Chapter 20

"How much did you weigh this morning?"

"Over 80 pounds, BMI 15.06."

After He Xi finished speaking, Bai Shu's tight mouth relaxed a little, "It's OK, it's much bigger than I thought."

"Keep it up."

Bai Shu looked into He Xi's eyes and said, "Come on, I'm working hard with you."

"I will."

The boy's eyes were full of light, and the girl's eyes were equally bright and moving. When their eyes collided in the air, stars danced between their gazes and then ran into their hearts.

Bai Shu found that he could only completely relax when he was facing He Xi. The fatigue from training, the pressure from the competition, the anxiety about the future...all of them miraculously disappeared.

He Xi didn't miss the gradual softening of the boy's expression. Bai Shu had told her that their second year of high school was a time of intense competition and exposure for athletes. Competitions increased dramatically in frequency and level, but every successful performance on the field required a thousand times more effort than others, hidden from view, and a strong resilience to withstand pressure. Bai Shu's mentality was good, but that didn't change her often tense state.

"Is it very hard?"

He Xi and Bai Shu left the cafeteria and walked to the playground.

"No, I did it willingly." Bai Shu shook his head, "Just like I'm helping you now, I'm willing to do it, so I don't feel it's hard."

"It seems that you are really tired from training... otherwise you would say to me at this time--" He Xi glanced sideways at Bai Shu.

Bai Shu said "oh" and understood immediately, "Hehe... that's not hard work and a miserable life, right... hehe..."

A clear, barbell-like laugh rang out, and Bai Shu's eyes trembled with the laughter in his chest. He grinned, revealing a row of neat white teeth. The corners of his mouth curved into beautiful crescents.

"It's so nice to smile like this."

"Hmm..." Bai Shu tapped his eyes with his fingers, looked at He Xi, and continued laughing.

"How beautiful." He Xi said inexplicably.

Bai Shu's bony fingers were still touching his eyelids, but his eyes were fixed on He Xi. The corners of his lips slightly raised, revealing a hint of surprised curiosity. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"...Yeah." He Xi met Bai Shu's gaze, looked away and turned his head away.

"Really?" Bai Shu seemed to be unconvinced and approached He Xi with a smiling face.

"Oh, really?" The boy lowered his head, his gaze following the girl's. When she lowered her head, he lowered his too. When she looked away, he followed her. When she pretended to look off into the distance, he blocked her view, forcing her eyes to meet his, his smiling face the only thing she could see.

"Bai Shu!" The girl seemed a little embarrassed, stomped her feet and ran away.

Her movement brought a gust of wind, and her hair flew. A strand of hair brushed against the boy's Adam's apple. Bai Shu subconsciously reached out to touch it, and the strand of hair brushed against his fingertips, bringing a tingling sensation.

Bai Shu rolled his Adam's apple with restraint, his eyes darkened as he reached out and grabbed He Xi's arm. There was a barely perceptible hoarseness hidden in his clear voice, "Why are you running?"

The boy once again caught the girl's panicked gaze as she tried to avoid it, his eyes so deep that it seemed as if he wanted to look into her heart through her eyes.

His breathing stopped and his heart was beating rapidly. He Xi couldn't bear it anymore and struggled. The boy's eyes moved to the arms where their skin was touching, and his metacarpal bones loosened and he let go.

He Xi breathed a sigh of relief as if she was saved. Bai Shu took in the girl's expression, but smiled without knowing why.

Pretending not to understand, he asked, "Are you serious?" He Xi raised his pair of almond-shaped eyes with distinct black and white. The regret in his eyes was so strong that he wanted to kill Bai Shu. He knew that Bai Shu knew everything and was just pretending to be stupid!

As expected, Bai Shu tilted her head, covered her face with her hands, and laughed with trembling shoulders. However, she was very discerning, and when He Xi got angry again, she quickly patted her head and smoothed her hair.

The furry touch spread across his palm, and his heart softened.

"Okay, okay... If you like me smiling, then just look at me more. I'll smile for you, okay?"

An unfamiliar feeling of comfort spread from the top of his head to the back of his neck. He Xi jumped back like a cat whose tail was stepped on. He glared at him, covered his head and ran away.

The smile in Bai Shu's eyes had not faded, and his smile looked very worthless. After a while, he came to his senses and quickly caught up with the girl.

"I just touched your head, are you really angry?" The boy reluctantly put his head to the side of He Xi's neck, "Then touch it back."

