After May Comes June

After exiting the infirmary, An Nuan and Liu Chang'an returned to the gymnasium to pack their things. An Nuan had changed into a pair of black athletic shorts with lace trim hugging her skin, ensuring that even with wide movements, she wouldn't have a wardrobe malfunction. She wore a white blouse under her school jacket, embodying both the liveliness of a high school girl and the allure of her tall, slender figure.

Most pretty girls have scored over ninety points in the talent of how to dress and style themselves.

Liu Chang'an stood outside the women's locker room, a smile still lingering on his face.

"Still laughing!" An Nuan shot Liu Chang'an a glare, a faint flush on her cheeks. A muffled snort escaped her injured nose; at this moment, she wanted nothing more than to sweep her leg and kick him, just to see if he could still keep smiling.

He probably still would. An Nuan imagined the scene of Liu Chang'an being swept to the ground by her; in all likelihood, he would just lie there for a while, perhaps adjust his posture, and continue to look at her with that shameless grin.

They had known each other for three years. Thinking of this, An Nuan felt a faint sense of sentimentality. For an eighteen-year-old girl, excluding the infancy she had no memory of, the years during which one gradually becomes sentimental about their own life were not long, and these three years of high school counted as a very important period.

In this very important period, she had met some people who felt particularly special.

"I looked so ugly today. I bet someone has already taken photos and uploaded them to Weibo. If my mom finds out, she's going to scold me again." An Nuan knew Liu Chang'an hadn't done it on purpose, but what worried her most was her mother's attitude, which was particularly annoying; she always demanded that An Nuan maintain a perfect image.

As for Liu Chang'an... An Nuan didn't expect him to feel deep guilt, because based on her understanding, in Liu Chang'an's eyes, it was clearly her who had used her face to collide with his ball, and it had nothing to do with him.

"I earned two hundred yuan yesterday, let me treat you to a meal," Liu Chang'an said after a moment's thought. The curveball he had thrown was originally just meant to scare An Nuan, as the ball should have passed in front of her, but she had jumped right into its flight path.

After all, she had bled quite a bit. Even if she had collided with the ball face-first, Liu Chang'an was willing to express some consolation.

"Okay." A sweet smile appeared on An Nuan's face, though it tugged at her nose, instantly distorting the expression.

"Looks like we'll have to settle for porridge then." Liu Chang'an continued to smile.

"No way!" An Nuan said indignantly. "I want to feast and make you bleed money, to make up for the blood I lost."

Liu Chang'an felt that the lovely thing about girls was that they could give you a beautiful, sweet smile one moment, and the next, their angry attitude would be so natural, a seamless transition.

In the long river of life, colorful girls are like the spray that history will eventually annihilate, destined to dissipate into nothingness. Yet, without these splashes, no matter how long the river, it would ultimately be too deathly silent.

The two walked out the door. The setting sun was slanted and had not yet set, casting long shadows. The clamor of the campus was a lingering hum, not like mosquitoes, but like busy bees, letting one know of flowers, breezes, and honey, preventing annoyance and instead giving rise to a sense of enjoyment.

Liu Chang'an remembered that someone once had seventy-two disciples, only back then, there were no schools of such massive scale.

"Liu Chang'an!"

The voice carried impatient anger, as if it had finally found a target for venting. Liu Chang'an looked up to see the captain of the school basketball team, second-year student Chen Changxiu, walking over in a rage.

Chen Changxiu was one meter ninety-eight tall; even for professional games, this height and sturdy build were sufficient. He stood before Liu Chang'an like an iron tower, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, the shadow he cast obscuring the smile on Liu Chang'an's face.

"You're the one who hurt An Nuan's nose, right!" No matter how big the affiliated high school was, it was still just a high school, and since the protagonist of the accident was a popular beauty like An Nuan, Chen Changxiu—as her pursuer and the male lead in many people's eyes—had quickly gotten the news. He questioned Liu Chang'an while looking at An Nuan with pained concern.

"What does it have to do with you?" An Nuan felt embarrassed to say she had jumped up and hit the ball with her face, but she was very impatient with Chen Changxiu's tone and expression, which made her feel awkward.

With her nose injured, Liu Chang'an's heartless smile, and Chen Changxiu's pained gaze, An Nuan felt a sense of repulsion toward the latter. For a girl, inexplicable concern and self-righteous pity were not moving at all.

