Chapter 19

Chapter 19 The palm of a boy’s hand is indeed much bigger.

Du Zihan agreed so readily and arrogantly to Mei Fang’s challenge for a reason.

He had been skating at this cultural square for several months and knew most of the kids around here. This was the first time he had seen Mei Fang and his group.

Lin You Xi’s skill level didn’t need to be mentioned, while Xia Yuan, equipped with a full set of gear, looked like she was just starting out.

Mei Fang might be a bit more impressive, but even though he was effeminate, he was still a guy. Skating with these two women, his skill level wouldn’t be able to improve much.

Moreover, today he was wearing new roller skates that made him feel incredibly smooth and powerful, as if his skills had surged!

Du Zihan often got beaten by Mei Fang back in kindergarten. Although the revenge took a long time, as the saying goes, “A true gentleman seeks revenge after ten years.” Today was the day for Mei Fang, who played with girls, to pay the price!

“The rules are simple. From one end of the square to the other and back; that counts as one round. We’ll do two rounds, and whoever finishes first wins.”

“Are there any restrictions on the equipment?”

“No, you can’t come up with anything fancy.”

“No problem.”

So Mei Fang called Xia Yuan over and pointed at her skates, “Can I borrow your skates for a moment?”

Xia Yuan blushed immediately and said, “Mei Fang, mine are inline skates, not quad skates. They’re less stable. If you haven’t used them before, you might have trouble staying upright…”

“I know, it’s fine… But I’m more used to inline skates.”

“Hmm…”

Xia Yuan hesitated for a moment, “I can lend them to you, but you have to turn around and wait while I change shoes.”

“… What?”

Xia Yuan turned Mei Fang away so that Lin You Xi could see that he wasn’t peeking. Then she quickly took off her shoes, revealing pink cartoon socks with elements from Cardcaptor Sakura. She quickly changed into white sneakers to let Mei Fang use her skates.

“Mei Fang, I know you want to stand up for me, but do we really need to quarrel with Du Zihan?”

Lin You Xi squatted down to stop Mei Fang, who was putting on his skates, “This is so childish.”

“Are you saying this because you think I’ll lose?”

“Not exactly… But even if we win against Du Zihan, isn’t it kind of embarrassing?”

Mei Fang thought for a moment and nodded, “That makes sense.”

“Hey, are you guys going to race or not?” Du Zihan impatiently shouted, “If you’re scared of losing, just admit it!”

“We’re coming!”

Mei Fang stood up with help from Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi, “I’ve changed my shoes.”

Du Zihan sneered at Mei Fang’s pink inline skates, “You’re indeed a sissy, wearing a girl’s inline skates. Inline skates are no different from quad skates in terms of speed, and they’re easier to fall off. Can you handle it?”

“Let’s see then?”

Mei Fang smiled lightly, and his frivolous gaze made Du Zihan even more annoyed.

This guy… has always acted like an adult since long ago!

Let’s see how I can humble him this time!

Du Zihan and Mei Fang stood on the same starting line, both crouching low, but Du Zihan was more bent over.

Seeing that someone was about to race, the nearby children playing stopped and watched on the sides.

“Ready… three, two, one!”

With Xia Yuan’s countdown, Du Zihan shot forward first, while Mei Fang seemed a bit slower, falling behind right away.

Haha! I knew I was the strongest!

Du Zihan strained every muscle to skate forward, swinging his arms to their maximum extent.

He closed his eyes, feeling the wind dance, listening to the cheers rising and falling, as if he had become the coolest kid in the cultural square, with all the spectators praising his superb roller skating skills.

Until—Mei Fang greeted him.

…

?

Du Zihan saw Mei Fang waving at him from the opposite direction—

He, he, he, he, he was actually skating backwards!

Backwards skating was fine, he could勉强勉强 skate backwards too; but Mei Fang wasn’t doing the usual wobbly moves, instead he was doing a smooth straight slide and a snake slide, constantly changing directions, surpassing Du Zihan!

Mei Fang was actually a highly skilled roller skater!

Facing such a technical downgrade, even Du Zihan, who was stubborn with words, had no reason to continue.

When Mei Fang finished his first round and started skating back, Du Zihan reached the end and decided not to chase further, but to stand there and think for a moment.

He chose to continue forward and quickly leave the square.

A true gentleman seeks revenge after ten years!

