Chapter Four: Playing Basketball

By the time she finished her homework and returned home, it was nearly midnight. Perhaps this was simply the life of a high school student—each day spent drowning in endless assignments.

A dreamless night passed, gentle and undisturbed. Early the next morning, Zhou Xiaoqi got up to buy breakfast from a shop and brought it to school.

“Hey, thank you for staying up late with me last night. Here’s your breakfast.” Zhou Xiaoqi placed the meal in front of Xue Ran, whose expression was one of utter despair.

The moment she saw the breakfast, Xue Ran seemed to come back to life. She jumped up from her seat, threw her arms around Zhou Xiaoqi, and mumbled, “Xiaoqi, I absolutely adore you. I went to bed so late last night that I didn’t have time for breakfast this morning. I’m starving. You’re practically a goddess sent from heaven for me.”

“Stop, stop, stop! Don’t say another word or I’ll lose my appetite,” Zhou Xiaoqi pushed Xue Ran away, her face full of mock disgust.

“Xue Ran, why don’t you and Xiaoqi come watch the basketball game during lunch? Our school heartthrob, Li Feng, will be playing today,” Wang Quan approached and suggested to Xue Ran. Xue Ran’s fondness for Li Feng was no secret in their school. Given the “closeness” she and Zhou Xiaoqi had just displayed, it seemed likely she’d bring Xiaoqi along. With this in mind, Wang Quan felt even more convinced he'd made the right decision today.

“Really?” Xue Ran grabbed Wang Quan’s arm with excitement, so enthralled one might think Li Feng stood right before her. Without waiting for Wang Quan’s reply, she turned to Zhou Xiaoqi. “Let’s go, please? I know you’ll keep me company. It’s Li Feng! He’s basically a superstar, and we never get to see him. Today, we can watch him play basketball.”

“I don’t want to go. You two go ahead,” Zhou Xiaoqi declined without a moment’s hesitation.

“How about this: I won’t make you buy me spicy hotpot anymore—just come watch Li Feng’s game with me?” Xue Ran, shamelessly persistent, clung to Zhou Xiaoqi’s arm and pleaded.

Watching Xue Ran’s antics, Wang Quan couldn’t help but shudder. His face twitched as he said, “Xue Ran, could you act normal for once? Stop doing things so out of character—it’s making me sick.” He even put on a face as if he might vomit right then and there.

“Get lost! I know what you’re up to, Wang Quan. You only mentioned Li Feng so I’d drag Zhou Xiaoqi along. If it weren’t for Li Feng, I wouldn’t be acting like this,” Xue Ran retorted with a look of both annoyance and shameless pride, her chin raised defiantly.

Unable to withstand Xue Ran’s relentless coaxing, Zhou Xiaoqi finally agreed.

Senior year was drawing to a close, yet it had unconsciously transformed the rhythm of Zhou Xiaoqi’s past three years. She had hardly any friends, and the only one who might qualify—Xue Ran—had stuck by her side all this time. She’d once tried to blend into their world, to live as they did, but in the end, it simply didn’t suit her.

Lunch break arrived. Before leaving, Wang Quan made a point to stop by Zhou Xiaoqi’s desk. “See you on the sports field,” he said, not waiting for her reply, as if sure she would come, and walked out, humming a cheerful tune.

The sports field was unusually crowded that day—probably because Li Feng, who was rarely seen, was making an appearance.

Fortunately, Xue Ran’s wide network had secured seats for them early on. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to squeeze in. The tightly packed throng reminded Zhou Xiaoqi of stories she’d heard about the Beijing subway at rush hour; perhaps the scene before her was not much different.

Everyone was shouting, “Li Feng, go! Li Feng, go!” The thunderous voices gave Zhou Xiaoqi a headache.

“See him? That’s Li Feng! Isn’t he incredibly handsome?” Xue Ran, as excited as everyone else, pointed to a boy in the distance.

Following Xue Ran’s gesture, Zhou Xiaoqi looked over. That was Li Feng—the school’s paragon. Excellent grades, captain of the basketball team; while the current trend was for boys to wear long bangs, his were shorter, adding a touch of approachable warmth to his cool demeanor. Zhou Xiaoqi was in the same year as Li Feng, and though she’d often heard about him, she paid little attention to school gossip. This was the first time she’d seen his face clearly. In all three years, she’d never heard a bad word about Li Feng, nor any mention of him having a girlfriend. Every rumor was about another prize he’d won, or how he’d topped another exam. This only enhanced his reputation even further. Sometimes, one couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t that perfection didn’t exist, but that God simply hadn’t favored you enough.

Perhaps because Zhou Xiaoqi was there, Wang Quan played with extra focus and energy. Among the fan club, there were quite a few supporters of his as well. It seemed the rumors were true: Wang Quan was indeed popular at school.