The 99th Divorce

“Was it very harsh?” Li Jianyue asked Zhongie about Mosen’s physical training method.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly harsh. All the players were the only child in their families. Mosen’s words can sometimes be unpleasant, so…”

Zhongie had not yet finished his sentence when Lu Yuanyang cut him off. “Hold it, hold it! What do you mean by ‘sometimes unpleasant’? Mosen has a very caustic mouth. It’s because we’re mentally strong that we’re able to tolerate him. Do you think anyone else would be able to?”

That comment by Lu Yuanyang caught Li Mosen’s attention, and he shot him a look.

Lu Yuanyang immediately looked away. He feigned ignorance and began whistling to himself.

Li Jianyue asked Li Mosen straight. “So, is there now no one?”

“We are a little short of people at the moment,” Li Mosen said plainly.

Zhongie shook his head and clicked his tongue.

It wasn’t like only now the team was short of players. They had always been short of people!

Lu Yuanyang was moving away when a sudden thought came to him. “Oh, yes, Little Sister. I recall that you’re in Class 1-11. When I passed by earlier, I think I saw your desk mate. He looks a little familiar. What’s his name?”

“Quan Jingyi. He’s a delinquent,” Li Jianyue said, adding a descriptive.

Well…

He’s a delinquent with a personality.

Could it be that everyone had misunderstood him, Li Jianyue asked herself. To her, he did seem like a pretty pleasant person.

Zhongie’s eyes lit up when he heard Quan Jingyi’s name. “Oh! So that’s Quan Jingyi.”

Li Jianyue found his reaction bizarre and instinctively looked at him. “Is Quan Jingyi that famous?” she asked, “Why does it seem like so many people know him?”

“That’s not surprising at all. He is quite famous. He was quite tall when he was in junior high. He was also a star player in his previous school’s basketball team. Also, he was the campus beau of that school. He’s quite handsome. Girls find him attractive.”

The star player of the basketball team? Li Jianyue’s interest piqued. An idea sprung up. “If Quan Jingyi were to join the basketball team, won’t that solve your urgent problem?” she asked.

The school’s basketball team was very short of players. If Quan Jingyi were to come on board, it would undoubtedly help the school’s basketball team a great deal.

Even more so, the interschool basketball games were due to be held soon. Li Mosen must be under a tremendous amount of pressure as the team representative.

Lu Yuanyang seemed lukewarm to Li Jianyue’s suggestion. Zhongie thought it was a good idea. He leaned over and asked Li Jianyue, “How’s your relationship with your desk mate?”

“Um, it doesn’t seem very good.” Much to her regret now, Li Jianyue had already argued several times with Quan Jingyi.

Even if the incident this morning had somehow improved their relationship a little, they were still not on familiar terms.

Li Jianyue found herself in an awkward position. She tried a different tack. “Since he was on the school’s basketball team when he was in junior high, he must have some interest in basketball. If we were to invite him to join, I guess he would, wouldn’t he?”

“It’s hard to tell,” Lu Yuanyang said with a hard-to-decipher expression. “Based on what I know, Quan Jingyi did something to offend his stepmother during the summer vacation during junior high. As a result, now he doesn’t get any pocket money every month. His family only provides him with food and a roof over his head. He doesn’t get anything else from his family, not even money. To tidy things over, he would sometimes take on part-time jobs on the side.

Li Jianyue’s eyes widened. “How do you know that?”

Lu Yuanyang felt a little proud of himself. “I naturally have my sources. But I can guarantee that it’s all true.”