Chapter 12

She followed Lin Yeci back to class from afar—it was the last class of the morning, and the math teacher was reviewing a quiz they had recently taken.

Even though Lin Yeci was still upset, he would occasionally stop and wait for Jiang Zhiyu to catch up.

As a typical “good student,” she remembered her manners and called out “Reporting in” before entering the classroom. The math teacher smiled warmly at Lin Yeci but quickly changed his expression upon seeing Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu ignored it and quietly returned to her seat, enduring the math class with difficulty.

Honestly, after being dormant for a few years, she admitted her skills had probably declined. Judging by the teacher’s attitude, it seemed she had already been given up on. Getting help from the teacher now would be nearly impossible.

So she made a decision—she’d ask her family to sign her up for a math tutoring class next week. Immediately.

Days passed, and the school remained the same. Her classmates still avoided her as usual.

After that incident on the bulletin board at the Moral Education Office, Lin Yeci hadn’t spoken to her since. These past few days, he had buried himself in reviewing the textbooks that he had long since worn out from use.

Lonely…

She glanced around the classroom. Most of the boys were present, but there were very few girls. That was odd—usually at this time, they’d be around gossiping in the corners or complaining about how hard studying was. But today felt different.

“Yuyu~” Zhang Qiangyi suddenly appeared at the classroom door and motioned her over with a finger. “Come out for a sec.”

The moment she stood up, her eyes met Lin Yeci’s, and she quickly looked away, flustered, walking toward Zhang Qiangyi. “What’s up?”

“Not many girls in your class either, huh?” Zhang Qiangyi leaned forward to peek into Class 9, Senior Year 3.

Jiang Zhiyu looked confused. “What do you mean also?”

“You didn’t hear? A new guy transferred into Grade 11. Rumor says he looks like Wu Yanzu. He’s playing basketball now—everyone’s gone to watch.”

Zhang Qiangyi waggled her eyebrows with excitement.

Jiang Zhiyu made a pained face and pointed toward the playground. “You’re not asking me to go with you… are you?”

“Please~ Please~” Zhang Qiangyi begged sincerely.

Jiang Zhiyu hadn’t seen that expression on her in days. Sighing helplessly, she gave in.

When they reached the playground, they saw that the edge of the basketball court was packed with girls, and on the court itself, a group of boys was doing fancy basketball tricks, attracting all the attention.

It was definitely eye-catching—totally stealing the spotlight from everything else.

“Only ten minutes between classes and they’re still showing off? That’s some next-level posturing…” Jiang Zhiyu couldn’t help but complain, totally baffled by these guys’ strange antics.

Zhang Qiangyi looked starstruck. “You don’t think they’re hot?”

“Top three cringey guy behaviors: One, pulling up their sleeves when girls are nearby; two, fake basketball moves; three, pouring mineral water over their heads,” Jiang Zhiyu muttered. These guys? Guilty on all counts.

Zhang Qiangyi’s face froze as she pointed at a chubby guy dribbling the ball. “Doesn’t that guy look familiar?”

“He does… we played with him at that escape room last time, remember?” Jiang Zhiyu nearly laughed out loud. Could it be that the so-called handsome new guy was actually Xu Leyun?

Well, to be fair, Xu Leyun did have decent features—nice eyes, proper nose.

She focused on him—his movements while passing, dribbling, and shooting were smooth and coordinated.

“Last time at the escape room, I only noticed how timid he was. Didn’t think he had basketball moves too.”

While Zhang Qiangyi was watching like a fangirl, she was also harboring a little schoolgirl crush inside.

They didn’t go onto the court, just stood on the sidelines watching.

To their surprise, lots of girls were giving Xu Leyun water, including the school beauty Ye Muwan.

Xu Leyun looked delighted, acting like he was restocking supplies, even saying, “Bring more, bring more!”

Everyone knew Ye Muwan had been heartbroken for a long time after being exposed for being fake by Lin Yeci. She gave up on him quickly and, out of nowhere, shifted her attention to the new transfer student Xu Leyun.

At first, Ye Muwan thought she was the only one he accepted water from, and she was giddy with joy, thinking she’d already charmed him.

Turned out… he accepted water from everyone. Naturally, the girls in class who loved gossip weren’t going to miss this drama.

Even He Shiduo was there, and whether it was luck or bad luck, Xu Leyun accidentally hit her on the head with a stray ball.

Xu Leyun walked over with a concerned smile. “Are you okay?”

He Shiduo, looking completely smitten, beamed. “I’m fine, I’m fine!”

“Here, have some water.” Xu Leyun reluctantly picked a bottle from the massive pile and opened it for her.

Ye Muwan’s expression froze. Jealousy and bitterness flooded her—maybe she would’ve preferred to be the one who got hit!

“Let’s go back,” Zhang Qiangyi said, disappointed. “I’ve already seen enough of Xu Leyun. That timid side of him is permanently etched in my brain—no way I’ll ever see him as cool again.”

Jiang Zhiyu checked the time. Only five minutes had passed. This break felt extra long today.

Suddenly, the chubby guy on the court pointed in her direction. Xu Leyun looked too—and soon, so did the whole group.

“What? Is there something behind us?” Jiang Zhiyu looked around.

“Nope.” Zhang Qiangyi was puzzled too.

Before they could figure it out, Xu Leyun and his basketball buddies started walking over.

The group of girls following him trailed behind like enchanted fans.

“Sister Yu!” Xu Leyun and his three buddies shouted in unison, their voices echoing loud and clear.

Jiang Zhiyu froze in embarrassment—what were they doing yelling like that in front of everyone?

The crowd surrounded her, blocking her escape. She could only stand there stiffly, smiling awkwardly.

Xu Leyun approached slowly, cornering her against the wall.

Her slim frame was dwarfed by his, and with nowhere to run, her voice faltered. “Xu… Xu Leyun, what are you doing!”

Xu Leyun clearly intended to tease her. He suddenly produced a can of strawberry milk, inserted a straw, and gently placed it against her lips.

He chuckled. “Sister Yu, you saw me earlier and didn’t even bother to come find me.” Seeing that she looked like she was about to curse at him, he leaned in close to her ear and breathed lightly. “Did I look cool playing basketball?”