The mere mention of the S City High School Basketball League from their school days immediately set the room ablaze with excitement.
The dazzling lights, passionate cheers, and young athletes dripping with sweat on the basketball court—these memories were golden, bringing a shared joy to everyone’s hearts whenever mentioned.
Several former basketball team members got caught up in the excitement and began sharing stories without restraint. They talked about how many girls would secretly bring water and snacks for the team members, especially for Jiang Chengyi. After each practice session, the pile of snacks under his name was enough to stock a small shop.
Discussing this, Liu Qin and others expressed their envy: “Jiang Chengyi, you had quite the romantic fortune back then. The shy girls would secretly slip letters into your desk drawer, while the bold ones would directly block your path to confess. I remember after the cheerleading team was formed, almost half the members joined because of you.”
Lu Yan quietly put down her fruit plate—she couldn’t hold it anymore. If she didn’t go to the bathroom soon, her bladder would suffer.
Taking advantage of everyone’s animated conversation, she quietly slipped out.
Tang Jie immediately noticed and ground her teeth: heh, that impossible woman.
After a moment’s hesitation, she followed her out.
Back in the room, someone continued: “Actually, without those cheerleaders, we couldn’t have done so well in the league. Remember how they not only brought us water and food but sometimes even helped arrange training venues for us.”
“That’s right,” someone chimed in. “Back then, when we were exhausted from playing, we’d just throw our uniforms everywhere. But I remember there was this one cheerleader who would gather our uniforms every day and neatly arrange them on the side. She was so patient about it that we eventually felt embarrassed about being messy. Who was that girl again? I can’t quite remember, just that she was pretty and quite reserved.”
“Really?” Liu Qin opened a can of beer. “I don’t remember that. Hey, Ding Jing, weren’t you the cheerleading captain? Did you have such a considerate girl on your team?”
Before Ding Jing could answer, a girl named Li Jia beside her showed a fearful expression: “Liu Qin, stop talking. Wasn’t she from your Class 6? The one who… jumped into the river after performing poorly on the college entrance exam.”
Liu Qin’s expression froze momentarily before darkening: “Oh, Deng Man…”
A wordless emotion permeated the room, with even Principal Wen and Teacher Zhou showing pained expressions.
After a while, that girl timidly continued: “I remember her family held a memorial service, and all teachers and students from our ’09 class attended. Right, this girl was quite close with Lu Yan, and they always hung out together. I heard Lu Yan fell ill after attending the memorial service.”
Zhou Zhicheng took off his black-rimmed glasses and wiped them with a tissue. After a moment, he forced a smile and broke the silence: “Students, this incident pains the teacher as well. Since we’re gathered here, let’s not dwell on it. Let’s talk about happier things. Hey, where are Lu Yan and Tang Jie? They were just here.”
Ding Jing glanced at Jiang Chengyi. In the dim light of the private room, he was still the most handsome one present, though his expression seemed slightly less pleasant than before.
She shifted her gaze and smiled slightly at Teacher Zhou: “They probably went to the restroom.”
Teacher Zhou sighed: “Actually, over the years, all of you kids have changed somewhat. Take Lu Yan, for example, her personality changed considerably after the college entrance exam. During school, although she wasn’t particularly talkative, she was enthusiastic about school activities and had quite a personality. These past few years, something’s different—she’s missed several class reunions and barely keeps in touch with classmates, as if she’s avoiding something. Wonder if something’s troubling her.”
Another girl beside Ding Jing found this amusing: “Teacher Zhou, you’re overthinking it. For one thing, Lu Yan studied a demanding specialty, so she was busier than other classmates. Moreover, I heard she’s had constant suitors these past few years, so her social life must be quite rich—she probably doesn’t have time to think about us classmates. Not to mention during university, but this year she successfully stayed on at First Hospital, right? I heard several young doctors at her hospital are pursuing her. The other day when we were shopping, we even saw someone dropping her off at work in a Jaguar sports car, right, Ding Jing?”
Ding Jing blinked: “I don’t remember, are you sure you didn’t see wrong?”
The person shook her head dramatically: “No way—”
Before she could continue, Tang Jie pushed open the door, having heard every word. She immediately shot Ding Jing a glare and sneered: “I visit Lu Yan every few days, how come I don’t know about this? A Jaguar sports car? Liu Yujie, maybe you should quit accounting and go write comedy sketches instead—you’d be a hit.”
Liu Yujie’s face alternated between pale and flushed, but she didn’t dare confront Tang Jie directly. Noticing Lu Yan hadn’t returned with Tang Jie, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said with a dry laugh: “There are lots of look-alikes in the world, maybe I saw wrong that day. But everyone knows Lu Yan has had many suitors these years—”
Before she could finish, the microphone suddenly emitted a strange noise, painfully sharp, like someone had stabbed their eardrums with a sharp instrument.
Everyone covered their ears and yelled at the person adjusting the microphone: “Damn it, Jiang Chengyi, what’s wrong with you?”
Jiang Chengyi calmly put the microphone back: “Let’s pick some songs.”
It was already late at night when the gathering ended.
Classmates gathered in small groups, reluctant to end their conversations at the entrance.
After saying goodbye, Liu Qin arranged several cars to send Principal Wen and the homeroom teachers home, while also finding designated drivers for several drunk female classmates.
Jiang Chengyi was surrounded by former school basketball team members, standing tall by the parking lot as the group enthusiastically planned an exclusive team reunion.
Ding Jing, carrying her coat and walking in high heels, approached them gracefully.
Reaching Jiang Chengyi, she flashed a charming smile: “Jiang Chengyi.”
Her gaze was liquid, her tone soft and melodious. The others immediately caught on and dispersed with knowing smiles.
Jiang Chengyi checked his phone, nodded at Ding Jing, and then walked past her toward his car with long strides. The designated driver was already waiting—he could leave as soon as he got in.
Ding Jing hurried to catch up, walking beside him, and said softly: “Jiang Chengyi, I ran into your mother the other day.”
Jiang Chengyi: “Oh.” His eyes fixed ahead lingered for a moment, then quickly moved away.
Following his gaze, Ding Jing saw Lu Yan supporting Tang Jie as they walked toward a car.
Tang Jie seemed drunk, stumbling along as Lu Yan struggled to support her, her back view showing the strain.
She secretly bit her lip and smiled: “Captain, I’ve encountered something strange lately that I’d like to discuss with you.”
Having reached his black Range Rover, Jiang Chengyi responded: “Oh, if it’s something that threatens personal safety, for security reasons, you should report it to the police early and follow proper procedures.”
Ding Jing glanced inside Jiang Chengyi’s car: “It’s quite strange, the police might not even handle it. Actually, my car broke down so I didn’t drive today. Why don’t I tell you about it on the way? With your criminal investigation experience, you could help analyze it.”
The designated driver was already in the driver’s seat, and the engine had started. Jiang Chengyi opened the car door and carelessly lifted his chin: “Class Monitor Liu and others haven’t left yet. I have some business at the bureau now, can’t give anyone a ride.”
This late, what business could there be at the bureau? Besides, they hadn’t heard him receive any calls. Ding Jing glanced at Lu Yan from the corner of her eye and pressed her lips together in frustration. She was about to say something else when Jiang Chengyi’s phone rang.
Jiang Chengyi answered the phone and heard someone say: “Captain Jiang, we have a case!”