Chapter 1 — Change players in the final match

I was blocked by Giang Nghien Tu again, this was the eighth time this year he used silence to punish me. He turned around and conveniently gave the final ticket that we had arranged to go see together to the underclassman who admired him. When I held the bottle of mineral water, intending to bow my head for the last time to make peace, my eyes suddenly flashed a few blurry lines like comments on the screen: 【Seriously, my friend, are you being arrogant again?】 【Female protagonist, quickly look to the other side! If you give this bottle of water to Tham Tinh Ha, Giang Nghien Tu will be so angry that the entire football field will explode!】

1

I was blocked by Jiang Nghien Tu again. The red exclamation mark icon in the text message box seemed to stab my eyes, stinging, but I was no longer like the first time - crying until midnight anymore. Is it the seventh or eighth time this year? I don't bother counting anymore. The phone vibrated, it was a text message from mutual friend Tran Mac:

“Thu Nguyet, Nghien Tu gave tickets to tonight's final match to To Van Tinh, do you know?”

I stared at that message for three seconds, then suddenly remembered that last week Giang Nghien Tu put the ticket on my table and said:

“You must come to the finals, I want you to see with your own eyes that I win.”

At that time, his eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky, my heart stopped for a beat, and I secretly pinned the ticket in my diary. Now that ticket is probably in the pink wallet of her junior To Van Tinh.

“I know.” I replied to Tran Mac.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to come pick you up?"

“No need.”

I threw the phone on the bed, walked to the mirror to look at myself. Lam Thu Nguyet, 24 years old, has known Giang Nghien Tu for 22 years and liked him for 15 years. The person's face was pale, the dark circles under his eyes were as dim as a fading ant flower. Giang Nghien Tu once said I was like moonlight, cold but gentle. But he didn't know that the moonlight would also be tired of having to revolve around one person, enduring erratic changes over and over again. At seven o'clock at night, I still went to the gym. Not because I'm making myself miserable, but because I have habits that are so deeply ingrained in my bones that I can't change them even if I want to change them. For example, remembering Giang Nghien Tu's match schedule clearly, for example, always having the mineral water he often drinks ready, for example, when he wins a match, the first person to stand up and applaud is me. The stadium is noisy and bustling. I stood at the entrance and saw Giang Nghien Tu warming up. He wore red jersey number 7, his muscle lines looked beautiful under the lights. The turning position to throw the ball caused a chorus of screams from the stands. To Van Tinh sat in the front row of VIP seats, holding a cheering flag, her smile curved into a crescent moon shape. Youth is good, there is too much enthusiasm to waste. I squeezed the water bottle in my hand, took a deep breath, and walked towards Giang Nghien Tu. This is the last time, Lam Thu Nguyet, this is the last time I proactively bow my head. I told myself so. The moment I stepped onto the edge of the yard, a line of transparent text suddenly appeared in front of my eyes: 【Seriously, my friend, you're arrogant again, clearly texting the female lead until your fingers are worn out, and even pretending to ignore it.】 I stopped walking, blinking my eyes. The text is still there, like a comment floating on the screen. Hallucination? Been staying up too much these past few nights? I tried taking another step, and a new line appeared: 【Continue to act, pretend and actually break up, there will still be a bunch of people outside waiting to pick you up. Those close brothers are also ready to climb the wall to get the female lead!】 This time I looked closely, those words pointed towards Giang Nghien Tu. And the last sentence made me choke: 【Look at the female lead, over there is the captain of the basketball team, if you give this bottle of water to him, that dark male lead will probably blow up the whole field.】 That dark male lead... is he talking about Giang Nghien Tu? I looked in the direction the text suggested. On the other side, in the football team wearing white shirts, a tall young man was bending over to tie his shoe laces. When he raised his head, I realized it was Tham Tinh Ha, captain of the Technical School's basketball team. Last year during the inter-school tournament, we met, and after the match he politely complimented the cheerleading poster I drew. Tham Tinh Ha seemed to feel my gaze and turned her head. We made eye contact for a second, he nodded slightly, his smile as bright as the autumn sun. The water bottle in my hand was slightly deformed from being squeezed tightly. The comment line is still scrolling: 【Give it away! Hurry and give! I want to see how pale Jiang Nghien Tu's face is!】 【Bet five coins, if he loses today, he will definitely go crazy in the female lead's dormitory.】 【What's right up there, I bet one coin, he will stop someone in the hallway and force a kiss, do you believe it?】 Forced kiss? Giang Nghien Tu? The person who blocked me every time he was angry, never bowed his head during the cold war, and always forced me to humble myself? My heart was beating rapidly. Not a vibration, but an impulse colored by protest. Twenty-two years have passed, Lam Thu Nguyet, you have always acted according to Giang Nghien Tu's script. He blocked it, you waited. He gave the tickets to someone else, but you still brought water. Based on what? I turned around and walked straight towards the opposing team's resting area. Footsteps echoed clearly on the wooden floor. I felt a burning gaze fixed on my back, so hot that it was about to burn my shirt. But I didn't turn back. Tham Tinh Ha saw me coming and was a little stunned, then immediately stood up:

“Friend Lam?”

“Captain Tham,” I held out the water bottle, my voice so calm that even I was surprised, “try your best.”

Tham Tinh Ha looked at the water bottle, then glanced behind me, his eyes a bit complicated. But he still took it and replied softly:

“Thank you. Are you… alone?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “I won't bother you guys warming up anymore.”

When I turned to leave, I heard his teammates laughing softly:

“Wow, the captain has good luck——”

“Shut up, focus on warming up!”

I returned to the stands, chose a hidden corner to sit down.