Chapter 72: How dare they use such a thing as Luo Xing’s birthday for a password.

Yao Xiangming took out his phone and recorded a short video of the two of them.

The ball was back in Ke Yu's hands, but he still hadn't scored a single shot. Each time Gu Shiyan made a basket, it seemed he did so deliberately slowly, as if waiting for Ke Yu to snatch the ball, only to steal it away the instant Ke Yu attempted a shot. It was as if he gave hope, only to shatter it immediately after.

Ke Yu pressed his lips together, sweat trickling into his mouth. He hunched over as he dribbled, planting himself just inside the two-point line, ready to leap and make a shot. But as he jumped, Gu Shiyan rushed in and knocked the ball away, intercepting it.

The ball landed in Gu Shiyan's hands, and he dribbled along the three-point arc. Ke Yu chased after him, muscles trembling, his jersey soaked with sweat.

Just as Ke Yu was about to touch the ball in Gu Shiyan's hand, Gu Shiyan spun, turned his back, dribbled between his legs, and switched the ball from his right hand to his left. Ke Yu had no time to react.

Gu Shiyan was already airborne, hand raised, releasing the ball in a smooth arc—like a taut bowstring, straight and true.

The ball soared along a perfect curve.

Clang! A long-range three-pointer fell cleanly through the hoop and bounced off the court.

Ke Yu bent over, hands braced on his knees, jaw clenched, sweat streaming down his face. Gu Shiyan, meanwhile, stood tall and straight, only his chest rising and falling slightly as he caught his breath. His gaze swept over, cold and silent, and even without a word, Ke Yu felt thoroughly humiliated.

“Damn, that was a hell of a steal,” he spat out, cursing under his breath.

Gu Shiyan walked toward him at an unhurried pace.

The ball, having bounced from the rim, now rolled to Gu Shiyan’s feet. He stopped it lightly.

His eyes fixed on Ke Yu, shirt sleeves rolled up, the muscles on his forearms sharp and defined.

With a sudden movement, he drew back his leg.

The basketball at his feet was sent flying with a powerful kick, shooting toward Ke Yu like an arrow gone wild, smacking him square on the forehead.

The dusty ball left a messy streak across Ke Yu’s sweat-drenched face.

“Fuck! You looking for a fight?” Ke Yu barked.

“Come on,” Gu Shiyan said, the tip of his tongue pressed against his teeth, the words barely above a whisper.

Ke Yu couldn't hold back any longer. Fury burning in his chest, he lunged forward, but Yao Xiangming grabbed him, “Play ball if you want, but fighting is off the table.”

Gu Shiyan, however, didn’t intend to let Ke Yu go so easily. He hooked Ke Yu’s neck and forced him down, pressing his knee into him.

Ke Yu was already exhausted from the game, his limbs weak and powerless against Gu Shiyan’s strength.

Suddenly, Gu Shiyan pressed his elbow into Ke Yu’s back, forcing his face down against Gu Shiyan’s leg, folding him over like a piece of paper. It was not unlike being forced into a sit-and-reach stretch by a PE teacher in high school, only much more brutal.

“Let go, damn it!” Ke Yu shouted, his chest pinned so tightly he couldn’t muster any strength, not even enough to push up between his chest and knees.

“Who are you cursing? Your mother? Who’s shameless here? You?” Gu Shiyan fired off four questions in quick succession, leaving Ke Yu gasping for air.

Yao Xiangming tugged at Gu Shiyan’s sleeve, hesitant to use force. “Gu Shiyan, what are you doing? We all go to the same school—a fight will get us all in trouble.”

“Where’s his phone?” Gu Shiyan, still pinning Ke Yu, glanced at Yao Xiangming. “Give me his phone.”

Ke Yu’s head was throbbing, his face and ears flushed crimson, veins bulging from the strain.

Yao Xiangming fished Ke Yu’s phone from his pocket.

