Chapter 26

In the SF base, a row of computers lit up in unison, illuminating the focused faces of five people in front of the screens.

After finishing a training match, the five of them took a break: some drank water, while others went to the bathroom.

Yi Shen, sitting next to Yu Linran, stretched lazily and turned his head to ask, “Hey, bro, it seems like Ying Nian hasn’t come to watch the matches for a long time, right?”

Yu Linran glanced at him but didn’t answer directly, instead saying, “Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“I noticed she hasn’t posted any on-site photos for a while, and she didn’t bring cake for the last two matches either. Feels kind of odd,” Yi Shen said. “Plus, she hasn’t updated her Weibo recently.”

Cheng Run tightened the cap of his water bottle, listened to their conversation, and chimed in, “You’re still thinking about a fan’s cake? Have some self-respect!”

Yi Shen clicked his tongue, “No, I’m just curious about where she went!”

“She’s in class,” Yu Linran said indifferently. “The new semester started, so she doesn’t have time to follow every match.”

“Then why hasn’t she updated her Weibo either?”

“She has some stuff going on, pretty busy.”

Yi Shen wanted to ask more, but Yu Linran had already put on his headphones, so he had to keep quiet.

Cheng Run quietly nudged Yi Shen, “The captain seems to know a lot about Ying Nian’s activities, huh?”

Yi Shen then realized, “Oh, really? The captain he…”

“The headphones aren’t on mute.” Yu Linran’s eyes were fixed on the screen, his tone calm yet commanding, “I can hear you.”

Cheng Run: “…”

Yi Shen: “…”

The two who were chatting immediately fell silent.

Yu Linran ignored them and focused on his computer.

However, he couldn’t help but be somewhat distracted.

The last time Ying Nian reached out to him was actually not too long ago, and it wasn’t to ask if she could watch the S-series matches in person, but rather, it was after that day.

She messaged him on WeChat, saying she was troubled by something, and asked, [If you see someone in trouble, and you can help, but it’s not as easy as lifting a finger—it might even bring some minor troubles. Should you help?]

He replied with three words at the time: [It depends.]

Afterward, Ying Nian said, [Okay, I’ve almost made up my mind.]

Before she could finish, she disappeared from the conversation. Yu Linran followed up, asking, [You’ve decided to help, haven’t you?]

She didn’t hide it and openly admitted that she had.

At that moment, perhaps out of boredom, he asked one more question: [If I had said not to help, what would you have decided?]

Before she could answer, he added, [You would still follow your own thoughts, wouldn’t you?]

Ying Nian said, [Yes.]

Her tone was firm, suggesting that no matter what he said next, Ying Nian wouldn’t change her mind.

She had always appeared obedient and attentive in front of Yu Linran, like the perfect fan. This was the first time Yu Linran had slightly glimpsed into her life, and also the first time he sensed this side of her.

She had her own ideas and her own way of thinking. She sought his opinion, but once she made a decision, she wouldn’t waver.

Amid her gentle demeanor, there was also a kind of self-assured independence.

It was a bit of a different kind of charm.

Since then, Ying Nian had been so busy that she hadn’t had time for anything else, and it had been quite a while since she last messaged him.

The screen’s image switched to the final frame, and no longer changing. It took Yu Linran another seven or eight seconds to snap back to reality. He pressed his lips together slightly, refocusing his attention and driving away thoughts unrelated to training.

…

The girl Ying Nian encountered in the first-floor women’s restroom was named Ding Yi.

One day, while passing by the classroom office building, Ding Yi was stopped by a senior year teacher who asked her to pass a message to a student in his class, notifying a boy to go to the office. This seemingly simple task unexpectedly brought her a lot of trouble.

Among the girls who bullied Ding Yi, the leader was named Li Yunyun, a senior student. Li Yunyun had a crush on the boy Ding Yi was asked to notify and had a fiery temper. Even though Ding Yi was just running an errand, Li Yunyun took the lead in bullying her.

They had various ways of tormenting Ding Yi. Besides pranks, whenever they were in a bad mood—like the day Ying Nian stumbled upon them—they would resort to physical “lessons” for Ding Yi.

Ding Yi had a quiet personality, spoke softly, and was overly timid, making her seem like an easy target for anyone. The day Ying Nian saw her crying in the restroom, she asked around among the students of the same grade that evening. She found out that Ding Yi had average grades, was generally well-behaved, and had no bad records. Her classmates got along with her well, and no one had anything bad to say about her.

