Chapter 41

Chapter 41

High School Extra - Caution: Contains YAOI elements.

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The sweltering summer sun blazed down, accompanied by the incessant chirping of cicadas. The ceiling fan hummed overhead, circulating hot air around the classroom.

The sharp sound of the final bell pierced through the stuffy atmosphere. Only when the teacher left did the room come to life.

Yan Zhun closed his textbook and took out his phone from the desk drawer to reply to Lin Xuhuan's message. As he typed the first two words, the student in front of him turned around, resuming their previous conversation from the break.

"You're not joining the tournament this time, and there won't be any class matches once we're seniors. Think it over," said the classmate.

Yan Zhun glanced at his phone screen. The heat drained all enthusiasm from his voice. "I can't play."

"Come on," the classmate urged. "There aren't many skilled players in our class anyway. How about this? If we win the game on Wednesday, I'll buy you breakfast for half a month!"

Breakfast money wasn't much, but the school cafeteria was torturous during summer. Only those early high school sweethearts would endure the sweat and crowds for each other's sake.

Yan Zhun tossed his phone back into the drawer and propped his right hand on the desk, casually explaining, "Hand injury, can't really play."

His wrist had been hit two days ago, not severely, but it still hurt when he moved it.

"...Alright then." The student in front of him said helplessly, "Let's find someone else."

Yan Zhun softly acknowledged with an "Mm," threw his textbooks into the drawer, and lay down to sleep.

With such weather, dozing off with eyes closed was the only option. The constant chatter of the two students in front of him transmitted every word clearly.

"Which class are we playing against in the first match?"

"Class 3."

"Damn, Class 3 is good at basketball. They have this guy named... what was it... Luo something."

"Luo Qingshan, the one with the buzz cut."

"That's him. I heard he got into a fight with a boy from our neighboring class in his first year. Does he play dirty?"

"No, I've played ball with him before. He's fierce, and I wouldn't dare guard him."

At this point, the boy's voice paused for two seconds before he lowered it, speaking in a secretive manner. "But I know something."

"What is it?"

"It seems like he's gay."

"..."

"With a guy from his class. That guy won an award in a school art competition last time, and the principal praised him during the flag-raising ceremony. His name is Pei Ran."

"....Ugh, that's disgusting. Are you serious?"

"Serious! I saw them holding hands, last Wednesday on the second floor of the school library. They held hands for quite a while... To be honest, I didn't find it disgusting when I saw them."

"Woah, you don't happen to have those inclinations too, do you...?"

Knock, knock.

A dull tapping sound interrupted their conversation.

Both were startled and turned their heads in unison to look behind them.

Yan Zhun lifted his head slightly, his arms shielding his face so that only his eyes were visible. Perhaps due to exhaustion, his eyelids drooped, and his mood seemed significantly worse than before.

The student in front thought he had woken Yan Zhun up with his loud voice and was about to apologize subconsciously.

Yan Zhun asked, "When is the match?"

The student in front was taken aback. "Huh?"

"Didn't we say it's a class basketball game?"

"Oh... right…" The student finally realized what Yan Zhun was referring to. "It's at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon, at the school's basketball court... Are you coming? Isn't your hand injured?"

"It should be mostly healed by then." After saying this, Yan Zhun glanced at the other person, his voice adding a chill to the stuffy classroom. "I'm going to sleep. Could you keep your voices down?"

After Yan Zhun laid back down, the two students in front exchanged glances for a moment before falling silent.

-

The school-organized grade tournament was a much grander affair than the casual matches that took place during regular times.

Under the scorching heat of 38 degrees Celsius, the boys were in their uniforms, warming up with classmates from both classes cheering them on from the sidelines.

The referee was a P.E. teacher, and after a whistle, all players entered the court.

Almost every student's gaze was fixated on one spot.

Luo Qingshan, wearing a loose jersey, looked at the person standing before him. "Brother, you're Yan Zhun, right? I think this is my first time playing with you?"

Yan Zhun acknowledged with a soft "Mm," bending down to stretch his wrists.

