Chapter 18

"Ahem... come here." The young man standing under the basket turned his head, his eyes met He Xi's, he immediately turned his head away, and dribbled the ball twice boredly.

He Xi: "Oh." Why does it seem like he's a little unhappy?

Bai Shu didn't stop dribbling the ball, but his eyes glanced behind him uncontrollably. When he heard He Xi's footsteps approaching, he straightened up and his tense face relaxed.

"Newbies should first practice basic standing shot."

"You were too far from the basket just now."

He Xi's reaction was indifferent. Bai Shu found that what he said was a bit redundant. After realizing it, he immediately switched to teaching mode.

"First, stand with your feet naturally apart, your knees naturally bent, and your hands naturally relaxed."

"Grip the ball with the tips of your thumb, index finger, and middle finger, keeping your middle finger aligned with the eye of the ball."

Bai Shu made a standard shooting gesture and said, "Look, this is the golden triangle of shooting power."

"That is, when you raise your elbow, press your wrist, and hold the ball over your head, the angle of your upper arm, torso, elbow joint, and wrist should be 90 degrees."

"Come on, try it." Bai Shu turned sideways and passed the ball to He Xi.

"Okay." He Xi did as he was told. Since it was a bit difficult to hold the ball with his other hand, he also put his other hand on the side of the ball.

He Xi recalled what Bai Shu had just said, and made some minor adjustments to his movements, striving for perfection. When he felt it was about right, he looked up at Bai Shu, his anticipation mixed with a well-hidden nervousness.

"very good."

Bai Shu came behind He Xi and naturally surrounded He Xi, who was standing a little stiffly with the ball. "Push up with your elbow. Press your wrist when you reach the highest point."

The young man extended a thin, wheat-colored arm, his elbow brushing against the girl's arm, his broad palm, with distinct metacarpal bones, resting against her slender, white fingers. One was hot, the other cold. When their fingertips accidentally touched, both of them were startled, shocked by the current that ran from their fingers to their hearts.

He Xi exclaimed, and Bai Shu lowered his eyes, hiding the inappropriate thoughts that were welling up in his heart. Her hands... were very soft and a little cold. A girl's hands could actually be like this? This was the first time he had heard of it.

"The other hand is used as an auxiliary, placed on the side of the ball, without exerting any force during the entire process."

The boy thought he was hiding well, but his eyes were staring straight ahead. He could feel the girl's gentle breathing, but he didn't dare to look into her eyes again.

He was afraid of revealing his panic and was also afraid of not knowing what he would do.

The girl's heart was beating wildly. The boy's voice was clear and gentle. When his thin lips opened and closed, his hot breath sprayed on her neck. She felt that her ears must be red by now.

"That's it, keep it up. Now let's practice shooting with one hand, pay attention to the three ninety degrees, then push the elbow up and make the ball spin, like this."

The boy took a step closer and placed his palm on the girl's soft hand. With the combined efforts of the two, the ball was thrown out in a beautiful parabola and landed in the net.

"Wow..." He Xi slowly opened her eyes, and the tiny starlight in the summer night turned into a river and flowed into her eyes.

Bai Shu felt a strange sense of satisfaction in his heart, chuckled, and looked down at her.

"The ball goes in." He Xi raised his head and eyes, grinning brightly and joyfully, his white teeth flashing with light.

Bai Shu suddenly thought of these two words, and his throat tightened.

The two boys' faces suddenly came close to the ground, their noses touching. The girl smelled the lime scent on the boy's clothes, and the boy smelled the warm fragrance of the girl's hair, which made people feel a little intoxicated.

In just a second, the two of them immediately distanced themselves from each other.

No one saw it, but they all used their actions to tell themselves that it was just an accident, and they insisted on proving something like a third party who was not at the scene.

Both teenagers were a little embarrassed.

Bai Shu nodded between his eyebrows, breathed a sigh of relief, and then raised his eyes and returned to his serious look.

But he was too embarrassed to touch the girl's hand again, so he took the ball in his hand and demonstrated it himself.

