Yiyi was her pet name. Apart from her family, no one knew her pet name. How did he know? Xu Sui’s heartbeat continued to accelerate as she typed in the dialogue box:

[How do you know my pet name?]

Five minutes later, ZJZ replied, still in that casual tone: [Finally willing to use your phone?]

Xu Sui didn’t know what to reply, so she sent back a cat face-squeezing emoji. This time, Zhou Jingze didn’t reply for a long while. Xu Sui thought he was too busy to notice, or he simply couldn’t be bothered to answer this question.

It wasn’t until before bedtime that Xu Sui’s phone screen lit up beside her pillow. Zhou Jingze had sent a voice message. She found her earphones, plugged them in, and clicked play. He seemed to speak in a breathy voice, carrying lazy amusement:

[After being blocked, I used a different number to call you. Your grandmother answered the phone.]

Xu Sui understood. Before she could react, Zhou Jingze sent another message:

[Your name sounds quite nice.]

Through the screen, Xu Sui couldn’t tell whether Zhou Jingze’s text message was serious, a casual compliment, or just him being happy.

Sunday, North Aviation Institute school basketball league. Hu Qianxi got up early, opened her wardrobe, and took out dress after dress to try on in front of the fitting mirror.

Xu Sui got up and stood at the washstand brushing her teeth. She held a mouthful of water and spat it out, bowing her head to brush her teeth when Hu Qianxi ran over pulling at her dress hem, asking: “Baby, how about this one?”

Xu Sui had mint-flavored foam in her mouth, making an unclear sound: “Not bad.”

Hu Qianxi automatically interpreted this as “not pretty enough,” so she had to run back to the wardrobe to try on more clothes. Xu Sui turned on the faucet and rinsed her mouth cup. Suddenly, a hidden pain came from her lower abdomen. She couldn’t help but bend over, pressing her abdomen, while Hu Qianxi’s voice calling her came from outside.

Xu Sui took a while to recover and responded: “Coming.”

As soon as she came out, Hu Qianxi had put on a little black dress and wore a beret, looking stylish and beautiful. Xu Sui sincerely praised: “Beautiful.”

Xu Sui dressed very simply – a beige embroidered shirt with the hem tucked into light blue jeans. She was combing her hair in front of the mirror. Hu Qianxi looked her up and down and said: “Baby, won’t you wear a dress and dress up a bit?”

“Mm?” Xu Sui was wrapping her hair around, planning to tie it in a bun.

“My second uncle – isn’t he also at the competition?” Hu Qianxi winked at her.

Xu Sui reacted and immediately reached out to tickle her, pretending to be angry: “You still dare to say that! Who told your uncle that I wanted to watch basketball? It was clearly you.”

“I was wrong, I was wrong, my dear Suisui. I couldn’t get tickets any other way,” Hu Qianxi immediately begged for mercy.

Only then did Xu Sui let her go. When she lowered her head to tie her hair again, she looked at herself in the mirror – dark eyes, a small mole on her straight nose, a palm-sized face, dressed cleanly and refreshingly overall.

Better not dress up – that would be too deliberate.

Xu Sui and Hu Qianxi went to the cafeteria for breakfast together, then accompanied her into North Aviation Institute’s field. They entered through the north gate with tickets.

As soon as they entered, a J-5 series fighter jet stood in the center of the field. The fuselage was massive, with two horizontal bars and a small red five-pointed star in the middle, with the number 70768 marked beside it.

The white fuselage looked somewhat old and paint-stripped, with shell marks on it. The extended wings looked like mecha, imposing like an eagle spreading its wings ready to soar.

Even on weekends, there were still people on the field wearing gray-green training uniforms, persisting in physical training. Xu Sui was watching that group when Hu Qianxi grabbed her away.

“Stop looking, let’s quickly go to the basketball court over there to find seats. They’ll clear the area soon.” Hu Qianxi’s voice was excited.

