Chapter 57: The Injury on His Face

Inside the gymnasium, the noise was loud and bustling. The stands on both sides were filled with people, and large red banners with cheering slogans were hung along the railings. It was a friendly match between the Art College and the Polytechnic Institute.

The front rows near the court were already packed. Lin Hexi climbed up to the higher rows of the stands and stood at the top, looking down at the court below.

The game hadn’t started yet; both teams were already on the court, seated on benches outside the playing area, waiting.

You Chong was still wearing his jacket, standing with his back to the stands in the resting area, talking to Zhou Xuan. Among those from the Art College who were on the court, Xia Chengfeng was also present.

Lin Hexi glanced up at the opposite stands, searching for Fang Qingning. His gaze swept across but didn’t spot her, raising his eyebrows in mild surprise.

Then he heard someone calling his name from below.

Lin Hexi looked down in the direction of the voice and saw Fang Qingning standing at the bottom row of the stands, smiling brightly and waving at him. She pointed to an empty spot beside her bag on the right, indicating for him to come and sit.

He walked down the aisle steps and noticed that on Fang Qingning’s left, there were two girls with delicate features.

After getting a clear look at Lin Hexi’s face, the two girls kept glancing curiously, sneaking peeks at him as he sat on the other side of Fang Qingning.

Without offering much of an introduction to her two roommates, Fang Qingning said to him somewhat sheepishly, “I got dragged here by my roommates. They wanted to watch You Chong and Zhou Xuan play.”

Lin Hexi raised his eyebrow slightly. “Do all girls like the type of guys like You Chong and Zhou Xuan?”

“It’s not just girls from our department,” Fang Qingning suddenly sounded a bit annoyed, with a hint of something implied in her words. “There are even people who aren’t cheering for their own department’s team on the opposite stands but shamelessly came over here to try to curry favor.”

Noticing that after speaking, her gaze was fixed intently on the area below the stands, Lin Hexi found it amusing. Although he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, he still followed her line of sight downwards.

When he clearly saw the situation in the resting area off the court, his expression subtly froze.

Zhou Xuan was no longer in his original spot. In front of You Chong stood a girl with long black curly hair, wearing a crop top and a short skirt. She was looking up, talking to him. Ordinary students weren’t allowed inside the court, and the outfit she was wearing was clearly the cheerleader uniform of the Art College on the opposite side.

The referee on the sideline urged both teams to get on the court. You Chong put his phone back in his jacket pocket and reached back to take off his jacket.

The girl extended her hand to take it.

Lin Hexi’s eyes narrowed instantly. He stood up, leaned against the front railing of the stands, and called out You Chong’s name.

You Chong turned at the sound, raising his eyebrows in mild surprise when he saw Lin Hexi standing in the stands.

Lin Hexi gave him a slight smile and extended both hands. “I can hold your jacket and phone for you.”

You Chong took two steps towards the stands, removed his jacket, and tossed it over the railing into Lin Hexi’s arms. His voice was low and pleasant, “Hold onto it.”

Lin Hexi held his jacket, and the smile on his lips widening.

You Chong brushed past the girl and walked onto the court without exchanging any further words with her. Lin Hexi returned to his seat, resting his chin on his hand as he lowered his eyes to observe the girl standing below the stands.

Her skin was very fair, she was quite tall, with long and straight legs, and combined with her long black curly hair, she was definitely the type You Chong liked.

His gaze moved up, discreetly studying her face, then paused.

There was something inexplicably familiar about her face, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember where he had seen her before.

The girl soon left, and Lin Hexi didn’t dwell on it further. He withdrew his gaze and looked up at the intense action of the basketball game on the court.

It was clear that the Art College’s team was not as strong as the Polytechnic Institute’s. By the end of the first half, the Polytechnic Institute had already opened up a considerable lead.

During the break, there was a cheerleading performance, and everyone’s attention was focused on the show happening on the court.

You Chong sat on the bench, tilting his head back to drink water, with a white towel casually draped around his neck. His gaze swept carelessly over the court.

Noticing where You Chong’s eyes were fixed, Lin Hexi felt a twinge of displeasure.

He casually put on You Chong’s jacket, and during a moment when no one on the court was paying attention, he leapt over the railing from the stands, walked over to You Chong, and bent down to sit beside him. He asked with an ambiguous tone, “Is it nice to watch?”

You Chong turned his face towards him, his gaze lingering on the jacket Lin Hexi was wearing for two seconds. Instead of answering his question, he let out a light chuckle and said, “I only asked you to hold it for me; I never said you could wear it.”

Lin Hexi’s eyes curved slightly as he turned his head to look at him. “You also didn’t say I couldn’t wear it.”

You Chong’s voice remained calm, “That’s just quibbling.”

He lifted his gaze to look at Lin Hexi’s face, but all he could see was the baseball cap perched on Lin Hexi’s head, with only a small part of his face visible beneath the wide brim.

You Chong frowned, finding the baseball cap quite bothersome. He couldn’t help but reach up to remove it. “Why are you wearing a hat indoors?”

Not forgetting the injury on his face, Lin Hexi quickly turned his head to avoid You Chong’s hand, unhurriedly explaining, “My hair was too messy when I got up this morning, so I’m using the hat to keep it down.”

As expected, You Chong said nothing more and instead turned his gaze straight ahead.

