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The commotion after the match lasted for a long time. Fang Chi was pulled along by Tan Si and Qing Jiuyue, and after squeezing through the crowd for quite a while, they finally got close to the rest area of Linjiang No.1 Middle School.
The team members were still celebrating excitedly when He Chen's loud voice could be heard from afar: "Did you see the faces of those people from Experimental Middle School at the end? They looked like they'd swallowed flies! Jia Yan's last few minutes were simply divine!"
Surrounded by his teammates, Xing Jiayan smiled as he responded to their pats and hugs. But Fang Chi noticed that his right hand was constantly pressing against his right ribs, and his face was paler than before.
The team doctor rushed over with his medical kit, pushing through the crowd: "Make way, let me see Jiayan's injury."
The crowd dispersed slightly. The team doctor lifted the hem of Xing Jiayan's jersey and gasped – a shocking bruise covered his right ribcage, with obvious swelling.
"We need to get an X-ray at the hospital right away," the team doctor said gravely. "It might be a fracture."
The cheers immediately subsided, and everyone looked at Xing Jiayan with concern.
“It’s not that serious,” Xing Jiayan said, trying to put down her clothes. “It’s just some bruising.”
"Don't push yourself." The coach spoke, his tone leaving no room for argument. "He Chen, you go with Jia Yan to the hospital. The rest of you, pack your things and go back to school."
Xing Jiayan was about to say something when his gaze met Fang Chi's. Fang Chi didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly, his brows slightly furrowed.
Xing Jiayan swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and unusually conceded: "Alright."
Fang Chi watched as He Chen helped Xing Jiayan slowly walk towards the changing room, his steps noticeably less brisk than usual. He stood there until the two figures disappeared at the end of the corridor before turning to Tan Si and Qing Jiuyue and saying, "You two go back first."
"Aren't you coming along?" Tan Si asked.
Fang Chi shook his head: "I have something to do."
He didn't say what it was about, but Tan Si and Qing Jiuyue exchanged a knowing look and didn't ask any more questions.
Fang Chi walked out of the gymnasium alone. The cool summer night breeze dispelled some of the restlessness in his heart. He hesitated for a moment at the intersection, then turned and walked in the opposite direction from the school—the road to the municipal hospital.
The hospital's emergency department was filled with the distinctive smell of disinfectant. When Fang Chi found the orthopedic clinic, he could see He Chen sitting on a bench in the corridor playing on his phone from afar, while Xing Jiayan was probably inside getting a checkup.
He Chen wasn't surprised to see him and waved to him, saying, "I knew you'd come."
"How is he?" Fang Chi sat down next to He Chen.
"They're taking X-rays, and the results aren't out yet." He Chen put away his phone and sighed. "The doctor said the location of that bruise isn't good; it's close to the pleura. If it's serious, it could affect my breathing."
Fang Chi's heart sank.
"Don't worry too much," He Chen comforted him, seeing his pale face. "Jia Yan is incredibly resilient. He broke his leg during training in his second year of high school, and the doctor said he wouldn't be able to play for at least six months, but he came back as lively as ever after only three months."
Fang Chi didn't speak, his gaze fixed on the closed consultation room door.
The wait felt incredibly long. The corridor was filled with the sounds of people coming and going, nurses pushing medical carts, patients groaning, and anxious questions from family members, all blending together to create the unique background noise of a hospital.
Fang Chi sat quietly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the strap of his backpack. He remembered a month ago, on a night like this, he pushed Xing Jiayan, who was in a wheelchair, from the seminar room back to the dormitory. At that time, he felt that road was very long, but now, he would rather push Xing Jiayan down that dark road again than sit here waiting for an unknown outcome.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door to the examination room finally opened. The doctor came out first, followed by Xing Jiayan, who was holding several X-ray films.
He Chen and Fang Chi immediately got up to greet them.
"Doctor, how is he?" He Chen asked first.
"A rib fracture, not too serious, but you'll need to rest for four weeks." The doctor adjusted his glasses. "Fortunately, the pleura wasn't damaged. Take your medication as prescribed, have regular check-ups, and avoid strenuous exercise."
Fang Chi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
"Did you hear that? No strenuous exercise around here." He Chen nudged Xing Jiayan with his elbow. "Forget about the finals, just be a spectator."
Xing Jiayan ignored him and focused her gaze on Fang Chi: "Why are you here?"
His voice was somewhat hoarse and tired, but his eyes were bright, like obsidian immersed in water under the cold white lights of the hospital.
Fang Chi avoided his gaze and said in a flat tone, "It's on my way."
He Chen let out an undisguised sneer from the side.
Xing Jiayan didn't expose him, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly: "Is that so?"
The doctor prescribed the medication, gave them instructions, and then let them leave. He Chen received a call from home about an emergency, so he left first. In the end, only Fang Chi and Xing Jiayan remained standing at the hospital entrance.
The night breeze was getting cooler, and Xing Jiayan, wearing only a thin team uniform jacket, unconsciously hunched his shoulders.
Fang Chi silently took off his coat and handed it over.
Xing Jiayan looked at him but didn't take it: "Aren't you cold?"
