Cherry blossoms in March, spring days warm and gentle.
Every March is Haicheng’s cherry-blossom viewing season.
Wisteria Private Noble High School has a unique cherry-blossom avenue, with cherry trees carefully tended by gardeners planted along both sides of the road. To celebrate the cherry-blossom season, the school also holds a grand club festival in mid-March.
Lasting one week, during that week students do not need to attend classes and can freely learn about any clubs they wish to explore..
This year’s newly enrolled first-year high school students are very interested in it. Wisteria Private High School is a rare school that places great importance on the development of interests and hobbies; the school’s student athletes are taught by dedicated coaches, and art students can even receive guidance from professors of several major art academies.
Therefore, the scale of the campus facilities is extremely large: indoor and outdoor gymnasiums, swimming pools, art halls, music halls, large and small auditoriums, countless specialized club classrooms, everything one could want is available.
At nine in the morning, footsteps sounded in the silent teaching building.
Several girls hurriedly packed their schoolbags, preparing to go to the sports field to watch the ongoing matches. The student athletes from the neighboring No.1 High School had spontaneously organized competitions, with the home field set at Wisteria, to compete head-to-head with Wisteria’s students.
This matter had begun to heat up half a month ago; the forums of the two schools were in chaos, with new posts pinned every day, and in the end manual intervention was required to stop students from arranging “fight appointments.”
“Is there still space if we go now?”
“Definitely. They’ve already been playing for an hour; right now it’s 32:33 on both sides. If our basketball team scores one more ball, we can win the first half.”
“You know it so clearly…… I didn’t expect our school’s basketball team to be pretty strong.”
“Of course. But I heard the neighboring school has a few professional players participating this year. Basketball is still easier to deal with; other events aren’t necessarily so. If we lose this time, that bunch from No.1 High School will probably go crazy again on our forum.”
The three girls were worried. Wisteria is, after all, a noble school. Even though the school spends a large sum cultivating student athletes, there are still not as many as at the neighboring public No.1 High School. After all, No.1 High School has preferential policies for athletes and low tuition, attracting many students from all over.
And Wisteria…… just the high tuition alone can filter out a batch of people.
Reaching the end of the corridor, the three girls hurriedly turned the corner, but inadvertently caught sight of a boy inside an empty classroom.
The boy sat in the corner of the last row, lazily lying on the desk. One arm casually propped beside his ear, his figure slender and well-proportioned. The curtain was lifted by a light breeze, brushing past his pitch-black, fine short hair.
He did not move at all. His drooping five fingers were distinct at the joints, pale and thin, extending to a forearm covered with a thin layer of muscle, like some kind of resting, unapproachable feline animal.
Hearing the noisy voices outside the door, he lifted his eyes to look over. His features were like they had been drawn with meticulous brushwork, handsome and three-dimensional, but his black eyes were long and cold, like a frigid deep pool, filled with a distant, weary air.
After seeing clearly the unfamiliar figures outside the door, the expression on his face grew even colder. He buried himself back into his arm and went to sleep.
The girls, however, suddenly flushed red in the cheeks, restless…… Oh my god, cherry blossoms, an empty classroom, the corner seat by the window in the last row, this is totally a shoujo manga scene!
It was simply the perfect combination of timing, location, and people!
Phones are not prohibited on club day. The boldest of the three girls took out her phone, but before she could act, someone tugged at the corner of her clothes.
“Let’s just go, the senior is resting…… and he looks really fierce.”
“Yeah, the match is about to end, let’s hurry and go watch.”
“…Alright.”
The three girls went downstairs holding hands. Not long after they left, another person came down the stairwell.
Ye Ran was holding a water bottle, running down from the fifth floor to the third. His hair was slightly messy from running, panting lightly, while looking at the messages on his phone.
He raised his head, saw the class plaque for Senior Two (Class Seven), and cautiously pushed the door open.
Behind the door was precisely the Shen Shi he had been looking for for quite a while.
He let out a breath of relief. Shen Shi seemed to sense it; he half-lifted his eyelids from his arm. Upon seeing him, the cold, weary expression on his face receded like a tide, and his hoarse voice said, “…Come here.”
Ye Ran walked over. Just as he was about to twist open the bottle cap to feed him water, Shen Shi reached out and pulled him into his arms.
Shen Shi, like the reincarnation of a large feline animal, rested on his shoulder, narrowed his eyes, and radiated an air of satiated, comfortable ease. His two solid, powerful arms wrapped around Ye Ran’s waist as he nestled into the hollow of Ye Ran’s neck to rest, casually smelling the scent on him.