Lin Hexi adjusted the brim of his hat and leaned closer, his voice gently brushing against You Chong’s ear, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Without turning his head, You Chong asked, “What question?”

Lin Hexi repeated, “Is it nice to watch?”

You Chong slightly turned his face, his expression somewhat complicated. “Lin Hexi, are you a woman?”

The person being called out looked puzzled. “What?”

You Chong replied, “Only women like to pester others with questions like that.”

The inexplicable look in Lin Hexi’s eyes deepened. “So men can’t ask that question?”

After a long silence, You Chong glanced at the jacket Lin Hexi was wearing and responded dismissively and impatiently with just two words, “It looks good.”

Lin Hexi, not very pleased, stared at the side of You Chong’s face, persistently asking, “What part looks good?”

You Chong’s expression grew increasingly peculiar. “Don’t push your luck.”

“How am I pushing my luck?” Lin Hexi muttered softly. “Then tell me, which one do you think looks the best?”

You Chong was taken aback. “Which one?”

“Yes, which one.” Lin Hexi nodded seriously, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “There are too many people who meet your standards for a girlfriend. So, tell me, which one do you like the most?”

You Chong’s expression suddenly darkened, and he remained silent for a long time.

Not noticing the change in You Chong’s expression, Lin Hexi urged him, “Well, go on, tell me.”

Quickly regaining his composure, but still annoyed by Lin Hexi’s questions, You Chong’s tone turned slightly cold. “Why are you asking this? Trying to play matchmaker?”

“Matchmaking is too much,” Lin Hexi replied modestly, speaking without a hint of guilt. “Just trying to help you screen them.”

“You’ll help me screen them?” You Chong pushed him away, and his voice turned completely cold. “How are you going to do that? And in what capacity are you going to screen them for me?”

Lin Hexi blinked lightly, tilting his head as if testing the waters. “Friend?”

Clearly, that wasn’t the right answer.

As he heard those two words, You Chong didn’t calm down; instead, his face showed even more evident anger. “Friend?” he scoffed angrily. “Are you really my friend?”

Lin Hexi was suddenly stunned.

You Chong said no more, leaving him behind as he got up and walked away, his face full of genuine anger, not a hint of pretense.

When You Chong got up, he moved too quickly, and the towel that was loosely draped around his neck slipped off his shoulder. Lin Hexi instinctively reached out and caught the towel, then pressed his lips together, silently lowering his gaze.

Could it be that they weren’t even considered friends?

The music from the cheerleading performance gradually faded, and the players in the resting area finally noticed that an extra person had appeared on their bench.

As he turned his head, Lin Hexi folded the towel neatly and placed it on the bench. When he looked back, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed that the once bright and clean ground at his feet was now covered with large shadows.

He looked up to see his view completely blocked by a group of people wearing basketball jerseys and shorts who had surrounded him.

The person in the middle stepped forward and asked in a menacing tone, “Are you Lin Hexi?”

Lin Hexi responded, “I am.”

Immediately, someone next to him said, “It was definitely him who took over our court before.”

The guy in the middle nodded, his brows tightly furrowed. “Last time, when I was on leave, was he the one trying to mess with our brother’s girl?”

The person quickly shook his head, “No, it wasn’t him. That was a misunderstanding.”

The guy turned his face back in understanding, but his expression became fierce. “Since that was a misunderstanding, I won’t mention it. But you’ve got beef with our team, and you still dare to come watch our game? And you even have the nerve to sit in our team’s resting area?”

He paused, his gaze shifting from Lin Hexi’s partially obscured face to the jacket he was wearing. Immediately, his expression turned hostile as he exclaimed, “You even dare to steal Brother Chong’s jacket and wear it?”

Lin Hexi ignored the guy’s last comment and remained seated calmly on the bench. “Aside from that previous misunderstanding, I’m not aware of any other issues between me and your team.”

Taking it as a deliberate act of arrogance and provocation, the guy glared at him and reached out to grab his collar. “Trying to play dumb in front of me? Don’t leave after the game; I’ll beat you until you remember.”

Lin Hexi turned to the side, dodging his hand, causing the guy’s arm to collide heavily with the brim of his baseball cap, knocking it off his head.

With the baseball cap no longer hiding his face, Lin Hexi’s entire face was fully exposed, including the shallow wound on his cheek.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Lin Hexi bent down to pick up his hat.

The guy snapped out of it, grabbed Lin Hexi’s arm, and yanked him up from the bench, frowning as he cautiously leaned in to check if the wound on Lin Hexi’s face was real.

The next second, You Chong’s slightly cold voice sounded from the edge of the crowd, “What are you all crowding here for? The second half is about to start.”

The players surrounding them immediately dispersed to both sides, revealing the two standing in the center of the circle.

Noticing the hand gripping Lin Hexi’s arm, You Chong’s expression darkened slightly as he addressed the guy in the basketball uniform, “Let go.”

The feigned fierceness on the guy’s face instantly vanished without a trace. Scratching his head, he complained, “Brother Chong, he took your jacket—”

You Chong interrupted him, his tone even more forceful, “Let go.”

Startled, the guy let go of Lin Hexi’s arm, staring blankly.

With his expression slightly softened, You Chong turned to glance at Lin Hexi, only to find a fresh, stark wound now crossing his once clean cheek.

You Chong’s expression darkened even further than before. His gaze sharply shifted to the guy in front of him, and his voice laced with obvious anger as he said, “Did you cause the injury on his face?”

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