"My home is nearby." Fang Chi stuffed the coat into his hands. "Put it on."
This time, Xing Jiayan didn't refuse and slowly put on the coat, which still carried Fang Chi's warmth. The coat was a bit big, hanging loosely on him, revealing his delicate collarbone and a patch of purplish-blue bruises at the neckline.
Fang Chi's gaze lingered on the bruise for a moment before quickly shifting away: "Can you walk?"
"Yes." Xing Jiayan nodded and tried to take a step, but her movements were stiff due to pain in her ribs.
Fang Chi didn't say anything, but silently walked to his side, reached out and gently supported his back, in a gesture that was ready to catch him at any time.
The streets were quiet at night, with only the streetlights casting their shadows long and short. They walked side by side, slowly, without saying a word.
As they passed a convenience store, Fang Chi suddenly stopped: "Wait for me."
He strode into the store and came out a moment later with a bottle of warm milk, which he handed to Xing Jiayan: "Painkillers upset your stomach, drink some milk."
Xing Jiayan took the milk blankly, the warmth of the bottle spreading from his palm all the way to his heart.
"Fang Chi," he called his name softly.
"Um?"
"Thanks."
Fang Chi didn't respond, but continued walking forward. Moonlight shone on his clean-cut profile, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.
We reached a fork in the road.
"I'll take you back," Fang Chi said.
“No need,” Xing Jiayan shook his head, “I can go back by myself.”
Fang Chi looked at his pale face and the obvious pain he was enduring, and frowned again: "How are you going to go back by yourself like this?"
"Then..." Xing Jiayan paused, looking in the direction of Fang Chi's apartment, "...to your place?"
The question was asked so naturally that Fang Chi couldn't find a reason to refuse for a moment.
The two fell silent again. The night wind rustled the leaves of the sycamore trees lining the road.
Finally, Fang Chi sighed, turned around and walked towards his apartment: "Follow me."
Xing Jiayan looked at his slightly stiff back and smiled gently, then slowly followed him.
Fang Chi lived in a simple one-bedroom apartment, so tidy that it almost didn't look like a high school boy's room. His desk was piled with reference books and test papers, and there were several star charts and sticky notes on the wall, covered with formulas.
"Sit wherever you like." Fang Chi tossed his schoolbag onto the sofa and went into the kitchen to boil water.
Xing Jiayan sat down on the sofa and looked around the space filled with Fang Chi's aura. Everything here was in perfect order, just like Fang Chi himself—calm and composed on the outside, but harboring a rich and unknown universe within.
Fang Chi came out with a cup of warm water and saw Xing Jiayan staring blankly at the largest star map on the wall.
"Have some water." He placed the cup on the coffee table in front of Xing Jiayan.
Xing Jiayan looked away, picked up the water glass and took a sip; the water temperature was just right.
"Is that the Andromeda Galaxy?" he asked, pointing to the star map on the wall.
Fang Chi was somewhat surprised: "You knew?"
"I happened to see some related information on a forum," Xing Jiayan said casually, but his eyes never left the star map. "It is said that it is constantly approaching our Milky Way and will collide with it in billions of years."
Fang Chi sat down on the single sofa next to him: "The collision of two galaxies sounds spectacular."
“It’s beautiful too,” Xing Jiayan added, finally turning to look at Fang Chi. “Countless stars rearrange themselves in the dance of gravity, forming entirely new structures. Destruction and rebirth occur simultaneously.”
His eyes were deep, and under the warm yellow light, they seemed to truly reflect the distant starlight.
Fang Chi was stunned. At this moment, Xing Jiayan was no longer the dazzling star player on the court, nor the mortal enemy who always clashed with him in the classroom. He seemed to have shed all pretense, revealing the confidant named "Yan" who resonated with his soul.
“Yes,” Fang Chi responded softly, his gaze softening unconsciously. “It’s beautiful.”
The two fell silent again, but this time the silence was not awkward; instead, an indescribable understanding flowed in the air.
Xing Jiayan gasped softly in pain, his hand instinctively pressing against his ribs.
Fang Chi immediately stood up: "I'll go get an ice pack."
He took an ice pack out of the refrigerator, wrapped it in a towel, and handed it to Xing Jiayan: "Put it on, the doctor said so."
Xing Jiayan took the ice pack and pressed it against the injured area; the cool sensation slightly relieved the pain.
"Fang Chi," he suddenly said, "I can't play in the final."
"Um."
Will you come to see it?
Fang Chi looked at him but didn't answer immediately. Xing Jiayan's eyes were calm, but Fang Chi could sense the disappointment and resentment hidden beneath that calm.
This man, who was always so proud and arrogant, showed a rare vulnerability at this moment because he was unable to play in the most important game.
"Yes," Fang Chi finally gave an affirmative answer.
Xing Jiayan smiled, a genuine and unreserved smile, like fireworks suddenly bursting in the night sky, bright and dazzling.
"That's good," he said, his voice soft but heavy in Fang Chi's heart.
The moonlight outside the window is beautiful, with countless stars twinkling, like the distant universe depicted on the star map on the wall.
On this ordinary night, in this small apartment, two originally parallel worlds are quietly converging in an unexpected way.
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