Monday morning, when Lin Wansheng finally finished tormenting that group of private school kids, he felt like his body had been hollowed out.
Even with a buff, the clamor of children was still unbearable.
Right now, all he wanted was to rush home immediately, throw himself onto his bed, and squeeze every second he could out for rest.
Because, starting this afternoon, the East River High School football team would officially enter pre-season Hell Week.
Just as he was preparing to walk toward the school gate, a tall figure blocked his path.
It was Hank.
"Kid, finished?" Hank folded his arms, a smile on his face.
Lin Wansheng nodded.
"I heard your practices have been ending at six lately, right?"
"More or less."
"When the time comes, I'll have Kate pick you up."
"Come over to my place for dinner."
He paused. "Bring those precious coins of yours. That girl Kate has been nagging me about them every day."
"I've already set you up with a friend of mine; he'll be there tonight too. Don't worry, I've talked the price up for you—at least three grand."
Seeing the flash of surprise on Lin Wansheng's face, Hank smiled in satisfaction.
He patted Lin Wansheng's shoulder.
"By the way, that old geezer Bob called me this morning. He said you've got pretty good talent at the wide receiver position, kid."
Evening. The setting sun dyed the sky orange-red.
Lin Wansheng dragged his leaden legs out of the East River High School gate.
The first day of Hell Week training was even more brutal than he had imagined.
Right then, a glaring streak of red caught his eye.
At the school gate, a cherry-red Ford Mustang convertible sat quietly by the roadside.
Kate was sitting in the driver's seat, wearing sunglasses, one hand resting on the steering wheel.
The other hand held a slim cigarette, and she was puffing smoke rings out of the window in boredom.
When she saw Lin Wansheng walking out, her eyes lit up. She immediately stubbed out the cigarette and took off her sunglasses.
"What took you so long?" Her voice carried a hint of complaint. "I thought you guys ended at six."
"I'm going to your house for dinner; I had to shower first, didn't I?" Lin Wansheng pulled the door open and got in, tossing his exhausted body into the seat.
"Otherwise, right after working out and covered in sweat, wouldn't your stepfather throw me out the window?"
Kate turned her head and leaned in close, the tip of her nose twitching slightly as she sniffed the air.
"Nope," she said, looking at Lin Wansheng, a playful smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You smell... pretty good, actually."
She took a pack of Marlboros from the center console and held it out to Lin Wansheng.
"Smoke?"
Lin Wansheng shook his head.
Kate clicked her tongue, tossed the cigarettes back into the console, and started the car.
She seemed to suddenly remember something, the playful smile on her face instantly replaced by undisguised irritation.
"Right, that guy Spencer is there today too."
"So annoying." She rolled her eyes at the rearview mirror.
"A teenage brat who loves saying stupid crap he thinks is cool, and actually believes he's earth-shatteringly handsome."
She curled her lip in disdain.
"Just a high school wide receiver, and so far he's only gotten a few verbal offers from D3 colleges. He really thinks he's some big shot."
Kate turned her head to look at Lin Wansheng, a hint of pleading entering her tone.
"So, during dinner later, you have to help block him for me."
...
...
...
Hank's wife enthusiastically served Lin Wansheng food, while Hank and his friend, a scout named Elvin Levin, kept talking in low voices about college recruitment.
"...So, I'm saying, this kid's Pocket Presence still needs polishing, but his instincts on the field are top-notch..."
Meanwhile, Spencer was like a peacock with its feathers spread, constantly looking for opportunities to show off his charm in front of Kate.
The topics ranged from his newly bought sneakers to which beach he had vacationed at over the summer.
Kate was clearly fed up. She rolled her eyes.
She set down her knife and fork, wiped her mouth with a napkin, then turned her gaze toward Spencer, the smile vanishing from her face.
"Spencer, if you don't want to call me 'big sister,' then shut your mouth."
The smile on Spencer's face instantly froze. He hadn't expected Kate to embarrass him so completely in front of everyone. His face flushed red and then turned pale.
In the end, he let out a "hmph," stood up quickly, and walked down the stairs leading to the basement without looking back.
The atmosphere in the dining room instantly fell into an awkward silence.
Right then, Lin Wansheng felt a warm, soft sensation on his thigh.
He turned his head and saw Kate eating her salad as if nothing had happened.
But her left hand was under the table, squeezing his leg with just the right amount of pressure.
After dinner, Hank and Levin took those Morgan silver dollars to the study.
They said they wanted to examine them more closely with professional tools.
"Kate," Hank said to his daughter, "take Jimmy out for a stroll. Don't let him just sit here waiting."
"Sure." Kate readily agreed, winking at Lin Wansheng.
However, instead of taking Lin Wansheng outside, she led him straight to the second floor and pushed open the door to her room.
Kate's room was very large. A massive double bed occupied the center of the room.
Several throw pillows were casually tossed on the bed. The air was permeated with the same faint perfume she wore.
"It's too hot outside; I don't want to go out." As she spoke, she kicked off her shoes and sank into the soft bed.
Then she patted the space next to her. "I've been following a show lately, and I'm right at the best part."
Lin Wansheng hesitated for a moment, then sat down.
The two of them lay side by side on the bed, huddled together, watching the same iPad.
The light from the screen illuminated their faces, which were extremely close.
Lin Wansheng could even feel the warm breath from her breathing lightly brush against his neck.
What the plot was about, he hadn't absorbed a single bit of it.
He didn't know how much time had passed before Kate suddenly turned her head and looked at him.
In the dim light, her eyes were shockingly bright.
The next second, she leaned in, her soft lips lightly pressing against Lin Wansheng's.
The kiss was very light, carrying a hint of tentativeness, but very quickly, it turned burning hot.
Lin Wansheng felt his mind go completely blank, the blood in his body seeming to ignite at that moment.
Just as he was preparing to turn the tables and deepen the kiss, Kate suddenly stopped, her breathing somewhat unsteady.
"Wait..." she panted, a sly flush on her face.
"I think I forgot something... in the bathroom cabinet. Go get it for me."
Lin Wansheng's mind was still somewhat dazed, and he subconsciously got up.
The moment he walked out the door, the sound of conversation from the living room downstairs clearly drifted up.
It was Hank's voice.
"...For this Friday's game, Spencer, find an excuse not to play."
"Why?!" Spencer's voice was filled with bewilderment.
"Because there's no need." Another voice rang out. It was the scout, Sach.
"You know how dirty those Cheetahs play. Last year, they took out three starters. One of them is still doing rehab to this day."
Hank's voice sounded again. "Their new quarterback is a monster they dug up from Texas. In eleventh grade, he led his team to a state championship."
"The Cheetahs don't know what kind of price they paid to get him to transfer over."
"They're playing this game to make a name for themselves. They'll absolutely stop at nothing."
"This is a game with no chance of winning."
"But with an extremely high chance of getting hurt—and hurt badly."
"There's no need for you to gamble your future in a game like this."
"Listen, kid," Hank's voice grew earnest.
"Life is a long marathon."
"Sometimes, knowing how to avoid unnecessary risks is more important than winning a meaningless game."