Chen Changxiu paused, then turned to glare at Liu Chang'an. "Since you caused An Nuan's nose injury, you have to pay a price. How about this: I'll throw the ball, and whether you block it with your hand or take it with your face, once you've taken a hit, this matter will be settled."

"Are you sick?" An Nuan looked at Chen Changxiu in disbelief. It was just some people in school stirring up trouble, always linking her and Chen Changxiu together, which made Chen Changxiu think he had some kind of responsibility or standing regarding her.

"Don't protect him. He could smash a ball into your face, so why can't I smash one into his?" Seeing An Nuan defend Liu Chang'an, jealousy surged in Chen Changxiu's heart. He knew An Nuan often walked home with Liu Chang'an after school, but as a boarding student, he never had that opportunity, which had wasted so much time for them to be alone together.

"Fine."

An Nuan wanted to make Chen Changxiu drop the idea, but Liu Chang'an nodded.

"He's using a basketball!" An Nuan said urgently. It was cool when Liu Chang'an caught the ball in the gym, but was this the time for him to show off to Chen Changxiu? A basketball was much heavier than a volleyball, and with Chen Changxiu throwing it, it wasn't impossible that he could accidentally deform his face.

An Nuan was about to say more, but Liu Chang'an reached over and covered her mouth, his other hand reaching forward.

Chen Changxiu actually launched a sneak attack. Not waiting for Liu Chang'an to be ready, he took advantage of An Nuan talking to him and hurled the basketball fiercely at Liu Chang'an.

He was confident; at such close range, even if Liu Chang'an could hop around like a monkey, he wouldn't be able to dodge. He was determined to smash Liu Chang'an's nose until it was covered in blood.

"Thwack!"

The basketball collided with the palm, producing a dull, impactful sound.

Chen Changxiu was dumbfounded; the basketball had been caught steadily by Liu Chang'an. An Nuan looked at Liu Chang'an in surprise; to him, it seemed there was no difference between a volleyball and a basketball.

Liu Chang'an let go of An Nuan's mouth, held the ball with both hands, and threw it from a distance.

"Clang!"

A perfect parabola, the shadow of the basketball crossed the court, passing over the many people who were active, jumping, or dazed, and landed steadily into the hoop. It spun a few times before falling through, bouncing once on the ground.

Just like Chen Changxiu's heart, it pounded. He felt humiliated by Liu Chang'an, like a student who was proud of his grades suddenly having the top student in the grade run over to show him his own score.

"A bit of a coincidence." Liu Chang'an clapped his hands and pulled the dazed An Nuan away.

After walking several steps, An Nuan looked down at the hand Liu Chang'an was holding. His hands were slender and fair, the kind of hands people imagined were suited for playing the piano. Such hands should have been able to perform moving musical pieces, yet she hadn't expected him to be able to throw such a perfect curve.

Moreover, his hand was warm, and An Nuan felt a warmth being transmitted, drilling into her heart.

"Did you spit in my palm just now?" Liu Chang'an let go of An Nuan's hand and looked back, puzzled.

"Pfft, I'm not a lunatic." An Nuan glared at him hard. If she had known he had this impressive skill, she wouldn't have wasted her time worrying about him.

"Chen Changxiu is a bit of a lunatic. This person has high cheekbones, shaped like a scraper, and a mean-spirited heart. His eyes are protruding, and his eyebrows are messy. Generally, people with this physiognomy have a violent temperament, low self-control, and are prone to fighting. They don't distinguish right from wrong, are unreasonable, and like to resort to violence without rhyme or reason." Liu Chang'an said seriously to An Nuan. "If you end up with him in the future, you'd better be careful. I've seen many people with this physiognomy, and they all like to beat their wives."

"How could I ever be with him?" An Nuan said incredulously. "I don't even like him."

"Isn't everyone saying you're a couple?" Liu Chang'an looked at An Nuan in confusion.

An Nuan continued to glare at him hard, gradually looking a bit infuriated, her chest heaving with rapid breaths.

"Just kidding." Liu Chang'an laughed.

"I... I'll strangle you!" An Nuan was exasperated, reaching out to pinch Liu Chang'an's waist.

Liu Chang'an only felt a bit ticklish; he turned his head to look at An Nuan, and she started laughing again.

After May comes June; there isn't much time left, so I won't be angry with you anymore.