Chapter 6: Basketball Hall

After having dinner, Chi Xiyu returned to the dormitory, where several girls surrounded her, asking if Xie Bo had given her a grand proposal surprise.

Chi Xiyu smiled and replied, “Not even close, it’s still early.”

“Have you two sorted things out? What did he say?”

“My dad and his dad have an understanding, but it’s not explicit. Xie Bo’s not the type to say something cheesy like ‘be my girlfriend,’ so we just understand each other without saying it.”

“The ambiguous stage is the sweetest!” Roommate Xu Qianxi echoed Chi Xiyu’s sentiment. “What’s the point of making everything clear?”

Chi Xiyu liked hearing this and said, “I feel the same way.”

“Oh, by the way, Xixi, you missed quite a show while you were out.”

Chi Xiyu sat at the table, preparing to post the romantic dinner photos on her phone to her moments, and casually asked, “What show?”

“The girls from room 302 across got into a fight. It seems like Shen Zitong accused her roommate of stealing her face mask and wanted to check her closet. Her roommate refused, and they argued, even getting physical.”

“I always said Shen Zitong was a bit neurotic,” Chi Xiyu sneered. “And what happened?”

“Shen Zitong’s not one to back down easily. She slapped the other girl.”

At this, Chi Xiyu raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Who would’ve thought? The other girl looks delicate, but she’s strong. She pushed Shen Zitong against the window, scaring her to tears and screams, like she was being slaughtered.”

Another roommate who witnessed the whole thing chimed in, “The counselor arrived eventually. Shen Zitong tearfully explained everything, wanting to check the other girl’s closet. But the other girl pulled out her phone and called the police to investigate the truth. The counselor, fearing bad publicity for the school, intervened and made Shen Zitong apologize!”

Chi Xiyu became intrigued. “Impressive, Shen Zitong got handled.”

Xu Qianxi added, “No kidding. I’ve never seen anyone survive under Shen Zitong’s domineering attitude.”

“What’s her name?”

“Lin Yiwei.”

Chi Xiyu thought of the girl in the bathroom who kindly offered to swap dresses with her. She owed her a favor. But a favor of that magnitude wasn’t worth getting involved in a conflict with Shen Zitong.

Chi Xiyu took out the dress, casually tossed it in the trash, then thought for a moment, retrieved it, and threw it to Xu Qianxi beside her. “Wash this for me.”

Xu Qianxi took the dress, felt the fabric, and remarked, “Why not just throw it away?”

“Just wash it when I ask you to. Too much talking.”

Not wanting to upset Chi Xiyu, Xu Qianxi took the basin to the laundry room.

With nothing else to do, Chi Xiyu went to the laundry room too and coincidentally saw Lin Yiwei there, scrubbing her white summer dress.

The girl wore only a thin goose-yellow tank top, her fair neck slender, her collarbones giving an impression of fragility. A few strands of hair were damp with sweat, and her forehead’s mole resembled a speck of cinnabar.

Pure desire.

Chi Xiyu thought of this phrase.

Lin Yiwei evidently noticed her, as well as Xu Qianxi, who was absentmindedly rubbing Lin Yiwei’s uniform skirt…

“Let me wash it for you.” Lin Yiwei volunteered, rubbing the skirt. “It’s my clothes.”

Xu Qianxi eagerly agreed and pushed the basin over, saying, “Sure.”

Leaning against the sink, Chi Xiyu greeted her, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Surveying Lin Yiwei’s slightly swollen and unnatural face, Chi Xiyu remarked, “I heard about it. Shen Zitong is just that kind of person, relying on a little money at home to act recklessly and seek attention everywhere.”

Chi Xiyu didn’t think highly of her.

Xu Qianxi quickly added, “It’s only been these past two years since her dad’s clothing business took off. To put it plainly, they’re nouveau riche, not respectable.”

Lin Yiwei nodded in agreement.

There was a special kind of understanding between the girls, and in just a few words, they seemed to have formed a subtle alliance.

Chi Xiyu asked her again, “But what’s wrong with opening your closet for her? Would you rather get beaten? Is there something in your closet that can’t see the light of day?”

She said jokingly.

Lin Yiwei replied calmly, “It has nothing to do with what’s in the closet.”

“What does it have to do with, then?”

“Dignity.”

The determined look in the girl’s eyes made Chi Xiyu feel… intrigued.

Chi Xiyu needed a girl like Lin Yiwei by her side to serve as a foil.

Her brother had a dog named Yunhui that could bite.

She also needed someone who could put aside their pride and assist her with tricky matters.

Leading Lin Yiwei to the dormitory door, Chi Xiyu handed her a whole box of high-end skincare masks, smiling and saying in front of everyone, including Shen Zitong, “It’s just a box of masks, nothing major. If you need anything, Weiwei, feel free to let me know. There’s no need to be formal between sisters.”

Xu Qianxi intentionally echoed loudly, “Exactly, is it worth fighting over such trivial things? How petty.”

Lin Yiwei understood they were deliberately acting for Shen Zitong’s benefit, so she cooperated and said, “Thank you, Xixi. You’re really kind, different from everyone else.”

