The night after playing ball, Carter Xing did his homework so seriously for the first time. He read the history test paper over and over again, memorized the timeline so badly that he almost couldn't help but tear up the book.
He was leaning back in his chair, thinking about how to memorize the liberal arts exam, when his cell phone rang. It was a text message.
Ethan Ning sent just three words, very cool: Throw the rope.
Carter Xing's next move was extremely quick. He opened the window and threw the rope down. After a short while, he felt the rope became heavier.
He carefully picked it up bit by bit and found it was a notebook, which was quite old. When he opened it, it was full of dense handwriting and highlighted key points. It seemed to be Ethan Ning's liberal arts notebook in the year of the college entrance examination. He turned to the first page and saw that the word "Ning" had been crossed out by Ethan Ning himself with a pen.
Next to it was the word "行驰" written in a powerful stroke, and a crab was drawn.
"Rampant" crab.
Shizhong, Class 2-3 classroom.
"Boss!" It was his deskmate Grace Ren calling him.
Carter Xing turned around and saw that the pen in his hand had not stopped writing. He was writing quickly. When he turned back again, the words had all gone outside the draft paper.
"Hunter Ying said that he is now so good at dribbling that he can dribble two balls with one hand. He can cooperate with you! Let's go and take a look?"
Grace Ren came walking in with her school uniform slung around her waist. After he said this, Carter Xing put down his pen.
He took out a blank piece of draft paper, spread it on the table, turned his pen, and sat upright. His legs were a little numb from sitting for so long: "Didn't you say that we don't have to go down to practice during the big break? Let him come to me after school."
Still holding a Sprite in her hand, Grace Ren nudged him with her elbow, "Hey, your brother is here too."
Carter Xing's chair suddenly moved back, making his skin "whoosh". He stood up and took off his school uniform jacket in the classroom. He was wearing a pure black NBA short-sleeved shirt with a pattern of daytime fireworks burned to the hem, making him look very handsome.
Putting the coat on his shoulders, Carter Xing took out the wrist guard from the drawer and put it on. He squatted down to tie his shoelaces, holding the sleeves of his school uniform in his hands, and said, "Let's go!"
Grace Ren wanted to laugh, but after sitting with Carter Xing for two years, he was used to his attitude and teased him: "Why don't you go look in the mirror?"
"No need," Carter Xing was very confident. He didn't think he was that handsome, but he still had the spirit of a young man. He walked out and said, "Let's go down and see how good Hunter Ying is at bragging."
For a boy like Carter Xing who is stuck at the peak of puberty, there is no need for any explanation. He just combs his hair, puts on sneakers, and stands there like a pillar, or the kind with a lion totem carved on it. He always looks the coolest when he wears slippers and dribbles past opponents on the court.
The playground was really crowded during the morning break. All the people in the school who had finished doing radio gymnastics gathered at the playground to watch the fun.
The school playground is connected to the basketball court. There are six basketball courts in total, and one of them is used specifically for training of the school team.
Before Carter Xing joined the school team, he would be the first one to run after school every day. He would rush down the teaching building to grab the space next to the school team training ground. He would even have a buddy behind him who would hold his ball bag for him, just to be beaten by Ethan Ning.
Ethan Ning has a very clean scent on his body, which can be smelled if you get a little closer.
He often saw Carter Xing walking over with a basketball bag. After a while, coupled with some trivial things in life, he knew very well that Carter Xing's love for him was the purest love among boys, the most sincere heart, and the most precious naivety.
He threw the ball to the ground, patted it, held it in his arm, and looked into the distance. Sure enough, Carter Xing had run down during the break again, followed by a few sophomore boys, none of whom could catch up with him.
In campus basketball, six people can get together to play a full court. The current situation is the same. There are only six people from the school team, and Carter Xing is the seventh. There are Ethan Ning, Carter Xing, Ethan Ning’s team friend Hunter Ying, the school team coach, and three school team teammates.
Hunter Ying stood next to Ethan Ning with the ball in his hand, smiling with his eyes narrowed, which made Carter Xing very annoyed.
This guy looks very well behaved, with round eyes, and he loves to laugh and is cheerful. But in fact, he is full of bad intentions. Every time he goes out to compete, the first one to find fault is either Carter Xing himself or him.
Carter Xing himself is tall, and Ethan Ning is taller than him but shorter. He can just rest his head on Carter Xing's shoulder if he tilts his head slightly.
It has been a long time since I last played basketball with Ethan Ning. Carter Xing was very nervous when facing him suddenly. However, physical contact is inevitable when playing basketball, and Carter Xing simply couldn't ignore Ethan Ning's aggressiveness.
The two people's gazes met silently, one was chasing, the other was running away. Ethan Ning felt uncomfortable being stared at, and he felt bad in his heart, so he started to stare at Carter Xing. But Carter Xing couldn't help it and dared not to look anymore.
