Faint cheers from the sports field lingered in the air, accompanied by the humid breeze and the sound of cicadas.

On the shaded path leading to the field, a boy in a blue and white school uniform stood by a vending machine. He bent down slightly to retrieve a bottle of mineral water, revealing the pale skin of his neck. His soft black hair rested loosely on the back of his neck, highlighting its delicate, fair complexion.

Jiang Yi straightened up, holding the bottle of water. In the next moment, a warm hand suddenly gripped the back of his neck, squeezing lightly. Before he could react, he was pulled along, the person’s arm firmly around him.

The person beside him was much taller, clearly just finished with an intense workout. His body radiated heat, and the basketball wristband on his wrist occasionally brushed against the back of Jiang Yi’s neck, tickling him slightly.

Jiang Yi was led all the way to the restroom door.

With a loud “bang,” the stall door slammed shut. The white towel draped over Jiang Yi’s head was yanked off.

Jiang Yi opened his eyes to find himself face-to-face with a boy whose expression was cold and stern. His eyes carried a rebellious edge, golden hair still slightly damp, and pale blue eyes glaring down at him. His thin lips were pressed tightly together, giving him a rather gloomy look.

He tightened his grip on Jiang Yi’s neck and asked through gritted teeth, “Why didn’t you come to watch my game?”

Jiang Yi thought for a moment, just about to answer, when Lu Li cut him off coldly, “And don’t tell me you missed the entire game because you were buying water.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

He rubbed his nose awkwardly, mumbling softly, “I forgot.”

Lu Li let out a cold laugh, his voice filled with frustration. “Forgot? Funny how you never forget to work on those practice questions, huh?”

You spend all day solving those dumb questions and end up forgetting about my game.

Jiang Yi blinked and asked, “Did you win?”

Lu Li’s face remained expressionless. “We lost.”

Jiang Yi’s eyes widened in surprise.

Lu Li continued, still deadpan, “We lost so badly that someone pointed at my head and called me trash. They threw bottles of water at me from all directions, and the coach yelled at me for the entire game.”

Jiang Yi was shocked. “Class 8 is that good?”

He muttered to himself, “I clearly remember Ying Zhuohan saying their class wasn’t great at basketball…”

As he spoke, Jiang Yi quickly realized Lu Li was venting. He glanced at Lu Li, who was clearly fuming, his nostrils flaring.

Lu Li gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Jiang Yi’s neck. “In your mind, am I really that bad at basketball?”

Jiang Yi immediately denied it.

The more Lu Li thought about it, the angrier he became. He yanked off the white towel and shoved it into Jiang Yi’s arms, glaring at him. “Wipe my sweat.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

Looking at Lu Li’s already dry forehead, Jiang Yi asked, confused, “But you’re already dry…”

Lu Li snapped, “Just do it.”

“Don’t you understand the concept of ritual?”

Although Jiang Yi didn’t quite understand, he obediently took the clean towel and wiped Lu Li’s nonexistent sweat.

Lu Li, still maintaining his stern expression, demanded, “Give me some water.”

Jiang Yi, not understanding, handed him the bottle of water.

Finally satisfied, Lu Li twisted open the cap, imagining what it would’ve been like if Jiang Yi had brought him water on the basketball court. But before he could fully relish the thought, Jiang Yi sighed and said, “This is the restroom.”

Lu Li: “…”

Jiang Yi sighed again. “Are you that thirsty?”

Unable to hold back, Lu Li rubbed the back of Jiang Yi’s neck with more force, just about to retort when the bell signaling the start of class rang.

They weren’t in the same class, and Lu Li knew the rules in the advanced class Jiang Yi was in were much stricter. Sure enough, Jiang Yi tilted his head slightly and said, “Class is starting. I have to go.”

Lu Li didn’t respond. He pressed his lips together for a long moment before reluctantly letting go and following Jiang Yi out of the restroom.

The two walked one after the other, with the blond boy holding the water bottle in one hand, his expression still cold as he trailed behind the black-haired boy.

Jiang Yi could sense someone following behind him, but they didn’t have the courage to walk up and walk beside him. He sighed helplessly in his heart.

