Eaglet

"Brother, over here, over here."

In the gymnasium, Tang Keke spotted Ye Shuang entering and waved her hand.

"Hmm?" Ye Shuang's gaze turned to the open area of the gym, where he noticed Bai Yuyou and the others seemed to be playing volleyball.

"Teacher Ye." The physical education teacher nearby greeted him.

"Hello, Teacher Dong." Ye Shuang responded with a smile and sat down beside Tang Keke.

"We're having a volleyball match against the class next door," Tang Keke explained.

"Why aren't you playing?" Ye Shuang asked.

"I..." Tang Keke instinctively touched her chest and immediately changed the subject, "Ah, well, I was just too tired earlier."

Ye Shuang then looked towards Bai Yuyou and the others. Aside from An Shiyu, who naturally had short hair, both Bai Yuyou and Taozi had their hair tied up in ponytails. Even in their long-sleeved sportswear, they looked particularly energetic.

"Youth is wonderful," Ye Shuang couldn't help but remark.

"Brother, you're quite young too."

"Thank you for saying that."

Perhaps Tang Keke's voice caught Bai Yuyou's attention. She turned her head, and her eyes instantly locked onto Ye Shuang.

But at that very moment, Ye Shuang suddenly called out, "Yuyou, watch the ball!"

Bai Yuyou instinctively turned her head, only to feel a rush of air against her face—the volleyball slammed straight into it!

"Oof." Bai Yuyou fell to the ground with the impact.

"Are you okay, Yuyou?" Taozi and An Shiyu, not far away, came over to check on her. Getting distracted during a match was dangerous, especially when the opponent was spiking; they wouldn't care if you weren't looking.

Ye Shuang also stood up and jogged over to check on Bai Yuyou.

The girl now had a small red mark on her forehead. Fortunately, the ball hadn't hit her nose, which could have been more serious.

"Are you okay? Do you want to call a timeout?" Teacher Dong also came over to check on Bai Yuyou.

The opponents, seeing Bai Yuyou practically surrounded by two circles of people, couldn't help but mutter,

"Must be nice to be pretty. Everyone fusses over the slightest touch. She looks fine to me."

"Exactly, I didn't even hit it that hard. Probably faking it. She'll probably say she needs to sit out in a second."

However, Bai Yuyou slowly got to her feet. She first rubbed her forehead, then nodded very seriously at Ye Shuang, "I'm fine. I can continue."

With that, she readjusted her stance.

"Maybe you should stop? Take a timeout?" Ye Shuang was more concerned about her current state.

"No. Can't give up easily," Bai Yuyou shook her head.

"Alright then."

Ye Shuang had no choice but to step back to the sidelines and continue watching.

The match soon resumed. An Shiyu's spikes were powerful, and the other side could barely handle them, so the girls often passed the ball to her.

The score gradually widened.

"..."

"Yuyou..."

Watching the girl's slender yet upright back, Ye Shuang's mind wandered for a moment. Perhaps... this child was growing up faster than he had imagined.

A fledgling eaglet, its feathers grown, will eventually soar across the sky.

"Beeeeep—" At that moment, Teacher Dong blew the whistle. "Match over!"

Only then did Bai Yuyou jog over and bump her head into Ye Shuang's chest.

"Does your forehead hurt?" Ye Shuang, feeling the impact, let out a soft "oof" before asking with concern.

Bai Yuyou shook her head, "It's fine."

Ye Shuang gently stroked the girl's hair. Just then, Taozi and An Shiyu walked over as well.

Ye Shuang's gaze now fell on the short-haired girl.

"What?" An Shiyu, noticing his look, asked curiously, "Want to spar with me in volleyball?"

As she spoke, she started dribbling the volleyball between her legs, spun around once, tossed the ball away, and then did a stationary "Iron Mountain" pose on the spot.

"..."

"That's not it," Ye Shuang said, as he didn't really know how to play volleyball.

Perhaps thinking about what the old man had told him earlier, Ye Shuang now felt a strange sensation when facing An Shiyu.

So they weren't twins...

So she was only... years old this year.

But no matter how you looked, you couldn't see any obvious differences between the two "fish." Even the slight difference in their figures was mostly because the "Heart Fish's" physical condition was hampered by her heart, making her a bit thinner.

That was all.

Up until now, the "Memory Fish" seemed to have grown accustomed to An Shiyu's identity. It seemed she had never truly lived for herself as an individual.

She should have lived as an independent person.

Thinking this, a flicker of emotion passed through Ye Shuang's eyes.

"Feels like you're thinking about something weird. Seems like you must be into some pretty niche play in private, uncle," An Shiyu remarked. "Some super niche roleplay?"

"Of course not," Ye Shuang replied just as the class dismissal bell rang.

"Brother, we're going to shower," Tang Keke said from the side. They had other classes after showering, so time was tight.

"Ye Shuang, come with us," Bai Yuyou said, clinging to Ye Shuang and not letting go, like a little penguin.

"I can't possibly go into the women's locker room," Ye Shuang said with a wry smile, finally watching as the girls left.

Hmm...

Quiet again.

Might as well go back to the infirmary. It was, after all, a little space of his own.

Ye Shuang let out a slow breath and turned to walk towards the infirmary.

Perhaps because no one knew the infirmary was open, hardly any students came by for treatment all day. Yet, this infirmary had been kept reserved for him.

Although Ye Shuang had mentioned it could be given to another school doctor, the school administration didn't seem to have any such plans.

"Hmm?" While looking at some cloning-related literature on the computer, Ye Shuang suddenly noticed his phone vibrating beside him.

He picked it up and saw a message from Chen Qin.

Chen Qin: Dinner meeting tonight with drinks, several general managers are attending. Want to come?

Chen Qin: It's okay if you don't. I'll drink less so you won't worry. Can video call the whole time if you want.

Ye Shuang looked at it for a few seconds, then tapped on his phone.

Ye Shuang: Is it a company dinner?

Chen Qin: Mhm, people you know, like General Manager Xu and them.

Ye Shuang: I'll go too. Send me the address.

Chen Qin: Great! I'll pick you up.

Ye Shuang: I'm not at home, I'm at the academy.

Chen Qin: Huh? You finally get a day off and you go to the school?

It was a long story. Maybe he was just born to be a working man.

Ye Shuang couldn't help but think.

Never mind. Better not dwell on it. Time to see what's going on.

Ye Shuang changed out of his white coat, planning to go home first to change clothes before heading out.