Chapter 24: Atone with Your Life

Jiang Ning went to the rooftop after school?
Obviously not.

She only remembered it when she was already walking across the playground.

But remembering was one thing—whether she went or not was another matter.

At this moment, Jiang Ning had parted ways with Qi Wen and was sitting alone on a path that everyone had to pass on their way home.

She was waiting for Li Mingwei.

She needed an explanation from that kid.

She couldn’t just get screwed over by him for no reason and let it slide.

At the very least, she had to make her stance clear—otherwise, what if he did something even worse next time?

So here she was, staking out the spot right after the evening self-study session.

But barely a few minutes in, the mosquitoes around her were already trying to carry her away.

The constant buzzing was driving her crazy.

And there was still half an hour before the senior year evening self-study ended. She couldn’t just sit there and be mosquito food, right?

As she was thinking this, suddenly, a basketball rolled to her feet.

Right after that, a provocative voice reached her ears.

“Hey, girl, wanna go one-on-one?”

Girl?

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow.

She looked up to see a tall guy with fair skin. His facial features were blurred in the dim light, but if she looked closely, she could make out his contours.

He actually seemed pretty good-looking.

Too bad he had a mouth on him.

“Sure.”

She had nothing better to do anyway.

Jiang Ning replied in one sentence, then picked up the ball and stepped onto the court without another word.

First round: Jiang Ning on the offensive.

She caught the ball, studied her opponent’s stance, then made a quick crossover move.

She immediately created a step of distance.

Then, with three strides, she made a successful layup.

After scoring, she flashed a half-smile and hooked a finger at her opponent.

“One point.”

Hearing this, Tao Tao grinned as well, his slanted eyes narrowing into a thin line.

“Again.”

Second round.

The moment Jiang Ning got the ball, she immediately went for a jump shot.

But she overestimated the strength of this body—her shot didn’t even touch the rim and went out of bounds.

Now it was her opponent’s turn to attack.

A between-the-legs dribble, followed by two consecutive spin moves.

Jiang Ning’s footwork didn’t keep up, and she got faked out—he scored.

Jiang Ning wasn’t discouraged. She took two deep breaths and focused on her defense.

But at that moment, her opponent spoke up.

“I remember your name—Jiang Ning, from Class 3, first year.”

Jiang Ning didn’t respond—verbal distractions were a legit strategy in one-on-one.

“A girl who can play basketball like this? Gotta say, pretty rare.”

She still ignored him, eyes locked on the ball.

“I heard a senior wrote you a love letter…”

What the hell? How fast did this rumor spread?!

Jiang Ning’s mind wavered for just a split second—enough time for her opponent to slip past her and score another layup.

Score: 1-1.

The ball bounced naturally on the court. Jiang Ning took a deep breath, picked it up, and tossed it back to him with a blank expression.

“Again.”

Tao Tao caught the ball and chuckled.

“What’s up? You don’t look too happy.”

Even though she didn’t want to respond, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but roll her eyes at this topic.

“You ever been invited to the rooftop by two different groups in one day?”

“It’s like I’m the top boss of First High or something!”

Hearing the exasperation in her tone, Tao Tao burst out laughing.

But in that moment, Jiang Ning made a quick hook move and stole the ball.

Tao Tao didn’t get mad. He immediately switched to a defensive stance.

Jiang Ning had lost a point earlier due to his trash talk, so now that she was attacking, she returned the favor.

“I know your name—Tao Tao, from Class 8…”

“It’s Class 9, thanks,” Tao Tao corrected her instantly.

Jiang Ning’s face heated up, and in that brief lapse, he stole the ball right back.

As he dribbled away, Jiang Ning was mentally cursing. She quickly adjusted her defense.

But she was just a step too slow—Tao Tao crossed the three-point line and sank a shot, bringing the score to 2-1.

Now, Jiang Ning’s competitive spirit was fully ignited.

As her opponent took possession again, she suddenly asked,

“I always see you playing ball during evening study. Don’t you have to attend?”

“Nah. Good grades, special privileges.”

“Then why play at night?”

“It’s cooler.”

His answer was flawless, giving her no room to argue.

She muttered in frustration,

“Bet you’re up to no good.”

Right as she finished speaking, she noticed a slight inconsistency in his stance.

She instantly swiped at the ball—steal successful!

Now she had possession.

Dribbling, she pressed her attack.

“Did I guess right?”

“Knew you had ulterior motives.”

“Trying to pick up girls?”

“Waiting for a chance encounter?”

Her barrage of words threw Tao Tao’s defense off balance.

Jiang Ning seized the moment, drove past him, and scored.

Score: 2-2.

Just as she was about to make her final attack to win, the school bell rang.

“Ding ling ling—”

Hearing it, Jiang Ning took a small breath and tossed the ball to Tao Tao.

“Alright, I’m done. Let’s call it here for today.”

“Hey, you’re just gonna leave it tied?”

“We’ll settle it next time. I gotta go block someone.”

“Block someone?” Tao Tao seemed to realize something and asked,
“Need help?”

Jiang Ning rolled her eyes.

“Kid, don’t cause trouble. I’ve got enough on my plate.”

With that, she strode off the court.

Tao Tao stood there, holding the ball, watching her figure disappear. He murmured,

“Waiting for a chance encounter, huh…”

Meanwhile, at the teaching building—

Second-year students poured out of the classrooms like fish escaping a net.

Among them were Li Mingwei and Hu Gugu.

Hu Gugu still seemed lost in thought from solving problems. His gaze was a bit dazed.

“Mingwei, all we do is study and do more studying.”

“When does it ever end?”

“When we graduate.”

Li Mingwei rubbed his temples, trying to wake himself up.

“Sigh.” Hu Gugu let out a long breath.

“I need to find something fun, or I’ll go crazy.”

Another male student walking with them agreed.

Just then, Hu Gugu nudged Li Mingwei.

“Hey, your birthday’s next month, right?”

“How about we throw a party? Invite a few close friends, have some fun?”

“Forget it,” Li Mingwei frowned slightly.

“My mom might use it as an excuse to throw a banquet.”

“Then I’ll have to deal with a ton of social obligations—too annoying.”

Hu Gugu nodded in understanding, but then his expression turned teasing.

“A banquet’s not so bad. At least you can openly invite a certain someone.”

“But before that, you better think of a way to explain today’s situation.”

Just as he finished speaking—

A very calm voice echoed from the corridor.

“Explain? Hah. Atone with your life.”