Two months before the school year started, as soon as Lu Li found out they weren’t in the same class, he tried to switch classes. They had been in the same class in kindergarten and elementary school, and Lu Li wasn’t willing to let them be separated in middle school, even though they were attending the same school and even on the same floor.

However, Jiang Yi didn’t agree.

He knew that Chinese was always Lu Li’s weakest subject, and if he transferred to the advanced class, it would be difficult for him to keep up with the pace. The two of them had even had a brief cold war over this, only reconciling recently.

As a result, the class change never happened. Jiang Yi entered the advanced class, while Lu Li joined the international class, known as Class Two. Because of their previous cold war, they hadn’t interacted much at school lately. It gave the impression that they weren’t close.

So, when Jiang Yi entered the classroom, the previously whispering class fell silent for a moment. After he sat down, the soft murmurs of discussion resumed.

“Lu Li? The mixed-race guy from Class Two? I’ve heard of him. How did he get into a fight with Jiang Yi?”

“No idea, but apparently people from Class Seven saw Lu Li dragging Jiang Yi into the bathroom looking like he was about to beat him up.”

A few students in the back row occasionally glanced at Jiang Yi, one of them nervously muttering, “Jiang Yi doesn’t seem like the type to cause trouble…”

“Jiang Yi isn’t, but Lu Li sure is! The students in the international class all have their noses in the air. I heard Lu Li had a cold look on his face right after his basketball game…”

“Wait, you mean he finished the game and immediately went to find Jiang Yi to settle the score? What grudge could be so serious?”

Sitting at his desk, Jiang Yi overheard his bespectacled deskmate nervously stammer, “Are…are you okay?”

Jiang Yi calmly put his meal card away, raised his head, and replied, “I’m fine. What’s wrong?”

His deskmate shook his head hurriedly but, after a moment of hesitation, stammered again, “If something happens, you can tell the teacher. The teacher can stand up for us.”

Jiang Yi was a bit taken aback but nodded nonetheless. “Alright.”

His deskmate still seemed worried. In his eyes, Jiang Yi was a top student, always ranking first in the grade, with good looks and a gentle temperament. He was proud to tell others that he sat next to the top student in the grade.

How could someone like Jiang Yi have gotten mixed up with someone from the international class?

Still feeling uneasy, his deskmate asked again, “Are you really sure nothing happened?”

Jiang Yi paused, then thought for a moment. “Well, there is one thing.”

His deskmate immediately perked up. “What is it? Do you want to report it to the teacher? I can go with you. Don’t be scared.”

Jiang Yi shook his head. “No, it’s not about reporting to the teacher.”

“Do you know when the basketball game between Class Two and Class Seven is?”

His deskmate was dumbfounded. “Uh, no, I don’t.”

Jiang Yi felt a little disappointed but nodded. “It’s okay, I’ll ask someone else.”

Seeing Jiang Yi’s usual diligence, his deskmate was still stunned, but Jiang Yi gently reminded him, “Class is starting. It’s math next.”

The deskmate snapped out of it and hurriedly pulled out his math textbook.

Jiang Yi, as always, focused intently in class, rarely allowing his mind to wander. His deskmate, though wanting to speak several times, kept his mouth shut, unwilling to interrupt Jiang Yi’s concentration.

---

After class, Class Two was much livelier compared to the advanced class, where students were glued to their seats even during breaks to continue their studies.

“I swear, that three-pointer of mine was epic!”

Several tall boys in the back row excitedly chatted about the basketball game, clearly still riding the high from their recent victory.

In the midst of their laughter, one of the boys wearing a basketball jersey raised his brow and pointed toward Lu Li, who sat at his desk with his eyes closed, resting his head on one hand. The boy mouthed to his friends, “What’s up with him?”

A grinning boy responded, “What’s up? His little childhood friend didn’t show up, that’s what.”

A boy sitting farther back grinned, lowering his voice, “Keep it down. Brother Lu reserved a front-row seat just for his little childhood friend…”
Yet, throughout the entire game, that seat remained empty.