Luo Qingshan continued, "I might not hold back much when I play, so if I accidentally hurt you, don't take it to heart. If it gets too much, feel free to have your substitute take over."

Yan Zhun finally lifted his gaze to meet Luo Qingshan's, replying, "Same to you."

Luo Qingshan had heard of Yan Zhun before and had seen him, but it wasn't until they stood face-to-face that he realized Yan Zhun was actually slightly taller than him.

But it didn't matter. Guys like Yan Zhun, who were more into gaming than sports, might look decent occasionally, but their actual athletic abilities were usually subpar.

His notion crumbled five minutes into the match.

When Yan Zhun scored against him once more, Luo Qingshan's teammates called for a temporary timeout.

The two teams' resting areas were close by, and as Yan Zhun casually wiped his sweat, he overheard teasing voices from next door.

"Why so down, Qingshan? Losing motivation now that Pei Ran isn't here and you've been beaten by Yan Zhun a few times?"

Luo Qingshan panted, accepting water from a girl and taking a large gulp. Descending the steps, he replied, "Yeah, why hasn't his teacher let him go yet? He's really dragging his feet."

After the timeout, the players returned to their positions.

As soon as Luo Qingshan took his stance, someone tapped his shoulder. "Pei Ran's here, play well. If you can't shoot, pass it to me."

Yan Zhun wiped his chin of sweat and surreptitiously glanced at the spectators across.

The blazing sun hung high, and no matter how enthusiastic the crowd was, they couldn't withstand the sweltering heat.

Girls held small fans or handheld fans, their black hair tousled by the breeze; the boys were anything but elegant, either rolling up their pant legs to their knees or exposing their midriffs.

Pei Ran stood amidst the crowd, clutching his backpack, his attire neat and tidy, with a calm and composed demeanor as he gazed at Luo Qingshan.

His expression was much more composed than those around him, exuding a subtle blend of aloofness and obedience.

Just as Luo Qingshan was about to toss a playful kiss in Pei Ran's direction, the whistle blew. He darted off with a grin, saying, "Bro, my wife's here, give me some face. I'll treat you to a cigarette later."

The game started so abruptly that Luo Qingshan wasn't sure if Yan Zhun had caught his words.

It wasn't until Yan Zhun, unperturbed by the remark, surged forward with full force, scoring ten points right in his face, that Luo Qingshan realized his buddy might have a bit of hearing impairment.

"Yan Zhun, that's enough, we're already ahead by almost twenty points." The boy sitting in front, overhearing Yan Zhun's labored breathing, couldn't help but comment, "Aren't your hands hurting? Why are you still pushing yourself so hard? You should take a break. We can substitute you since it's just a few minutes left."

Yan Zhun replied, "I can keep playing."

This scoreline was unexpected by all. As the game progressed, Luo Qingshan's class eventually gave up hope.

When the final whistle sounded, Yan Zhun ceased his sprint, casually lifting the corner of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his eyelashes.

The girls' whispers were soft, but Yan Zhun couldn't hear them. However, Pei Ran, standing amidst the crowd, listened intently.

"That guy from Class 8 is so handsome, and he's also amazing at basketball."

"You only just noticed? Back in his first year, many senior girls would wait by his classroom door. There was even a girl from our class who wrote him a love letter..."

"Ah! Who did that? What's his name?"

"It seems like his name is... Yan..."

"Hey—clear the way, Class 3!" A distant shout interrupted their conversation.

The girls looked up to see a basketball hurtling straight towards them—the winner of a nearby match had thrown an impulsive long-range shot in his excitement.

Unfortunately, the ball had been thrown too far off-target, not even hitting the backboard before it flew into the crowd.

Heading straight for Pei Ran, there were classmates behind him and a girl waiting to give water to the players in front. It was too late for him to dodge.

Pei Ran raised his hand to block, but before he could, a solid "thud" echoed as a timely arrival intercepted the ball.

The basketball struck the boy's wrist hard before rolling onto the ground. Yan Zhun frowned, enduring the discomfort in his wrist as he bent down to pick up the ball, then threw it back onto the court.