Mei Fang, you win today, but I will practice hard. One day, I will make you call me Dad!

But don’t come to the cultural square for a while; I’ve lost too much face…

When Mei Fang was about to reach the finish line, he noticed Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi reminding him, and he turned around to find that Du Zihan had already found his escape route.

Hey, hasn’t he apologized to Lin You Xi yet?

“Mei Fang, Mei Fang, you’re actually so good! How long did you learn… You even hid it from me… That’s not being a good friend!”

Xia Yuan excitedly grabbed Mei Fang to question him, and the previous crowd of onlookers didn’t disperse but followed Xia Yuan to ask about backward skating techniques.

Being surrounded by these elementary school students made Mei Fang feel uneasy, so he casually used an excuse about an older cousin teaching him.

After all, he was once a member of the university roller skating club in his past life, and the muscle memory came back with his rebirth. Even if he hadn’t skated for a long time, dealing with these beginners wasn’t difficult.

The group skated until they were drenched in sweat, only realizing it was time to go home for dinner when the sun set.

They bought popsicles at a small store on the street, basking in the sunset glow, eating popsicles and chatting about the funny things that happened that day.

Seeing Xia Yuan lagging behind with her shoes, Mei Fang offered his help.

“Let me carry them for you?”

“It’s okay, I can manage.”

“What are you talking about?”

Mei Fang grabbed the bag, and in the struggle, he slightly touched Xia Yuan’s fingers, causing her to instinctively pull back, dropping the shoes.

Lin You Xi, seeing this, couldn’t help but tease:

“Isn’t it ironic? Xia Yuan used to love holding hands, but now she’s embarrassed.”

Facing Lin You Xi’s teasing, Xia Yuan didn’t respond directly but turned her head away.

“Homework… I should go back to write homework. I’ll go to your house today! Want to join, Lin You Xi?”

“I’m done, go ahead.”

Lin You Xi waved and smiled, “I finished my holiday homework at school.”

When Mei Fang returned home, he found no one there, only a note left by his mom saying they went out to eat and would bring food back later.

Feeling his status had declined, Mei Fang took a shower, and after a while, Xia Yuan, who had also finished her bath, arrived with her backpack to do homework together.

After a while, Xia Yuan paused, looking at Mei Fang’s pen-holding hand, and then nudged him with her elbow:

“Mei Fang, can you extend your hand for a moment?”

“Why?”

“Just like this, spread your fingers.”

Xia Yuan stretched out her other hand and pressed it against Mei Fang’s palm, “I… I just want to see how different our palms are.”

Although girls develop earlier than boys, compared to Mei Fang, Xia Yuan’s hand felt smaller and softer when placed against his.

Because they were close, Mei Fang could smell the fruity scent of her body wash.

“Yeah… the palm of a boy’s hand is indeed much bigger.”

“Xia Yuan.”

“Yes?”

Mei Fang smiled, “Are you trying not to appear too close to me in public? We’re pretty casual at home…”

Just the other day, they were pinching each other’s cheeks; it shouldn’t be so awkward now.

“What are you saying, shameless…”

Xia Yuan blushed and said, “At that time, my hands were sweaty, so I didn’t want to touch them. It’s not because I was shy! We’ve grown up together since childhood, what’s there to be shy about?”

“That’s true.”

Xia Yuan always wanted to maintain a good image and didn’t want to show herself in an unattractive way…

But if Mei Fang really believed her, he would have wasted his time growing up.

Xia Yuan mumbled and let go of her hand, lying down with a lazy and slightly resentful tone:

“And if we’re talking about closeness, Lin You Xi is much closer to you now.”

“Why say that? Clearly, the two of you get along well. I’ve never seen you argue, always teaming up to scold me.”

“But…”

Xia Yuan frowned, “She only wants to play at your house, not at mine. Doesn’t that say something?”

“Maybe it’s because I have a computer? We always watch cartoons together. She’s past the age of playing house with you. Besides, she likes playing with my sister Xia Ya…”

“Mei Fang, Mei Fang… I’m only telling you this. Please don’t tell her?”

Xia Yuan whispered, “Actually, I feel like she doesn’t like my parents, which is why she doesn’t want to come to my house.”

Thank you to the unknown classmate and the passerby for your generous support! Initially, I planned to add more chapters, but remembering the editor’s advice, I decided to save them for when I start testing the waters!

(End of Chapter)