I found people who accepted me

Ying Xuan and Shi Weiwei waited for Su Shaoyan before heading to lunch.

He had insisted on showering, saying, "Look at all this sweat. I'll be damned if I'm seeing walking around in so much sweat."

He had also insisted on showering in his own room, not in the gym building.

So the two stood outside the boys' dorms and chatted while waiting.

Soon Shaoyan walked out, wearing a khakhi coloured kapri and a light pink skinny t-shirt.

He walked out, running his fingers through his freshly washed brown curls, saying, "Thank you ladies. Your prince has arrived. You needn't wait any more."

Ying Xuan looked at him and shook her head and Shi Weiwei chuckled. Seeing Xuan shake her head, Su Shaoyan stopped in his tracks. He said, "What? Something wrong with my outfit?"

Ying Xuan signed, 'No. Your outfit is perfect. You look like a model on a runway.'

As a grin spread across Shaoyan's face, Xuan continued, 'But the instant you open your mouth, everything is ruined.'

Su Shaoyan ran towards Shi Weiwei and hugged her, pretend weeping, "Weiwei, Xuan is so cruel. Come on, comfort my poor heart."

Shi Weiwei laughed as she patted his back.

Ying Xuan chuckled and began to walk towards the cafeteria.

On the way, Weiwei asked, "Hey Shaoyan? Do you mind if I ask something?"

Su Shaoyan: "Ask away, my doll. Ask away."

Shi Weiwei: "You were here at college last year too, right?"

Su Shaoyan nodded.

Weiwei: "Then why aren't you in second year? Why are you in the same year as us?"

Su Shaoyan: "Well, I wasn't able to give the exams."

Shi Weiwei: "What happened?"

Su Shaoyan was reluctant to answer, "Circumstances."

The atmosphere turned a little awkward, Ying Xuan signed, changing the topic, 'If you were here last year too, why weren't you in the athletic team?'

Su Shaoyan rubbed his nose, "Well, I attract a lot of attention, as you girls have seen. And well, I was kind of....I kind of hated to attract any more attention."

Shi Weiwei tilted her head, "What changed this year?"

Su Shaoyan looked at the two of them and said, his eyes glistening, "I found people who accepted me."

Both Ying Xuan and Shi Weiwei understood. They smiled and the two headed for lunch.

During lunch, no matter how Shaoyan and Weiwei had insisted, Ying Xuan was not able to eat much. She felt like she was about to throw up and could not stomach anything.

Su Shaoyan had whispered in Weiwei's ear as they were heading for the basketball trials, "I'm glad my trial took place before lunch."

Shi Weiwei nodded.

The basketball trials took place, and as expected, Ying Xuan aced them. The boys who had said that it would be nice to have pretty faces on the team in the morning stood with their mouths open, looking so funny, that Shi Weiwei had to turn away and cover her mouth not to seem rude.

In the boys' trials, Wei Jingyu played good. Though he was not as outstanding as he was in volleyball, he still made it in the team of five.

Jingyu walked over to Xuan when he was selected and said, "Looking forward to seeing you in training."

Though Xuan mouthed 'blockhead', there was a smile on her lips.