4 Chapter 4
◎Are you two in a premature relationship?◎
Sang Xinqi and Jiang Xun fell silent at the same time. In Qingcheng, No. 1 High School was undoubtedly the top high school. Every year, countless students scrambled to get in. Although No. 2 High School where they were was not bad, it was still a step behind.
Meng Qixiang added naively, "I'm from a regular class in No. 1 Middle School, and the other three are from key classes."
After saying this, he realized that this might not be appropriate, and looked at the two of them helplessly.
Sang Xinqi and Jiang Xun lowered their heads in tacit understanding. Finally, Jiang Xun spoke with a bitter face, "Although we are from the key class of No. 2 Middle School... I guess we can't even compare to the level of your ordinary class."
Seeing this, Tao Wen quickly tried to smooth things over, her eyes narrowing into crescents. "It really doesn't matter which school you're in!" She raised her fist in a cheering gesture, "Let's just work hard together to improve!"
"Yes, let's work together!" Jiang Xun agreed, forcing a smile on his face.
But he secretly complained in his heart. He had signed up to avoid studying and to please his mother, but why did it feel like he had jumped into an even more terrifying "nest of academic bullies"?
He glanced sideways at Sang Xinqi, ready to complain to her with his eyes, but he saw her secretly looking at the boy opposite. His heart skipped a beat, remembering that she said the boy in front of her was handsome.
Sang Xinqi raised her eyes quietly and met Liao Yishen's thoughtful gaze. The boy's cold eyes shone with an amber luster under the light, making her hold her breath unconsciously.
She felt embarrassed and looked away.
"Then let's team up and play doubles? How about three on three?" The atmosphere was a little silent, and she was the first to break the silence.
Tao Wen immediately clapped her hands excitedly, "Great! It's more lively when there are more people!"
She turned to look at the others, her pigtails swaying slightly as she moved. "Yan Yan, Brother Wang, Brother Liao, what do you think?"
Chen Yanyan nodded shyly, "I'm fine," she glanced at Liao Yishen quietly and added, "But I have some dishes."
"It's okay!" Jiang Xun grabbed the racket and patted his chest with energy. "I'll teach you! I promise you'll learn it!"
Sang Xinqi couldn't help but spoil the fun, "It's just that rotten of yours..." Before she could finish her words, Jiang Xun stepped forward and covered her mouth.
"Brother," Jiang Xun leaned close to her ear, lowered his voice and gritted his teeth, "Can you give me some face?"
Sang Xinqi slapped his hand away and wiped it on her clothes in disgust, "Okay, okay, okay."
She rolled her eyes and muttered softly, "You dare to teach others with your level."
The others laughed at their interaction.
Tao Wen spoke frankly, "Are you two in a premature relationship?"
"How is that possible!" They both denied it in unison, then added, "I absolutely despise him/her!"
After saying that, the two of them were stunned at the same time, staring at each other unconvincedly, "Why do you look down on me?"
Everyone: "..."
With such a level of tacit understanding, who would believe that there is no trick?
Sang Xinqi's cheeks were burning with anger, and her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Liao Yishen.
But the boy just stood quietly by, his eyes wandering into the distance, as if there was an invisible barrier separating him from the fun.
Meng Qixiang laughed heartily and said, "Then I'll be in a group with Brother Liao."
He turned to Liao Yishen, who remained silent, and said, "Brother Liao, you..."
"Okay," Liao Yishen replied briefly.
Sang Xinqi's gaze fell on him for two seconds, until Tao Wen affectionately took her arm and said, "Sangsang, then Yanyan and I will be in your group."
Tao Wen was a bit outgoing, and when she heard Jiang Xun calling her like that, she followed suit.
"That's settled then. Boys in one group, girls in another," Jiang Xun decided, then added proudly, "Just wait to be crushed by us!"
Sang Xinqi snorted softly, and spun the ball in her palm in a beautiful arc. "Don't be so sure," she raised her chin provocatively.
Tao Wen immediately stood next to Sang Xinqi, "That's right! Our girls' team won't lose!"
She made a face at Jiang Xun, causing Shen Yanyan to cover her mouth and chuckle.
Liao Yishen stood aside, his eyes lightly sweeping across Sang Xinqi's confident profile. Her eyelashes trembled slightly like a fan. He calmly gripped the racket, his knuckles slightly white.
After the teams were divided, the competition officially began.
"Are we taking turns playing with the same ball?" Tao Wen asked curiously, her fingers unconsciously twirling around the ends of her braided hair.
Sang Xinqi nodded, "Yes, each person catches one ball."
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Meng Qixiang smiled innocently, "It's quite new. I've never played like this before."
"It's so interesting!" Sang Xinqi said excitedly, and couldn't wait to get into position.
The badminton drew a beautiful parabola in the air, and the crisp sound of the racket hitting the ball echoed in the stadium.
Seeing that the ball was about to fall to the ground, Jiang Xun hurriedly shouted, "Meng Qiqi, catch the ball quickly!" As soon as his voice fell, the badminton fell lightly to the ground.
Meng Qixiang ran over breathlessly, bent down to pick up the ball, and scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "Sorry, I didn't catch it."
His cheeks were flushed from exercise, and the strands of hair on his forehead were wet with sweat.
He sweats easily, especially in the summer. He will sweat profusely after just a little bit of exercise.
"Yeah! You didn't catch it!" Tao Wen jumped up excitedly, her eyes sparkling. She stuck out her tongue at Jiang Xun triumphantly, "Give up!"
