The pretty little follower gets targeted by the crazy guys at the elite academy

Li Ruo and Xia Qinghe walked side by side on the tree-lined avenue, with bodyguards and servants following behind.

Xia Qinghe was very talkative, chatting about everything from her college entrance exam scores to her favorite authors, from her favorite authors to a movie she had recently watched, and from the movie to which window at St. Lia's cafeteria had the best food.

"Let me tell you, the braised pork at window number three in St. Leah's cafeteria is absolutely amazing. My brother used to study here, and he told me about it."

"Your brother?"

"Yes, he's my older brother. He's two years ahead of me and graduated last year. His name is Xia Qingfeng, do you know him?"

Li Ruo thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"It doesn't matter if you don't know him, he's not famous anyway."

Xia Qinghe smiled:

"Unlike you, the moment you walked into the school gate, everyone knew who you were."

Li Ruo did not respond.

She doesn't like to discuss her family background, not because she's low-key, but because she feels there's nothing to talk about.

The Li Group belongs to her father, and she was the top scorer in the college entrance examination; neither of these things is worth her boasting about.

Xia Qinghe seemed to sense something and immediately changed the subject:

"By the way, which apartment do you live in?"

"Girls' Dormitory Building A"

"I'm also in Building A! What floor are you on?"

"Fourth floor."

"I live on the third floor! That's great, now I can visit you more often."

Xia Qinghe jumped for joy, her ponytail swaying behind her head like a happy little colt.

Seeing her happy expression, Li Ruo couldn't help but smile.

There was something about this girl that she hadn't seen in a long time.

Innocent and pure, radiating a joy untouched by anything.

When she laughs, the whole world laughs with her.

Li Ruo suddenly felt that coming to St. Leah might have been the right decision.

A group of people are playing basketball on the court.

The sun was blazing, making the asphalt surface of the court gleam white.

The boys were wearing jerseys of various colors, some shirtless, some wearing headbands, their skin glistening with sweat.

"Pass the ball!"

A deep voice came from the center of the court, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.

The ball flew from half the field, tracing a parabola.

The person who catches the ball jumps up, grabs it with one hand, lands, dribbles two steps, jumps again, and shoots.

His movements were fluid and graceful, like a cheetah on the hunt.

Goal!

The net made a "whoosh" sound, clean and crisp.

"Zhou Si! Did you take performance-enhancing drugs today?"

Lu Ran ran over and gave him a high five.

Zhou Si remained silent.

He bent down to pick up the ball that had rolled to his feet, twirled it twice on his fingertips, then caught it with one hand and let it hang by his side.

He wore a black sleeveless jersey, revealing his strong shoulders and arms, with smooth and taut muscle lines, like a sculpture heated by the sun. His hair was dark black, soaked with sweat, with a few stray strands sticking to his forehead.

His eyes were deep-set, with jet-black pupils that exuded a fierce aura, making it difficult for anyone to look directly at him for long.

He stood there, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Cold, hard, sharp.

A few girls huddled together by the basketball court, whispering among themselves.

"Zhou Si looks so handsome today..."

"When isn't he handsome?"

"Yes, that's true. But he seems to be in a bad mood today, have you noticed?"

"Please, when is he ever in a good mood?! If you see him playing basketball with Lu Ran, it's never a good day!"

"Huh? A curse of fate? Then I'd better stay away..."

Zhou Si was definitely not in a good mood today. He dribbled the ball twice, jumped, and shot.

The ball hit the rim and bounced out.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

A ball flew from the center of the field, whistling through the air, fast and powerful, clearly indicating excessive force.

The ball flew past the halfway line, past the boundary, and towards the tree-lined avenue.

"Zhou Si! Where are you throwing this?!" his teammate shouted.

Zhou Si didn't answer. He watched the trajectory of the ball as it flew, watching it go farther and farther, higher and higher, and then—

The ball was caught by one hand.

As Li Ruo and Xia Qinghe walked across the basketball court, a basketball suddenly flew from the court, whistling through the air, and hurtled straight toward them.

"Watch out!" Xia Qinghe screamed.

Li Ruo was talking to Xia Qinghe when she caught a glimpse of something orange rapidly approaching.

She didn't think or dodge; her body reacted before her brain.

She turned to the side, raised her right hand, spread her fingers, and steadily caught the basketball that flew towards her.

