I’ll Hold Your Hand And Promise You A Lifetime - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: It’s a Holiday Season

Yue Xi kept her word and went to sign up with Liu Le. Now all she had to do was wait for the notice to head to the court for tryouts.

Many of their classmates had already noticed Yue Xi and Yi Luo going to and from school together, and some gossipy girls came over to dig for information, wanting to know what kind of relationship the two had.

They said they were just friends, but no matter how you looked at it, they seemed closer than that.

Ever since Yue Xi transferred to Class 5 of Grade 10, she barely made a presence in class.

She always sat in the last row, and even the teachers naturally overlooked her during lessons.

Her tall figure, cold eyes, tightly pursed lips, and somewhat messy mid-length hair gave off a hard-to-read vibe. Combined with the elegance in her every movement, people couldn’t quite figure out her gender.

So, a wave of “digging into Yue Xi’s past” began in the class. But Yue Xi was just too mysterious—no one could get anything out of her. So a group of curious girls turned their attention to Yi Luo. Yi Luo was warm and easy to talk to, and they figured she’d be easier to approach than Yue Xi.

Plus, they’d known each other since the start of the school year, so maybe they could get some details out of her.

But Yi Luo just smiled faintly and said Yue Xi was an old friend from childhood who had returned from another place to study.

That answer didn’t satisfy their curiosity. They privately speculated that Yue Xi must come from some wealthy, powerful family and had come to this school just to lay low.

One afternoon, one of the curious girls even stole the family background survey form from the homeroom teacher.

That’s how they finally got to see Yue Xi’s information. But all it said was that she had transferred from Sliver City, and under “Family Members,” it only listed “Older Sister.”

These sweet and nosy girls were shocked and started feeling sympathy for Yue Xi. Their attitude towards her gradually became more warm and enthusiastic.

Over the next few days, Yue Xi found the girls in her class acting a little strange—suddenly being overly friendly with her. So, in response, she grew colder. But surprisingly, that only made the girls even more enthusiastic.

Finally, the tryout notice for the girls’ basketball team arrived. It was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

For the past few days while waiting, Yue Xi had been working out at home with fitness equipment.

She even cut her hair short—everything to prepare for the tryouts. Yi Luo was happy to see Yue Xi so dedicated, but also felt a vague unease.

Ning Ran picked up on this, secretly delighted, and leaned in to whisper to Yue Xi, “You’d better take good care of your girl these days. Who knows when she might explode?” Then she walked away with a scheming grin.

Yue Xi looked puzzled but didn’t think too much of it. She continued her training.

“You used to play before?” Yi Luo stood nearby holding a cup of water.

“Yeah, I really liked it. I quit after I got injured.”

“Was it serious?”

“Not too bad. The doctor said I just have to be careful. If I get hurt again, it’ll be trouble.”

“Then make sure to tell the coach. Otherwise, she might make you play full court.” Yi Luo looked a little worried.

“I know.” Yue Xi comfortingly patted Yi Luo’s head.

Yi Luo scrunched up her nose but didn’t seem to mind Yue Xi’s gesture. “Do you have any photos from when you used to play?”

“Yeah, on the computer. Ask my sister to show you.”

Yi Luo put down the water and went to find Ning Ran.

Ning Ran opened the photos. “Didn’t I tell you my little Xi is a treasure? Look, this is her during team practice.” She looked proud as she spoke—after all, she had raised Yue Xi herself.

“But foreigners are so tall and strong. Didn’t she get bullied?”

“Haha, you underestimate Yue Xi. She was a forward on the team. She may have looked smaller compared to the foreign kids, but she was agile and had quick reflexes. The coach liked her a lot—even visited us at home to comfort and encourage her after the injury. She was even more popular at school. Always cold, but a kind heart. And since she was on the team, no one dared mess with her. Besides, anyone who did would be in for it—Xiao Xi is a black belt in taekwondo.” Ning Ran grew more animated as she spoke, pride written all over her face.

“Wow, that impressive!” Yi Luo hadn’t expected Yue Xi to be so talented.

“Of course! Let me show you all the trophies we have at home.” Ning Ran pulled out photo after photo of Yue Xi, explaining each one in detail. Yi Luo listened intently—it felt like she was getting to know Yue Xi all over again.

After training, Yue Xi took a shower and poured two glasses of milk. Seeing the two people staring at her photos, she couldn’t help but smile. “Here, milk.”

“Thanks.” Yi Luo smiled sweetly as she accepted the glass. Behind her, Ning Ran gave Yue Xi a sneaky thumbs-up and a wink.

Later in bed, Yi Luo stared wide-eyed at Yue Xi without moving. Yue Xi chuckled, “What’s with you?”

“Nothing.” Yi Luo reached out and pinched Yue Xi’s cheek. “I’m going to sleep. Good night.”

Yue Xi stared blankly for a few seconds before remembering to say good night back.

The next afternoon, Yue Xi changed into her sportswear, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and went to the court with Yi Luo. She smiled at Yi Luo, dropped her bag, and jogged toward the coach.

Yi Luo watched her carefully.

