Xie He followed the direction of the voice and finally fixed his gaze on Shi Xing. He frowned and looked her up and down.
“You’re a team doctor too?”

“I just started today,” Shi Xing explained.

Xie He couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t kid me. You have zero experience. Do you think this is child’s play?”

As soon as he said that, the people present looked at Shi Xing with unconcealed disdain.

At that moment, Ji Yu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
“Let her try. I trust her.”

His gaze was firm, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Xie He stared at him in surprise, as if wanting to say, Bro, are you serious?
But since Ji Yu had spoken, no one else dared to object.

Shi Xing walked over to him and slowly lifted his shirt halfway, revealing a large expanse of pale skin. She began by gently massaging his lower back. When her hands touched his body, she could clearly feel how frighteningly hot his skin was.

Next, she pressed firmly on the Weizhong acupoint to help relax his tense muscles. Throughout the process, he never cried out in pain, but his breathing noticeably grew heavier.

By the time she finished the massage, the ambulance had arrived.

At the hospital, the doctor performed a preliminary examination on Ji Yu and then asked, “Did you do any rehabilitation treatment before bringing him here?”

“Just some basic massage,” Shi Xing replied.

The doctor nodded. “That massage was very timely. If you hadn’t done it, he might have been paralyzed for the rest of his life.”

Everyone present sucked in a sharp breath. None of them had expected Ji Yu’s injury to be that serious.

After the doctor left, Xie He walked over to Shi Xing. He kept sneaking glances at her, then quickly looking away. After a long while, he lowered his head awkwardly and said, “Sorry. I was really too anxious just now.”

Shi Xing shook her head. She knew he hadn’t meant any real harm—he was just overly worried about Ji Yu.

After the examination, Ji Yu stayed in the hospital. Xie He asked Shi Xing to remain and help take care of him, while the rest of the team returned to training.

Shi Xing went back into the ward. This was the first time she and Ji Yu had been alone together since their breakup. The room felt oppressively quiet, wrapped in silence, with only the ticking of the wall clock filling the air.

Finally, Ji Yu broke the silence.

“I’m a little hungry.”

“What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it,” Shi Xing asked.

Ji Yu casually listed a few dishes. At the end, he paused and looked at her with an unreadable expression.
“And bring me a bottle of jasmine honey tea.”

Shi Xing froze. Memories flooded back, pulling her into the scene of their first meeting.

That year, Jinggang City hosted the Universiade to showcase its spirit and boost international recognition. Many college students volunteered enthusiastically. Shi Xing, then a junior, signed up after being dragged along by Ying Xiaoxiao.

She was assigned to maintain order outside the badminton arena near her university.

It was midsummer—scorching sun, incessant cicadas, even the wind carrying a burning heat. Shi Xing had no idea how long she’d been standing there; it felt as though a layer of heat hovered over her head, while a fine sheen of sweat covered her neck.

After the competition had been underway for a while, the supervisors finally allowed them to move around nearby.

Under the blazing sun, she went into a convenience store. A badminton match replay was playing on the screen. She glanced up just as the commentator was introducing the players.

Her attention was quickly drawn to a boy wearing black-and-white sportswear. On court, he was agile and energetic, showcasing flawless skills—smashes, drops, high clears. Sweat streamed down his face to his collarbone. He casually lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his sweat, unintentionally revealing sharply defined abs, prompting squeals from some of the female spectators.

Shi Xing quickly looked away and went to the refrigerator. As she stood on tiptoe to reach a bottle of jasmine honey tea on the top shelf, a pair of well-defined hands grabbed it for her.

She looked up. The boy’s refined features came into view, gradually overlapping with the face on the screen. At that moment, her earphones happened to be playing Møme & Ricky Ducati. A light breeze passed, carrying a faint minty scent from him into her senses. Her heart raced as she lifted her gaze and met his pitch-black eyes.

Ji Yu had taken two bottles. He handed one to her and kept the other as he headed to the counter.

“Thank you,” Shi Xing said, snapping back to her senses. When she took the drink, her fingers brushed his—cool to the touch.

He lifted his eyes slightly, nodded, and walked toward the register.

Standing at the doorway, Shi Xing watched his retreating figure. Somewhere in her heart, ripples quietly spread.

Later, she even searched for him online and learned that his name was Ji Yu, a freshman at the neighboring sports university.

From then on, whenever Ying Xiaoxiao dragged her to watch matches at that university, Shi Xing always carried a faint sense of anticipation—
anticipating their next meeting.

When Shi Xing came back to herself, she realized Ji Yu was watching her, his dark eyes revealing nothing.

