Chapter – 56
He went to throw it in the trash by himself. He seemed to walk normally, but Jiang Jian didn’t believe he felt no pain at all.
Some speculations swirled in Jiang Jian’s mind, and for a moment he wanted to ask Luo Shuxin about it.
This feeling had no basis; he had no evidence. It was purely his natural sensitivity combined with the workings of his imagination.
In the end, though, Jiang Jian didn’t ask anything.
Luo Shuxin never asked about his family, and it seemed he shouldn’t cross that boundary to pry. Just because his intentions were caring didn’t mean that overstepping could be excused or forgiven.
After the first class following the nap, Jiang Jian, filled with a deep sense of apology, accompanied Luo Shuxin to get a tetanus shot. On the way back, he imitated what Luo Shuxin liked and bought him a pack of Jin Si Monkey milk candies.
As luck would have it, there was a PE class that afternoon, and no teacher had taken over the period.
The students were still sitting in the classroom until the bell rang. Two minutes passed, and no teacher had arrived. Xia Yiming suddenly whispered, “Did we successfully survive this class?”
Everyone in the classroom exchanged glances, then dashed to the playground like wildlings.
The teacher in the next class was startled halfway through the lesson. The noise made the floor shake; all the boys ran down the stairs three steps at a time toward the playground.
Jiang Jian and Luo Shuxin lagged behind, moving with the girls. Xia Yiming was holding his girlfriend’s arm and suddenly called out to Luo Shuxin, asking about his pants.
The wound and the bandage weren’t very noticeable, but the torn pant leg flapped with each small step.
Luo Shuxin glanced at Jiang Jian. Jiang Jian immediately admitted his fault: “I did it.”
Xia Yiming’s girlfriend didn’t understand. “You ripped them?”
Xia Yiming: “?”
Xia Yiming: “You ripped his pants, why?”
Jiang Jian: “……”
Only after Xia Yiming explained to his girlfriend did they realize it sounded ambiguous, and they both apologized while laughing.
On the playground, besides Class 1, Class 8 was also having PE. After running two laps to warm up, everyone could do whatever they wanted.
Few girls liked sports, so most of them found shady spots to gossip or read novels. The boys spontaneously organized a basketball game.
Class 8 had several student-athletes—tall and strong. By comparison, Class 1, filled with students buried in homework, was weaker in basketball.
Shao Xing kept calculating and felt they didn’t have enough players. He wanted to drag Jiang Jian and Luo Shuxin in—not for anything else, but because they were tall and naturally had an advantage in basketball.
Luo Shuxin showed Shao Xing his leg, and Jiang Jian squatted beside him, fanning him with a magnolia leaf he’d just plucked from a tree. He flatly refused, saying it was too hot.
Shao Xing teased him, “Afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of all the girls, huh?”
Jiang Jian: “Exactly. Haven’t you seen my stamina? I’d just make a fool of myself.”
Shao Xing: ?
This answer was nothing like what he expected!
Shao Xing forcibly pulled Jiang Jian up. “Come on, man, I beg you. Look at these chickens in our class—all four-eyes! We can’t survive without you!”
In trying to pull Jiang Jian, Shao Xing offended several others nearby, and some protested:
“Who are you calling a chicken?”
“Others don’t say it, but Jian is whiter than me, right?”
“Xiao Xing, are you trying to quit Class 1? Hey, I’ve got a temper! Where’s my knife?”
“……”
After much persuasion, Jiang Jian finally went, and with a few others, Class 1 barely had enough players.
Class 8 had already selected their lineup and were ready.
Most of the girls, who were resting in the shade, now crowded around to support their class, driven by some mysterious sense of collective honor.
Luo Shuxin had stayed with the other boys from Class 1 who weren’t playing.
But somehow, more and more girls gathered around them, even some from Class 8.
Some girls tried to strike up a conversation with Luo Shuxin, saying they didn’t understand basketball rules and asking him to explain.
Before Luo Shuxin could answer, a boy nearby snapped, “If you don’t understand, why are you watching?”
The girl’s face flushed; she felt embarrassed.
Luo Shuxin calmly helped her save face. He admitted he didn’t understand either and said there was no law against watching.
Just then, the girls from Class 1 cheered.
They had assumed Class 1 was at a disadvantage against Class 8, with three student-athletes pressing down on them.
But once the game started, it wasn’t that one-sided.
Jiang Jian and Shao Xing had grown up together and had flawless coordination. Du Lian, though short and wearing glasses, was a basketball enthusiast who spotted weaknesses in the opposing team and organized tactics.
The match became a real back-and-forth battle.
By halftime, Jiang Jian was drenched in sweat; the back of his uniform T-shirt was soaked. When he stepped off the court and scanned the group from Class 1, his eyes immediately found Luo Shuxin.
Jiang Jian went straight to him and asked for a tissue. He was out of breath and wanted to sit, but the ground was dirty. At that moment, he wished he could just cling to Luo Shuxin.
Jiang Jian had not been exaggerating before—his stamina really was poor. He managed the first half, but the second half would be grueling.
The class monitor had just organized some people to buy water and distribute it to the players.
Luo Shuxin asked, “Are you going back in for the second half?”
Jiang Jian tilted his head and gulped half a bottle of water, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He exhaled and said, “What choice do I have? You’ll go in for me?”
His tone even carried a hint of mild complaint.
Before Luo Shuxin could answer, Jiang Jian continued, “Just kidding. Don’t mess with your leg.”