"Don't look to the sides when you shoot, aim at the net and go straight forward." Bai Shu raised his hand and the ball fell steadily into the net again.

The boy's expression was indifferent, his movements were casual but standard, the ball in his hands was like a familiar old friend, they had known each other for many years and had a very good understanding.

"When your hand shape is almost fixed, you can start practicing by taking a step back, and then another step back..."

"Then back off...and practice again and again."

Bai Shu didn't notice He Xi's gaze. He retreated while throwing the ball. Every time the ball was thrown, it fell steadily into the net.

The young man had a confident and flamboyant smile on his face. He threw the ball to He Xi and invited him, "Try it. Come on."

The expression seems to be saying: Welcome to my world, He Xi.

He Xi was struck by the dazzling light in that smile when they first met, but when Bai Shu looked at her and smiled, He Xi now felt encouraged.

She longed for the health and vitality in him, something she had never had but longed for.

The girl hesitantly reached out her hand, believing for the first time that as long as she put her energy into small things that could bring positive energy, she could change herself.

Give yourself the courage to make your life better.

"Okay, watch me." He Xi stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his toes pointed toward the side of his assisting hand, his hips lowered, and the ball placed on his chest.

Push off the ground and hold for three 90-degree angles, then stand up vertically. Feel your body like a spring, stretch your arms naturally upwards, press your wrist with the palm of your pitching hand, and apply a little force.

The ball hit the edge of the net, and He Xi's heart was in his throat. The ball bounced back, brushed the edge of the net and fell into the net.

"Wow—not bad."

Bai Shu, who was standing by, put his hand to his mouth and cheered for He Xi like a spectator in the audience.

He Xi, however, felt like he was being treated as a teammate. Bai Shu seemed to have given him the same encouragement and trust that he had for his teammates.

Just as Xiao Xiao was jumping for joy, Bai Shu snapped his fingers and entered coaching mode again, "Come on, continue."

-

At the class meeting, the teacher briefly reviewed the topic content arranged by the school and then asked the students to arrange their own study.

"I know you have a lot of homework and papers, so I'm giving you some time now. Take them out and do them."

The teacher paused, waiting for the students' reaction. The only sound in the classroom was the turning of pages. Putting his hands behind his back, he stood on tiptoe and said, "I'm considerate, right?"

"So thoughtful." Lu Xiaoyue and Chen Linlin were the first to respond. They looked at each other, and there was an obvious smile in their positive responses.

"...Hmm." The teacher didn't seem very pleased and waved his hand. "Alright, alright, study hard."

"Hmph." A few brave students below snorted and laughed.

The teacher didn't care at all. He walked back and forth in the classroom as if he was patrolling. He first turned around in a big circle and walked to He Xi and whispered, "Come out." Then he turned around in a small circle and walked to Bai Shu's seat and winked, "Go out."

He Xi's heart sank. It was over. From childhood to adulthood, times like these always meant nothing good.

Bai Shu's eyelids twitched, but he didn't look panicked. He nodded, stood up from his seat, and walked out carelessly.

Chen Linlin and Lu Xiaoyue exchanged eye contact in the classroom.

Lu Xiaoyue: "What happened?"

Chen Linlin: "Do you still want to think about it? You must have been discovered long ago."

"You said that?"

Lu Xiaoyue: "Hey, hey, hey, don't slander me."

"I was wondering if that was what you said."

The two girls exchanged glances, each seeing a confused look on their faces. "Who is that?"

The two of them spread their hands helplessly and buried themselves again in the pile of homework questions on the test papers.

Outside the classroom, next to the pine tree at the door.

The teacher's gaze moved between the two teenagers, and a sharp gleam flashed in his gentle eyes hidden behind the lenses.

Neither of the two young men spoke at this time. One of them lowered his eyes but did not lower his head, and the other looked away lazily. When he met his face, he curled the corners of his lips.

"Ah..." The old class teacher sighed pretentiously, "Don't you two have anything to say?"

Bai Shu: “No.”

He Xi: "No."