Ye Ran sat in his arms. The snow-white, sensitive skin at his neck was tickled by the movement. He held back a laugh, continuing to twist the bottle cap with both hands, his voice soft, carrying his usual gentle warmth: “Big Brother Little Shi, when did you get back?”
Not long after the start of the school term, Shen Shi had been taken by Coach Zhang to participate in the Brazil GA tournament, taking a leave of more than half a month. Good news came the day before yesterday: at the age of seventeen, Shen Shi won the singles championship of the International Junior Tour Brazil GA tournament, raising his junior world ranking to fifth place.
Domestic sports websites and professional tennis sites once again updated his new honors, calling him a “genius youngster.” Sports fans likewise praised his calm demeanor during interviews, saying he had the bearing of a veteran.
Ye Ran felt very worried when he read it, because that was not calmness, it was restlessness beyond hormonal control after intense exercise. At such times, Shen Shi was often someone even Ye Ran did not dare approach, afraid of being pressed into a dim bedroom and made to sleep with him for a whole day and night.
The older Shen Shi grew, the harder he was for Ye Ran to soothe.
Today was the day Shen Shi returned to the country. Ye Ran couldn’t go pick him up, and had been absent-minded all morning. Then he received a message from Shen Shi telling him that he was already at school.
Only then did he hurriedly come to find Shen Shi.
“…I just got back not long ago.”
The low, hoarse male voice sounded by his ear. Along with the opening and closing of Shen Shi’s lips, warm, scorching breath flowed out. That breath brushed past his neck, making Ye Ran’s waist soften a little. The jade-white side of his neck was instantly dyed with a faint blush. His lashes lowered as he tilted his head to feed Shen Shi water.
“Do you want some water? I added honey and lemon.”
Shen Shi didn’t open his eyes. He bit the straw, too lazy to move even a bit. His Adam’s apple rolled, and he swallowed down half a bottle of water.
After drinking, he hugged Ye Ran tighter again, like holding a human-shaped plush toy stuffed with cotton, burying himself deeper into the hollow of Ye Ran’s neck.
The cool water did not suppress the agitation in his heart; instead, it made his breathing even hotter, as he forced himself to restrain the uncontrollable restlessness and desire deep inside.
The warm spring breeze drifted through the gaps in the window, bringing with it a waft of cherry-blossom fragrance.
The classroom was very quiet. Ye Ran closed the bottle cap, casually took out his phone that was vibrating nonstop. His chin also rested on Shen Shi’s shoulder, his two arms looped around Shen Shi’s neck, fiddling with the phone in midair.
The message was from his good friend, An Yu.
– Ranran? Aren’t you at the gym?
Before running over to find Shen Shi, Ye Ran had been about to go to the gym with An Yu to join the fun, but An Yu was halfway taken away by her little boyfriend. Ye Ran then returned to the classroom, planning to read some comics.
He was not someone who liked liveliness; the only liveliness he liked was the venue where Shen Shi was competing.
At this moment, An Yu was probably arguing with her little boyfriend again and planned to go to the sports hall to watch the match and relax at the same time.
He replied apologetically: [Sorry, Ah Yu, Shen Shi is back, I’m with him.]
The other side immediately fell into silence.
An Yu and Shen Shi had always been at odds; often, after no more than two sentences, they would start being sarcastic; usually An Yu being yin-yang, Shen Shi being strange, with Ye Ran trembling in between, not daring to make a sound.
An Yu: [Alright then.]
An Yu: [The ten o’clock slot is a tennis match, are you and Shen Shi coming to watch? I heard our school’s tennis club has a deep history with No.1 High School’s tennis club, No.1 won all of the first three matches. This time the tennis club wants to wash away its shame. Isn’t Shen Shi coming to take a look at his old club?]
When Shen Shi was signing up for clubs in his first year, he found it troublesome and directly signed up for the tennis club.
He was only a nominal member of the tennis club. His aura was cold, and he carried a body full of honors, large and small championships, no one knew how many he had won. The tennis club president had almost abdicated on the spot. Fortunately, Shen Shi was usually busy training and had no time at all to go to the tennis club, which allowed the president to barely steady his mindset.
Ye Ran shifted his body slightly, planning to see whether Shen Shi was asleep.
He had barely moved when the arms around his waist began to tighten, as if to force him into bone and flesh. Shen Shi’s breath came out, attaching itself beside his ear, as he asked in a hoarse, low voice: “…What are you moving for?”
Ye Ran didn’t dare move anymore, but he still had to ask: “Big Brother Little Shi, the tennis club is competing with the neighboring No.1 High School in a bit. Do you want to go watch?”
