Chapter 15: The Night Before
Silly Goose’s little tantrum came and went like a breeze. The next morning, the girl was back to her usual warm and affectionate self, chattering about trivial everyday things. She said she had planned to ignore Lu Li for the entire week, but seeing his good behavior, she forgave him. It was so nice to have a girlfriend who was so easy to please. This was Lu Li’s only thought. Chu Jingyi was like a docile little rabbit, even her anger was adorable.
Oh, and there was also Baili.
Silly Goose chattered away on his right, while An Baili clung to his left arm, her face beaming with happiness. The three of them sat on a bench under the osmanthus tree in the botanical garden, a scene straight out of a fairy tale. Lu Li was content with his current life. He had thought about what An Baili said about his and Wen Hupo’s relationship in his past life, and perhaps there were still some lingering regrets, but he had let go now, at least that’s what he thought.
Just then, An Baili interrupted Silly Goose’s chatter. “By the way, have you guys heard?”
“Heard what?”
“These days, after school, Wen Hupo has been practicing table tennis alone on the court, until very late. Even the security guard told her to go home, but she wouldn’t listen.” An Baili’s gaze drifted into the distance. “She wasn’t at the activity classroom this morning either. Maybe she went to practice again. I didn’t expect her to be so invested in this sports meet. I thought someone like her wouldn’t care about anything.”
An image appeared in Lu Li’s mind: under the moonlight, in the quiet campus, Wen Hupo alone, practicing table tennis clumsily, her blonde hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. When the ball flew off the table, she would chase after it, pick it up, and continue practicing, repeating this hundreds of times…
Was it really necessary? Wen Hupo, do you really have to go this far?
“I must win. I must.” He remembered the blonde girl’s determined words.
Chu Jingyi also fell silent, looking at Lu Li thoughtfully.
An Baili said, “As her partner, shouldn’t you help her?”
Baili knew that Lu Li’s first love was Wen Hupo. What was her motive for saying this? An Baili smiled sweetly, and for a moment, Lu Li couldn’t see through her thoughts.
“I already taught her.”
“Is just teaching enough?” An Baili poked Lu Li’s chest with her finger. “Shouldn’t the prince share both the joys and sorrows with the princess?”
She might be a princess, but I’m not a prince. Lu Li wanted to retort, but he heard Chu Jingyi say firmly, “Lu Li, you should help Hupo.”
“What?” Lu Li thought he had misheard.
Silly Goose nodded. “Lu Li, you should help Hupo. If she’s so determined to win at the sports meet, there must be a reason. If there’s anyone who can help her, it’s you, Lu Li. Go help Hupo!”
“But, but, aren’t you jealous?”
“…Of course I’m jealous…” Chu Jingyi’s serious expression softened. “But Wen Hupo only has the three of us as friends. If we don’t help her, she’ll be all alone. If you deliberately keep your distance from Hupo because you’re worried about my feelings, I’ll feel bad.”
Silly Goose’s words made Lu Li speechless.
She held his hand. “The Lu Li I like is a hero who can do anything for those he cares about. He’s loyal and righteous, brave and decisive, not someone who hesitates and overthinks.”
Silly Goose’s words struck Lu Li’s heart like a thunderbolt, shattering his hypocritical ego. Yes, using “I don’t want Jingyi to be jealous” as an excuse to distance himself from Wen Hupo was just that, an excuse. The real reason was his resentment at being rejected.
He had always looked down on others with a sense of superiority, but Wen Hupo’s words had shattered his self-importance. Why? Yes, why should Wen Hupo be able to ask him for favors so casually? To play with his feelings?
Then why should he expect Wen Hupo to like him?
An Baili seemed to sense Lu Li’s wavering heart. She rested her head on his shoulder. “Silly Lu Li, be nicer to girls. They’re very sensitive. Even Wen Hupo, she must have a delicate heart. Don’t treat her like a precocious wise woman… After all, she’s just a seventeen-year-old girl…”
Lu Li took both girls’ hands, one in each of his. After a long silence, he sighed. “I must have saved the galaxy in my past life.”
“You must have wanted to divorce your wife in your past life,” An Baili said with a smile.
Silly Goose asked innocently, “Why would he want a divorce?”
“Because silly Lu Li is greedy~”
After school, Wen Hupo looked at Lu Li’s laptop in the activity classroom. He hadn’t come today. She was getting used to it. These days were no different from her days in America. Waking up alone, eating alone, painting alone, having afternoon tea alone, and then, as the long night descended, lying in bed, waiting anxiously for sleep.
Life was just repeating the same boring day thirty thousand times.
At least, she had something to look forward to now.
Wen Hupo grabbed her table tennis paddle, locked the classroom door, and headed towards the gymnasium. Chuanhai No.1 High School had excellent sports facilities, and the lighting was warm and inviting. The spacious table tennis hall was empty except for the lone figure of the blonde girl. It should have been that way.
Her pupils constricted, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Lu Li was practicing at a table, bouncing the ball. Seeing Wen Hupo arrive, his expression remained unchanged. “Want to practice together? Practicing alone isn’t very effective.”
“Okay…” Her smile was dazzling. Wen Hupo rarely smiled so brightly, as if all the joy in her heart was pouring out, forming a river of blooming flowers. There weren’t many interesting things in this world, and Lu Li was one of them.
“Focus before you serve, don’t try to hit the net intentionally. Focus on getting the ball over the net consistently first.” Lu Li instructed patiently.
Looking at his serious profile, Wen Hupo blurted out, “Hold my hand and teach me.”
The gymnasium fell silent. Lu Li nodded slightly. “Okay. You need to develop muscle memory, so your mind can focus on other things.”
He stood behind Wen Hupo, very close. He could smell her fragrance, a pleasant scent he couldn’t quite describe, but it was addictive. He remembered Old Chen bragging to him about how Western women were all looks and no substance, their skin rough, their body odor strong. Now he could correct Old Chen. Wen Hupo had none of those flaws.
Lost in thought, Lu Li held Wen Hupo’s small hand. It wasn’t warm, but cool, yet the feeling was indescribably satisfying.
He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. “This is how you serve…”
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