"Ah...? But someone has filed a complaint against us. They say..." He paused deliberately, "You two... were openly interacting... hugging... flirting..."

"That's impossible?" He Xi's face flushed red all of a sudden. Wasn't the rumor too exaggerated?

"Hey!" The calm Bai Shu lost his composure now. "Teacher, just listen to their nonsense! If this continues, we'll both have children."

He Xi looked at Bai Shu and was shocked. Child... "Just shut up!"

"Oh..." The teacher knew what was going on, but sighed, "...it seems like it's all nonsense."

"right."

"Master, you are wise!"

The two of them nodded frantically, almost knocking the five big words "We are pure" on their foreheads.

"...You should be careful about that, too." To the two teenagers' surprise, the teacher didn't let them off the hook. "Premature love... this thing... can be a big deal or a small one. If you say you don't have it now, I believe you."

"Can you guarantee that there won't be any in the future? Huh?"

"Those two students from Class 3 next door, Lei Zhen and Yu Ting, were such promising prospects when they entered high school, but ended up eating the forbidden fruit... and getting expelled... The hard part is, they're still children, and they have to become parents... What are they going to do in the future?"

He Xi and Bai Shu both fell silent. The weight of this reality was too heavy on their unformed bodies.

The atmosphere has been set here, so there is no need to say more.

"To be honest, I was thinking of turning a blind eye...but the head teacher noticed you two and came to remind me to pay more attention."

"...But how can I care? I say, will you listen? Students who can listen, of course, don't need to be told anything more. Those who can't... just follow me around and have my way."

"But this is the salary I get, and I'm just saying I have no regrets. You two are both grown up, so you should all know what's going on."

"You must pay attention to what you should and shouldn't do. Okay, go back and study."

The old class teacher passed by He Xi, patted Bai Shu's shoulder earnestly, and turned to leave. "...Also, next time I come to you, it won't be this easy."

-

He Xi and Bai Shu walked into the classroom one after another, causing quite a commotion.

Without saying a word, the two walked away from the classroom door and returned to their seats.

He Xi lay motionless on the table until the end of class. After finishing her math test, she thought a lot. She actually had a lot of things to say but now she had to say them.

For example, she and Bai Shu did not have a premature love relationship.

For example, she believes in Bai Shu and also believes in herself.

She never thought about the relationship between Bai Shu and her... Maybe they were friends, maybe they were classmates, nothing deeper than that.

She lacked experience and didn't know whether pure friendship existed between men and women. What she did know was that Bai Shu had basketball, ideals, and a bright future. And she wasn't willing to live aimlessly, just getting by. One day, she, too, would have a wonderful life of her own.

But if she is not afraid, will he be afraid?

...In fact, even if he didn't help her, it was understandable...what he had done for her was enough for her to be grateful.

He Xi clenched her fingers, trying hard to ignore the loss in her heart. She knew that this time, she might... Never mind, the worst that could happen is that she would walk alone again... She had nothing to be afraid of!

"He Xi."

The squad leader Wei Mo called her name. He and Bai Shu stood together, their arms around each other's shoulders. "Let's go to the cafeteria to eat together."

He Xi looked at Bai Shu in a daze.

He curled the corners of his lips and said, "Let's go. I have to rush to training after dinner."

What else did He Xi not understand? He...wasn't afraid. However, he was thinking about her.

A warm feeling surged in his heart, and He Xi nodded heavily, "Yes! Let's go now."

"I want to go to the cafeteria to eat too. Let's go together." Lin Shenyuan, who had been silent all the time, stood up and spoke.

Bai Shu: "Then let's go together."

Wei Mo: "Hurry up and go, the green pepper and shredded pork noodles will be sold out soon."

He Xi's gloomy mood was swept away, and he rushed out of the classroom, "Let's go."

He turned around and looked at Lin Shenyuan and the others behind him. "Aren't you in a hurry? Hurry and catch up."

The sun tiptoed onto the dark leaves. The afternoons of sixteen or seventeen were a bright yet sad dream.