Chapter 20
The shuttle bus was only responsible for taking them back to the school; how they got home from there was up to them.
Ling Meng had plans to go shopping with friends, and Zheng Yu had a lab meeting. Jian Wu, carrying his luggage, got off the bus and headed to the parking lot to retrieve his motorcycle.
As he got off, he actually made eye contact with Song Shuci.
Logically, Song Shuci, standing in the aisle, should have gotten off faster. But when Jian Wu grabbed his luggage and prepared to leave, Song Shuci still remained in his spot.
Jian Wu hesitated for half a second between waiting a bit longer to get off and walking past Song Shuci, and chose to get off directly.
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that after he walked in front of Song Shuci, footsteps seemed to stick to him, like a shadow.
As he was silently paying attention to this sound, a weight suddenly landed on his shoulder. Jian Wu’s heart leaped, and he turned his head to find He Yong had put his arm around him.
“Jian Ge, wanna play ball?”
Jian Wu calmly adjusted his expression and teased: “You’re alive again?”
“I came back to life as soon as I got off the bus,” He Yong looked energetic, no longer showing any signs of carsickness, “So, come play ball with me.”
Jian Wu rubbed his stiff neck from sitting for too long: “I’m a little tired.”
He Yong clearly wasn’t someone who gave up easily: “Come on, you won’t be tired after playing some ball.”
Jian Wu looked at him amusingly, as if to say, listen to what you’re saying.
“Aiya,” He Yong put his arm around him tighter, “Jian Ge, come with me!”
There was a type of straight man who, despite being tall and strong, had no qualms about acting cute. Jian Wu couldn’t resist him and, after a few refusals, finally relented: “Fine.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as he agreed, He Yong turned enthusiastically and shouted behind him: “Professor Song!”
Jian Wu froze. He Yong’s sudden appearance had almost made him forget about the footsteps behind him, so… Song Shuci had indeed been following him.
“Hello,” Song Shuci’s voice came from behind Jian Wu, followed by his approaching footsteps, “Aren’t you leaving, Teacher Jian?” He seemed to be deliberately addressing Jian Wu, who still hadn’t turned around.
Jian Wu opened his mouth awkwardly, unsure whether to ask Song Shuci what he was waiting for, or to explain that he wasn’t being indecisive this time, but simply couldn’t resist a straight man’s coquettish behavior.
Before he could speak, He Yong spoke for him: “I’m asking Jian Ge to play ball. Song Ge, can you play basketball?”
Song Shuci glanced at He Yong’s arm around Jian Wu’s shoulder and said, his eyes unreadable: “A little.”
“Really!?” He Yong said eagerly, “Then do you want to play with us?” He remembered his goal of becoming good friends with both of them and spared no effort to promote their camaraderie.
Jian Wu’s expression changed slightly. He glanced at Song Shuci and was about to refuse for him when Song Shuci replied: “Sure.”
“Then Professor Song will play with you,” Jian Wu subconsciously still wanted to escape, “It’s about to rain, and I suddenly remembered I didn’t close the windows at home, I have to go back and close them.”
“No, no, it won’t be three people if you leave,” He Yong finally revealed his other motive for asking them to play, “Aren’t No. 4 Middle School and No. 6 Middle School recruiting basketball talents soon? I have three promising students, and I want to practice 3v3 with them. Practice makes perfect, after all. More practice, better feel.”
“Jian Ge, Song Ge,” he said, expertly employing “moral kidnapping,” “This is about the future of three budding talents of our nation, can you bear to refuse?”
No. 4 and No. 6 Middle Schools were the best two middle schools in City B. Basically, getting into these schools meant one foot was already in the door of a key university. Both Jian Wu and Song Shuci had graduated from No. 6 Middle School, so they naturally knew what these high schools meant to middle school students.
“Is there no one else?” Jian Wu asked.
“That’s the thing, there isn’t,” He Yong said dejectedly, “I spent the whole bus ride trying to find people while fighting motion sickness.” He glanced at the gloomy sky, “They all said there’s going to be a heavy downpour later and didn’t want to come to school. Please, Jian Ge, help me, the future of these students is in your hands.”
