Chapter 121

"William Wei!"

"......"

William Wei heard the voice and turned around.

She was standing by the court, not too far, waving at him.

"......Luojia?"

He paused for a moment, stopped playing basketball, and stood still.

Although she was not tall compared to the crowd, he easily spotted her.

Ju! Ju!

The whistle suddenly sounded.

"No. 11, traveling violation!"

"Oh no!"

He snapped out of it and realized that the game wasn't over yet.

"William Wei, what are you daydreaming about!"

The coach's roar came from the sidelines.

"Sorry, sorry!"

He grabbed his collar and wiped off the sweat on his neck, then turned to look at her.

The audience around him also followed his gaze.

"You idiot, don't mind me!"

Jocelyn York felt embarrassed and waved her hands in a hurry.

"......"

His cheeks inexplicably turned red.

"Who's the idiot..."

He muttered under his breath, turned his head, and ran back to the court.

...

The final whistle sounded.

The long game was over.

Although he had played the entire game for more than a minute, for some reason, he didn't feel tired at all.

After calming his breath a bit, he walked over to her.

...

"Why are you here?"

"Didn't I say I would come watch you play?"

"Did you?"

"I did!"

She was speechless, lowering her eyelids and looking at him.

"......"

He slightly lowered his head and looked into her eyes.

The difference between boys and girls became more apparent after middle school.

This girl in front of him, for some reason, was already half a head shorter than him.

"Shorty."

"Huh?!"

She looked up at him, not in a good mood.

"Are you looking for trouble?"

"No~"

A sense of superiority unique to boys suddenly emerged.

He chuckled with satisfaction, sat down on a nearby bench, and wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.

"By the way, you seem to be better at basketball than before."

She smiled, sitting next to him.

"Just so-so. I wasn't in the right state today and didn't fully perform my abilities."

In reality, he had performed exceptionally well today.

Because she was watching from the sidelines...

"I'll let you in on a secret. I heard a girl on the sidelines calling your name!"

She smirked and bumped her shoulder against his arm.

"......"

He fell silent, turning his head to look at her.

"So what?"

"Aren't you unhappy?"

"What's there to be happy about... I'm used to it."

"Haha! Some people really think they're superstars..."

She covered her mouth and laughed.

"What's so funny? You don't understand anything as an outsider."

"You talk as if you're so professional..."

"Our coach said I have great potential. If I grow to 1.9 meters in the future and receive professional training, I have a chance to play in the NBA!"

Boys always seem to blurt out things that others find ridiculous but they themselves don't realize in front of girls.

Of course, he was no exception...

"When I make it to the NBA, I'll take you to the United States to play!"

He confidently patted his chest.

"Yeah, right."

She smiled wryly and scratched her cheek.

"Oh, by the way..."

"Oh, right!"

She quickly changed the subject.

"I met someone from your basketball team today!"

"Who?"

"I forgot to ask for his name, but he took me to the basketball court. But when I turned around, he disappeared..."

"A ghost?"

"You're the ghost! Um..."

She tapped her chin, thought for a moment, and said again,

"He was about the same height as you and... quite handsome?"

"Come on, there are about 20 guys on our team who are about the same height as me and quite handsome. Which one are you referring to?""......"

She glanced at him with boredom and stood up.

"Going home~"

"Bye~"

"Aren't you going home?"

"I..."

He didn't look up at her, paused for a moment, and then spoke softly:

"Just wait a little longer..."

In fact, all the training for today had already ended, but he didn't want to go home.

Or rather, not just today, it was like this every day...

...

"William Wei~"

Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts again.

"......"

He looked up and saw her wind-blown short hair and her eyes that seemed like they could laugh.

"...What's up?"

"Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to call you~"

"......"

He remained silent.

Was this person lacking some brain cells or intentionally playing tricks on him?

He didn't understand...

He had clearly said more than once that he hated this name.

But she was always persistent, calling him like an annoying fly buzzing in his ear.

Sometimes, he really couldn't understand what she was thinking...

...

"Hurry back, or your dad will lecture you again~"

He sighed and waved his hand at her.

"Hehe~ Then bye?"

"Bye~"

Seeing a slight smile finally appear on his lips, she turned around and walked away.

...

"......"

He looked up at the evening sun, turning the white clouds in the sky red.

The dry wind of summer, mixed with the dust from the playground, blew on his face.

Turning his already slightly red cheeks even hotter...

...

...

Jocelyn York looked around while walking towards the school gate.

The elementary and middle schools of this school were combined, so the campus was quite large.

It had been a while since school ended, and there weren't many students left on the campus, but someone like her wearing a different school uniform would still attract attention.

"It's so hot..."

She fanned her cheeks with her hand and glanced around.

She happened to see a small store nearby, so she jogged over.

"Boss, I want a vanilla ice cream cone~"

"Two yuan and fifty cents~"

"Mhm."

She lowered her head and checked her pocket.

Suddenly, she froze.

Huh?

She checked again.

There was nothing in her pocket...

"Uh..."

