In the blink of an eye, the first half of their first year of high school was almost over. This meant two things: final exams and subject specialization.

Starting from the second semester of the first year, Wenhe High School began subject specialization, and during this period before specialization, the school teachers were often very busy. There were constant inquiries from parents about the specialization, asking teachers to help assess whether their children were better suited for arts or sciences. Students also visited the offices seeking advice.

Lin Shiyu didn’t have this kind of dilemma. He had already chosen the science stream from the very beginning. Although his biology grades were really poor, his humanities grades were even worse. His individual scores in politics, history, and geography had long since fallen below thirty points, essentially in a state of total abandonment. He was never good at subjects that required a lot of rote learning. Conversely, his math and physics scores were somewhat acceptable.

After early completion and submission of the subject specialization form, Lin Shiyu returned to the classroom and suddenly realized something.

He glanced at Zhong Qi sitting beside him, playing a mobile game.

Lin Shiyu looked around and then turned. “Zhong Qi.”

“What?”

“Have you filled out your subject specialization form?”

“Not yet.”

Lin Shiyu turned back without asking any further questions.

During break time, Lin Shiyu bumped into Mao Silu in the hallway and stopped him.

“Have you filled out your subject specialization form?”

“Not yet. Isn’t it still early? Both Zikai and I haven’t filled it out.”

“Oh,” Lin Shiyu replied and walked away.

At lunchtime, while queuing up to buy food at the cafeteria, Lin Shiyu saw Gao Jie excitedly waiting for his meal.

“Gao Jie,” Lin Shiyu asked, “have you filled out your subject specialization form?”

Gao Jie rubbed his hands and turned back. “Huh? Not yet, what’s the rush? Eating is the most important thing!”

Lin Shiyu remained silent.

During the afternoon break, Shen Ziyi and Tao Chen were huddled together sharing snacks. Lin Shiyu walked by them, and Shen Ziyi called out to him. “Big Brother Shiyu, want some candy?”

She grabbed a handful of individually wrapped star candies and stuffed them into Lin Shiyu’s hand. Lin Shiyu held the candy and stopped. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Shen Ziyi, have you filled out your subject specialization form?”

“No, isn’t it still early?.”

Tao Chen said, “I haven’t either. We’ve been preparing for the final exams lately.”

Lin Shiyu replied with an “Oh,” pocketed the star candies, and walked away.

He strolled out of the classroom on his own, preparing to go to the physical education class.

It was just a matter of asking one more question: Are you studying arts or sciences? This way he could quickly get their answer.

Even so, Lin Shiyu couldn’t bring himself to ask.

To ask would seem like he was eagerly anticipating something, as if a child naïvely hoped to be on the same team as a person they were familiar with. That shouldn’t be something he would look forward to. Clearly, there were no deep interactions between them, and they didn’t know much about each other. How could he drop his guard so easily after just a few months of being together?

Lin Shiyu looked down at the ground, idly kicking the scattered gravel.

People are dangerous and complex entities, and one should always be vigilant. Trust should not be easily given, let alone relied on. This was a lesson Lin Shiyu had learned from childhood.

So why had he spent the whole day circling around and asking this? Lin Shiyu stared at a crack on the playground, starting to fall into deep self-doubt. Was his mind messed up?

After the warm-up, Lin Shiyu ran out sweating, took off his jacket, hung it on the railing on the edge of the playground. He bent down to tie his loosened shoelaces, absentmindedly thinking that since he had already decided to choose the science stream, what was the point of bothering with this or that?

Suddenly, a commotion erupted; it seemed someone was shouting loudly. Lin Shiyu finished tying his shoelaces, and from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a black dot speeding like a shooting star. There was a sound of the air being brushed by the speed.

For a moment, the quiet glow of the setting sun flowed, mingled with the sound of shouts and the wind, and then abruptly receded.

Smack! 

A hand intercepted the football’s path.

Suddenly, Lin Shiyu’s field of vision was invaded by the broad back of a hand blocking his face. The setting sun’s radiance filtered through the gaps between the fingers, casting faint and deep shadows on Lin Shiyu’s face. He looked up and saw Zhong Qi slightly out of breath. He only glanced at him, then turned to look at the boy who came running to retrieve the ball.

The boy quickly apologized, and Zhong Qi handed him the ball. “Be more careful.”

Lin Shiyu stood up, and Zhong Qi flexed his fingers, then turned to walk towards the railing. “What were you spacing out about?”

Lin Shiyu was startled a moment ago, and now that he had come back to himself, he didn’t know how to explain. Lacking confidence, he said, “I was daydreaming.”

