Chapter 30 Chapter 30
Back home, Ren Li finished the warm milk Lin Yuan had given her, washed up, and returned to her bedroom. A message from Zhang Xintong arrived on her phone. She chatted with her for a while until lights-out in the dormitory. After saying goodnight, Ren Li's gaze returned to the thick, five-three exercise books on her desk.
Today is Friday, her happy time to read various magazines and books. But today, after taking a look at the new books she bought from the bookstore, she sat down at the table obediently.
She turned on the desk lamp and began working on physics, her weakest subject. But after a few problems, she got stuck again. She felt like she had seen this problem somewhere before, and it looked familiar, but she couldn't remember the steps to solve it.
A flash of inspiration suddenly emerged in her mind. She searched for a while and finally found the stack of bound A4 papers that Wen Shuo had printed earlier in the drawer under the desk.
The phone beside her lit up, signaling a call. Ren Li placed the stack of papers on the table, wondering who would call so late at night, when she caught sight of Wen Shuo's conspicuous black profile picture.
Having had the experience of being called by Wen Shuo late at night before, she was obviously much calmer this time. She slid her finger across the screen and pressed the answer button.
"Hello——" Ren Li's voice was a little low.
"Are you going to sleep?" Wen Shuo opposite switched to video mode, still sitting in front of the computer desk, leaning back, leisurely and lazy.
Ren Li switched the camera, pointed it at the desk, and gestured to Wen Shuo: "Diligent people are still working hard."
Seeing his stack of question sets, Wen Shuo couldn't help but curl his lips: "If there are any questions you don't understand today, I can explain them to you."
"No, let's talk about business first." Ren Li knew that once Wen Shuo started explaining the questions to her, their conversation would become unfocused. It was too late now, and she didn't want to wake up Lin Yuan across the street.
Wen Shuo sat up straighter and leaned forward. "Nothing much. I just talked about it on the school bus today. How are you thinking about me teaching you basketball?"
After hearing what he said, Ren Li suddenly remembered that Wen Shuo still remembered this. Sometimes she really admired the stubbornness of the academic master, who would never give up until he achieved his goal.
"Oh, this." Ren Li deliberately prolonged her tone, and the tone suddenly changed, "But I don't want to learn."
She refused quite straightforwardly, and Wen Shuo on the other end of the video was not discouraged: "Oh, you admit that you are too stupid to learn."
"Of course not." Ren Li couldn't stand being called stupid and refuted it vigorously, "Basketball won't be an exam anyway."
She took this for granted, and in fact it was mainly an excuse to get away with it. She was almost losing face if she had to perform her clumsy layup posture in front of Wen Shuo again and again.
Wen Shuo: "Oh, just a quick reminder, basketball is a required subject in the physical education exam at No. 4 Middle School."
Ren Li: ...
She was helpless. Although she couldn't verify the authenticity of Wen Shuo's words for the time being, considering the proportion of basketball content in physical education classes, she believed that this course must be very important in No. 4 Middle School.
Wen Shuo: "I just happened to have an appointment at the basketball stadium for tomorrow. I'll send you the location later. It's near my house. It's up to you whether you want to come tomorrow or not."
Ren Li finally wavered: "Okay, what time tomorrow?"
Wen Shuo: "I have a reservation at the venue for the whole day, but there may be other people coming in the afternoon. If you want to come, come early."
Ren Li: "Oh, okay. Then I'll hang up and go to bed early."
Thinking about having to practice basketball tomorrow, she suddenly lost all interest in studying tonight. After all, fear of difficulty is inevitable.
Wen Shuo: "Are you not going to talk about the topic anymore?"
Ren Li: "Well, go to bed early to save energy for tomorrow."
Wen Shuo: "Yeah, okay, good night."
Ren Li: "Good night."
She hung up the video.
-
Ren Li didn't get up very early on Saturday. After chatting with Wen Shuo the previous night, she stayed up most of the night reading magazines to calm herself down, so she was feeling very sleepy.
Lin Yuan went to work overtime again. There was a pre-prepared breakfast in the kitchen outside. Ren Li quickly finished it, changed into a sports hoodie and sneakers, tied her hair into a pigtail, and hurried out.
She followed the address Wen Shuo sent her on her phone and the map navigation to the subway station, only then did she realize that Wen Shuo's home was actually not far from her own.
In terms of direction, Ren Li's home is in the north and Wen Shuo's home is in the south, with a straight-line distance of several kilometers. There is a direct subway in between, so it is actually only a few stops away.
