it goes without saying

it goes without saying

Shen Muwei's competition went very smoothly, and she made it all the way to the finals.

The badminton competition at the school sports meet is not as strict, and the process has been simplified compared to some large-scale competitions.

Before the finals, Ms. Mu Qing seemed to suddenly realize something and started giving her special training.

The truth is, Shen Muwei's hard work in the past is still paying off. Those muscle memories are still etched into her movements.

Mu Qing was very satisfied with the current result. Back then, when she insisted that Shen Muwei pursue a professional career, she provided a detailed plan. When the blueprint for the future was clearly presented, Mu Qing's lips curled up, and she seemed to see that golden world championship trophy before her eyes.

Unfortunately, whether Shen Muwei was influenced by Song Yuanbai or simply had her own strong opinions, she completely refused to take this path.

After her attempts to persuade her failed, Mu Qing was so anxious that she almost slapped her daughter.

That day, Shen Muwei's eyes were filled with a firm "no" and bloodshot eyes.

Shen Muwei's small bedroom couldn't contain the two people burning with rage. Shen Hongtao pulled Mu Qing out of the room, and before leaving, Mu Qing pointed at Shen Muwei and shouted, "I'm doing this for your own good! You'll understand later!"

Shen Hongtao first coaxed Mu Qing down, then asked her, "What was your reason for wanting Zai Zai to participate in sports back then?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qing froze. She looked at Shen Hongtao, her eyes filled with tears, followed by a tight entanglement of guilt and self-reproach that seemed inseparable, causing her heart to ache even more.

At first, she just wanted her to run and exercise, but at some point, she saw her daughter's extraordinary athletic talent and began to look for sports that interested her.

Everything unfolded as it should have, but she messed everything up.

That evening, after sorting out her thoughts, she knocked on the door and apologized to her daughter.

Shen Muwei was training intensely. During a break, Mu Qing unscrewed the bottle cap for her daughter and showed her a photo on her phone: "Is this your good friend?"

Shen Muwei was speechless at Hu Zhiyong. On the screen was a photo of her accepting a drink from Xiang Zhixing after the competition.

Fortunately, Mu Qing didn't ask anything else, only "Is this your good friend?"

Shen Muwei nodded: "That's right now."

Mu Qing smiled without saying anything, feeling a little sorry for Song Yuanbai, and did not delve into the topic further.

It seems that Xiang's trip has encountered some trouble.

After the preliminary round ended that day, that number 16 started appearing frequently, and various chance encounters occurred one after another.

You might bump into someone in the cafeteria, downstairs in the dormitory, in the teaching building, or even in the restroom.

Xiang Zhixing finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Can you please stop following me?"

Chen Jiayu said slowly, "What's wrong? Is this your private passage and others can't use it?"

Xiang Zhixing turned to leave, but he stubbornly followed until Xiang Zhixing was about to punch him in the face. Only then did he cower in the corner, pleading, "Brother, no, don't be so violent... Let's talk this out..."

Xiang Zhixing's face was full of anger, his lips were tightly pursed, and his eyes lazily swept across his face before slowly withdrawing his hand.

The other person persisted: "Bro, why? Why did you stop playing basketball? Do you know how much I admired you when I watched the replays? You were like a god to me back then..."

"Shut up!"

If Xiang Zhixing's attitude before was that he was still willing to spare the other party's life, then at this moment he was truly angry, making Chen Jiayu not dare to utter a single syllable. His lips were tightly pressed together, his teeth were clenched, and he raised three fingers on his right hand, vowing not to say anything more.

Xiang Zhixing turned and left, leaving Chen Jiayu scratching his head, unable to understand why the other party would do this.

Chen Jiayu did not give up. He vaguely remembered the legend he had heard when he joined the school basketball team in high school.

"Holy crap, Xiang Zhixing from Experimental High School, he's a madman when he plays basketball. And Song Yuanbai from Affiliated High School, those two are both insane, one a shooting guard and the other a small forward. They go a little crazy every time they get into a fight."

"The type that gets crazier the more they play. Remember when our school played against Experimental School? When Xiang Zhixing came over, I really felt that we were at a huge disadvantage in terms of momentum. You know his face, he looks terribly gloomy when he plays basketball."

...

Chen Jiayu later learned to be more roundabout and less direct in his attacks; he would observe from the shadows.

The other party was a girl, and he personally witnessed him carrying her bag and bringing her water.

Chen Jiayu had observed them carefully and was certain that the two were not a couple. He had reason to believe that although he seemed to be caring by carrying bags and bringing water for them, there was no romantic atmosphere between them.

After a while, he concluded that the girl was probably his good friend. Soon he set his sights on Shen Muwei.

If a good friend could persuade him, then he would be more likely to make a move.

The University of Taipei's team hasn't won an award for many years. They used to be a top team, but after their players graduated, the university faced a talent gap, and the team gradually declined.

Now that he's the team captain, it's clear his team isn't up to par. He wants to recruit more players to play in school games, so at least they won't lose too badly in the league.

After entering his second year of high school, his grades dropped drastically. His family was worried that he would not be able to get into university, so they forced him to quit the school team. Therefore, he was no longer clear about the news about Xiang Zhixing, and only vaguely heard that Xiang Zhixing had stopped playing basketball.

However, his heavy academic workload left him no time to worry about the team.

