I’ll Hold Your Hand And Promise You A Lifetime - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: “Seeking The Sriptures”

On the day school resumed, Yue Xi took out her phone to ask Yi Luo if she wanted to go together, but when the call connected, Yi Luo said she was already at school. Yue Xi shrugged and hung up, then headed to school on her own with her backpack.

The first few days of the new semester were relatively easy. Yue Xi’s seat hadn’t changed, and during breaks she would occasionally chat with classmates nearby, buy snacks and drinks, play some little games, and sometimes even joke around when in a good mood. Time passed easily. What disappointed Yue Xi was that she didn’t have the courage to approach Yi Luo, and Yi Luo never came to find her either. Sometimes, when Yue Xi entered through the front door, she would see Yi Luo sitting calmly at her desk reading. Yue Xi wouldn’t disturb her.

Their lukewarm behavior didn’t go unnoticed by Liu Le, who encouraged Lin Yu to walk home with her and Yi Luo after school. Lin Yu naturally agreed.

Yue Xi was one of the last to leave after school. Only a few students on cleaning duty remained in the classroom. Yue Xi greeted them and then headed to the basketball court. At the entrance of the teaching building, Zhou Ya Xuan and a few of her friends were chatting. She happened to glance over and saw Yue Xi walking out alone, playing with a basketball. Her eyes lit up when she saw Yue Xi and she smiled sweetly, “Yue Xi, going to play basketball?”

“Hey, yeah.” Yue Xi bounced the ball in her hand. “Wanna come?”

It was rare for Yue Xi to take the initiative, so Zhou Ya Xuan was thrilled. She asked her friends, and they all cooperated happily, saying a little exercise wouldn’t hurt. The five of them laughed and chatted as they walked to the basketball court, only to find it crowded. Zhou Ya Xuan, quick-eyed, pointed at a boy in a red shirt standing to the side and said he was a classmate of hers. She walked over to ask if he could let them have half the court. The red-shirted guy readily agreed and called his friends to give up half the court.

“Hey, you really made it happen,” Yue Xi said, dribbling the ball as she walked over.

“It’s nothing. We’re all classmates,” Zhou Ya Xuan replied modestly.

“Ya Xuan’s really popular in our class,” said a girl in a gray sports jacket behind Yue Xi.

“Oh, stop it,” Zhou Ya Xuan lightly pushed the girl. “Let’s split into teams.”

“Okay.” Yue Xi looked at the girls. “You all figure it out. Since there are five of us, let’s do three-on-two.”

That seemed fair enough. After all, Yue Xi was part of the basketball team and clearly better than her other classmates. “Let’s do black vs. white team,” Zhou Ya Xuan suggested.

Soon the teams were settled. The girl in the gray sports jacket, nicknamed “Yuan Zi” (meaning “Roundy”), whose real name was Zeng Yuanyuan, ended up on Yue Xi’s team. She really lived up to her name: round eyes, round face, round body. After hearing her nickname and the introduction from the others, Yue Xi couldn’t help but smile.

Sometimes, girls’ basketball games were even more “intense” than boys’. There was a lot of screaming, random running while clutching the ball, and general chaos. They didn’t dare go too hard on Yue Xi, but Yuan Zi’s chubby arms were red from all the contact. Yue Xi didn’t complain about the fouls—after all, they were just playing for fun.

Zhou Ya Xuan’s team didn’t have much strategy; they just ran after the ball, squealing with joy when they managed to get it. But after a few rounds, they were all panting. Yue Xi’s team, though smaller, was more organized. Yue Xi protected the ball and created scoring opportunities for Yuan Zi, who managed to make four or five shots out of ten. In the end, Yue Xi’s more experienced team won the messy game.

“Yue Xi,” Zhou Ya Xuan bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for air, “you’re amazing.”

In contrast, Yue Xi was only slightly warm. To her, that match was just a warm-up. Still energized, she said, “Wanna take a break? I’ll shoot a few more.”

“Yeah.” Zhou Ya Xuan and the others flopped to the ground next to the hoop, catching their breath and drinking water.

“Hey, basketball is pretty fun,” Yuan Zi’s face was flushed. Thinking back to the match, she found it exciting. “I wanna lose weight anyway.”

“Yeah, me too. Maybe Yue Xi can teach us some tricks in the future,” Zhou Ya Xuan agreed readily. She was happy for any excuse to spend more time with Yue Xi.

Yue Xi focused on practicing and didn’t pay attention to the other girls’ thoughts. Zhou Ya Xuan, however, couldn’t take her eyes off Yue Xi—her movements so smooth as she dribbled, jumped, and shot. Her eyes were full of Yue Xi.

Yuan Zi nudged Zhou Ya Xuan and whispered in her ear, “Do you like Yue Xi?” As her close friend, Yuan Zi felt it was her duty to figure out Zhou Ya Xuan’s emotional status.

