A Young Woman's Heart

A gentle breeze blew by, and the leaves swayed softly along with the branches. From a distance, it looked like a windmill turning.

On the basketball court, the boys finally had time to relax, bumping into each other and sweating. However, the cement surface was a bit rough, and if they fell, they could easily scrape off a large patch of skin.

Therefore, the players were noticeably more restrained when they played compared to playing on a proper basketball court at school.

—There were clearly more three-pointers being shot and fewer rebounders being grabbed.

Li Hongran lay on a large rock at the edge of the square, dappled sunlight filtering through the gaps in the green leaves and falling on him.

"Old Li." An Ruosu, with her delicate features and fair skin, walked up to him, covered in sweat, and gently nudged his foot that was dangling on the ground. "Why aren't you playing ball?"

Sometimes... I don't feel like playing ball.

"That's really strange."

"Haha, I guess I'm just too tired from studying, so I just want to rest. Besides, I played basketball during the fourth period, so I won't have any appetite for dinner later."

"This isn't like you."

“People change, you know,” Li Hongran said, squinting at An Ruosu.

"Huh? So when did you start liking men?"

"Damn, that's absolutely impossible!" Li Hongran sat up abruptly.

Making jokes about homosexuality is perfectly normal, especially between men and women.

On the contrary, the less people have those kinds of thoughts, the more they like to make these kinds of jokes.

So sometimes, making these kinds of jokes on purpose is actually a kind of disguise for An Ruosu.

"Isn't it boring to just sit here?"

"Come on, feel the breeze. How can you be bored? It's quite refreshing." Li Hongran patted the empty seat next to her. "Come on, Susu, sit down."

"What, do you want to sit on my lap? Hahaha—come on, come baby!" Li Hongran deliberately made a few hip thrusting movements and even let out two very seductive heavy breaths.

“Come on!” An Ruosu retorted, not to be outdone.

"Haha, stop fooling around, I'm a little tired and don't want to move." Li Hongran patted the empty seat next to her again. "Sit down, sit down, wouldn't it be nice to get some fresh air?"

"Ah."

"I plan to join the army after graduation, what about Susu?"

"...Me? I graduated normally..."

"You weren't selected? That shouldn't be the case."

"They haven't called me for the military physical examination yet."

"Haha, I already passed the military physical exam when I went back to my hometown last winter break." Li Hongran flexed her muscles. "Passed without a doubt!"

Are you planning to become a conscript?

"It's definitely not just that. If you have the chance, you should stay in the military, right? At the very least, you should become a sergeant or junior officer or something." Li Hongran grabbed An Ruosu's hand and made him place it on her biceps, asking smugly, "How about it? Hard, isn't it awesome?"

"Is your brain also filled with muscles?" An Ruosu gave him a helpless glare.

"Hey Susu, don't look at me like that, it's so seductive."

"...It's not my fault that I'm handsome."

"Damn, so what if you're a gigolo!" Li Hongran said, then pretended to burst into tears. "Damn it, I'm so envious! I want to be a gigolo too!"

"...Don't worry, there will always be women who like you."

"I think that makes sense. A man as secure as me, how come no girls are pursuing me? They're so damn ungrateful!"

“Yes.” An Ruosu wholeheartedly agreed with this.

Li Hongran was very pleased with his affirmative answer. Just as she was about to change the subject, a badminton shuttlecock flew from a distance and slammed into his forehead.

But he acted as if nothing had happened, without even a mark on his face.

"Old Li! Throw it over here!" Yu Zi, who was nearly 1.8 meters tall, swung his badminton racket vigorously from a distance. He was not interested in playing basketball and often hung out with girls to play badminton.

"Throw it to me! Throw it to me! I'm serving!" Chen Mengqi waved vigorously.

Li Hongran glanced at the two people and decided to pass the ball to a third person.

"Kang Yang, catch it!"

"Huh? Me? Ah! Old Li, did you hit me on the forehead on purpose?! It wasn't me who missed!"

"Hahaha, it doesn't hurt!" Li Hongran laughed, then looked away. "Sigh, Susu, if you were to join the army, it would be great if we could be assigned to the same place."

"You wish! It's not that simple."

"Tsk tsk."

What kind of soldier do you want to be?

"I'll do whatever I can, but if I had the chance, I'd like to try being a pilot."

"You're too big, you probably won't fit in the cockpit, right?"

"Damn, airplane cockpits aren't that cramped these days, are they?" Li Hongran actually considered this possibility.