Ethan Ning, who was preparing to catch the ball, was like a leopard ready to pounce, with sharp eyes and sweat dripping from the tip of his straight nose, flowing along the delicate curve of his jaw and into his loose vest...
The game lasted for half time, and at the end, Carter Xing performed a very beautiful alley-oop in front of Ethan Ning. He threw the ball onto the backboard and the ball bounced back into the air. Carter Xing jumped and shot the basketball directly into the net from the air!
The movement was extremely fast and the force was so explosive that even the basketball hoop shook.
Boys are generally fine playing basketball, but once the person they like comes along, they become crazy about scoring points and want to look cool.
Carter Xing is the type of person who is particularly good at showing off. Everyone admires him or is attracted to him, except his sweetheart.
Ethan Ning's group of three lost to Carter Xing and his team again. This was the umpteenth time this year that he couldn't remember.
He stared at the crowd with an expressionless face and sighed in his heart. It was true that his ball skills were not as good as they used to be. Carter Xing had indeed grown up now. Back then, he had made him cry loudly in the yard with a ball, and he had followed him as if to get revenge. Although he still followed him with eager eyes in the end, he asked him if he wanted to go to his house together to see the bird he had just raised.
It seemed that later, Xiao Carter Xing let the little bird go out of his careless hands, and he searched the whole yard for it for a long time, trying hard not to cry.
After the game, he reached out and high-fived Hunter Ying. Because they were about the same height, their shoulders bumped. Hunter Ying glanced at Carter Xing, who was looking unhappy, and took Ethan Ning aside, whispering, "Damn, why is your brother so fierce?"
Ying and Chen were whispering in a low and medium voice. Strangely enough, Carter Xing just happened to hear it. He almost wanted to fly into a rage. What do you think?
Ethan Ning was not surprised and said calmly, "He is just like that."
As soon as he finished saying this, he saw Carter Xing being called to the basketball hoop by his teammates. A girl handed him a bottle of Pulse, which was peach flavored. Ethan Ning stood far away and watched, his eyelids twitched, it was quite sweet.
Carter Xing was very polite in handling such matters. He shook his head, said thank you to the girl, refused the bottle of drink, just took the tissue to wipe his sweaty hands, and said thank you again.
Then Carter Xing turned around and walked over. Ethan Ning immediately turned his head back, pretending to look around at the scenery, the stadium, and the students watching the fight. In fact, he had no idea what he was so nervous about.
The next second, Carter Xing's cleaned hand gently touched Ethan Ning's waist and reminded him, "Brother, your shoelaces are untied."
There were so many people on the court, all staring at the field. The basketball net on the hoop was still being gently caressed by the summer breeze. The sunlight near noon was also dazzling, pouring down from the sky like a net, and a layer of gold gathered on Carter Xing, making him look so dazzling, a treasure of the court.
Ethan Ning just looked at Carter Xing and squatted down.
Carter Xing didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it. In full view of everyone, he used his slender fingers to tie his shoelaces.
Ethan Ning subconsciously took a half step back, but his heart was filled with a strange sense of satisfaction, which made him reluctant to not give face to Carter Xing in front of so many people this time.
This inexplicable emotion was ending in a moving mood. Ethan Ning lowered his head, looked at his sneakers, and said calmly: "Carter Xing, this is a dead end."
Carter Xing was stunned for a moment. He was probably distracted just now, and because he was too excited, his hands were shaking. He clearly wanted to make a bow!
He stood up, and his height advantage gave Ethan Ning some sense of oppression, and the latter almost took a step back.
"Then tie him up to death." Carter Xing's face was against the light, and his outlines were particularly sharp and tough.
Yes, the first half of your life has been tied to you, how can you escape in the second half?
Ethan Ning didn't quite understand what he meant, he just thought Carter Xing was being an A**h0le again, so he ignored him and didn't care about his shoelaces. He wiped the sweat off his face and lifted the corner of his jersey to fan himself.
Not sure if he was feeling uncomfortable or was just too hot, but he lowered his eyes, and his eyelashes flickered like the golden light behind the fiery clouds in the summer evening.
Hunter Ying was tying his shoelaces and stood aside, unable to bear it any longer and could not help but make a sarcastic remark.
"Carter Xing, could you stop being so pretentious?" He even helped tie his shoelaces. He's usually so fierce, but now he's acting like a docile kitten?
Although Hunter Ying is a senior in terms of grade, has good grades and can play basketball, he should be respected and admired, but if he is on the school basketball team, whoever plays better will be the boss.
Carter Xing is the most arrogant one. He has never been polite to Yu Chen. Why should a transfer student from Beijing take his place and hang around Ethan Ning every day?