“Not going.” Shen Shi replied without hesitation.
Ye Ran knew it would be like this. He nestled back into Shen Shi’s arms and sent a message to An Yu: [He’s not going.]
An Yu: [Tsk.]
An Yu: [I knew it, he’s just a cold-blooded animal.]
Ye Ran laughed, already used to An Yu seizing every chance to diss Shen Shi, [You go watch, I’ll keep him company for a bit.]
[Okay, I’ll tell you once the match results are out.]
The two chatted a bit more, then each went to do their own thing.
Shen Shi was sleeping. Ye Ran didn’t want to turn toward him, so he simply shifted his attention and started browsing the forum.
The forum melee of the past few days still hadn’t ended. The basketball match that had just concluded was won by Wisteria High School, but people from the neighboring No.1 High School ran over to Wisteria’s forum to stir trouble and provoke fights, their words filled with disdain for Wisteria’s upcoming competition events.
Fortunately, his account was quickly banned, but this also piqued Ye Ran’s interest. He glanced at the upcoming events: tennis, table tennis, and volleyball.
All ball-based competitive sports.
He found posts made by last year’s seniors and patiently began reading.
……
Half an hour later, Shen Shi, who was holding him, suddenly moved a little, lightly rubbing against his cheek, like a lazy big cat that hadn’t fully woken up and was instinctively asserting its presence.
Shen Shi changed positions, letting Ye Ran lean back into his arms with his back to him. Then he propped up against Ye Ran’s shoulder, eyelids drooping, casually watching together with him.
He looked drowsy, yet his gaze quietly settled on Ye Ran’s face.
Spring sunlight filtered through the evergreen trees and cast into the room.
Ye Ran lowered his head. The contours of his eyes were long and soft; the thin eyelids were faintly stained with light red. Crow-feather-like lashes naturally cast a patch of shadow, falling on his delicate nose wings.
His lips were very soft, a pale cherry-blossom pink. After touching the outside temperature, they would gradually turn rosy and moist. The color of his tongue tip was a little deeper, and a little softer, with a lot of moisture. Just lightly enclosing it and sucking once, it would be like a berry soaked full of juice, overflowing with sweetness.
Shen Shi’s gaze darkened slightly, his eyelids lowering to cover the fleeting emotion at the bottom of his eyes.
He spoke and asked Ye Ran, “What are you looking at?”
“Oh, the tennis club’s match.”
A classmate who was at the scene directly started a livestream, benefiting the whole school. There were no complicated rules in the tennis match between the two schools. In order not to take up too much time, each side sent out seven players, competing one-on-one, best of seven, first to five wins.
In each game, the player who first won six points took the game victory. At present, the score on the court was tight. Wisteria’s side had only gotten one point, while No.1 High School had already gotten two.
It was the mid-game break. The next player to go on for Wisteria should be the club president. Ye Ran hadn’t seen the player on No.1 High School’s side before. He looked tall and thin, with a strong sense of power.
The third match began. The two traded blows back and forth. The president was indeed outstanding in ability. The match ended at twenty-five minutes, with a score of 7:6, winning the tiebreak to take the match.
Cheers erupted from the stands. The expressions on the faces of the Wisteria students looked much better, while the expressions of several people on No.1 High School’s side cooled. They spoke in low voices and called a big guy onto the court.
As soon as the big guy appeared, Shen Shi spoke lightly: “I’ve seen him before.”
Ye Ran tilted his head, “Hm?”
“He played in the Nike Cup, same group as me.”
Without Shen Shi needing to say more, Ye Ran also knew what the final result was.
Shen Shi had been the national champion of the Nike Cup U16 group that year, cutting through obstacles all the way, and was even invited to a well-known tennis club in the United States for training—this was no ordinary treatment.
Tennis players who dared to sign up for competitions like the “Nike Cup” generally had undergone formal training. How could a club competition like this kind of exchange match possibly suppress them? It seemed this was No.1 High School’s trump card this year.
The forum indeed exploded. Sharp-eyed classmates posted a thread, briefly introducing the big guy’s identity.
——【A Brief Discussion of the Current Situation】
OP: 【Big guy Chen Ming, started practicing tennis at four years old. I heard that one year he made it into the top 8 of the “Zheng Jie Cup.” His current coach came from the provincial team. Didn’t expect him to participate in the competition as well.】
- D*mn it, what’s there to be afraid of, don’t we still have our club president!
- Upstairs, wake up. One person can only compete in one match. The president’s expression looks bad too, at a glance you can tell he’s been screwed over.
