CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65: CRISIS AWARENESS

For Zhao Meimei, the transition from primary to middle school wasn’t much different from regular final exams. At their school, most students were automatically promoted from the primary division to the middle school division, with the only difference being that class placement was adjusted based on academic performance.

Zhao Meimei ranked second in her class, and for the purpose of class division, the primary division created the first-ever grand ranking for the academic year.

Zhao Meimei was ranked tenth.

Staring at the black marks on the report card, Zhao Meimei bit her lip in silence, feeling a bit crushed.

Since first grade, she had consistently maintained a position in the top five of her class, and her excellent grades had always been a hallmark of her mischievous antics in class.

Now, she suddenly realized that this hallmark might leave her at any moment, and this realization filled her with anxiety. Even in her dreams, she envisioned her homeroom teacher wielding a pointer, scolding her while lashing out, "You can’t even make it to the top five anymore, so what are you bragging about!"

The night Zhao Meimei found out her grades, she held her phone and expressed her fears to Shi Yang.

Every word was a sigh, filled with helplessness and despair.

Shi Yang lay in his bedroom with the door locked. It was a hot summer day, and he was wearing only a pair of briefs, his long legs stretched out and swaying as he listened to Zhao Meimei’s lament. The more he listened, the more he wanted to laugh. Holding it back was impossible, and eventually, he had to cover his mouth to hide his smile.

As Zhao Meimei began to run out of things to say, she started repeating herself. After she repeated her story twice and was about to start a third time, Shi Yang intervened to stop her endless rambling.

Shi Yang asked, "I’ve arranged to play ball with Brother Chaozi tomorrow; are you coming?"

Zhao Meimei instantly perked up, momentarily forgetting her previous worries, and exclaimed with excitement, "I’ll come!"

There was a gleam of amusement in Shi Yang’s eyes: "After the game, how about asking Brother Chaozi to treat us to barbecue skewers and cold noodles?"

Zhao Meimei screamed, "I want to eat hot pot!!"

Shi Yang looked disdainful: "It’s scorching hot, and you want to eat hot pot? Are you crazy!"

Zhao Meimei protested: "I want to eat lamb!! I just want to!!"

"Tsk!" Shi Yang’s smile faded: "You want so many things. Why don’t you see if slippers are tasty too? Rubber ones are tough to chew on; you can gnaw on those!"

Zhao Meimei hastily switched to a sweet, coquettish tone, her voice almost quivering: "Bro! Brother! Good brother!! I want to eat lamb!! You are the best, bro..."

Shi Yang sighed, looking helpless: "Fine! Fine, fine, fine! We’ll eat hot pot, alright!!"

Shi Yang felt a bit foolish himself. Being called brother and good brother by Zhao Meimei this way left him oddly at ease, ready to unbutton and stand by her side at a moment’s notice.

Shi Yang was excellent at playing basketball. He was tall, with long arms and legs, and had great jumping ability.

Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong joined a group of people to play basketball, and Zhao Meimei sat at the side of the court, holding Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong’s phones, car keys, and the mineral water they had bought ahead of time, watching them play with rapt attention.

From start to finish, Zhao Meimei’s gaze was locked solely on Shi Yang, subconsciously filtering out any other figures that wandered into her sight.

Every time Shi Yang made a graceful jump shot, the basketball tracing an arc through the air before sinking into the hoop, Zhao Meimei couldn’t help but hold her breath, her heart pounding with each successful shot.

Shi Yang wore a white vest, and as it got soaked with sweat, it clung tightly to his body, outlining his chest and abs.

Sometimes, caught up in the excitement of the game, Shi Yang would unconsciously grab his vest and use it to wipe away the sweat trickling into his eyes.

As he lifted his vest, it exposed the stretch of skin from his back to the dip at his waist, and with the waistline of his shorts dipping slightly due to jumping, a glimpse of his firm, rounded rear came into view, displaying a sleek yet muscular silhouette.

Zhao Meimei was mesmerized, her eyes glued to Brother Yangyang. Feeling that every leap, even the awkward twisting motions to dodge opponents, and the way he landed on the ground, scattering droplets of sweat, was irresistible.

Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong were teammates, playfully competing to snatch the ball. Unable to outcompete Shi Yang, Qu Chaozong resorted to a mischievous tactic, pulling at Shi Yang’s shorts just as he landed after focusing on a shot.

Shi Yang reached to recover, but it was a moment too late. His shorts hung loosely around his hips, with his vest tugged up to his chest, leaving half of his muscular butt exposed.

Zhao Meimei’s eyes were glued to that half-exposed butt that glimmered in the sunlight, sheathed in bright gold, with the deep blue fabric of his shorts adding contrast to the apparent whiteness. As Qu Chaozong put it, the whole look carried a kind of roguish charm.

After the game, the group of young guys patted each other on the shoulders, chatted, laughed, and dispersed.

Shi Yang dragged his vest over his shoulder to wipe the sweat off as he walked shoulder to shoulder with Qu Chaozong up to Zhao Meimei.

Zhao Meimei hurriedly handed them each a bottle of mineral water.

Qu Chaozong asked Zhao Meimei, "Meimei, did I look cool playing ball?"

Zhao Meimei nonchalantly replied, "Cool!"

She snuck a glance at Shi Yang from the corner of her eye, watching him gulping down half a bottle of water. His Adam’s apple bobbed as water leaked from the corners of his mouth and traced along his chin, the droplets seemingly pounding straight into her heart.

Zhao Meimei’s ears turned red abruptly, quickly averting her gaze. Inside, she felt a swirl of unfamiliar excitement and an indescribable feeling, like a sudden surge of nerves.

The three of them walked side by side out of the court when Qu Chaozong suddenly wrapped his arm around Zhao Meimei, placing her head against his chest and exclaimed, "Oh my! Meimei, you’ve grown taller!"

Surprised and shy from Qu Chaozong’s unexpected embrace, Zhao Meimei’s face turned beet red. Just as she was about to push him away, Shi Yang pulled her out of Qu Chaozong’s hold.

Holding Zhao Meimei’s wrist with a slight force, Shi Yang let go of her, turned to Qu Chaozong, and jokingly scolded, "Nonsense! She’s not the Earth Deity. Of course, she’s going to grow taller!"

Qu Chaozong scratched his head and laughed heartily, "True, but Meimei, don’t grow too tall, okay? If girls get too tall, no boys will chase after you."

Shi Yang kicked at him, "Get lost! Don’t fill my sister’s head with that rubbish!"

Zhao Meimei looked blankly at her wrist which had been held by Shi Yang, the slight redness there making her heart suddenly race. She looked up at Shi Yang, who was now playfully bantering with Qu Chaozong, and couldn’t help but grin and giggle foolishly. Her heart felt like it was on the verge of fluttering away.