Only then did she remember something.

If she didn't remember wrong, she forgot to take the pocket money her dad left on the coffee table when she left this morning...

"What's wrong?"

The store owner held the ice cream cone and looked at her suspiciously.

"Um..."

...

"What's happening up front? Hurry up~"

"From another school?"

"Seems like it..."

She turned around and realized that there were already several people lined up behind her.

It was so awkward...

"Huh?"

Just as she was at a loss, something lightly tapped her head.

She hesitated and looked up.

"It's you..."

The person standing next to her was the boy who had shown her the way earlier in the afternoon.

"~"

The boy didn't speak and let go of what he had tapped her head with.

She paused for a moment and took it off her head.

It was an ice cream stick.

She glanced at it and saw the words "Another one" written on it.

"...Is this for me?"

"Mhm~ I was about to come and exchange it, so I gave it to you~"

As the boy spoke, he tightened the strap of his backpack and turned around.

"See you~"

"Wait..."

Before she could finish speaking, he had already walked towards the school gate.

"Hey, do you want to buy this, miss? There's still a line behind you~"

"Oh, yes, I want to buy... "

She panicked, fumbling to hand the ice cream stick to the store owner.

"..."

She forgot to ask for his name again... ...

...

A moment of hesitation...

"Boss, um..."

She suddenly spoke again.

"I'm not changing."

"Huh?"

The boss was stunned, looking at her.

"I'm not changing."

She spread out her hands, spoke a little louder, and repeated again.

"..."

The boss was speechless and could only return the things to her.

"Thank you..."

She held the ice cream stick in her hand, clutching it to her chest.

She turned around and ran towards the school gate.

When she reached the school gate.

That boy was already gone...

"..."

She stood still, looking at the ice cream stick in her hand.

After a while, she left.

...

Next time, I'll thank him in person...

...

...

...

"Luojia, bye~"

"Goodbye~"

After saying goodbye to her classmates, she left the classroom.

"So tired..."

She shook her arms.

The heavy coursework at the private school made her exhausted.

The tradition of weekly quizzes and monthly exams was even more unbearable.

Most of her classmates around her were focused on studying, let alone making friends, it felt difficult just to say a few words to each other...

Now she finally understood why her father insisted on sending her to study here...

Sigh...

She sighed and walked, unaware, she walked to the William Wei school gate again.

Standing still, thinking for a moment, she walked inside again.

...

"Why are you here again?"

"Can't I come?"

"..."

William Wei was stunned, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

She, who was usually cheerful, had a rare trace of worry on her face.

"There's a game soon~ Can you cheer for me?"

Although he sensed something from her gaze, he couldn't say any comforting words.

Some clumsy people can only express themselves in such a clumsy way...

"Huh? Oh, okay..."

She smiled lightly and nodded.

"Today I'm going to make the other side cry~"

He hummed as he stood up, waving his arms, like he was going to do something big.

"So fierce?"

A voice came from behind.

He turned around.

"Samson Nan, why are you only coming now?"

"Our homeroom teacher didn't let us go half a day after school, there was nothing I could do~"

Samson Nan shook his head and sat on the bench next to him.

"Ah..."

He tilted his head slightly to take a look.

Only then did he notice that there was still someone sitting next to William Wei.

Jocelyn York also noticed him and was stunned for a moment.

She looked away, glanced aside, and after a while, turned her head to look at him.

"Hi...~"

She didn't know what expression she had at this moment, strangely nervous, slightly spreading her five fingers, she greeted him.

"It's you~"

He smiled lightly and nodded.

"Do you know each other?"

William Wei pointed at the two of them, somewhat surprised.

"Sort of?"

Samson Nan thought for a moment and said so.

"What does that mean..."

He felt strange and turned his head to look at Jocelyn York.

Only to see her drooping her head, pinching her own fingers...

"Hey..."

He seemed to realize something and gently nudged her with his elbow.

"..."

She was a little at a loss, her eyes wandering.

After a while, she quietly whispered in his ear about what happened yesterday.

"So that's how it is..."

William Wei probably knew what was going on and turned his head.

"Samson Nan~ this person is Jocelyn York... Ouch! Why are you pinching me!"

He covered his arm, looking at her inexplicably.

"Idiot..."

"..."

He was speechless, what kind of show was this again?Why is this guy's ear so red...

"Haha, your friend is quite interesting~"

Samson Nan turned his head, squinting and smiling.

"Thank you for yesterday..."

She finally looked up and spoke softly.

"You're welcome~"

"I...I will pay you back..."

"Huh? No need~ It's just an ice cream stick~"

He smiled and took off his jacket, placing it on a nearby chair.

"I'll go first."

He stood up and walked towards the court.

...

"So it's him..."

William Wei muttered quietly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

...

She sat there, looking at her own toes, not saying a word for a long time.

"Why are you acting like a woman..."

"Because I am a woman!"

She angrily stomped on his foot.

"I mean, you might..."

"I don't know..."

She interrupted William Wei, speaking softly, and hugged her legs, burying her face in her knees.

