Chapter 101

"What...?"

Samson Nan looked at the guys who were approaching him.

Hesitant, he took two steps back.

"Samson Nan, are you really dating her?"

They pulled him aside, smirking and elbowing him in the chest.

"How far have you gone? Have you kissed or... hehe~"

"Don't be so disgusting, okay?"

He said, glancing at them.

"There's nothing between me and her..."

"Hey, the Samson Nan I know isn't so timid!"

"Yeah, young man, how can you not make mistakes~ The key is to take responsibility!"

These bastards...

"Alright, alright~"

At this moment, Lao He spoke up.

"Look at you, so sour! Let the young couple live as they want! Is it any of your business?"

As Lao He spoke, he turned his head and gave Samson Nan a signal.

"..."

Jocelyn York was standing a few meters away from him, her face flushed as she turned her head, avoiding his gaze.

He was speechless. They had made the atmosphere so tense from the start, whether they were resolving the situation or complicating it...

...

"Let's go!"

Lao He clapped his hands and shouted.

"Where are we going?"

"Since we're here, of course it's that place!"

"Which place...?"

So, they arrived at the school basketball court...

Lao He said he suddenly had an itch in his hand and wanted to touch a basketball.

But he specially wore basketball shoes to the gathering, so it wasn't just a sudden impulse...

"I'm wearing leather shoes... if we're playing basketball, you should have said earlier~"

Someone complained like this.

"Why? Afraid of being overwhelmed by high school brats and getting lost?~"

"Huh? Just based on them?"

The boy pointed at a few people playing on the court with his chin. Judging from the words and school emblem on their jerseys, they should all be members of the school basketball team.

"Let's put it this way, against these kids, I can beat ten of them wearing slippers~"

"Damn, someone's boasting so much~ Haha."

"Don't believe it? Want to practice?"

"Sure, let's do it!"

"Hey, those guys over there, can we join in?"

...

...

Sure enough, it wasn't just Lao He who had the itch.

A few of them eagerly ran over.

"Samson Nan, are you playing or not?"

"You guys go first~ I'll take over later."

"Sure."

William Wei said, glancing at Jocelyn York standing next to Samson Nan from the corner of his eye.

After a while, he turned and ran towards the court.

"I'll go first~"

"Ah."

...

Because he had physical education class every day, William Wei always wore loose athletic pants, with a pair of short basketball shorts underneath, so he could just take off the outer pants and go straight to the court.

"Let's find a place to sit."

Samson Nan turned his head and looked at Jocelyn York next to him.

"Huh? Oh..."

She moved stiffly and nodded.

"You're not still thinking about what happened just now, are you?"

He sighed and asked.

"Huh? No, I'm not..."

"Don't mind it."

His voice brought her back from her chaotic thoughts.

"They're like that, always making jokes without a clue~"

"Yeah..."

Hearing him say this, her tense nerves seemed to relax a little.

She looked up, watching his profile.

...

Only then did she notice that his eyes weren't focused on the court, but wandering, as if he was thinking about something...

"Samson Nan..."

She gently bit her lip, silently calling his name.

"Yeah?"

He turned his head and looked at her.

"..."

She panicked, quickly looked away and glanced to the side.

...

"Why?"

"Just asking, can't I call you?"

Her heart was thumping, and she was speaking without thinking.

"..."

He paused, hesitated, and glanced at her.

"..."

"Hmph..."

She hummed, pretending to be nonchalant, and walked to his side again.

The two of them didn't speak anymore, walking along the path until they reached the other end of the field.

"..."

Her gaze stopped at a few benches close to the field.

This place, she was very familiar with...

She remembered in high school, whenever there was a game, this place was off-limits to spectators, so she could only stand in the crowd, watching them from afar, tiptoeing and cheering loudly.

Later, because of Samson Nan and William Wei's connection, she started to have some interactions with the team. Occasionally, she would help them run errands and buy water, gradually becoming more acquainted with them.

Fortunately, both the coach and the players took good care of their number one fan, so she gained the privilege of watching the game from the bench.

In no time, there was a girl with a loud voice on the team's bench, and this news spread like wildfire, making the whole school aware...

For the team, having a free cheerleader was a good thing, but now, thinking back, she felt a bit embarrassed...

"Defend! Are you guys guarding with your eyes?!"

Old He's roar came from the court.

Old He, who usually seemed absent-minded, immediately turned into a different person as soon as he stepped on the court, focused and never distracted.

"Damn, is this basket broken?! Can't even get the ball in?!"

Wei Ge, on the other hand, continued to find excuses while complaining.

"Cover me!"

"Cover your mom! Pass the ball, stop shooting randomly, okay?!"

"If I make it, will you call me dad?!"

...

A group of people playing basketball was as noisy as a vegetable market, constantly arguing among themselves.