- Exchange matches don’t fix the roster in advance. Everyone goes according to the situation on the court. Chen Ming wasn’t on site earlier, he was probably hidden away, planning to be released in the most critical middle match, both to turn the tide and to crush our side’s morale.
- D*mn, this bunch of old scheming b*stards
- Next year we must ban professional players from participating!
- So annoying, if tennis can’t win we’ll get mocked for another year.
- Does our side really have no one?
- There is…
- And it’s a big killing weapon…
- But…
- Stop speaking in riddles. I’ll say it straight: with that person’s temperament, he probably won’t compete, and he’s likely not even in the country.
- Don’t “probably”—he definitely won’t compete. What tier is he at? Coming to play a baby match?
- I heard his world ranking has already risen to junior fifth.
- Holy sh*t??? What the hell? World ranking??? Our school has someone like that? For real, a sweeping monk?
- Uh… sweeping monk is a bit much, but his grade ranking is still pretty high-profile.
……
Ye Ran slowly let out a sigh.
Looks like Wisteria is going to lose again this year.
“What are you sighing for?”
His waist was patted casually. Shen Shi lowered his gaze, lazily looking at Ye Ran’s worried expression, and suddenly asked: “Did you watch the Brazil GA tournament?”
Because there was a time difference between the two countries, Ye Ran hadn’t had time to watch before Chen Wan chased him back to sleep. These past few days, there hadn’t been any videos circulating online either. Even if there were, they were extremely short clips, and the resources were hard to find.
Ye Ran shook his head. “…Didn’t finish watching.”
“How long has it been since you last went to watch my match on site?” Shen Shi looked at him with unhurried ease.
Quite a few international tennis tournaments bypassed the winter and summer vacations. After entering high school, Ye Ran was forbidden from taking long leaves, and could only obediently attend classes at school, his heart hanging on the United States / Australia / Brazil, and so on.
Thinking of this, Ye Ran felt even more guilty. He blinked obediently. “…Three years.”
“Three years,” a smile hooked at the corner of Shen Shi’s lips. He lowered his head and rubbed against Ye Ran’s cheek. The two of them interlaced breaths, their warmth seeping into each other. Ye Ran’s eyelashes trembled again and again as he looked at Shen Shi’s jet-black, narrow phoenix eyes so close at hand, and heard him say softly with a smile, “I’ll play for you to see today.”
His heartbeat sped up, a little unbalanced.
Since entering high school, Shen Shi’s frame had shot up. He shed the green thinness of adolescence; his bones gradually unfolded. His voice was low, his chest solid, and he could very easily pull Ye Ran completely into his arms. Ever since he started circling his waist and rubbing against him, Ye Ran would always have this strange feeling.
He felt hot all over. The waist and cheeks kneaded by Shen Shi, the neck and jaw lightly brushed by his lips, were all scorching hot, as if licked by tongues of fire, radiating a heat that could even wake him in the middle of the night.
Swallowing with a dry throat, Ye Ran unconsciously curled his shoulders. Shen Shi, however, rubbed down again, burying himself lazily in Ye Ran’s neck to sniff, like a ferocious big cat, even the shadows carrying a domineering desire to wrap him into darkness.
Ye Ran was a little dazed, forcibly enduring the tremble in his body as Shen Shi held him. His earlobes were burning red. He vaguely felt a subtle, soft touch at his neck. With a jolt, he couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to get out of Shen Shi’s arms, but was unhurriedly held back by the boy.
Then, something icy and hard was placed around his neck.
——The gold medal from the Brazil GA tournament.
The blue ribbon wrapped around his neck. With a “clang,” the medal fell against his chest. Ye Ran completely forgot his earlier unease, lowered his head and blankly cradled the medal. After a long while, he let out an “Ah?”
Shen Shi was charmed by him and smiled again. “The medal. Keep it safe.”
“But—”
This was the first gold medal of a top-tier JA red clay event in Shen Shi’s professional career. It felt scorching in his hands. Just as he was about to take it off, Shen Shi pulled him up and casually rubbed his head.
“What are you panicking for,” Shen Shi picked up the tennis bag from the corner of the classroom, bounced it in his hand, and casually slung it over his back. He tilted his head to look at Ye Ran, his eyes dark and powerful. “I gave you all my medals from my first competitions. This one’s the same.”
Ye Ran was left speechless. After a long while, he carefully took off the gold medal and treasured it into his pocket.
Shen Shi watched his movements. Only after he had put the medal away did he walk together with him toward the bustling sports hall.
……
Inside the sports hall.
