Chapter 14: Yaoxing Academy 14 Part 2

No way. Xun Ji thought silently. If you date, how am I supposed to grind Blackening Value?

He changed the subject and began seriously teaching Lu Zhou Ice Hockey. In his previous life, Xun Ji had only played a few times while accompanying his boss to social events, far from proficient. But he always learned quickly, and those few experiences already allowed him to play decently.

Lu Zhou had learned skating in PE class and adapted well to the ice skates, but he fumbled as soon as he picked up the stick. After falling several times in a row, Xun Ji suggested he wear protective gear, but due to some inexplicable pride, Lu Zhou stubbornly refused. Xun Ji had no choice but to be extra careful and guard him closely.

After mastering the basics, Lu Zhou gradually got the hang of it. After some practice, he proposed a 1v1 match against Xun Ji. Xun Ji naturally agreed and went easy on the newbie, giving Lu Zhou the offense while he only defended.

In fact, Lu Zhou’s clumsy newbie moves required no real defense. Xun Ji playfully pushed and blocked left and right, seemingly obstructing but actually guiding him toward the goal.

Lu Zhou wasn’t stupid and quickly realized Xun Ji was toying with him. He bottled up his frustration, growing bolder. Seizing a moment of Xun Ji’s carelessness, he swung hard to shoot the puck and then shouldered Xun Ji aside to charge forward.

“Lu Zhou!”

Xun Ji’s expression changed slightly. That shoulder check had thrown off Lu Zhou’s balance—at that speed, he was bound to fall hard. Without thinking, Xun Ji chased after him and, just before Lu Zhou flipped and crashed, hooked him with his stick.

Lu Zhou’s fall shifted direction with the stick’s momentum, and he rolled backward onto the ice several times. Xun Ji’s center of gravity tipped from the hook, sending him sprawling to the ground as well.

Xun Ji’s knee slammed into the ice, and he hissed instinctively.

“Xun Ji!”

Lu Zhou twisted to look at him, struggling to get up from the ice. His legs trembled, and he slipped twice more. He simply yanked off his ice skates roughly and half-ran, half-crawled to Xun Ji’s side in his socks.

“Are you okay?” Lu Zhou’s eyes reddened slightly as his hands frantically roamed Xun Ji’s body. His voice was urgent. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Xun Ji amusingly caught his flailing hands and rolled onto his back on the ice. “Just bumped it. What hospital? You’re the one whose head nearly hit the ground.”

Lu Zhou knelt silently beside him for a long moment before murmuring, “Mm. Without you, I might’ve cracked my skull open.”

The snow-making machine on the nearby ski slope started up, sending swirling flurries of fine snow that the wind scattered onto the Ice Hockey field.

“I’ve been beaten since I was little, so a fall’s nothing.”

A few snowflakes landed eagerly on Xun Ji’s long lashes, chilling him into blinking.

“So…” Lu Zhou’s voice sounded close by, “next time, don’t get hurt saving me.”

Xun Ji froze, instinctively wanting to open his eyes and look at Lu Zhou. But something weighed on his eyelids.

Colder than the snowflakes, it made his lashes tremble heavily twice, brushing soft ridges. It was Lu Zhou’s palm.

“Lu Zhou?”

The snow machine’s roar drowned out the rustle of down jackets rubbing together. Warm breath hovered extremely close.

Snowflakes danced wildly, enveloping the black-and-white figures on the Ice Hockey field. The white one lay flat on the ice, the black one knelt beside him, body almost pressed against the white. The colors drew closer and closer, until no gap remained, on the verge of shattering the black-white boundary.

“What if I hurt you?” Xun Ji suddenly asked.

The hot breath hitched, and Lu Zhou’s disordered mind snapped clear.

“Lu Zhou, if one day I hurt you—and it’s the kind that can never heal—what would you do?” Xun Ji repeated. “Would you take revenge on me?”

The black-haired youth gazed quietly at the face inches away. “Do you hope I take revenge on you?”

“No.” Xun Ji answered honestly.

“Okay, then I won’t take revenge.”

Just like that?

“……But I would hate you.” Lu Zhou said. “If it never heals, I’d hate you forever.”

Xun Ji: “……” Somehow this feels scarier than revenge. There’s that saying—not afraid of thieves stealing, but thieves remembering.

Xun Ji persuaded tactfully, “Is there no room for compromise?”

Lu Zhou didn’t answer. He sat up straight, releasing the hand covering Xun Ji’s eyes, and looked into those amber eyes translucent in the sunlight.

“I checked. The day after the Ice Marathon ends is your birthday.”

Xun Ji didn’t know why he brought it up suddenly. “Correct.”

“How about a bet?” Lu Zhou said. “Whoever wins gold gets to make one wish of the other.”

“If I win, you’ll fulfill my wish?” Xun Ji couldn’t imagine what wish the Little Young Master of the Xun Conglomerate would need someone else to fulfill.

Lu Zhou nodded seriously. “No matter the cost, if it’s your wish, I’ll make it happen. But if I win…”

Whirling snow obscured Lu Zhou’s expression, but his tone was gentle and devout.

“Please grant my wish.”

Xun Ji didn’t know what Lu Zhou’s wish was, but one thing he was certain of:

Lu Zhou wouldn’t get gold. He wouldn’t let him.

So, Lu Zhou’s wish was doomed to fail.

“Deal.” Xun Ji smiled at him and said the familiar line. “Good luck in the match, Player Lu Zhou.”

Good luck, then lose, then get injured. Then hate me.

People couldn’t be too greedy—couldn’t do bad things and still be the good guy. The warm side story was over; time to get the plot back on track.