Lunch. Wednesday.
The sun was shining unobscured by the clouds and the sky was vast and blue. Sometimes the yellowed leaves would ruffle softly in the trees causing the shadows beneath to dance.
On the basketball court two teams were having a tense match. A tall figure was standing at the three point line. He looked around quickly and realised that his opponent was in the wrong position and no one was marking him.
"Pass!"
The ball whooshed to his hand. He could see a figure quickly rushing toward him. The tall boy quickly faked a three point shot and dashed past the incoming defender. When he reached the free throw line he dribbled the ball past another defender and then took a giant leap.
His hand was extended and he flew into the air in a graceful arc. The boy had a look of determination in his eyes as he…tossed the ball lightly in the hoop.
"Nice layup!"
"Good job! We're winning now!"
The boy's teammates began to high five him one after the other. At the side watching the game were a group of girls, they seemed to be in first and second year. As soon as the ball went into the hoop they all cheered loudly.
However, the boy didn't pay attention to any of this. He coolly pushed his fluffy bangs back with a serious face and rushed back into his position, "Come on, don't get distracted!"
Suddenly, the person who he was defending spoke.
"Boss Zhang, were you trying to dunk again?"
"Dammit Ye Fan!"
Zhang Li was embarrassed. If I was wearing my Jordans I could've made that!
The game lasted for a few minutes until they took a break. After all, it was just a friendly match.
Zhang Li headed to the shade with a towel over his head and sat down. Just then from the corner of his eye, a hand reached out holding a water bottle.
"Thanks Lin Yuan." Zhang Li didn't expect this deskmate to be so sensible.
"Huh?" However when he looked up he realised it was not his moody classmate but an unfamiliar young girl.
"Who are you?"
"Um, my name is Huo Jing…Senior Zhang I'm your fan!" The young girl suddenly pushed the bottle into his hands and then ran off before Zhang Li could say anything.
"Boss Zhang, you're so popular!" A few of the boys who were playing basketball joined Zhang Li in the shade.
"Shut up idiot! Here you have it." Zhang Li tossed it toward Ye Fan.
"Hehe, thanks Boss!"
"By the way, I heard you confessed, you bastard!" Zhang Li said with a bitter tone, "I bet you got rejected!"
"No!" Ye Fan quickly retorted. Then he smiled sheepishly, "She said she can't date in highschool."
"That's obviously a rejection." Zhang Li shattered his dreams with a calm voice.
The other boys also agreed.
However, Ye Fan just shook his hands, "No, no, it's because her parents won't let her date. Actually I'm willing to wait…"
Zhang Li looked at this tall boy who looked love sick and felt disgusted. He sighed, "Love really makes you act like a fool."
"By the way Boss Zhang, you know the movie on Saturday, can you ask Zhang Yin to talk to Jing Yao…"
"Hah? Why are you inviting the girls? Also why Zhang Yin?"
"Wu Qing said they always hang out."
"Damn that kid is so troublesome!" How come everyone is so obsessed with love these days. Zhang Li felt like the morality of the class was slipping.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell Zhang Yin." Zhang Li said so, but actually he wasn't going to. He felt like he should be a responsible student and bring people back to the right path.
At this moment, Lin Yuan returned. He was holding a bottle of iced tea in his hand.
Zhang Li quickly darted forward and grabbed the drink and quickly drained it.
"What are you doing?" Lin Yuan's face was dark.
"Why did you take so long? This is your tax!" Zhang Li handed back the almost empty bottle, "Here, there's some left."
"..." What are you, a vacuum?
Zhang Li and others relaxed for a while then returned to the court. Lin Yuan watched them.
He was originally sitting close to the first and second year girls but he moved when they were getting too loud.
Sitting under the shade of a tree, Lin Yuan was absent minded. He recalled his first meeting with Zhang Li after he transferred. Even though they were not that familiar then, he instantly told him to call him Boss Zhang and he would look after him. Of course, Lin Yuan just ignored him.
Actually, Zhang Li was a bit of a delinquent in first year. He would get into fights with people from other schools but because he was good at basketball he won a lot of people over with his skills.
