"Stop acting crazy."
Bella's ears burned as she listened. She raised a hand to press against Ye Jinzhi's chest and gave him a hard push, cutting off his sick remarks.
Ye Jinzhi took a half-step back with her push. The dark gloom in his eyes hadn't completely faded as he threw out bait Bella couldn't refuse:
"Wait. From now on, during our daily lunch break, I'll tutor you in math right here."
Bella, who had already taken a step to leave, changed her tune faster than flipping a page the moment she heard the word "math."
She braked abruptly and turned to stare at him, her eyes brightening:
"Really?"
Ye Jinzhi looked at her eager little face and gave a noncommittal, low hum of agreement.
"But, are you sure we should do it here?" Bella looked around the drafty little pavilion filled with blooming hydrangeas, feeling a bit suspicious. "Isn't this place... a little inappropriate?"
"If not here," Ye Jinzhi rested his fingertips on his chest, gently pressing the spot she had just touched. His tone was light, but held a suppressed hint of delight. "Then we can go to your house, or mine."
"Let's stick to the school then."
Bella refused without a second thought. She then narrowed her eyes and pointed at him warningly, "Let me state this upfront: tutoring is fine, but you are not allowed to get handsy with me."
Ye Jinzhi fell silent, just looking at her, his gaze lingering for quite a while.
Seeing him refuse to state his position, Bella was just about to say something when the young man finally gave in and nodded slightly.
"Fine."
The afternoon classes were dull and uninspiring, but the second-to-last period before school ended—a PE class—surprised Bella a bit.
Her class actually had PE at the same time as Class One of the senior year.
On the sports field, the two classes gathered together, making it especially lively.
The two PE teachers routinely led everyone through a few sets of stretches and a two-lap run around the track before waving their hands to dismiss them for free time.
Most of the boys scattered and rushed toward the basketball courts, the sounds of bouncing balls and sneakers squeaking against the ground echoing one after another.
The girls gathered in twos and threes; some strolled around the field, while others were already on their way to the school store.
Ma Xin'er pulled Bella along, wandering over to a few girls they were relatively familiar with.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Ma Xin'er's nosy nature hadn't changed a bit. Before she even got close, she raised her voice to ask.
The girls were huddled together whispering. Hearing her voice, they turned around, and seeing it was them, their expressions lit up with excitement and thinly veiled gossip.
"Oh, you came at the perfect time!"
One of the girls pointed mysteriously toward the basketball courts and lowered her voice.
"Look over there. The boys from Senior Class One and our class are playing a half-court scrimmage, and God Ye is actually playing!"
Bella followed her gaze.
The sports field was a sea of blue and white summer uniforms, all with the same monotonous cut.
Yet, amid the bustling crowd, Bella's eyes accurately locked onto Ye Jinzhi at a single glance.
Even though everyone was wearing the exact same clothes, and all the boys' hair looked a bit messy from running, Ye Jinzhi somehow exuded an extra sense of effortless grace.
He hunched over slightly as he dribbled the ball, his movements sharp and clean. The loose hair on his forehead was damp with sweat, clinging to the side of his face.
Compared to the shoving and shouting around him, his movements were clean and efficient. He occasionally called out a low reminder to his teammates, keeping a steady rhythm throughout.
Ma Xin'er gasped softly and leaned in to whisper in Bella's ear:
"No wonder these girls are so distracted. They aren't watching the game at all; they're obviously watching God Ye."
Bella pursed her lips. She was just about to look away when she noticed the man on the court, who had been completely focused on dribbling, casually turn his head during a pass, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Across the noise of half the court, his gaze collided flawlessly with Bella's.
Ye Jinzhi didn't look away. Instead, he raised an eyebrow in her direction. His eyes clearly said:
Have you looked enough?
Bella held back a smile, pretending that nothing had happened as she listened to Ma Xin'er continue her rambling.
But only seconds after she turned her head, a chorus of "Wow!" erupted around her.
Turning back instinctively, she caught him jumping for a shot. The wind lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing a section of tight, firm waist and abdomen.
The surroundings instantly fell into a commotion, and the girls' screams simply couldn't be contained.
Because of the exertion, the muscles there were clearly visible.
Ma Xin'er slapped Bella's shoulder while whispering excitedly,
"Bella, did you see that? I knew this guy was not only handsome, but his body is absolutely top-tier. I just don't know..."
She paused and whispered, "I just don't know if he's a big tree hanging a tiny chili pepper."
Bella had been secretly cursing Ye Jinzhi in her heart for strutting like a peacock, but Ma Xin'er's shocking "big tree hanging a tiny chili pepper" comment nearly made her choke on her own saliva.
"Cough, cough..."
Coughing violently a couple of times, Bella's fair cheeks flushed pink from holding back her laughter.
She irritably swatted away Ma Xin'er's little hand. "Ma Xin'er, what kind of dirty trash is filling up that little brain of yours all day?"
"Oh come on, I call it a reasonable deduction of physiological structure!"
Ma Xin'er wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. She leaned even closer, snickering in a low voice.
"Look at those long legs, look at the explosive power in his core! Tsk, tsk, if a top-tier specimen like him really grew a 'little chili pepper,' that would be a complete waste of God's gifts!"
Bella's mind involuntarily flashed back to that time he was drugged... It really wasn't...
Once certain images gain concrete associations, their lethal impact is multiplied tenfold.
She quickly shook her head, trying to banish those NSFW scenes from her mind,
and feigned composure. "Do you want to go over to the basketball court and watch?"
As soon as she spoke, Ma Xin'er grabbed Bella's arm and bolted toward the court, dragging her forcefully all the way to the front row.
At that moment, the whistle blew on the court, signaling the end of the half-court scrimmage.
The score was fixed at 1:3.
Class One's PE representative, Li Jingjian, wiped the sweat from his face and rushed up excitedly, surrounding Ye Jinzhi along with a few other boys.
"Oh yeah! As expected, the moment God Ye steps on the court, he turns the tide for us!"
Li Jingjian grinned, showing off a mouthful of white teeth, and went to give Ye Jinzhi's shoulder a heavy thump.
Li Jingjian was naturally absurdly strong. Ye Jinzhi dodged sideways with a light movement. "If that punch lands, it won't be light."
"Hehehe, I know my own strength."
Ye Jinzhi grabbed his jacket from a chair and casually ran a hand through his sweat-dampened bangs, his face still bearing a faint flush from the workout.
"Of course, just look at who shot that three-pointer. Ridiculously accurate." A few other boys nearby joined in the cheering.
"If you guys hadn't run all over the court to draw away the defense, I wouldn't have had a chance to shoot at all. Ultimately, it's just that all of us were in the zone today. It's everyone's credit."
After speaking, he parted the crowd and walked straight in Bella's direction.
The surrounding chatter quieted down. Many people's eyes landed on Ye Jinzhi, and then followed his path right over to her.
Ye Jinzhi walked up to her, the heat radiating from his recent workout washing over her. He arched an eyebrow, his voice still slightly breathless from the exertion:
"You have been staring for so long. Aren't you going to buy your 'teacher' a bottle of water?"
