Romance

"Brother, do you know how to play badminton?" Tang Keke asked curiously as she followed behind Ye Shuang on their way to the equipment room, accompanied by the other girl.

Bai Yuyou also turned to look at him.

"I know a little," Ye Shuang couldn't help but smile. Truthfully, he was better at tennis than badminton. Both sports involved swinging a racket and running around, so they had some similarities, though badminton required more technical skill.

But if he was just playing with these two girls, there was no need to be too serious—it wasn’t like they were competing.

When they arrived at the equipment room, Ye Shuang exchanged a few casual words with the teacher in charge, who immediately smiled and said, "Go to the shelf on the left. The badminton rackets there are brand new. They should feel more comfortable to use."

"Thanks."

"Not at all, don’t mention it."

Ye Shuang took three rackets and a couple of shuttlecocks from the shelf before leading the two girls out.

"Wow, these rackets and shuttlecocks are so new—they look completely untouched!" Tang Keke marveled, noticing how the goose feathers on the shuttlecocks were pristine white.

Bai Yuyou seemed to notice something too. "The teacher… acted differently."

"Probably the effect of having a handsome guy around," Tang Keke patted Bai Yuyou’s shoulder and sighed dramatically. "The proper way to utilize Brother."

Bai Yuyou didn’t quite understand, but Ye Shuang lightly flicked Tang Keke’s forehead. "Alright, stop filling Yuyou’s head with nonsense. Let’s go play badminton."

"Hehe."

The badminton courts were inside the gymnasium, divided into about ten sections for students to use during P.E. classes. After school, this area also served as the badminton club’s practice space, where upperclassmen who no longer had classes would gather to play.

"There are quite a few people here. Let’s go over there." Ye Shuang pointed toward a quieter corner where they’d be less disturbed.

The gym was stuffy—after all, the school wouldn’t turn on the air conditioning—and the scent of rubber filled the air.

"You two can be a team, and I’ll play alone. Sound good?" Ye Shuang asked.

"No problem."

To his surprise, both Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke were quite skilled at badminton. At first, Ye Shuang deliberately hit high shots to make it easier for Bai Yuyou to return—

But the next second, the girl leaped up slightly and smashed the shuttlecock straight at him in a sharp line drive.

"Smack!"

Her slender ponytail swayed as the crisp sound of the impact echoed, and the shuttlecock landed right at Ye Shuang’s feet.

He stared at it. "Huh?"

"Hehe, Yuyou might seem a little airheaded, but she’s pretty good at sports," Tang Keke gloated with a mischievous grin, while Bai Yuyou stood coolly with her racket in hand, looking like a swordswoman holding a blade.

"Alright, I underestimated you two." Ye Shuang chuckled and stretched his limbs. "Then let me show you the power of an adult man."

Ten minutes later—

"Yay!" Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou high-fived while Ye Shuang stood defeated on the other side, completely outmatched by the two of them.

"Brother, you really don’t have much talent for sports, do you?" Tang Keke remarked.

Ye Shuang: "…"

Why was he being roasted by Tang Keke when Bai Yuyou had done all the work? She was just coasting along.

"Guess I’m getting old. You two really got me." Though he said that, he didn’t seem upset at all—in fact, he’d had a lot of fun.

After a short break, they sat down on the benches.

"Brother, do you want some water?" Tang Keke asked.

"I’m not thirsty, but if you two want some, there’s a water dispenser and a vending machine outside the gym."

"Then I’ll go buy a few bottles."

"Sure."

As Tang Keke hurried off, Ye Shuang suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder—Bai Yuyou had leaned against him, resting her head there.

Not only that, but her clear, bottomless eyes were fixed on him, her gaze filled with nothing but his reflection, as if he were her entire world.

Silent and steady.

"What’s up?" His arm was hugged tightly, enveloped by the softness of her sports attire.

"During lunch break… I was thinking… about Ye Shuang."

"Hasn’t it only been a few hours?" Ye Shuang said. In fact, because Bai Yuyou had waited up for him too late the night before, he’d even excused her from two classes.

If you really counted, they’d only been apart for a handful of hours.

"Ye Shuang… do you think about me?" she asked.

"I do."

Bai Yuyou seemed happy.

Ye Shuang pulled out his phone and then took a handkerchief from his pocket. "Here, sit up straight so I can wipe your sweat."

Bai Yuyou straightened up, placing her pale hands neatly on her thighs, looking perfectly obedient.

After Ye Shuang wiped the sweat from her face, she murmured, "There’s sweat inside too…"

"Help me wipe it."

"Not here, we’re in public," Ye Shuang said.

"At home… then it’s okay?"

Realizing Bai Yuyou was trying to find loopholes in his words, Ye Shuang pinched her soft cheek lightly. "Still no."

Just then, Tang Keke returned with the water. "I’m back~"

"Keke, use this handkerchief to wipe the sweat off Yuyou’s back," Ye Shuang handed it to her.

"Got it!"

Tang Keke didn’t hesitate at all, taking the handkerchief and slipping her hand into the back of Bai Yuyou’s collar.

"It tickles…"

"Really?" Tang Keke lightened her touch. "Like this?"

"When Ye Shuang touches me… it tickles too," Bai Yuyou said.

Ye Shuang, who had been drinking water, nearly choked but managed to say, "Alright, let’s keep playing."

...

Meanwhile—

Principal’s Office.

Principal Huang of Yinshan Academy sat at his desk, sipping tea when his computer suddenly chimed.

[Principal’s Mailbox: You have a new message]

Most school websites had a principal’s mailbox, but usually, it wasn’t the principal who read them—staff members handled replies with polite, generic responses.

But at Yinshan Academy, the principal was required to personally review every message and respond within 24 hours—one of the rules set by the school board.

"It’s been a while since anyone sent a message to the principal’s mailbox," Principal Huang muttered as he clicked on the email.

"Let’s see…"

"A student from Class 3A… reporting an inappropriate relationship…"

"Bai Yuyou…"

"Hm? The school doesn’t forbid dating, though?" Principal Huang continued reading, but his brows slowly furrowed.

"An inappropriate relationship between a school doctor and a student?"