Turning to familiar teachers for further inquiry, the feedback was also positive. Although Ding Yi wasn’t outstanding, she at least earned compliments for being well-mannered.

After considering everything, Ying Nian decided to intervene in this matter.

“After school this afternoon, walk home with Jiang Jiashu. You know Jiang Jiashu, right? He’s my brother, and he’ll wait for you. With him, there’ll be more people around, and it’ll be harder for them to mess with you.”

Ying Nian instructed Ding Yi, “Remember, don’t be alone under any circumstances! If you find yourself cornered while alone, don’t hesitate- take the first chance you get to run. Just get away first. Any other time, if I’m around, I don’t believe they’d dare to act up! If they come in front of me, I’ll kick them all the way across the street to the school gate!”

Ding Yi followed Ying Nian’s advice and, after school, obediently trailed behind Jiang Jiashu and his group, looking timid and like someone who had been bullied.

Jiang Jiashu, having been entrusted by his sister, naturally took it upon himself to take good care of her. He even invited a few of his female friends to join them for dinner, fearing that Ding Yi might feel awkward. However, she still didn’t talk to anyone, making her even harder to manage than a rabbit!

Meanwhile, Ying Nian went to the senior year classrooms to find someone—the root of the problem, the blue-eyed troublemaker, the person who was at the center of the issue yet remained hidden throughout the whole situation: the boy Li Yunyun had a crush on, Cheng Shaoxuan.

Most of the students in Cheng Shaoxuan’s class had already left; he was sitting in the last row, slowly packing his things and just about to leave.

Ying Nian walked straight up to him. “Are you Cheng Shaoxuan?” She had already confirmed his identity from the student photos, and after verifying, she got straight to the point. “Do you know Ding Yi?”

Cheng Shaoxuan squinted his eyes, frowning with a look of impatience. “No, I don’t… who are you?”

“Do you know Li Yunyun?”

“So what if I do?” Cheng Shaoxuan rolled his eyes at Ying Nian. “Who the hell are you, anyway? Here to check my household registration?”

He was sitting while Ying Nian stood, looking down at him. “I’m Ying Nian from Class 1, Grade 11.”

“Oh.” He had heard of her. Cheng Shaoxuan knew who she was, but he had always been a carefree, delinquent type who didn’t like studying. Although he looked refined and delicate, he relied on his family’s decent background, hung out with troublemakers, and always held good students in contempt. “You’re Ying Nian? What do you want? If there’s nothing, get out of the way!”

Ying Nian said, “Ding Yi came to find you once before, delivering a message from your homeroom teacher asking you to go to the office. Li Yunyun saw her when she came to call you, and now she’s being bullied badly by Li Yunyun.”

Cheng Shaoxuan remained unmoved. “I don’t even know her; what does that have to do with me?” He raised his chin, provoking Ying Nian. “Don’t think you’re all that just because you have good grades and act like a big shot. What are you trying to pull here? So what if you’re an outstanding student? I can take down any good student with a single punch!”

Just as he finished speaking, Ying Nian lifted her right foot and kicked hard. The desk beside Cheng Shaoxuan made a heavy “thud” as it flipped over, crashing into the three desks in front of it, knocking them all down.

“If you keep acting cocky, my next kick will land on your face-“

Ying Nian had her hands in her pockets, leaning slightly toward him. Her eyes were dark and intense, and her voice carried an unusual coldness.

The two other students who hadn’t left yet were startled. They turned around, quickly grabbed their belongings, and dashed out of the room.

Cheng Shaoxuan was stunned.

Clearly, he was the guy and Ying Nian was the girl; he was the troublemaker, and she was the good student. Yet, when the word “I” came out of her mouth with that tone, it sounded far more intimidating than when he said it.

Realizing she wouldn’t get what she wanted from Cheng Shaoxuan and finding him unreliable, Ying Nian couldn’t be bothered to waste more words on him. She turned around and left.

“Put the desks and chairs back in place. Otherwise, every time I see you, I’ll kick you again!”

Before leaving, Ying Nian threw out that line, leaving Cheng Shaoxuan completely dumbfounded.

What the hell… who’s the bad student, and who’s the good one here?!

