The next day was cheerleading practice. It was Friday, and with the preliminary competition approaching, the teacher required all team members to wear their performance uniforms for a formal rehearsal.

Lu Yan and Deng Man, both cheerleading team members, rushed to the bathroom to change as soon as class ended.

The performance uniform consisted of a white tennis-style short-sleeved shirt and skirt. On taller girls, the skirt landed about ten centimeters above the knee. For students, the style was rather short and lively, but fortunately, they only had to wear it a few times, and the skirts came with safety shorts underneath, so there was no need to worry about exposure.

When the two emerged in their uniforms, Tang Jie was waiting outside. Upon seeing Lu Yan, she exclaimed enviously, “Lu Yan, your legs are amazing—so white and straight! I wish I had legs like yours.”

“Oh, stop it,” Lu Yan said, taking her backpack from Tang Jie. “We need to go now. If you want to watch us practice, come to the basketball gymnasium. We can head home together after training.”

Tang Jie suggested, “There’s no school tomorrow. Why don’t we get some spicy hot pot near campus tonight?”

Deng Man objected, “I have to go home right after practice.”

Tang Jie shot her a look, “Fine, then just Lu Yan and I will go.”

Worried about being late, Lu Yan and Deng Man hurried from the teaching building to the gymnasium.

When they arrived, the female teacher in charge of training was already there. Lu Yan quickly ran to her usual position.

Practice was typically scheduled for half an hour before the basketball team’s training, but that day, just as they got into formation, the boys from the basketball team arrived.

There was a long row of benches along the court for resting, and Jiang Chengyi and his teammates sat down there immediately.

Ding Jing, who had been at the front of the formation, excused herself from the teacher and ran over to talk to Jiang Chengyi.

Lu Yan diligently followed the teacher’s warm-up movements, and during a turn, she couldn’t help but glance in their direction.

She saw Jiang Chengyi in his blue basketball uniform with white sneakers, a black knee guard on his left knee, and a wristband on his left hand. Though it was standard basketball gear, unlike others, he looked impeccably clean from head to toe.

She thought to herself that even for a hygienic boy who played sports regularly, it was impossible to maintain such a pristine appearance. Someone at home must regularly wash his clothes for him.

She couldn’t help but recall how a few days ago, while she was reading manga in the stands, his basketball had dirtied her shoes. When she got home, it took quite a while to scrub them white again.

This memory prompted her to look at him a few more times.

His attention was focused entirely on his teammates nearby, only occasionally responding to Ding Jing’s comments while absent-mindedly playing with the basketball in his hands.

She noticed that whether dribbling or shooting, he consistently used his left hand—he must be left-handed.

Just as she was lost in these thoughts, she felt two eyes on her face. Looking up, she discovered that Jiang Chengyi had turned to look in her direction at some point, his eyes as dark as his hair.

She quickly turned away.

At that moment, the teacher clapped her hands and announced loudly, “Time to start the rehearsal. Everyone who hasn’t taken their position, please do so quickly. The interscholastic basketball tournament is coming up in a few days. Our cheerleading squad not only helps create an atmosphere during the games but also represents Seventh Middle School’s spirit. Everyone must take these rehearsals seriously.”

With that, the teacher bent down to press play on the speaker.

The background music was a popular song from a Korean girl group that year. The teacher thought its rhythm and cheerful nature made it perfect for the cheerleading squad’s opening performance.

As soon as the music started, the audience in the stands began to cheer.

Somehow word had spread that the cheerleading squad would be in their performance uniforms today, making it a prime opportunity for spectating. As a result, quite a few students had come to watch the performance.

The routine was already second nature to Lu Yan. After a few position changes, she thought of Tang Jie and kept glancing at the stands.

There were too many people to spot Tang Jie. Just as they were changing formation, she stood with her legs slightly apart, bending to pass the pom-poms from her left hand to her right. As she turned, she caught someone’s gaze from behind.

It was Jiang Chengyi. He held an unopened drink in his hand and seemed to have been watching her for a while. When she turned around, his face reddened slightly, and he unhurriedly looked away.

