In a deep, narrow alley, the afternoon sunlight couldn’t penetrate, leaving only mottled shadows.
This was the shortcut back to school, though long neglected and overgrown with weeds and moss.
A delicate silver coin flipped through the air before landing neatly in a slender, strong hand with distinct knuckles.
With a deft flick of the wrist, the coin traced a perfect arc before returning precisely to his palm.
The owner of the hand was a young man wearing a white T-shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing firm, muscular arms.
His features weren’t strikingly handsome, but he had a certain charm reminiscent of Daniel Wu-enough to place him above average in most people’s eyes.
Pinching the coin between his fingers, he examined it carefully, his gaze lingering on the side engraved with a male figure.
Ji Yuenian’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Brother Ji, why are you walking so fast? Wait for me!”
A frantic shout came from behind as another young man rounded the corner.
Dressed in a white shirt, his appearance was unremarkable, but he wore a bright smile, flashing a set of pearly white teeth.
“You’re too slow. I’ve told you before you need to train more.”
Ji Yuenian stopped and turned to look at him.
Su Tian, his junior from another class-deputy head of the sports department and someone Ji Yuenian had personally mentored.
“Brother Ji, the drink you wanted.”
Su Tian panted as he caught up, handing over a chilled can of cola.
Then, noticing the single-sided silver coin between Ji Yuenian’s fingers, he asked curiously,
“Is that… a silver coin? Pure silver?”
“Even if it were pure silver, it wouldn’t be worth much.”
Ji Yuenian flicked the coin in front of Su Tian before tossing it into the air, catching it effortlessly, and slipping it back into his pocket.
He took the cold cola, popped the tab with a satisfying fizz, and downed a couple of gulps.
“Did the photography club agree to lend us people?”
“They did. Probably within the next day or two.”
Su Tian took a sip of his own drink after replying.
“Good job, kid. You’re efficient.”
Ji Yuenian grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, thinking that Su Tian definitely deserved a share of this year’s sports department scholarship.
“Nah, I owe it all to Brother Ji’s support.”
Su Tian shook his head.
He knew that without Ji Yuenian’s financial leverage, the photography club would never have agreed so easily.
They belonged to different departments with little overlap without orders from the student council or school administration, who’d bother doing favors for another department for free?
“Once this is settled, I’ll treat the guys to a meal.”
Ji Yuenian wasn’t stingy when it came to rewarding those who helped him.
“Haha, sounds great! Brother Ji’s the best!”
“Of course, of course.”
“This year’s school heartthrob title is definitely yours, Brother Ji. Soon, you’ll be both the campus crush and the top dog.”
“Stay humble, stay humble.”
Despite his words, Ji Yuenian couldn’t suppress a smug grin.
Finishing the cola, he tossed the can onto the ground and kicked it hard into the air.
With a loud clang, the can arced perfectly before landing squarely in a trash bin around the corner.
“Nice shot!”
Su Tian’s eyes lit up as he cheered.
Just then, a young man with a shoulder bag emerged from around the corner, stepping into their line of sight.
The young man wore a clean white shirt, black trousers, pristine canvas shoes, and carried a black backpack slung over one shoulder.
His fair complexion, high nose bridge, and the mask and baseball cap he wore couldn’t hide his striking handsomeness.
Standing nearly six feet tall, his slender yet elongated frame made him stand out in the crowd.
What caught people’s attention the most were his light blue eyes—deep as the night sky, mesmerizing like a sea of stars.
His thick, long lashes slightly lowered, veiling the glimmer in his eyes, yet they couldn’t mask the cool, aloof aura he exuded.
He gave off the impression of an untouchable, icy heartthrob, someone to admire from afar but never approach.
The cheers suddenly died down, as if someone had choked a duck, all because a dark brown stain now marred the white T-shirt of the backpack-wearing boy, glaringly out of place.
Jiang Chi glanced at the empty soda can in the trash bin, then at the two people not far away.
His cold gaze swept over their faces like an X- ray, dissecting them in an instant.
“Uh… sorry,” Ji Yue Nian said, stepping forward with his phone.
The white shirt looked like pure cotton, and judging by the logo, it was an Adidas-definitely not cheap.
The person before him wasn’t just some random passerby.
No, this was someone Ji Yue Nian knew all too well-a “familiar face,” to say least.
Jiang Chi!
The school heartthrob and academic prodigy of Wanqing Yongxing High School, the “other people’s child” Ji Yue Nian had heard about all his life, the untouchable, icy flower atop the school’s confession wall!
“Look, I’ll pay for it—”
“Not necessary.”
A cool voice cut him off. The boy lifted his eyes, gave him an indifferent glance, then turned and walked away.
Ji Yue Nian called after him, “Hey, Jiang Chi, I said I’d pay for it!”
Jiang Chi didn’t acknowledge him, continuing forward in silence, his expression unreadable, devoid of any ripple of emotion.
His tall, straight figure, clad in a thin white shirt and black pants, seemed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding darkness, exuding an indescribable air of aloofness.
Ji Yue Nian gritted his teeth in frustration.
“Who does he think he is, acting all high and mighty? Some icy heartthrob?”
“Just wait till I win this year’s school heartthrob election. Your reputation, your status, all your little fangirls-they’ll be mine! Let’s see how you keep up that act then!”
Jiang Chi walked on calmly.
Maybe he heard, maybe he didn’t.
Maybe he cared, maybe he didn’t care at all.
Twisting and turning through the labyrinthine alleys, he emerged after a few minutes into a bustling scene-bright lights, towering buildings, and a steady flow of people.
After crossing the street and walking a bit further, Jiang Chi paused in front of a clinic.
He glanced at the golden-lettered sign reading “Zhang’s Clinic,” confirmed it was the right place, and pushed the door open.
Meanwhile.
After parting ways with Su Tian, Ji Yue Nian didn’t return to school. Instead, he headed to an old rental building off-campus.
As dusk fell, the setting sun cast long, slanting shadows across the entrance.
A few withered plane trees flanked the building, shedding old leaves and sprouting new buds, dotted with fresh green.
The old rental building had white-tiled walls and a concrete foundation, with cobwebs lurking in the corners. It was impossible to tell how old it was, but at 300 yuan a month, it was dirt cheap.
The stairwell was poorly lit, with only a few dim or burnt-out incandescent bulbs.
Ji Yue Nian had to use his phone’s flashlight to navigate his way inside.
Ji Yue Nian arrived at the weathered door marked “596” and fished a key from his trouser pocket. Inserting it into the lock, he turned it slowly.
He pressed his hand lightly against the door.
As the sports department head, he could carry two water buckets up eight flights of stairs without breaking a sweat.
Yet every time he turned this doorknob, it felt heavy as if he were prying open a secret hideout buried deep in some boy’s heart.
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The what competition?