“Ying Huan.”
“Hmm?”
Xu Jingyu leaned back on the sofa again, nodding towards her. “It’s alright, you can go now.”
Ying Huan, afraid that Ying Chi might say something wrong again, nodded and quickly walked away.
As for Ying Chi’s contract, he heard that Xu Jingyu got into A University based on his academic performance. Remembering Xu Jingyu’s comment about “weak chicken,” Ying Chi was still not convinced. After a long discussion with Coach Wu, they finally reached an agreement.
Ying Chi still wanted to try to get into A University. The time to join the team was postponed until the first year of university. During this period, he would follow Coach Wu’s training plan and temporarily refrain from participating in competitions.
Of course, all of this was negotiated by Ying Huan.
By the time Xu Jingyu finished training, Ying Huan had already taken Ying Chi back home. At dinner in the evening, Coach Wu mentioned the matter and couldn’t help but furrow his brow. “I don’t know if this decision is right or wrong. That little girl Ying Huan is too eloquent.”
Xu Jingyu, scooping rice, looked up and chuckled. “She’s good at coaxing people.”
Coach Wu couldn’t help but laugh, sighing, “Indeed. I rarely see siblings get along so well. Their father has kidney disease, and both siblings went for compatibility tests. Ying Huan’s test wasn’t successful, and if they can’t find a kidney donor in time for a transplant, Ying Chi will have to give his father one of his kidneys, and he won’t be able to continue as an athlete. Ying Chi didn’t want to be admitted through special admission, but then Ying Huan came to plead with me, making promises and swearing earnestly…”
Xu Jingyu paused, understanding a bit.
No wonder Ying Huan coddled Ying Chi like a patriarch.
Ying Huan and Ying Chi returned to the residential area when it was already dark. As they walked downstairs, Ying Chi suddenly called out to her, “Sis.”
“Hmm?”
Ying Huan turned to look at him.
“Do you think if one day I have to undergo surgery right before an important competition and can’t win a medal, will people scold me to death? It’s really pitiful, isn’t it?” The boy scratched his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t go after all.”
Ying Huan was taken aback.
She hadn’t thought about it so much. She simply thought that he loved boxing, so he should pursue it.
Seize the youth, strive hard, and have no regrets.
When looking back one day, there would be no regrets.
She thought for a moment, then, like petting a puppy, she patted his head.
“No, nobody will blame you.”
“We have so many people in our country. Even without you, there will be others. Someone will definitely bring back the medals.”
…
During the campus sports meeting, Ying Huan only did some logistical work and left the tasks to Zhong Weiwei while she went to do part-time work.
In the evening, when Ying Huan returned to the dormitory, she saw her three roommates gathered around the computer watching a boxing match. The three girls were excitedly watching the screen, with Lin Siyu exclaiming, “Wow, Jing Wang’s heavy punches are so cool!”
Jiang Meng’s eyes sparkled. “I heard he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
Ying Huan paused for a moment, then looked at the computer screen.
Zhong Weiwei saw Ying Huan and waved at her. “Ying Xiaohuan, come over here. Did you get the person or the name wrong? Who’s this Zhou Baihao? His name is Xu Jingyu. No wonder Lin Siyu couldn’t find him!”
Jiang Meng came from a wealthy family and had assembled a computer worth over 10,000 yuan for gaming. The computer screen was 23 inches, almost occupying the entire desk.
Ying Huan immediately spotted Xu Jingyu in red shorts and black boxing gloves on the screen.
She scoffed. “He tricked me with a fake name.”
The three of them looked at her in unison, “Huh?”
Zhong Weiwei hurriedly asked, “Why did he trick you?”
Lin Siyu chimed in, “Is he interested in you?”
Ying Huan looked at them in confusion. “How could that be? I’m not close to him at all.”
“Not close? So you know him, right?” Jiang Meng pulled her over, full of anticipation. “Hey, can you ask him out? Like for a date or something.”
Ying Huan then remembered that she still owed him two meals, but she didn’t even have his phone number or WeChat. How could she arrange a meeting? She truthfully explained that she didn’t have his contact information. Jiang Meng sat back disappointedly, continuing to drool over the computer screen. “His physique is so damn good! I want to sleep with him.”
Ying Huan: “…”
Lin Siyu said, “If I had a boxing champion boyfriend, I would walk around campus with my head held high. Let’s see who dares to bully me.”
