1. Freshman

Chapter 1 – Freshman

It had been nearly a month since the start of the university term.

Lying sprawled on the sofa in his rented apartment, He Jiang lazily lifted his eyes toward the glowing screen of his laptop. It was a factory-stock Alienware, something he bought when the semester began to make gaming more convenient. But as expected, he was not cut out for long gaming sessions. The single-player titles he had downloaded were all cleared in no time. Once he cleared them, they no longer held his interest.

There were no classes that afternoon. He Jiang had pulled a blanket over himself and napped for a bit. When he woke up naturally, his stomach felt painfully empty. After spending half a month in this hazy, half-dead routine, his body was weak and even his mind felt drained.

He got up and pulled a bottle of strawberry milk from the fridge, popped in a straw, and sipped while flipping on the television to watch a movie. Ever since the semester started, if he wasn’t in class, he was holed up in his place bingeing on games and movies nonstop. He had burned through over a hundred gigs of games and watched stacks of DVDs.

The movie had just hit its best part when his phone suddenly rang. He Jiang didn’t even have to think to know what it was. He switched off the TV, put down the milk, and picked up his phone.

Just as he expected, it was a delivery text. The strawberry milk he ordered had arrived. It was a fruit drink native to his hometown, not sold anywhere else. He had loved it since he was a kid, so he had asked the housekeeper back home to send him a few boxes.

His parents had always been too busy with work, so they hired a housekeeper to take care of his daily life from a young age. Throughout the year, He Jiang rarely got to see his parents in person. His university was thousands of kilometers from home. Even on move-in day, they had been out on business trips. He had flown to campus and checked in all on his own. Living alone in a strange city was bound to feel lonely at times, but financially, his parents had never shorted him.

Every month or two, He Jiang would give his parents each a call as a form of checking in. Now that he thought about it, it was probably around time for that again.

With that in mind, he instinctively opened his contacts, found the long-unused number, and dialed. The phone rang for a full minute, but no one picked up.

He Jiang rubbed his nose. Just as expected.

He switched to another number and made the call. After thirty seconds, it connected.

“He Jiang?”

He Jiang took a deep breath. “Dad.”

It was a humid afternoon in the peak of summer. On the ground floor of the city library, rows of readers were lined up in a slow-moving crowd. They held thick hardcovers in their hands, quietly waiting for the book signing to begin.

—

Today was the reading exhibition for a well-known author from the writers’ association. After giving a lecture, the author would be signing books in the main hall. The event had drawn in a crowd of longtime fans. Even the scorching sun couldn’t dampen their excitement. Pan Yuan was one of them.

She had been waiting in the long line for half an hour when a dull ache suddenly hit her lower abdomen. She thought about going to the restroom but hesitated, worried that stepping away might cause confusion when she came back. Just as she stood there debating, she noticed the person in front of her in line. He was a tall boy with short brown hair, wearing a loose T-shirt and army green track pants. He looked like a student.

Pan Yuan politely called out to him. “Hi there.”

The boy turned his head. His deep eyes narrowed slightly, and one brow lifted. It was a look of mild confusion. Pan Yuan paused. Wow. He was seriously handsome.

“Um, sorry to bother you.” Pan Yuan tilted her face up to speak to him. “I need to step away for a moment. I’ll be right back. Would you mind saving my spot in line?”

“Sure.”

The boy nodded lightly, then turned back to his phone. Pan Yuan let out a breath and quickly tucked her book into her bag, hurrying off to find the restroom.

By the time she returned, the author had already arrived. The line had started moving. Pan Yuan’s heart jumped. She scanned the crowd anxiously until she found her original spot. Luckily, the boy was still there.

She stepped forward and handed him a small packet of cookies as thanks. The boy accepted them politely.

While waiting in line, Pan Yuan noticed something strange. The boy didn’t seem like a fan of the author at all. The book in his hands looked like something he had just bought at the entrance. Ever since the author arrived, he had kept his head down, glued to his phone, completely uninterested.

