Xia Xingtang's youth was marked by two defeats.
The first came on the basketball court, where dirty tactics shattered his youthful sincerity. From then on, he buried his talent and shunned the spotlight.
The second came one summer, when his feelings quietly took root. He was awkward and reserved, bad with words, and all he got was a hurried graduation.
In his sophomore year of high school, Xia Xingtang transferred to Xinqiao High School.
No one knew that this quiet, taciturn transfer student had once been a basketball prodigy who swept the courts.
In his freshman year, an opponent deliberately fouled him during a game. He suffered a serious injury, a crushing defeat, and a storm of public scrutiny.
After that, he hid every bit of his brilliance, avoiding games and concealing his skills. All he wanted was to finish his remaining two years in peace.
The only thing he couldn't hide was the way his gaze lingered on Zhou Chunchun.
For two years of high school, they were familiar faces who crossed paths, shared a few conversations, and sometimes walked the same way home.
They passed each other while on cleaning duty, handed things back and forth between classes, and walked together in the evening breeze. Every exchange was ordinary.
There were no grand declarations, only the quiet attentiveness that built up day after day, never spoken aloud.
By the time he finally understood his feelings, the graduation bell rang in the summer heat. The crowd scattered, and it was too late.
For the next four years, they lived in the same city, close in distance but far apart.
They grew and matured in their own ways, while their feelings quietly deepened in silence.
When they met again, he was wearing a professional jersey, covered in scars, and had secured his place in the league.
She stood courtside in white, keeping a close eye on his condition.
She didn't want to see him give up the thing he loved because of another injury.
The evening breeze they had missed in their youth, years later,
finally drifted back to the court, and between the two of them.
