《为爱唯爱(英文篇)》江枫不眠

2、小太阳的强行入侵 ……

　　The first class of the day was physical education.

　　The September sun in Nanchong was still mercilessly fierce. Classes 3 and 4 of Grade 11 were combined for the session. The PE teacher blew his whistle, lazily gesturing toward the field. "Guys, play basketball. Girls, feel free to relax under the trees. Stay in your zones. Dismissed!"

　　The moment he finished speaking, several tall boys from Class 4 grabbed basketballs and sprinted toward the court. Zhang Heyu stood up and stretched, his joints popping with crisp, satisfying cracks. He turned to look at Lu Cheng'an, his eyes shining as if lit from within. "Deskmate, let's go play!"

　　Lu Cheng'an was reading a thick original English novel, his head bowed. At Zhang Heyu's invitation, he didn't even bother lifting his eyelids. "No."

　　"Don't be such a party pooper." Zhang Heyu walked right up to him, planting both hands on the edge of Lu Cheng'an's desk and leaning forward slightly, effectively blocking the light from his book. "Come on, just for a little while. You sit here all day; your bones are going to rust."

　　Lu Cheng'an finally raised his head, looking at the face now inches from his own. Zhang Heyu's eyes were bright, brimming with an unadulterated, eager anticipation, much like a large, tail-wagging dog.

　　"I don't like sweating," Lu Cheng'an replied, making up an excuse in a futile attempt to push him away.

　　"It's fine! I'll treat you to an ice-cold cola after the game. As much as you want!" Without giving him a chance to refuse, Zhang Heyu reached out and grabbed Lu Cheng'an's wrist.

　　Lu Cheng'an's wrist was pale, his bones elegantly defined. Enveloped by Zhang Heyu's warm palm, that scorching heat seeped through his skin, causing his heart to inexplicably skip a beat.

　　"Let go," Lu Cheng'an said, his voice dropping an octave.

　　Zhang Heyu acted as if he hadn't heard, his smile only growing brighter. "Nope. Not until you agree to come."

　　Lu Cheng'an stared at him for two seconds before letting out a helpless sigh. He closed the book in his hand. "...Half an hour."

　　"You got it!" Zhang Heyu immediately released his grip, pulling Lu Cheng'an toward the playground.

　　The moment Zhang Heyu stepped onto the basketball court, it was as if he had transformed. His dribbling was fluid and seamless. With a beautiful spin move to shake off his defender, he leaped into the air. The ball traced a graceful arc through the sky before swishing perfectly through the net.

　　"Nice shot!" Cheers erupted from the sidelines.

　　Lu Cheng'an stood by the court, holding a bottle of mineral water he had just bought from a vending machine, watching the figure running wildly under the sun.

　　Zhang Heyu was practically glowing when he played. He ran, jumped, and sweated, every movement brimming with raw power. Occasionally, after making a basket, he would instinctively glance toward the sidelines. Seeing Lu Cheng'an still standing there, he would flash a wide grin, revealing a neat row of white teeth.

　　Lu Cheng'an didn't know what he was looking at, but he found himself entirely unable to look away.

　　"Lu Cheng'an!" Zhang Heyu suddenly called out to him. Passing the ball to a teammate, he jogged over. "Why are you just standing there? Come play!"

　　"I told you, I'm not playing." Lu Cheng'an took a step back.

　　"It's fine if you don't play. Just hold my jacket for me." Shoving his unbuttoned school uniform jacket into Lu Cheng'an's arms, Zhang Heyu turned and sprinted back onto the court.

　　Lu Cheng'an looked down at the jacket in his arms, still carrying Zhang Heyu's body heat. It carried a faint, clean scent of soap—the unmistakable fragrance of youth. Frowning slightly, he didn't throw it aside, but draped it over his arm instead.

　　Half an hour later, the game ended.

　　Zhang Heyu jogged over, drenched in sweat, looking as though he had just been pulled out of a pool. He threw an arm around Lu Cheng'an's shoulders, resting his weight on him without a second thought. "I'm exhausted... Deskmate, where's the water?"

　　Lu Cheng'an's shoulder dipped under the sudden weight. Frowning slightly, he still handed over the bottle of water he had already uncapped. "Drink."

　　Zhang Heyu took it and tilted his head back, gulping down more than half the bottle. Water droplets trailed down his sharp jawline, tracing the long column of his neck before disappearing beneath the collar of his black athletic tank top.

　　Lu Cheng'an's gaze involuntarily followed the path of the water droplet. Only when it vanished into the depths of the collar did he abruptly avert his eyes, a faint, imperceptible flush creeping up to the tips of his ears.

　　"So refreshing!" Zhang Heyu wiped his mouth, tossed the empty bottle into a nearby trash can, and leaned in close to Lu Cheng'an, a sly, teasing smile on his face. "Deskmate, were you watching me play just now?"

　　"No," Lu Cheng'an denied it, his expression completely unfazed.

　　"Liar." Zhang Heyu reached out, lightly poking Lu Cheng'an's cheek. "You didn't even blink."

　　The poke made Lu Cheng'an's cheek itch. He instinctively turned his head to dodge the finger, his voice turning cold. "Zhang Heyu, keep your hands to yourself."

　　"Okay, okay, I won't touch." Zhang Heyu raised both hands in surrender, though the smile on his lips was impossible to suppress. Glancing at the jacket in Lu Cheng'an's hand, he suddenly added, "You held my jacket for me. Does that mean you actually care about me?"

　　"I just didn't want you throwing your clothes around and messing up the classroom hygiene." Lu Cheng'an shoved the jacket back into his arms and turned to walk away.

　　"Hey, wait for me!" Zhang Heyu immediately caught up, sticking to his back like a little shadow. "Deskmate, wait up! I promised you an ice-cold cola. Come on, let's hit the shop!"

　　Lu Cheng'an didn't look back, but his pace slowed slightly, allowing that noisy, sun-like presence to trail right behind him.

　　The sunlight stretched their shadows long across the ground, overlapping in a silent, picturesque embrace.

　　Watching the slender, upright back ahead of him, Zhang Heyu's lips curved into a triumphant smile. This iceberg of a deskmate doesn't seem all that hard to warm up, after all.

　　Walking ahead, Lu Cheng'an listened to the light, bouncy footsteps behind him. The stagnant pool of his heart seemed to have been struck by a pebble, sending ripples cascading across the surface.

　　What he didn't know was that, from this moment on, the guy named Zhang Heyu had forcefully invaded his world—in a way that was both brazen and impossibly gentle.