An Yu rolled his eyes and unceremoniously flipped the middle finger at the No.1 High School players across the court.
The tennis club members didn’t stop him. An Yu had a good relationship with Ye Ran. Ye Ran had come to the tennis club a few times before, and was close to Shen Shi. This, in turn, made An Yu also be recognized by the tennis club as one of their own.
The captain leading No.1 High School’s tennis team tilted his head to look over, revealing a polite smile from afar. He pressed down the brim of his cap and silently mouthed words.
——This year, you’re still doomed to lose.
“F*ck!” Enough is enough. An Yu exploded in rage, jumping up from the stands like a little firecracker. The tennis club president stopped him. “Don’t get provoked.”
“D*mn it, that b*stard is really shameless!” An Yu cursed.
“He is shameless, but we need to have face,” the president said. “This is our home court. There are reporters outside. If this gets photographed, it’ll be bad for the school.”
An Yu was calmed down by a few words, but he was still too angry, and could only curse in a low voice to vent. “No wonder they insisted on coming to our school to compete this year. They figured we couldn’t do anything to them.”
A few club members also suppressed their anger. “President, is there really no way?”
“Just looking at Sun Tai grinning like that pisses me off. Otherwise, let’s arrange a fight later. D*mn it, I’ll beat him to death!”
“Don’t be impulsive… I’m not from the tennis club. I’ll go play!”
The president looked at the faces of the club members, who were filled with righteous indignation. He pressed his lips together and clenched the racket. “Sooner or later, I’ll pay them back.”
As for this time… they were definitely going to swallow this loss.
Judging by his expression, the other club members also understood the meaning of his words. For a moment, everyone’s mood sank low, until a small-scale commotion suddenly arose inside the sports hall.
Then, the noise grew louder and louder. The spectator stands instantly lost control, with waves of screams and discussion.
The screams abruptly broke the tense atmosphere in the venue.
The No.1 High School players, who had victory in hand, also turned around and raised their brows to look over. The smile on the face of No.1 High School’s tennis club president hadn’t yet faded when the fingers gripping the mineral water bottle stiffened—
“Holy sh*t! Shen Shi?”
The Wisteria tennis club members, who were also plunged into shock, were jolted awake by An Yu’s voice.
“Holy sh*t? Brother Shen is back?”
“Brother Shen brought his racket… f*ck, that racket has followed him through several major tournaments. D*mn it, am I really going to see it on site?”
“F*ck f*ck f*ck! I’m going to ask for an autograph—!!!”
At the back door of the sports hall, Shen Shi and Ye Ran were coming down the steps.
He walked beside Ye Ran, wearing a simple spring school uniform, long pants and a short-sleeved top. His figure was outstanding and upright. The arm tucked into his pocket was slightly bent, the thin, smooth muscle lines on his arm clearly visible, filled with the well-proportioned, firm sense of strength of a tennis player.
Ye Ran was talking to him. Shen Shi tilted his head, his expression very focused.
Outside of competition mode, he always looked somewhat tired, as if all his energy was spent on the court, carefree, and a bit distant. Only when he was with Ye Ran would gentle emotions beyond that weariness show on his face.
Walking down the steps, the two didn’t look sideways, heading straight toward the tennis club’s preparation seats.
Several players who had originally been sitting in chairs suddenly stood up, sweeping away their earlier dejection.
“Shen—Brother Shen…” Even the tennis club president’s voice was dry, feeling as if he were still in a dream. “You—you came?”
“Mm.”
Shen Shi took off the racket bag. Under the blazing, excited, idol-seeing gazes of the tennis club members, he calmly pulled open the zipper and took out the racket that all the members saluted with their eyes.
“I’ll play next.”
Across the wavering figures on the court, he calmly met the ugly gazes of the No.1 High School members opposite.
Chen Ming’s face was as dark as water. His tall figure seemed to be swallowed by shadows again at this moment. In his eyes lingered resentment and suppression that wouldn’t disperse. The tennis club president turned back and said something to him. He didn’t move at all, only staring at Shen Shi opposite, gripping the racket in his hand tightly.
Shen Shi had already withdrawn his gaze, though. Lazily, bending his waist, he spoke with Ye Ran in front of him.
……
The atmosphere in the venue was pushed to a climax at this moment.
Even PE teachers hurried over upon hearing the news, taking on the role of new referees—
The fifth match, awaited by everyone, who couldn’t wait for it to start right now.
Finally drew back the curtain.
Author’s note:
Mm… it might count as mutual secret love
One secretly in love and self-aware, one secretly in love but unaware
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