Reversed Life: Chapter 25 - That Gentle Appearance was All a Lie
Chapter 25: That Gentle Appearance was All a Lie
After hearing the doctor emphasize one particularly important instruction—“no strenuous exercise”—the group of tall young boys in the hospital room all showed worried expressions.
“Fuck, why am I such useless trash?!”
After a long silence, Xiao Pangzi, lying face-down on the hospital bed, emotionally started punching his own head. Jiang Hai sighed and reached out to stop him. “What’s wrong with you? You’re already injured like this, what are you blaming yourself for?”
But Xiao Pangzi ignored the comfort. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until tears even started falling. “Fuck… if we really lose to Guan Ziming’s bunch of idiots because of me…”
The room instantly fell silent. Even Jiang Hai’s hand paused for a moment.
Anyone unfamiliar with the situation would have a hard time imagining just how much hatred Yingcheng’s basketball team held toward the name “Guan Ziming.” Only those teammates who had personally witnessed Brother Nan’s gloomy transfer understood why the team’s pre-match training lately had become almost fanatically intense.
“We absolutely cannot lose to Guan Ziming.” That sentence had practically become a curse branded into everyone’s hearts.
But sadly, deep down, they all knew the truth. With Yingcheng’s current lineup strength, whether Xiao Pangzi was injured or not, whether he played or not, they still probably couldn’t compete against Jiahe, where Guan Ziming played.
After all, ever since the team was established in middle school, the team’s main scorer had always been that guy who excelled at every aspect of the game— Brother Nan.
Brother Nan had been everyone’s backbone. He was good at planning, analyzing, directing the backcourt, adapting on the fly. Yingcheng’s opponents had never been weak—usually they were evenly matched. And in those moments, Brother Nan’s existence became the single most important factor tipping victory in their favor.
From first year middle school to first year high school, a full four years— Under his leadership, Yingcheng had never lost a single match.
Pain surfaced in Jiang Hai’s eyes. He figured all his teammates probably felt the same way. No one wanted to disgrace the glory Brother Nan had earned for Yingcheng during the very first crucial year after his departure—especially not against Guan Ziming’s team, the very people indirectly responsible for driving him away.
Aside from Xiao Pangzi’s muffled sobbing into his pillow, the room was deathly quiet. As someone who could also be counted among those responsible for Brother Nan’s transfer, Jiang Hai had never once been directly blamed, yet he still felt guilt and hatred gnawing at him. The oppressive atmosphere nearly suffocated him. He abruptly stood up.
The sickly green-haired boy beside him drooped his slanted eyes and asked, “What’re you doing?”
“Feels stuffy.” Jiang Hai rubbed his eyes. “Going out for a smoke.”
The instant he stepped out the door, a face he never expected slammed into his vision. Jiang Hai froze completely, eyes widening.
The girl leaning lazily against the wall with her arms crossed shifted her gaze toward him. Her calm expression didn’t change. She simply lifted a finger and tapped her lips in a silent gesture for quiet.
Jiang Hai opened his mouth. Behind him, teammates were already asking, “What’s wrong?” Hearing them, he vaguely replied, “…Nothing.”
Then he closed the door behind him. Hesitating briefly, he still followed after the figure who had silently motioned him quiet before turning and walking away on her own.
In the inpatient recreation area, warm sunlight spilled over lush greenery and patients exercising nearby. The sound of basketballs striking the ground echoed through the air.
Qiao Nan glanced sideways at Jiang Hai, who trailed behind him looking pitiful like a wronged little wife. “How is he?”
Jiang Hai secretly peeked at him from the corner of his eye. Under the sunlight, the short-haired girl’s figure in casual clothes looked slender. Hearing the question, his brain blanked for a second. “…W-what?”
This was their first meeting since the street race on Saturday. Countless chaotic thoughts crowded his mind. The back of his head throbbed with phantom pain, and his heart hammered wildly in his chest. Then the girl ahead sighed, turned around, and looked at him with an irritated yet helpless expression. “Are you stupid? Xiao Pangzi!”