……

(two)

Huang Yuxi held the sliced ​​watermelon that Ye Wen had bought and handed it out to her classmates on the playground.

When he got to Li Hongran and An Ruosu, he brought over two large pieces in one go.

"Hey!" His little face was full of a bright smile, and his somewhat feminine features had a touch of heroism—which seemed much more pronounced than they had been two years ago.

Perhaps it's because men become more masculine with age.

Of course, no matter what, she can't compare to Li Hongran.

Actually, Li Hongran didn't like Huang Yuxi very much at first.

I always feel uncomfortable seeing a guy acting effeminate.

But Huang Yuxi is indeed simple and kind, and she doesn't wallow in self-pity. She's always very sunny, which gradually makes Li Hongran's prejudice fade away.

Although he still often didn't know how to view him.

If one had to assign him a gender in their mind, Li Hongran would definitely put him in the genderless category.

"Thank you." An Ruosu smiled and nodded, gently ruffling his hair. He didn't resist and even patted her hand with a light laugh.

"No wonder girls like him so much, he's just as cute as a fluffy little animal..." Li Hongran sighed softly.

"What?" An Ruosu didn't hear clearly.

He was about to say "it's nothing" when a basketball came flying straight at him.

Judging from the arc of its descent, its target is probably the back of Huang Yuxi's head.

He wouldn't mind being hit, but Huang Yuxi, with her small arms and legs, definitely wouldn't be able to take it.

Li Hongran only had time to shout "Damn it!" before she half-stood up, and with a sudden swing of her thick arm, she sent the ball spinning back.

"Damn, what kind of lucky spot is this? The balls all land here!" Li Hongran cursed, raising her voice. "Hey, you guys, watch your game!"

"Old Li, come and fight!"

"I'm not fighting today!" Li Hongran waved her hand and sat down again.

Huang Yuxi then realized what had just happened: "Thank you!"

"It's nothing, just a small favor. But you'd better be careful."

"Okay!" He turned around and ran back to Ye Wen, ready to deliver the watermelons to the other students.

Li Hongran picked up the sliced ​​watermelon that Huang Yuxi had given her and took a bite.

It's sweet and refreshing, not greasy at all, and helps cool you down in the summer.

On a sunny summer day, this is the perfect fruit.

"Damn, that's awesome! One piece isn't enough!"

"Then I'll share half with you?"

"No, no... Ah, watermelon is such a good thing, it's refreshing and cheap."

"That's not necessarily true. I've heard that watermelons are very expensive in Japan."

"Haha, the Japanese are short of supplies, so things must be expensive!" Li Hongran couldn't help but show a hint of pride when talking about the vastness and abundance of her country.

"Maybe in the future, our watermelons will be as expensive as they are over there."

"How is that possible!"

"Labor costs are going to rise gradually."

Li Hongran laughed at An Ruosu: "What a worrywart! With such a large plot of land, no matter how much the price goes up, things will still be cheap. Besides, wages will definitely go up by then!"

An Ruosu remained silent, only gently shaking her head.

……

(three)

The meal was eaten in the classroom, so An Ruosu was sitting next to Li Hongran as always.

"It's so hot, I don't feel like I have much of an appetite..." An Ruosu picked up the pork chop but put it down again. "I'd rather have some watermelon..."

"You're not even eating the pork chop? Oh my god." Li Hongran swallowed the meat in her mouth in one gulp. "There's no convenience store here to buy you snacks."

"I can't eat. I feel sick of meat." An Ruosu wiped the sweat from her fair forehead and glanced at Li Hongran. "Old Li, do you want some vegetarian chicken? I'll trade you pork chops for your vegetarian chicken."

“Sure, I’ll definitely trade the vegetarian for the meat!” Li Hongran didn’t hesitate and immediately put the vegetarian chicken from her plate into An Ruosu’s plate.

"Oh my, the couple has such a good relationship, they're even exchanging food?" Hua Yinyin chuckled and squinted her eyes. She was the first person in the class to make the name 'Susu' known to everyone, and she especially liked to play matchmaker for the two of them.

Although most of the time it's just a joke.

An Ruosu felt a little embarrassed by what was said, and her chopsticks holding the pork chop loosened their grip.

"This is a normal exchange, okay? He doesn't eat meat, so he can trade with me!" Li Hongran argued loudly, giving the rest of the vegetarian chicken to An Ruosu.

The latter hesitated for a moment, but still put the pork chop into his bowl.