FSGOR Ch25

This year’s Chengnan High School Soccer League was easily the most exciting match the old district had seen in years. The intensity on the field was suffocating, and the audience in the stands was about to burst from the tension.

Since the yellow-curled goalkeeper was subbed off, the school medic had rushed in with a kit, staunched the bleeding, and accompanied him to the neurology department for further treatment.

As a result, the entire Third High team played like they were possessed—every player burning with fury to avenge their fallen brother.

Especially Jiang Tian.

Usually known for his gentle demeanor and good temper, his image had flipped completely. His usually composed face now brimmed with cold intensity. And as a forward with top-tier physical ability, he hit peak condition. Despite heavy defense from Affiliated High, Jiang Tian broke through their formation time and again, his explosive performance leaving the opponents stunned.

“Why’d we have to mess with him, of all people?!”

Finally, Third High overwhelmed Affiliated and seized the championship title, breaking the latter’s streak from the year before.

The crowd erupted, the atmosphere boiling over with excitement. But despite the win, the Third High players had no joy on their faces. They didn’t even bother changing out of their sweat-soaked uniforms, rushing straight to the hospital, worried sick about Lu Qiao.

***

On the school bus:

Jiang Tian, calling Lu-jie to explain the situation, was pale with worry. His palm was slick with cold sweat, his expression like a stormy sky.

Zhao Yuanhao noticed the anxiety and tried to comfort him:

“He’s gonna be fine. That guy’s luck has always been top-notch.”

“I know.”
 

Jiang Tian dropped his head, voice trembling. “But if something does happen to Lu Qiao… I won’t let that bastard get away with it.”

This rare flash of aggression from him was like a righteous anime protagonist turning dark. Zhao Yuanhao—usually calm—was stunned, fists clenching at his side.

They all remembered last year.

Zeng Jiaxiang, Affiliated’s forward, had played dirty and injured Jiang Tian’s leg. His move then was a setup—a fake back tackle, masked by his good behavior in the first half. Jiang Tian had anticipated foul play, but not a coordinated attack. As a result, he was taken out and later diagnosed with a serious sprain.

Though the ref called a foul, Zeng’s powerful family—his father being a main tournament sponsor—helped Affiliated High still win.

This time, no one was willing to endure that twice.

***

When they reached the hospital and located the neurology wing, Lu Qiao had already been admitted. They hurried to the room.

There he was: the yellow-haired, slightly goofy boy now bandaged and no longer looking energetic. His hair was flat, his spirit even more so.

“Guys…”

Lu Qiao actually cried, leaning on the bed with a wronged expression:

“That jerk from Affiliated really went hard this time…”

Seeing he was conscious and expressive, everyone finally breathed easier.

They crowded around, Jiang Tian especially focused on his best friend’s injury rather than trash-talking.

“Do you remember who did it?”

Lu Qiao sighed and looked up:

“Of course. Hurts like hell though. Can I smack his forehead back as payback?”

Jiang Tian frowned slightly, gaze falling on the wound. He clenched his fists and muttered:

“Coach is handling it now. He and Affiliated’s coach should be on their way.”

Lu Qiao hesitated. He hadn’t forgotten how things went last year. Jiang Tian was injured, they had to pay out-of-pocket, and Affiliated’s coach did nothing but sweep it under the rug.

Everyone knew Zeng Jiaxiang’s behavior stemmed from being protected. There was no guarantee he’d pay the price this time either.

Soon, Lu Qiao’s parents and sister arrived, surrounding their precious son, teary-eyed with concern.

Jiang Tian greeted the adults and quietly gave the older sister a recap of what happened. Then he moved aside to give the family space.

The room got crowded and noisy. But even now, Zeng Jiaxiang hadn’t shown up. Only Third High’s coach stood by the door, phone glued to his ear as he tried to mediate the situation.

Everyone was quietly fuming.

Then, suddenly—fast footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Seconds later, Zeng Jiaxiang and a middle-aged man, clearly his father, entered in a hurry.

Zeng Jiaxiang’s face was swollen like a steamed bun, clearly beaten up.

The entire room froze.

Zeng Jiaxiang’s father, dressed in a business suit, suddenly bowed deeply to Lu Qiao’s parents:

“We are terribly sorry.”

Zeng Jiaxiang, red-eyed despite trying to maintain pride, looked at Lu Qiao and mumbled:

“Lu Qiao… I’m sorry. I hurt you. My father and I will make things right.”

No one in the room could believe it.

Zeng Jiaxiang—the infamous spoiled rich boy—was apologizing?

Before they could react further, something even more absurd happened.

Zeng Jiaxiang looked around the room… until his eyes landed on Jiang Tian.

The moment their gazes met, Zeng Jiaxiang visibly flinched.

Then—he walked directly toward Jiang Tian.

Everyone held their breath.

Then, Zeng Jiaxiang, swollen face and all, bowed at a full ninety degrees, right in front of Jiang Tian—the boy whose leg he’d injured a year ago.