If he wasn’t a fan, why would he bother coming out in this heat and standing in line for a signing?

Was he picking it up for someone else?

Thinking along those lines, Pan Yuan ended up voicing her curiosity without realizing it. “Actually, Autumn Wind isn’t really his signature work. Rainy Night is more well-known. Why did you choose Autumn Wind?”

The boy froze for a second. Then, following her gaze, he looked down at the green-covered book in his hands. On the front were two words. Autumn Wind.

He smiled. “It’s my dad’s favorite.”

Pan Yuan immediately caught on. “Oh, so your dad asked you to get him a signed copy of Autumn Wind?”

The boy lifted his eyebrows and sighed. “He’s always hoping I’ll read more famous literature and absorb some literary flair.”

Pan Yuan was amused. So he was another screen-addicted kid being nagged by his parents to read more.

“But you’re clearly on the athletic side,” she said with a teasing grin, eyeing the firm muscle lines faintly visible beneath his loose sportswear. “You work out a lot, right?”

The boy smiled again but didn’t answer.

Pan Yuan had a strange kind of sixth sense. She could almost always tell who loved sports and who was a full-time homebody. Maybe it had something to do with her own background. After all, she was the manager of her university’s basketball team. Spending so much time with ball-obsessed, loud, wild boys had probably rubbed off on her.

The boy in front of her was clearly the former. Even though his skin was fair and his outfit looked modest and low-key, the lean, balanced muscle and natural physical presence were impossible to hide.

She kept the conversation going. “So that means you’re a student too? Studying here in the city?”

“Yeah.”

“Which university?”

He said the name of a school. Pan Yuan’s eyes lit up. “Same as me. What year are you in? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

The boy stared at her for a few seconds, then slowly answered, sounding a little hesitant. “First year in Business Management.”

“A freshman, no wonder,” Pan Yuan said with a smile. She reached out her hand. “I’m Pan Yuan, second year. You can call me senior.”

The boy shook her hand. “He Jiang.”

“Nice to meet you, He Jiang.” They gave a few polite shakes, marking the start of a proper introduction.

Running into someone from her own school outside campus always gave Pan Yuan a sense of familiarity. She had the kind of personality that warmed up quickly to others, and simply assumed this junior was just a little shy. Once they let go of the handshake, she naturally extended the invitation. “Are you heading back to school after the signing? Want to go together?”

He Jiang turned to glance at the long line still ahead of them, then looked back at Pan Yuan. After thinking for a moment, he gave a nod. “Sure.”

Once the signing ended, the two of them took the subway back to campus. He Jiang had intended to head straight back to his rented apartment, but since Pan Yuan lived in the student dorms, he decided to walk with her first out of politeness before heading off on his own.

Along the way, Pan Yuan, cheerful as ever, chatted away with a bright smile. “You’re not from around here, right? Where are you from?”

“Beijing.”

“Oh, that’s pretty far. The food in the north is really different from here. Have you gotten used to it?”

“Yeah.”

After a few more questions, Pan Yuan sensibly quieted down. The junior beside her clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk much. She knew better than to push it. The two of them strolled on until they reached the edge of the sports field. The sun was just beginning to dip, the evening breeze cool and comfortable. The light had softened, and the basketball court ahead was packed with players sweating it out, shouting and jostling with intensity.

Pan Yuan stopped a few paces away, looking toward the basket where a few boys were wiping down a ball and toweling off their sweat. Her voice held a hint of delight. “Not bad. They’re putting in real work for the competition.”

Then she turned and smiled at He Jiang as she explained, “Oh right. See those guys over there? They’re on our university basketball team. They’re prepping for the provincial college tournament. The school’s really taking it seriously.”

He Jiang gave the court a brief glance, then shifted his eyes away without a word.

Pan Yuan blinked and suddenly realized her comment might have come out of nowhere. She quickly added, “Oh, I forgot to introduce myself properly. I’m the manager of the basketball team. I also handle photography and logistics.”