Ying Huan: “…”
That night, Ying Huan learned that Xu Jingyu was originally supposed to be a junior. He took a year off during his sophomore year, so he’s only a sophomore this year, a year ahead of her.
Twenty years old?
Or twenty-one?
Before going to sleep, she wondered if she should ask Ying Chi to help her get Xu Jingyu’s number. But then she remembered the day when she walked out of the training room, Xu Jingyu said, “No need for dinner.”
After some thought, since he said there was no need, she decided to let it go.
During her freshman year, Ying Huan’s life was relatively dull because she didn’t participate in any clubs, student unions, or class committees. All her time was spent studying and doing part-time jobs.
Before the final exams of her freshman year, Lin Siyu said, “If you keep going like this, your social circle will get smaller and smaller! Maybe in five years, you won’t even have dated anyone!”
Ying Huan replied, “I never planned to date anyway.”
And there was no one she liked.
Jiang Meng pointed at her braces. “Do you think wearing braces is bad for dating, so you’ve given up?”
Ying Huan laughed. “Yeah.”
Braces can really ruin the mood for kissing. Who wants to kiss a mouthful of metal teeth?
Zhong Weiwei suddenly asked, “By the way, has Ying Chi’s exam results come out?”
Ying Huan pursed her lips. “Not yet, we can check them in a couple of days.”
Ying Chi had put half of his life into preparing for the college entrance exam this year, and the other half into training. The last time Zhong Weiwei went with Ying Huan to pick up Ying Chi after the exam, she felt that he had lost weight.
Once the results were out, it was quite uncertain. Scratching his head, Ying Chi randomly chose a major. “Anyway, with these lousy scores, any major could be subject to adjustment.”
Ying Huan tapped his head lightly. “Don’t joke around.”
She meticulously compared the score lines and helped him choose a major.
After receiving the admission letter, Ying Chi called Wu Qi and proudly told him about it. “See, I told you I could get into A University even without special admission. Uh… Coach, could you give Xu Jingyu a call for me?”
Glancing at Xu Jingyu, who was in the middle of training, Wu Qi asked, “Do you have something to discuss with him?”
Ying Chi replied, “Yeah, something like that.”
Wu Qi said, “Wait a moment, I’ll have him call you.”
Ying Chi felt a bit disappointed, but there was nothing he could do. “Okay.”
Ying Huan looked at him curiously after he hung up the phone. “Why are you calling him?”
Ying Chi snorted. “Didn’t he say I was a weakling? Now I’ve been admitted to A University.”
Ying Huan thought for a moment and said, “But you still can’t beat him.”
Ying Chi: “…”
On the afternoon of the last day of summer vacation, Ying Huan dragged her suitcase downstairs, preparing to take the subway home. Ying Chi called her, “Sis, I’m at the club. Are you leaving? Wait for me, I’ll finish training and come to pick you up later. We’ll go home together.”
Ying Huan stood under a big tree, avoiding the scorching sun. “Didn’t your training start tomorrow?”
Ying Chi said, “I couldn’t wait, so I came today.”
Ying Huan smiled. “Alright, I’ll wait for you. I’ll come find you.”
The club was near the West Gate, about a fifteen-minute walk from there. Taking a bus would require two stops.
A University was huge. Ying Huan walked from the dormitory building to the West Gate, feeling dizzy from the heat. When she reached the bus stop, someone behind her called out, “Hey, are you Ying Huan, the junior schoolmate?”
Ying Huan turned around.
She saw two people wearing red T-shirts, the team uniform of Tianbo Club.
She couldn’t remember their names, and their faces were quite vague to her, so she could only smile and ask, “Um, are you guys… going out to eat?”
Shi Lei grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. “You finally acknowledged me.”
Ying Huan felt a bit bewildered. “Did you call out to me before?”
Shi Lei seemed a bit aggrieved. “Yeah, once I saw you with Yang Jingcheng in the cafeteria, facing each other, I called out to you as my junior schoolmate, but you didn’t respond… Another time, I saw you when I was buying water with Xu Jingyu, but you just walked away as if you hadn’t seen us…”
Ying Huan: “…”
She was speechless and felt a bit embarrassed.
She asked, “When was that?”
She might not recognize Shi Lei, but she surely wouldn’t fail to recognize Xu Jingyu, right?
Shi Lei said, “Last month, I think.”
She further inquired, “What color was Xu Jingyu’s clothes that day?”
Shi Lei was a bit puzzled but still said, “How would I remember? Probably red, most of his clothes are red.”