Jian Wu was a softie at heart, and He Yong knew this all too well. As expected, after he finished speaking, Jian Wu, although looking reluctant, finally nodded: “Fine, fine, fine, stop putting me on a pedestal, I’ll play with you.”
“Great!”
Seeing Jian Wu still seemed hesitant, He Yong put his arms around both of their shoulders: “Let’s go, brothers!”
Jian Wu was escorted to the locker room like a prisoner being taken to the execution ground. He Yong had reserved a locker for him. As he looked for his locker, he heard He Yong ask behind him: “Professor Song, what position do you like to play?”
Jian Wu, thinking He Yong was asking him, casually replied: “Center.”
Then Song Shuci spoke almost simultaneously: “Point guard.”
Jian Wu abruptly realized his mistake and wished he could zip his mouth shut.
It wasn’t his fault. For so many years, perhaps because he and Song Shuci were close and he seemed more approachable, and because Song Shuci had an aloof aura during his school years, not as easygoing as he was now, people who were easily intimidated didn’t dare to talk to him directly. Sometimes, even when Song Shuci was right there, if people had questions for him, they would still subconsciously ask Jian Wu first, so he was used to being Song Shuci’s spokesperson. It had almost become a habit.
Facing He Yong’s questioning gaze, Jian Wu silently defended himself: “I saw Professor Song is tall, so I thought… he might be suitable for center.”
“I used to play center,” Song Shuci looked at Jian Wu, “After going abroad, I played point guard for a while.”
“What a coincidence, Jian Ge also plays guard,” He Yong said excitedly, “Jian Ge is a combo guard, I play small forward, the three of us can often play street ball together in the future.”
He didn’t notice that after he said this, Song Shuci and Jian Wu, on either side of him, exchanged subtle glances. He continued to make plans: “But we don’t need to be so particular about positions for a half-court game. Let’s just do man-to-man defense, and then play according to our own habits?”
Their combination was perfect. They had defense, offense, and no positional conflicts.
Since they were just playing with He Yong’s students, Jian Wu and Song Shuci naturally had no objections.
“Hey, I almost forgot,” He Yong, taking his clothes from the locker, suddenly realized, looking at Song Shuci, who was empty-handed, “Professor Song, don’t you have a jersey? Do you have one in your suitcase? I’ll go get it for you.”
He Yong had temporarily stored their suitcases in his office, which wasn’t far from the locker room.
“No,” Song Shuci said, “Most of my clothes are still abroad.”
Hearing this, Jian Wu paused.
He quickly heard He Yong ask: “Why are they still abroad? Aren’t you back now?”
Jian Wu was separated from them by a row of lockers. He held his clothes and leaned back slightly, making the conversation behind him clearer.
“Mm, it depends,” Song Shuci said, “I brought some back first.”
His tone was somewhat vague, but He Yong, whose mind was full of basketball, just asked casually and didn’t think too much about the deeper meaning of his words.
Hearing He Yong stop asking, Jian Wu lowered his eyelashes and stared at the clothes in his hand for a moment.
“It’s fine,” Song Shuci said to He Yong, “I can just play in my regular clothes.”
“That’s so uncomfortable, it’ll restrict your movements,” He Yong said, “I actually have an extra set I could lend you, but I don’t know who took it last time and hasn’t returned it.”
“Don’t worry, let me think,” He Yong frowned in thought, then suddenly had an idea and clapped his hands, shouting behind him, “Jian Ge, don’t you have an extra set?”
Jian Wu jolted: “Ah?”
“Professor Song doesn’t have any clothes, can you lend him yours?” He Yong walked towards the locker room. After taking two steps, he realized Jian Wu was still standing by the lockers. He walked back, confused, “Why are you still here? I thought you went to the locker room. I was wondering why your voice was so close.”
Jian Wu subconsciously glanced at Song Shuci, who was following He Yong, and said evasively: “I suddenly forgot which locker was mine.”
“How can you forget that? It’s 036, I even remember,” He Yong said, “There were a few empty lockers left, and you chose this one yourself, saying it was easy to remember because it’s your dog’s birthday reversed.”
