Wilderness Vegetation Extra 1

Extra 1

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During his second year of university, Xu Yan relied on his exceptional basketball skills to force his way into the School of Economics' team. His classmates were heartbroken and questioned him with regret, asking why he hadn't simply studied economics in the first place instead of breaking the hearts of those in the School of Arts. Xu Yan could only laugh it off, saying that he played so poorly that he was going undercover in the School of Economics for them.

Xu Yan knew full well what his real motive was. During that time, he orchestrated various "coincidental" encounters and seemingly casual approaches – in the canteen, the academic buildings, the library, the snack street, the basketball court... At first, Shen Zhi ignored him, and Xu Yan was repeatedly frustrated and disheartened. The progress bar seemed to stretch endlessly ahead, and he considered giving up. But every time he saw Shen Zhi, Xu Yan felt he could grit his teeth and persevere a bit longer, he didn't want to be just a passer-by in Shen Zhi's life.

Xu Yan often took photos of the basketball team and sometimes played with them. Gradually, he and Shen Zhi started talking, and occasionally, they even had meals together after games. Looking back now, Xu Yan only remembered the scenes as a chaotic mess because he was so tense the entire time that the memory was filled with nothing but the word "nervous" over and over again.

By chance, one of the players on the School of Economics' team had to leave due to an urgent matter. He left in such a hurry that the remaining players were left looking at each other in dismay – there were substitutes, but none of them were as skilled as the one who left. With the school league just around the corner, everyone was considering whether they should just muddle through when, after a practice session one day, Shen Zhi casually asked Xu Yan in front of everyone, "Would you like to join our team?"

At that moment, Xu Yan was drinking water, and he nearly choked on the spot. He wiped the droplets from the corner of his mouth and bewilderedly responded with an "Ah?"

"Yan Yan is from the School of Arts, that wouldn't work, right?" someone said.

Then another voice chimed in, "But Xu Yan really plays very well..."

"So how would we position him? The small forward is gone, but Yan Yan has always played as a guard."

"He can play both positions, his skills are good enough," Shen Zhi said lightly, looking at Xu Yan. "It just depends on whether you want to."

Those four words, "whether you want to," coupled with Shen Zhi's gaze, made Xu Yan's legs go weak, his scalp tingle, and his heart nearly stop beating. If it weren't for the last shred of sanity, he might have dropped to his knees and shouted, yes, I do.

"Ah... if you guys are okay with it," Xu Yan swallowed hard, locked eyes with Shen Zhi for a second, and then, feeling slightly guilty, glanced at the others, saying, "I'm willing."

Upon hearing his response, Shen Zhi nodded and went to the side to drink water. A few players came over, laughing as they put their arms around Xu Yan's shoulders and teased, "Why does it sound like you just accepted a marriage proposal?"

Xu Yan instantly felt his ears burn and instinctively turned to look at Shen Zhi, who didn't react, so he felt relieved – yet strangely a bit disappointed too. He chuckled and said, "After all, it's a serious matter, I've even betrayed the School of Arts."

He betrayed them without a shred of guilt – because finally, he could legitimately play basketball with Shen Zhi.

During the league, the School of Economics made it to the finals, where they competed for the championship against the School of Physical Education. The opposing team's power forward, Qian Hanghan, was a tough opponent, tall and strong. In his first year, he had played as a guard and had played a few games against Xu Yan, losing each time. This had left him with a grudge, and he repeatedly sought a rematch, but Xu Yan, who avoided trouble whenever possible, always brushed him off with a smile. Xu Yan knew there was a high chance he would face Qian Hanghan in this tournament. There was no avoiding it. If they had to compete, he preferred it to be in a big event like this, where at least it would be in front of a large audience, losing would feel justified, and winning would be satisfying.

However, he hadn't expected that after just a year off the court, Qian Hanghan would play such a dirty game.

By half-time, the two teams were barely tied, but their point guard had taken a fall while running the perimeter. Everyone knew how that fall happened; the referee called a foul, and Shen Zhi went up to take the free throw, sinking a steady three-pointer.

During the half-time break, Xu Yan stood on the court, calculating the positions. He had to play as both small forward and shooting guard while also keeping an eye on Qian Hanghan, which left no room for relaxation. With his mouth full of water that he'd forgotten to swallow, Xu Yan's cheeks puffed out as he stared at the court. Suddenly, he felt a poke on his face and turned around, only to find it was Shen Zhi.

Xu Yan immediately swallowed the water and looked up at him, unsure how to react.

Shen Zhi sat down beside him and said, "You're very tense."

"A little," Xu Yan hadn't been nervous initially, but now he was genuinely on edge. He rubbed his face, feeling a slight tingling where Shen Zhi had poked him. "We've made it this far, of course, I'm nervous."

