rule
Tuesday morning 8:15
On the subway line 2 leading to the city sports school, the carriages were empty, and the morning light outside the window looked as if it had been washed by rain, a cold white.
Yu Chen leaned against the train door, her baseball cap pulled low, the ends of her bright red hair sticking out from the adjustment hole, bobbing up and down with the swaying of the train. She was wearing the school uniform of Linxia No. 1 Middle School, the collar buttons unusually undone—the hickeys had faded to pale pink, the band-aids were torn off, and her skin was exposed to the air, like wax finally removed from a sealed container.
Xiao Wei stood beside her, one hand gripping the handrail, the other in his pocket. A sports school jacket was casually draped over his black sleeveless vest, his shoulders and back dividing the shadows of the carriage in two. The subway announcement sounded, and she suddenly turned her head, her voice so low that only Yu Chen could hear:
"Where are your parents? Someone has to sign this document."
Yu Chen was grinding the virtual stopwatch on the ground with his toe when he heard this. He paused, looked up, and his gaze peeked out from under his hat brim, like a lens that wasn't properly focused.
“She went to the United States.” She said casually, as if reciting someone else’s schedule. “She left last month for an academic exchange, for six months.”
Xiao Wei hummed in agreement, not pressing for details. He simply moved his hand down two inches from the handrail, pressing the back of his hand against Yu Chen's fingers—the temperature exchanged, one burning hot, the other slightly cool. The train swayed, and his hand slid down to the bottom, his palm enveloping her fist, his knuckles tightening, like putting a layer of shock-absorbing cotton on her breasts.
“Then I’ll sign.” Xiao Wei’s voice was very soft, but firm. “In the guardian section, I’ll write my own name.”
Yu Chen looked up abruptly, the brim of her hat hitting her shoulder with a soft "thud." She wanted to say something, but the subway was pulling into the station, the inertia causing them both to lean forward. Xiao Wei pulled her close, his chin resting on her hair, his voice carried over the loudspeaker:
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
——
8:40 Linxia City Sports School, Administration Building
The sports school gate still bears the same bronze plaque, with the edges of the eight Wei stele characters curled up like scabbed scars. Only today, the sun isn't scorching, and the wind makes the verdigris shine. Yu Chen reached out, his fingertips lingering on the two characters "sports school" for a second. He didn't pick at them, but simply exhaled softly—the white mist vanished in an instant, like an invisible bandage applied to an old wound.
On the third floor of the administration building, in the training department office, Coach Qin was already waiting at the door, holding a "Notice of Cancellation of Wildcard Qualification" in his hand. The A4 paper was folded into three sections, with rough edges, like the scraps of bandage left after a hasty punch.
"Xiao Wei? It's no use you pleading for us. The disciplinary team will follow the rules."
Xiao Wei didn't reply, but instead pulled up a video on his phone and handed it over—the footage was from the boxing gym late last Friday night: high-definition, unedited, recording the entire sequence from Yu Chen's right straight punch to Xiao Wei's takedown. The camera ended at the timer: 23:47, with only the two of them left in the gym, no blood on the ground, no damage to the punching bag, just pure technical sparring.
“Rules?” Xiao Wei’s voice was cold and steady. “The rules state that ‘injuries caused by private fights’ will result in card removal. Who among them bled? Who was hospitalized? — On the contrary, I was bruised from a knee strike.” She turned her head and showed Coach Qin the still yellowish bruise on her rectus abdominis muscle. “If you’re going to remove someone, remove me too.”
Coach Qin choked, the pages of paper crumpling even more between his fingers. Yu Chen stood half a step behind, her dark, bright eyes beneath the brim of her hat, but she didn't say a word—she trusted Xiao Wei more than she trusted her own fists.
The air froze for three seconds before the office door was pushed open again. Li Yi, the older brother of Li Wei, the head of the discipline group, and the student union's discipline minister, held a rewritten version of the "Statement of Circumstances," his face grim.
"Instructor Qin, we've reviewed the security footage, and there's definitely no record of any 'injury.' As for Li Wei's nose... he said he slipped and fell while taking a shower."
Slipped? Yu Chen's eyebrows twitched, her gaze sweeping over Xiao Wei—who had a very faint smile playing on his lips, the kind of understated smugness a referee displays when changing scores after a match. She instantly understood: at five in the morning, Xiao Wei had gone to the sports school and had a ten-minute private "talk."