Chi Xiyu liked her humility and intelligence, giving her hand a squeeze. “Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

In the hallway, the girls exchanged knowing glances, understanding that Lin Yiwei had joined Chi Xiyu’s circle of sisters.

Quite a strategy! To actually befriend such a high-minded young lady.

After all, many girls had tried to please Chi Xiyu and been rejected. Her standards for “sisterhood” were much stricter than Shen Zitong’s.

Shen Zitong was furious. Chi Xiyu’s actions undoubtedly humiliated her.

Today, she gained nothing. Threatened against the window and forced to apologize, her arrogant and false accusations against her roommate spread far and wide.

Yet, Chi Xiyu’s friendship with Lin Yiwei inexplicably benefited her, gaining her more favor and solidifying Lin Yiwei’s loyalty.

Shen Zitong was seething, glaring at Lin Yiwei

Lin Yiwei smiled back at her, her eyes still unwaveringly resolute, just as they were when Shen Zitong slapped her.

“Don’t be so smug. Do you think Chi Xiyu is some kind of saint? Your good days are still ahead!”

Lin Yiwei ignored her, closed the curtain, and unlocked the closet with her key.

Looking at the black racing suit inside the closet, she knew all the turmoil today stemmed from it.

She couldn’t keep this piece of clothing for a minute longer; she had to find a way to return it.

After much consideration, she added Xie Bo back as a friend.

Because adding and deleting friends unilaterally didn’t require re-verification, she sent Xie Bo a message.

Wei Feng: “When should I return the clothes to you?”

She really hoped this big shot would casually reply like all the male leads in CEO romance novels: “Keep it.”

Lin Yiwei would then hurry downstairs and throw the clothes into the trash.

That would be the least troublesome solution.

However, things didn’t go as planned.

Half an hour later, Xie Bo replied:

Thin: “Come to the basketball court.”

Lin Yiwei firmly refused, “No, there are too many people.”

Indeed, the basketball court at night still had quite a few people. Xie Bo’s black headband was damp with sweat as he looked at her message, mischief glinting in his eyes as he raised a challenge:

“Come over, or I’ll come find you. Your choice.”

Lin Yiwei used ice cubes to reduce the swelling on her cheeks until there was no trace left, then she jogged all the way to the basketball court.

It was already nine-thirty, and there were still many boys in the basketball court, sweating profusely, including Xie Bo.

Naturally, there was a crowd of girls standing around the sidelines, watching and taking photos.

He agilely feigned a move, jumped up for a shot, his arm stretched out, his tall figure slightly leaning back, landing gracefully.

Lin Yiwei noticed that his hair was shorter than last time, his features sharper, enhancing his superior aesthetic appeal.

The girls kept snapping pictures of him incessantly.

Lin Yiwei stood in the crowd, wearing an ugly little yellow hat, making herself inconspicuous.

But Xie Bo still caught sight of her.

As an art student, he should have good taste.

But she didn’t know how to dress. Such a childish hat, paired with her even more uninteresting white T-shirt and black pants, ruined her face.

She gave him a look, then walked towards the back of the gym.

Xie Bo passed the ball to someone else, turned back to the bench, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, tilted his head back to drink, then tossed the empty bottle into the trash can on the side of the road and followed her out.

Lin Yiwei had been observing the surroundings for a long time, and there weren’t many people in the corridor.

She was like the most alert little deer in the jungle, cautiously guarding her surroundings until the man approached closer and closer, then he unceremoniously dragged her into the men’s locker room.

With a bang, he forcefully closed the door.

The room was dim and quiet, with only the sound of their mingled breaths.

Lin Yiwei was pressed against the wall by him, unable to move, her chest rising and falling noticeably.

Xie Bo’s muscular arm pressed against her chest, his other hand gripping her cheek, forcing her to look up at him.

“Xie Bo…”

“Meeting me without makeup or dressing up?”

“Just showered, didn’t feel like bothering with that.”

He leaned closer to her neck, sniffed, indeed smelling the fresh soap fragrance of the shower gel, which aroused his desire, reminding him of that night, making his body heat up like a fireball.

Lin Yiwei knew she couldn’t confront him head-on. She could only plead softly, “Please don’t.”

Xie Bo could see that she was anything but the weak and pitiful appearance she portrayed.

They had already had deep exchanges, and the body’s reactions were the most direct. He could tell that this girl had a resilience in her bones, not a fragile little rabbit.

He whispered in her ear, his breath warm and moist, “Yiyi, I’m addicted.”

“Yiyi,” that night, Lin Yiwei let him call her that.

Because Lin Xie also called her that, it was his exclusive nickname for her. She wanted to relive the happiest moments, closing her eyes, as if he was right beside her.

“Xie Bo, you have many choices, can you let me go?” Lin Yiwei gripped his sleeve, pitifully pleading, “I really don’t want to cause trouble.”

The man looked at her teasingly, “Try begging me.””I’m begging you, Xie Bo.”

The next moment, Xie Bo pressed her wrist against the wall above her head, covering her lips, swallowing all her breath and pleading words—

“Beg a few more times, I like hearing it.”