Song Shuci, who was born on June 30th, glanced at Jian Wu, his tone complicated: “Dog?”
“Yeah, a dog. Let me tell you, Jian Wu’s dog is amazing.”
“How so?”
He Yong, as if holding onto some shocking gossip, pulled Song Shuci closer: “His dog eloped with a mouse four years ago.”
Song Shuci: “?”
Cracks rarely appeared on the man’s usually composed face. He looked at Jian Wu questioningly, while the culprit was looking up at the ceiling, clearly preparing to play dead.
“Unbelievable, right?” Song Shuci’s reaction pleased He Yong greatly. He sighed like a philosopher, “This is probably the vastness of the world, full of wonders. After watching Tom and Jerry for so many years, I didn’t expect dogs and mice to be true love.”
Song Shuci took a deep breath and looked at Jian Wu with a forced smile: “That mouse wouldn’t happen to be called C57BL/6, or BALB/c, would it?”
Jian Wu, avoiding eye contact, replied: “SAM-P10.”
He Yong, unfamiliar with mouse strain names, clearly didn’t understand: “What are you talking about?”
Song Shuci said with a fake smile: “Ask Teacher Jian to explain it to you.”
Jian Wu didn’t really want to explain.
Giving random replies is fun for a while, until it backfires spectacularly.
He hadn’t done it on purpose. The number 036 was just easy to remember. He couldn’t possibly tell He Yong that it was easy to remember because it was his ex-boyfriend’s birthday reversed. But at that time, He Yong kept asking why he had never seen his dog and wanted to see photos, so Jian Wu could only make up an excuse. Besides, before they broke up, Song Shuci did spend more time with mice than with him, so it wasn’t entirely untrue.
He patted He Yong on the shoulder, “Actually,” he said sincerely, “I think as a PE teacher, sometimes you don’t need such a good memory.”
“That’s because I’m young,” He Yong said proudly, “From now on, I’ll remember everything you guys forget, I’ll definitely remember it clearly. Oh right, speaking of which, I almost forgot about the jersey. Luckily I remember. So, Jian Ge, I’ll go get your other jersey for Professor Song?”
Good news, the forgetful He Yong finally let go of the mouse.
Bad news, He Yong hadn’t let go of Jian Wu.
As a regular at He Yong’s place, Jian Wu did have two sets of jerseys there for changing.
But–
Jian Wu glanced at Song Shuci and made an excuse: “Didn’t I wash that set?”
“I already took it out and dried it,” the virtuous and diligent He Yong said, “I didn’t have your locker key, so I just put it in one of those empty public lockers at the back.”
Jian Wu continued to make excuses: “Can he even wear mine?”
“It should be fine,” He Yong glanced at Song Shuci, estimating, “Professor Song is probably at most ten centimeters taller than you, basketball jerseys are so loose, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“If Teacher Jian minds,” Song Shuci spoke this time, “You can lend it to me first, and I’ll buy you a new one.”
“If that’s the case,” He Yong suddenly thought of another solution, “I suddenly remembered Brother Li said he wanted to get a new set last time and didn’t want his old one anymore. Should I give him a call and ask?”
Seeing He Yong take out his phone and prepare to dial, Jian Wu suddenly changed his mind: “Forget it, it’s too much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble,” He Yong said, “He always has his phone with him, he’ll answer immediately.” He was about to press the call button.
Jian Wu stopped him. He Yong looked at him, confused.
After a while, Jian Wu swallowed: “Borrowing mine… is fine.”
“Really?” He Yong put down his phone, surprised at first, then quickly understood, “I get it, you want Professor Song to buy you a new one. Alright, I’ll go get it!”
He Yong left quickly, leaving the former couple in silence.
Jian Wu looked down at their feet: “Are you sick? Do you have to wear my clothes?”
“I didn’t say I had to wear your clothes,” Song Shuci glanced at He Yong’s receding figure and chuckled, his amusement unclear, “There’s also Brother Li.”