They arrived fifteen minutes early and had just sat down when Hu Qianxi couldn’t contain herself and looked around for Lu Wenbai. Xu Sui sat beside her looking at her phone when Zhou Jingze suddenly sent her a message:

[Are you here?]

Xu Sui was typing a reply when several girls from the back row kept saying “excuse me” as they passed by. One girl accidentally hit her elbow hard.

Xu Sui’s phone flew out of her hand. As she bent down to pick it up, the girl apologized: “Sorry, are you okay?”

“It’s fine.” Xu Sui shook her head.

At this time, basketball players from various teams began entering the court. Xu Sui naturally looked up, but among the group of tall boys, she couldn’t spot Zhou Jingze.

Xu Sui texted Zhou Jingze back: [I’m here with Qianxi, but why can’t I see you?]

Two minutes after sending the message, Xu Sui’s phone dinged. She opened the screen – a message from ZJZ:

[Look up.]

Xu Sui looked up accordingly. At the same time, the audience erupted in commotion, with screams and applause filling her ears as the surrounding girls excitedly discussed:

[Damn, Zhou Jingze came out.]

[He’s really so handsome, worth coming all this way.]

Amid the discussions, Xu Sui looked toward the distance. Zhou Jingze appeared with several other boys. As soon as he came out, the surrounding cheers and gasps became noticeably louder.

Among the group of boys, Zhou Jingze stood out remarkably, a head taller than the others. In his red and white jersey, hands in pockets, walking unhurriedly, the red wristbands on his hands were prominent.

When Zhou Jingze stood there, the opposing team’s boys immediately looked over with hostile intentions. The battle atmosphere was obvious before the game even started.

Unfortunately, Zhou Jingze didn’t take them seriously at all. His thin eyelids were half-lowered, his arrogant aura obvious.

Suddenly, Zhou Jingze lowered his head to pick up his black jacket and walked straight toward the opposite side. When passing six or seven boys wearing green and white jerseys, one who was talking unconsciously stepped back, looking up at him with obvious wariness in his eyes.

Zhou Jingze’s thin lips curved upward as he patted the boy’s shoulder: “Don’t be nervous.”

After he left, the boys behind him started internal conflict. Someone confronted the one who stepped back: “Damn, are you being a coward or not?”

“But that kid is too arrogant. Let’s humble him later.”

…

Xu Sui sat in the audience, her gaze following Zhou Jingze on the basketball court. Hu Qianxi beside her had long disappeared, probably having spotted Lu Wenbai and gone to find him.

The cheerleaders in the court held up banners, and the referee’s whistle mixed with broadcast announcements created quite a cacophony. Xu Sui’s gaze continued following Zhou Jingze on the basketball court. He lowered his head to reply to a message on his phone, put it back in his pocket, then walked toward the equipment room with a lighter and cigarette in hand.

Probably his smoking addiction was acting up.

Xu Sui boredly watched the people below. When she saw Zhou Jingze return, he suddenly looked up toward the audience. His gaze swept over the crowd, and their eyes met in mid-air. Xu Sui’s gaze was caught, and for a moment she panicked. He smiled, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his jacket as he walked toward them. The commotion around her began, and Xu Sui couldn’t help but feel nervous.

[Ahhhh, is he looking at me?]

[He’s coming over, help me, baby, check if my lipstick smudged?]

Under everyone’s gaze, Zhou Jingze walked straight up the audience steps to the third row. Under the eager gazes of various girls, he walked slowly, passing layers of carefully dressed beautiful girls, and stood in front of Xu Sui.

“Where’s Qianxi?” Zhou Jingze chewed mint candy, asking casually.

A figure loomed before her, the air became even more stifling. Xu Sui couldn’t help but tense up, not looking at him, her gaze frantically shifting elsewhere: “She went to find someone else, she’ll be back soon.”