She nodded, went downstairs to the cafeteria, bought several meat dishes for him, and picked up a bottle of jasmine honey tea.

Back in the ward, Ji Yu lay on the bed, staring straight at the TV across from him, lost in thought.

Shi Xing set the food on the table. His right hand was hooked up to an IV, and his left hand was clumsy. Several times he nearly knocked over the lunch boxes.

After the umpteenth near spill, Shi Xing instinctively took the chopsticks and brought a bite of food to his mouth.

Ji Yu froze for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth and ate.

The back-and-forth between them felt strangely natural.

That was when Xie He finished training and came to visit. As soon as he pushed the door open and saw their rather “intimate” interaction, he cleared his throat.
“Hey, watch your influence.”

Startled, Shi Xing almost dropped the chopsticks. Ji Yu, however, looked unconcerned—if anything, slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

Shi Xing glanced up and saw Xie He eyeing them meaningfully.

“Looks like I came at the wrong time,” Xie He said, turning to leave.

Shi Xing immediately understood his implication and realized what she had just done. Her face flushed bright red, the color spreading all the way to her ears.

She set the chopsticks down and said to Xie He at the door, “I have something to take care of. I’ll head back first.”

She cast a complicated look at Ji Yu before quickly leaving the ward.

Xie He watched her go and was about to tease Ji Yu when he met Ji Yu’s icy gaze and instantly shut up.

“Want me to feed you?” Xie He asked cautiously.

“Get lost.”

That night, after showering and lying in bed, Shi Xing couldn’t stop replaying the day’s events. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt, and she ended up wide awake.

It wasn’t until three in the morning—after countless phone unlocks—that she turned to look at the steady rain outside her window, her heart a tangle of emotions.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of raindrops hitting the ground, she finally drifted off.

At dawn, as the night faded and thin mist lingered, sunlight streamed through her window and woke her.

After quickly getting ready, Shi Xing went to the race-walking training base. The female athletes greeted her before returning to their routines.

Captain Liu Yu sat down beside her and handed her a bottle of water. “Is Ji Yu okay?” she asked worriedly.

Shi Xing shook her head. “The doctor says he’s fine for now. He’s staying in the hospital for observation.”

After chatting briefly, Liu Yu resumed training. Not long after, an accident happened—she strained her knee during practice. Shi Xing hurried over to check on her.

As Shi Xing gently pressed on Liu Yu’s knee, a pained cry came from across. The injury was far more serious than she’d expected.

After giving Liu Yu basic treatment, Shi Xing checked the medical kit and realized she was missing a specific medication. She ran to the infirmary.

Inside, Xiao Liu handed her a flurbiprofen gel patch. At that moment, an unwelcome visitor walked in.

Shi Xing turned around and saw Song Lin—the same guy from the registration desk yesterday. He also noticed her and shot her a sideways glare before saying to Xiao Liu, “Find me a flurbiprofen gel patch.”

Xiao Liu looked awkwardly at Shi Xing. “The last one was just taken by Xiao Xing. How about another medication, or you wait a bit? A new supply will arrive soon.”

Later, Shi Xing learned that because of their argument at registration, Song Lin had been publicly criticized by Yu Jing. Being extremely vindictive, he now held a grudge against her.

Sure enough, when he heard there was no medicine left, he snorted coldly and rudely called out to Shi Xing as she was about to leave.
“Hey, give me yours. You can use something else.”

Amused by his audacity, Shi Xing stopped and asked, “Why should I?”

“It’s simple,” Song Lin said nonchalantly. “I used to be a race-walking team doctor too. Training intensity over there isn’t that high. Injuries won’t be serious. You’ll get the same effect with another medicine.”

Not wanting to engage further, Shi Xing quickened her pace toward the door.

Song Lin blocked her path, narrowing his eyes as he asked in a judgmental tone, “If you insist on this, then let’s settle old scores. Where did you go yesterday afternoon?”

Shi Xing explained, “A badminton team member was injured, so I went to help. I also asked someone to apply for leave on my behalf.”

Song Lin sneered. “You helped out all afternoon? I didn’t hear about any injuries. You can’t even manage your own team and yet you want to interfere with others’? And no one received any leave request from you.”

The string of pointed questions was clearly targeted.

Shi Xing knew he was still hung up on yesterday, but she replied politely, “It was my fault to take leave on the first day. You can punish me however you want. But please step aside now—my athlete is still waiting for me.”

Song Lin hadn’t expected such bluntness. He snorted. “You really should be punished. Otherwise people might think our team doctors are poorly managed.”

Then he dragged out his words deliberately:
“In that case, go submit your resignation to HR later.”

By now, several staff members nearby had been drawn in by the argument, stealing glances during their break.

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