Chapter Eight: Draining the Last Drop

Ye Mengxia instinctively turned to leave, but Lu Chengze came straight toward her and grabbed her hand.

"Mengxia, what brings you here?"

"Did you put any medicine on your wound?"

Lin Manting was momentarily at a loss, her eyes darting anxiously toward the basketball court, just as Su Yichen and Ye Xingchen were walking over.

"Mengxia, why aren't you saying anything? Are you feeling unwell?"

Ye Mengxia could barely hear anything now; she felt dizzy and faint.

Su Yichen hurried over to support her as she nearly lost her balance, pushing away Lu Chengze, who was about to approach, and cradled her in his arms.

"Su Yichen?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"My head is spinning..."

"It's alright, I'm here. I'll take you home."

Lu Chengze frowned and stepped forward to stop him, but Ye Xingchen, brimming with hostility, walked around and blocked his way.

"Lu Chengze, haven't I warned you not to pursue my sister anymore?"

"Are you looking for a beating, standing here like this?"

Just as Ye Xingchen was about to throw a punch, he was pushed aside by a familiar force—Ye Mengxia herself had stepped in front of him.

Su Yichen was gently pushed to the side.

"Don't fight."

"We're only here to try out for the basketball team. Isn't today the tryout day?" she said quickly, standing beside Lu Chengze.

Ye Xingchen glared at her in exasperation. "Ye Mengxia, don't tell me you're letting Lu Chengze join the team again."

"I am."

"No way."

"Why not? Ye Xingchen, perhaps you've forgotten about your mother's health."

Ye Xingchen stared at her in disbelief. "What did you say? Ye Mengxia, do you even know what you're saying?"

"You don't need to keep reminding me."

"Azhe just needs a chance to prove himself. Besides, the basketball team isn't yours to command."

Suddenly, Ye Xingchen grabbed Ye Mengxia and dragged her to a secluded spot.

"What are you up to now?"

"Nothing much—just let Azhe on the team, or these photos might find their way to your mother, my aunt, at any time."

Ye Xingchen snatched the photos from her hand, ready to explode—until he saw what was on them. His mind went blank for a few seconds.

Then his ears flushed visibly red.

"You... you... Ye Mengxia, don't you dare send these to my mother... And stop messing around with things like this, it's not good for your reputation."

He was stammering so badly he could barely speak.

Ye Mengxia's expression turned cool and distant; she looked at the flustered Ye Xingchen and calmly took the photos back.

"These didn't appear out of nowhere," she said softly.

"Put Lu Chengze on the basketball team, or there may be plenty more photos like these."

Hearing she still wanted Lu Chengze on the team, Ye Xingchen's face returned to normal. "No way. Last time he was there, we lost the game."

"Last time, it was because of me," she corrected him.

"I said it was him, so it was him. He always brings trouble, he's not even as good-looking as me, and certainly can't compare to Su Yichen. He spends all his time playing basketball instead of earning money—what's so great about a pretender like Lu Chengze?"

Ye Mengxia was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "Stop dragging me into this with him."

"You're so ungrateful," Ye Xingchen muttered, feeling indignant on Su Yichen's behalf. After all he'd done, everything was snatched away by Lu Chengze.

What a loss.

And the worst part was, he was the Cinderella in this story.

"You can let him be a substitute. Whether he gets to play is up to you."

"Of course. Who do you think I am?"

"But are you really content to let him just sit on the bench?"

"Do as you please."

Ye Xingchen calmed himself, glanced at her, and saw her composed expression—at least she seemed to be waking up, and lately she'd been better.

Everything must be handled step by step; there would be plenty of time to teach Lu Chengze a lesson when she truly woke up.

"Fine, but... stop photoshopping those pictures," Ye Xingchen gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Ye Mengxia gave him a sidelong glance and replied indifferently, "They're all based on facts."

Ye Xingchen clutched his chest in frustration. "You don't have the negatives left, do you?"

To anyone watching from afar, their animated expressions looked like a fierce argument, but Ye Xingchen's friends kept everyone else away.

When they returned, Ye Xingchen announced, unwillingly, that Lu Chengze would be allowed to join the basketball team.

Lu Chengze, standing tall, flashed a faint smile, his eyes alight with satisfaction as he glanced at Ye Mengxia.

