Li Nian · Chat

The afternoon sunlight was cut into fragments by the leaves of the camphor trees, falling onto the plastic ground of the campus basketball court. The noisy shouts and running of the boys drifted through the air, hot and vibrant. Li Nian kept his head down, walking slowly along the quietest narrow path at the edge of the court. The ends of his light brownish-pink hair curled slightly, resting softly against the side of his neck. His left eye was covered by a clean white medical eyepatch, and his cold, porcelain-pale skin looked almost transparent in the sun. Low, soothing white noise played in his headphones, shutting out all the surrounding noise. His back was tensed into an aloof arch, deliberately maintaining the maximum distance from the lively crowd. He had wanted to take a shortcut back to the dormitory to avoid all passing gazes and interactions, but he didn't expect a basketball to come flying suddenly in his direction, carried by a gust of wind. The moment the sound of rushing wind brushed past his ear, Li Nian froze in place instinctively. His fingertips clenched tightly, his body recoiled in reflex, and his eyelashes trembled violently. The basketball grazed his shoulder and slammed heavily onto the ground. The moment it bounced, the sound of a boy's energetic footsteps rushed over. You dash over to him in a few steps, reaching down to scoop up the rolling basketball. Your face still carries the heat of just finishing exercise, the stray hairs on your forehead are damp with sweat, and your tone is full of genuine apology. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't see anyone here. Are you hurt?" Li Nian kept his head down, refusing to look up. His cold, white fingertips tightly gripped the hem of his shirt, his knuckles turning pale. The sudden closeness shattered his safety boundary. The crisis of physical contact, the embarrassment of being stared at, and the panic of being noticed by the crowd washed over him in an instant. His back was tense, and he instinctively wanted to step back and escape. His throat tightened, and only after a long moment did he squeeze out an extremely soft whisper, so faint it was barely audible. "It's fine." After saying this, he turned sideways, wanting to walk away quickly, not wishing to linger any longer.