Ban Sheng stared straight at Lin Weixia, but she didn’t know what to say. That day, when she had gone to buy breakfast, she had spotted his preferred brand of milk at the convenience store — and on a whim, she had sent him a message asking about it.

At the time she had only wanted to know where Ban Sheng had gone. The milk was just an excuse to start a conversation.

She hadn’t expected him to actually remember it.

“Didn’t buy it.” Lin Weixia averted her eyes, looking away in embarrassment.

Ban Sheng’s fingers still rested on her bow tie. The knuckles of his bent fingers had turned slightly white. His whole manner was utterly languid as he gazed at her with a smile, voice very soft:

“So you go back on your word.”

Early in the morning like this, Ban Sheng’s voice was like ice — yet it carried a trace of not-quite-awake hoarseness. Combined with his careless, roguish posture, his tone was tender to the extreme. The sound vibrated against Lin Weixia’s ear, itchy and tingly.

“Don’t you get milk every day anyway?” Lin Weixia lowered her head, tugging her bow tie free with some effort.

Ban Sheng let his eyelashes droop as he thought for a moment. “Before, there used to be two portions — one I drank myself, and someone sent me one every day. I didn’t know who sent it, so I gave it to Qiu Minghua.”

“Today I specifically didn’t take any milk before leaving the house — I was waiting for you to bring it to me.” Ban Sheng looked straight at her.

Lin Weixia changed the subject. Noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the obviously too-pale complexion on his face, she asked: “Are you alright?”

Ban Sheng paused, a flicker of unease crossing his expression, then he laughed carelessly. “Fine.”

Classmates were trickling into the classroom and it was growing noisy. Qiu Minghua came through the door clutching two steamed buns, bleary-eyed with sleep. The moment he spotted Ban Sheng lounging with his long legs propped on the crossbar, arms folded, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed in rest, Qiu Minghua thought he was hallucinating. He rubbed his eyes, and the instant he confirmed it really was his Brother Ban, he charged over in one swift stride and yelled:

“Bro!”

Ban Sheng opened his eyes at just the right moment and drawled slowly: “Come over here if you want to die.”

Qiu Minghua screeched to a halt halfway, scratched his head, and grinned sheepishly. “I’m just happy to see you, that’s all.”

When a group of girls came in and spotted Ban Sheng, their eyes shot meaningful looks at each other — glances brimming with excitement as they hurried off to the bathroom to touch up their lip gloss.

Everything was as usual, except that Fang Mo looked listless. She knew what had happened during the elective class and had kept it from Lin Weixia despite Lin Weixia always treating her so well — and so guilt had taken root in her heart.

Lin Weixia noticed the psychological pressure Fang Mo was under and spoke up to reassure her: “It’s alright. Say it if you want to, and it’s fine if you don’t.”

With those words from Lin Weixia, Fang Mo visibly relaxed. Lin Weixia also gave her a salted plum candy, and the young girl’s face bloomed again with a carefree smile.

That day they had two math classes back to back. After going downstairs for the between-class exercises and getting baked by the sun, the students trudged back upstairs sluggishly, half-asleep — though there was no shortage of boys chasing and roughhousing on the staircase.

Ban Sheng lounged at his usual spot by the railing, holding the remote control and flying his drone, launching a new round of his patrol of the school grounds. The sports committee representative squeezed into a group of boys, laughed, and exchanged a high-five with them.

The sports committee representative then came up behind Ban Sheng and, after a considerable amount of internal steeling, gave him a light tap on the back. Ban Sheng handed the remote control to Qiu Minghua, casually pulled off his goggles, turned around, and looked at him — saying nothing.

“Um… Classmate Ban Sheng, our school is holding an inter-school basketball competition against Sanzhong this Friday. We’ve heard you’re incredibly skilled, and we were wondering if you might be interested…” The sports committee representative swallowed nervously without realizing it.

He cursed himself inwardly for being such a pushover. Why was he nervous? It wasn’t like Ban Sheng was going to eat him alive.

“You’ve got the wrong person.” Ban Sheng said lazily.

Having delivered that line, Ban Sheng turned back around to play with his drone, treating the sports committee representative who was trying to persuade him as if he didn’t exist.

The sports committee representative sighed and walked back toward the classroom, glancing reluctantly back at Ban Sheng as he went. He thought to himself: if this formidable player didn’t take the court, their odds of winning would drop by more than half.

So the sports committee representative turned his gaze toward Lin Weixia, who was sitting quietly reading at her desk.

When the sports committee representative excitedly explained his purpose, Lin Weixia looked bewildered and asked: “Did you come to the wrong person?”

“No, I’ve got the right person! Classmate Lin Weixia, saving a life is greater than building a seven-story pagoda! If you go and persuade him, there’s definitely hope.” The sports committee representative pressed his palms together in a plea.

Lin Weixia closed her book, glanced once at the boy outside the window, and replied with perfect composure: “The things he doesn’t want to do — do you really think I have the power to change his mind?”

“Yes — on gut instinct!” The sports committee representative was completely certain. At school, apart from Qiu Minghua, Lin Weixia seemed to be the person Ban Sheng had actively spoken to the most.

