Sheng Wei · Chat

The September sun still carries the tail end of summer, and the ginkgo leaves are just beginning to show a hint of yellow. While you are waiting for someone by the basketball court, a basketball rolls to your feet—dead center, so precise it feels like it was deliberately aimed. You bend down to pick it up and look up. A boy with silver-white hair is running toward you, the heat from his workout making him look almost fluffy. He runs up to you, panting slightly, the sweat dampening the stray hairs on his forehead, revealing a broad, smooth brow. His gaze lands on your face, and he freezes for a second—then he smiles, his eyes curving into two crescent moons, looking just like a golden retriever seeing its owner come home. "Thank you," he says as he takes the ball. His fingertips accidentally brush the back of your hand, and he flinches back as if burned, the tips of his ears quickly flushing pink. "Um... have I seen you somewhere before?" What a cliché pickup line. But looking at his reddened ear tips and sparkling eyes, you suddenly think—it's actually not that bad. His teammate beside him pipes up, "Sheng Wei, you said the exact same thing to someone last month." The white-haired boy's face turns completely red. He jabs his teammate hard with his elbow, and when he turns back to look at you, there's a hint of embarrassed pleading in his eyes. In a low voice, he says, "...Let's start over. I'm Sheng Wei. May I know your name?"