He didn't even know that Xiang Zhixing was also studying at Hui University.

If it weren't for that chance encounter at the stadium that day, he might never have known about it.

Just as he was rubbing his hands together, ready to talk to Shen Muwei, he was kidnapped by Xiang Zhixing before he even got close to her.

Xiang Zhixing took him to the alley next to the school's printing shop.

The sky was overcast and gloomy, with a layer of gray in the air, and the temperature was rather chilly. Xiang Zhixing's complexion was not much better at the moment.

What exactly do you want to do?

Perhaps only when it comes to Shen Muwei does he have the attitude of wanting to have a proper talk with her.

Chen Jiayu didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I want to recruit you into the team! I don't know if you know, but Huida is not what it was three years ago. I want to lead it back to its peak, and we really need you to join us. It's not too late to join now. We can participate in the league next year. There's still a long time. As long as we train hard during this period, we still have a chance."

Xiang Zhixing released his grip on his collar and suddenly let out a short laugh, as if he found the whole thing somewhat absurd.

"I'm not interested."

"Why are you not interested anymore? I heard you love playing ball."

Xiang Zhixing clearly felt pain in his chest, but his expression remained calm, as if he were listening to the other person talk about something that had nothing to do with him.

"That's my business. If you bother me and her again, I won't be as polite to you as I am today."

Who "she" is is self-evident.

Chen Jiayu was also a bit tired. To defeat someone, you first give them hope, then let them down. He was angry too, forgetting that he needed something from him, and said defiantly:

"You're a coward! A coward!"

After he finished speaking, he still had to walk past Xiang Zhixing to get out, but he was inexplicably afraid of him.

The alley was very narrow, and Xiang Zhixing stood in the middle of it, exuding an air of authority that he owned the road and demanded tolls for passage.

Chen Jiayu stepped back, paused for two seconds, then mustered his courage and went sideways. After passing through, he hurriedly ran forward two steps.

He admitted that he had been too hasty in his criticism. So who was the coward here?

Looking back, Xiang Zhixing was still standing in the distance, seemingly unwilling to waste any more time with him, and took a few steps forward to leave.

But Chen Jiayu misunderstood him, thinking that he was going to beat him up because of the words he had said. Seeing that he was moving, Chen Jiayu quickly left.

Xiang Zhixing was speechless as he looked at the man's figure. He didn't care about the insult he received; to him, those words were actually quite pleasant.

When he emerged from the alley, Shen Muwei had already been waiting by the roadside for quite some time. His phone was on silent; there were no notifications.

She stood under the deep green trees, looking around. The hazy, leaden-colored weather made her skin appear exceptionally white, almost frighteningly so.

Shen Muwei was indeed feeling unwell. She only realized she had started her period when she went to the restroom after dinner.

She doesn't usually suffer from menstrual cramps, and her periods are usually normal. It might be due to the sudden change in weather or drinking too many cold drinks recently, but today she is experiencing unusual cramps.

Seeing Xiang Zhixing running over, she finally spoke, "Where have you been?"

Xiang Zhixing only said that he ran into a classmate and asked him something, and that his phone was on silent, so he didn't notice her call.

Shen Muwei felt colder and colder. She hunched her shoulders and arched her back like a shrimp, sniffed, and said, "Let's go back quickly."

Where does it hurt?

He didn't ask her if she was feeling unwell, but based on his usual meticulous observation, she was clearly very uncomfortable at that moment.

She couldn't be bothered with the distinctions between men and women, especially since it was such a commonplace thing.

"I'm on my period." Her breathing was slightly weak, and a tremor could be heard if you listened carefully.

Xiang Zhixing knew this was a very common thing, but for some reason, hearing it from her made him feel a little embarrassed.

He asked, as if he were being silly, "Then, what should we do?"

Shen Muwei glanced at him speechlessly and said, "What should we do? How about we send you back to the affiliated high school to attend another physiology and hygiene class?"

What can we do? This has nothing to do with him. Of course, he should go back and take his medicine and get some rest.

"I'm going back now," Shen Muwei said.

"Then I'll take you."

Shen Muwei was too lazy to be polite with him. She didn't even have the energy to say another word. She just wanted to go back to bed as soon as possible.

Finally, Shen Muwei parted ways with him downstairs at the dormitory building. She waved goodbye, hunched over, and walked slowly and heavily into the dormitory building.

He looked extremely worried downstairs.

When all the detailed doctor's instructions and precautions were displayed on his phone screen, he immediately understood what Shen Muwei meant by her sarcastic remark.

Even though he understood, he still clicked in and read it word by word, and then went back to the supermarket.

Half an hour later, he met Qian Eryun downstairs in the dormitory and handed her a bag of brown sugar.

Qian Eryun reacted and said, "There are some in the dormitory."

"I'm afraid you won't have enough."

That's what I meant.

Qian Eryun finally burst into laughter after Xiang Zhixing left.

Xiang Zhixing's ears were burning hot, and the slightly chilly air did not dispel his heat. He still felt hot even when he walked quickly, and his back was covered in sweat.

As he approached the dormitory building, he saw the phone number flashing on the screen again.

This is the third time this number has called today.

His steps faltered, and his figure disappeared beneath the century-old camphor tree of Huida.

I answered the phone anyway.

"It's Dad," came the voice on the other end of the phone.