TFS | Chapter 5

For several days in a row, Qi Yue had flatly turned down every drinking, eating, and partying invite from friends in his social circle. He had been nowhere to be seen for quite a while, long enough that even Xu Zhou found it strange.

What kind of person was Qi Yue? Xu Zhou knew him too well. He was the classic rich second-generation slacker, the type who coasted through life waiting to die. Fights, racing, games, the more刺激 the better, every day he could come up with a different stunt. His life was colorful and varied, the kind that would not stop until he was completely bored.

And yet this idle good-for-nothing second-generation brat had actually been going to school for several days in a row?!

When Xu Zhou heard the news, he was beyond shocked. He thought that bastard must have been possessed by a ghost, or how else could he have turned into this? After asking around, he found out that the guy had been going to school to chase girls.

What girl was so hard to pursue?

Xu Zhou narrowed his eyes, a hint of curiosity showing on his face. In his memory, there seemed to have been a girl named Xu Linruan who had dumped Qi Yue, but he had not paid it much mind. Now that he thought about it, could this be the other side deliberately using a strategy of making him chase and then withdrawing?

Thinking of that, Xu Zhou raised his brows with great anticipation. He casually picked up the jacket draped over the sofa and, with a certain gossip-loving mindset, planned to go to the school and watch a good show.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side, Qi Yue had been tormented for several days and was utterly worn out. All those online crash-course guides, the full package of cheesy lines and flirtation tactics, were instantly reduced to trash under the faint, intermittent approach of Xu University Genius.

The young master was being despised to the point of doubting life. Flowers were too cliché, money had no appeal, and especially under the other person’s teasing, that innocent, hazy boyish heart of his had actually become embarrassingly uncontrollable.

Who did he think he was, Qi Yue? He had always been carefree and heartless, the Qi family young master who never lost when it came to romance. Yet he was being rejected and toyed with by a girl again and again. In this situation, if he did not fight back, was he still even a person?

The boy etched her into his mind with a hard, vicious stroke.

On Wednesday afternoon during PE, Xu Linruan changed into a different outfit and came to the playground with the girls from her class. The boys and girls stood separately in two rows. From far away, Qi Yue could spot her at a glance. The girl was wearing sportswear, her temperament outstanding, and the black cotton T-shirt made her waist look even slimmer.

Pretty girls were undoubtedly attention-grabbing, even if everyone knew she already belonged to someone.

Several figures passed by her side. Among them was a handsome boy with a rather sunny personality, who could not help glancing her way. Under the scattered sunlight, the girl gently brushed the loose hair by her ear. Her long, fair fingers gleamed softly in the sun, and faint blue veins seemed to show on the back of her hand.

The boy’s earlobes reddened. He could not resist walking up to strike up a conversation. “Um… hello, classmate. I’m Xu Canyang from Class 3, Year 2. Could I… add your contact information?”

“Hm?” Xu Linruan looked up at him. The boy in front of her was holding a basketball and giving her an awkward smile. There was a kind of fresh, bright feeling about him, as if spring rain had settled at the corners of his eyes and brows.

The boy scratched the back of his head in discomfort. A reddish color seemed to spread across his fair skin, and his whole body carried a tense, braced posture, as if he was afraid she would refuse.

Compared to him, Xu Linruan across from him looked much calmer. Her fingertips idly brushed the loose hair by her ear, and a faint smile touched her lips. She did not say yes, but with a handsome boy and a beautiful girl, how could this not look like it was going somewhere?

The moment Qi Yue saw this, he blew up.

From a long distance away, the young master was already charging across the playground. The way he ran looked exactly like some country bandit who had never seen the world and was rushing down the mountain to rob treasure, aggressive and fierce, with a trace of irritation even he himself had not noticed. He nearly knocked people over.

Qi Yue rushed right up to the two of them in three strides. He stopped in front of Xu Canyang, his tall frame blocking the girl behind him completely, as if proclaiming ownership. Then he turned his head and glared at the man, his small dark eyes icy cold, as if mixed with shards of ice. He looked especially creepy.

Where the hell did this dog man come from? Did he think I don’t exist?

The young master’s possessiveness had always been strong since childhood. Toward this dog man, whose intention to compete was blatantly obvious, Qi Yue naturally had no pleasant expression. He frowned and stared at him with obvious hostility. “Who are you? What do you want with her?”

At that, Xu Canyang’s expression clearly froze for a moment.

After recovering, he immediately looked toward Xu Linruan, but did not see her, only a patch of dark hair at the top of her head. A trace of disappointment flashed across Xu Canyang’s face before he reined it in and looked back at Qi Yue with a mild expression. “I know you. Qi Yue from Class Eleven, right? I heard you’re very talented in sports. Want to play a game with me?”

As for who he heard it from, nobody knew. In any case, he just looked annoyed by him.

Since the boy had said it that way, Qi Yue had no reason to refuse. Besides, for men, the court was a battlefield. Since the other side had thrown down the challenge, there was no reason not to accept it.

The young master agreed immediately.

The two boys walked toward the basketball court, one after the other. Qi Yue had gone quite a distance before realizing the person behind him had not followed. He turned around and saw that Xu Linruan was still standing where she was, not having moved a single step.