Jiang Xun snorted in dissatisfaction, "It's just the beginning, don't get complacent too soon!"
He rolled up his sleeves and winked at Meng Qixiang, "Come on, continue!"
The rhythmic sound of sneakers rubbing against the rubber floor was heard. Everyone had a competitive spirit and were young and energetic teenagers who refused to admit defeat.
The crisp sound of rackets hitting the ball echoed in the gym, accompanied by the cheerful laughter of the teenagers.
Gradually, the situation on the field changed.
Sang Xinqi and Liao Yishen simultaneously began to control the midfield. Their movements became faster and their reactions became more agile.
The other four slowly stopped playing, put down their rackets at the same time, and stood on the sidelines, watching in amazement.
"Okay, okay, we were successfully squeezed out by those two," Jiang Xun said helplessly, his hands on his hips.
Meng Qixiang wiped the sweat from his forehead with a piece of paper and sighed sincerely, "These two are too strong. We are not on the same level as them."
Tao Wen looked at Sang Xinqi on the court with admiration and said excitedly, "Oh my god, Sangsang is amazing! Yesterday, when I was playing with Liao Yishen, I could only pick up the balls."
Chen Yanyan nodded slightly, her eyes following the two figures on the field, "Yes, they are both very good, and they cooperate well."
The four of them found a place where they would not be in the way and sat down, staring intently at the two figures who were fighting fiercely.
Every smash from Sang Xinqi was fierce and aggressive, and Liao Yishen was always able to return the ball with just the right amount of force.
Beads of sweat appeared on both of their foreheads, but they showed no intention of stopping.
Sang Xinqi felt unprecedentedly refreshed. Although her physical strength was rapidly depleting, the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent made her unable to stop at all.
Each of Liao Yishen's returns was precise and accurate, allowing her to perfectly connect to the next move. It felt really great, completely different from Jiang Xun who always needed her to let him go.
The rackets hit each other again, and the badminton drew a white light in the air. Sang Xinqi's mouth corners rose unconsciously. She hadn't played badminton so happily in a long time.
Liao Yishen, who was standing opposite him, still had no expression on his face, but the same light seemed to be flashing in his focused eyes.
The four people watched them fight for another half hour before they stopped.
Sang Xinqi put down her racket, supported her hands on her knees and gasped for breath. The strands of hair on her forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck to her flushed cheeks.
She raised her fair face, which still had a little baby fat, and a bright smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, "I'm so tired..."
There was still a breath in his voice, "You're amazing, but playing with you is so much fun!"
The sweltering heat of midsummer made the sweat after exercise particularly sticky. A large area of the back of Sang Xinqi's T-shirt was already wet, but she was completely unaware and still looked at Liao Yishen with her bright eyes.
Liao Yishen stood there, his chest rising and falling slightly.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his chin, his eyes falling on Sang Xinqi's brilliant smile, his usually indifferent brows unconsciously softened a bit, "You are also very good."
The voice was still cold, but with a little more warmth than usual.
Jiang Xun, who was watching this scene on the sidelines, suddenly felt that the drink in his mouth was inexplicably sour.
It feels like a good friend has been taken away by someone else.
Seeing them stop, Jiang Xun and the other three walked towards them.
Tao Wen walked forward and gave Sang Xinqi a thumbs-up. "Sangsang, that's amazing."
Sang Xinqi felt a little embarrassed by her straightforward praise and tucked the loose hair behind her ears. "No, no, I'm not as good as Liao Yishen."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Xun groaned and said sourly, "I've played with you so many times, but I've never seen you praise me."
Finally, he glanced at Liao Yishen, who was putting his golf club into his golf bag, but the corner of his mouth raised slightly.
Sang Xinqi couldn't help but roll her eyes. She didn't want to say his skills were terrible, but since he said so, she couldn't deny him face. "You're amazing too. What's amazing is that after being beaten by me, you still persevered and played with me."
Jiang Xun: “…”
"Stop talking, shut up," Jiang Xun was dissatisfied with her words.
The two of them were bickering, and the others found it particularly funny, laughing non-stop. After chatting for a while, Jiang Xun glanced at his watch, which showed half past five. "Are you guys still going to tutoring?"
Meng Qixiang looked at Jiang Xun and said, "We usually have to learn until seven o'clock."
Liao Yishen picked up his sports bag and said briefly, "I'll go back first."
The white T-shirt soaked with sweat stuck to his body, outlining the boy's lean figure.
Meng Xiwang nodded in understanding, never questioning Liao Yishen's decisions. "Then let's go to the classroom."
He looked at Tao Wen and Shen Yanyan, "There are still two papers to be done today."
Tao Wen waved towards Sang Xinqi, "Sangsang, see you tomorrow~"
Sang Xinqi smiled and nodded: "See you tomorrow."
After the three of them walked away, Jiang Xun picked up his backpack and said, "Shall we retreat too?"
He looked at Sang Xinqi who was packing up her racket.
Sang Xinqi's eyes unconsciously drifted towards Liao Yishen, "Which direction do you live in? Let's see if it's convenient for us."
"Tianlan Community," Liao Yishen's voice was still faint.
Sang Xinqi's eyes lit up and she patted Jiang Xun, "Jiang Xun, his house is right in front of our community."
"Then let's go together!" Jiang Xun put his arm around Liao Yishen's shoulder in a familiar manner, not caring at all about the other's sudden stiffness. "Let's go, let's go."
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