During the competition, Chen Huaixiao would glance in Bai Yin's direction from time to time, seemingly very worried about leaving her alone.
Bai Yin shot him a "I won't run away" look to reassure him to focus on the game.
Liu SuYu chattered in her ear, telling her how worried Chen Huaixiao was about her earlier, so distracted that he almost forgot about the game he had prepared for so long.
"I've never seen Huaixiao so out of control before."
Bai Yin felt increasingly guilty, and was no longer upset about his harsh tone from earlier.
She borrowed Liu SuYu's phone to call her grandma and let her know she was safe. Her grandma scolded her a few times, telling her to listen to Huaixiao in the future, not leave his side for a second, and stop wandering off on her own.
If she did this again, she wouldn't be allowed to come to Nancheng anymore.
Bai Yin promised repeatedly.
In the second half of the game, not long after Chen Huaixiao took the court, he won back what was lost in the first half, and gradually pulled ahead to lead the game.
The stadium was filled with the fiery, deafening screams of girls.
Bai Yin watched the boy on the court. His dark eyes were gentle and pure. His smile gave people a feeling of spring mountains enveloped in mist - beautiful.
But in a flash, when he dribbled the ball on offense, his dark eyes hooked and taunted his opponent.
He breezed past the defender with the ball, jumped up and made a three-point shot outside the line that went in smoothly.
One shriek and gasp after another rose up, Chen Huaixiao's popularity exploded as if he were holding a personal concert -
"Chen Huaixiao! So awesome!"
"Oh my god, how can there be such a handsome boy!"
As Chen Huaixiao dribbled past Bai Yin, he performed a very elegant streetball trick.
Bai Yin felt her breath hitch.
"Is he looking at me?!"
The girls behind Bai Yin were going crazy: "He looked over again!"
Liu SuYu glanced back: "Don't be so full of yourself, is he looking at you guys?"
The girls complained: "Then who do you think he's looking at?"
Bai Yin quickly tugged at Liu SuYu's sleeve, telling him not to speak nonsense.
Liu SuYu laughed: "Don't be so full of yourself either, Huaixiao may not be looking at you."
Bai Yin humphed: "I know he's looking at me."
The next time Chen Huaixiao dribbled by, Liu SuYu called out to him: "Huaixiao, Xiao Bai said you're not focusing on the game and looking at her instead."
Bai Yin was scared witless, and hurriedly covered Liu SuYu's mouth, blushing as she said: "Don't talk nonsense! What nonsense, disturbing others, what if he loses the ball?!"
Liu SuYu really enjoyed teasing her, laughing so hard he almost fell over backwards.
Chen Huaixiao didn't hear what he was shouting, but saw Bai Yin tussling with him.
During the break, he strode over and sat between Bai Yin and Liu SuYu, separating the two.
Bai Yin felt the hot impatience radiating from the youth beside her, the surrounding air simmering.
"You two seem close?"
"No, not at all."
"Then why are you chatting with him so happily?"
"I was asking Brother SuYu questions."
Chen Huaixiao frowned even more: "Why do you call just anyone brother?"
Bai Yin had no reply.
After a while, the whistle sounded and Chen Huaixiao handed his jersey to her: "Hold this."
Bai Yin accepted his thin athletic jacket and neatly folded it for him, placing it on her lap.
Liu SuYu sidled over again and nudged her with his elbow: "Hey, not talking to me anymore?"
"Mm-hmm."
"So obedient to him now."
"He's my brother."
Liu SuYu said with a laugh: "I'm his buddy, so I count as your brother too."
"He told me not to call people brother randomly." Bai Yin mumbled: "So don't talk to me anymore."
"Fine, no more talking then."
Liu SuYu left her alone for a few minutes, but kept sneaking glances at Bai Yin. Seeing her gaze fixed on Chen Huaixiao, he leaned in and whispered:
"Xiao Bai, do you like him or not?"
Bai Yin's face instantly turned red to her neck and she yelled: "Nonsense!"
Liu SuYu's lips spread into a bright, sunny smile: "I see."
