The moment the guy opened his mouth, Lin Yi knew he didn't stand a chance.
The guy was quite handsome, giving off a bit of a cute puppy vibe, but unfortunately, he had to open his mouth and ruin it.
Shooting baskets was actually not hard at all?
Did that mean Yu Shanshan just sucked?
Sure enough, Yu Shanshan didn't even spare him a glance.
The puppy's expression turned somewhat awkward, while a few younger schoolmates stood off to the side, snickering. This puppy had clearly come here for Senior Shanshan, and seeing him get rebuffed naturally made them happy inside.
"Lin Yi, help me out."
Yu Shanshan walked up to Lin Yi. With so many people watching, it would be too embarrassing if she still couldn't make a shot.
"How am I supposed to help?"
Lin Yi was at his wit's end. He had already taught her everything he could, but Yu Shanshan just couldn't make the shot—what else could he do?
"Is it because I'm too short?" Yu Shanshan bit her lip. She was only 1.65 meters tall; if she were as tall as Lin Yi, she figured she would have made it in by now.
"It has nothing to do with height."
"How does it not?"
A hint of a smile crept into Yu Shanshan's eyes. It seemed she had thought of a way.
"What do you have in mind?" Lin Yi suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Hehe, squat down."
"What are you doing?"
"Are you going to squat or not? If you don't, I'm not helping you with your homework tonight."
"What on earth are you trying to do?"
After pulling back and forth for a while, Lin Yi finally compromised.
"Lift me up." Yu Shanshan hugged the basketball and walked up to Lin Yi.
"..."
Lin Yi was stunned. In broad daylight, with so many fellow students around—was this really appropriate?
"Hurry up, I'm definitely going to make this shot today," Yu Shanshan urged.
Lin Yi gritted his teeth. *Whatever, Yu Shanshan isn't even embarrassed, why am I overthinking it?*
Seeing what they were doing, the surrounding students were struck dumb with astonishment.
"So high~" Yu Shanshan didn't feel the least bit embarrassed; if anything, she was rather excited.
"Don't wiggle around." Lin Yi was genuinely terrified she might fall.
"Quit being so bossy, move closer."
Although Yu Shanshan still wasn't quite as tall as the basketball hoop, she was close enough now. This time, she was bound to make it.
"Stop. Don't move."
*Swish*—
The basketball bounced on the rim a few times and finally dropped in.
"Are you happy now?"
"Do it again."
"..."
Lin Yi wore a look of utter despair. She really was terrible at this yet obsessed with playing.
The puppy glanced at Yu Shanshan and turned away.
Seeing him leave, the younger students couldn't help but chuckle. Trying to curry favor only to be ignored and fed a mouthful of dog food—it really was hilarious.
It wasn't until Yu Shanshan had played to her heart's content that Lin Yi finally put her down.
***
When you are truly absorbed in something, you realize there is never enough time. In the blink of an eye, it was time to leave school again.
Tomorrow was the weekend, and Old Hu started his lecture once more. Ever since entering the third year of high school, this kind of lecture was repeated every single week.
It was nothing more than the same old cliché: "Don't just think about playing during the break."
Lin Yi pushed his electric scooter, with Yu Shanshan trailing right behind him.
As soon as they cleared the school gates, Yu Shanshan hopped right on the back, not forgetting to grab hold of Lin Yi's school uniform.
"Are art schools hard to get into?"
"They're all right, I suppose. Have you thought about where you want to go to college?" There was an unnoticeable hint of strangeness in Yu Shanshan's voice.
"Haven't thought about it yet, I'll figure it out when the time comes." It was still too far off to say. Naturally, if he scored well, Lin Yi would choose a better university.
"Oh." Yu Shanshan felt a little disappointed. Although she hadn't known Lin Yi for very long, she had been really happy spending time with him.
There was less than a month left before the college entrance examination, and she wondered if she would even have the chance to see him afterward.