“Mm.” Zhou Jingze nodded, handing his jacket, phone, compressed tablets, and lighter to Xu Sui, raising his chin at her: “Help me hold these.”

Xu Sui suddenly felt many more gazes on her, like thorns on her back. She asked hesitantly:

“Ah?”

Zhou Jingze’s eyelashes half-lowered, laziness spilling out as he looked at her with an ambiguous smile:

“What, after eating so much of my food, you won’t even hold my clothes?”

His words carried a hint of intimacy. Xu Sui felt even more angry gazes focused on her, and she had to surrender, taking his clothes: “No.”

After Zhou Jingze left, Xu Sui breathed a sigh of relief. She sat holding his clothes, which still carried a faint tobacco scent, her heartbeat still obvious.

The surrounding discussions grew louder, drilling into her eardrums like noise.

[Zhou Jingze couldn’t have taken a liking to her, right? She looks quite ordinary.]

[No way, even I from another institute know that Zhou Jingze has always only liked one type – big-breasted, slim-waisted beauties. This one couldn’t be possible.]

[Right, she looks quite average.]

The discussions invisibly gripped Xu Sui’s heart. Just as she was about to speak, a hand landed on her shoulder. Looking back, it was Hu Qianxi.

Hu Qianxi put her arm around her and turned to look at the group of gossips behind them. Her red lips opened and closed like machine gun fire: “Average? Try being as average as her? Know why you’re sitting in the back? Because you look… well, I don’t need to say more. Unfortunately, we can sit here because Zhou Jingze gave us the tickets.”

“Later we’ll even bring him water. Hehe, jealous? Even if you’re so jealous your feet catch fire, it’s useless.”

The expressions of the girls behind were spectacular, momentarily choked: “You—”

Hu Qianxi was too lazy to continue talking with those gossips and turned to speak with Xu Sui, her tone becoming awkward because of what she needed to say: “Suisui, come down with me. We need to distribute water and towels to the basketball team later. I begged Lu Wenbai for so long before he agreed to let me help.”

“Plus the location there is good, we can watch the battle up close!” Hu Qianxi linked arms with her.

Xu Sui stood up and nodded in agreement: “Okay.”

The two held hands and walked down from the audience toward the red tent in the distance. Lu Wenbai wore a shirt washed white from laundering, bending over to carry boxes of water back and forth.

His expression was cold, his back slightly damp with sweat. When he bent over, a section of his lean waist was exposed – silent and handsome.

Hu Qianxi enthusiastically walked over, smiling: “We’re here to help you!”

Lu Wenbai stopped. His face was pale as he lifted his dark eyelashes to look at her, then at Xu Sui behind her, his voice indifferent: “Just stand there and distribute water.”

“Got it!” Hu Qianxi made an OK gesture.

Actually, Xu Sui and Hu Qianxi didn’t need to do much. Under the red tent was a table and two red stools. Xu Sui sat there quietly watching them play.

With the referee’s crisp whistle, the basketball game officially began. The cheerleaders from both teams started alternating cheers.

Zhou Jingze’s team was the red team. The opposing team dribbled forward, and just as they were about to shoot into the basket, Zhou Jingze leaped up. His long arm extended, the red wristband drawing a beautiful arc in the air as he easily intercepted their ball.

Then, under everyone’s tense gaze, he stood outside the line with the basketball, leaped into the air, and scored a three-pointer! The whole court cheered and applauded.

Xu Sui standing in the distance couldn’t help but smile along.

In the next 15 minutes, Zhou Jingze led his teammates, intercepting, attacking, and scoring continuously, catching the opposing team off guard. One particularly tall and thin boy was repeatedly blocked and intercepted by Zhou Jingze, anger building in his heart.

Zhou Jingze blocked in front of him, about to steal the ball, when the thin boy angrily charged at his shoulder with the ball. Zhou Jingze was forced back two steps.