This tradition, it had been well preserved...

...

Jocelyn York sat on the bench, hugging her knees, looking ahead.

"Everyone, hasn't changed..."

After a moment, she softly said.

"Ah."

He sat beside her and also looked ahead, responding with a sound.

"That's great~"

She squinted her eyes, revealing a relieved smile.

Before coming here today, she was still thinking about what to say when she met them, whether they had become strangers after not contacting each other for several years.

Now it seemed unnecessary to worry about such things.

"Samson Nan."

She turned her face to the side, not looking at him.

"As for me, I occasionally think..."

She said, slightly raising the corners of her mouth.

"If only I could go back to the past~"

"Why?"

"Well..."

She pondered for a moment.

"I always feel... I did a lot of stupid things that I now regret..."

"Is that so?"

"Well..."

"..."

Samson Nan turned his head, looking at her side profile.

There weren't many expressions on her fair face, as if she was pondering something.

"What? After being a tomboy for half of your life, do you regret it now?"

"...!"

Being said like that, she suddenly turned her head, staring at him.

For half a second, her face flushed.

Hesitating, she buried her face in her knees.

"That's one of them..."

Unable to argue...

"I actually think it's pretty good~ It looks lively, don't you think?"

He replied nonchalantly, smiling with narrowed eyes.

"What... You didn't say that before..."

"What did I say before?"

"You..."

She paused, hugging her knees.

Turning her head slightly, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"You said you liked girls with long hair..."

"Huh...?"

He was stunned, lifting his head to look at her.

"......"

A brief silence.

......

"Forget it..."

She pouted her lips and looked aside.

"You've never cared about me anyway..."

"......"

Is she angry...?

He didn't know how to respond for a moment, blaming himself for having a poor memory. He couldn't even remember what he had said...

"Luo Jia, well..."

"But I know for sure..."

Her voice interrupted his words.

"What Samson Nan is thinking."

"......"

He paused for a moment and glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

After a moment, he chuckled softly.

"Is it true?"

"......"

She didn't even look at him and spoke softly.

"You've been bothered by something lately, haven't you?"

"......"

His smile instantly froze on his face.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke softly:

"No, I haven't..."

"Yes!"

She emphasized, speaking with more conviction.

......

He was stunned, glancing at her with his peripheral vision.

"You're so sure...?"

"And who do you think I am..."

She looked ahead, muttering quietly.

"......"

This time, he finally fell silent.

Sitting quietly on the chair.

......

After a while, she spoke again:

"It's really uncomfortable to keep things to yourself."

"......"

A moment of hesitation.

"Do you want to hear it?"

He whispered, a voice only she could hear.

"......"

Only then did she turn her head slightly, hugging her knees, showing half of her face, and looking at him.

"No, I don't."

"......"

He was taken aback by her unexpected response.

"I may not know what it is, but I know whose problem it is..."

Her eyes looked at him from a not too close, not too far distance.

"You didn't even get this depressed when you failed an exam. Is it something that's troubling you so much...?"

"......"

"Sister complex."

......

He scratched his head, sighed lightly, and looked ahead.

"Do you know that you're just making me more depressed by saying that?"

"A brother with a sister complex doesn't deserve pity..."

"......"

A moment of pause.

"Hehe..."

He put his wrist to his mouth.

Shaking his head, he chuckled with a hint of self-mockery.

"What are you laughing at...?"

"Nothing."

He bit his lip.

"I just feel that... I feel better this way."

"Hmm..."

She was taken aback, drooping her eyelids and looking at him.

"Are you the type of person who gets happier when scolded...?"

"Yeah..."

He slightly turned his face and looked at her.

"It's disgusting, right? Someone like me."

Although the corners of his mouth were still upturned, she wasn't sure whether it should still be considered a smile...

"......"

The wind blew by his ears, lifting up his bangs in front.

His smile, as transparent as glass, seemed like it could shatter at any touch...

Wide-eyed, she stared at him without blinking.

Unable to laugh...

"Samson Nan, you..."

What did she want to say?

But when the words reached her throat, she couldn't say them...

......

......

"From now on, I won't do the lab sessions anymore!"

Two girls walked out of the teaching building.

School had ended for a while, but they hadn't left yet.

"With all that dirt on the ground, I think my arms are going to break from sweeping... Right, Ruoxi?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

Roxie Lin squinted her eyes and smiled.

"Boys should be the ones doing this kind of work... Huh?"

As the girl spoke, she realized that Roxie Lin was standing still, looking towards the playground.

"What are you looking at? Let's go~"

"Huh?"

She snapped back to reality.

"Oh, I'm coming..."

She responded with a nod, hesitating, and then glanced in the direction of the court.

"Brother Nan and... Sister Luojia?"