Then, as if not wanting Zhong Qi to continue questioning him, he asked, “Are you here to play ball?”

“Sure.” Zhong Qi took off his jacket, casually throwing it over Lin Shiyu’s, wearing only a white short-sleeved shirt. “I came to find you for a game, who knew I’d almost see the ball hit you.”

Lin Shiyu stared at him wordlessly for a while. Then he followed him to the court, thinking that this person’s attempt at dry humor wasn’t remotely funny.

After that day, Zhong Qi taught Lin Shiyu how to play basketball a few more times. In the residential area where Zhong Qi lived, there happened to be a large basketball court. Apart from the young and middle-aged residents who enjoyed playing there, occasionally students from outside would also come in to play. Lin Shiyu, being an absolute beginner at basketball, was unwilling to practice in front of so many people at school. So Zhong Qi simply took him to practice in their residential area. Since the two of them lived nearby, after school, they could practice on the court whenever they were free. Lin Shiyu followed Zhong Qi’s guidance for a few days and slowly progressed from tripping over the ball while dribbling to being able to do lay-ups and even hitting three-point shots with some accuracy.

“When someone blocks you, you can pass the ball to a teammate under your arm or dribble sideways to avoid the interception.” Zhong Qi stood in front of Lin Shiyu, opening his arms to demonstrate blocking. “Try to get past me with the ball.”

Lin Shiyu tried for a while but found he couldn’t break Zhong Qi’s defense. A bit irritated, he straightened up and said, “You’re too tall.”

“Nobody cares how short you are on the basketball court.”

Lin Shiyu was angry and tried to break through. Zhong Qi consistently blocked him, casually teaching. “Get your feet moving, don’t force it. Stepping on someone’s foot is a foul, Lin Shiyu.”

Lin Shiyu glanced behind Zhong Qi and suddenly hugged the ball. “Mao Silu?”

Zhong Qi turned his head at his words. The edge of the court was empty, there was no sign of Mao Silu.

When he turned around again, the person in front of him was gone.

The sound of the basketball landing in the hoop echoed from behind. Zhong Qi straightened up and saw Lin Shiyu catching the ball, flashing him a victorious smile.

“Nobody cares how bad you are on the court,” Lin Shiyu mimicked, then continued practicing shooting the ball. His movements were clearly much more cheerful; he bounced and jumped around under the hoop like a lively and active rabbit.

After a brief surprise, Zhong Qi regained his composure. He watched the figure of Lin Shiyu bouncing under the basket alone, and he chuckled quietly, barely audible.

As the class ended, the boys were called by the teacher to clean up the sports equipment and mats, while the girls went back to the classroom to pack their bags. The end of the physical education class marked the end of the school day. Some students had already left for home. There were only a few people in the classroom. As Shen Ziyi and Tao Chen settled down to drink water, they noticed several boys passing by outside the back door of the classroom.

They initially looked into the classroom through the back door, then, seeing not many people inside, they casually walked around to the front door. They roughly counted about seven or eight people.

Shen Ziyi looked puzzled. “Who are they?”

Tao Chen turned his head. “I don’t know.”

The leader blocked the door to Class 7, looked around, and casually asked, “Is Ruan Zhikai in your class?”

These were the people Ruan Zhikai used to hang out with at the internet café. The leader was a crew cut senior student, and the rest who accompanied him also looked quite young, but they didn’t seem to be the type to mess with.

Tao Chen asked in a low voice, “What do you want?”

When they noticed Tao Chen, they seemed to brighten up. One of them even walked directly into the classroom and moved close to Tao Chen’s desk. “We have something to discuss with Ruan Zhikai.”

“Who are you? This is Class 7, don’t just come in.” Shen Ziyi immediately stood in front of Tao Chen. “We don’t have anyone named Ruan Zhikai in our class. Leave!”

The few people remaining in the classroom were now nervous, not sure what to do. Tao Chen quickly held onto Shen Ziyi, fearing she might impulsively start arguing with them.

“This girl here should stop talking nonsense.” An impatient short guy pushed Shen Ziyi aside. “Ruan Zhikai is in your class. Where is he? We’re from another school and we have something to tell him.”

“This isn’t a place for outsiders to enter casually. If you have something to say, go talk outside the school,” Shen Ziyi replied worriedly, holding back her urge to shout.

“I don’t want to waste time with you girls! Just call him out, and that’s it!”

“This is our school, not a place for you people to act wildly!” Shen Ziyi wasn’t one to hold her temper; she flared up in a few words. “Get out, or we’ll call security!”