He Xi didn't move. His fluffy head shook enthusiastically in the air and he invited generously, "Go ahead and touch it."

He Xi; "..." If a tail could grow on one's head, she felt the tail on Bai Shu's head was already wagging at her.

—

"Am I not late?" He Xi put down the cross-body bag he was carrying and walked towards the boy who was jumping with the ball on the court.

Bai Shu stretched out his long arm, clapped his palms, and the ball in his hand flew towards the basket and hit the net. He took a breath and looked up at He Xi with full aggression in his eyes. He Xi was nailed to the spot by his eyes.

A drop of sweat dripped down the boy's chiseled chin, kissed his throbbing neck, sexy Adam's apple, and rugged collarbone, and slid to his well-defined wheat-colored chest. It paused for a moment on the bulging pectoral muscles of his jersey, then meandered out in an intriguing arc and disappeared into the wide-open collar of his jersey.

"I..." He Xi panicked and didn't know what to do. The boy smiled brightly, and the aggression in his eyes disappeared, turning into an extremely gentle smile. "He Xi."

Her name lingered on his tongue, sending a silent ripple. It was so hot that He Xi subconsciously wanted to touch his face.

"Wait for me, I'll come after taking a shower." Bai Shu stuffed the ball into He Xi's arms and ran past her quickly. The wind brought his scent to her nose, the scent of lime mixed with a faint smell of sweat, and He Xi's cheeks became even hotter.

"Yeah." She responded softly and hugged the ball in her arms tighter.

Ice-cold water poured down from above his head, and the boy flicked his hair like a puppy. Water droplets splashed everywhere, mist rose, and Bai Shu wiped his face with his hand. His shoulders trembled, and he smiled inexplicably, a hearty laugh.

A wet hand pressed the lemon-scented shower gel next to it, squeezed several more pumps than usual, picked up the bath ball, raised his arms and rubbed from his neck to his chest.

The water gurgled over his sturdy body, which rose and fell slightly with his breathing. The boy raised his arm to push his hair back from his forehead, and the muscles in his shoulder and back tensed and flexed.

He Xi stood under the basket, dribbled the ball twice, half-crouched with the ball in his arms, stared at the direction of the net, his eyes wide open and shining as if a cat staring at its prey. He stood up and threw the ball, the ball spun in the air and fell into the net. It went in!

The girl picked up the ball, a bright and charming smile on her face. She took a step back, tossed it, and it went in again. Another step back, and it went in again. Another step back, and the ball bounced twice in the air, not very good... Then a figure leaped out from behind her, leaping up, raising a long arm, palm covering the ball, pressing his wrist with his palm, exerting force with his fingers, and with a flick of his fingertips, the ball, propelled forward by this perfectly timed force, landed steadily in the net.

Basketball shoes scraped across the ground, and the young man's powerful back descended in front of He Xi. He turned sideways and looked back, exhaling deeply, watching her breathing slightly. "Come here."

He Xi walked up to him obediently. Bai Shu shook the ball in his hand and demonstrated the standard shot to He Xi again.

"You don't need to point your toes directly at the basket, but slightly toward the side of your supporting hand."

"Try to keep your shooting motion intact." The boy lowered his head to the side of He Xi's neck, his thin lips opening and closing as he exhaled a scorching breath, causing He Xi to flinch. They were a little... too close. Bai Shu, oblivious, shoved the ball into He Xi's hand and lifted one of her paws.

"Push your palm upwards, press your wrist firmly, and make sure you're using the tips of your fingers, not your palm, when you finally deliver the ball." His bony fingers gently flicked the girl's long, white fingers. The boy's warm fingertips slid down from the girl's knuckles, brushed past her fingertips, and landed on her fingertips, pressing gently. Their warmth intertwined, their flesh touching. At the touch, they rebounded and separated, leaving behind a heart-pounding, sticky sensation.

"...You try it." The moment their eyes met, the young man turned around in embarrassment and coughed several times as if he was choked.

He Xi came back to his senses, threw away the ball of his phone, and looked at Bai Shu with concern, "Are you okay?"

Bai Shu waved his hands and coughed a few more times. "It's okay, it's okay."

"Nonsense!" He Xi's voice sounded a little anxious.

"It's okay... It's okay now." Bai Shu's expression eased a little, "It's really okay now."

"Stop, don't move."