...

William Wei sat beside her without saying a word.

The two of them stayed quiet and silent for a long time.

Until the coach started shouting his name from the other end of the court, he stood up.

Hesitatingly, he placed his hand on her head.

After a while, he ran towards the court.

...

They were so familiar with each other that even without speaking, they could guess what the other was thinking...

Sometimes, it might not necessarily be a good thing.

For the first time, he had this kind of feeling.

...

...

Since that day, William Wei noticed that Jocelyn York started coming to their school more often.

It used to be only once a week, but now, her shadow could be seen at the edge of the court almost every day.

...

Gradually, the members of the basketball team also got to know this girl from another school.

Perhaps it was because of her cheerful personality and unique abilities...

Everyone seemed willing to be friends with such a girl who loved to smile but had a bit of a tomboyish side.

...

Among them was Samson Nan, of course.

Because of his relationship with William Wei, the three of them became close.

They started spending more and more time together without realizing it.

For William Wei, it was something to be grateful for that his two best friends could also become friends. It gave him a sense of reality that he had never felt before...

...

...

"Oh, I have to go home to practice the piano."

Jocelyn York said, picking up her backpack and preparing to leave.

Another strange thing was that Jocelyn York started learning to play the piano.

And this time, it was voluntarily.

...

"Lately... you seem quite enthusiastic about learning the piano."

William Wei glanced at her and said.

He knew that she must be hiding something from him, but he never asked.

...

...

Until one day, she suddenly called him.

She told him that she had a piece of music she wanted to play for him.

And she wanted to play it for him right away, immediately, now...

From the tone of her voice on the phone, he could tell how eager she was.

When he hurriedly arrived at her house, she was already sitting in front of the piano.

That was the first time he truly saw her playing the piano.

...

The piece was called "Always with me." She found the sheet music online and practiced it note by note herself.

According to her dad, who said she had no talent, it probably took her twice as long as others to barely play the whole piece smoothly.Who knows what made her suddenly have an epiphany and actively start learning the piano.

Her dad knows nothing, but William Wei has a clear idea...

He was crouched next to the piano, watching her nervously staring at the piano, her delicate fingers awkwardly hitting the black and white keys.

It was a soothing melody with little fluctuation.

Although there were many mistakes that even he, an outsider, could hear, she still tried hard and played the entire piece.

"How was it?"

She raised her head and looked at him, eagerly wanting to hear something from him.

In her clear pupils, there was still a kaleidoscope-like, colorful light, just like when he first met her.

...

To be honest, he didn't think playing the piano required much physical effort, but beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.

This guy...

He really worked hard...

...

"Not bad~"

"Really?"

She let out a sigh of relief.

She seemed quite satisfied with this evaluation.

"I think..."

He continued, shifting his gaze slowly from the side to her.

He raised his head and looked into her eyes.

"He will like it."

"..."

Jocelyn York was taken aback, looking at him with surprise.

A moment of silence.

"Hehe, I think so too~"

Her face flushed, and she said softly.

"..."

He was stunned for a moment, then looked away after a while.

Hesitating, he stood up.

He had to leave here quickly.

"Are you leaving?"

"Ah."

...

He was afraid that the next second, he would regret it.

An inexplicable feeling of fear surged in his heart.

Perhaps one day.

Merely being by her side would become a luxury...

What should he do then?

...

"Have dinner first before leaving?"

"No need."

He felt like he was speaking with a nasal voice.

Ugly, like a soldier desperate to escape from the battlefield.

That was not something a man should do...

It's really ugly...

...

...

"William Wei~"

Her voice came again from beside his ear.

He looked up and noticed that her eyes had turned into crescents.

Her rosy smile, like a dream, froze his thoughts.

...

"Thank you~"

...

...

I should be the one thanking you.

Silly...

...

"Wait... are you crying?!"

"No..."

"I, I'll get some tissue!"

"..."

He abruptly lifted his head and pulled her, who was at a loss, to his side.

Bending down slightly,

She couldn't react in time,

Warmth came from his forehead.

His forehead was pressed against hers.

Quietly, watching her.

"William Wei...?"

Her voice seemed much weaker.

Testing, calling his name.

...

...

For someone who had crawled out of the abyss of despair.

He never thought being treated so gently was something he deserved.

But now, he started to believe...

Maybe he could really become the person he wanted to be.

Just chasing after the figure in front of his eyes made him so certain.

...

"Because it's so beautiful~ I was moved to tears~"

He smiled faintly.

Then stood up, reached out his finger and tapped her forehead.

Despite the traces of tears in her eyes.

"..."

She stood there dumbfounded, looking at his triumphant face.

After a while, she came back to her senses.

"You, you scared me!"

"Huh? Did I?"

"Yes! Compensation!"

"Hahaha~"

"You're still laughing! Die, William Wei!"

...

"William Wei"

Who exactly is this person who keeps shouting this name over and over again in annoyance?

And when did even this disgusting name become less detestable?

...

Is it because of you?

Luo Jia