He Jiang’s lips curved slightly, but the expression didn’t quite reach his eyes. After staying cooped up for almost a month, the one time he decided to come out, he just had to run into someone from the campus basketball team. The world really was too damn small.

Pan Yuan didn’t notice the shift in He Jiang’s expression. Once the topic turned to the team, her enthusiasm surged.

“This year we’ve recruited a lot of new players,” she said. “Several of them are over one eighty. Especially one of the new freshmen who joined this year. He plays forward and he’s fierce, like a tiger tearing through the defense. Even a few of the upperclassmen are scared of him.”

Suddenly remembering something, she turned to He Jiang with eager eyes. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask. You’re tall, and your build is great. Have you ever played basketball before? Would you maybe want to join the team? You’d be playing with the best on campus.”

The moment those words left her mouth, He Jiang fell silent. In the end, he only offered a slight smile without saying anything.

Pan Yuan thought he was hesitating, so she doubled down and tried to encourage him. “I’m serious. Your natural stats are excellent. You’d definitely become an outstanding player. The guys on the team are super friendly. I promise you’d fall in love with the game. Look, over there, that’s the guy I was telling you about. Our strongest player and also the youngest. The small forward from the first-year class, Xu—”

Before she could finish, a basketball suddenly flew off the court and landed squarely in He Jiang’s arms. He froze, catching the ball instinctively. As he lifted his gaze, he saw a boy in a red jersey yanking on another player’s ear. His face was scrunched up in frustration, his nose red, and tufts of his fluffy hair were sticking up in messy clumps. One word flashed across He Jiang’s mind.

Little raptor.

“Tch, what is wrong with your hands?” the little raptor barked, one hand on his hip while the other tugged mercilessly on his teammate’s ear. “How many times have I told you? Focus when you dribble.”

The teammate looked like he was on the verge of tears. “Please, Fan-ge, have mercy. I swear I’ll train harder when I get back.”

“Train your damn head. Do you even know how many days are left before the tournament? You deadweight. If you get the ball stolen again in next week’s scrim, I’ll buy you a one-way ticket on a plane with no parachute.”

Pan Yuan walked over, unable to hold back a laugh. “Xiao Wang, getting bullied by Fanfan again?”

Xu Fanming turned his head. His expression softened slightly and he greeted her politely. “Senior.”

Xiao Wang looked miserable. “Boss, it’s Fan-ge’s vicious strength. The rest of us are just cannon fodder begging for mercy.”

Pan Yuan ignored their antics. She was just about to introduce He Jiang to the others when Xu Fanming beat her to it. His eyes were locked like lasers on the basketball in He Jiang’s hands. Fired up and fuming, he didn’t bother to filter his words.

“Hey, tall guy over there. Toss the ball back, will you?”

But He Jiang didn’t respond. He hadn’t really heard what anyone was saying. In this moment, his focus was entirely on the heavy basketball resting in his hands.

How long had it been since he last touched this round little thing?

For a brief second, he felt something close to nostalgia.

Slowly, He Jiang lifted his head and squinted at the distant hoop. He drew in a deep breath. The wind brushing past his ears and the background noise of people shouting and laughing all seemed to fade away. That familiar feeling returned to his fingertips. The warmth in his body, long dulled, seemed to resurface.

Right now, the only things left in his world were this ball in his hands and the hoop in front of him.

Then his body moved on its own.

His palm opened by instinct. He raised the ball above his head, bent his knees just slightly, gave the ball the right push with his fingers, and let it fly.

A smooth, graceful arc. The sound of it hitting the rim rang out.

Clang.

A clean shot from outside the boundary.

The ball dropped through the hoop and bounced to the ground, its rhythmic thumps growing quieter with each bounce, until it finally rolled to a stop.

The court went completely silent.

Xu Fanming swore he could hear it again, the sharp pop of bubblegum bursting between his teeth a year ago.

Pop.