“Jiang Tian… I’m sorry. I realize now just how serious my mistake was.”

“Please accept my apology. I’ve been reflecting deeply and sincerely.”

Silence.

Utter, stunned silence.

Lu Qiao covered his forehead, wondering if he’d hit his head too hard—was this a hallucination?

Even Jiang Tian had his mouth slightly open, mind reeling. Zeng Jiaxiang? Apologizing to him?

He didn’t naively respond with forgiveness. He simply tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Then—

Zeng Jiaxiang’s father, the president of Ningcheng Bank, stepped forward himself.

This dignified man bowed to a student from an ordinary background and spoke:

“It was my failure as a parent that allowed this to happen. Please, I ask you to give him a chance to change.”

The whole room went dead silent.

Jiang Tian’s brain was practically short-circuiting. But faced with this powerful man’s sincerity, he finally softened a little.

“There’s no problem. Just… please pay attention to Lu Qiao’s condition.”

The bank president smiled, like the worst was over and everything was finally under control.

Although Jiang Tian was just an ordinary high school student, he found the situation absurd—he somehow seemed to be the key reason for the other party’s complete 180-degree attitude change.

Clearly, Lu Qiao was the one lying in the hospital bed, just earlier bleeding from the head on the football field, with so many people having witnessed it.

In short, that sense of intuition made Jiang Tian quite uncomfortable. He could only convince himself he was overthinking it.

On the other side, Zeng Jiaxiang’s father had already taken the initiative to discuss a resolution with Lu Qiao’s family. The coach also joined in, and everyone’s attention no longer fell on Jiang Tian.

For some reason, Jiang Tian’s gaze was drawn to the crabapple flowers outside the window. As the blooming season neared its end, petals were falling gently—creating a soft and hazy beauty.

The parking lot was nearly full, and although Jiang Tian wasn’t particularly interested in car brands, he happened to notice a rugged, all-black SUV beneath the most vibrant flowering tree. It looked like a Gundam-style mecha—handsome and powerful—naturally arousing curiosity about its stylish owner.

At that moment, a tall man in casual clothing exited the hospital building.

He had a tall, well-proportioned frame and legs like a top model. His fashion was impeccable, yet he gave off an icy, unapproachable aura.

The man walked directly toward the black SUV, holding a phone and engaged in a call.

As he approached, the headlights blinked twice, but the man didn’t get in right away. Instead, he stopped by the driver’s side, continuing the call with a serious expression—clearly with urgent matters to handle before leaving.

Jiang Tian didn’t know why he was so drawn to the man.

Even though he was a school heartthrob, he didn’t have bad eyesight, and from the third floor of the hospital, he could clearly see the man’s striking features.

The man had sharp, handsome features and a cool, commanding aura—very different from the peers around Jiang Tian. He carried the calm maturity and charm typical of someone successful, as often described online.

“……”

Jiang Tian never had a habit of observing strangers, but it was as if his eyes were glued to the man and couldn’t look away.

Suddenly, a breeze blew past, and crabapple petals drifted down, one landing on the man’s broad shoulder.

Just then, the man ended his call, lowered his phone, and unexpectedly looked up toward the window where Jiang Tian stood.

“……?!”

Jiang Tian reacted like he had been caught doing something guilty, quickly dodging to the side.

He moved so fast, even he didn’t understand why. His chest rose and fell with a hint of panic, like someone caught red-handed. The man was clearly a stranger, yet Jiang Tian couldn’t understand why he felt such intense emotion.

Thankfully, he had grabbed a bottle of water on the way up. He twisted it open and took a few gulps, trying to calm that inexplicable racing feeling.

Buzz—

His phone vibrated inside his sports bag.

Startled, Jiang Tian quickly pulled it out to check. It was a message from the group chat between him and the other person.

L: How’s the curly-haired one?

L: Was it serious?

Jiang Tian sighed in relief and replied while still oddly distracted by the image of that man.

KIRA: He’s fine.

KIRA: Nothing serious.

L: What about Jiang Tian?

Perhaps the person really did like him. Even with their chat partner injured, they hadn’t forgotten to check on the guy who almost started a fight on the field.

Still, he casually replied, “Jiang Tian’s fine. Just keeping him company,” and didn’t intend to continue the conversation further.

L: Okay.

L: Wishing a speedy recovery.

L: I left a gift in the hospital locker.

L: Locker No. 16, code 7988. Let Jiang Tian grab it.

KIRA: ……

Jiang Tian froze in place, not expecting the other party to come to the hospital—keeping a perfect sense of distance. They didn’t go upstairs and didn’t insist on delivering the gift in person.

Still, he didn’t really want to accept the gift. After thanking them, he asked if they could take it back.

KIRA: Thanks for the concern. The gift’s too much—you came all the way here.

KIRA: Let me treat you to milk tea.

KIRA: [Money transfer via red envelope]

This was originally today’s task, but since the other person had genuinely cared about Lu Qiao’s injury, he sent a bit more—consider it gratitude.

