CH 12

The bell outside had stopped ringing, but its sound still echoed in the air. Xi Ning lay in bed, took out her phone, checked the alarm clock for the following morning, and was about to switch to airplane mode and sleep when Xi Mu sent her several pictures of cats.

“Remember the basketball game on Wednesday,” he wrote.

Xi Ning raised an eyebrow at the abrupt change in his tone from the fawning messages he had sent earlier. She pulled down the notification bar and turned on airplane mode. She closed her eyes and lay flat on the bed.

When she was downstairs in the laboratory, she had indeed been tempted by Xi Mu’s offer, but now she realized that it was difficult for her to help him win over Kong Nianxi, especially since Kong was so popular in school and already had many suitors. She had nonchalantly put the milk tea on the table for him earlier, and though she did have some motive for giving him the umbrella, it was only to help him out a little. She was just one of many people trying to please Kong, and there was no reason for Kong to notice her.

However, things had taken an unexpected turn. In just a few days, the relationship between her and Kong had undergone a qualitative change from 0 to 1.

She didn’t know if Xi Mu had succeeded in making an impression on his “goddess,” but because of the milk tea incident, Xi Ning found herself getting closer to Kong Nianxi. Even today, when they met in the restroom, Kong greeted her first, which was a first since the start of the school year. However, it was only because Kong’s electrifying cat eyes were staring directly at her, and it would have been impolite not to respond.

It was Wednesday afternoon, during physical education class on the playground. The sports committee was lining up, and Xi Ning stood naturally at the back of the girls’ row, her gaze skimming over the girls in front of her to the basketball court in the distance.

Suddenly, the girl in front of her changed position for some reason, and Xi Ning looked up to see a taller and more graceful figure in front of her. She felt a strange sense of familiarity, and then a familiar fragrance wafted into her nostrils.

The sweet scent with a hint of coolness was the perfume that Xi Ning had been forced to smell for an entire afternoon two days ago. It was said that one could tell a person’s character from the smell of their fragrance.

“Let’s play a game today, shall we?” The physical education teacher, a tall and thin young man, clapped his hands and proposed.

The students immediately protested. “Come on, teacher, we’re all too old for games.” “Don’t be silly, let’s just run two laps and have free time.” But their protests were in vain.

“Alright, we’ve been in school for over a month now, and it’s time to build some team spirit and get to know each other better. Let’s pair up, one person in front and one person behind, and play that game where you have to push your partner. You all know the rules, right?”

There was a burst of laughter from below. “Oh, that flirtatious game? We know it!” “Hey, this is a good idea, but can you assign me a girl partner, teacher?”

The physical education teacher clapped his hands again. “Okay, that’s enough, everyone be quiet. Boys with boys and girls with girls, partner up now. Whoever wins doesn’t have to run later.”

As soon as they heard that they didn’t have to run, the previously disorganized line-up suddenly became restless. They quickly found their opponents and were eager to start.

Xi Ning stood rooted to the spot, her body stiff with resistance to the game.

Qingye High School required all students to wear school uniforms while on campus. For convenience during physical education classes, the school had also implemented a set of uniform sportswear. As a result, the schoolyard was filled with students dressed in green and white.

Kong Nianxi slowly turned around, her white blouse draped over her slender shoulders, accentuating her delicate figure. Her long hair was loosely tied up, and the skin revealed by her collar was as white as jade.

She stood quietly, with a faint smile on her face, without any intention of speaking first.

Xi Nong moved her lips but didn’t make a sound, and the two of them stood motionless, facing each other, looking out of place among the noisy crowd.

“Why am I not standing behind Sister Xi?”

“Come on, even if you, a guy, stand behind her, so what?”

“Is Xi Nong in the same group as Nianxi? Ah, they look so beautiful together.”

Xi Nong stood frozen in place, able to hear the occasional comments from the surrounding crowd. She began to feel uneasy and eventually took a step closer before the physical education teacher arrived. She raised her hands and said, “Shall we begin?”

“Sure,” Kong Nianxi replied with a smile.

Those who had seen variety shows probably knew the rules of this game called “push hands.” Two people stand facing each other at close range, and each person can only touch the other person’s palm. The first person to be pushed down loses.

Xi Nong was usually competitive, but she didn’t feel that desire to compete against Kong Nianxi at the moment.

“Isn’t the distance between us a bit too far?”

Xi Nong had already assumed her posture when she heard Kong Nianxi speak. She looked down at their distance and compared it to the other groups. She felt it was appropriate and said, “There should be no problem…”

As soon as she finished speaking, Kong Nianxi suddenly took a step forward, causing Xi Nong’s neck to tense up. She instinctively wanted to step back, but her arm was held back.

“Don’t move, this distance is just right.”

“…”

Looking at Kong Nianxi, who was almost face-to-face with her, Xi Nong paused. Her eyes were too bright and beautiful, and after only a few seconds of eye contact, she unconsciously looked away.

She raised her hand again and whispered, “Shall we begin?”

After one or two seconds, Xi Nong saw the other person’s hand raised to correspond with hers. Eager to end the game quickly, she tentatively touched Kong Nianxi’s hand, but there was no strength in her palm, making it feel weak and powerless.

After the brief contact, Xi Nong withdrew and carefully prepared her next attack. At this point, Kong Nianxi’s soft palm proactively touched hers. She quickly released her grip, but the other person pursued her, and their palms intertwined, with their fingers interlocked.

Xi Nong’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she could clearly feel the pulse in her intertwined fingers. A rush of heat flooded her face, and her ears turned pink.

Her brain seemed to short-circuit suddenly, and her body lost control, causing her to fall back, taking Kong Nianxi down with her onto the grass.