LFB Chapter 1

“Ning Gui, you should be in the center position during this afternoon’s basketball finals. We can’t do the captain’s moves…”

“Yeah, you were originally a substitute, but now you have the chance to step on the court, and even in the finals. It’s such a rare opportunity.”

“The cheer routine is created by the captain and you. The hard moves are generally for the person in the C-position. Now, the captain is in the hospital with appendicitis, so you’re the only one in the team who could do the moves…”

“If we’re missing even one person, then we’ll need to change the entire formation. But the game will start in the afternoon, so there’s really no time at all for that.”

In the spacious dance studio, several girls with awkward expressions surrounded a person, chattering away. Their voices intertwined with the chirping birds outside the window, creating a clamor that was particularly irritating in the hot summer day.

The young man being surrounded had just finished practicing and was leaning against the railing. Sweat soaked his T-shirt, his fair cheeks were flushed, and he was slightly squinting his eyes. The sunlight shone through the window and fell on him, and his whole body exuded a sense of fatigue and laziness.

He had a small frame and fair skin, with slightly long hair tied into a casual bun. His handsome and striking features, along with the tiny mole on the corner of his eye, as well as the loose T-shirt he wore, made him look a bit androgynous.

The young man listened to them talk for a long time, his beautiful peach blossom eyes were slightly curved, and a smile spread out on his face. “I won’t go, I’m not going to dance; my legs hurt.”

The dance studio was quiet in an instant. The girls’ were thin-skinned—being rejected like this, they couldn’t maintain their expression.

“Ning Gui…” Vice captain He Zhi bit her lips, then stepped back a few steps and bowed to him. “We are really sorry for what happened before. Please help us.”

“No matter what, we want to do this last performance well.”

Someone spoke up, followed by the other girls’ apologies. They were pretty sincere when they said sorry, but it wasn’t clear whether they really knew they were wrong or they were just yielding temporarily.

Ning Gui looked at them; it was hard to imagine that these girls, who smiled sweetly on stage, had such great malice towards him. They maliciously ostracized him, deliberately excluded his name and made him a substitute, and even went as far as to humiliate him by ordering female clothes for his performance outfit.

They were all adults here, but they were still childishly playing the game of forming cliques.

When he was about to turn them down again, the door of the dance studio was pushed open. Several girls entered in succession; they were all from the cheerleading team. Although his relationship with everyone was average, there was still an exception. The girl with naturally curly hair walking in front would inform him of the rehearsal time and place every day, and also invited him to drink milk tea.

“Ning Gui, please help us.”

The unique gentle gesture of a girl when she lowered her head always made one’s heart softened.

Ning Gui felt his breath stuck in his throat, unable to breathe.

“If you want me to perform in the finals, fine.” Ning Gui said, looking towards the group of girls standing with He Zhi, “You all, who are in the same clique as Jiang Xi, will perform the cheerleading routine at double the speed without any breaks. After you finish, you will apologize to me, and record a video to post on the school forum.”

His voice was gentle, but it sounded loud and clear in the quiet dance studio. “Can you guys do it?”

Several girls’ complexions changed in a split second. He Zhi took a back, her face flushed and her expression looked unwilling.

The girl with curly hair walked over and said, “Let’s dance together.”

Ning Gui furrowed his brows. “Li Xianxian.”

“We’re all in the same team.” Li Xianxian smiled, her eyes curved into crescents. “Let’s all just dance together. When you make a mistake, you should apologize. There’s no shame in apologizing.”

The people standing nearby hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved over. It was rare for the cheerleading team to be so united.

He Zhi struggled for a moment, then bit her lips and said, “We’ll do it.”

Ning Gui looked away. “Let’s talk about the schedule, then.”

“We’ll put on makeup in the dance studio at one o’clock, and the competition will start at three o’clock.” He Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, her expression easing. “We borrowed a set of men’s performance outfits for you, but the color and style are slightly different…”

“No need.” Ning Gui walked up to He Zhi, slightly lowered his head, and curled his lips. “Now that you mention it, I should thank you guys.”

“The skirt is very pretty.” He emphasized each word, “I. Like. It. Very. Much.”