Shen Zhi nodded. Just then, the whistle blew, signalling it was time to return to the court. Xu Yan stood up, and Shen Zhi followed suit. As they stepped onto the court, the noise around them was deafening, but Xu Yan clearly heard Shen Zhi softly say, "Just don't get hurt. It's okay if we lose."

For some reason, hearing that made Xu Yan's nerves disappear, but it also made him determined to win this game at all costs.

The second half was intense, with tempers flaring. Qian Hanghan's provocative looks and underhanded tactics made Xu Yan want to curse out loud multiple times, but he bit his tongue and held back. In the final two minutes, the outcome was almost certain, but Xu Yan stubbornly wanted to widen the gap. He found an opening to shoot from the perimeter, too focused to react when Qian Hanghan charged at him. A teammate cursed "fuck" under his breath, and Xu Yan twisted his body to pass the ball to Shen Zhi – only to find him standing right in front of him, blocking Qian Hanghan entirely.

After the muffled sound of a body collision, Shen Zhi fell to the ground, propping himself up with his hand.

The sharp whistle blew, and Xu Yan saw Shen Zhi clutching his wrist as he lay on his side, his face quickly turning pale, a vein bulging on his forehead, he was clearly in excruciating pain. The crowd's screams and his teammates' curses were all a blur. Xu Yan couldn't think, his blood boiling, and his heart about to explode from his chest. He immediately threw the ball aside and swung a punch at Qian Hanghan's mouth – only to be stopped by a still-clear-headed teammate.

Everyone was furious, but fighting in public would result in disciplinary action, regardless of the reason. Even after being restrained, Xu Yan hadn't calmed down. His eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched, ready to charge forward. He didn't utter a single curse but was determined to throw punches... Later, his teammates described him as looking like a mad dog at that moment.

Shen Zhi suffered a fractured right hand and was taken to the medical room for emergency treatment. His teammates gathered around, except for one person – Shen Zhi looked around and asked, "Where's Xu Yan?"

"No idea," his teammates exchanged puzzled glances. "He was just here."

"Fuck, did he go after Qian Hanghan?! When you fell, Yan Yan went crazy. If we hadn't stopped him, he would have beaten Qian Hanghan to death."

Shen Zhi paused for a second, then suddenly got up, his wrist throbbing in pain. He frowned and said, "I'm going to find him."

"Sit down!" the school nurse ordered sternly. "Your teacher has already gone to get the car, and you're going straight to the hospital. Your hand is in this state, and you're still running around. If you want to have permanent damage, just say so!"

"Help me find him," Shen Zhi looked up and said.

"Oh, oh, got it!" Three teammates rushed out, while Shen Zhi's frown deepened, his face pale as cold sweat ran down his face from the pain.

Behind the basketball court, by the wall, Qian Hanghan stood in front of Xu Yan, looking at him mockingly. "You've come to my door, so anxious to stand up for Shen Zhi, are you his dog?"

Xu Yan was initially furious, but when he heard that last sentence, his mind suddenly drifted – he imagined himself wearing a collar, being held by Shen Zhi. It was so novel, so thrilling, that it almost short-circuited his brain. After a long moment, he snapped back to reality, stared into Qian Hanghan's eyes, and answered, "Yeah, so what?"

Qian Hanghan, probably encountering someone admitting such a thing so straightforwardly for the first time, was momentarily stunned. His expression quickly turned to extreme disgust as he spat, "You're fucking disgusting."

Xu Yan didn't bother with more words. While Qian Hanghan was still caught up in his disgust, Xu Yan gathered all his strength and swung a punch straight at him.

"Someone like you isn't even qualified to be Shen Zhi's dog," Xu Yan coldly said, looking down at Qian Hanghan, who lay on the ground, his nose bleeding.

Later, Xu Yan found his way to the hospital. Shen Zhi's condition wasn't looking good, his right hand, already injured before, had suffered another fracture this time, requiring surgery to insert a metal plate. When Xu Yan arrived, Shen Zhi was still in the operating room. Xu Yan glanced at the door before leaving – to buy lunch for him.

Upon returning, Xu Yan entered the hospital room. Shen Zhi was alone, and as their eyes met, Xu Yan felt his throat tighten. He asked, "Where are the others?"

"I told them to go eat. It's not a big deal, no need for them to starve while waiting around," Shen Zhi replied.

Xu Yan nodded, slowly walking to the bedside with the takeout bag. He looked at the bandage on Shen Zhi's hand, feeling an overwhelming mix of emotions that was hard to describe, heartache, sadness, frustration, guilt... He knew that in that situation, Shen Zhi would have stepped in no matter who it was. So, he would rather it hadn't been him, that way he wouldn't feel so guilty facing Shen Zhi now.