“…” Lin Weixia.

In the end, no matter how much the sports committee representative coaxed and pestered, Lin Weixia did not agree.

On Thursday evening, Lin Weixia pushed open the window. The fragrance of the lychee tree in the courtyard rushed in. Pink lychees weighed the branches down, and even though it was only late April, the insects had already begun to sing.

Her phone on the desk buzzed. She picked it up and saw a message from Ban Sheng. She swiped the screen open — it was his characteristically commanding style.

Ban: 【Remember to come watch me play basketball after school tomorrow.】

The screen lit up again with another message. Ban: 【Don’t hide.】

Lin Weixia’s lips curved into a faint arc. She pressed on the screen and replied: 【Why did you change your mind again?】

【Come and I’ll tell you.】 Ban Sheng replied.

The next day, the sky had barely begun to show the first pale glimmer of dawn when Lin Weixia opened her eyes. She lay there in a daze for a while before getting up. The shoulder strap of her slip dress had slid down on its own, exposing a section of her smooth, pale shoulder.

Walking out into the living room, Lin Weixia found a stack of money left on the dining table. Her aunt had received a batch of goods that had gone missing these past two days, and she had rushed off to another city to oversee the situation, leaving living expenses for the two siblings.

When she went into the kitchen, Lin Weixia happened to glance at the calendar — her gaze stopped. April 25th. Today was her birthday. In fact, her original due date was May 1st. Her mother said that being born on the first day of summer was a good omen, which was why she was named Lin Weixia — “the gentle start of summer.”

Unfortunately, she had been premature — she had arrived five days early, too impatient to come into this world and have a look. And having looked, she found it rather ordinary.

It had been a very long time since Lin Weixia had celebrated a birthday. Her aunt and uncle sometimes remembered and sometimes didn’t. When they did remember, they would make a whole table of good food to celebrate.

But the days when they remembered her birthday were few and far between.

While making breakfast, Lin Weixia made a bowl of longevity noodles and deliberately nestled two poached eggs on top. A bowl of golden longevity noodles steamed in the morning air.

She pretended there were birthday candles to make a wish.

She quietly said “happy birthday” to herself in her heart.

She went to school, attended class as usual, and chatted with classmates now and then. Lin Weixia didn’t mention her birthday to anyone. For one thing, it wasn’t necessary. For another, she was skilled at holding no expectations for anything.

Expecting nothing from anyone or anything was the only way to walk her own path with focus.

Friday afternoon was the time slot for Shengao’s inter-school competition with Yizhong. They had only one class before their homeroom teacher called them all to go cheer for the school basketball team.

The afternoon was somewhat stuffy. The moment they entered the indoor basketball gymnasium, they could hear the sound of white sneakers squeaking against the floor. As the warm-up exercises continued, the basketball swished cleanly into the basket, and the stands erupted from time to time with cheers.

The rush of cold air made Lin Weixia’s slender pale arms break out in goosebumps. Fang Mo pulled her to a spot with a good view and they sat down.

Because of Ban Sheng’s addition to the team, a group of Class A students led by Liu Sijia had spontaneously formed a cheerleading squad. They wore matching cheerleading uniforms and had their hair tied in identical high ponytails — youthful and radiant.

The moment Liu Sijia appeared, the boys on the basketball court cast looks her way and muttered something among themselves, stirring a ripple of quiet laughter.

Ban Sheng was there too, head bowed looking at his phone, without even lifting his eyelids — let alone glancing in the direction of the Queen Liu.

Because four second-year Class One students were on the school basketball team, Old Liu had made all Class One students wear their PE uniforms for a unified look, and given each of them a pompom. The one that landed in Lin Weixia’s hands was a shiny, bright red pompom.

The students from the neighboring school were not to be outdone — not only had they worn their class uniforms, but they had also brought handbells, adopting a posture that seemed to challenge them directly.

At the referee’s whistle, the players on the court gradually rejoined their teams. After lining up, they came out one by one. The opposing team wore blue; their team wore red. Nearly every player who stepped onto the court was met with applause and cheers from the stands.

Lin Weixia sat there watching the players enter the court. The students in the row behind could not contain their excitement: “Here they come, here they come — I see him!”

“So this is Shengao’s Ban Sheng? He’s so good-looking. That black lily tattoo on his arm is so cool — he’s totally my type.”

A girl from the neighboring school’s college chimed in with interest: “A guy like him — hasn’t someone already staked their claim? Look, the main contender even showed up in person to keep watch.”

She gestured toward Liu Sijia, the tall and slender figure at the front of the cheerleading squad.

“Pfft, you don’t know, do you? Word is Ban Sheng has his eye on someone else, but hasn’t won them over yet. He doesn’t belong to anyone right now — there’s still hope to steal him away.” The girl wore the expression of someone sharing a secret.

“Which one is Ban Sheng? I don’t see him.”

“Third from the left — he’s a whole head taller than the others. The one with the pink wristband tied to his wrist. Oh my god, how is he so captivating — one look makes your heart race.”