“Pfft, don’t gossip. I just think she plays well,” Zhou Ya Xuan blushed for no reason.

“Liar. You always blush when you try to hide something. I know you too well,” Yuan Zi said smugly.

“I don’t! I swear!” Zhou Ya Xuan raised her voice.

Yuanzi stuck out her tongue. “Okay, okay, geez. So fierce. If you’re that scary, Yue Xi will never like you.”

“You—!” Zhou Ya Xuan widened her eyes and reached out to pinch Yuan Zi’s chubby cheek.

“Ow ow ow! Let go, let go!” Yuan Zi’s face turned red from the pinching as she pleaded, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Lady Zhou!”

“Hmph!” Zhou Ya Xuan let go angrily. “I’ll let you go this time. Say that again and I’ll pinch your round face flat.”

After school, Liu Le dragged Yi Luo around almost all the small shops near campus and even got Lin Yu to buy two large bubble teas for them. “Is it good?” Liu Le grinned so hard her eyes nearly disappeared.

“It’s alright,” Yi Luo didn’t want to spoil Liu Le’s enthusiasm. This whole thing was clearly planned by her—Lin Yu wasn’t the type to come up with such ideas.

Liu Le whispered a few things to Lin Yu, then left him behind and walked forward with Yi Luo. “Yi Luo, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” Yi Luo knew Liu Le meant well, but this kind of thing couldn’t be solved just by someone’s enthusiasm.

Seeing Yi Luo’s calm face, Liu Le suddenly felt awkward. “I just wanted to ask… um…”

It was rare to see Liu Le stammering like this, so Yi Luo smiled gently. “Just say it.”

“You have to promise not to get mad first.” Liu Le held Yi Luo’s hand, grinning like a puppy.

“Okay, I won’t get mad.”

“And you won’t scold me either?”

“Mhm.”

“Also, don’t hit me.”

Yi Luo rolled her eyes. “Am I that kind of person?”

“Then I’ll say it.”

“Go ahead.” Yi Luo was genuinely helpless.

“Have you… ever had a boyfriend?”

“What kind of question is that?!” Yi Luo’s eyes widened.

“You said you wouldn’t get mad.”

“No.”

“Really? Then… do you like anyone?”

“Mmm,” Yi Luo teased, “I can’t answer that yet.”

“It’s just a yes or no question! Not hard!” Liu Le wasn’t giving up.

“Then let me ask you—do you?”

At that, Liu Le instantly deflated. Talking about herself, she sounded pitiful. “Even if I did, no one would like me back.”

That made Yi Luo laugh. “Then good luck!”

“I—hey hey hey, you still haven’t answered me!”

“I’m not sure if it’s like,” Yi Luo blinked her big, bright eyes.

“Miss Yi Luo! Class Rep! Just give me a straight answer already! Lin Yu really likes you—that’s why I’m helping.”

So that’s what this was about. Liu Le was trying to match her up with Lin Yu. But what about Yue Xi? That brat hadn’t come to her even once these past few days. And now Liu Le was dragging her around asking all these random questions. Next time she saw Yue Xi, she was definitely going to give her a piece of her mind. Hmph. What if Yue Xi ignored her? But she had turned Yue Xi down when she messaged her… Ugh. So annoying. All Yue Xi’s fault. Yi Luo grumbled to herself.

“Yi Luo?” Liu Le shook her arm.

Snapping back to reality, Yi Luo responded slowly, “I don’t want to date anyone right now.” She glanced at the time. “It’s getting late. Let’s talk more another time.” She waved her bubble tea at Lin Yu. “Thanks for the drink. Bye!”

After saying goodbye, she plugged in her earphones and turned the volume up.

She thought, Feelings can’t be forced. Lin Yu was a decent guy—clean, kind, and good-looking. But her heart didn’t race for him. Then she thought about that rascal Yue Xi—just being around her made her heart beat faster. Was that liking though? It didn’t seem like it.

Over the years, she still occasionally thought about the first time she met Yue Xi. She was like a little porcelain doll with long hair, sitting quietly in the sun in the courtyard. Though older than her, Yue Xi was quiet and withdrawn. Over time, they got closer, and Yue Xi would only talk more to her and Ning Ran-Jie. To others—classmates, teachers—she stayed cold.

Since Yue Xi came back, the anxious feelings Yi Luo used to have had strangely disappeared. When Yue Xi was around, it felt like she didn’t have to do anything, didn’t have to worry about anything. She just felt happy—pure and carefree. Those few days staying at Yue Xi’s house felt just like being home. Peaceful and content. Going to school and coming back together with Yue Xi—it was all so fun.

As she walked, Yi Luo kept thinking. If only I had someone to talk to about this… But that person couldn’t be Yue Xi. If Yue Xi found out all this turmoil was because of her, she’d be way too pleased with herself. No way she was giving her that satisfaction.