Coach Qin smoothed out the creases, finally looked up at Yu Chen, and asked, "Where are your parents in the parent signature section?"
"The United States," Yu Chen said in a low but steady voice, "academic exchange, six months."
A brief silence fell over the office. Xiao Wei stepped forward, pulled a folded A4 sheet from her coat pocket, and unfolded it—a guardianship authorization form. Her name was already filled in the blank space, and in the signature section at the end, there was a beautiful running script: Xiao Wei.
She handed the pen to Yu Chen, her voice low and slow: "Sign."
Without hesitation, Yu Chen quickly wrote her name, her handwriting sharp and youthful, like a newly honed dagger. After finishing, she turned her head, her gaze meeting Coach Qin's for the first time:
"Nine days later, the 60kg wildcard round, I'll be competing."
Coach Qin glanced at the letter of authorization, then at the two overlapping shadows, finally nodded, tore the notice in half, and threw it into the wastebasket.
"Meet at nine o'clock, see you at the training ground."
——
9:30 Sports School Training Hall
The corridor still had 37 steps, but Yu Chen walked slowly today—each step a step into the past: wearing protective gear for the first time at age 12, suffering a concussion at age 14, winning the city's youth championship at age 15, and secretly writing "Xiao Wei" on the mat and then erasing it at age 16. The stark white light nailed her shadow to the floor mat, but it no longer resembled a band-aid; instead, it looked like a tightened rope.
Pushing open the iron gate, the hall was bustling with noise. Li Wei, his face bandaged, instinctively touched the bridge of his nose when he saw her enter, his eyes darting away. Xiao Wei, one hand in his pocket, slung Yu Chen's backpack over his shoulder with the other, his voice not loud, but loud enough for half the hall to hear:
"60kg wildcard, back in its place."
Yu Chen lifted the brim of her hat, and the bright red ends of her hair leaped out from her collar like a rekindled flame. She raised her hand, her fists loosely clenched, and threw a straight punch into the air—the wind pressure swept past, making a soft "whoosh" sound, as if putting a dash on the past three years: the old situation ended, and the new situation began.
Xiao Wei turned his head and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear:
"With Mom and Dad not here, I'll stay with you this summer."
Yu Chen hummed in agreement, reached out, hooked his little finger around hers, and bumped fists like in a boxing ring.
"After this summer, I'll go home with you."
Outside the window, the sun shines after the rain, and the bronze medal from the sports school curls up at the edge in the sunlight, no longer resembling a scar, but rather a finish line that has been straightened out again.
The last train on Metro Line 2 was so empty that you could hear the clanging echo of the tracks.
Yu Chen leaned against the car door, her school uniform jacket open, the ends of her bright red hair bobbing in the air conditioning. Staring at the dark tunnel outside the window, she suddenly spoke, her voice so low that only Xiao Wei beside her could hear:
"Sunday—the day you kissed me, why?"
Xiao Wei, with one hand in his pocket and the other gripping the handrail, turned his head upon hearing this, raising an innocent-looking arch in his eyebrows: "Which day? I have a bad memory."
“The boxing gym, the downpour, you…” Yu Chen’s ears instantly turned red, and his voice got stuck in his throat, as if he had been burned by his own fuse.
Xiao Wei let out an "Oh," the last syllable lingering, then leaned closer, speaking in an almost breathy voice: "So that counts as a kiss? I thought—it was just giving you a breath of fresh air."
"You!" Yu Chen snapped, the brim of his hat hitting her shoulder with a soft "thud." She turned her back to her, crossed her arms, and her back of the head screamed "Do Not Disturb."
Xiao Wei chuckled softly, her fingertips reaching for Yu Chen's sleeve, only to be brushed away; she tried again, and was brushed away once more. The third time, she simply tickled Yu Chen's palm with her index finger, tracing the inner side of her wrist upwards—lightly, slowly, and with a jolt. Yu Chen withdrew her hand, pressing herself against the car door, like a cat with its fur standing on end, yet silently.
Having successfully amused the other person into ignoring him, Xiao Wei was in a great mood, humming off-key R&B.
Just then—
Yu Chen's phone vibrated in his pocket, and the screen lit up: An Yi.
Xiao Wei reacted quickly, swiping his finger to answer the call before Yu Chen could, and even deliberately turned on speakerphone.
