Chapter 17

"Tong Yao! Let's go."

Lin Li told the people who had just played ball that I was standing to Tong Yao's right.

His voice change was nearing its end; apart from still being a little hoarse, there was nothing strange about it anymore.

The boy's voice, like a freshly opened bottle of soda, still carried a hint of youthful energy at the end, reaching Tong Yao's ears.

…………

In mid-November, not only the maple leaves turned yellow, but also the ginkgo leaves on campus.

Autumn has ended, and winter is just around the corner.

"Did you hand in your paper early?" Tong Yao asked as they walked.

"Hmm," Lin Li smiled broadly at Tong Yao, then ran two steps forward and made a shooting motion, saying, "I handed it in as soon as I finished writing, did you see? I was just playing basketball!"

In her previous life, Lin Li, who was in elementary school, loved sports and wanted to join the school's basketball team. However, her homeroom teacher wouldn't let her go, saying that it was pointless for a girl to play basketball, and that was the end of it.

After entering junior high school, Lin Li changed. She didn't want to participate in any sports and became increasingly lazy, although she did try playing basketball.

Lin Li would be out of breath after just a couple of steps with the ball. If it weren't for the fact that he was in his final year of junior high and had to take a basketball exam, he would never have touched these sports again.

When Tong Yao heard that Lin Li had finished writing and handed in his paper, she frowned, looked up at Lin Li, and was about to speak when Lin Li interrupted her.

"Oh no, my coat is still hanging on the playground."

As he spoke, he turned back and ran back, grabbed his coat, and immediately ran back.

Lin Li hung her coat on her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead, but her forehead was still sweating profusely, and the sweat slowly slid down to her collar.

He wiped it with his hand, but it wasn't clean, so he lifted his collar and wiped the sweat off his neck as well.

Because Lin Li has grown so tall, the school uniform that was originally designed for 175cm is now much too short and can only barely cover her up.

He pulled up his collar, revealing the skin around his waist.

Seeing this, Tong Yao suddenly reached out and pulled, and the clothes were back in place.

Lin Li paused for a moment, glanced at her clothes, and then said, "Thank you, I almost exposed myself."

Tong Yao looked at Lin Li's clothes, which were soaked with sweat and the outline of his abdominal muscles could be vaguely seen. She silently looked away and said, "After finishing the test, you should check it a few more times."

Upon hearing this, Lin Liming realized that she was referring to her handing in her paper early, and laughed, "I checked it, I checked it once."

"Did you see me playing basketball just now? Pretty cool, right? It's the first time I've ever had so much fun playing basketball. I feel like I have endless energy!"

Lin Li said, turning her arm around.

Tong Yao was silent for two seconds, then slowly raised her head to look at Lin Li, about to say something—

"Hey, can I have your QQ number?"

A young girl, holding her friend's hand, ran over.

He then handed the pen to Lin Li.

"ah?"

This was the first time Lin Li had encountered such a situation, and she didn't know how to handle it.

He glanced at Tong Yao for help.

Tong Yao didn't look at him and walked further and further away.

"Um... I, I don't have a cell phone!" Lin Li felt it was a bit fake to say she didn't have a QQ account, so she decided to say she didn't have a cell phone.

After Lin Li finished dealing with the two girls, he went back to pursue Tong Yao.

"Tong Yao—wait for me."

Upon hearing this, Tong Yao, who was walking, immediately started running.

"The teacher needs to speak with me, so I'll head back to the classroom now."

His tone was resolute.

Seeing this, Lin Li stopped in her tracks, somewhat bewildered. "Oh, okay."

Tong Yao left without lingering for a moment.

Lin Li slumped her shoulders in disappointment, wondering if she had seen me play basketball. It was a pity she didn't see such a cool moment.

...

After returning to the classroom, Tong Yao read for a while.

Chen Yan and Tang Yue are playing the flute in the classroom.

"Tang Yue, are you sure that's how you're exaggerating?"

"Isn't the flute played vertically?"

Tang Yue slapped Chen Yan's thigh and said, "Are you stupid? Haven't you heard the saying, 'Play the flute horizontally, play the xiao vertically'?"