With her freshly cut short hair, even though she was a girl, she had sharp features—delicate yet striking. Her eyes were always so gentle when they looked at her.

Her slightly Western-looking nose, her smooth running posture… Yue Xi really wasn’t bad-looking at all.

Yi Luo suddenly realized that Yue Xi had been deliberately hiding herself before—wearing huge glasses, messy long hair. It was all a disguise.

That jerk! Now people were definitely going to start liking her. Yi Luo froze—what was she even thinking? Her face turned red.

Just then, she saw Yue Xi turning back from across the court and looking at her gently. Panicking, she forced a smile to cover up her flustered heart.

Yue Xi thought Yi Luo didn’t feel well, so she told the coach and quickly ran over. “Are you okay? If you’re not feeling well, go home first. I’ll come back soon. Or I’ll call my sister to pick you up—she’s free anyway.”

“No, no, I’m fine. It’s just a bit warm.” Yi Luo fanned herself, unsure how to explain.

“Oh, yeah, you’re wearing a bit much. I’ll go back to the coach. Cool off for a bit.” Yue Xi also felt it was strange—it was already autumn and the weather was quite cool today.

The tryouts finally ended. Yue Xi was the coach’s favorite—she scored the most points, had a great sense of offense, sharp thinking, and at 170 cm, her height was decent. The coach held her back to say a bunch of encouraging things. Finally, satisfied that Yue Xi understood, she reluctantly let her go home.

“Tired from standing?” Yue Xi wiped the sweat from her face, picked up her backpack, and also grabbed Yi Luo’s bag.

“No, watching you play was really fun.” Yi Luo smiled—Yue Xi was just so cool. “Want some water?”

“Let’s go buy some near the school gate.” Yue Xi tugged at her collar. “Wait here. I’ll go change.”

As they left the school building, there were more people near the gate. “Hi, I’m Zhou Yaxuan from Grade 11, Class 2.”

In front of Yue Xi stood a lively girl in school uniform, followed by a group of girls swooning over Yue Xi. “Let’s be friends.” She extended her right hand with a smile.

“Yue Xi, Grade 10, Class 5.” Yue Xi shook her hand symbolically. “Bye, I’ll be late going home.” Then she pulled the still-stunned Yi Luo away and walked off.

“Yue Xi, Yi Luo,” Zhou Yaxuan softly repeated, a gleam flashing in her eyes. The girls behind her stomped excitedly—finally, they knew the name of that super cool basketball player.

Outside the school gate, Yue Xi saw Ning Ran’s profile on her phone screen. “What is it?”

“I’ve got plans tonight, didn’t cook. Take Xiao Luo out to eat, okay? You’ve got money?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Don’t stay out too late. Come back early.”

“Got it.” Yue Xi hung up and told Yi Luo, “What do you want to eat?”

“Hot pot.” Yi Luo looked like a greedy little kitten.

“Let’s go.” Yue Xi hailed a cab. “You give directions.”

“Driver, Old Zhao’s Hot Pot on Linjiang Road.”

“Alright.” The driver glanced at the two in the rearview mirror and decided to chat, “Kid, you’ve got it good.”

“Huh?” Yue Xi looked confused. She glanced around—only herself and Yi Luo in the car. Did she really look that much like a guy?

Hearing her voice, the driver turned with a knowing smile. “Your girlfriend’s really pretty.”

“Driver, we’re both girls,” Yi Luo said, trying not to laugh.

“Ah?! You’re way too handsome.” The uncle fell into an awkward silence for the rest of the ride.

Yi Luo turned her head to the window, hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking. Yue Xi knew she was stifling a laugh. Once she was done, Yue Xi reached out—seemingly rough, but gently ruffled her hair.

After dinner, Yue Xi was about to hail a taxi again. “Let’s take the bus,” Yi Luo suggested.

“Sure. There aren’t many people now, so it won’t be crowded.” Yue Xi took out some coins and stuffed them in her pocket.

Soon the bus arrived. They both got on and sat in the last row.

“I’ll tell you a story,” Yi Luo said without waiting for Yue Xi’s answer. “They say on a night bus, there was a woman in a white dress with long flowing hair in the back row—mmm!”

“Stop!” Yue Xi quickly covered her mouth. “I don’t like that kind of story.”

“Haha, how come you’re such a scaredy-cat now?” Yi Luo pulled her hand away.

“I’m not. I just don’t like that kind of topic.” Yue Xi let go, her face a bit pale.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.” Yi Luo noticed her expression and stopped.

Hand in hand, they returned home. Yue Xi’s face had mostly recovered. Yi Luo was puzzled but also felt a bit guilty. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Yue Xi suddenly felt a little tired, but still forced a smile.

A few days later, Yi Luo’s mom came back home, so she naturally returned to her place too.

But the relationship between the two had clearly grown closer. During breaks, Yi Luo would run over to chat with Yue Xi at her desk.

Yue Xi would go to her when she had questions. She gradually started noticing how lovely her classmates were, and began interacting with them more.

After class, the two would sometimes do homework together, go shopping, or follow Ning Ran to the riverside to fish. Just like that, the days of the first semester of their first year of high school passed, one by one.