When Lin Yi got home, he was surprised to find someone actually there.
Lin Jianye was sitting on the sofa, head bowed, smoking a cigarette.
Father and son still shared a resemblance. Even in middle age, Lin Jianye showed no signs of gaining weight—he was a proper middle-aged handsome man, save for his somewhat weathered skin.
"Dad." Lin Yi's eyes grew warm, and even his voice trembled slightly.
"You're back?" A slow smile emerged on Lin Jianye's face.
"Yeah. Where's Mom?" Lin Yi asked as he changed his shoes and glanced toward the kitchen.
"Your mom asked me to come back and check on you. She's still keeping an eye on things over there."
"Mm."
Lin Yi sat down on the sofa. His emotions were still somewhat stirred; when the car crash had happened in his past life, the only people he felt he had let down were his parents.
"I'm planning to partner with your Uncle Cui in a little while to start a food processing plant. If you manage to get into college, try to choose a related major so you can help manage things later on." Lin Jianye still held high expectations for Lin Yi.
"Mm." Lin Yi's gaze flickered. In his previous life, this really had happened. After the processing plant was built, it actually turned a good profit—right up until the pandemic broke out.
He still remembered that although his father had weathered the crisis in his past life, the losses had not been insignificant.
If he could, Lin Yi wanted to help his family. As for everything else, he was afraid he would be powerless to change it.
Would the butterfly effect happen?
Lin Yi hoped so. That disaster had claimed countless lives; just thinking about it made one's chest feel heavy.
"As long as you get into college, Dad will buy you a car." Lin Jianye completely missed his son's change in expression, his mind entirely consumed by the processing plant.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely get in." Lin Yi pulled his thoughts back. There were two and a half years left—if possible, he really wanted to do something.
"When the time comes, I'll call your second uncle and your aunt over. I want them to see for themselves that I, Lin Jianye's son, can get into college on his own merits."
Lin Jianye's voice carried a hint of agitation. Those two hadn't spared any effort in giving his son the cold shoulder, and whenever he thought of their smug faces, his anger flared up.
He, Lin Jianye, lacked culture and just raised animals; they could look down on him if they wanted, but what right did they have to look down on his son?
"Mm." Lin Yi could understand his father's feelings. Reality was often more absurd than fiction, and the attitudes of his aunt and second uncle were truly loathsome.
His grandparents had passed away early, leaving his father as the eldest of the siblings. Back then, his father clearly had the opportunity to attend high school, but out of consideration for his younger siblings, he had gone out to work instead.
This sacrifice of his had never been acknowledged by his brother and sister.
Both his second uncle and aunt were doing quite well for themselves. Years ago, his second uncle had leased some fish ponds, and when the land was later cleared for redevelopment, he struck it rich overnight.
Coupled with his shrewdness, his family fortune grew steadily thicker, making him a bit full of himself—the quintessential nouveau riche.
Although his aunt's family wasn't as wealthy as his second uncle's, her husband was a government official. Perhaps following her husband's lead, his aunt loved putting on the airs of an official's wife.
Lin Yi still remembered when he was little and went to play at his second uncle's house. He was having a great time and wanted to stay a little longer.
His second uncle had told him: "Time to go home, don't your parents worry."
So Lin Yi went home. Once outside, he realized he had forgotten his homework and turned back, only to find his second uncle's family chugging down watermelon.
Even though he was young then, he seemed to understand something. He didn't go in; he just turned around and left.
His aunt was no better. One had money, the other had power, and in their eyes, his father was nothing more than a peasant who raised pigs.
He had to get into college—not just for himself, but for his parents as well.
The father and son went to a nearby restaurant for a meal. Afterward, Lin Jianye headed back to the breeding farm, not forgetting to transfer some money to his son before he left.
Back home, Lin Yi silently opened his test papers. With less than a month left before the college entrance examination, only redoubled effort could live up to his parents' expectations.