Jian Wu: “…”
He turned back and looked Jian Wu up and down, protectively clutching the jersey: “And you already spread the rumor about my bizarre love affair with a mouse, what’s wrong with me wearing your clothes? It’s not like I haven’t worn them before,” he seemed to be settling old scores, “You’ve worn mine too.”
“That’s different,” Jian Wu said subconsciously, “We were still–”
“What?”
Jian Wu wondered if there was something wrong with his ears. He actually heard a hint of anticipation in Song Shuci’s question.
To hide the slight fluctuation in his heart, he said with a deadpan expression: “A quarreling couple.”
As soon as he finished speaking, He Yong returned with the jersey: “Song Ge, try it on, it should fit.”
“Thanks.” Song Shuci took the jersey under Jian Wu’s “friendly” gaze and turned around to change.
“Song Ge, I like your straightforwardness,” He Yong praised, then added a dig, “Jian Ge always has to go to the locker room to change, so troublesome.”
Jian Wu: “…” How was he troublesome? He was just being a decent guy.
Song Shuci, who was taking off his shirt, turned his head and glanced at Jian Wu with a subtle expression.
Jian Wu rolled his eyes at him, not bothering to say anything.
They had played basketball together since they were young, even learning to play together. When they were young, conditions were simple, and they always changed at home before going to play. Later, in high school, they finally had a proper basketball court.
At that time, Jian Wu, like most boys, would just change by the lockers and wouldn’t specifically go to the changing room stalls. Until one time, he changed in front of Song Shuci and saw him staring, his eyes fixed on him, his erection evident.
So, from then on, Jian Wu would always chase Song Shuci away when changing clothes, and going to the changing room stalls became a habit.
But every time he remembered that incident, where Song Shuci stared at him changing, making him blush, he felt annoyed.
Thinking of this, Jian Wu’s gaze slowly fell on Song Shuci. He had played basketball with Song Shuci so many times, but he had never seen him change in the basketball court’s locker room.
So he turned his head back, which he had originally turned away out of courtesy.
To deal with this kind of person, you had to fight fire with fire.
He crossed his arms, walked around Song Shuci, and stood directly in front of him.
Song Shuci seemed amused. He glanced at He Yong, who was getting the ball, then looked at Jian Wu and lowered his voice: “Do you have to do this?”
Jian Wu nodded: “Mm.”
Before he could finish his aloof “mm,” Song Shuci suddenly covered his eyes.
Jian Wu subconsciously swatted his hand away. When he opened his eyes, he found Song Shuci had taken advantage of that second to move very close to him.
Before him were Song Shuci’s slightly pursed lips, and below that, his clearly defined chest and abdominal muscles. A clean, familiar scent lingered around him, as if he was back in the countless nights they had spent in each other’s arms.
Jian Wu: “…”
He admitted he was slightly aroused.
It was normal. He was also a man. Another man, with whom he had shared seven years of intimacy, was standing naked in front of him, his figure seemingly even better than before. It was understandable that it would evoke some feelings.
This should have nothing to do with his feelings for Song Shuci.
His brief distraction was quickly interrupted by Song Shuci putting on the jersey. It was still a bit small on him, but the black color, Jian Wu’s favorite, made his skin look even fairer, and his facial features even more refined.
He looked away as if unintentionally, but couldn’t help but complain: “Do you have to be so deliberate?”
“Didn’t you want to see?”
Song Shuci asked him: “Does it look good?”
“So-so.”
“I think your ears are still a little red.”
“Oh,” Jian Wu said, “I didn’t wear earmuffs last winter, I got frostbite that cracked and hasn’t healed yet.”
“Did you apply any medicine?” Song Shuci asked seriously.
“Yes.”
“What medicine?” He continued to press.
Jian Wu made up a lie with a straight face: “Frostbite ointment prescribed by the doctor.”
He heard Song Shuci chuckle. Just as Jian Wu was feeling confused, Song Shuci suddenly reached out and rubbed his ear.
“Frostbite ointment contains camphor, you can’t use it on broken skin, a doctor wouldn’t prescribe that.” He withdrew his hand and said, with a faint smile, exposing him, “You could have said erythromycin ointment next time.”