There was no morning rush hour on the weekend, and there were seats on the subway, which was rare. Ren Li got off the subway after a few stops and followed the navigation instructions to the basketball court called "TOP SPORTS".
This basketball court is located in an upscale residential complex. According to the navigation instructions, permission is required to enter. Ren Li was considering whether to call Wen Shuo in advance, but ended up meeting Wen Shuo at the gate of the residential complex.
He was wearing a black and gray coat today, and his cold white skin added a bleak atmosphere to this late autumn morning.
Ren Li took a few quick steps: "Good morning. Phew, it's a bit cold today."
Wen Shuo simply nodded and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
Ren Li: "I ate half an hour in advance. I know I can't exercise right after eating."
Wen Shuo had originally planned to take Ren Li to a breakfast shop he often went to in the community to have something to eat if she hadn't eaten. But now it seems that this is not necessary.
Wen Shuo: "Then let's go to the gym. It's cold outside."
"Oh." Ren Li turned around and followed Wen Shuo into the residential complex. "How come you have time to pick me up here? I originally thought we were going to meet at the basketball gym."
Wen Shuo: "Because you have a poor sense of direction, I came to pick you up. Don't be touched. Thank you."
Ren Li knew that Wen Shuo was insulting her again, and she was too lazy to argue with him: "I can use the navigation on my phone, thank you."
Wen Shuo: "Oh, that's amazing."
In fact, Wen Shuo just remembered in the morning that Ren Li had not entered the facial recognition in the community and could not enter the community. He was afraid that she would have to wait too long, so he waited here very early.
Ren Li followed Wen Shuo through many twists and turns and finally arrived at a hall. She looked left and right and it didn't look like a basketball hall. It was not until she followed the instructions and completed the entry into the community's access control facial recognition system that she suddenly realized that this was not a basketball hall, but a property management center.
Fortunately, Wen Shuo saw her doubts and pointed to the gate of the community: "Next time you come to see me, you can just scan your face and come in."
Ren Li said "oh" and realized belatedly why she had to come to see Wen Shuo so often.
But as Wen Shuo had said, Ren Li wouldn't necessarily find the basketball arena simply relying on navigation. This residential complex was a bit confusing; it was unlike any other she'd ever seen. There were many high-end residences and private areas, and even a very large lake with a boat dock.
The basketball hall they were going to today was located right by the lake. It had a black steel structure and large floor-to-ceiling windows, giving it a very modern style.
Probably because the venue was reserved, there was no one in the basketball hall at that time. Wen Shuo went into the locker room. Ren Li carried Wen Shuo's backpack and walked into the venue first, then casually placed his bag on the row of chairs at the entrance.
The basketball court was empty, and in the distance, you could see the sparkling lake outside.
Ren Li's gaze fell back on the black sports backpack that I could mention. The zipper inside was unzipped, and a corner of the basketball was visible.
The door was pushed open. Ren Li quickly withdrew her gaze as if she had been caught, and turned around to see Wen Shuo pushing the door open.
He changed into a white jersey, and the muscles in his arms became unusually obvious with his movements. Ren Li stood there blankly, her heart beating a little faster. The moment their eyes met, her face suddenly turned red.
She quickly averted her gaze.
Sunlight shines into the basketball court through the glass, the floor is somewhat reflective, and fine dust is flying in the air. In the huge stadium, the atmosphere suddenly becomes a little ambiguous.
I forgot how many times I have been out with Wen Shuo alone, but the previous times were all in crowded public places. However, this time, it seemed a little different.
In the empty space, this annoying ambiguity quickly spread. Ren Li didn't know what was wrong with her. When Wen Shuo walked towards her, even her breathing became a little disordered.
Fortunately, Wen Shuo just glanced at her, picked up the basketball and started warming up.
Ren Li quickly turned her body and pretended that she was also warming up. After a while, she finally adjusted her breathing rhythm.
During warm-ups, she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Wen Shuo. The ball bounced against the ground again and again. Wen Shuo, wearing the same jersey Ren Li had worn when she first saw him on the basketball court, raised the basketball above his head, bent his knees and jumped up, the ball arcing through the air before dribbling cleanly into the basket.
The scenes on the playground quickly flashed back. Ren Li looked at the boy in the sunlight in the distance. For the first time, she finally understood why those girls liked to watch Wen Shuo play basketball.
Because he is indeed the perfect dream in the hearts of girls.
And she finally fell into the cliché.
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