Xu Jingyu came over with a bottle of water and saw Shi Lei and Yang Jingcheng surrounding Ying Huan. She had her back to him, and he walked over with the water. He overheard her question and chuckled, “Are you trying to recognize people by the color of their clothes?”
Ying Huan’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look at him.
Xu Jingyu was also wearing the team uniform, still sporting his short crew cut, and his face was the same as ever. Standing in the sunlight, he was strikingly handsome.
Ying Huan shook her head. “No, I remember you.”
Xu Jingyu squinted and said, “I was wearing black that day.”
Ying Huan remarked, “You look better in red.”
Xu Jingyu: “…”
After a few seconds, he laughed. “I know that.”
In fact, they had met once during winter break at the dental clinic. She was there for a follow-up on her braces, and he was there for a dental check-up. A University was large, but the chances of running into someone were still there.
He did indeed run into her twice.
She walked with a serious expression, paying close attention to her steps and the traffic situation, seemingly paying little attention to the people around her.
Shi Lei laughed heartily, “Red is quite flashy.”
Xu Jingyu couldn’t be bothered with him and glanced at Ying Huan’s suitcase. “Going to the club to find that kid?”
Ying Huan nodded.
He reached out and effortlessly lifted her suitcase. “Let’s go together.”
They had come out to eat and were now preparing to head back.
Xu Jingyu had already taken a few steps when he noticed Ying Huan hadn’t caught up. He turned back to look at her. “What? Do you want me to carry you too?”
Ying Huan: “…”
She pointed to the slowly approaching bus, saying, “I want to take the bus.”
Shi Lei chuckled, “That’s just two stops, a few minutes’ walk, it’s very close.”
For athletes like them, not to mention two stops, even twenty stops or running a lap around the bus wouldn’t be an issue. Ying Huan looked at the blazing sun; it was almost 40 degrees today. She insisted, “It’s too hot. I’ll take the bus and go straight to the door.”
She walked over, intending to take the suitcase.
Xu Jingyu had already picked up her suitcase and walked over. The bus slowed to a stop, and he walked to the door without much expression, seeing Ying Huan still standing in place. He chuckled lightly, “Didn’t you want to take the bus? Aren’t you getting on?”
The driver was about to close the door, so Ying Huan quickly caught up.
Shi Lei and Yang Jingcheng looked at each other. Yang Jingcheng followed her onto the bus, and just before the door closed, Shi Lei hurriedly jumped on.
The four of them stood near the front door.
Shi Lei reached for his wallet to find change and asked, “I don’t have any change, do any of you?”
Yang Jingcheng also reached for his pocket.
Xu Jingyu glanced at Ying Huan.
He hadn’t taken a bus in years.
Ying Huan felt a bit speechless, not knowing how she ended up bringing three big guys onto the bus. She swiped her bus card four times, “Let me handle it.”
They moved towards the back.
The bus was a bit crowded, with no empty seats.
Ying Huan stood near the front door, surrounded by Xu Jingyu and Shi Lei in a corner. Xu Jingyu leaned in closer, lowering his head, seemingly contemplating as he looked at the beads of sweat on the girl’s nose.
She licked her lips.
Xu Jingyu twisted open a water bottle and handed it to her.
Ying Huan was taken aback for a moment, then took it and whispered, “Thank you.”
Leaning against her suitcase, Xu Jingyu remained silent.
After three minutes, the bus approached the station.
A wave of people got off.
Shi Lei and Yang Jingcheng took two steps back. Shi Lei couldn’t help but say, “It’s so crowded here. Walking is much better, with fresh air and the open road.”
As the bus closed its doors and started moving forward, Xu Jingyu glanced down at Ying Huan and casually asked, “Ying Huan, are you face-blind?”
Ying Huan remained silent, holding onto the water bottle.
“Do you remember Shi Lei?” Xu Jingyu reminded her. “He was there when you asked me for help in the training room last time.”
Ying Huan remembered then. She pointed to the guy in the red T-shirt with very dark skin and asked, “Is his name Shi Lei?”
“Yeah. Don’t you remember?”
“He… I remember him without his shirt on.”
Ying Huan had only seen Shi Lei once, but she remembered his arms looking unusually long when he didn’t have his shirt on, and his entire body was very dark, like a gorilla. He was easy to recognize.
Xu Jingyu: “…”
Half jokingly, he suddenly chuckled.
“So, do I have to take my shirt off for you to remember me?”
