Chapter 7 “If You Injure Someone, Which One of You Can Take Care of Her for the Rest of Her Life?”

Qin Zixi was from Class 12 upstairs. She had also attended Xiuwen Middle School in junior high.

She had never been in the same class as Ye Xiaoyang, but she had once been classmates with Zhou Jiahang.

Qin Zixi was the recognized school beauty of Xiuwen, the queen of conversation topics among the boys.

Her crush on Ye Xiaoyang had long been an open secret.

Ye Xiaoyang couldn’t possibly not know her.

Even if it was just a pure alumni relationship, Ye Xiaoyang didn’t need to reject her small request so coldly and heartlessly to her face.

It wasn’t as if she had confessed to him. His reaction made the school beauty lose face completely.

Especially since Ye Xiaoyang had actually taken the initiative to help the transfer student in his class open her cup lid—that was a direct blow to Qin Zixi’s pride.

Even Qin Zixi couldn’t pluck this high mountain flower. It seemed Academic God Ye had already stepped outside the mortal world and was no longer within the five elements.

At least before the college entrance exam, that was the case.

Oh no—maybe they wouldn’t even have to wait until the exam. Who knew, perhaps by the second or third year of high school he would be directly recommended to Tsinghua or Peking University.

Zhou Jiahang simply thought Ye Xiaoyang had helped Luo Yi open the cup lid on purpose to embarrass Qin Zixi. He didn’t think any further about it.

The first class on Monday afternoon was PE. In the first semester of Grade 10, PE was taught collectively by class. Starting from the second semester, they would be divided.

Following Qian Jiayun’s suggestion, Luo Yi went to the playground for the martial arts class.

From childhood until now, whenever there was PE, Luo Yi had basically stayed in the classroom.

But No.1 High didn’t allow that. PE counted toward credits.

The school specially offered a martial arts class for the old, weak, sick, and disabled among them. No running, and the physical tests were watered down—perfect for health cultivation.

Very few boys chose the martial arts class.

A proper man who didn’t go fight on the court and instead practiced Tai Chi like a softie would be mocked.

Of course, there were also a few healthy students who signed up for martial arts just to make up the numbers.

Most of them were girls. After all, “willow-like and wind-supported” sounded like a compliment, carrying a delicate, high-class kind of sickly beauty.

For example, Qin Zixi—the classmate Luo Yi had just run into in the water room that morning.

Luo Yi saw that her complexion was rosy and her spirit was lively. She didn’t look the least bit like one of the old, weak, sick, or disabled.

The class location was on the open ground beside the plastic track. This semester, their task was to learn the simplified twenty-four form Tai Chi.

The martial arts teacher, Wu Feihong, was a short, stocky middle-aged man. He wore a pure white silk Tai Chi uniform and carried a rather immortal, otherworldly air. It was said he was the vice president of the Xishui City Martial Arts Association.

Today they were learning two movements: Single Whip and High Pat on Horse.

Wu Feihong broke the movements down and taught them step by step.

Tai Chi looked slow, but to do it well was extremely difficult. Compared to Tai Chi, the calisthenics between classes were child’s play.

The teacher’s movements flowed like clouds and water. The students below copied them like drawing a gourd from a model, yet it turned into a chaotic dance of demons.

A group of energetic fifteen- and sixteen-year-old high school students couldn’t even match the elderly men and women in the park who were over seventy.

Luo Yi studied very seriously, but since she was only touching Tai Chi for the first time today, she still couldn’t grasp the essentials.

Wu Feihong paced over to her side and said, “Sink your lower body more. The movements need to be relaxed. You’re too stiff.”

Luo Yi followed his words and carefully adjusted her posture, but it still wasn’t standard enough.

Wu Feihong helped lift her arm a little and asked, “How come I’ve never seen you before?”

“I just transferred here.”

Wu Feihong understood and said, “During free practice later, come find me. I’ll teach you the earlier parts.”

“Got it. Thank you, Teacher.”

Wu Feihong clasped his hands behind his back and paced over to another row. A few girls led by Qin Zixi were giggling and chatting.

“You few, show me,” he said, pointing at them.

They put away their expressions and randomly went through a set. They hadn’t even remembered the key points of the movements.

Wu Feihong said, “Look at how you’re doing it. You’re not even as good as the classmate who just arrived.”

He pointed at Luo Yi.

“Teacher~” Qin Zixi called out coyly, her tone twisting through eighteen bends of a mountain road. It was clear she was acting spoiled. “We’re already practicing.”

“Practice properly. Correct your attitude,” Wu Feihong didn’t scold her harshly.

Clearly, Qin Zixi knew quite well how to use her natural advantage as a beauty.

The teaching lasted about twenty minutes. The remaining time was free practice.

In theory, free practice was for the students to practice Tai Chi on their own, but most of the classmates scattered like birds released from a cage.

Wu Feihong didn’t interfere. After all, a health cultivation class didn’t have high teaching quality requirements.

Luo Yi obediently went to find Wu Feihong to learn the earlier parts. The two lonely figures practicing Tai Chi in the corner of the playground looked a bit comical.

A wave of cheers erupted from the court in the middle of the plastic track—the football class had been dismissed.

Luo Yi saw Qin Zixi and a few girls crowding at the edge of the football field, cheering and jumping like little fangirls.

A group of boys were fiercely chasing the football across the green field. The leading boy looked somewhat familiar.

It was Ye Xiaoyang.

