“Mm.”

The two of them left the house one after the other.

Sanxiao was their shared alma mater and was quite close to home. They often came here to play ball on weekends. Generally, the school would be closed on weekends, and only staff and their families could enter, because there was a building inside the school specifically for teachers to live in. Back in middle school, Helen Reed once begged a teacher to take them inside. At that time, they were visiting their old school, and after leaving, Helen Reed immediately went to the security office. While the impression was still fresh, he made a strong impression on the two security guards, successfully making them remember that the two of them were the sons of that teacher. After that, they often came to play ball.

By the time the security guard uncle realized what had happened, it was already too late—he had already been “corrupted” by student Helen Reed.

“Uncle Zhang, you’re on duty today!”

“That’s right, we’re here to play ball again. I brought you a pack of cigarettes, not sure if you’ll like them. If not, please don’t mind.” Helen Reed took out a pack of cigarettes. Seeing Uncle Zhang refuse, he looked a bit awkward. “All the cigarettes at my house are gifts for my dad. My mom insisted I bring some for you, saying no one at home smokes them anyway, so we might as well give them to someone else…”

“It’s better to give them to you than to someone else.”

After giving the cigarettes, Helen Reed chatted with Uncle Zhang for a bit, lamenting about the pressures of high school. When the conversation turned to Uncle Zhang’s daughter, he even offered a few study tips, and then finally entered the school.

The campus was very quiet, with only a few teachers playing basketball. The thumping sounds echoed continuously.

On the other side was the badminton court.

The two stood on opposite sides, and Helen Reed served.

They started off gently, the white shuttlecock tracing a graceful arc through the air, back and forth, the soft, muffled sounds forming a steady rhythm, as if they could keep playing like this forever.

It was very relaxed and leisurely.

Before long, they finished warming up.

The intensity of the match suddenly increased.

They took turns attacking and defending. Every time they jumped for a smash, there was a loud bang, the sound waves echoing through the quiet campus, attracting the attention of the teachers playing basketball.

After a while, the teachers simply put down their basketballs and came over to watch.

After William Carter failed to defend a shot, Helen Reed gripped his racket and let out a long breath. By now, his face was covered in sweat, and he quickly took the opportunity to stretch his limbs.

While picking up the shuttlecock, William Carter invited the teachers to join in.

So the number of players went from two to seven.

They played five points per round; once you lost all your points, you stepped off.

Obviously, neither William Carter nor Helen Reed could be matched by the teachers in terms of stamina or skill, but that didn’t stop everyone from having fun.

It was just as well—the intensity between the two of them was too high, and with the teachers there, they got a chance to rest. And facing two experts who didn’t go all out to win points but instead gently set up shots, the teachers also enjoyed themselves. A single rally could last a long time, and even when the shuttlecock went wildly off course, Helen Reed and William Carter could still return it—and return it well.

By five in the afternoon, the teachers’ swings had grown weak, so the two packed up their rackets and headed home.

More people meant more fun, but the real competition was still between the two of them; the teachers just filled in the gaps. All in all, William Carter lost a bit more often.

It was a narrow defeat.

On the way back, Helen Reed felt weak in his arms and legs, so William Carter took the rackets and said, “Let’s have a protein shake when we get back, and do some stretching.”

Helen Reed turned to look at him, exhaled, and said while kicking his feet, “Bro, how are you not tired at all!”

William Carter replied, “I use smaller movements.”

He had always had excellent stamina, which was even more apparent in a high-intensity sport like badminton. He’d heard that among ball sports, badminton was the most demanding.

But William Carter hadn’t tried any other sports—badminton was the only one he knew how to play.

Come to think of it, it was Helen Reed who taught him.

William Carter figured that back then, Helen Reed must have been following Aunt Jiang’s strict orders—to find a way to get his older brother to exercise. Helen Reed had loved badminton since he was little and was very talented at it, so he played really well. That’s how William Carter started playing badminton.

William Carter even remembered that, at first, Helen Reed always took on the role of teacher when it came to badminton. But it didn’t take long before he beat Helen Reed.

That really hurt Helen Reed’s pride—

The little guy went home holding back tears, locked himself in his room before he started crying, and that very afternoon smashed his piggy bank to sign up for an expensive class downtown, supposedly one that trained youth teams.

He was only ten that year, and William Carter was eleven.

After two months of intense training, Helen Reed managed to win a game back from his brother, thanks to his brother’s sympathy. Over the years, he never slacked off. Besides playing with William Carter, he also played with classmates at school, and on weekends he’d sneak off to the gym to spar with experts. His brother was very understanding, so he always managed to stay just a little ahead of him.

Maybe that gave him a sense of accomplishment?

That’s what William Carter thought.

They were almost home. Helen Reed walked a bit ahead, glancing at William Carter from time to time, secretly deciding that from today on, his nightly run would increase from eight kilometers to ten, and he’d pick up the pace too!

Chapter 10 Family Routine

“Isn’t that Helen Reed back there?”

“Hey, it really is! So handsome!”

“I recognized his voice and turned around. The guy next to him is really good-looking too.”