Half the audience gasped while the other half applauded. Those applauding did so for no other reason than Zhou Jingze was too arrogant. Especially among males, there’s usually dissatisfaction toward those better than themselves, hoping to see them defeated.

The referee blew his whistle and raised his fist, making the foul stoppage gesture.

Green team fouled, red team got a free throw opportunity. In the semicircle, Zhou Jingze stood there, rotating the ball in his hands under the sunlight, his expression casual.

Everyone expected Zhou Jingze to make this shot, but he held the ball with one hand, his elbow seeming deliberately off as the basketball hit the rim and bounced outward.

The ball didn’t go in.

The basketball hit the ground and slowly rolled to the thin boy’s feet.

Zhou Jingze lifted his eyelids to glance at him with a hint of contempt, his words arrogant and irritating: “It’s yours.”

This was blatant mercy mixed with disdain.

After speaking, he turned to dribble again, not giving the opponent another glance. The thin boy stood in place, his face flushed red.

In the first game, Zhou Jingze led his team to an overwhelming victory with a score of 32 to 20. Thunderous applause continued throughout, with girls’ infatuated screams echoing above the basketball court.

During halftime, the boys either wiped sweat and came over to get water, gulping it down. Zhou Jingze stood in the shadow of the basketball hoop, sunlight stretching his shadow long.

After the whistle stopped, girls swarmed forward, offering towels and water to Zhou Jingze. Xu Sui watched from a distance, sighing inwardly.

Zhou Jingze’s jersey was soaked with sweat on the back. He picked up a bottle of ice water from his feet, unscrewed the cap, and poured it directly over his head. Water droplets dripped down his sharp, defined jawline onto the floor. What should have been a thuggish move somehow carried an air of sensuality.

The green team members didn’t even have time to drink water, quickly huddling together to strategize. The thin boy was 180cm tall, the captain, named Gao Yang. He was Zhou Jingze’s neighboring classmate, excellent in both academics and flight skills – a very hardworking person.

“We can’t lose the next game,” Gao Yang said firmly.

“That kid is so arrogant, how do we play?” a tall teammate asked.

Gao Yang took out a wet wipe to clean the sweat from his neck, looking at Zhou Jingze in the distance: “Zhou Jingze’s playing style has strong individual characteristics – arrogant, going his own way. He’s the alpha wolf of their team, but in flight technical knowledge assessment there’s an English word called ‘Collaboration.’ He has no team cooperation awareness. This is both his strength and weakness.”

His teammate quickly understood, continuing: “So we just need to defend and then break through their rear. Once we do that, their closed loop breaks.”

“Not bad, Gao Yang. Being a top student is different – even playing basketball involves knowledge analysis,” someone praised.

Gao Yang smiled without saying anything, but from his expression, the praise was clearly well-received. He patted his teammate’s shoulder: “Let’s go drink some water.”

Xu Sui stood in front of a mountain of bottled water, bending over to hand water to them, occasionally passing wet towels, very busy. Meanwhile, Hu Qianxi had long been lured away by male beauty, following Lu Wenbai who knows where.

“One bottle of water,” Gao Yang walked over and said.

Xu Sui bent over with her back to him, took a bottle of water, and turned to hand it to him: “Here.”

After Gao Yang took the water and saw Xu Sui’s face clearly, a flash of amazement passed through his eyes. He asked tentatively: “Are you from our school?”

Xu Sui shook her head, her voice gentle: “No, I’m from the neighboring medi—”

Before she could finish saying “medical university,” she saw Zhou Jingze walking over casually in the distance, hands in his pockets, the red wristbands contrasting against his black pants. He stopped behind Gao Yang and called out:

“Xu Sui.”

“Mm?”

Everyone turned around, including Gao Yang. Under everyone’s gaze, Zhou Jingze opened his mouth calmly, his eyelashes half-lowered, expression seemingly casual, but his words carried a hint of intimacy:

“Aren’t my clothes still with you?”