Seeing the little girl was angry at him now, he nudged her again with his elbow: "What's there to be afraid of, look around you, which girl here doesn't like him?"
Bai Yin did look around then, and saw all the girls' eyes were glued to Chen Huaixiao - some cheering him on, others using their phones to record him.
She felt a little reassured, and asked Liu SuYu again in a low voice: "Does he...have a girlfriend?"
"You guess."
"I won't guess."
"Then just ask him directly."
"I won't ask!"
"I'll ask for you then." With that, Liu SuYu shouted at the court again: "Chen Huaixiao, Xiao Bai wants to know if you have a girlfriend!"
Bai Yin was so angry at this annoying guy that her flushed cherry red face looked about to explode, she couldn't stand to stay any longer and got up to leave.
Liu SuYu hurriedly grabbed her slender wrist: "Hey, don't run, just joking around. With all this noise on the court, he can't hear it anyway."
Bai Yin had forcefully broken free of him when a ball came flying over, hitting Liu SuYu's hand directly.
He yelped in pain, releasing Bai Yin.
They saw Chen Huaixiao standing at the sidelines, expression aloof, his eyes gleaming with a hint of chilling deterrence: "Try teasing her again."
Seeing Chen Huaixiao was truly angry now, Liu SuYu didn't dare joke around with Bai Yin anymore.
...
The game was intensely contested. Clearly the opposing team was also provoked by Chen Huaixiao's crushing momentum after he took the court, and started to counterattack.
Forty minutes later, Chen Huaixiao's team still held the leading advantage and won the game.
Deafening cheers erupted in the stadium, the girls shouting Chen Huaixiao's name in unison, almost lifting the roof off.
Chen Huaixiao raised his hand, an unbridled smile on his face.
Bai Yin also couldn't help standing up, mixed in with the crowd as she shouted his name.
Even many years later, she could still dream about the scene from that day.
A dashing youth in bright clothes on a fiery steed, shining brilliantly.
After the game ended, Chen Huaixiao casually put his arm around Bai Yin as they left the gym, followed by a few teammates.
Many girls chased them out, bringing Chen Huaixiao water, cakes and small gifts.
Chen Huaixiao flicked his fingertips and picked out an egg swiss roll ice cream, smiling lightly: "You don't mind our little sister having this, do you?"
"Not at all, not at all!" said the girl who brought the ice cream, gazing affectionately at Bai Yin by Chen Huaixiao's side. "She's your sister? Go ahead and let her eat it!"
"Thanks." Chen Huaixiao revealed a gentle smile, melting the girl's heart.
Arriving at his motorcycle, Chen Huaixiao handed the ice cream to Bai Yin.
Bai Yin lowered her head, awkwardly not taking it.
"Don't you love eating ice cream the most, you don't want it?"
"I don't want it." She mumbled.
Chen Huaixiao sat on the motorcycle: "You're mad at me for looking everywhere for you?"
"I'm not mad."
Chen Huaixiao unwrapped the ice cream packaging and held it out to her: "Eat it, it's melting." Bai Yin finally accepted the ice cream and took a small bite.
Chocolate flavor, a little bitter.
Seeing the little girl looking depressed, Chen Huaixiao was silent for a few seconds before asking: "Is it because I was fierce with you just now?"
Bai Yin glanced at him.
His eyes no longer held the sharpness from the court earlier, now appearing extremely gentle in the soft evening light: "I have a bad temper, so take this ice cream as my apology, okay?"
Bai Yin wasn't even upset about that in the first place. Hearing his conciliatory tone, she mumbled: "You took someone else's gift for you and regifted it, how insincere."
Chen Huaixiao understood with a smile: "Feel like I lack sincerity? Then don't keep eating it."
"Ptooey, I won't eat it then." She gave the remaining half of the ice cream back to Chen Huaixiao.
Chen Huaixiao accepted it. Seeing not much left, he simply unwrapped the bottom packaging and popped the cone into his mouth to chew.
Bai Yin's face suddenly flushed crimson: "How can you eat what I ate?!"
"Didn't you say you weren't eating it anymore?"
"Aren't you grossed out?"
"What's gross about a little girl like you?"