Lin Yuan remembered that he even bleached his hair on the first day of second year, but that only lasted a day before he came back to school with a shaved head. Apparently his mom had chased him around the neighbourhood with a rolling pin.
Still, even though Lin Yuan never called him Boss Zhang, Zhang Li ook care of him.
Lin Yuan glanced down at the bottle of iced tea.
…
…
…
5:30 pm.
When Lin Yuan got to Ning Qing's house, she had also just arrived. She invited him into the living room where Baozi was watching tv with her grandmother.
"Lin Yuan, you're here!" Grandma Ning got up from the couch, "Let me get you something to drink!"
"Hello." Lin Yuan greeted the old woman who was now hurrying to the kitchen.
Then he squatted down and pet the fat cat that had rushed down from the sofa.
"Hello Baobao, did you miss me?"
"Meow!" The fat cat was very clingy. It would usually be like this for a few minutes until it got used to him and was sure he wouldn't leave.
Ning Qing watched the two figures with a smile.
"Your mother is coming today right?"
"Yes."
Lin Yuan took out his phone to check what time she was coming, when he realised that he had received a new message.
[Sorry Lin Yuan, I'll be running late. I'll be picking up Yuerong later from her company so just have dinner without us.]
[Oh and apologise to Ning Qing for me.]
Looking at the time, it showed the message was sent two hours ago.
"..." Lin Yuan felt he really should stop muting his phone.
"What's wrong?" Ning Qing saw that he suddenly went silent after looking at his phone.
"My mother said she'd be late. She told me to apologise that she can't have dinner with you."
"Oh, then tell Aunt Feng we can have dinner next time…" Ning Qing glanced at Lin Yuan's face, but he didn't seem upset.
At this time Grandma Ning came out holding a tray of drinks. "Ning Qing, are you going to have dinner here?"
"Yes, Grandma, Aunt Feng said she'll be late."
"Then Lin Yuan, why don't you just have dinner with us?" Grandma Ning handed him a glass of cold juice.
Grandma Ning gave her granddaughter a look.
"Yes, yes, that's a good idea." Ning Qing smiled.
Grandma Ning ignored her unhelpful daughter, "You can do your tutoring here, and then we'll have dinner okay?"
Lin Yuan was about to refuse. He didn't want to impede.
However, this time Ning Qing took charge, "Okay, don't refuse, it'll be easier for me. You're not forcing me to walk are you?"
"Also you don't mind if we start early right, you have your textbooks right?"
Lin Yuan didn't even have time to speak as Ning Qing had already taken his bag, and ushered him to the dining table. He was surprised, she seemed more forceful than before.
Grandma Ning smiled when she saw him sitting obediently at the dinner table getting his books out.
"Lin Yuan, isn't it better to always just do your tutoring here? Then you don't have to walk back and forth at night. You can have dinner with us as well. Look at how thin you are, you're not eating enough!"
"Uh…" Lin Yuan suddenly felt like he was caught in a whirlwind.
Thankfully, Ning Qing stopped her grandma from pressing too much.
So when Ning Yao arrived later she was surprised to see her sister seriously teaching a familiar boy at the dining table.
However, she took one look at the fat cat lying on the couch and her curiosity was instantly thrown away.
"Mr Moonlight!" Ning Yao was excited. She had missed seeing the fat cat yesterday because her school was farther away so she came home later.
But before Ning Yao could restart the game of cat and mouse, Ning Qing's voice came.
"Xiaoyao can you stay in your room for a while while I'm teaching Lin Yuan?"
"Oh, okay." Ning Yao was disappointed that she couldn't play with the fat cat, but she thought she would have a chance after Lin Yuan was done.
Lin Yuan watched her go to her bedroom, "I'm disturbing you."
Ning Qing just shook her head, "Don't worry."
"But…"
"Then do you want to study in my room instead?" Ning Qing said with a smile.
"..." Lin Yuan felt she was getting too arrogant, so he said forcefully, "Okay that's fine with me."
He even got up calmly and began packing away his things.
"Alright, alright, sit down." Ning Qing was helpless. This boy was too stingy.