During Thursday’s PE class, Lin Mo’s ‘knee injury’ was finally healed.
In the locker room, Chen Yu slapped him on the shoulder. “Can’t fake it anymore, can you? I knew you were better ages ago!”
“It’s not actually fully healed yet.”
Lin Mo changed into his gym clothes without batting an eye. “But it’s not good to keep asking for leave.”
In reality, it was because Su Ran had sent him a text yesterday: ‘Tomorrow is PE class. I want to see you play.’
She had even added a follow-up: ‘If your knee still hurts, then never mind.’
Lin Mo couldn’t let that slide. He had to be on the court today.
The October weather was cool and pleasant, perfect for exercise.
As usual, the PE teacher announced free time, and the boys swarmed toward the basketball hoops.
Lin Mo was at the front of the pack, pulling Chen Yu into a half-court three-on-three game.
While warming up, he instinctively glanced toward the plane tree at the edge of the playground.
Su Ran was indeed there, in her usual spot.
Today, she had brought a deep blue hardcover notebook. It was spread across her lap as she held a pen, her gaze shifting back and forth between the court and Lin Mo.
“What are you looking at?”
Chen Yu followed his gaze and clicked his tongue. “There she goes again. Seriously, don’t you find it creepy? What on earth is she recording?”
Lin Mo didn’t answer, but his mind drifted to a video he had seen in his past life.
When NBA scouts perform player analysis, they record each player’s movement efficiency, shooting hot zones, and passing choices.
What Su Ran was doing now was likely something similar.
The game began. Lin Mo played point guard, responsible for organizing the offense.
On the first possession, he dribbled across the half-court line and observed his teammates’ movements before sending a bounce pass to Chen Yu, who was cutting in from the side.
Chen Yu scored the layup and immediately let out a howl. “Good pass!”
From the corner of his eye, Lin Mo saw Su Ran looking down at her notebook, her pen flying across the page.
On the second possession, the opposing team missed a shot. Lin Mo grabbed the rebound and pushed the pace.
Reaching the three-point line, he used a feint to shake off his defender and pulled up for a jump shot.
The ball swished through the net, the sound of the friction particularly crisp.
“Nice!”
Chen Yu ran over and bumped his shoulder. “Not bad! Your touch is great today!”
Lin Mo smiled, his gaze constantly drifting toward the plane tree.
Su Ran happened to look up, and their eyes met in midair.
She quickly lowered her head, the tips of her ears turning red.
‘Is she shy?’
The discovery put Lin Mo in a fantastic move.
Over the next few possessions, he played with extra effort.
Suddenly, he pulled off a behind-the-back crossover.
Then, he hit a fadeaway jumper.
He even attempted a no-look pass, though unfortunately, his teammate didn’t catch on, and the ball went out of bounds.
When he made a mistake, Lin Mo saw Su Ran writing something in the notebook, seemingly circling something.
By the end of the half, Lin Mo’s team had an 8-point lead.
He stepped off the court to rest and grabbed a water bottle.
Chen Yu sat down next to him. “As expected of the Great Mo. You’re playing great, but aren’t you showing off a bit much today? You don’t usually play like this.”
“Is that so?” Lin Mo tightened the cap on his bottle.
Chen Yu narrowed his eyes, looking as if he were trying to see through him. “It’s like you’re performing for someone.”
Lin Mo didn’t respond. He was indeed performing.
He was performing for the girl who was diligently taking notes under the plane tree.
As the break was ending, a boy from the neighboring class walked over and handed Lin Mo a sports drink. “You’re Lin Mo, right? Great game. Are you interested in joining the school team? We need a point guard.”
Lin Mo remembered this guy. His name was Zhao Lei, the captain of the school team and a basketball recruit.
Zhao Lei had invited him in his past life as well, but he had refused back then.
“I’ll think about it,” Lin Mo said, not outright refusing this time.
If Su Ran liked watching him play, he could squeeze in the time.
“Sure. Come find me when you’ve decided.” Zhao Lei patted his shoulder and walked away.
Chen Yu’s eyes widened in suspicion. “You’re not a sports recruit. What is there to think about? The training is brutal. There’s no need…”
Before he could finish, Lin Mo interrupted, “I know. I was just saying.”
Before the second half started, he glanced at Su Ran.
She was still writing, her small brow furrowed as if she were contemplating something.
This time, Lin Mo held back a bit and played more like a team player.
He deliberately reduced his individual attacks, passing more, running more, and even taking the initiative to defend the opponent’s strongest player.
He wanted to see if Su Ran would record these less obvious contributions.
Sure enough, every time he made a successful defensive stop or a good pass, Su Ran would lower her head to make a note.
With 5 minutes left in the game, an accident occurred.
