The golden glow of the setting sun spread across the court, dyeing the concrete floor a warm shade of orange. The bleachers were packed, voices rising in cheers and waves of excitement. Somewhere at the edge of the noise, Di stood silently, eyes fixed not on the scoreboard—but on the boy at the three-point line.
Jie's breathing was heavy, palms slick with sweat.
"Pass it to me!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the noise.
Without hesitation, he caught the ball, turned, and launched it into the air.
The basketball traced a clean arc across the sky, pausing for just a second—
Then swished through the net.
The crowd erupted. People jumped, screamed, clapped. Teammates swarmed him, hoisting him up like a hero.
But Jie wasn't looking at them.
He wasn't even smiling.
His gaze drifted past the crowd, locking onto one person standing quietly beyond the fence—Lan.
She was there in a white T-shirt, long hair catching the light, with a familiar soft smile on her face.
That smile had captivated Jie for years.
And Di had watched it all—every glance, every hesitation, every heartbeat not meant for him.
Jie slipped out of his teammates' grasp and walked toward her. The crowd, sensing what was coming, instinctively made way.
"Lan," Jie said, his smile faltering. "I've liked you since middle school. Will you… be my girlfriend?"
The cheers quieted. A moment of stillness.
Lan's expression softened. She slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Jie… You're a very important friend to me. But… not the one I want to be with."
For a split second, Jie stood frozen.
His lips parted slightly, as if searching for something to say—
But no sound came out.
His brows trembled. His gaze dropped, just for a moment.
Then, with a small, almost imperceptible breath, he forced a smile back onto his face.
He gave a nod—tight, quick, more like a reflex than an answer.
From the side, Di watched it all unfold. He understood Jie's pain—had braced for this moment.
But he hadn't expected the pang in his own chest. Not this sharp. Not this… personal.
As Lan turned to leave, Di moved on instinct.
He stepped forward and caught her wrist.
Everyone stilled again.
"How could you… reject him just like that?" His voice cracked—not in anger, but confusion. "He's been preparing for this for so long…"
Lan looked startled. Not because of the words—
But because it was Di who said them.
She gently pulled her hand back. "I rejected him… because I didn't want to..."
And in that moment, standing between two people who had never really seen him, Di realized—
It wasn't just Jie's heartbreak he feared.
What terrified him most…
Was how invisible he'd always been in Lan's world.
The game had ended.
But the story between the three of them—
Was only just beginning.