Gu Shiyan pressed down even harder, folding Ke Yu even more, a strangled sound escaping Ke Yu’s throat. Yet Gu Shiyan remained composed. “Unlock your phone.”

Ke Yu felt on the verge of passing out; he dared not resist anymore and recited the numbers, “1...221..."

Gu Shiyan’s eyes darkened. He repeated the numbers, grinding his teeth. “Change your password when you get home. Understand?”

What kind of person would use Luo Xing’s birthday as a lock screen code?

He unlocked the phone and deleted the friend request Ke Yu had just sent to Luo Xing that night.

Ke Yu didn’t dare make a peep.

……

The next day at noon, Luo Xing was eating noodles in the cafeteria with Yun Cai and Ming An.

Yun Cai was browsing the school forum when she suddenly looked up at Luo Xing. “Ke Yu got called in by the police for questioning today. Isn’t he the one Yao Xiangming said tried to add you?”

Luo Xing nodded. “My brother called the police.”

Yun Cai was shocked. “What did he do?”

Luo Xing explained what had happened the night before.

When Yun Cai finished listening, she cursed Ke Yu angrily, losing her appetite. “Damn him! I told you, men are all scum!”

Ming An shivered. “Not all of them, right?” she said meekly. “Shen Que isn’t scum.”

Yun Cai waved her hand. “He’s the exception.”

Someone passing by accidentally bumped Luo Xing’s elbow, and her chopsticks slipped, dropping onto her lap.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” the girl quickly apologized.

A conspicuous oil stain splattered across Luo Xing’s plaid shirt, but she shook her head. “It’s fine.”

The girl took out a tissue to help her wipe it, but the stain wouldn’t come off. “I’m really sorry.”

Luo Xing said it was nothing and glanced at the girl. Their eyes met.

The other girl seemed to recognize her. “Luo Xing?”

Luo Xing was startled and asked softly, “Do we know each other?”

“Oh, no, we don’t—it’s just that I know you,” the girl explained. “From the school forum.”

Luo Xing fell silent, pressing her lips together. After all, the rumors about her on the forum were anything but flattering.

Realizing this, the girl apologized again.

Luo Xing shook her head. “It’s really okay.”

“Um, about your shirt—can I help you wash it? Since I’m the one who spilled on you,” the girl offered earnestly.

Luo Xing shook her head again, but the girl seemed reluctant to leave. Luo Xing looked at her questioningly as the girl bent down and whispered, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes?”

“Last night, Gu Shiyan got into a fight with a guy—was it because of you?”

Luo Xing paused. “I... don’t know.”

“Oh, sorry, just being nosy.” The girl wanted to help her wash the shirt again, but Luo Xing declined.

Yun Cai, having overheard the mention of a fight, immediately searched the university forum.

“No way, there’s actually a video of Gu Shiyan fighting last night!” Yun Cai exclaimed, showing her the video.

It was shot at night and blurry; you could just barely make out who was who by their silhouettes. The video started as a basketball match but turned into a scuffle between two people.

“They really fought? But why?” Ming An leaned in curiously.

Yun Cai scoffed. “You call that a fight? That was just Gu Shiyan beating someone up.”

“Who’s the guy he’s pinning down?” Ming An squinted, adjusting her glasses.

Yun Cai didn’t recognize him either. “No idea.”

Luo Xing looked at the person Gu Shiyan had pinned down in the video, wearing a jersey—it was Ke Yu, the one who’d blocked her last night.

That girl had asked whether Gu Shiyan fought because of her...

Luo Xing herself wasn’t sure.

……

Once, Luo Xing ran into Ke Yu in the cafeteria.

She worried he might pester her again, but before she could even try to slip away, Ke Yu spotted her first and bolted like a mouse fleeing a cat.

Luo Xing watched his hasty retreat and couldn’t help but recall the image of Gu Shiyan effortlessly subduing Ke Yu with one hand.