Injured by a blow.

It was as if he had been the one to score! Hearing that Ouyang Chengyu had made a basket, Xiao couldn’t help but smile, contentedly watching the game from the sidelines. In contrast, Tang Meng seemed distracted, glancing furtively at Xiao from time to time. Finally, Xiao could no longer stand it and spoke up:

“Hey, weren’t you the one who dragged me here to watch the game? Why are you so out of it yourself? If you have something to say, just say it! Stop acting like you’re constipated and can’t get it out, okay?”

“Xiao… um… you… You just said your brother doesn’t come home often, so are you living all by yourself now?” Tang Meng stammered, her words trailing off.

“No, not really! When I was studying abroad, he was worried about me living alone, so he kept flying back and forth between here and there. I came back because of him—having him travel like that all the time wasn’t a solution!” Xiao patiently explained.

“So, is he back now?” Tang Meng, hearing this, grew excited and hurriedly pressed on.

“Yeah, he’s been back for a while. He took care of all my enrollment paperwork himself. But when I got home last night, he wasn’t there. I bet he was off enjoying himself somewhere! He didn’t even pick me up at the airport, and because of that, I overslept this morning! It’s so infuriating!” I pouted, grumbling to Meng.

But I didn’t notice Meng’s face growing paler and paler at my words. She forced herself to stay calm, though her tone was strained. “Is… is that so? Heh…”

Hearing her say that, Xiao finally sensed something was off and turned to look at her. Meng, realizing she was being watched, nervously ran her fingers through her hair, blinking so rapidly she could have set a world record.

Xiao sized her up, and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Wait, don’t tell me you like him.”

Trust me—this was a statement, not a question. Given how well I knew this girl, I couldn’t be wrong.

“No… No way, I… I don’t…” Meng jumped to her feet in protest, stuttering her denial and shedding her usual ladylike demeanor in an instant.

Look at her, practically hanging off me now! I lost my balance and the two of us tumbled to the ground. “Ow… that hurts!” Meng scrambled off me and anxiously asked, “Are you okay, Xiao? Did you get hurt? Tell me, quick!”

“Why don’t you try it yourself? It hurts like hell!” Xiao grumbled as she got up. Luckily, she was used to bumps and bruises, so this much was bearable.

Just as Xiao was getting up, a stray basketball hurtled toward them from the court.

“Meng! Watch out!” Meng turned to stare blankly at the ball flying toward her, instinctively raising her hands to shield her head. Xiao leapt forward, pulling Meng into her arms.

Thud! The ball slammed hard into Xiao’s back, and she slowly sank to the ground.

“Xiao! Xiao! What’s wrong? Why did you shield me? Why! I should’ve been the one hurt, not you! Let me take your place!” Meng was so frantic she started babbling nonsense.

“Ugh! I give up! Can you stop shaking me? This time I really need to go to the infirmary!” Xiao grimaced in pain, her delicate face twisted in agony.

Relieved to hear Xiao speak, Meng wiped her tears and stopped shaking her, her voice choked. “Thank goodness you’re okay! I’ll… I’ll take you to the infirmary right now!”

She reached out as if to help, but Xiao recoiled in fright. “No, no! I hurt all over! Please don’t touch me! I’m not ready to die yet!”

Meng, momentarily forgetting her heartbreak, pouted in protest, “What? Are you disgusted with me now?”

A cold voice came from behind. “What’s wrong with you?”

There was no need to look—it was clearly the culprit, Ouyang Chengyu.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not dead yet!” Xiao snapped.

“…”

He said nothing, which only infuriated Xiao further.

She had the urge to punch him, but given her current state, that was out of the question. All she could do was stew in her anger. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, forgetting her pain as she tried to stand. But her legs buckled, blood rushed to her head, and her vision swam—she passed out in a spectacular faint.

Just before losing consciousness, she heard Meng calling her name and felt someone catch her before she could plant her face on the ground.

Her only thought now was how utterly embarrassing this all was! She wanted nothing more than to stay unconscious forever—or just die! It was all Ouyang Chengyu’s fault! If not for him, she wouldn’t have been hit by the ball or fainted at all!

(Somewhere, a certain author with a bandaged head and a microphone: Hey, hey! Don’t blame everything on Yu! You brought this on yourself! Yourself!)

Xiao: Hey! Our names both have the character “Xiao”—why are you only tormenting me and not him?

The author picks her nose: That’s just the way it is! Suddenly, a sinister wind blows, and with a bang, the author is thrown out. Crack! Her hand breaks!

“You hit the author!”

Xiao: “Serves you right!”

As the medics carry her off, she shouts from the stretcher, “Remember this! I’ll pay you back double!”

In the infirmary, I slowly opened my eyes to see, first thing, a devastatingly handsome yet utterly infuriating face.

Without the slightest concern for his feelings, I spat out, “Why is it you again? Nothing good ever happens when you’re around!”

Miraculously, this time he didn’t fire back as he usually did. His uncharacteristic silence made me suspect he was hiding something. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

But that wasn’t even the most shocking part. Next, he actually asked with concern, “Are you still in pain anywhere? Should I call the doctor to check you again?”

I was utterly stunned! I stared at him as if I’d seen a ghost for a full thirty seconds before blurting out, “Um… you’re Ouyang Xianyu, right? Or does Ouyang Chengyu have a twin brother I don’t know about?”

As I muttered to myself, Yu, recovered from the shock of my fainting, replied coolly as ever, “You seem fine. Get up and take off your clothes.”

His icy words, paired with that indifferent expression, were delivered as casually as if he were saying, “Had lunch yet?” or “Where are you going?” Absolutely chilling!

—End of Chapter—

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