The boy rushed back in annoyance and saw her holding a tennis racket and making gestures with it. When she bent over, a small section of her fair, smooth waist was revealed. The young master was immediately puzzled. His two black eyes were glued to the girl’s slim waist like X-rays, and he complained inwardly. What kind of shirt was that? It did not even cover her stomach.

The boy itched to reach out and tug that half-exposed hem down, but there were so many people around that he felt too embarrassed to actually do it.

So the young master coughed lightly, looked down at her, and asked, “Hey, aren’t you coming over to cheer for me?”

Xu Linruan raised a brow at him, neither confirming nor denying it. “Can you play basketball?”

She answered a question with a question, but Qi Yue did not care at all. He looked perfectly justified. “Of course not.”

The boy twirled the loose hair at his forehead with one finger and continued in an utterly理所当然 tone, “Anyway, it’s not some hard thing. It looks pretty simple, and I’m super good at fighting.”

Xu Linruan could not help rolling her eyes at him, then turned to leave. But unexpectedly, her wrist tightened as someone grabbed it firmly. She struggled a few times without breaking free, then looked up at him.

Qi Yue turned his head away as if to hide it and wore a stiff face. “That, uh, you’re not allowed to leave. Come cheer for me.”

After saying that, he did not even wait for her to refuse. He dragged her by the wrist toward the bleachers.

He probably had not even realized that he had become more and more skilled at holding her hand.

When Qi Yue turned back to look, that annoying woman still did not say a word. She only bent her eyes slightly and watched his back, her gaze so tender it looked like water could seep out of it. Even with Qi Yue’s thick skin, being dragged around like this in full view of everyone still made the tips of his ears burn.

The two of them arrived at the basketball court without a care for the people around them. There were not many people in the stands.

Qi Yue went down to the court and quickly changed into a black tracksuit. He was tall, with long legs, and the proud, flamboyant air around him immediately grew sharper. Especially his face, which was exquisitely handsome, with not a single flaw to be found.

It had to be admitted that the willful and domineering Qi family young master from the original story really did have the capital to make people lose their minds. No wonder he had such overwhelming popularity.

Xu Linruan slowly withdrew her gaze.

The game on that side was about to begin too. With the sound of the whistle, the match officially started.

The young master came out with plenty of momentum. His movements were fast and agile, and even when he played basketball, he carried himself with an air of looking down on everyone. Although his moves were very good-looking, when it came to shooting, he was somewhat lacking. Either he missed left or right, in any case he just could not score. After several rounds, the boy became a little impatient.

Xu Canyang opposite him was the complete opposite. He was also quick, and his shots were extremely steady and accurate. As expected of someone on the school basketball team, he almost became the brightest presence on the court.

Qi Yue watched from the side and was extremely displeased. Clearly, he had better stamina and was very talented in sports, but he just was not good at this kind of ball game. Every shot went off-target. Especially when he saw Xu Linruan in the stands staring at the other man without blinking, the boy became even more impatient, and even that strange feeling in his heart grew stronger.

The court was clearly turning into Xu Canyang’s solo celebration.

The boy simply stopped and stared in Xu Linruan’s direction without moving. Perhaps his gaze was too resentful, because someone finally picked up on it. Xu Linruan tilted her head slightly, her eyes shifting as the corners of her lips curved into a faint arc. She gave the other side a gentle smile.

She thought that this domineering little young master was probably going to fall for it, so the smile at the corners of her mouth became even gentler.

However, that smile was so impactful that the boy on the court lost focus for a moment. After coming back to his senses, he could not help walking toward the stands.

Just then, a change suddenly occurred on the court.

A player lost strength while passing the ball, and the basketball went straight toward Qi Yue. Qi Yue turned his head, and the flying ball smashed right toward that handsome face. Only when it hit the ground did it make a thud. The ball bounced twice on the floor and landed by Qi Yue’s foot. The young master hissed in pain and instinctively clutched his face.

The sounds on the court gradually grew noisy.

Xu Linruan also stood up and followed several girls to the field. A few boys reached out to help Qi Yue up, but the young master swatted their hands away with obvious disgust.

Xu Linruan looked down at him.

The injured lead seemed to spot her at once and grabbed her wrist, pulling her down. He kept whining that his head hurt here, his side hurt there, that there was nowhere on his body that did not hurt. Hearing this, the player who had lost the ball looked so guilty he nearly cried.

Xu Linruan had not expected this guy to be so on the ball. She knelt on one knee to help him up, and then that handsome face suddenly leaned in. The ambiguous distance was so close it was almost nothing. She could clearly see the two lines of blood flowing beneath the boy’s nose, as well as the basketball mark stamped onto his handsome face. It was both funny and ridiculous.

“Pfft…”

Xu Linruan could not hold back a laugh. Her eyes curved into a shallow crescent. “Are you okay?”

She thought that this was probably the most embarrassing moment of this guy’s life.

Qi Yue opened his eyes and secretly glanced at her. The girl’s cool fingertips brushed lightly over the tip of his nose, and her long black hair fell over his chest. He could almost smell the faint scent from her hair.

The boy unconsciously pressed a hand to his chest. He thought, this annoying woman really was fucking beautiful when she smiled.