After leaving the infirmary, An Nuan and Liu Chang'an went back to the gym to gather their things. An Nuan changed into black athletic shorts, trimmed at the edges with lace that hugged her skin. Even when she moved vigorously, they wouldn't expose anything. She put on a white blouse and her school uniform jacket, combining the liveliness of a high school girl with the sexiness of a tall figure.
Most pretty girls had a talent for coordinating and styling their outfits that scored at least ninety out of a hundred.
Liu Chang'an stood outside the girls' locker room, still smiling.
"Stop laughing!" An Nuan shot Liu Chang'an a sideways glance. A faint blush colored her cheeks, and a muffled snort came from her injured nose. At that moment, more than anything, she wanted to sweep her leg out and knock him down, just to see if he'd still be smiling afterward.
He'd probably still manage to smile, An Nuan thought. She pictured Liu Chang'an sprawled on the ground after her sweep. Most likely, he'd lie there for a while, maybe even adjust his pose, then keep looking at her with that shameless grin.
They'd known each other for three years. The thought stirred a faint wistfulness in An Nuan. For an eighteen-year-old girl, childhood was mostly a blur, and the years when she'd gradually grown more sentimental about her life hadn't been many. The three years of high school were an important stretch of time.
In such an important stretch of time, you met people who made a particular impression on you.
"I looked so ugly today. Someone's probably already taken pictures and uploaded them to Weibo. When my mom finds out, she'll scold me again." An Nuan knew Liu Chang'an hadn't done it on purpose. What worried her most was how annoying her mother could be, always insisting she maintain a perfect image.
As for Liu Chang'an... An Nuan didn't expect him to feel any deep remorse. From what she knew of him, he clearly thought she'd thrown her face into his ball, and that it had nothing to do with him.
"I made two hundred yuan yesterday. Let me buy you a meal," Liu Chang'an said after a moment. He'd sent the ball curving through the air to scare An Nuan, but it should have passed in front of her. Instead, she'd jumped right into its path.
She'd lost quite a bit of blood, after all. Even if she'd hit the ball with her own face, Liu Chang'an was willing to offer her some comfort.
"Sure." A sweet smile spread across An Nuan's face, but it tugged at her nose, warping the smile at once.
"Looks like we'll have to settle for porridge," Liu Chang'an said, still smiling.
"No way!" An Nuan said angrily. "I'm going to eat and drink my fill and make you pay through the nose. I'll replenish all the blood I lost!"
Liu Chang'an thought one of the cutest things about girls was how they could give you a lovely, sweet smile one moment, then turn angry the next, as naturally as if flipping a switch.
The two walked outside. The sun hung low in the sky but hadn't yet set, and their shadows stretched long. The school's hubbub was a persistent buzzing, not like mosquitoes but like busy bees. It called to mind flowers, breezes, and honey, making it hard to be annoyed by the noise; instead, you found yourself enjoying it a little.
Liu Chang'an remembered that someone once had seventy-two disciples, though there hadn't been schools on such a vast scale back then.
"Liu Chang'an!"
The voice rang with impatient anger, as though its owner had finally found someone to vent at. Liu Chang'an looked up and saw Chen Changxiu, captain of the school basketball team and a second-year student, striding toward him in a fury.
Chen Changxiu stood 1.98 meters tall. Even in professional basketball, his height and powerful build would have been more than enough. He loomed in front of Liu Chang'an like an iron tower, broad-shouldered and imposing, his shadow falling over Liu Chang'an's smiling face.
"You're the one who hurt An Nuan's nose, aren't you?" No matter how large the Affiliated High School was, it was still just a high school. And the main person involved was An Nuan, a popular beauty. As one of her admirers, and the male lead whom many thought was a perfect match for her, Chen Changxiu had heard the news quickly. He confronted Liu Chang'an, but looked at An Nuan with concern.
"What's it to you?" An Nuan was embarrassed to admit that she'd jumped up and hit the ball with her face, and she couldn't stand Chen Changxiu's tone or expression. They made her feel awkward.
Her nose was injured, Liu Chang'an was laughing without a care, and Chen Changxiu was looking at her with concern. Yet An Nuan felt a deep dislike for the latter. To a girl, inexplicable concern and self-important sympathy weren't touching.
