The shadow of the volleyball court
After transferring to the science class, the constraints of humanities subjects shattered like thin ice, and with Lin Yi's help, Luo Yan's grades finally began to slowly rise from the bottom of the class. With National Day approaching, Lin Yi nudged her with her elbow: "Luo Yan, where are you planning to go for National Day?"
Luo Yan buried her face in her physics workbook, her voice muffled: "There's still more than a week until National Day, it's still a long way off."
"Ugh, this is so boring." Lin Yi sighed, twirling her pen. "These past two days have made my head spin."
"Don't be bored." Luo Yan turned her head to show half her face. "There's a sports meet next week, you'll be busy."
"I didn't sign up for any projects, what am I busy with?" Lin Yi poked her arm. "You did sign up?"
"without."
The two looked at each other and chuckled softly. A moment later, Lin Yi leaned closer, her eyes sparkling: "If you don't have any plans, how about coming to New Street with me? There are so many new shops."
Luo Yan looked up: "Aren't you going to the comic convention?"
“I checked,” Lin Yi said helplessly. “There were no anime conventions nearby during the National Day holiday, otherwise I would definitely have invited you.”
"All right."
"Let me think about it," Lin Yi asked eagerly, "I'll call a few more people."
Luo Yan thought for a moment and shook her head: "No, I have to go somewhere."
"where?"
Luo Yan curled the corners of her lips into a mysterious smile: "It's a secret."
Back in her rented room that evening, Luo Zhongheng was still typing away on his laptop, the characters scrolling in the blue light on the screen; Ren Qin had just finished washing strawberries, the fruit in the enamel plate was bright red, and when she saw her come back, she raised her chin: "Wash your hands and eat strawberries."
Luo Yan hummed in agreement as she changed her shoes and headed to the bathroom. As she passed the living room, Luo Zhongheng, without looking up, squeezed out a question from the sound of keyboard clicks: "Where do you want to go for National Day?"
Luo Yan paused, but didn't turn around: "Su Yi."
Luo Zhongheng paused for half a second while typing, then continued: "Go find your little cousin?"
"Hmm." Luo Yan's voice was very soft. "Isn't he studying at Su Yi?"
Her cousin, Ren Xiangzhou, her uncle's son, was six years older than her and studied at university in Suzhou. Luo Zhongheng grunted in response and didn't say anything more; the sound of the keyboard once again filled the living room. Ren Qin handed her a plate of strawberries: "Suzhou has nice sights; let your dad accompany you."
Luo Yan took the plate without saying a word. She knew Luo Zhongheng's personality well; work came first, and "I'll go with you" was probably just a polite remark from Ren Qin.
On Wednesday, the results of the physical education module class placements were posted. Luo Yan squeezed through the crowd and immediately spotted her name—volleyball group. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief; this was even more reassuring than checking her final exam grades.
Lin Yi went to the soccer group, Pan Yue chose basketball, leaving only Luo Yan. Fortunately, He Xiaoyou also joined the volleyball group. The two met like long-lost friends, exchanging greetings before waiting for the teacher.
"Guess who our teacher is?" He Xiaoyou winked.
Luo Yan recalled a class from her first year of high school: "The volleyball teacher... I think his surname was Meng?"
"No, guess again."
Luo Yan pouted: "I can't guess, you're keeping me in suspense."
Before she could finish speaking, a familiar, magnetic male voice came from behind her, interrupting her directly: "Is everyone here?"
Luo Yan froze. The girls around her were already screaming softly, drawing stares from passersby. Luo Yan sighed helplessly—she had guessed Qi Sheng might play basketball, but it turned out he was a volleyball coach.
The boys in the group asked, "Where's Teacher Meng?"
Qi Sheng calmly explained, "Teacher Meng is away for training, so I'll be filling in for her this month."
"Wow—" The commotion among the girls intensified.
Qi Sheng wore a black hoodie today, and his khaki cargo pants made his legs look even longer.
"Report in first." Qi Sheng waved the list and handed it to the head of the line. "Pass it in order, and tick your name."