Upon hearing this, Carter Xing felt a little bit frustrated and took out an individually wrapped wet wipe from his pocket. This was the only one he had left today. Ethan Ning was sweating from playing basketball, so he had to wipe it clean.
Carter Xing ignored him and opened the package. He felt his hands were a little dirty again. He twisted the edge with his right hand, put the wet tissue on the back of his hand, put the package underneath, and moved it to Ethan Ning's eyes: "Wipe the sweat off."
Ethan Ning glared, wondering how come this little B@st@ard started giving him direct orders when he grew up.
I had no choice but to take it. Then I heard the younger students in the team next to me also asked for it, or shouted: "It's great to have a brother!"
"Why?" Carter Xing grinned, "It's great that I have a brother."
The school team members began to pack their clothes on the field. Ethan Ning also quickly packed up his things, followed by Hunter Ying. The two of them went into the convenience store next to the field one after the other.
He took out a twenty-dollar bill and spread it on the cash register. He thought about the person who was helping to turn over the scoreboard today, and said to the aunt in the canteen: "Auntie, please give me ten bottles of mineral water, thank you."
Hunter Ying, who was standing next to him, glared at him: "Damn it, Ethan Ning, are you treating us today?"
Ethan Ning didn't say anything. He took five bottles and asked Hunter Ying to hold them. He held five bottles in his own arms, turned around and walked out of the store and headed towards the stadium.
When they arrived at the stadium, the remaining five members of the school team and the people who came to help turn the scoreboard squatted on the ground to reflect on today's problems and discuss tomorrow's training.
Carter Xing sat with his back to Ethan Ning, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his upper body slightly leaning forward, listening attentively to the coach's speech. The fabric of the short-sleeved shirt was shaped by the muscles on his arms, and the lines looked particularly beautiful.
Ethan Ning was a little stunned and turned back quickly before Carter Xing turned his back.
"Ethan Ning is treating us today, so don't be polite, everyone! Drink what you should drink, take what you should take, and thank your brother Xi!" After Hunter Ying finished speaking, he put the water on the floor, and Ethan Ning put it down too.
Hearing Hunter Ying's shouting, everyone else started laughing. They were really not used to the Beijing accent.
When Carter Xing turned around, he saw that there were only two or three bottles of water left on the ground. He grabbed a bottle, unscrewed it and took a few sips. He was like a rice seedling that had received fertilizer. He instantly recovered his strength and said to his teammates cheerfully, "Let's go. I'll buy you a Coke tomorrow!"
His eyes were fixed on Ethan Ning's back.
After walking more than ten meters, Ethan Ning turned around and saw Carter Xing had finished drinking a bottle of mineral water. He was throwing it into the trash can in the arc of a basketball shot. With a "bang", he hit the target.
Ethan Ning felt relieved, turned around and continued walking, and for no reason he secretly said in his heart, "It's okay as long as Carter Xing drinks it."
In fact, this is why he bought water today...but Ethan Ning found it difficult to face himself like this.
He stopped abruptly.
Seeing that he was in a volatile state, Hunter Ying was a little curious, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at your brother so much today?"
"It's okay." Ethan Ning felt a burning sensation on his ear tip, and continued walking, quickening his pace, without turning back or looking at Hunter Ying, "I glanced at him."
The falling leaves beside the playground were blown by the summer breeze, and along with them the sound of his heartbeat, which he could clearly perceive, rustled in his ears.
After school at noon, Carter Xing was surrounded by a group of boys in his class and walked towards the dining area at the school gate.
He was the tallest among the five or six people, reaching a height of 1.85 meters, which made his brothers wonder whether this guy grew up eating rice from the south?
He was so tall that he was very eye-catching. Standing in the crowd, he was like a searchlight, looking for people, specifically Ethan Ning.
He slowed down his pace and looked at the senior classroom. The lights had been turned off, so why couldn't he see Ethan Ning?
Ethan Ning failed the college entrance examination and had to repeat his senior year, while Hunter Ying was demoted and transferred from Beijing. The two who were supposed to be freshmen are now in their senior year. One is in the arts department, while the other is in the science department. They are in the next class and have a pretty good relationship. However, Hunter Ying has an older brother who often picks him up to go out for dinner, so Ethan Ning often eats alone at mealtime.
When he first came to school, Carter Xing asked him several times if they could have dinner together.
Ethan Ning had a cold face and almost threw a rice bowl at his head.
At that time, the senior year students were dismissed half an hour earlier than the freshman year at noon, and the afternoon class started an hour earlier. How could I accompany him to eat?
So Carter Xing skipped class one day and left early to wait for Ethan Ning to eat. When Ethan Ning walked out of the classroom, he saw Carter Xing standing there in school uniform with a bag on his back. Several classmates in the class shouted, "Ethan Ning! Your brother is here!"
Ethan Ning is about to collapse, can you please stop messing around!