Xiao Pangzi’s real name was Kong Jiafu. Even though everyone called him “Xiao Pangzi,” only people who were already close to the basketball team dared use that nickname directly in front of the players.
“…” Jiang Hai’s eyes suddenly stung. Staring down at his toes, he muttered pitifully, “His tailbone cracked. The doctor said he can’t run or jump around for at least two months. He definitely can’t make the tournament…”
These were words he could never say in front of Xiao Pangzi or the others. After Qiao Nan left, Jiang Hai had taken over the role of stabilizing everyone emotionally. He always had to stay rational and strong.
“Idiot.” The short-haired girl rolled her eyes in despair, then sat cross-legged directly in the grass without any concern for appearances, propping her head against one knee while staring blankly ahead. Luckily, she was pretty and wearing pants. Otherwise, such sloppy movements would’ve looked crude. Instead, they somehow carried an air of carefree swagger.
That familiar tone and mannerism made Jiang Hai’s nose sting uncontrollably. Squatting down in front of her, for one fleeting moment, he almost blurted out the question in his heart— But the girl seemed to sense his intention and shot him a cold sideways glance.
Though he found it unbelievably absurd, Jiang Hai swallowed all those questions back down. Looking at her, he quietly said, “If Brother Nan hadn’t transferred schools, things would’ve been better…”
The girl snorted coldly.
Jiang Hai looked at her again, voice even quieter. “…If the one who left had been me instead, that would’ve been better too…”
“Tch.” Qiao Nan grew irritated listening to him. “Why do you have so much bullshit to say?”
Back in the past, one harsh sentence from him would’ve shut Jiang Hai and the others up immediately. But today, the same expression carried by a different body somehow felt different. The instant Jiang Hai got scolded, looking at the face that had once always treated him pretty politely, what he felt first wasn’t fear— It was grievance. And once that emotion surfaced, he completely lost control. After waiting a while without hearing a response, Qiao Nan turned around—only to discover that the idiot squatting beside him had buried his head between his knees and started sobbing.
Qiao Nan: “…”
He looked disgusted. “…Hey.”
“I’m seriously a useless piece of shit who ruins everything…” The guilt over Brother Nan being forced to transfer had been buried in Jiang Hai’s heart for so long that he felt like he was going insane. Every day he drowned in self-loathing. He had always wanted a chance to apologize. But after the last time Brother Nan had rushed over just to beat him up for suggesting he turn himself in, Brother Nan blocked all their contact information. Jiang Hai had neither the courage nor the face to seek him out. Now, with tears flowing freely, everything finally burst out at once. “My brain’s the bad one. I’m the one who hit someone and caused trouble. So why did Brother Nan end up suffering everything alone? I’m worse than him at everything. I play basketball worse, I didn’t take care of Xiao Pangzi and the others properly either. Once he left, we all fell apart. Everyone misses him so much, but nobody dares look for him. It’s all my fault things turned out like this…”
Qiao Nan: “…”
Listening to the sobbing beside him, the expression on his face shifted from blankness to surprise— Then finally he burst out laughing.
Jiang Hai jerked his head up from his knees, teary-eyed and accusing.
Qiao Nan held his forehead, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. This was the first time he’d realized his friends actually felt this way.
Honestly, after the car accident, the reason he blocked all his Yingcheng friends wasn’t just because he didn’t want them acting impulsively. More importantly— He’d been too ashamed to face them. Sure, Jiang Hai had technically hit the person, but the true trigger had undeniably been Qiao Nan himself. He had dragged all his brothers into an impossible mess. And during that time, he’d even genuinely beaten up an injured guy who had rushed forward to fight for him.
He hadn’t even wanted to think about how his friends viewed him. Later, when not a single member of Yingcheng’s basketball team contacted him anymore, he became even less willing to think deeply about why.
And now the truth turned out to be— They were too scared?
Not only had these little animals not held grudges, they actually missed him terribly?