When the list reached Luo Yan, she stole a glance at Qi Sheng—they were standing too close; he could definitely see her name. Feeling guilty, Luo Yan quietly turned away, wanting to quickly tick the box.
"What are you hiding for?" Qi Sheng's voice rang out above him, tinged with a casual awareness. "Aren't you going to let me see?"
Luo Yan was embarrassed. She forced herself to pass on the list, pretending to look at him nonchalantly, but her eyes were wandering.
Qi Sheng's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he didn't say anything more. He waited until the list was passed before speaking: "Go get the ball."
When the person with the ball returned, Qi Sheng let the first row take the ball and gave a simple demonstration himself—raising his hand and tossing it lightly, his wrist rotating flexibly, the volleyball drawing a beautiful arc in the air, the movement smooth and neat.
It doesn't look difficult. Luo Yan felt relaxed; at most, she would teach a basic movement, just a quick chat.
When she tried it in practice, she realized she was making a huge mistake: except for the first time she managed to catch the ball during a dive, the balls either grazed her hand or hit her directly, leaving her basically only able to pick them up from the ground.
Luo Yan looked around and saw that everyone looked like they had a grudge against volleyball. Qi Sheng leaned against the fence at the side of the court and watched quietly.
After everyone had taken their turn, he spoke, his tone calm: "Most people don't have a foundation, so..."
Luo Yan looked at him expectantly, thinking there was a "shortcut".
Qi Sheng paused for a moment, then said, "Practice hard, do fifteen and go to the class representative to pass." Seemingly too serious, he added, "Good luck," waved his hand, and said, "That's it."
Luo Yan rolled her eyes. This was intense in the very first lesson? She wanted to complain to He Xiaoyou, only to find she was already out playing with her friends. So she found an empty spot and buried herself in practice.
Fifteen is nothing to be afraid of. She kept pushing the ball while inflating her muscles, but her highest record was only three.
"Come on, three is already pretty impressive!" she muttered under her breath, rubbing her throbbing arm—she hadn't used the right amount of force, and her arm was red all over, a stark contrast to her unresponsive wrist.
Alright, let my arm be the first to bravely sacrifice itself.
She leaned against the railing, ball in hand, to rest. Looking up, she saw Qi Sheng surrounded by a group of girls, who were patiently explaining and demonstrating the moves. Luo Yan thought to herself, "This guy must be incredibly popular with the opposite sex in college. Does being handsome give him the right to do whatever he wants?"
Okay, being handsome is definitely an advantage.
She also saw several boys gather around, and felt very uncomfortable. She cursed herself inwardly: "They were just asking for advice, what are you thinking? Are you crazy?"
She quickly looked away guiltily, not daring to look again.
She practiced on her own, thinking, "If no one passes, I'll be the first..."
Damn it! This thing is so hard! After a few rounds, her arms were exhausted, and she thought dejectedly: It wouldn't matter if the world lost one less person with no athletic ability.
Staring blankly into the distance, I suddenly felt a strong gaze fall upon me.
Luo Yan snapped out of her daze and met Qi Sheng's gaze from not far away.
Huh? There's no one around him anymore. Was he watching her play? But she plays so badly...
Afraid of overthinking, she quickly shut off any strange thoughts and told herself, "He's definitely checking my practice." Not wanting to be seen as a "daydreamer," she immediately picked up the ball and, steeling herself, made two quick passes.
I glanced again, and Qi Sheng was still looking.
Luo Yan felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She wanted to find He Xiaoyou, but she was afraid of being too obvious.
With a quick glance, he simply passed the ball towards Qi Sheng. Qi Sheng, as if he had anticipated this, reacted swiftly, hitting the ball and then cleverly passing it back.
Hey, how am I supposed to answer that?!
Luo Yan lunged forward reflexively, but the ball didn't hit the ground; she rolled to the ground with a "thud."
It seems a bit silly...
Anticipating that Qi Sheng would laugh, she quickly got up, dusted herself off, and silently picked up the ball.
As he passed by Qisheng, he casually remarked, "Your reaction time is quite quick."
Luo Yan didn't say anything, but a strange feeling welled up inside her. She picked up the ball, ignored him, and started practicing again, but the volleyball still wouldn't cooperate.
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