An opposing player lost his balance while landing a layup and collided hard with Lin Mo.
The two of them tumbled to the ground. Lin Mo’s elbow scraped against the pavement, stinging with sharp pain.
“Are you okay?” Chen Yu pulled him up.
“I’m fine.”
Lin Mo looked at his elbow. The skin was scraped, and beads of blood were seeping out.
It wasn’t serious, but it looked rather intimidating.
The whistle blew, and the PE teacher ran over. “What happened? I told you guys to take it easy, but you just won’t listen. Get to the infirmary and get that treated.”
“No need, it’s just a small scratch,” Lin Mo said.
The teacher insisted, waving him off. “Go, go, go! Go now. The wound needs to be disinfected.”
Left with no choice, Lin Mo headed toward the infirmary.
As he walked off the court, he looked back. Su Ran had already stood up.
Her notebook was closed beside her. Her eyes were wide and her body was leaning forward, as if she were ready to rush over and kill someone at any second.
If he didn’t know she cared about him, from this angle, she looked like a hunter who had finally found the perfect moment to strike—the kind of strike meant to be lethal.
Lin Mo shook his head at her and mouthed the words, ‘I’m fine.’
Su Ran’s lips pressed into a thin line, clearly unconvinced, but she obediently sat back down.
***
The infirmary was on the second floor of the gymnasium. It was quiet, with only one school doctor on duty.
The doctor was a woman in her 40s with a kind demeanor. “That’s quite a scrape. How’d you do it?”
“Fell while playing ball.” Lin Mo sat down and extended his elbow.
The doctor examined it closely. “Fortunately, it’s just a surface wound. I’ll disinfect it for you. Hang in there.”
When the iodine swab touched the wound, Lin Mo couldn’t help but hiss.
After treating the wound, the doctor applied a band-aid.
It was a plain one, not one with a cartoon pattern.
“All done. Keep it away from water for the next two days.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Lin Mo walked out of the infirmary and stopped at the top of the stairs.
Su Ran was standing at the turn of the floor below, her back against the wall, holding her notebook.
Seeing Lin Mo, she immediately stood up straight, her gaze falling on the band-aid on his elbow.
“Why are you here?” Lin Mo walked down the stairs.
“…Just passing by.”
Su Ran offered a standard excuse, but her eyes, her breath, and her complexion betrayed her.
Her breathing was hurried, her face was slightly flushed, and she didn’t dare to meet his eyes.
She had clearly chased after him, likely even running part of the way.
Lin Mo smiled. “Were you worried about me?”
Su Ran didn’t deny it, but she didn’t admit it either.
She stared at his injury for a moment before suddenly pulling a small plastic bag from her pocket.
Inside were cartoon band-aids. Unlike the puppy pattern from before, these had cats on them.
“Switch to this one. It’s waterproof,” she said.
Lin Mo stared, a bit surprised. “You carry these with you?”
“Yes… just in case.” Su Ran nervously turned her head away.
Lin Mo took it, peeled off the one the doctor had applied, and replaced it with the cat band-aid.
Doing it with one hand was difficult, making his movements look clumsy.
Su Ran hesitated before suddenly reaching out. “Let me.”
She tore open the packaging, peeled off the backing, and carefully applied it to his wound.
The entire process could be described in three words: fast, precise, and soft. She was as professional as a nurse.
After she finished, her fair, slender fingers lingered on the edges of the band-aid, pressing down gently to ensure a good fit.
Lin Mo could feel the warmth of her fingertips; they were warmer than usual.
“There.”
Su Ran withdrew her hand and took a full two steps back, her face flushing red.
“Thanks.”
Lin Mo moved his elbow. It didn’t seem to hurt anymore. “Where did you get so many band-aids anyway? They’re pretty cute.”
‘Cu… cute…’
Su Ran’s pupils shrank slightly. She gripped her skirt tightly and looked around frantically. “I b-bought them. I bought all kinds of patterns. There’s… there’s starry skies, dinosaurs, little cars…”
She stopped halfway and lowered her head, likely realizing she was talking too much.
Lin Mo, however, pressed on with interest. “Then which pattern is your favorite?”
Su Ran thought about it. “The puppy.”
“Why?”
“Because… it’s like you.”
Su Ran’s voice was tiny, so quiet that Lin Mo barely caught it even though he leaned in. But even after hearing it, he couldn’t quite react.
“Like me?” He didn’t think Su Ran would insult him, but he was surprised.
“Yes.”
Su Ran nodded and actually provided a reason. “Sometimes docile, sometimes stubborn, but no matter what… you’re always reliable.”
That explanation made Lin Mo smile for a long time. There was no way to argue with that.
‘A dog it is, then. Who else would I do this for but my goddess?’