Chapter 78: He Claimed All Her Firsts

After poking fun at Li Sicheng for a few moments, Tan Xiaoxiao shifted the conversation back to Lin Siyu. “Siyu, listen to me. This match may be important, but your foot is even more so! As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal. Right now, you should be resting properly, not playing in a match. Besides, even if we lose this one, so what? We can try again next year.”

“No!” Lin Siyu shook her head, her expression unusually resolute. “This match isn’t just about winning or losing—it’s about the honor of our Class Three, Grade One! I have to play!”

Lin Siyu was not only the absolute mainstay of the women’s volleyball team for Class Three, but also its top scorer. With her on the court, there was still hope of victory. Without her, or if she couldn’t play at her best, Class Three might not only lose—they might really be beaten by a wide margin, just like Class Six, Grade Three had boasted!

Lin Siyu wasn’t afraid of losing. What she couldn’t accept was her class being humiliated by others.

She was a person with an intense sense of collective honor!

Tan Xiaoxiao and several members of the volleyball team tried to persuade her. But this girl’s temperament was identical to her sister’s—stubborn to the core. Once she made up her mind, not even a herd of oxen could drag her back, let alone a few people.

Seeing Lin Siyu unmoved, Tan Xiaoxiao was at a loss. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Li Sicheng, and an idea popped into her mind.

Grinning mischievously, she pulled Li Sicheng over. “Come on, Little Li, help us talk to Lin Siyu. This girl just won’t listen to us!”

Both Li Sicheng and Lin Siyu were stunned by this move.

Li Sicheng forced a wry smile. “Xiaoxiao, if Lin Siyu won’t listen to you, why would she listen to me?”

Lin Siyu said nothing, but her face was flushed as she wondered, “What does Xiaoxiao mean by that? She… she’d better not get the wrong idea.”

Tan Xiaoxiao took in their reactions and became even more pleased with herself. After a few sly giggles, she gave Li Sicheng a push. “Our words don’t work, but yours might. Come on, try to persuade Siyu for us.”

“Oh no, Xiaoxiao must have misunderstood. I need to find a chance to explain to her that there’s nothing between me and this big liar!” Lin Siyu muttered inwardly, her cheeks growing even redder.

She was so flustered that she didn’t realize that explaining herself to Tan Xiaoxiao would only make things look more suspicious.

Meanwhile, Li Sicheng, thrust into the role, hesitated for a moment but finally spoke. “Lin Siyu…”

“Don’t bother,” Lin Siyu interrupted him immediately, resolute. “I’ve already decided to play, and no one can change my mind! Not you, not Xiaoxiao, not even my sister!”

She was afraid that if Li Sicheng really did manage to talk her out of it, this group of gossip-hungry girls led by Tan Xiaoxiao would cook up all sorts of rumors.

Yet she failed to notice that, in her last sentence, she had put Li Sicheng on the same level as Tan Xiaoxiao and her own sister.

Could it be that, without realizing it, Li Sicheng had already risen in her heart to a status equal to that of her best friend and even her sister?

In the end, Li Sicheng still spoke.

But what he said left Lin Siyu, Tan Xiaoxiao, and the others dumbfounded.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to persuade you. I just want to ask—do you really want to play in this match?”

Lin Siyu was taken aback, unsure what he meant, but she still replied, “That’s right! I want those seniors from Class Six, Grade Three to know we’re not just pushovers! I want them to swallow back their arrogant boasts from before the match!”

“Very good!” Li Sicheng nodded.

Tan Xiaoxiao, standing nearby, was unhappy and quickly pulled his sleeve, frowning. “Hey, what are you doing? I asked you to persuade her not to play, and now you’re supporting her? You know her ankle hasn’t healed yet—she can’t do strenuous exercise!”

Li Sicheng turned and smiled. “Relax, I have a way.”

“A way? What way?” Tan Xiaoxiao was dumbstruck.

Li Sicheng replied, “I have a method that will let Lin Siyu play in the match without hurting her ankle.”

Tan Xiaoxiao was skeptical. “Really? Are you kidding me?”

Li Sicheng’s smile faded and he grew serious. “I never joke about serious matters, and never make light of anyone’s health.”

With that, he walked up to Lin Siyu and, without warning, lifted her into his arms.

“What… what are you doing?” Lin Siyu was startled by his sudden action. Her face turned bright red, her heart raced, and her whole body stiffened with shock, completely at a loss.

She had never been held by a man before!

Come to think of it, this Li Sicheng fellow really had taken quite a few of her firsts…

The first time a man saw her naked, the first time she was carried on someone’s back, the first time she was held in someone’s arms…

All these firsts, and all with Li Sicheng…

Tan Xiaoxiao and the rest of the volleyball team stood dumbfounded.

“What is this? Is he being a rogue in public, or are they just showing off their affection?”

Everyone looked at each other, unsure whether to step in or quietly leave the classroom to give them some privacy.

Fortunately, Li Sicheng didn’t do anything inappropriate. He simply set Lin Siyu down to sit on the desk, and only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Once Li Sicheng let go, most of Lin Siyu’s tension melted away, though it was quickly replaced by a faint sense of disappointment.

“Being held like that actually felt pretty nice. If only he could hold me a little longer… Oh, Lin Siyu, what on earth are you thinking? How shameless!” Lin Siyu’s mind was a complete mess.

So much so that she didn’t even hear what Li Sicheng was saying to her.

It wasn’t until Li Sicheng squatted down and began to take off her shoes and socks that she snapped back to her senses, hastily pulling her foot away as she cried out in embarrassment, “What are you doing? Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

Li Sicheng looked up at her in exasperation. “Please, didn’t I just explain? I’m going to insert a few needles into the acupuncture points on your foot so you can play in the match without reinjuring your ankle. What, you didn’t hear a word I said just now?”

“Ah? What you said just now? Of course I heard you.” Lin Siyu scrambled to answer, too flustered to admit what had really been on her mind.

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