"Huh. I knew you guys couldn’t be this well-behaved. So you’ve been sneaking around like thieves playing ball on weekends?"

Before I could take a step, a mocking voice cut through from behind.

No need to guess who it was.

"Oh ho. Didn’t get enough of a beating last time?"

It could’ve been avoided, but my teammates had already charged forward.

The mocker was none other than the guy Li Mo fought months ago—the last time she’d caused trouble at school. A freshman, but built like a sports-track brute: tall, muscular, dark-skinned. No pushover. Back then, Li Mo and her crew hadn’t been pushovers either—that’s why it nearly turned physical.

This time, no one held them back.

"Last time? *Pfft*—you’re joking, right? You really think that sissy who ducks and covers his head at the first sign of a ball could do anything to me?" The freshman’s trash talk hadn’t improved. "If we’d actually fought, I’d have worried about breaking his twig arms and legs. He’d just tattle to his parents anyway!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

His sports-track buddies hooted behind him. They outnumbered us, all hardened by years of training—no wonder they felt untouchable.

"What the hell did you call me, you jerk? Looking for a fight?!"

The insult struck a raw nerve. Li Mo’s long-dormant temper flared. She dropped her jacket in one stride, ready to teach them a lesson—but Tang Zhe yanked her arm back before she could lunge.

"Friends. We’re all classmates. Less than a year till graduation. No need for this. Live and let live. Play your game, we’ll play ours."

Tang Zhe’s voice stayed calm, his face unreadable. He’d run wild with Li Mo as a kid, then spent three rough years at a middle school out of town. By high school, he’d learned to swallow his impulses. These were just freshmen. Li Mo wasn’t hurt. Not worth the trouble.

"And you are? None of your business. Don’t forget—it was your side who started it last time."

The freshman tried shoving Tang Zhe aside—but Tang Zhe moved lightning-fast. *Snap!* His hand clamped the wrist aiming for his chest. "I’m talking. Keep your hands off me."

"You little—!"

The standoff crackled tighter. A crowd of onlookers gathered, hungry for drama.

"Let go—!"

Li Mo struggled harder than the freshman, twisting against Tang Zhe’s iron grip. Her hair came loose, clothes askew—but his hold didn’t budge.

"What’s all this?! Can’t go five minutes without causing trouble?!"

A tall, short-haired girl shouldered through the crowd. She pointed straight at Li Mo’s group: "Li Mo! Shen Yi! ...Tang Zhe, you’re mixing with them now? It’s *Saturday*. Class hasn’t even started—already itching for a fight? Warming up? Back to class. *Now*."

Her roar froze the scene. Even Tang Zhe blinked, murmuring to Li Mo:

"Who’s that?"

"Liu Shishi. Our class rep. You don’t know her?" Li Mo shot him a weird look. Even new students knew the class rep.

"Oh—right! Her!" Tang Zhe scratched his head. The teacher had introduced her once. All he remembered was her height and sharp presence.

*Yeah. She’s terrifying.*

The troublemakers shut up instantly, scrambling to gather their gear. Word was Liu Shishi knew sanda. Shen Yi had learned that the hard way freshman year.

"And you, Li Mo." Her glare pinned Li Mo in place. "Look at you. Not exactly school-regulation material. We’ve got time—let’s get that hair cut."

Only Li Mo and Tang Zhe remained. With the threat gone, Tang Zhe released the freshman’s wrist. Liu Shishi seized Li Mo’s arm, dragging her toward the gate.

"Hey! My bag! My jacket!" Li Mo yelped. A trained fighter’s grip—no wonder she couldn’t break free. She tossed a desperate look at Tang Zhe. "Grab my stuff! I’ll... negotiate later!"

It wasn’t that she *wouldn’t* cut her hair. Her mom would blow a fuse.

"Stop pulling! My shirt’s coming off!"

Liu Shishi finally released her at a deserted side path behind the gym.

"What’s wrong with you? Charging in like some wild man. Ever think you might stay single forever?"

"If I hadn’t dragged you off, you’d have lost that pretty face." Liu Shishi’s tone stayed flat. She jerked her chin toward Li Mo’s shoulder. "Look."

*Huh?*

Li Mo glanced back. Empty path. Not even a bird. *Ghosts?*

"...Sigh." Liu Shishi’s patience snapped. This girl aced exams but moved like a sleepwalker.

She stepped closer, hand outstretched.

"What are you—?" Li Mo’s spine went cold. She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. Three years together, and everyone knew Liu Shishi was all boy except biologically.

*Is she into me because I look girly? Oh god, is she gonna force herself on me?*

"Don’t you dare! I—I get scary when I fight!"

"Get your head out of the gutter." Liu Shishi’s hand shot past Li Mo’s defenses. Fingers hooked under the strap of her innermost shirt.

*Flick.*

*Snap!*

"Eeek!"

The strap slapped back against Li Mo’s shoulder. Goosebumps erupted from her scalp to her toes.

"Li Mo," Liu Shishi deadpanned. "I thought you just *looked* like a girl. Turns out you’re cross-dressing too?"