"I think I've heard of it. Give it a try, but you haven't made a sound all day."

Tang Yue handed the flute to Chen Yan and then saw Tong Yao return.

"Tong Yao, your teacher wants you to go to her office to get the English test papers and hand them out. You need to do them during self-study later."

"Okay." Tong Yao closed the book and got up to go to the office to get the test paper.

When Tong Yao came out of the office with her test papers, she ran into Lin Li, who was going upstairs.

After Tong Yao left, Lin Li went to the convenience store and bought a bottle of Coke.

He reached the stairwell, unscrewed the bottle cap, and prepared to drink. Just as he raised his hand, he saw Tong Yao walking by carrying her test papers.

"Tong Yao!"

Lin Li called out, holding the bottle.

Unexpectedly, Tong Yao simply nodded and quickly walked past Lin Li.

Lin Li chased after him without thinking.

He followed behind Tong Yao.

"You haven't answered me yet."

"Wasn't I amazing when I played basketball just now?"

"Have you watched Slam Dunk? That's how I got interested in basketball... but it got too tiring later on..."

The next second, Tong Yao stopped in her tracks.

Lin Li didn't notice and bumped into it.

The Coke bottle, which was not yet capped, spilled all over Tong Yao's coat due to the collision.

"sorry."

Lin Li tried to wipe it with her hands, but the drink melted into the fabric the moment it touched it.

Tong Yao, holding the test paper, frowned and turned her head away. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She then silently turned her head away, ignoring the panicked Lin Li, and walked into the classroom with the test paper, placing it on the teacher's desk.

Then he returned to his seat and took off his coat.

Looking at the watermarks behind her, Tong Yao sighed helplessly.

Lin Li followed Tong Yao into the classroom and angrily threw the Coke bottle into the trash can by the door.

"It's all this lousy cola's fault!"

Turning his head, he saw Tong Yao wearing short sleeves and handing out curling paper, and realized that he was the one who had caused the problem.

He unzipped his jacket, took it off, and stuffed it into Tong Yao's arms.

Then he snatched the test papers from her hand and started distributing them himself.

"I'm sorry, you can wear mine first."

Seeing Lin Li diligently handing out the test papers, Tong Yao didn't say anything, and silently returned to her seat with her clothes.

When Lin Li returned after handing out the exam papers, she found her clothes back on her desk.

"You..." Aren't you going to wear it? The question was interrupted before the second half could be uttered.

"It stinks."

As she spoke, Tong Yao flipped through the book in her hand.

"Aren't you cold?" Lin Li asked, then glanced out the window. It was almost noon, and the sun was out.

Sure enough, "It's alright," Tong Yao said calmly.

"Then give me the clothes, and I'll take them back to wash them for you."

"Need not……"

"I got your clothes wet, you have to give me a chance to fix it!"

"I really didn't mean to, you stopped abruptly, and I didn't keep a safe distance..."

Listening to Lin Li's incessant chatter, Tong Yao's temples twitched, and she closed the book.

"Okay, just give me back my water bottle later."

Her water cup remained in Lin Li's hands, and Lin Li never thought to return it to her.

Upon hearing this, Lin Li remembered that Tong Yao's cup was still at her house. She had said she would return it last time, but she forgot about it when she got home.

"Okay, okay, I won't forget this time."

"Lin Li!"

Tang Yue called out.

Lin Li stuffed Tong Yao's clothes into her own schoolbag so she wouldn't forget them after school.

He heard Tang Yue call his name.

"What are you doing?"

"Is the flute played horizontally or vertically? Tell Chen Yan quickly."

Chen Yan played with the flute for a while and still felt that it should be played vertically.

Then the two of them started arguing.

Lin Li walked over and, seeing them holding flutes, asked, "Why did you bring a flute to school?"

"Never mind that, just tell me whether you want to play the flute vertically or horizontally."

"Then it must be played horizontally; the one played vertically is the xiao (vertical flute)."

Li Jiahao, who was playing games on the side, came over and asked, "Lin Li, were you playing basketball on the playground just now?"

Lin Li was surprised to see that Li Jiahao had actually brought his phone into the school. She said, "You've been getting bolder lately. Yes, you were just playing basketball on the playground."