After the routine, the teacher was satisfied with the training results. She praised everyone and announced they could leave the court for now.

Lu Yan, still cooling down from the practice, went with Deng Man to find Tang Jie in the stands.

Tang Jie had developed a slight crush on one of the basketball players with a baby face and was trying to figure out how to talk to him. Having finally found an opportunity to watch the game, she naturally didn’t want to leave.

The three girls sat down together in a row.

Deng Man was eager to get home, so she left after watching for a while.

During the halftime break, a boy came over from the adjacent stands to greet them: “Lu Yan.”

Lu Yan looked up to see Yu Mao from Class 4, a tall, sturdy boy with good grades who enjoyed playing soccer.

Yu Mao had previously written her love letters and even confessed to her in person, but she had rejected him each time, citing her need to “focus on studies.”

As soon as Yu Mao reached them, he quietly negotiated with the girl sitting next to Lu Yan, who tactfully switched places with him.

Tang Jie glanced over, recognized him as one of Lu Yan’s pursuers, and paid no further attention, continuing to snack.

“You danced well just now,” Yu Mao said after sitting down, scratching his head and smiling at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan noticed a bright red pimple on his face and smiled politely, “Thank you.”

“How did you do on your midterm exams?” Yu Mao carefully chose his words.

Just as Lu Yan was about to answer, a commotion erupted in the court, and Tang Jie complained, “What’s wrong with Jiang Chengyi? That three-pointer was practically in the bag, and he just let it fly away.”

For the next several minutes, Yu Mao busied himself talking to Lu Yan, who tried to find opportunities to leave but was repeatedly held back by Tang Jie.

“Let’s get some snacks behind the school before heading home,” Tang Jie winked at her, needing Lu Yan’s moral support for confessing to that boy.

Finally, when everyone was leaving, Tang Jie went to talk to that boy, while Lu Yan headed to the gymnasium bathroom to change.

When she came out after changing, she found Yu Mao still waiting outside.

He checked the time on his Nokia phone and said, “It’s almost 8:30, pretty late. It’s not safe for two girls to go home alone. Why don’t I walk you both home?”

“No need,” Lu Yan quickly refused, “We’ll take a taxi later.”

Yu Mao stared at her and said resignedly, “I knew you’d say no. At least let me walk you to the school gate?”

Unable to find another excuse to refuse, Lu Yan had to agree.

After waiting in the hallway for a while without Tang Jie appearing, Lu Yan sent her a text message: “Should I wait for you at the spicy hot pot place behind school?”

Just after sending the message, Lu Yan’s phone rang—it was Tang Jie.

“I’ll be right out.”

At that moment, someone behind them called out, “Yu Mao, someone’s looking for you.”

Lu Yan turned around to see several boys emerging from the lounge, with the sports representative from Class 4 speaking.

Yu Mao went over asking, “What’s up?”

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Chengyi also came out, his gaze falling casually on Lu Yan before turning to Yu Mao.

Seeing this, the Class 4 student quickly grabbed Yu Mao’s shoulder, saying with a grin, “Come on, we need you for something.”

Before Yu Mao could protest, the group forcibly dragged him away, quickly dispersing.

After a moment, someone called teasingly from the doorway, “Jiang Chengyi, don’t forget to come over later!”

The lighting wasn’t particularly bright, and the noise had died down, leaving only Lu Yan and Jiang Chengyi in the corridor.

Jiang Chengyi stood for a moment before walking toward the exit, while Lu Yan stared down the hallway, patiently waiting for Tang Jie.

The corridor was narrow, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

As he approached, she caught a faint scent of sweat—not unpleasant—which seemed to warm the surrounding air.

Just as she was considering whether to step aside to maintain some distance as he passed, he suddenly stopped. Then, his basketball slipped from his hands, once again landing on her shoes.

Lu Yan was startled.

Jiang Chengyi bent down to pick up the basketball and straightened up: “I’m sorry about that, classmate. How about I buy you a new pair?”

She looked up at him without saying a word.

His expression and tone were completely serious, but his eyes held a hint of amusement, showing no real sign of apology.