Lin Xi Chi set the water bottle down, and when she heard his words, she paused for a moment. She instinctively looked behind him.
On the basketball court, it was still lively. Two guys had their arms around each other’s shoulders, shyly talking to the girls in front of them. Three or four others were fooling around with a basketball nearby, creating a vivid and cheerful scene.
They all looked ecstatic and happy, reveling in the afterglow of victory.
Xu Fang stood in front of Lin Xi Chi, appearing as if he had just taken a shower. Water droplets flowed down from his hair, gathering on his jawline, and large droplets of sweat fell to the ground, staining his deep red jersey an even darker shade of crimson.
His masculine aura was at its peak.
His deep and stern gaze seemed to hide a swirling undercurrent of resentment. His face was tense, not hiding his displeasure at all.
In that moment, Lin Xi Chi even felt like if she didn’t spit out the water in her mouth, Xu Fang might hold a grudge against her for a lifetime.
Lin Xi Chi slowly swallowed the water, clenched the water bottle, and twisted the cap back on. She then bent over and rummaged through the nearby box, saying, “I thought… Well, why are you always getting angry? You didn’t ask me to bring you water. There should be some left here…”
Lin Xi Chi fumbled around for a while but didn’t find any bottle caps. She suddenly had a bad feeling and lowered her head to check the box, which turned out to be empty, not even a single bottle of water left.
“…” Lin Xi Chi glanced at him secretly.
Xu Fang’s expression didn’t change at all. He remained in his place for a while, his chest rising and falling less vigorously than before, and the heavy panting had subsided.
Lin Xi Chi stood up, feeling that if she stayed any longer, Xu Fang would definitely scold her. She looked around and randomly pointed in a direction, saying, “I’ll go get you a bottle of water!”
But Xu Fang’s reaction was extremely fast. He immediately grabbed her head with one hand and pulled her back forcefully. Lin Xi Chi felt like her head was being tossed around like a basketball.
Xu Fang lowered his gaze, his voice calm as he asked, “Where are you going to get it?”
“I’ll ask people in my department.” Seeing that he didn’t respond, Lin Xi Chi cautiously added, “If they don’t have any, I can go to the Department of Veterinary Medicine…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Fang tugged at the corner of his mouth, his eyelashes trembling slightly. With his free hand, he took the water bottle from her and then released her head.
Xu Fang’s eyebrows and eyes raised slightly. His face was tinged with red from the recent exercise, and even his earlobes were red. He twisted the bottle cap open, his tone unfriendly.
“I’m dying of thirst while waiting for you.”
Then, Lin Xi Chi watched as he poured the water into his own mouth through the bottle’s neck, his throat moving quickly as he downed the entire bottle in an instant.
His expression didn’t show the slightest discomfort.
Lin Xi Chi’s breath caught, feeling that his reaction was so matter-of-fact that she shouldn’t have found it abnormal. She stood there, watching as Xu Fang casually tossed the bottle into a nearby box.
“Okay, I’ll go back now.” Lin Xi Chi touched her head and muttered to herself, “The next game is about to start.”
She didn’t wait for Xu Fang’s response and turned to leave.
Xu Fang licked the corner of his mouth and the remnants of water on his lips. He watched Lin Xi Chi’s calm and familiar footsteps as she walked away. Then, he muttered a curse under his breath.
This guy had a really big heart.
He sat back in his chair and rubbed his hair vigorously.
Not far away, a guy called out to him, “Xu Fang! Do we still have any water left?!”
Xu Fang was about to reply when he noticed that Lin Xi Chi seemed to turn her head. He held back his words and lazily answered, “No more.”
Lin Xi Chi shifted her gaze away.
Meanwhile, Xu Fang leaned forward and glanced behind the first row of seats. He saw the remaining half-box of water, reached out his long arm, and silently tossed two bottles to the guy who had asked for water.
Because there were three more games to go, the breaks between two games were very short, almost seamless. Most people had left after watching their department’s game, and as time passed, the crowd in the gym became sparser.
Lin Xi Chi returned to her seat next to He Ru Liang.
This position was in the center of the stands, offering the best view of the games. However, she wasn’t in the mood to watch the games now; she was still thinking about Xu Fang’s behavior and actions.
She had already drunk from that water bottle.
How could he just drink from it so casually?
This didn’t seem right.
Lin Xi Chi scratched her head and more thoughts flooded her mind.
But their relationship was so good, what’s the big deal about sharing a bottle of water or wearing the same clothes? Even Xu Fang, who was so picky, didn’t mind drinking from her bottle. It felt like an honor for her.
No, not an honor.
It was that he didn’t mind.
But why should he mind? She gave him water to drink, so he should be grateful for a lifetime, right?
But they were of different genders, and maybe they couldn’t be so intimate.
Lin Xi Chi felt like her brain was about to explode.
She glanced back at the place where Xu Fang had been sitting, but by now, she couldn’t see anyone in a red jersey. It seemed he had left a while ago.
Lin Xi Chi withdrew her gaze, feeling puzzled, and lowered her head. She wanted to talk to someone about it, to see what others thought, but she didn’t know who to talk to.
Whenever she couldn’t figure something out, her first thought was to find Xu Fang. But Lin Xi Chi felt that this matter was related to him, and it would be strange to discuss it with him. He might even call her petty.
Over a bottle of water.
Lin Xi Chi scratched her head, thinking about finding someone else to talk to. However, she couldn’t figure out who to approach.
The halftime whistle blew.
Ye Shao Wen was idle and had just gone to watch the physics department’s game. He returned in high spirits, panting heavily, and said with a smile, “Hehe! Our department is going to win!”
