her brows, digging her nails into her palms, closing her eyes slightly, almost too scared to look.
Suddenly, a shout came from the court.
Nan Xu opened her eyes fully.
Xie Hejing had moved with lightning speed. In a flash, he was behind Chen Qian, his tone casual but cutting:
“Open your eyes. Watch carefully.”
Chen Qian tried to intercept again, but someone blocked him completely. He looked up and caught sight of that glaring red figure. With an astonishing leap, every movement seemed to slow in Chen Qian’s eyes as Xie Hejing’s dunk landed perfectly.
Holding the ball in one hand, Xie Hejing slammed it down through the hoop.
“Dunk score!” someone shouted.
“Ah!! We won!!!”
The court erupted. No. 1 High’s players rushed to surround Xie Hejing.
Nan Xu wanted to join them, but there were too many people. She tried to squeeze through, only to be pushed back again. No way to get close.
She puffed her cheeks, deciding it was fine—cheering for him from here was good enough.
Chen Qian couldn’t believe it. He froze, and despite the comforting words around him, he remained in shock. Xie Hejing’s movements were still replaying in his mind. How was this even possible…?
He stiffened suddenly, clenching his fists so hard the sound of cracking knuckles echoed.
Chen Qian had always been proud on the court. From elementary to high school, almost no one had ever beaten him. Wherever he went, all eyes and praise should belong to him.
But today, he lost. And not just lost—he lost so badly, to that person.
The image of Xie Hejing’s red figure dunking flashed in his mind again.
He spun around, eyes blazing, and shoved through the crowd around Xie Hejing, landing a vicious punch to his face.
The atmosphere froze. Silence fell, broken only by Chen Qian’s furious shouting.
His bloodshot eyes screamed, “Come on! You think you’re so amazing? Still got punched, didn’t you? Feel that? Serves you right! Come on!”
Xie Hejing pressed his tongue to his bruised cheek, his icy gaze fixed on Chen Qian.
Xiang Weishi moved forward, but Xie Hejing held him back. “This is right next to the school. Wait until we’re in an empty alley.”
Chen Qian laughed even louder, taking the restraint as weakness. “Coward! Thought you were so tough? Paper tiger! Coward! You’ll never beat me!”
Nan Xu’s brows knitted tightly. She saw blood seeping from Xie Hejing’s face.
She immediately tried to weave through the crowd to check on him—but had to pass right by Chen Qian. In his current frenzy, anyone coming near could get hurt.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Qian spotted Nan Xu. Like a cornered animal, he turned and shoved her hard.
“Get out of here.”
Xie Hejing’s eyes narrowed instantly, a dangerous glint flashing across them.
Xiang Weishi stepped forward firmly.
You dare touch my sister?!
Wen Qi’s relaxed gaze sharpened, fists clenching.
You dare hit my deskmate?!
Xie Hejing was first to reach Chen Qian, striking fiercely without holding back.
Right after him, Xiang Weishi and Wen Qi joined in—none of them held anything back.
That shove was pretty heavy. It took Nan Xu a while before she managed to get back on her feet.
Chen Qian, who had been so arrogant just minutes ago, was now lying on the ground, howling in pain and trying to dodge. The people around split up—girls held Wen Qi back or helped her up, while the boys all rushed in to break up the fight.
Grinding her teeth, anger burning in her chest, Nan Xu ignored the pain in her leg, slipped over to Chen Qian, and stomped hard on his hand.
Served him right for hitting Xie Hejing just now.
And for pushing her too.
That was completely rude—she hadn’t done anything to him.
Chen Qian was too busy clutching his hand and wailing to fight back.
The people holding everyone apart had to use every bit of strength they had just to keep things under control. One guy wiped the sweat off his forehead, wondering why these people were so strong—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hold them back.
To keep things from escalating, the students from No. 8 High grabbed Chen Qian and dragged him away.