But the other party didn’t respond.

Jiang Tian felt a strange unease and subconsciously glanced out the window, only to see the black SUV already driving away from the hospital, even the exhaust trail fading out of sight.

“……”

But… why did he have to look out the window?

Jiang Tian asked himself yet had no answer. A tug-of-war seemed to stir inside him, and with so much happening today, the more he thought about it, the more exhausted he felt—unable to find a clear answer for now.

The coach happened to need help with follow-up matters, so Jiang Tian put away his phone and followed along.

After all, this was a legitimate football league match, and the on-field violations needed to be dealt with promptly. Since someone from San Zhong’s team had been injured, they needed a victim to cooperate with the process—but Lu Qiao was too pitiful in his current state, so as his friend, Jiang Tian stayed to help with everything.

Moreover, Zeng Jiaxiang’s actions were suspected of intentional harm. Even though it happened during a game, it required further investigation. Even the campus police got involved to mediate and discuss possible resolutions.

By the time they wrapped everything up, the sky was already dark.

Lu Qiao’s sister ordered delivery food for the boys who stayed at the hospital, and she called Jiang Tian to ask him to return to the cafeteria and eat dinner with them.

On his way back, Jiang Tian planned to first check in on Lu Qiao’s condition. But suddenly, he paused—he noticed a light flashing on Locker No. 16 in the distance, indicating “item not yet retrieved.”

He had almost forgotten about that. Standing still, he pulled out his phone to take a look.

L: [Red envelope received.]

L: Thanks, babe.

L: Don’t forget the gift.

L: I think it’s something you’ll like.

Jiang Tian nearly cracked on the spot: “………”

He had only sent a 100 yuan red envelope—not 520, not 1314. They were just online acquaintances who’d known each other for barely two days. Why the hell was this guy calling him babe?!

But then he quickly realized—the guy wasn’t calling him “babe.” He was probably calling Lu Qiao, the pitiful curly-haired one, that.

The feeling at this moment was… indescribably weird. Maybe it was because a lot of time had passed and the sender had already left the hospital. Even if he went to get the gift, he wouldn’t run into the person. So, Jiang Tian made his way to the locker.

These lockers usually charged by the hour, and depending on the size (small, medium, large), the price varied. The largest type still cost about three yuan per hour.

Seeing the locker details, Jiang Tian decided he’d send another red envelope later to cover the storage fee.

But worried that he might run over time and need to pay more, he figured he should just retrieve the item first and then message the person to explain.

He stood in front of the locker, entered the password shown in the chat, and gently tapped the button. With a pop, the door opened.

“?!”

When he saw the gift, his eyes lit up, and blood rushed to his head.

Inside the large locker was a box containing a KIRA figurine, one of the limited editions from many years ago—a collector’s item that now went for sky-high prices on the market.

Jiang Tian instinctively swallowed. The figurine was so big that it would be impossible to carry it by hand, and it could be damaged if transported by bike or scooter.

Could it be…

The other person brought it here by car?

Everyone always joked in private that Jiang Tian was the ultimate “chill guy,” and he had never denied it. But right now, he was feeling genuinely excited—rare for him. In front of a gift he had long desired, he couldn’t stop himself from stepping closer.

Just then, another message popped up from that same peer.

L: 3633.

L: Locker 8.

L: Curly’s gift.

Jiang Tian paused for half a second, realizing this referred to another locker and password. Judging by the number, he guessed Locker 8 was a medium-sized one. Could it be a slightly smaller gift than the KIRA figurine?

He didn’t even have time to process how off that message sounded. He automatically replied with a thank-you, but again wanted to avoid paying extra, so he hurriedly entered the new password and opened the medium locker.

Pop—

Inside was a set of Chiikawa plush dolls, from a collaboration series themed around love.

Though also special and undeniably cute, compared to the massive KIRA figurine, this one was clearly less expensive—and likely required less effort to obtain.

Jiang Tian’s breathing was uneven, his emotions a blur. Yet his phone was still buzzing in his hand.

L: Did babe like it?

“……!”

Jiang Tian was so startled he nearly threw his phone, on track to break two phones in one month.

His face was burning up, and his brain raced like solving a complicated math formula—trying to make sense of the conversation.

From the guy’s words, it seemed clear: the KIRA figurine was for him, and the Chiikawa plush was for Lu Qiao.

The term “curly-haired one” had completely shifted to refer to someone else between them. That meant the sender likely knew all along that it wasn’t Lu Qiao using the KIRA account—it was him, Jiang Tian.

And knowing full well it was Jiang Tian, this guy had still pretended not to know… until now, when he dropped the bomb—calling him “babe”?!

“!!!”

Jiang Tian broke out in chills.

He had never been called that by anyone in his life. The only person who ever did was that creepy former boss of his sister’s—the one he’d blocked long ago.

Not even horror movies went this far. Was that guy pretending to be someone else? Was he really President Chu, planning to kidnap and deal with him later?!