Li Jiahao put his phone into his backpack and said slyly, "Hehe! Our teacher is going to the neighboring school to proctor exams these two days, so no one will catch us."

"When did you become so good? I thought I had misjudged you. You used to lose the ball when you were dribbling."

"You were playing ball just now? I didn't see you," Tang Yue asked in surprise.

Chen Yan slapped Tang Yue's thigh and said, "Nonsense! When did we ever glance at the basketball court when we came back from the playground?"

"Want to know?" Lin Li asked, looking at Li Jiahao.

"Um."

"I go for a run to the basketball court in Century Square every morning to practice. It's something that I do every day until it's all done!"

"Then why were you last in PE class the other day?"

Li Jiahao had his suspicions.

"I'm just not good at running, what can I do?"

As he spoke, Lin Li shrugged, indicating that he was powerless to help.

"Okay, Wang Hao and the others asked me to play basketball together after lunch. Are you coming?"

Wang Hao, a classmate, has good grades and is also good at sports.

Lin Li often watched them play ball after class. They would play even during the 10-minute break between classes, rain or shine.

"Then Lin Li, you and Li Jiahao can have lunch together. Chen Yan and I will have lunch by ourselves."

Tang Yue made all the arrangements immediately.

Lin Li hesitated for a moment, and Li Jiahao immediately added fuel to the fire.

"You played so well today. If you were here, you would definitely crush them."

"Okay," Lin Li immediately agreed.

The school bell rang.

We'll study during this class, and then we can go eat.

Lin Li returned to her seat and started working on her English test paper, while also thinking about what tactics she would use later.

He's already 1.8 meters tall, maybe he can dunk now, I really want to try!

Slam dunk? There might not be one in the whole school who could do that. At least during his student days, Lin Li had never heard of anyone who could dunk.

Seeing Lin Li's eager look, Tong Yao simply pursed her lips and continued writing her test paper.

noon.

Lin Li and the boys in her class were on the playground.

Lin Li leaped up, her hand striking the backboard.

"Thud!" The sound of the backboard vibrating.

"Lin Li, with your jumping ability, no wonder you won first place in the high jump."

As he spoke, Li Jiahao jumped up as well.

The fingers were still a short distance from the backboard.

"Sigh, it still doesn't work."

Li Jiahao is only a little over 1.7 meters tall and has average jumping ability, so he can't even touch the backboard.

Wang Hao called on his friend to pull him along, then he took a few steps back before taking a running start and jumping.

His two friends seized the opportunity to lift Wang Hao up.

Wang Hao gripped the rim with one hand and stretched out the other, shouting, "Ball!"

Li Jiahao picked up the ball and handed it to Wang Hao.

Wang Hao caught the ball and slammed it into the basket.

He gripped the rim with both hands and swung his body back and forth twice.

He let go and jumped down.

The basketball landed, bounced, and rolled to Lin Li's feet.

Lin Li picked up the basketball and took two steps back.

Take a running start, gather your strength, and jump.

Li Jiahao stared in astonishment as he watched Lin Li jump so high.

"No way!"

Ultimately, the basketball hit the rim but failed to find a target.

"pity."

Wang Hao, watching from the side, breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the kid was really going to dunk.

"Alright, that's enough playing." Wang Hao said, feeling that it was about time.

"What time is it?" one of the boys asked, glancing at the empty playground.

The next second, the loudspeaker in the adjacent teaching building came on.

"Please have the invigilators distribute the exam papers."

"broken!"

The exams have started, and they're still playing ball here.

Immediately, a group of people began to run towards the examination hall.

Lin Li asked, "What about the ball?!"

"Just throw it onto the playground."

"Won't it get stolen?" Lin Li wondered.

Tong Yao's exam room was downstairs from Lin Li's exam room.

As soon as she received the test paper, Tong Yao glanced at the questions.

Then they heard hurried footsteps coming down the corridor.

"Wrong! I'm taking the test on the third floor."

Lin Li slapped his head in frustration; he had actually followed this group of top students to the second floor.

He immediately turned back and ran upstairs.

Lin Li didn't notice that Tong Yao was frowning and looking at him from the window.