LFB Chapter 2

In the gymnasium, the second floor was fully packed with spectators, offering a wide view.

The first half of the game had just ended. During the intermission, a group of girls with delicate makeup trotted onto the court. Their high-waisted tight white short T-shirts and warm orange-red short skirts were particularly eye-catching.

After the girls went into formation, another group of cheerleaders stepped onto the court, standing clearly separated from each other in orange and blue. They smiled sweetly with sharp eyes.

When the cheerleading captain of the Computer Science Department saw that the captain of the Law Department had been changed, she was stunned for a moment.

The young man standing outside the basketball court was also stunned. He stared at the girl in the center, his Adam’s apple tightened when he recalled the stunning glimpse in his memory. He just gawked at her, not daring to blink.

The young man mumbled to himself, “So…she cut her hair.”

No wonder he couldn’t find her after searching for her in school for so long,

The girl standing in the C-position was very tall. She had her hair braided into small plaits, intertwined with colorful threads. She wore light makeup, but she still looked striking, making her as alluring as a peach blossom in full bloom in spring, enticing one to reach out to pick her.

The tightly-fitted white T-shirt, short skirt and white stockings outlined her graceful figure, and the high-waisted top revealed her shallow waistline, which made her look sexy and seductive.

The music started playing, and she swung up her pom-poms, crossed them above her head, and smiled confidently. As she danced to the music, every move she made carried a beauty that was both soft and firm, and the smile on her face, whether restrained or expansive, was extremely contagious.

The stunning splits, side flips, and lifts drew continuous cheers and applause from the audience on the second floor. As the music gradually faded, the girls once again changed their formation. They had one arm naturally placed at their sides while the other, holding pom-poms, was raised high, circling twice in the air. They straightened their shoulders in sync with the movements, their steps changing accordingly, and then they bowed, completing the ending pose.

The Computer Science Department’s music played soon after, but Shang Zhao had already lost interest in watching others. He was only focused on staring at that girl as she left the court, then watched a group of girls walk to the audience seats next to the basketball court and take their seats.

They sat not too far from him.

There were also others from the basketball club watching the cheerleading team. “The girl substituting for Jiang Xi is too beautiful. When did our school have such a pretty girl?”

“What happened to Jiang Xi? She didn’t even come to the finals.”

“I heard that she ate hot pot the day before yesterday and got appendicitis, so she needed surgery.”

“Is the lead cheerleader from our department? Which class is she in? How come I haven’t seen her before?”

“We have so many girls in our department, it’s perfectly normal that we haven’t seen her before.”

“I’ll go over to ask for her WeChat later, hehe.”

Shang Zhao was listening to their conversation and suddenly spoke up, “I’ve seen her before.”

Someone’s mind worked quickly; noticing that Shang Zhao had been watching the cheerleading club since the start, they recalled how he had rejected Jiang Xi’s confession by saying that he already had someone he liked, and they suddenly felt enlightened. “Captain, is she…is she that goddess of yours?”

Shang Zhao slightly blushed, nodding in response.

Everyone grinned, and their fighting spirit instantly soared. “You guys heard that? We must play well in the second half so as to not embarrass our captain!”

“Let’s crush the Computer Science Department!”

“Our goal—champion!”

Ning Gui, who was sitting in the audience seats, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and took a sip of water. He tilted his head slightly and his Adam’s apple rolled as he swallowed.

Li Xianxian, who was sitting beside him, asked him, “Ning Gui, are you going to the dinner party tonight?”

“No,” Ning Gui answered, “I’m leaving after the game is over.”

Ning Gui actually doesn’t know much about basketball, but that doesn’t stop him from admiring the guys playing.

After all, the Computer Science Department’s basketball team had He Xingran, the campus’ No.1 heartthrob. There was also Lin Wenjing who was sitting in the audience seats, the pride of the Physics Department, who came to watch his boyfriend. Missing this game would practically be a travesty for any gay man.

Ning Gui was pretty much only watching He Xingran in the first half of the game. It was only during the second that he took notice of Shang Zhao.

The tall young man scored a three-pointer, then tilted his head to look in his direction smiling like a large dog that had caught the ball and was waiting for a praise.

Ning Gui met his gaze, and as if his heart had been hit, he felt an indescribable feeling.

This person, was he looking at him?

Because of Jiang Xi, there was no one in the cheerleading team who didn’t know about Shang Zhao. Although he looked average and had average grades, the 190cm tall guy was still sunny and handsome when he was sweating on the court.

Ning Gui blinked, then smiled at him.

Shang Zhao’s ears instantly turned red, then he ran toward the court. After running a few steps, he realized that he was in the opponent’s court, so he turned around and ran back to defend.

The Law Department launched an aggressive offensive in the second half, while the Computer Science Department played rather steadily. In the end, the Law Department narrowly beat the Computer Science Department by three points. When the final whistle blew, Ning Gui lost interest in the award ceremony and group photos that followed. After saying goodbye to Li Xianxian, he left early.

When Shang Zhao turned his head and didn’t see Ning Gui, he immediately panicked. Without bothering to take the trophy, he went over to the cheerleading team and asked someone, “Where’s the girl who danced in the center position?”

“Girl?” Li Xianxian looked at him strangely. “Are you looking for Ning Gui?”

“Ning Gui just left.”

“Her name is Ning Gui?” Shang Zhao quickly asked, “Which class is she in?”

“Class Three.”

Shang Zhao hurriedly thanked her and ran out.

C University’s gymnasium was enormous. The basketball court and swimming pool were separated by shower rooms, changing rooms, and the restroom. There was a long corridor, which was empty and with nobody around.

Shang Zhao ran out of the gymnasium, but he didn’t see Ning Gui. The afternoon sun was shining, and big beads of sweat began dripping down from Shang Zhao’s forehead.

He dazedly turned around, his eyes glancing over inadvertently, and when he saw the face of the person coming over, his eyes suddenly lit up.

“Ning Gui.”

Ning Gui, who had just got out of the restroom, clicked on Li Xianxian’s chat box on WeChat. He was a little curious about what message Li Xianxian had sent him just after he left. He glanced at the chat while walking out of the gymnasium when he looked up and saw Shang Zhao. He was a little surprised, letting out a “Huh?” in confusion.

“Ning Gui.” Shang Zhao nervously licked his lips. “M-my name is Shang Zhao.”

Ning Gui smiled. “I know.”

“I—” Shang Zhao’s heart was beating like a drum, the sound of his heartbeat almost drowning out Ning Gui’s voice. He was in a daze and didn’t hear what he had said clearly, but mustered up the courage to say, “I like you.”

The sunlight passing through the hall created a patchwork of light and shadow in the air, landing on the young man’s flushed face and making his eyes sparkle.

Ning Gui thought about the message Li Xianxian had sent him, saying that Shang Zhao was looking for him, and that he seemed to have mistaken him for a girl. After reacting for a moment, he put on his baseball cap, pushing down his eye-catching braids. He walked over and stopped in front of Shang Zhao.

“You like me? Ning Gui looked at his lower half. “Believe it or not, if I took mine’s out, it would be bigger than yours.”

A faint scent of rose permeated the air. When Shang Zhao snapped out of it, Ning Gui had already walked away.

Taking his heart along with him.