Qiao Nan laughed so hard he almost couldn’t sit upright anymore. Jiang Hai got so annoyed by the reaction that he couldn’t even continue crying. Sulking for a while, he finally mumbled, “Anyway, I’m useless. Not only can’t I get revenge for him, now we’re gonna lose to Guan Ziming in basketball too.”
The moment the words fell, noisy shouting erupted from the basketball court nearby. Accompanied by startled cries, something cut through the air toward them.
From the corner of his eye, Jiang Hai caught sight of a rapidly approaching red blur. His brain instantly shut down. Then he widened his eyes in horror. “N—”
The girl sitting opposite him had already half-turned her body. She casually raised both hands and cleanly caught the incoming basketball midair. The smile on her face never changed.
Cheers erupted from the patients playing on the court. Holding the basketball, the girl lazily stood up amidst all the praise for her quick reflexes.
Jiang Hai was struck speechless by the dazzling aura exploding from her the moment she rose to her feet. “…Brother.”
The girl acted as though she hadn’t heard him. Her gaze remained fixed on the basketball hoop. Since both of them were outside the court, she stared thoughtfully at the basket for a moment before speaking. “Don’t worry.”
“We won’t lose.”
Her tone was gentler than ever before.
She raised her arm, bent her knees slightly, flicked her wrist, and jumped casually into the shot—
“Hahaha little girl’s got good form!”
“Nice! Make an outside shot!”
“So pretty so pretty!”
The patients on the court burst into cheerful laughter— Which abruptly cut off.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air before dropping gracefully, touching the rim, rolling once along the edge—
And going in.
Dead silence. Qiao Nan’s feet landed on the ground. Facing the stunned gazes from the court, the calm, almost smug expression on his face nearly failed for one split second.
Because without warning, a sharp cramping pain stabbed through his abdomen. The kind of pain that felt like a hand had suddenly grabbed his intestines and started yanking them in every direction.
And then— A warm flow.
Qiao Nan: “……………………”
His expression control was simply too good. So good that Jiang Hai standing beside him didn’t notice anything wrong at all. He was still dazed from the perfect shot and Brother Nan’s gentle tone. Coming back to his senses, he immediately started clapping enthusiastically.
Brother Nan’s so cool! Brother Nan’s so cool!
After clapping for a while, he noticed Qiao Nan was still frozen in the same position. Blinking, he tilted his head—and suddenly noticed something. Without thinking, he pointed. “Brother Nan, your pants—”
The exquisitely beautiful face of the girl suddenly turned toward him, instantly swallowed by shadows, sinister as a demon. “Hm???”
“Eek—” Jiang Hai nearly lost his soul from fright. “Bl-blood—blood—blood…”
Qiao Nan: “…”
Irritated irritated irritated irritated… Sudden overwhelming irritation…
His right hand twitched. Grinding his molars, he told himself internally: It’s fine. Jiang Hai’s always been a brainless idiot beneath that exterior that somehow fooled all of Yingcheng. You already knew that. No need to beat him up over this. He cried so miserably just now already. That’s pitiful enough.
Five minutes later—Jiang Hai, now bruised black and blue, had lost every piece of clothing on his upper body. Hugging his bare chest against the freezing wind, he endured an almost explosive level of public attention while stumbling back into Xiao Pangzi’s hospital room. The moment he entered, he burst into loud sobs.
His friends rushed over in alarm. “What happened to you?!”
Jiang Hai’s right eye was swollen shut. Between sobs he wailed, “Brother Nan’s… gentle side… was all… fucking fake!!!”
Everyone: ????
At the same time, in another distant corner of City A—
Mu Xiangxiang’s phone chimed softly. She picked it up to look.
[Qiao Nan: You owe me a life.]
[Qiao Nan: Get over here. Now.]
Author’s Note:
Girls generally can’t join the boys’ basketball team, so Brother Nan’s about to show off from outside the court.
Brother Nan during his period, with combat power increased by 500%: “…Tch.”
“Tch” = “Kneel.”
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