The group of people laughed, taking a few steps toward them while shoving Shen Ziyi. “Go ahead, call them! It was your school’s security that let us in here. Go on, call them!”

Lin Shiyu had just returned to the classroom from the restroom and witnessed this scene.

The group of people he had seen at the internet café had somehow appeared in his class. Several girls were obviously in an argument with them and were forced to the edge of their desks, almost about to start a physical fight.

Without a second thought, Lin Shiyu stepped forward and grabbed one of the boys who was closest to Shen Ziyi and pushed him. With a swift, forceful movement, he flung the person into the desks and chairs in the aisle.

He moved the girls behind him and stood in front of them.

“It’s him! I’ve seen him before. Ruan Zhikai must be in this class.” Someone pointed at Lin Shiyu. “This is the sissy!”

The person thrown to the side got up in a frenzy and immediately lunged towards him, cursing, “Damn you! You dare to lay hands on me, you freak?!”

Lin Shiyu, without a word, grabbed the person by the shoulder and landed a sharp knee to their abdomen. Before the person could react to the pain, Lin Shiyu slammed their head onto the desk, creating a heavy, muffled sound. This action triggered everyone’s emotions, and the intruders immediately attacked. The girls behind Lin Shiyu screamed in fear.

Lin Shiyu reacted swiftly, kicking the person who was approaching him, causing them to fall backward. Tao Chen shouted, “Stop, the teacher’s here!”

Shen Ziyi grabbed her textbooks and stationery from the desk and threw them at the faces of the intruders, exclaiming, “No fighting, don’t lay a hand on him!”

In the chaos, Lin Shiyu was punched in the nose. He winced in pain, almost seeing stars, but relentlessly grabbed the head of the leader and punched him in the face. However, they were outnumbered, and there were several girls behind him who refused to move.

At that moment, Gao Jie’s familiar loud voice exploded, “Who the hell are these people?!”

“Make way!” The crowd was forced apart by several burly figures, and Gao Jie, Mao Silu, and Ruan Zhikai managed to break through. Then, other boys who had just returned from their physical education class joined them. They were all sweating from playing sports, and immediately removed their sport shirts and surrounded the intruders.

Ruan Zhikai squeezed to the front in disbelief and saw Lin Shiyu covering the lower half of his face. His shirt was disheveled, which enraged Ruan Zhikai. He pushed the leader. “Are you guys out of your mind? Causing a ruckus in my class?!”

Mao Silu also noticed Lin Shiyu being beaten. His usually mild face displayed rare anger. “Do you want a fight?”

The leader wasn’t someone to mess with, exuding a tough, gangster-like aura. He sneered. “Do you think I’m afraid of you kids?”

“Ruan Zhikai, you’re treating us like monkeys, huh? The boss took you out to eat and drink every day, and you just left?”

“Or else, do I have to pay you protection money?”

“You have no shame!”

The group was further enraged, and a scuffle broke out. The boys from Class 7, though not fully aware of the situation, couldn’t tolerate outsiders causing trouble in their class. They began rolling up their sleeves and joined the brawl. The desks and chairs in front were knocked around, and Lin Shiyu pushed Shen Ziyi and the others towards the door. “Go outside the classroom.”

“You’re bleeding!” Shen Ziyi exclaimed.

A hand reached out, holding Lin Shiyu’s wrist.

Zhong Qi was the last person helping the teacher clean up the equipment. He entered the classroom from the rear door and saw the chaotic scene. The second he saw Lin Shiyu covering his nose, Zhong Qi said nothing and directly walked up, grabbing Lin Shiyu and dragging him forward. Lin Shiyu almost stumbled, and was about to struggle, but Zhong Qi grabbed the hand covering his nose and pulled it away, forcing Shiyu’s face to rise.

Blood streamed down his chin, flowed down his neck, and dripped into his collar. The bloodstains from his fingertips made him look quite disheveled, as if he had been mercilessly bullied.

Zhong Qi glanced down and then released Lin Shiyu’s wrist. His face, cast in shadow, revealed no emotion.

Three seconds later, the loud noise of desks and chairs being overturned echoed. The leader of the troublemakers was thrown out with a grunt, crashing into the crowd of scuffling people.

The chaotic scene came to an abrupt halt. Everyone stopped their actions and looked at Zhong Qi.

Zhong Qi rolled his shoulder joints; the shoulder throw he just executed was a bit excessive, causing his muscles to tense up momentarily.

Then a cold voice resounded in the classroom: “Had enough of causing trouble?”

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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