Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

The last class in the afternoon was physical education.

The physical education teacher was a young man in his early fifties, surnamed Zhou.

It is said that he served in the provincial team when he was young, but retired to teach after injuring his leg.

He blew his whistle twice, made everyone run two laps around the playground, then led them in a set of warm-up exercises, and then waved his hand, dismissing them for free time.

The girls automatically dispersed in twos and threes; some sat chatting in the stands, some read novels under the shade of trees, and some carried badminton rackets to reserve a spot.

The boys swarmed toward the basketball court, their footsteps thundering like they were attacking some city.

Su Xiao stood by the basketball court, watching Fang Yu carry the ball out of the equipment room. The orange-red surface was worn white, and it bounced twice on the ground, making a dull thud.

Fang Yu threw the ball at him, and he caught it, the ball spinning once in his palm.

He hadn't experienced this tactile sensation in a long time.

Later, as I got older and had more social engagements, I would get out of breath after running just a few steps.

I occasionally watch the NBA on TV, but that's all.

He bounced the ball on the ground twice.

My wrist was a bit stiff, and the ball bounced off the right arc, almost hitting my foot.

Fang Yu laughed from the side, "Brother Su, are you sure you can handle this?"

Su Xiao ignored him, patted him a few more times, and then dribbled towards the basket.

At first, his footwork was a bit stiff, and his dribbling rhythm was off; the sound of the ball hitting the ground was inconsistent.

He tried to change direction, and the ball almost flew out, but he caught it back with a slap.

Then he ran to the three-point line, stopped, raised his hand, jumped, and flicked his wrist.

The ball traced a high arc, grazed the net, and made a crisp "swish" sound.

Hollow-core netting.

Fang Yu's mouth dropped open.

Su Xiao landed and dusted off her hands.

The feel is back.

Looking back, I was just a junior college student with a small amount of money.

Although this body's physical abilities are average now, and it can't jump high or run fast, the feel for shooting is ingrained in its bones.

Over the next ten minutes or so, Fang Yu and his friends witnessed what it meant to be "a completely different person".

Su Xiao received the ball beyond the three-point line and shot, making three in a row.

On the fourth shot, he faked a move to shake off the defender, dribbled to the free-throw line, stopped abruptly, and jumped for a shot that went in.

Fang Yu's attempt to grab a rebound under the basket was fruitless.

There were no rebounds to be had; the ball just kept spinning in the net.

"Holy crap, Su-ge, did you take your meds today?"

Fang Yu ran over and slapped him on the shoulder, his eyes shining as if he'd discovered a new continent. "Those three-pointers were so accurate!"

Several boys gathered around, some of whom had played basketball with Su Xiao before, and others who usually just saw him as a hoodlum.

A boy wearing glasses pushed up his glasses and said, "Your shooting form is pretty standard."

Another boy who had been beaten by Su Xiao before hesitated for a moment, then came over, patted him on the back, and said, "Good shot."

Su Xiao wiped the sweat from her forehead, knowing perfectly well what was going on.

These boys' previous attitude towards him could be described as keeping their distance, to put it nicely, but to put it bluntly, they disliked him but dared not provoke him.

Now, thanks to a few three-pointers, he has garnered some rare goodwill.

He had just shot a three-pointer when Fang Yu shouted "Good shot!" exaggeratedly from the side.

He turned around, his gaze habitually sweeping across the corner of the playground.

Then he saw a figure.

Under the row of poplar trees at the very edge of the playground, Xu Niannian sat alone on the cement platform of the flower bed.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on her body.

She didn't spend time with any girls, nor did she read novels or listen to MP3s.

She sat there quietly, her hands on her knees, her gaze sweeping across the entire playground.

She was looking at him.

Su Xiao was stunned for a moment.

In his memory, Xu Niannian had always been a loner.

I come to school by myself and go home by myself.

During breaks, he doesn't chat with anyone, and he always carries his food to a corner by himself.

During free time in physical education class, she would always sit on the edge of the playground, lost in thought.

It's not that I'm sleepy, it's that I don't know who to talk to.

But today, she wasn't lost in thought.

Her eyes were bright as she followed the person in the school uniform on the basketball court, chasing him from the three-point line to the free-throw line, and from the free-throw line to the basket.

When Su Xiao's gaze fell upon her, she was like a cat caught in the act, quickly lowering her head, her movement so fast she almost flung her bangs away.

She pretended to stare at the tips of her shoes, motionless, as if a flower had suddenly bloomed on those dirty white cloth shoes.

Fang Yu nudged Su Xiao and followed his gaze in that direction, only to see a row of poplar trees and a few girls sitting by the flower bed.