He Xi grabbed Bai Shu's arm, raised his head, and scanned him up and down with his eyes like a scanner. "Lower your head."

The boy paused, bent down, and lowered his head obediently. He Xi pushed aside his half-dry bangs and met a pair of clear, wet eyes. His long eyelashes gently brushed against her palm and blinked. He Xi subconsciously covered it with her hand, stood on tiptoe, pushed aside the other side of his bangs, and found a small scratch. "Found it."

"This?" Bai Shu was stunned and touched it with his fingers. When he thought of the warmth left by her fingers on it, his throat tightened. "...It's nothing!"

"There are bound to be bumps and bruises during regular training, but this is nothing, so don't worry about it."

"no!"

He Xi ran to her bag to get the iodine stick and band-aid, ran to him, "I don't care if you're not here! Now sit down, I'm going to apply the medicine on you."

Bai Shu: "...you?"

He Xi threw the things in his hand to him and said, "Then do it yourself."

Bai Shu immediately sat on the ground and said, "No, no, no, how can I see?" He pulled He Xi's sleeve and said, "Just do it. This way my wound will heal faster."

He Xi hummed in frustration and bent down, letting her long, tied-up hair fall down. Bai Shu sniffed it carefully, "What kind of shampoo is this?"

"What's wrong?" He Xi paused.

"No, nothing, just asking...your shampoo smells nice." Bai Shu wanted to touch his nose again.

"Just, just ordinary scented shampoo. Do you like it?" After disinfecting the wound, He Xi used two Band-Aids to make a cross on the scrape, covering it perfectly. "I'll give you a bottle?"

Bai Shu looked up. The girl had a teasing smile in her eyes, but he didn't care. His Adam's apple rolled and he nodded, "Okay."

"I really want it." He Xi was a little surprised. He had never mentioned it before, and she thought he was just saying it casually. "Okay then."

The next day, He Xi was shopping in the supermarket. Passing by the shampoo section, she picked up the transparent bottle of pink shower gel and put it in her shopping cart. Besides snacks and fruit, there was also a white gauze ribbon she used for handicrafts.

When He Xi got home that night, he looked at the bottle of shower gel lying quietly on the table. He took out the ribbon and tied a delicate bow around the bottle before putting it in a plastic bag and giving it to Bai Shu.

Later, when the bottle of shampoo was finished, Bai Shu asked He Xi where he bought it. He Xi said the brand, "It's...any ordinary supermarket."

"I didn't find it." He Xi was surprised when he heard Bai Shu say that. "How could I not find it? This brand is very popular."

"I just can't find it." He ran to supermarkets big and small, passed by the different areas of toiletries displayed, and never saw a bottle of shampoo with a bow on the bottle on the shelf.

Until one day, when Bai Shu passed by the shampoo shelf again, he accidentally glanced at the scented shampoo with that brand printed on it, and found that it was almost exactly the same as the bottle that He Xi gave him.

It turns out that the bow on the shampoo was a gift from her.

—

Saturday.

"Today is a day of indulgence, you can spend it with me."

Bai Shu brought He Xi to a dessert shop with a snowman printed on it. "Look, this is it!"

"Boss, I want a plate of taro balls, red bean, and barley milk jelly, with extra red beans."

"Okay!"

"He Xi, what about you?" Bai Shu pointed at the menu and introduced it to her. "Mango pudding, taro paste and double-skin milk with coconut milk, and tofu pudding and taro balls with pancake jelly are all signature dishes. I've tried them all and they're delicious. Don't worry."

"Well, I want..." He Xi put his finger on his chin, frowning in thought, "the same as yours!"

"Haha, okay." Bai Shu stood up. "Would you like more red beans too?"

He Xi: "Yeah! I like red beans."

"Both orders of our signature taro balls, red bean, and barley milk jelly will have extra red beans, right? Okay—"

The two sat down face to face, staring at each other. Bai Shu tapped the table with his fingers. "...Next week I'm going out to play with the school team again. As usual, I'll play well, and you eat and exercise well. Do you understand?"

"Got it!" He Xi patted his chest and promised, "Don't miss any photos or check-ins. Don't worry, I won't be lazy even if it's just for you to concentrate on the competition."

Bai Shu: "That's pretty good."

"Sweet soup is here!" The boss carefully brought out a plate. The base was not big, and the two bowls were squeezed and banged against each other. He Xi was really worried when he saw it.

