Chapter 3 Gambling
The morning of Class 2 (A) was filled with the noisy chirping of cicadas and the creaking of chalk across the blackboard. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a regular pattern of light and shadow on Chu Yan's open textbook. He sat upright, his profile soft in the morning light.
However, the corner of his eyes was always fixed on the area next to him that continued to emit a low-pressure atmosphere of "keep away from strangers".
Gu Ye lay hunched over the table in an awkward position, his face buried in his arms, revealing only a few strands of unruly silver hair. His loose uniform jacket wrapped around him like a barrier separating him from the world. From the moment Chu Yan sat down until now, his deskmate had demonstrated the highest level of disregard.
At the podium, the math teacher was passionately explaining a complex geometry proof. Chu Yan had a faint smile on his face, his slender fingers gripping a pen as he wrote fluently in his notebook. His handwriting was neat and clear, the steps so clear they could be taken as standard answers.
He stopped writing and tore off the page he had just written naturally. Then, he leaned slightly to the side and gently pushed the paper to the edge of Gu Ye's desk - the gap that was not completely covered by his arm.
"Student Gu," his voice was very low, like a feather brushing against your ear, with just the right amount of concern and subtle guidance, "Add the auxiliary lines for this question here, and your thinking will be clearer. You may not have heard clearly what the teacher said just now." You didn't hear at all.
The edge of the paper almost touched the little bit of cold white skin on Gu Ye's wrist that was exposed.
The low pressure was broken.
Gu Ye raised his head, his eyes still tinged with the grumpiness of waking up, piercing Chu Yan viciously. He didn't even look at the note, his gaze fixed on Chu Yan's flawless face.
"Take it." He practically gritted his teeth, squeezing out the two words. His voice was quiet, but it was filled with contempt and disgust. He reached out, not to take the notes, but as if sweeping away something disgusting, he violently swept the paper filled with the solution to the problem to the ground, where it floated slowly between them.
After doing all this, he seemed to be contaminated by something dirty. He turned his face away in disgust, lay back on the table, and pointed the arrogant silver hair on the back of his head at Chu Yan with an extremely firm attitude of rejection.
Chu Yan's smile remained unchanged. Even as he roughly swept the notebook away, his eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and tolerance. He sighed slightly, then calmly bent down, picked up the swept notebook, and put it back into his book.
"Very vigilant," Chu Yan sighed insincerely in his mind. "But the reaction was intense enough, proving the method was effective." He continued to listen to the lecture as if nothing had happened, as if the previous conflict was just an insignificant episode. Only he knew that Gu Ye's explosive thorns and undisguised disgust made him feel more challenging.
In the afternoon, physical education class.
The indoor basketball arena was spacious and bright, the air thick with the smell of rubber flooring and sweat. The boys had changed into sports vests and shorts, while the girls sat in groups of three or four on the sidelines, their eyes mostly fixed on the figure in the center of the court.
Chu Yan had shed his school uniform jacket, leaving only a white sports vest. His physique, honed through years of exercise, was on full display, his muscles flowing and powerful, neither exaggerated nor overpowering. His dribbling was skillful and graceful. With a beautiful fake move, he dribbled past the defender and leaped for a shot, which arced beautifully into the net.
"Wow, Chu Yan is so handsome."
“That’s so accurate.”
"What beautiful movements."
The girls on the sidelines instantly erupted with uncontrollable screams and cheers, mixed with excited discussions.
Chu Yan landed on the ground and showed a sunny, slightly shy and gentle smile to the sidelines, which instantly caused a group of gasps.
All of this fell into the sight of the silver-haired boy in the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, his face radiating the feeling of "the whole world is boring." Gu Ye had also changed into his sportswear, but he clearly had no intention of participating in any group activities. He watched Chu Yan thrive in the crowd, his impeccable, gentle smile, and thought back to that hypocritical note from that morning.
"Pretending." He sneered. His voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by Chu Yan in the noisy gym.
Chu Yan seemed not to hear and walked straight towards the corner where Gu Ye was. The girls on the sidelines also focused their attention.
"Gu Ye," Chu Yan stopped in front of Gu Ye, his face flushed with exercise and a sincere smile. There were fine beads of sweat on his forehead, making him look particularly energetic. "How boring is it to be alone? Let's play a game?" He pointed to the empty half of the court next to him.
Gu Ye raised his eyelids lazily, his eyes full of undisguised rejection and ridicule: "Follow you? Not interested." He turned around and wanted to leave.
"Don't be so quick to refuse." Chu Yan's voice was still gentle, but with a hint of imperceptible provocation. "It's really boring to just play ball. Why not add some bets?" He tilted his head, and his smile looked particularly dazzling and annoying in the sunlight.
Gu Ye paused. He slowly turned around, narrowing his eyes, and sized up Chu Yan like a serious opponent. "Bet? What's the bet?" His inherent unwillingness to admit defeat was precisely aroused. He might have had reservations about fighting, but basketball was his territory, and he didn't believe this pretentious guy could keep up the act on the court.
Chu Yan's smile deepened, and a glimmer of success flashed in his eyes, so fast that no one noticed. His voice was clear, ensuring that the several students around him who pricked up their ears could hear:
"It's very simple. One-on-one, ten minutes to see the score, the loser..." He paused deliberately, looking into Gu Ye's eyes that were burning with pure fighting spirit, and said word by word: "You have to listen to the winner for a month. You have to do whatever the winner tells you to do. How dare you play?"
"Be obedient for a month?" Gu Ye grinned wildly, as if he had heard an extremely ridiculous joke. "Are you dreaming?" Asking him to be a follower of this hypocritical guy for a month? It was a great humiliation.
"Don't dare?" Chu Yan raised his eyebrows, his smile still gentle, but the provocation in his tone suddenly intensified. He gently clapped the basketball in his hand, making a regular "bang bang" sound, as if knocking on Gu Ye's nerves.
"Who do you say doesn't dare?" Gu Ye's anger suddenly rose. Provoking others always worked for him, especially from the people he disliked the most. He ripped off his outer sports jacket, revealing the black vest underneath. His eyes were fierce, as if he was ready to fight for his life. "I accept the bet. Don't refuse to pay if you lose."
"It's a deal." The smile on Chu Yan's face instantly became extremely sincere and bright, and he stretched out his hand to make a high-five gesture.
Gu Ye didn't even look at his hand. He strode towards the empty half of the court, his silver hair swung in a sharp arc in the air. He turned his back to Chu Yan and shouted, "Stop dawdling and come over here."
Chu Yan watched Gu Ye's confident back, the smile on his lips tinged with genuine interest, the interest of a mastermind. He followed slowly, flexing his wrists and ankles. Beneath his jade-like appearance, he revealed the determination to tighten the net.
The girls on the sidelines were whispering excitedly to each other, their eyes darting back and forth between the two players who were arguing with each other. The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder and anticipation of a showdown.
Chu Yan: The first step is to establish connections. The second step is to create constraints. A month is enough time to gradually get those chaotic "free activities" of yours back on track. Winning or losing on the court is never the goal.
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