Seeing him covered in sweat and considering the hot weather, Lin Xi Chi thought that a few steps could make anyone sweat profusely.
Ye Shao Wen had terrible stamina. After catching his breath for a while, he looked like he had just run ten kilometers. He quickly squatted down, with one hand on his hip and the other palm facing upward. Exhausted, he said, “Ah, I’m so tired. Is there any water? I’m dying of thirst.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xi Chi looked around.
She could only see a half-empty water bottle on an adjacent empty seat, but she didn’t know whose it was.
Lin Xi Chi hesitated and said, “I’ll go ask the department head to get you a bottle, okay?”
Ye Shao Wen raised his head and glanced at He Ru Liang.
He Ru Liang held his phone in one hand and tightly cradled the water bottle in his arms with the other. He had a blank expression as he said, “Clean freak.”
Ye Shao Wen couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He turned his head and happened to see a water bottle next to Lin Xi Chi’s seat. He reached out and grabbed it.
“Don’t you have this?” Ye Shao Wen twisted the cap open and poured the water into his mouth.
Lin Xi Chi wanted to stop him, but it was too late. She said, “I didn’t know if it was…”
“All right, I was keeping my distance, didn’t touch the bottle cap,” Ye Shao Wen said, catching his breath. He looked at both of them with disdain. “Why are you overthinking this? I was just thirsty, and I usually don’t like drinking from other people’s bottles.”
“…”
Ye Shao Wen’s actions relieved Lin Xi Chi, who had been bothered by Xu Fang’s behavior. She understood now.
Xu Fang was just thirsty, like Ye Shao Wen.
Thirst could conquer everything.
He had just said that if she waited to get water and came back, he would have died of thirst.
Xu Fang just didn’t want to die.
She felt that this explanation was reasonable, and since Ye Shao Wen, who was around the same age as Xu Fang, had the same mindset, Lin Xi Chi thought this explanation made a lot of sense.
But even though she had figured it out, Lin Xi Chi still felt strange.
The Engineering Department had games that went on the latest among all the departments. As other departments finished their games, the stands were almost empty, and the other members of the Sports Department gathered in one area.
It happened to be a Friday, so the department head suggested having dinner together. However, several people had other commitments, and Lin Xi Chi wasn’t in the mood either, so she made an excuse to decline.
Back in the dorm, she began to regret her decision.
Apart from her department, Chen Han and Nie Yue were also running for class monitors, and they had a meeting tonight, so they weren’t in the dorm. Lin Xi Chi had been preoccupied with other thoughts and had forgotten about this.
Now, only Xin Zi Dan was in the dorm, and the atmosphere was awkward and heavy.
Lin Xi Chi felt her scalp tingling.
She returned to her seat in silence, rearranged the things in her backpack, and after about two or three minutes, Xin Zi Dan didn’t try to strike up a conversation with her like she had in the previous days, which relieved Lin Xi Chi.
Lin Xi Chi was about to go to the balcony to bring in her clothes when Xin Zi Dan turned around and opened her mouth, “Hey, Xi Chi, have you had dinner?”
Lin Xi Chi didn’t want to respond to her, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to be polite, so she replied in a mumbled tone, “Yeah.”
“Can you stop being angry?” Xin Zi Dan sighed, “We’re going to live together for four years, and it’s really awkward not talking to each other like this.”
“…”
“I admit that what I did before was wrong, like when I broke your cup. I was too impulsive,” Xin Zi Dan’s expression was sincere, and she looked Lin Xi Chi in the eye, “I’m sorry.”
This situation left Lin Xi Chi unsure of how to respond.
If Xin Zi Dan had continued to act insincere as before, Lin Xi Chi wouldn’t have given her a good face. But her current attitude made Lin Xi Chi uncomfortable about continuing to be cold.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Xi Chi asked, “So why did you break it?”
“You should be able to guess…” Xin Zi Dan’s expression became somewhat awkward, and she murmured, “I really liked Xu Fang the first time I saw him.”
“…”
“Then I saw how close you and he were, and it made me uncomfortable. But I asked you, and you didn’t seem to have any romantic interest in him,” Xin Zi Dan pursed her lips, “So I wanted you to help me…”
“If that’s all you wanted to say,” Lin Xi Chi’s expression turned cold again, and she was getting irritated, “It’s impossible.”
Xin Zi Dan didn’t seem to mind and took out a box from the side. She stood up and walked over to Lin Xi Chi, “I’ll just say it once, and if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Anyway, I’m sorry for breaking your cup, it was my bad. I bought a new one outside today.”
She handed the box to Lin Xi Chi, “Here.”
Lin Xi Chi looked at the box but didn’t take it.
“Hey, can you not be angry anymore? Do you know that Chen Han and Yue Yue are also feeling awkward because of us,” Xin Zi Dan casually placed the box on Lin Xi Chi’s desk, “Really, don’t be mad.”
“I think you’re strange,” Lin Xi Chi said impatiently, “Do you think this is just about a cup? Why do you act like everything will be fine as long as you give me a new one? Do you ever get tired of constantly bothering me over this? Can’t you just drop it?”
There was silence for a moment.
Lin Xi Chi felt like she had lost control of herself and closed her eyes as she walked towards the balcony.
“Why are you always so self-righteous?” Xin Zi Dan’s good-natured face disappeared, and her voice became sharp and frightening. “I said I was wrong about breaking the cup, but didn’t I apologize? Do you think you’re always right? Don’t you think you’re disgusting?”
“…”
“Do you see how many guys are around you?” Xin Zi Dan sneered, her tone mocking, “I don’t have your abilities. I can’t treat my childhood friend as a backup just because I like someone.”
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