Bai Shu heard the noise behind him and moved his chair to make way. Unexpectedly, his back bumped into the owner, who was carrying the sweet soup! The owner's hand slipped... Fortunately, He Xi was prepared and caught the plate in time, which almost overturned. The other two breathed a sigh of relief.

The boss felt bad: "I'm sorry, I didn't stain your clothes, did I?" After receiving a negative answer, he breathed a sigh of relief and left, "That's good, that's good."

"Thanks for your quick reaction just now!"

Bai Shu took the plate from He Xi's hand, shook it solemnly, and said in surprise, "Not bad! Those two bowls full of sugar water just now feel heavy in your hands... It seems that all the training recently has paid off!"

"That's right." He Xi said without any modesty.

The clever little expression on his face made Bai Shu laugh. He put down his plate and walked to the disinfection cabinet to get two spoons. When he came back, He Xi had already placed his bowl in front of him, so he divided the spoons.

The spoon handle made a slight sound when it rested on the edge of the bowl, and they both sat down at the same time.

The colorful sugar water spread out in the sight of the two people, and there was a cool and sweet smell in the air.

Bai Shu scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth. He Xi placed his hands lightly under his chin and smiled, "You eat first."

"Oh." The young man across from him opened his thin lips and slurped a piece of white, tender and chewy jelly into his mouth. "Wow, such a smooth texture."

The young man took out the spoon, his brows relaxed, his eyes sparkled, and he lowered his head to scoop another full spoonful.

Three-colored taro balls, paired with delicate sugar beans and dotted with plump barley seeds, formed a small hill, pressing down on the milky white coconut milk flowing from the bottom of the spoon. The scene froze for a moment as Bai Shu moved his spoon, lowered his head, and sipped it. His cheeks puffed, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he hummed with satisfaction. When his beautiful eyes opened again, they held an indescribable look of contentment and temptation.

So, there is rice tension.

He Xi's heart skipped a beat, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the young man. She'd seen plenty of men with sexual energy on TV, but she'd only ever seen Bai Shu with appetite. His face wasn't the only thing he had, but he also managed to whet your appetite. This was the true essence of "a feast for the eyes!"

He Xi followed closely behind, picked up the spoon and started eating.

The taro balls are chewy and soft, the red beans are soft and shaggy, the barley is fragrant and chewy, the milk jelly is delicate and sweet, and the coconut milk is icy and refreshing. These different textures explode in your mouth, and the sweetness on the tip of your tongue instantly reaches your heart. One bite and you'll feel completely cheerful.

"How about it?"

He Xi: "Delicious!" Just like you, beautiful and delicious.

—

When Wei Mo boarded the bus, there was only one empty seat. Behind him, a huge crowd of students lined up waiting to get on the bus. Without hesitation, he ran to the seat with his long legs and plopped down.

He exhaled, his chest rising and falling slightly. He felt a gaze staring at him out of the corner of his eye and looked up quickly.

The man next to him quickly turned his gaze away. "Lin Shenyuan," Wei Mo said with a smile, "Why did you hide when you saw me?"

Wei Mo stretched out his long legs, placed his schoolbag on his chest, and leaned his shoulders heavily against the back of the chair, completely relaxing. He naturally put his arm around Lin Shenyuan's shoulders, feeling him flinch, and moved closer.

I asked curiously, "They are all men, why are you still shy?"

"...I'm not used to it." Lin Shenyuan sighed softly and brushed Wei Mo's arm away.

"Okay." Wei Mo raised his eyebrows and looked away, then suddenly said, "Don't move."

Lin Shenyuan was really frozen. When he thought about why he had to listen to him so much, a trace of barely perceptible anger appeared in his eyes.

Wei Mo was very calm. He wrapped his fingers around the long headphone cord, rolled it up, and handed it to Lin Shenshen. "Your headphones fell out of your bag."

Lin Shenshen was stunned to see Wei Morao staring at him with interest. He felt even more annoyed, but had to say, "Thank you, thank you" against his will. He gently pinched one end of the headphone cord, passed it through his fingers, pulled it out, stuffed it into his schoolbag and zipped it up.

"Hmm." Wei Mo responded, retracted his hand, touched his chin and muttered to himself, "Why are they all using these wired headphones?"

Lin Shenyuan pricked up his ears and heard him say, "...It seems this style is quite popular. I'll buy one someday."