Chen Changxiu froze for a moment, then turned to glare at Liu Chang'an. "Since you hurt An Nuan's nose, you have to pay a price. How about this? I'll throw the ball at you. You can block it with your hand or take it in the face. Take one hit, and we'll call it even."
"Are you crazy?" An Nuan stared at Chen Changxiu in disbelief. People at school were always egging them on and linking her with Chen Changxiu, making him think he had some kind of responsibility toward her and a right to interfere.
"Don't protect him. He can throw a ball at your face, but I can't throw one at his?" Seeing An Nuan defend Liu Chang'an, jealousy churned inside Chen Changxiu. He knew An Nuan often walked home with Liu Chang'an after school. But he lived at school, so he never had that opportunity, leaving the two of them more time alone together.
"Fine."
An Nuan was about to make Chen Changxiu reconsider, but Liu Chang'an nodded.
"He's using a basketball!" An Nuan panicked. Liu Chang'an had looked pretty cool catching the ball in the gym, but was this really the time to show off to Chen Changxiu? A basketball was much heavier than a volleyball, and Chen Changxiu was the one throwing it. It wasn't impossible that one careless hit could leave Liu Chang'an's face disfigured.
An Nuan was about to say more, but Liu Chang'an reached out and covered her mouth with one hand, extending the other in front of him.
Chen Changxiu actually caught him by surprise. Before Liu Chang'an was ready, while An Nuan was talking to him, Chen Changxiu suddenly hurled the basketball at him with all his strength.
He was confident that at such close range, Liu Chang'an couldn't dodge, even if he could jump around like a monkey. He was set on smashing Liu Chang'an in the face and making his nose bleed.
"Smack!"
The basketball slammed into Liu Chang'an's palm with a heavy, forceful thud.
Chen Changxiu stared in shock. Liu Chang'an had caught the ball securely in his hands. An Nuan looked at Liu Chang'an in amazement. For him, it seemed there was no difference between a volleyball and a basketball.
Liu Chang'an uncovered An Nuan's mouth, gripped the ball with both hands, and launched it far away.
"Clang!"
The ball followed a perfect arc, its shadow sweeping across the court and sailing over the heads of the many people running, jumping, and staring. It dropped cleanly into the hoop, circled a few times, then fell and bounced across the ground.
Chen Changxiu's heart thudded like the ball. He felt humiliated by Liu Chang'an, like a class topper boasting about his grades, only for the school topper to stroll over and show him a better score.
"Got lucky." Liu Chang'an dusted off his hands and led the dazed An Nuan away.
After they'd walked several steps, An Nuan looked down at Liu Chang'an holding her hand. His fingers were long and pale, the sort of hands people imagined were suited to playing the piano. They seemed made to play moving melodies, yet she hadn't expected them to send a ball along such a perfect arc.
His hand was warm, too. An Nuan felt the warmth travel into her, as if it were winding its way into her heart.
"Did you just spit into my palm?" Liu Chang'an let go of An Nuan's hand and turned back to her in confusion.
"Pfft. I'm not crazy." An Nuan glared at him. If she'd known he could pull off such a stunt, she wouldn't have worried about him.
"Chen Changxiu is a bit crazy. He has high cheekbones like a scraper, which means he's mean-spirited. His eyes bulge and his brows are unruly. People with a face like that are usually hot-tempered and have poor self-control. They're prone to brawling, can't tell right from wrong, and like to throw punches without knowing the facts." Liu Chang'an spoke to An Nuan with a serious expression. "If you ever end up with him, be careful. I've met lots of people with faces like his, and they all like to beat their wives."
"How could I end up with him?" An Nuan said in disbelief. "I don't even like him."
"Don't people say you two are a couple?" Liu Chang'an asked, confused.
An Nuan kept glaring at him, gradually looking more and more annoyed. Her breathing quickened, and her chest rose and fell.
"I'm joking." Liu Chang'an laughed.
"I... I'm going to strangle you!" Exasperated, An Nuan reached out and pinched Liu Chang'an's waist.
It only tickled a little. Liu Chang'an turned to look at An Nuan, and she started laughing again.
May gave way to June, and there wasn't much time left. I won't be mad at you anymore.
Before you continue