…

Jiang Jiashu brought dinner for Ying Nian, and the two met in the pavilion behind the classroom building. As Ying Nian ate her meal, Jiang Jiashu said, “That Ding Yi, her personality is really awkward. I’ve never seen someone like that… She didn’t even eat dinner tonight!”

Ying Nian looked up. “Why?”

“She was too embarrassed to eat! I think she didn’t bring any money, so I told her I’d treat her, but she just refused no matter what! While we were eating, she just sat there doing nothing for half the time and didn’t take a single bite!”

“Not a single bite?”

“Yeah.”

Ying Nian sighed, “This girl really doesn’t let people relax.”

Then she directed Jiang Jiashu, “Go buy some bread for me, quick.”

Jiang Jiashu knew she wanted to give it to Ding Yi, so he accepted his fate and went off to run the errand.

…

After being startled by the unexpected guest, Ying Nian, Cheng Shaoxuan felt quite uneasy. After some thought, he decided to find that girl named Ding Yi.

He went to the Grade 11 area, asking around with some guys he knew until he finally found out what she looked like and where she might be.

Aftrr following the directions given by her classmates, he headed to the school parking lot, where he saw a delicate-looking girl sweeping the ground. Cheng Shaoxuan figured she was probably the one, so he took a big stride and walked over to her.

“Hey, you…”

Just as he reached her and managed to say one word, the girl looked up, her face showing a hint of surprise. In the next second, a bucket of water suddenly splashed down from upstairs, and the two of them yelped simultaneously as they were drenched from head to toe.

Cheng Shaoxuan and the shocked Ding Yi stared at each other in disbelief.

Just then, Ying Nian appeared, carrying a bag of bread. Seeing the scene before her, she frowned deeply.

“What are you doing?!”

She shouted, striding forward and swiftly kicking Cheng Shaoxuan to the ground.

“…Damn!”

Caught off guard, Cheng Shaoxuan fell flat, clutching his stomach as he sat up, completely soaked and in a disheveled state. He cursed furiously, “Are you freaking nuts?! When I wasn’t dealing with this mess, you kicked me, and now that I am, you still kick me? Are you even a girl? Why do you kick so hard?!”

Ying Nian ignored him and asked Ding Yi, “Are you okay?”

Ding Yi, nearly in tears, stammered, “I-I’m fine.”

“Did he bully you?”

She shook her head.

Ying Nian noticed her disheveled appearance. “Why are your clothes all wet?”

Ding Yi, with reddened eyes, said, “Upstairs… someone… someone poured water.”

Ying Nian glanced up, but the figure had already disappeared. She then looked at Cheng Shaoxuan sitting on the ground and got a general idea of what had happened. He probably got caught in the situation by chance, but since it all started because of him, he pretty much deserved it.

Ying Nian handed the bread to Ding Yi, “Eat it.”

Ding Yi hesitated, not wanting to take it, but Ying Nian insisted firmly, “I said eat it!”

Ding Yi had no choice but to timidly accept the bread.

Seeing her immediately stuff it into her mouth, Ying Nian sighed, “At least dry yourself off first. If the wind blows, do you want to catch a cold or something?”

Ding Yi quickly raised her hand to wipe the water off her face, looking utterly meek yet obedient. “I-I understand, I’ll do it now…”

She looked like a bullied little wife, and Ying Nian felt a headache coming on just from watching her.

“Head back to the classroom first.” After saying that, Ying Nian turned to leave.

Ding Yi instinctively followed behind her. “Where are you going?!”

“I’m going to check out the senior year area.”

“But—”

“Hey! Am I invisible or what?!” Cheng Shaoxuan, annoyed at being ignored, jumped up, brushing the mud off himself while angrily shouting at the two who were talking as if he weren’t there.

Ying Nian shot him a cold glare. “Shut up!”

She turned back to Ding Yi and said, “Go back to the classroom.”

Ding Yi, looking uneasy with her reddened eyes dim, said, “Those senior year girls are really fierce. If you go alone…”

“What kind of seniors are they?” Ying Nian scoffed, rolling her neck and stretching her muscles. “Aren’t the middle school and first-year students supposed to call us their seniors too?”

Ding Yi stared blankly.

A sharp glint flashed in Ying Nian’s eyes, and she smirked mockingly, “Who isn’t a senior themselves!”