For a whole week, Ethan Ning ignored him. Carter Xing didn't know what to do, so he wrote a 500-word self-criticism and hanged it from the building for Ethan Ning.
At that time, Ethan Ning was reading by lamplight with the curtains half-closed. He looked up and saw a piece of paper stuck on a wooden board. His blood immediately boiled and he stood up to tear it off.
In the past, every household liked to grow an evergreen climbing shrub called Bougainvillea outside their windows. When Ethan Ning pulled it, two or three petals fell and lay on his palm.
Carter Xing's handwriting was crooked, and Ethan Ning had to read them one by one for a long time before he could understand the 500 words.
He took out a piece of draft paper from the drawer, tore it up, spread the scraps on the table, took out his cell phone, took a picture of it and sent it to Carter Xing.
QQ was still popular at that time. Ethan Ning's avatar was pure white, and his online name was just two words: Do Not Disturb.
Carter Xing was feeling anxious, wondering if his brother would be touched this time, but then his phone lit up with concern, and Ethan Ning's message popped up directly on the screen.
Do Not Disturb: If you write again, this will be your fate.
Carter Xing was only fifteen or sixteen years old at that time and was still a little fragile.
He thought about it for a long time, and felt that the torn paper that Ethan Ning sent over was different in color from the one he wrote. He even compared them, but he felt that with Ethan Ning's personality, there was an 80% chance that he had torn up his own letter of apology.
Since then, Carter Xing never skipped class to wait for Ethan Ning at noon. But today, he suddenly felt like seeing his brother.
This is what feelings are like during student days. Everyone is wearing the same school uniform and their heights are not much different, but Carter Xing can always spot Ethan Ning among the large numbers of students pouring out of the school gate.
The school implements a one-card system and there is access control at the school gate. One card is for one person and the management is very strict. The senior high school repeater class has to enter the school one hour in advance. For lunch, Carter Xing took a group of brothers and ate at the noodle shop opposite the school gate.
He was enjoying his meal, thinking that noodles mixed with vinegar were really amazing. He wanted to add a little more vinegar, and was holding the vinegar bottle to mix the vinegar into the noodles, when he heard his deskmate Grace Ren yelling beside him: "Fcuk! Carter Xing, is that your brother?"
Hearing this, Carter Xing's hand holding the bottle trembled. He stared at Ethan Ning who was stopped outside the school and frowned, "Why were you stopped?"
Grace Ren also stretched her neck to look: "Did you drop your school card? I can't seem to find it in your pocket..."
Five or six boys were sitting at the entrance of the noodle shop, all looking towards the school gate.
The road in front of the school gate was quite narrow. The security guard over there was stopping people and was on high alert. Naturally, he saw a few of them peeking out and looked over there as well.
Ethan Ning also turned around, and almost at the same time, Carter Xing hurriedly pressed down Grace Ren's head, and both of them buried their faces in the bowls of noodles. The other brothers also supported him and quickly continued to pretend to eat.
Grace Ren picked up a peanut and threw it into her mouth, her face serious: "We just replaced the security guard last month, I guess he doesn't know your brother."
Carter Xing took a peek and realized that if he delayed any longer he would be late, so he wiped his mouth with a tissue, picked up the Coke bottle and took a few gulps like drinking wine to build up his courage, then slammed the table and said, "I'll go ahead, I'll be back soon."
One boy was anxious: "How the hell are you going to get in later?"
Carter Xing didn't care about all that. He took off his school uniform and reached for his school card in his pocket. He took it out and put it on the table. He stood up and said, "Climb over the wall!"
Then, Carter Xing crossed the road with his school card, without even looking to see if there were any cars, and just ran across.
He ran to Ethan Ning in one go, took out his school card, took a breath, and stuffed the school card into Ethan Ning's hand, "Brother, I left your school card here..."
The security guard next to him had a gloomy look on his face. He wasn't sure if he had seen Carter Xing sitting among the group of boys just now, but he clearly knew this boy who played around every day. He usually dared to enter by swiping his face!
Ethan Ning's paralyzed face relaxed a little, but what about his brother?
Before he could ask, Carter Xing pushed him to the card swiping area: "If you don't go in now, you'll be late!"
Ethan Ning was pushed to swipe the card. Once he passed the access control area, he looked back in panic and saw Carter Xing turning around and walking towards the small noodle restaurant across the street.
Suddenly I feel that this figure from behind is much more reliable than when I was a child.
The distance from the school gate to the classroom seemed particularly long. Ethan Ning looked down at the school card in his hand as he walked.
The boy's face in the ID photo is no longer as childish as before. His strong features are now angular, his eyes are sharp, and he has a smile on the corners of his lips. He looks a bit arrogant and his eyes are extremely sharp.
Two words were printed neatly next to the photo.
Walking.
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