37

 Liu Shuyao tilted her head, looking at her boyfriend beside her.

With her cheek resting against his, she whispered softly, "I really have nothing to do with him!"

"You know I only like you!"

Xiang Ran felt enveloped by a faint scent of pine, lingering around his nose. He instinctively straightened his back.

He knew that Zheng Fuxin was pursuing Liu Shuyao and that she wasn't interested, but he still felt uneasy. After all, even though Liu Shuyao regarded him as her boyfriend now, that could change. What if?

He sensed that the corners of the school belle's lips brushed against his ear, and his hand, meant to quiet her, inadvertently blocked Liu Shuyao's little actions.

Her cold voice softened with urgency as she explained, directly reaching Xiang Ran's ears.

Whether it was the loud noise around or the flirtatious nature of her actions, Xiang Ran didn't quite catch what she said. But seeing the school belle with her eyes curved, looking like she was cautiously asking for forgiveness, combined with the discussions from their classmates behind them, he could guess.

He swallowed lightly and replied with a simple "Mm," then gestured toward the ongoing match below, correcting his posture.

Liu Shuyao, sensing that he was paying attention, turned her gaze back to the game.

The basketball match had started.

Liu Shuyao scanned the court, unable to identify Zheng Fuxin among the players. Eventually, she figured out that whenever the girls behind her cheered excitedly, it usually meant Zheng Fuxin had scored.

Under Zhao Ying's guidance, she differentiated the two teams.

Today was a match between the second and third-year students in the basketball club, with Qi Dong in the second year and Zheng Fuxin in the third, placing them on opposite teams.

While the school belle casually watched the ten players on the court, Zhao Ying was much more focused.

Qi Dong was particularly spirited today, eager to showcase his skills in front of Zhao Ying.

Liu Shuyao watched for a while but still seemed uninterested.

She found it more entertaining to sneak glances at her boyfriend.

Thinking she was being discreet, she inched closer to Xiang Ran, wanting to get nearer.

Luckily, she wore a jacket today, which she could use to cover the gap between them.

As the audience erupted with cheers and applause, the school belle's small hand began to slide along Xiang Ran's pant leg.

She edged closer to his pocket.

The spot her fingertips brushed felt electric, making Xiang Ran restless. He forced himself to focus on the game, pretending not to notice.

Stay calm! Keep it together!

Seeing her boyfriend remain unresponsive, Liu Shuyao pressed further, only to be met with Xiang Ran shifting away, unable to endure any longer.

"Thud."

Liu Shuyao's fingertips missed, retracting her eager hand.

Noticing her movement, Xiang Ran raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Weren't you supposed to be looking for inspiration?"

"What inspiration?" she murmured. "The inspiration is sitting right next to me!"

Liu Shuyao poked Xiang Ran's waist.

"I can't understand~"

Xiang Ran thought about this statement for a moment and found it valid; after all, it was hard to visualize something he didn't understand.

So he took on the role of the commentator.

"The player holding the ball now is number 26, currently driving toward the basket, probably going for an inside shot."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ball swooshed into the hoop.

"Number 26?"

Liu Shuyao couldn’t match the player to the number, murmuring to herself, but without Xiang Ran's explanation, she had to search for it herself.

Oh...

So it's Zheng Fuxin!

"Qi Dong has control of the ball, but he’s being closely guarded, with two players double-teaming him, leaning toward the left."

"Is he going to pass to someone else?"

The scene looked quite tense.

“It’s not certain.” Xiang Ran observed Qi Dong’s intent not to pass, sensing he was looking for a breakthrough opportunity.

“He could take a step back, create some space, and then shoot a three-pointer.”

Almost as soon as Xiang Ran finished speaking, Liu Shuyao saw Qi Dong do exactly that, stepping back and jumping to take the shot.

“Ahhhhh~!!!”

“It’s in! It’s in!”

“So cool~ Who is this second-year?”

“I think it’s Qi Dong from the Computer Science department!”

As Qi Dong scored, a wave of gasps came from behind them.

Liu Shuyao slyly glanced at Zhao Ying, who was nervously watching, and nudged her shoulder.

“Wow, wow, wow~”

“Looks like Qi Dong is quite famous now~”

Zhao Ying huffed, muttering, “They’re all just empty praises!”

The game quickly reached its conclusion, with a narrow score difference between the second and third years. The final two minutes were crucial.

In the end, the third-year team, led by Zheng Fuxin, finished the game with a three-pointer.

The scoreboard showed that Zheng Fuxin had scored 26 points, placing him first.

...

After the match, everyone participated in a small shooting contest.

Zheng Fuxin didn’t join.

He had seen the school belle sitting in the front row during the game, so as soon as it ended, he hurriedly told his classmates, and instantly, everyone’s gaze turned toward Liu Shuyao, staring at her while chatting and laughing, making her uncomfortable.

Then Zheng Fuxin grabbed a towel and a basketball and walked directly toward the school belle.

“Shuyao, thanks for coming to cheer for me today!”

“They’re going to have a shooting contest soon. I didn’t join, so let them enjoy it.”

Zheng Fuxin looked at Liu Shuyao, who had come specifically to support him, and, having won the game, reveled in the attention from his classmates, disregarding Liu Shuyao’s feelings as he continued talking.

“How about I treat you to hot pot later?”

“There’s a new place in the south...”

“Congratulations on your win!”

“Oh, and I came with Zhao Ying today; Qi Dong is playing too.”

Liu Shuyao cut him off directly, congratulating Zheng Fuxin on his win first. But she really disliked this public display of conversation, as if he were showing off like a victor claiming his spoils.

“I have plans tonight.”

Liu Shuyao coldly rejected Zheng Fuxin’s invitation, instinctively shifting behind Xiang Ran.

Only then did Zheng Fuxin notice the boy beside the school belle.

He vaguely recognized him, but not well.

He thought he might be another boy stubbornly pursuing Liu Shuyao, since he’d seen similar situations before.

Then he remembered seeing this guy outside the hospital room, carrying a ragged plastic bag with two dry apples inside, looking quite shabby.

But today he had won the game, and money had never meant much to him.

So he waved his hand dismissively and said, “Then bring your friend along! I’ll treat! How about we switch to Japanese cuisine? I know a place that gets fresh Nordic ingredients every day; it’ll be great for everyone to try.”

Seeing Liu Shuyao’s unwillingness, Xiang Ran couldn’t hold back any longer. Was it so hard to see that he was right here?

So he stepped forward, slightly to the side, effectively shielding the school belle behind him, his indifferent gaze locking onto Zheng Fuxin’s, as if it were merely a casual rejection, showing no regard for him.

“She said no thanks.”

The atmosphere became tense.

Zheng Fuxin let out a couple of laughs, finding the boy before him to be quite overconfident.

He shook his head and scrutinized Liu Shuyao and Xiang Ran, seemingly recognizing their unusual relationship, so he dropped the topic of dinner and pressed the basketball against Xiang Ran’s chest.

“Do you know how to shoot?”

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