"Yu Chen, have you gotten off the subway yet?" An Yi's voice popped out from the speaker, like ice-cold soda water, creating tiny bubbles in the empty carriage. "I'm at the entrance of your neighborhood. I brought you the algebra analysis from today's monthly exam—the last big question. I found a better solution."
Yu Chen reached out to grab it, but Xiao Wei lifted it up with one hand. Standing at 186 cm tall, she maximized her arm span advantage, while her other hand wrapped around Yu Chen's shoulder and back, pulling him close to her like a defender firmly controlling their opponent.
“She hasn’t arrived yet,” Xiao Wei said, his voice low and languid, yet carrying a clear declaration of ownership. “She’s on the subway, I’m with her.”
There was a half-second silence on the other end. When An Yi spoke again, his soda water was icy cold: "Please let her answer the phone."
“No trouble at all.” Xiao Wei smiled, a small crease appearing at the corner of his eye, but suddenly turned off the speakerphone, held the phone to his ear, and lowered his voice so low that only the person on the other end could hear: “She’s very tired today. Keep the analysis for her. Next time—I’ll listen to it with her.”
After saying that, he hung up immediately and switched to silent mode.
Yu Chen finally snatched her phone back; the screen was already dark. She glared at Xiao Wei, her ears burning red: "Why did you answer my call!"
"To save you battery." Xiao Wei said seriously, stuffing the phone into her pocket and giving it a pat. "Let's go home."
——
At Exit B of the subway station, the night wind carried the earthy smell of rain.
The exit to Yu Chen's apartment complex was a 200-meter walk, a straight-line distance. Xiao Wei suddenly quickened his pace, hands in his pockets, his strides almost race-walking. Yu Chen couldn't keep up; after a few steps, her slippers slipped and she missed a shallow puddle—
"hiss--"
She landed on her knees, thankfully the water was shallow, only her trouser legs got wet. The pain wasn't intense, but she felt mostly embarrassed. She sat there, her hat brim drooping, the ends of her bright red hair clinging to her neck like a rain-soaked fuse, its flame half extinguished.
Hearing the noise, Xiao Wei turned around, her heart clenching – she'd really messed up. She rushed back, squatted down, and asked in a low, regretful voice, "Where did you fall?"
Yu Chen didn't speak, but turned her knee to the other side and continued writing "Do Not Disturb" with the back of her head, but the writing was even more messy—her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she was trying her best to hold back tears.
Xiao Wei knelt on one knee, reaching for her ankle with her right hand. Her fingertips barely touched the hem of her trousers before she was pushed away. She simply leaned forward, slipping her hands under Yu Chen's armpits and scooping her up from the ground—like scooping up a cat with its fur standing on end from the rain, her movements light yet steady.
"I was wrong." Her voice was low, her lips close to Yu Chen's ear, her breath warm and minty. "I won't tease you anymore. I'll make you some sweet soup when we get home, okay?"
Yu Chen remained silent, only resting her forehead against Xiao Wei's shoulder, her fingers secretly gripping the hem of Xiao Wei's vest until her knuckles turned white. Her breathing, still nasal, came in short, drawn-out breaths, like a delayed ringing bell.
Xiao Wei lifted her up by her buttocks, raising her knees off the ground, his voice even softer: "The ground is cold, get up first."
Yu Chen finally spoke, his voice muffled in the back of his shoulder, carrying the stubbornness unique to young men: "...You walked too fast."
"Okay, I'll wait." Xiao Wei tilted his head and rubbed his chin against her hair crown, like stroking a cat's fur. "I'll wait for you from now on, okay?"
Yu Chen didn't answer, but she didn't struggle anymore either. Xiao Wei maintained that holding position and walked the last fifty meters. The night wind stretched their shadows long—one lifting, one embracing, like a round ending with a bell tolling early, yet no one mentioned winning or losing.
Upon reaching the entrance of the building, Xiao Wei finally put her down, but didn't let go. Instead, he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers, his voice so low it was barely a whisper:
"I'll listen to An Yi's analysis with you."
"But the answer—can only be my name."
Yu Chen chuckled, his eyes still red, but he reached out and hooked his little finger around hers, like a fist bump in a boxing ring.
"make a deal."
Shadows overlapped, the night wind continued to blow, like a new fuse, quietly igniting.
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