The summer vacation between eighth and ninth grade.

Chubby Tan Jin stayed at home, playing video games day and night.

Lin Shilan was busier than during school—either attending tutoring classes or self-studying at the library. Tan Ziheng and his friends played basketball near the library. When evening came and it was time to eat, the two of them often walked home together.

Having observed this pattern, Tan Jin began occasionally wandering around the basketball court area.

He didn’t play ball with everyone—he just sat on the side and watched.

When it was time to go home, Tan Jin would follow behind Tan Ziheng and Lin Shilan like a little tail.

Lin Shilan and Tan Jin never sought each other out to talk.

Even when only the two of them sat by the basketball court, she would choose to keep her head down reading, while he always kept a distance from her, holding his phone and playing games.

Except for one time…

Unexpectedly, the basketball flew outside the court and was about to hit her on the head. Tan Jin, appearing from who knows where, caught the basketball.

With a casual high toss, the ball soared over the highest point of the backboard and actually went into the basket.

Lin Shilan’s eyes widened as she looked at him incredulously.

For her, who rarely smiled, this was quite a rare expression. She curved the corners of her mouth, a soft smile blooming on her beautiful face, and she thanked him.

The scorching August sun burned his cheeks red.

In a daze, Tan Jin experienced the sense of achievement from making a basket.

He put down his phone and every day waited outside the court for stray balls, wanting to create more scoring moments. When everyone rested, he would pick up the basketball and practice a few moves himself.

Gradually, the people playing ball also actively called him over to play.

Each time Tan Jin made a basket from a novel angle, he would use the corner of his eye to glance toward the spot outside the court where Lin Shilan often sat—sometimes she was there, but more often she wasn’t.

Later, the summer vacation ended.

Playing basketball became a hobby, and Tan Jin spent all his free time at the court.

But Lin Shilan never came to watch again.

In ninth grade, Tan Jin received an invitation from the PE teacher to join the school basketball team.

During the sports meet, his basketball team had a match against his brother’s high school basketball team. Tan Jin and Tan Ziheng appeared on the court as opponents.

Before even taking the court, Tan Jin was already so nervous his palms were sweating.

Lin Shilan came to watch the game.

Unfortunately, their team performed terribly—in the first half, they were basically crushed and beaten by his brother’s team. Tan Ziheng, as small forward, lived up to expectations by scoring repeatedly, stealing all the spotlight on the court.

During halftime, Tan Jin’s water ran out, so he went to get his brother’s to drink.

After taking just one sip, he heard the voice of Tan Ziheng’s teammate by his ear: “Why are you drinking Lin Shilan’s water?”

“This is her water bottle?”

His throat went dry, and Tan Jin felt awkward.

It was indeed possible—Lin Shilan and his brother’s water bottles were both given out at competitions and looked the same.

“Yeah, she went to bring water to Tan Ziheng, so this must be her water bottle,” the teammate gloated: “Hahaha, you’re done for.”

In their impression, Lin Shilan had always been a difficult person to talk to. If she knew her water bottle had been dirtied and used by someone else, they imagined she would change expression dramatically and furiously scold Tan Jin.

Lin Shilan returned after finishing her chat with Tan Ziheng.

Sure enough, she picked up the water bottle Tan Jin had just touched, preparing to drink.

Anxious and uneasy, Tan Jin mustered his courage and snatched the water bottle from her hands. Not daring to look at her eyes, he confessed what had happened.

He thought Lin Shilan would be angry, but she wasn’t.

After he finished speaking, she still had that calm and breezy demeanor.

“It’s fine.”

Her rose-red lips closed, then opened again. She asked: “Are you still thirsty?”

These four words wove into a captivating net, rippling across the lake of his heart, catching Tan Jin’s wildly beating heart.

He nodded at her in a daze.

The sound of his heartbeat was louder than the ball hitting the floor. In the second half of the game, Tan Jin’s team turned defeat into victory and won first place in the match.

On Tan Jin’s backpack sat a newly bought bottle of mineral water.

Lin Shilan didn’t finish watching the game and left early.

An inexplicable sense of loss shrouded Tan Jin, until during dinner when Tan Ziheng casually remarked: “Your performance today was really outstanding. Our whole team was focused on preventing you from getting the ball. Even Xiao Lan, who usually doesn’t watch basketball, said you played well…”

“What?”

Tan Jin suddenly looked up, his voice so loud it startled the whole family.

“What did she say?”

Not understanding why his emotions were so agitated, Tan Ziheng thought he’d said something wrong. “During the first-half break, I asked Xiao Lan who she favored for the second half, and she said you. She genuinely praised you, she didn’t criticize you, don’t misunderstand.”

“She favored me? She said I play basketball well?”

Tan Jin stood up, his two eyes shining like lightbulbs: “She really said that?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Tan Ziheng finished speaking, Tan Jin left the dinner table.

Not eating dinner, he went out holding his basketball.

Tan Jin played basketball obsessively, going every day regardless of wind or rain.

Under this crazy exercise regimen, he shot up in height like a bamboo shoot, his weight decreasing accordingly, his round little face becoming angular and defined.

The Tan family gradually realized that if they said something was mentioned by Lin Shilan, it could attract Tan Jin’s attention.

“Xiao Lan came to our house and ate mangoes, said the mangoes were delicious.”

—Tan Jin silently ate several mangoes he normally never touched.

“Xiao Lan walks to school, doesn’t have her mom drive her on the electric scooter.”

—The next day, Tan Jin stopped riding in his dad’s car and also began walking to and from school.

“Xiao Lan left her ballpoint pen at our house. Why are all her stationery items blue?”

—Tan Jin abandoned his commonly worn black t-shirts and started wearing blue t-shirts.

One day, Tan Ziheng said: “Xiao Lan wants to go to a big city in the future. She and I want to go to the same university.”

It was also from that day that Tan Jin stopped skipping classes, stopped playing games at night, and quietly shut himself in his room to do homework.

Another year passed.

Tan Jin and Lin Shilan entered high school, and Tan Ziheng entered his third year.

On her birthday, Tan Ziheng gave her a canvas bag.

That canvas bag was something Tan Jin accompanied Tan Ziheng to buy.

Even though Tan Ziheng was shopping for the gift, Tan Jin mysteriously disappeared for a while. When he reappeared, Tan Ziheng discovered Tan Jin was also carrying a gift.

Somewhat concerned, Tan Ziheng secretly opened the gift box when he wasn’t around—inside was a string of gray-blue crystal beads.

Compared to the sparkling brilliance of the bead bracelet, the canvas bag as a gift was far inferior.

Tan Ziheng didn’t ask Tan Jin who the gift was for.

Closing the gift box, he pretended he hadn’t looked and knew nothing.

Lin Shilan’s old canvas bag for tutoring was worn out, and she was overjoyed when she received the new bag.

She didn’t hold a banquet—her birthday was spent simply.

On her birthday, she used money she’d saved to buy a small cake.

On her birthday, Tan Jin, who played basketball every day, didn’t go out but sat in the living room early in the morning.

Tan Ziheng received her phone call and went out without saying a word to Tan Jin.

Her birthday was just the two of them.

The small cake was eaten by Lin Shilan and Tan Ziheng together, and that was the birthday celebration.

Through the window, Tan Jin gazed distantly at the lights in her home.

Two years had passed, and the number of times he and she had conversed could be counted on one hand.

The crystal bracelet, like his existence, had become something that couldn’t be brought to the table because of his excessive feelings.

The gift was locked in a cabinet, and Tan Jin locked himself in his room.

After losing weight, he was very resistant to hunger. He played video games for two all-nighters and also didn’t come out to eat for two days.