The thought of Ye Xingchen being so angry but unable to do anything was enough to make him ignore the discomfort of his damp clothes.

The rest of the team was clearly displeased.

Fortunately, Ye Xingchen spoke up, preventing a blow to team morale.

"Since you're joining the team, you'd better show us what you can do. Otherwise, no one will accept you. Why not put on a little 'performance'?"

Lu Chengze froze for only a moment. Though not as skilled as Ye Xingchen, he wasn't bad at basketball, and with so many watching, he wouldn't refuse. As long as he scored a few baskets, who could argue?

The spectators, seeing the two teams forming—especially with the school tyrant and the campus heartthrob both present—were all fired up, cheering loudly.

Before entering the court, Lu Chengze squeezed Ye Mengxia's wrist gently. "Wait for me here. I'll be back soon."

Ye Mengxia said nothing, only watched him go. She saw Su Yichen approach, his face expressionless, and took the water bottle from her hand, taking a few sips before placing it by his jacket.

She said nothing.

The team split into two sides. Even though the match was because of Lu Chengze, everyone took it seriously.

Only, Lu Chengze never got near the ball.

Sitting in the stands, Ye Mengxia heard the excited cheers nearby—she knew Ye Xingchen had scored another basket. Other than that, there wasn't much reaction to anyone else.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?"

"Go ahead."

"You look unhappy."

Ye Mengxia glanced at her and said quietly, "I'm not happy, that's true."

On the court, the game was intense. Aside from Ye Xingchen and Su Yichen, Lu Chengze didn't even see the ball, let alone get one.

He also took a hard hit from Su Yichen.

Yet outwardly, he remained gentle and composed, prompting a flurry of squeals from his admirers. He glanced at Su Yichen, bumped him slightly as he passed, and walked over to Ye Mengxia.

"Mengxia, is this water for me?"

"Yes."

Ye Mengxia handed him the bottle, but wiped her sleeve where he'd touched her before.

"Mengxia, want to hang out this afternoon?"

"She won't," Su Yichen interjected, stepping directly in front of Lu Chengze to block him.

Then Ye Xingchen and his crew came over, ready to back her up.

"What are you doing? Mengxia and I grew up together—do we need your permission to go anywhere? What do you say, Mengxia?"

"Wherever Azhe goes, I... go," she replied quietly. "It's none of your business."

The air dropped to freezing point. Su Yichen was truly angry—you could see he was about to throw a punch.

"Move, move, move! Coming through, just mopping here, make way, don't block the path."

"Step aside, don't stand in the way."

A girl came through with a mop. Lu Chengze was seized by a sudden sense of unease and fear, stepping back a few paces.

With a thud, before he could react, he slipped and fell hard to the floor.

His tailbone took the brunt of the impact.

"Azhe, are you alright?" Ye Mengxia spoke quickly, moving as if to help him up, though her actions remained just at the level of concern.

"I told you to move, didn't I? Why did you come toward me?" the girl said, her words ambiguous and tinged with embarrassment.

The people around suddenly exchanged knowing glances; the fan girls, who had just been jealous, now recalled some recent gossip.

They all edged away.

Lu Chengze, flushed with anger and embarrassment, scrambled to his feet and hurried out of the gym.

"Let's go, let's go, we're done here—time to head home."

"Hahaha, this girl is adorable," Yan Mu couldn't help laughing.

"Hey, let's add each other on WeChat."

"Add you? You big bad wolf."

The group left the gym and headed to class. Su Yichen trailed behind Ye Mengxia; every step she took, he matched.

"Stop. Stand here," she said.

"But class is about to start," Su Yichen replied, clutching a water bottle with wide, earnest eyes.

"Give me the water."

"No."

Ye Mengxia started to walk away. Su Yichen quickly put the bottle in her hand.

"For you."

She glanced at the trash can, squeezed the bottle, but didn't throw it away. She said to Su Yichen, "Drink it."

"Okay."

Su Yichen took the bottle back and gulped it down, looking pleased.

Only then did Ye Mengxia toss the empty bottle into the trash, return to the classroom, and sit down. From his desk in front, Su Yichen kept glancing back.

He caught Ye Mengxia's puzzled gaze, and the faint blush on her face.