School Sports Meet

After adding Master An's alternate account to the blacklist, the matter with Chen Hai was temporarily put to rest.

Today marked the opening day of the school sports festival. Since it also doubled as a parents' open day, the atmosphere was especially lively. The stands were packed to the brim with people, a sea of heads and waving flags.

"Heh, heh, hup!"

Inside the Light Music Club's activity room, Bai Yuyou was stretching her legs with Tang Keke's help. Her waist-length hair was tied into a ponytail, and she had changed into more comfortable sneakers.

"Just relax and do your best. Ranking doesn't matter," Ye Shuang said as he crouched down to tie her shoelaces. The girl was wearing athletic shorts, and from this close, he noticed how impossibly fair her calves were—so pale that even the fine hairs were barely visible.

"Okay."

Tang Keke giggled beside them. "Yuyou's athletic skills are seriously impressive. Even the teachers have praised her."

"The teachers praised your athleticism?" Ye Shuang straightened up, looking slightly surprised.

"Mm." As if to demonstrate, Bai Yuyou flipped nimbly into a handstand, balancing steadily against the wall.

"Ooooh—" Everyone clapped in admiration.

But the next second, her T-shirt slid down, revealing her navel and sports bra—the hem even covering her head.

"I can't see…" she mumbled.

"Get down now. No more handstands," Ye Shuang quickly helped her back to her feet.

Zhixia and Linlin weren’t in the activity room at the moment. Though they weren’t participating in the sports festival, they had other tasks to handle. On the first morning of the event, the only competition the girls were involved in was the relay race.

"An Shiyu, you’re not joining?" Ye Shuang asked the girl lounging in the corner.

An Shiyu lay sprawled on the sofa, her body hidden behind the armrest with only her legs dangling lazily. Her voice was just as languid. "Relay races… I don’t wanna be dragged down by deadweight teammates."

Tang Keke blinked. "Are you talking about me…?"

"You figured it out?"

"Hey! You are talking about me!!!"

As Tang Keke and An Shiyu started bickering, Ye Shuang focused on helping Bai Yuyou get into the right mindset. Though he claimed rankings didn’t matter, that didn’t mean he didn’t want to see her shine on the field.

Watching her perform brilliantly was something to be proud of.

"Ye Shuang… I want a hug," Bai Yuyou suddenly said.

"Hm? Why?"

She stretched out her arms. "Hugging gives me energy."

Ye Shuang chuckled and pulled her slender frame into his arms, giving her a firm squeeze. "Better? Feel energized now?"

"No. Not long enough." Her expression remained blank. "Charging… takes time."

"Alright." He continued holding her.

A few seconds later, "Done?"

"I didn’t bring fast charging today," Bai Yuyou replied.

Ye Shuang couldn’t help but laugh. This girl was even making up excuses about charging speeds now. But considering it was the sports festival, he indulged her clinginess to boost her morale.

As he gently stroked the back of her head, she suddenly murmured, "Charging stopped halfway."

"Stopped? Need some extra conditions?" he teased.

Bai Yuyou lifted her face from his chest and said, "Need a kiss."

"Pushing your luck, aren’t you?"

"I’ll be too tired to run later," she countered immediately.

With a sigh, Ye Shuang pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "There."

Bai Yuyou knew not to push further, but she still asked, "After running… showering is tiring. I won’t have energy… Tonight, let’s shower together. Ye Shuang can wash me."

Ye Shuang: "…"

This girl… was she getting sneakier?

He had noticed Bai Yuyou wasn’t as easy to placate as before. Her mind was clearly maturing along with her awareness.

"No can do."

"Ye Shuang promised before. If I did well, we could shower together," she muttered. "Ye Shuang… is a liar."

She was referring to an old promise from back when Bai Yuyou was still called "Stinky Girl" at school. Ye Shuang had only said it to encourage her then—never expecting her to bring it up now.

"Bold words, Yuyou." He pinched her soft cheeks and stretched them playfully. The girl didn’t resist, obediently letting him squish her face, even leaning in closer.

"Fine, we’ll talk about it after the race," Ye Shuang conceded.

"Promise?" she pressed.

"Mm… yeah."

He couldn’t shake the feeling he’d walked right into her trap. Did Tang Keke teach her this?

Checking the time, he noted they’d need to head to the track soon. With so many students, events were held in batches across multiple venues.

"Keke, time to go. The relay’s about to start," Ye Shuang called to the two girls still roughhousing.

Tang Keke was currently locked in An Shiyu’s grip but managed to reply,

"O-okay, just—ah! Eek!!!"

"Tch. Stop groping around," An Shiyu deadpanned.

"Groping?! There’s nothing there—eek?! Why’d you squeeze harder?!!"

After another round of chaos, they finally locked the activity room and left.

Judging by Tang Keke and An Shiyu’s disheveled hair, their tussle hadn’t been gentle—though Ye Shuang figured An Shiyu had held back. She wouldn’t use any serious moves in a playful scuffle.

Just then, Bai Yuyou’s phone vibrated.

Though it was hers, Ye Shuang was holding it since she couldn’t carry it while running.

He glanced at the screen—

Mom: Sweetie, something came up. I might not make it in time.

Ye Shuang: "…"

Is Aunt Xian really that busy?

"What’s the message?" Bai Yuyou tilted her head, noticing his expression.

Ye Shuang smiled gently and pocketed the phone. "Just an ad. Nothing important."

"Oh."

"Ye Shuang… will she come later?" Bai Yuyou asked quietly.

He knew who she meant.

Did she sense it?

"I think she will. Don’t worry," he reassured her. "I’ll be watching closely too."

Bai Yuyou nodded softly.

"Mm…"

"If Mom doesn’t come… it’s okay." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Because… I have Ye Shuang."