Almost a week had passed since Jiang Hua called to inform him about the upcoming friendly basketball league match between B University and S University. Gu Yiming had been working diligently to complete his lab reports each day, and whenever he had free time, he would meet up with his friends on the court to practice. With the unit test fast approaching, the teacher, though somewhat worried about Gu Yiming's habit of heading straight to the court after class, didn't say much because his assignments and lab reports were indeed detailed and accurate, showing he had put in the effort.
"What are you thinking about? You seem distracted."
Receiving the ball from his teammate, Gu Yiming didn't answer. He dribbled past several players in a few steps, leaped into the air, and the basketball arced through the air, bouncing off the rim before smoothly gliding through the net. His teammates cheered. One or two approached and patted Gu Yiming on the shoulder. "You seemed a bit off-track since the beginning. What were you thinking about?" Gu Yiming remained silent, simply shaking the sweat from his hair and wiping his sweat-drenched face and neck with the corner of his jersey.
Just as the man was about to say something more, his gaze caught sight of An Li rushing from the teaching building in the distance. Seemingly understanding something, he didn't show his thoughts too obviously. He simply whispered a few words to the people around him, then turned to Gu Yiming and said, "You've been practicing so hard for the past few days, and your studies are so demanding. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Go down and rest for a while. Anyway, we're always ready to practice if you want."
Gu Yiming gasped for breath for a long time before his breathing gradually calmed down. Although he was somewhat surprised to hear this, he did not refuse his brother's kindness. He walked slowly to the sidelines, took out a towel from his bag, and wiped the sweat off his body. Suddenly, a voice with a hint of coquetry sounded beside him.
"Yiming, so you were here!"
An Li smiled sweetly. Gu Yiming could vaguely guess the identity of the person from the voice. He didn't turn around, but just nodded almost imperceptibly in response.
"I haven't seen you in the lab for the past few days, I was worried something had happened to you." An Li sat down next to Gu Yiming quite naturally. Gu Yiming frowned slightly, but it was fleeting. He simply shifted his body to the side without making a sound.
"I asked around for a long time before I found out that you've been practicing here whenever you have free time lately. Are you preparing for the upcoming friendly basketball league?"
"Um."
Seeing that Gu Yiming remained silent, An Li had a thought and took out a sports drink from her bag. The drink was chilled, and water droplets were still rising from the bottle. "You must have been training here for a long time. I thought you must be thirsty, so I brought this drink for you."
Gu Yiming tilted his head slightly and saw An Li holding the bottle of beverage in her hand, with a sweet smile on her face. He didn't know how to answer for a moment, but after hesitating for a while, he took the beverage, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.
An Li's smile grew even sweeter. She was almost overjoyed. After standing up and saying goodbye to Gu Yiming, she went back to her dormitory. Her steps were so light that she could practically lift a gust of wind. In her mind, she could almost see Jiang Hua's exasperated expression.
Having already completed the unit test, Jiang Hua sat idly in front of the computer. It was a wonderful weekend, and she was thinking of logging into the game and playing some dungeons with Yi Gu. However, Yi Gu was clearly offline in her friend list, which made Jiang Hua feel a little disappointed. So she gathered a few roommates and started playing cards.
The dormitory supervisor suddenly burst in, and the girls still clutching their cards became her target. "The school has clear regulations prohibiting these kinds of recreational activities in the dorms, and you're knowingly violating them. Hand over your cards!" The supervisor's attitude was firm and unquestionable. Jiang Hua felt a mix of regret and resentment, but she still took the cards from her roommates, stacked them together, put them in a box, and handed them to the supervisor. Before leaving, the supervisor gave them a good scolding, but Jiang Hua barely listened to a word.
"How about this? We all have plenty of time on the weekend anyway. I know an arcade not far from school. The equipment is still pretty new, and it won't be too crowded right now. How about we go there together?" Her roommate, unable to bear Jiang Hua's dejected appearance, broke the silence and suggested after a moment's thought. Jiang Hua, realizing her earlier outburst, remembered how sullen she'd been all morning. She figured going out for a walk would be good for her, so she agreed without hesitation.
Jiang Hua's mood had improved considerably by the time they arrived at the arcade, chatting and laughing all the way. The arcade was packed with people, which was normal for a weekend, so Jiang Hua didn't pay much attention. But her roommate suddenly nudged Jiang Hua's arm and gestured with her lips towards something not far away.
“That person… did you see that, Jiang Hua? That person looks like An Li?” Upon hearing this, Jiang Hua followed her roommate’s gaze and looked over. Not far away, An Li was standing alone on the dance machine, with a group of people gathered behind her watching the dance.
"What a coincidence! Why don't we go try that too? I was just thinking of getting some exercise." Jiang Hua didn't think about what An Li had done before. She thought that this method might be able to clear up the misunderstanding between them. So she walked through the crowd, put in a few game tokens, and planned to dance with An Li.
An Li recognized Jiang Hua at a glance and immediately became somewhat displeased, but she couldn't show it because there were onlookers around. After a moment's thought, she turned her head and looked directly at Jiang Hua, "Who do we have here? It's Jiang Hua. I've heard that dancing is one of your strengths. How about it, do you dare to have a dance competition with me here?"
The sharp hostility revealed in her words stung Jiang Hua. She nodded silently, no longer looking at An Li, and simply let her walk forward with a flamboyant smile to choose a song.
After the piece ended, both were slightly out of breath. The audience on the periphery whispered among themselves, but Jiang Hua and An Li paid no attention, their eyes glued to the score flashing on the screen. When the final number was announced, An Li was incredulous; she had actually lost to Jiang Hua. "...Consider yourself lucky. I'd been wearing these shoes for too long today, and they were rubbing my feet, which affected my performance."
"I didn't know you'd suddenly become so diligent." Jiang Hua said breathlessly, somewhat displeased with An Li's words that were deliberately trying to excuse her.
"It's nothing, I just brought a bottle of water to Gu Yiming who's been practicing hard."
"What did you say?"
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