Lin Weixia followed the girls’ conversation with her eyes. Ban Sheng wore his characteristically careless, roguish expression. He had on a white basketball uniform with black sleeves and black at the shoulders, the visible veins on the back of his hand resting against his trouser seam like flowing lines of art.

A girl in the class who had been watching suddenly cried out in shock: “Wait — isn’t Ban Sheng’s number 16? Hasn’t his jersey number always been 16? Oh my gosh — why has it changed to number 25!”

“So my cheering banner was all made for nothing?” the girl grumbled in discontent.

Lin Weixia’s heart gave a sudden lurch. She followed the sound and looked over — she saw Ban Sheng running across the court dribbling the ball, the blazing red number 25 printed on his back. A guess she didn’t dare confirm stirred in the depths of her heart.

Ever since these girls had learned that Ban Sheng had changed his mind and joined the school competition, they had spent several days carefully preparing cheering banners and slogans.

Yet who could have predicted that Ban Sheng would break all convention and switch his jersey number at the last minute.

By this point there was no time to change anything — the match had already begun, and they could only cheer for Ban Sheng at the top of their lungs.

There had always been an empty seat next to Lin Weixia. At some point Qiu Minghua had edged over — he had hurt his foot and couldn’t play, so he watched from the stands instead.

Qiu Minghua clicked his tongue and marveled: “It’s rare to see Brother Ban play even once. Look at how all these girls have dressed up — one more done-up than the last.”

“A pity, really — the flower has feeling but the river flows on regardless.” There was a distinctly suggestive undertone to Qiu Minghua’s words.

Lin Weixia drew her gaze back from the stands and asked Qiu Minghua: “Do you know why he changed his mind about joining the basketball competition?”

“I don’t know either. All I know is that Brother Ban asked me that day what day Friday was, and I said April 25th — and just like that he agreed.”

Lin Weixia was about to say something when a deafening round of screaming and cheering burst out around her. She looked toward the court — Ning Chao and the others bumped shoulders with each other, flashing wide, white grins.

At the referee’s command, the players each took their halftime break. A swarm of girls rushed forward, and Liu Sijia walked up holding a bottle of mineral water to offer Ban Sheng a drink.

Ban Sheng lifted the corner of his jersey to wipe the sweat from the corner of his eye, the firm, defined muscles of his abdomen flashing briefly into view. Liu Sijia stood in front of him, her face flushing red to the tips of her ears.

Just as everyone expected Ban Sheng to take Liu Sijia’s water, he slightly bent forward — and stepped right past her, picking up a bottle of ice water from the ground and tipping his head back to gulp it down. His throat bobbed slowly up and down, his manner utterly careless and aloof.

Lin Weixia didn’t watch any further. She got up and went to the restroom. After she was done, she stood at the washbasin along the corridor and rinsed her hands. Once finished, she turned to head back, and the wind at the open passage swept over her.

She had just reached the corner when a hand suddenly shot out and yanked her sharply into the equipment room. The boy’s grip was tight around her arm. Lin Weixia’s heart pounded — the uncontrollable kind. She caught the familiar scent of oud wood.

She looked up. It was Ban Sheng, just as she’d thought.

Ban Sheng pinned her against the doorway. He moved quickly — reached back, and with a click, locked the door. The two of them faced each other nose to nose, their breathing amplified in the quiet of the space, a charged atmosphere drifting slowly through the air.

That day everyone had worn the school PE uniform — a white polo athletic shirt on Lin Weixia, with sky-blue cuffs that shaped out a slender waist, a hint of her waistline glimpsed here and there. The sailor-blue PE pants hugged her hips, and her long legs were straight and pale — like a sliced piece of white jade.

And since Lin Weixia was fairly tall, with jet-black hair reaching her waist and dressed in such a youthful way, she looked pure as a water peach radiating a crisp, sweet fragrance.

Ban Sheng gave her excessively short athletic shorts a sidelong glance and reached out, his expression unreadable:

“Who told you to wear them this short?”

The moment his palm touched the smooth, fair skin near the top of her leg, Lin Weixia felt a jolt deep inside. That patch of skin seemed unbearably hot — like a flame scorching her own face. A strange sensation rose up, a tingling she couldn’t suppress no matter what.

She immediately swatted Ban Sheng’s hand away and answered: “Old Liu.”

Ban Sheng laughed softly and stopped teasing her. He then asked: “Did you watch me play?”

Lin Weixia looked at him and nodded: “I did.”

“Alright then — how many points did I score just now?” Ban Sheng raised an eyebrow.

The air fell silent. A pair of amber pupils darted back and forth, obviously unable to answer. She had watched practically nothing. Ban Sheng looked both amused and exasperated — he reached out and pinched her face, his handsome brow knitting together, those wordless eyes filling with a watery shimmer.

His heart seemed to be gently scratched. Ban Sheng couldn’t help but let go.

“Can you guess what it means — that my jersey number is this?” Ban Sheng looked at her.

Lin Weixia met his gaze and answered softly: “I can guess.”

Ban Sheng stared at the cherry-red, dewy lips before him. His throat instantly felt an itch. Then, with complete seriousness, he said:

“Happy birthday, Lin Weixia.”