The person who had previously shielded Pei Ran had moved aside. The boy from Class 8, the subject of the girls' discussion, was standing in front of him with his back turned. Pei Ran could even hear his rapid, low breathing.

Slowly lowering his hand, Pei Ran was about to say "thank you" when Luo Qingshan rushed over and blocked his view.

Luo Qingshan inserted himself between them, panting heavily. He snatched the water from Pei Ran's hand, twisted off the cap, and drank it down. After finishing, he turned around and said, "Don't throw it if you can't score three points! You almost hit someone!"

The classmate apologized repeatedly in fright.

Luo Qingshan threatened, "If you'd hit him, I wouldn't let you off so easily!"

Pei Ran called out his name, "Don't be like this. It was just a mistake, and no one got hit."

Luo Qingshan relented after a few more words and tugged on Pei Ran's hand to lead him to a bench nearby for a rest.

After chatting with his classmate for a moment, Luo Qingshan looked back and saw Pei Ran open his backpack to take out an unopened bottle of water.

Pei Ran had only taken two steps before Luo Qingshan grabbed his shirt.

"Where are you going, darling?"

Upon hearing "baby," the glances from others were rather awkward. Pei Ran lowered his eyes and explained, "A classmate from Class 8 helped me block the ball, so I wanted to give him a bottle of water as thanks."

Luo Qingshan tugged even harder and widened his eyes. "He just beat your boyfriend, and you still want to give him water? You're not allowed to."

"..."

"And thank goodness I ran fast earlier; otherwise, he would've crashed into you."

In fact, the guy had stopped quite steadily. Pei Ran thought to himself.

Seeing his silence, Luo Qingshan snatched the water from his hand, unscrewed it roughly, took a sip, then smiled. "Now that I've drunk from it, you can't give it to him anymore... Come on, let's go eat at the Japanese restaurant next door?"

Before leaving the court, Pei Ran turned back for a glance.

That boy hadn't joined in the celebration with Class 8. He still stood beneath the basketball hoop, silently wiping sweat off his forehead, seemingly without any joy from winning the game. The gentle setting sun blanketed the ground, stretching his shadow very long.

-

Later, when they entered university, Luo Qingshan discovered that Yan Zhun was his roommate and couldn't help but recall that basketball match.

"I had a leg injury during that game, or else you guys would've definitely lost. If you don't believe me, we can play again sometime."

Yan Zhun replied, "Oh."

"Right, you also blocked the ball for my baby during that game..." Luo Qingshan paused and coughed lightly. "I don't know if you remember, but Pei Ran, who was in my class back then, is my boyfriend."

There was a brief silence, which Yan Zhun broke. "I remember."

Luo Qingshan didn't notice the pause. He continued, "Just so you know, if he comes to the dorm to look for me in the future, don't mind it too much. Actually, he came by a few days ago when you were wearing your headphones and playing games. He didn't come in because he saw you."

"Is that so?" Yan Zhun said. "He can come in next time. It doesn't bother me."

With his roommate's approval, Luo Qingshan invited Pei Ran to their dorm in the afternoon.

When Pei Ran arrived, Yan Zhun was smoking on the balcony.

Leaning against the wall and looking down at a match with only one earphone in, he subconsciously glanced up upon hearing footsteps and made eye contact with Pei Ran.

Pei Ran was initially taken aback before he nodded at Yan Zhun in a distant yet polite manner.

Yan Zhun quickly regained his composure, acknowledging him with an expressionless nod. Then, he turned around, extinguished his cigarette, and threw it into the trash bin beside him.

He heard Pei Ran push open their dormitory door, followed by the gentle click of it closing again.

Inside the room, Luo Qingshan called out, "Darling." Yan Zhun gazed at the extinguished cigarette in the trash bin for a moment. He retrieved a fresh one from his pack, placed it between his lips, lit it, then turned and headed downstairs.

He didn't remember me, Yan Zhun thought.

Author's Note:

The high school extra is now complete.

Sorry for the wait.