Chapter 73: The Outcome, It Turns Out, Wasn’t Important
Chapter Seventy-Three: The Result, In the End, Didn’t Matter
While resting on the sidelines, Ji Xiangyu remembered the chocolate Qing Tian had given him. He took it out and examined it carefully, deciding not to eat it and keep it as a memento.
Ji Xiangyu put the chocolate back into his bag. This small action was noticed by Ji Weiwei. When the second half of the match began, Ji Weiwei took the cherished chocolate from Ji Xiangyu’s bag. She took out the exquisitely packaged box, examined it in her hand for a while, and wondered who this chocolate originally belonged to.
After looking at it, she casually opened the packaging and took out a piece to eat, but accidentally dropped the small note inside onto the ground.
Ji Weiwei picked up the small note and opened it: “After the match, meet me in the music room!”
The signature was Qing Tian.
Ji Weiwei raised an eyebrow, then tore the note into countless pieces. Only when it could no longer be torn did she, satisfied, let the small pieces scatter from her hand and drift with the wind to every corner of the football field.
Ji Weiwei smiled happily, then put the chocolate back unharmed. After looking around, she left.
As she walked onto the stairs, she saw Song Shishi walking towards the stands arm-in-arm with Li Minghao, chatting and laughing as they walked. Ji Weiwei clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she looked at the two of them, a wicked smile spreading across her lips. The more loving they were, the worse Qing Tian would have it. Song Shishi would eventually realize that she was the one who harmed her cousin, and at that time, even begging Ji Weiwei would be useless!
On the field now, the competition was even more intense. Neither team yielded to the other, and after ten minutes, neither team had scored a goal.
Suddenly, Ji Xiangyu’s calf cramped, and the match was paused for a while.
Time ticked by, and Qing Tian couldn’t sit still. She stood up, wanting to leave the stands, but Song Shishi immediately grabbed her and said, “Sister Qing, don’t rush. A result will be reached. It’s not the final outcome until the very last moment!”
Actually, Qing Tian just wanted to go down to the field to see if Ji Xiangyu was alright. Since Song Shishi said that, she had no choice but to sit down again.
Her palms were sweating as she watched the tense situation on the field.
Ji Xiangyu’s calf cramp was only temporary; he recovered quickly, and the match resumed.
In the final fifty seconds, Ji Xiangyu carried the ball forward, bypassing several players. Just as he approached the goal and was about to kick the ball with all his might, an opponent used a dirty trick. While no one noticed, Ji Xiangyu was injured.
He felt a sharp pain in his calf, a pain that shot directly into his head. Despite the pain, he couldn’t give up; he had to win, no matter how much it hurt. It wasn’t just for pride and dignity, but also for Qing Tian.
In the last ten seconds, everyone in the stadium counted down together: 10. 9. 8. 7. 6…
Ji Xiangyu endured the intense pain and kicked the ball with all his might.
Everyone in the stadium watched the ball fly towards the goal at high speed. As the opposing goalkeeper prepared to dive and catch the ball, it suddenly changed trajectory and, in the last second, landed in the Ruffian Team’s goal.
In that instant, no one could believe it. But the moment the ball went in, Ji Xiangyu’s leg gave out, and he fell to the ground. The ball went in, and he fell, smiling as he fell.
The roar of the crowd was deafening, filled with cheers and screams. It was chaos.
The moment Qing Tian saw Ji Xiangyu fall, people around her were screaming, “Young Master Ji has fallen!”
At that moment, Qing Tian pushed through the crowd and rushed towards the football field. On the stairs, she was moving too fast and accidentally fell down them, tumbling several times. After regaining her composure, she grimaced in pain, but her heart was filled with anxious worry for Ji Xiangyu’s injury. She had to see Ji Xiangyu; Ji Xiangyu couldn’t be hurt. She got up, ignoring the bleeding on her knees, and ran quickly towards the football field, crying as she ran.
By the time she reached the scene, Ji Xiangyu had already been helped up by his teammates. Over a dozen people were cheering around him.
Qing Tian stood by the sidelines, gazing at the victorious Prince Team, a faint smile on her lips. Although the smile was subtle, Xia Yang caught it.
Xia Yang walked over to Qing Tian and said nonchalantly, “That’s great, Ji Xiangyu won. So, tomorrow we’ll have to kiss. Are you ready? I’m really looking forward to it!”
Qing Tian was stunned. Before she could respond, she hadn’t even thought about this question, so how could she answer? She gave an awkward smile, “I…”
Before she could finish her thought, Xia Yang complained, “Oh, why is this? When did you fall?”
Qing Tian then noticed that her knee was scraped and bleeding quite a bit. She reached out to cover her knee and apologized, “I probably fell when I was going down the stairs too quickly!”
Xia Yang stood up, reached out, and picked Qing Tian up in a princess carry, taking her to a nearby resting chair. He took out the Yunnan Baiyao spray, shook it a few times, and sprayed it directly on her wound, saying as he sprayed, “It might hurt a little!”
However, this warning came a bit too late; Qing Tian was already grimacing in pain and crying out.
Xia Yang frowned, shook his head, and sighed, “You can’t even protect yourself, and you still want to go see Ji Xiangyu’s injury. Aren’t you too unconcerned about yourself?”
Qing Tian looked at Xia Yang’s nagging helplessly and said, “Xia Yang, I find you very funny. You always lecture me, acting just like my brother!”
For some reason, as soon as she said this, Xia Yang unhappily said to Qing Tian, “I don’t want to be your real brother. Let’s go eat!”
Qing Tian declined, “I already made plans with Shishi after school this afternoon.”
Xia Yang clutched his chest, “I’ve already lost the match, are you going to abandon me too?”
Qing Tian said, caught between a rock and a hard place, “Um, I…”
Seeing Qing Tian hesitating, Xia Yang didn’t press further. He tidied his things, spread his arms, and smiled, “Your Majesty, would you give me a comforting hug?”
Qing Tian stood up and walked into Xia Yang’s embrace. Xia Yang held her tightly, sighing imperceptibly, then said with feigned casualness, “Get along well with Ji Xiangyu from now on, okay?”
In Xia Yang’s arms, Qing Tian felt her mind reeling. Why was Xia Yang saying such sad words? “I don’t want to become strangers with you; you will always be my family! You already have a place in my heart.”
Xia Yang smiled, but in his heart, he didn’t just see her as a sister.
Xia Yang released Qing Tian and said, “Remember to brush your teeth well tomorrow, my good little sister…” He then affectionately patted her head.
Qing Tian looked at Xia Yang in the sunshine, a faint smile on her lips.
Ji Xiangyu, as the winner, wasn’t as happy as expected. Instead, he felt a sense of loss. The moment he saw Qing Tian and Xia Yang embracing by the sidelines, he realized that the result of this match truly didn’t matter. What mattered was that Qing Tian’s heart had already leaned towards Xia Yang.