The hot summer wind blustered against the girl's flushed cheeks. Her heart raced more and more out of control.
Chen Huaixiao drove Bai Yin back to the small town on his motorcycle. Beneath the cassia tree in front of the old house, he took out an old phone from his bag and gave it to her: "This is my old one, for you."
Bai Yin saw it was a very new model phone, the body pure white without a single scratch on the screen.
"This is an old phone? It looks brand new."
"I upgrade my phone quickly, this one was just lying around unused." Chen Huaixiao casually said: "If you run into any problems on your homework you can't figure out, ask me anytime."
Bai Yin hesitated and gave the phone back, "Brother, this is too valuable, I can't accept it."
"You grew up by my grandfather's side, so you're like family to me. There's nothing unacceptable about it," said Chen Huaixiao. "Having a phone to play music and practice dancing and singing will make things much more convenient for you."
Bai Yin knew she already owed the Chen family a lot over the years for Elder Chen's care of her.
She clutched the phone tightly and said through gritted teeth, "Brother, I will repay you in the future."
Seeing how earnest and serious she was, Chen Huaixiao laughed, "How will you repay me?"
Bai Yin thought for a moment before solemnly answering, "I'll support you in your old age until the end."
"..."
Thank you, but I'll have to decline.
In the weeks that followed, as long as Chen Huaixiao had no other engagements, he would visit the town rain or shine.
He often gave her electronic gadgets favored by young people, such as headphones, fitness trackers and the like. They were all pre-used items of his.
It wasn't that Chen Huaixiao was reluctant to give her new things. He just knew the girl felt burdened accepting expensive gifts, so by giving her his used and upgraded electronics, it avoided waste and she was happy to accept them.
Unknown to Chen Huaixiao, Bai Yin treasured every old item of his. She carefully stored them in her precious ceramic box, where she guarded them for many years.
With Chen Huaixiao's help, Bai Yin's grades improved remarkably, and her high school scores were very satisfactory.
When it came time to choose university preferences, Bai Yin struggled to decide.
Naturally, she ideally wanted to attend the same university as Chen Huaixiao, making Nancheng University her top pick, and her scores were high enough.
Yet for some reason, this choice made her feel uneasy.
While Nancheng University was very prestigious overall, its art programs were not the best nationwide. For Bai Yin's desired arts major, she had better options.
The night before submitting her preferences, she nervously texted Chen Huaixiao, "Brother, what do you think about me choosing Nancheng University?"
After the message sent, she leaned on the windowsill gazing at the crescent moon hanging outside, anxiously waiting over ten minutes.
When her phone dinged, Bai Yin's heart thumped nervously.
The text contained only one sentence from Chen Huaixiao:
"Life is long, you still have more beautiful scenery to explore."
Chen Huaixiao had said this to 18-year-old Bai Yin when she faced a life choice.
Years later, he said it again to 26-year-old Bai Yin when she had to make another decision.
The best life is never confined merely to what's in front of your eyes.
That night, Bai Yin stayed up thinking about Chen Huaixiao's words. As clever as she was, she naturally grasped their implications.
The next day when submitting her preferences, Bai Yin decisively chose the nation's top arts university with the strongest programs in her field.
Yes, her life's journey was far more than what was in front of her. Only by excelling could she stand proudly by his shining side without shame!
On the day she left, Chen Huaixiao carried Bai Yin's luggage and personally saw her off at the train station.
Bai Yin knew Chen Huaixiao only saw her as a little sister. Whether caring for or looking out for her, it was merely out of his kindness and benevolence.
But for Bai Yin, this splendid yet silent unrequited love had spanned her entire youth.
She took her suitcase from Chen Huaixiao and smiled bidding him farewell.
"Bai Yin," Chen Huaixiao called from the checkpoint, gazing at her slender retreating figure. "No matter what happens in the future, remember this - "
"What?"
"You will surely reach the pinnacle of the stars and gain much happiness."
"Brother, I'll always remember these words," Bai Yin replied.
The train's roar was near.
Bai Yin strode away, jauntily waving goodbye to the youth she admired as she embarked on her promising future...!