"I'm sorry," Xu Yan murmured.

Shen Zhi seemed not to hear him, giving Xu Yan a once-over before concluding, "You got into a fight."

Xu Yan didn't deny it, nodding. Shen Zhi then asked, "Did you lose?"

"?" Xu Yan didn't react immediately, hesitating before he answered, "I won."

"Winning is good." Shen Zhi glanced at the chair beside the bed and said, "Sit down."

Xu Yan obediently sat down, and as he did, he realised that Qian Hanghan was right, he was indeed like Shen Zhi's dog.

He stared at Shen Zhi's injured hand – it was because of him. If Shen Zhi ever wanted to use that hand to hold a leash, Xu Yan was sure he wouldn't hesitate to put on a collar himself, letting Shen Zhi lead him however he wanted... Xu Yan's mind wandered as he busied himself with unpacking the takeout. Suddenly, Shen Zhi reached out, pressing a long finger onto a bruise on Xu Yan's knee – the result of his earlier fight with Qian Hanghan.

"Hiss–" Xu Yan immediately recoiled, wincing in pain as he looked up at Shen Zhi in alarm, not understanding why he would press on his injury like that.

As he looked up, their eyes met again. Shen Zhi's gaze was unreadable, but Xu Yan somehow felt a sense of pressure. Before he could process it, Shen Zhi pressed on the spot again, making Xu Yan grunt in pain. Instinctively, he asked, "Does it make you happy to see me in pain?"

A typical person might say something like, "Of course not, I just wanted to see if it was serious," or, if they were close, they might tease, "Yeah, it does." But Shen Zhi paused, then replied, "I don't know."

The answer was unclear yet seemed earnest, as if it had been thought over. The problem was that Xu Yan couldn't understand why there was anything to think about in the first place, it made no sense at all.

"I'll transfer the medical expenses to you," Xu Yan said as he placed the takeout on the table and unwrapped the chopsticks.

"It wasn't you who pushed me."

"But you..." Xu Yan wanted to say that Shen Zhi had been hurt protecting him, but then he realised that even if it hadn't been him, Shen Zhi probably would have stepped in without hesitation. So, he changed his words, "But it was me he was aiming for."

"Regardless, you weren't the one who hit me," Shen Zhi brushed the topic aside and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"No."

"Then you eat. My hand hurts, so I don't have much of an appetite, I'll just have some soup." Shen Zhi didn't mention that his family had already arranged for a meal to be delivered, only saying, "You played basketball all morning, you must be hungry."

There was a sense of being cared for – but Xu Yan only felt more guilty. He handed Shen Zhi the spoon, carefully lifting the soup bowl to Shen Zhi's mouth. "I'll hold it for you while you drink."

He looked as though he were offering a sacred tribute, his gaze sincere. Shen Zhi lowered his eyes, then turned his gaze aside and said, "Just put it on the table. Eat your own food."

"Oh, okay."

The room was very quiet, partly because Shen Zhi wasn't much of a talker, and partly because of their relationship – they were close but not too close, and Xu Yan was feeling guilty. The tension made it so that even eating didn't bring much comfort, yet Xu Yan wanted to stay with Shen Zhi a little longer.

Within half an hour, their teammates returned from lunch, along with the food Shen Zhi's family had sent over. The room suddenly became noisy, and Xu Yan watched blankly as the new dishes were placed on the table. He was nearly lifted off the ground by his teammates, who tugged at his limbs, asking if he'd gotten into a fight with Qian Hanghan, if he'd been beaten up... Xu Yan nodded and shook his head mechanically.

No wonder Shen Zhi said he didn't have much of an appetite, he knew his family would send food, so he only had some soup.

There were still classes in the afternoon, so Xu Yan got up and left with his teammates. They all told Shen Zhi to rest well, leaving Xu Yan with nothing more to say, he simply waved at Shen Zhi.

Standing among the crowd, his wave was small, and under normal circumstances, Shen Zhi wouldn't even notice him while talking to another teammate.

But Shen Zhi turned his face slightly, making eye contact with Xu Yan over a few heads, and nodded at him.

Alright. Xu Yan's mind went blank. As he turned to leave with the others, he even smiled foolishly – Shen Zhi's habitual politeness always gave him the illusion that he was being treated differently.

It was this illusion that kept Xu Yan completely captivated, deeply hooked, while Shen Zhi himself was likely unaware of it.

———

The author has something to say:

Shen Zhi: Gotta find a way to take care of that brute who bullied my wife (just kidding).

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: October 14, 2024 by Angel

Edited: October 27, 2024 by Angel