No wonder Qin Zixi had rushed over. She had gone to watch him.

Most of the boys didn’t mind having such a beautiful scenery line appear at the edge of the field. A few boys who had feelings for Qin Zixi even secretly competed, trying their best to show off their excellent skills in front of the school beauty.

As the saying goes, success on the field, failure in love.

But Ye Xiaoyang completely didn’t apply to this rule. Qin Zixi’s gaze remained locked on him the whole time.

This made him the center of attention both on and off the field.

However, the boys always had other ways to attract the school beauty’s attention. Somehow the round football rolled right to Qin Zixi’s feet.

“Classmate, help throw the ball over,” a boy wearing glasses shouted to Qin Zixi.

Qin Zixi of course understood the boys’ little tricks, but she didn’t expose them. She smiled and lightly tossed the ball out.

“Thanks.” A few boys showed smug, mischievous smiles of successful scheming and continued chasing after the ball.

Wu Feihong taught Luo Yi two more moves. When he looked back and noticed those few girls, he couldn’t help clicking his tongue.

“Standing so close—aren’t they afraid of getting hit by the ball?” Football was a dangerous sport. Not only could the players get injured, spectators could also suffer collateral damage.

Wu Feihong said to Luo Yi, “Go over and tell them to stand farther away.”

So Luo Yi walked toward Qin Zixi’s side.

“Classmate,” Luo Yi called out.

Whether her voice was too soft or they were too absorbed in watching the game, no one paid her any attention.

Luo Yi had no choice but to stretch out a hand and gently tug on Qin Zixi’s sleeve.

Qin Zixi turned around. When she saw it was her, she frowned unhappily. “What is it?”

“The teacher asked me to tell you—stand farther away so you don’t get hit by the ball,” Luo Yi relayed honestly.

“Aiya, I know.” Qin Zixi shook her arm to free herself from Luo Yi’s hand. She symbolically took one step back and continued watching the game, clearly not taking Luo Yi’s words to heart.

Luo Yi stood there awkwardly, neither able to leave nor stay.

She had delivered the message, but it had completely no effect. How was she supposed to report back to the teacher?

Just then, a cry of alarm came from the field.

“—Watch out!”

A high-speed spinning football traced a parabola through the blue sky and flew toward Qin Zixi.

Qin Zixi was like an antelope standing on the highway startled by headlights. For a moment she was dumbstruck and couldn’t move.

Fortunately, the girl beside her reacted fast enough and shoved her aside.

The football grazed past Qin Zixi’s ear. It was truly a close call!

However, they had all forgotten there was still a little girl behind them.

Luo Yi was standing sideways, thinking about whether she should remind them again, when the football smashed right into her face without deviation.

With a “smack,” the football fell to the ground, bounced a few times, and gradually rolled away.

Half of Luo Yi’s face immediately burned with pain as if scorched by intense fire. She covered her face and crouched down.

The girls looked at each other. None of them had expected someone would actually get hit.

“Hey, are you okay?” Qin Zixi felt a bit guilty. She moved closer to Luo Yi, wanting to check the situation.

But Luo Yi buried her face and refused to lift her head no matter who pulled her.

The boys playing football noticed something was wrong and hurried over in a group.

They saw a petite short-haired girl crouching on the ground, her thin arms trembling slightly.

The boys were a bit panicked. This little girl looked like a porcelain doll. Getting smashed by a ball like that—how serious could it be?

Ye Xiaoyang pushed through the crowd and walked out. He saw Luo Yi crouching there with a football beside her and instantly understood what had happened.

Just now when they were fighting for the ball, someone had failed to control the force and direction and kicked it out.

He walked forward, half-crouched to look at her, and asked, “Want to go to the school clinic?”

Luo Yi didn’t answer.

She was in so much pain she could barely speak.

She wanted to hold it in, but the tears poured out like a broken dam and couldn’t be stopped. Soon a patch of her sleeve was soaked through.

Wu Feihong noticed the crowd gathering on the football field and ran over.

Sure enough, a student had been hit by the ball.

Looking carefully, it was actually that girl from just now.

Wu Feihong suddenly flared up and shouted loudly, “I told you to stand farther away, farther away! I said it three times, and every single one of you treated it like wind past your ears, didn’t you? Now look—someone got hit!”

This anger was directed at Qin Zixi and the few girls with her.

Qin Zixi lowered her head, biting her lip, not daring to say a single word.

“Who kicked the ball? The ball has no eyes, and neither do you people?” Wu Feihong scolded them head-on. “If you injure someone badly, which of you can support her for the rest of her life?”

The boys looked at each other. No one admitted it.

“I kicked it.” Ye Xiaoyang raised his hand. He was the class monitor of the football class and should take responsibility for this matter. “I’ll take her to the school clinic.”

“Go quickly.” Wu Feihong waved his hand.

The most painful stage had passed. Luo Yi stood up, but she still covered her face and refused to show it to anyone.

Half of her face was swollen like a steamed bun. The muscles on her face twitched uncontrollably, and her eyes still held a pool of tears.

The few boys standing on the field couldn’t figure out what was going on with this.

They knew very clearly in their hearts that the ball definitely hadn’t been kicked out by Ye Xiaoyang.

Qin Zixi watched the two of them leave with uneven steps, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

“Let’s go,” the girl beside her pulled her. “Ye Xiaoyang is gone. What are you still looking at?”

She gloomily kicked the football away with one foot.