"Brother Su, what are you looking at? We're back on defense!"

Su Xiao shoved the ball into Fang Yu's arms.

"I'm not fighting anymore, you guys fight."

"Not playing anymore?"

Fang Yu, holding the ball, watched with a puzzled expression as Su Xiao jogged across the playground, heading towards the row of poplar trees.

He blinked, then blinked again.

The boys nearby looked at each other, not understanding what had happened.

Weren't they playing really well? Why did they stop?

Su Xiao ran to the edge of the flower bed and plopped down next to Xu Niannian.

The cement platform was warm from the sun; you could feel the warmth even through the school uniform pants.

He brought a gust of wind with him when he sat down, carrying the smell of sweat and laundry detergent.

Xu Niannian felt a sudden presence beside her and flinched in fright.

She glanced up and saw it was Su Xiao, then quickly lowered her head again, twisting her hands together on her knees.

"Xu Daidai."

Xu Niannian didn't look up, but her ears twitched.

Why are you sitting here all alone?

Su Xiao stretched out her legs, leaned back against the flower bed, and tilted her head to look at her. "Want to come closer and watch me play ball?"

Xu Niannian shook her head, her voice soft: "I...I don't understand."

"Then what are you looking at? If you don't understand the game, are you looking at me?"

Xu Niannian's face flushed red.

She didn't answer, and lowered her head even further.

Su Xiao moved half an inch closer to her.

Xu Niannian sensed it and instinctively moved her little bottom half an inch to the side.

Su Xiao moved it another half an inch.

She also moved half an inch.

If you move it any further, it will fall off the flower bed.

"Don't move." Su Xiao frowned, deliberately making her tone a little harsher.

Xu Niannian stiffened, then obediently moved her little bottom back.

The distance between the two people returned to what it was at the beginning.

It was so close that Su Xiao could see the stray hairs at the back of her neck that weren't tucked in, shimmering a soft brown in the sunlight.

She lowered her head, the shadow of her eyelashes falling on her face, trembling.

Su Xiao looked at her, both afraid of him and not daring to disobey him, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

How could Xu Daidai be so stupid?

He leaned back against the fence behind the flower bed and let out a long breath.

I had just finished playing ball, and I was sweating all over—on my forehead, neck, and arms. The sweat made my school uniform stick to my body, and my face felt salty.

He raised his hand, ready to wipe it off casually.

"Wait...wait a minute."

Su Xiao's hand froze in mid-air.

Xu Niannian turned to the side and took out a pack of tissues from her school uniform pocket.

It wasn't a fancy brand of tissues; it was the cheapest kind you could find at a convenience store, with a crooked little white rabbit printed on the plastic packaging.

She drew a card, then hesitated for a moment.

It was only for a very short time.

She reached out and gently pressed the tissue into his palm.

"Your hands are dirty. Wipe them clean before you wipe your sweat."

Her voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the shouts of the boys on the basketball court in the distance.

Su Xiao looked down at her hands, which were indeed dark, having gotten quite a bit of dust on the ground while playing ball, with several thin black lines embedded in the lines of her palms.

He doesn't care.

He was about to say "It's okay," but before he could even speak, Xu Niannian had already started wiping with a tissue.

Her movements were very light and slow.

The tissue slid across his palm, wiping from the base of his thumb to his fingertips, carefully cleaning the dust from every line of his palm.

Her fingers occasionally brushed against his palm; they were cool and soft, like a few flower petals falling into his hand.

With her other hand, she gently supported his wrist, not daring to exert any force, just supporting it lightly, as if holding a porcelain bowl, afraid that it would break.

She lowered her head, her eyelashes drooping, as if she were focused on accomplishing something very important.

Su Xiao looked at her.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on her hair, shoulders, and the fingers of his hand.

There was still a little bit of redness on her round face, and a tiny bead of sweat on the tip of her nose.

Her movements were very serious, one step at a time, neither too fast nor too slow.

For a moment, Su Xiao was in a daze.

He lived for thirty-eight years and had met all sorts of people.

But no one had ever held his hand like that, gently wiping the dust from his palm with the cheapest tissue they could find at the corner store.

Xu Niannian turned his palm over, preparing to wipe the other side, when she suddenly felt his gaze fixed on her face.

She looked up and met his eyes.

Her fingers rested on the back of his hand, and she blinked.

"...What's wrong?"

Su Xiao came to her senses.

"It's nothing."

He quickly looked away, watching the figures running around on the basketball court in the distance. Fang Yu was fighting for a rebound under the basket, crashing into the backboard with a loud bang.

But the corner of his mouth twitched, as if he were smiling.