The ball spun in her hand, then she caught it with her five fingers and it stopped in mid-air.

Then she looked up and gazed in the direction of the basketball court.

A group of boys were staring at her in disbelief by the sidelines of the court.

"Holy crap...catching the ball with one hand?"

"Should it be a backhand?"

"Who's that girl? She's so cool!"

Li Ruo ignored the voices.

She looked down at the basketball in her hand, and then did something that no one expected.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the ball out.

The ball flew from her fingertips, tracing a high arc, crossing half the court, over the heads of the boys, over the top of the backboard, and swishing cleanly into the net.

Swish.

The basketball went through the net, landed on the ground, bounced twice, and rolled away.

The stadium fell silent.

The boys stared at her with their mouths agape, as if she were an alien.

"Holy crap... how did she do that?! That pose was so professional?"

"Hollow! From that far away?! How did she do that?!"

"No, did you all see that clearly? She tossed it with one hand! One hand! Tossed! Not threw!"

Li Ruo dusted off her hands, turned around, and continued walking.

Xia Qinghe opened her mouth wide as the ice cream slid off the cone and fell to the ground.

"Li Ruo...you...you can play basketball?"

"No," Li Ruo said, "I just threw it away randomly."

Xia Qinghe: "...Just threw it anywhere? You call that just throwing it anywhere?"

"Li Ruo, you're amazing! You're rich, beautiful, a top student, and you can even play basketball!!"

Xia Qinghe caught up, her eyes sparkling: "Did you used to play basketball?"

"no."

"How did you catch it? I didn't even have time to react when the ball came flying at me!"

"Quick hands."

Xia Qinghe: "..."

Li Ruo offered no further explanation.

Actually, she didn't know why she caught the ball, why she threw it, or why she was able to throw it so accurately.

Her body seemed to have its own memory, its own habits, and its own instincts.

Her brain simply follows her body.

"Hello!"

A boy's voice came from behind me, filled with anger.

Li Ruo stopped and turned around.

A boy wearing a black basketball jersey was striding over the railing at the edge of the court toward her.

He was very tall, probably over 1.88 meters, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His gait carried an air of unruly roguishness.

His skin was wheat-colored, with a healthy glow in the sunlight.

His eyebrows were thick and black, with a faint, barely noticeable scar. His eyes were bright black, with slightly upturned corners, giving him an air of defiance.

His lips were tightly pursed, and his jawline was taut; he was clearly angry.

He walked up to Li Ruo and looked down at her.

"Hey! Who gave you permission to touch my ball?"

Li Ruo raised her head and looked at his face.

He was much taller than her, and when he looked down at people, the sense of oppression was like a mountain pressing down on them.

In that instant, something seemed to explode in Li Ruo's mind.

It's not a picture or a sound, but a feeling.

An overwhelming, tidal wave of sensation engulfed her completely.

My heart is beating very fast.

It was so fast she could hear the blood surging in her ears.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

She didn't know where this feeling came from, who this person was, or why she felt this way.

But she just felt... that she and he seemed familiar?

It seems like we've known each other for a long time.

It's been longer than her memory.

Zhou Si looked at the girl in front of him.

She wore a milky white dress, had long chestnut brown hair, almond-shaped eyes, pink lips, and skin that glowed white.

The way she looked at him was strange.

Unlike those girls who are afraid or angry, or who are infatuated with boys.

Rather... he couldn't quite put his finger on what this strange feeling was.

"Hello,"

His voice was a little lower than before: "I'm talking to you."

Li Ruo blinked, and that feeling receded like the tide, completely gone, leaving no trace.

She looked at him, her lips curving slightly into a charming smile.

"Your ball?"

"Um."

"When it flew over, I thought it wanted me to catch it."

Zhou Si was taken aback by her words.

"...It doesn't want to."

"It flew at a speed of eight meters per second at an angle of thirty-seven degrees. If I hadn't caught it, it would have hit me on the head."

Li Ruo's tone was flat:

"Your ball almost hit a top-scoring student in the college entrance exam, shouldn't you apologize?"

Zhou Si: "..."

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

She's right.

The ball was his, and it was indeed his fault that the ball flew over and hit someone.

But he just didn't want to apologize.

In front of so many people, doesn't this school bully have any dignity?