Qin Shu watched Xie Lanzhi head onto the court, still holding his jacket, completely at a loss.
Xie Lanzhi quickly got into the game—dribbling, passing, stealing, shooting. Moments ago Chu Cheng had been playing like a fish in water, but now that he was up against Xie Lanzhi, the pressure was obvious. Qin Shu stared at Xie Lanzhi without blinking, mulling over his words and doing “reading comprehension” in his head.
—“When I see you being good to other people, I don’t feel like talking to you.”
Wait, why? What did it have to do with him if Qin Shu treated others well? And it wasn’t like he was treating anyone that well.
Come to think of it, Xie Lanzhi had actually been treating him quite well lately—driving him around for free, letting him stay in hotels, feeding him from time to time. Maybe Xie Lanzhi’s kindness came with the expectation of some return? Maybe he wanted Qin Shu to treat him a little better too?
That made sense. Compared to how good Xie Lanzhi was to him, he hadn’t really done much in return. Friendship should be mutual—he couldn’t just keep taking without giving something back.
God, what a brain he had. To figure out such a difficult “reading comprehension” problem—he really was a genius. Great! He had received Xie Lanzhi’s message loud and clear. Next time, he’d treat him to duck necks and milk tea.
On the court, Chu Cheng’s repeated attempts at offense were turned into counterattacks by Xie Lanzhi, until he cried out, “Brother Lan is way too brutal, he’s shredding me into dust. I feel totally targeted!”
Lu Rulu patted his waist and encouraged him. “Don’t chicken out, bro, the two of us will guard him together.”
Xie Lanzhi tossed the ball to them. “Keep going.”
With Xie Lanzhi on the court, spectators naturally gathered. At first Qin Shu was the only one on the sidelines, but soon more and more people came, many of them girls who had heard the news. Among them was a familiar face—the president of the Photography Club.
When she spotted him, she came over to say hi. “Hey, you’re here too.”
They were rivals, so by rights there shouldn’t be much to say between them. But since she spoke, Qin Shu couldn’t just ignore her. “I’ve been here a while.”
She looked at Xie Lanzhi on the court. Unlike the other girls, her expression wasn’t so excited. “My CP hasn’t been in the same frame for so long, let alone feeding us sugar. It’s been miserable.”
Qin Shu gloated. “My CP has been handing out sugar nonstop.”
That made her even gloomier. “No, I have to call Xu Ning to come watch Xie Lanzhi play.”
“The h*ll?” Qin Shu looked at her with contempt. “That’s so shameless.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And you still have the nerve to say that? Who was it that called Chu Cheng over during the training camp last time?”
Qin Shu was speechless for a moment, then blustered, “Fine, call her if you want. If Xie Lanzhi spares him even a glance, I’ll admit defeat.”
“And if you lose?”
Qin Shu steeled himself. “If I lose, I’ll create fan content for your ‘Lan Ning’ ship.”
Seeing how confident Qin Shu was, the club president smirked, pulled out her phone, and sent Xu Ning a WeChat message. “You said it yourself.”
Actually, Qin Shu wasn’t nearly as confident as he looked. During the last retreat, when Xie Lanzhi drew the same room as Xu Ning, he still chose to stay at a hotel, while Xu Ning smilingly accepted the hammer from Chu Cheng and even invited him to sleep over. Normally, “Cheng-Ning” also spent much more time together than “Lan-Ning.” On the surface, the “Cheng-Ning” stock was skyrocketing, almost hitting the upper limit, but Xie Lanzhi remained a potential threat—after all, he was a man with the natural aura of the “official gong.” One had to stay on guard.
But faced with provocation from the rival ship, how could a true CP fan back down!
The club president girl found some excuse and called Xu Ning over. He had just finished class, his white shirt cuffs smudged with oil paint, yet it didn’t look messy at all—he was still that clean, fresh beauty.
When Qin Shu and the president girl saw him walking over, their hearts both skipped a beat. Only a few days apart, and Xu Ning seemed… more solid again!
The president girl trembled: “Where’s my delicate, frail little beauty shou?! D*mn it, now he’s even filling out his shirt!”
Qin Shu’s heart gave a sharp twitch, but he forced himself to self-soothe: “Ning Ning looks good no matter what.”
The president girl broke down: “No—I refuse to accept this!”
Qin Shu could really understand her pain. Xie Lanzhi was tall and lean—slim in clothes, though who knew about out of clothes, anyway, he wasn’t the bulky, muscle-packed type. Before working out, Xu Ning had looked even thinner and smaller than Qin Shu, his waist so narrow one big hand could wrap around it, a perfect match for Xie Lanzhi. But now, Qin Shu suspected Xu Ning’s weight was almost the same as Xie Lanzhi’s. Standing together, the CP feeling was taking a heavy hit.
The president girl’s agony struck a warning bell in Qin Shu’s heart. If Ning Ning kept training, the “Cheng-Ning” ship might end up being labeled “strong-strong.”
“President, you called me?” Xu Ning asked gently. “Why at the basketball court—hmm? Qin Shu is here too, then Chu Cheng must be…” He glanced toward the court and indeed saw Chu Cheng.
Chu Cheng was just contesting a rebound with Xie Lanzhi. He jumped too early, so Xie Lanzhi easily snatched the ball. Qin Shu’s scalp tingled, and he hurriedly said: “I’ve been watching them. Actually, Chu Cheng’s level is about the same as Xie Lanzhi’s, sometimes he’s even a tiny bit better.”
The president girl shot back loudly: “Bullsh*t! Chu Cheng’s always been cannon fodder in front of Xie Lanzhi, okay?!”
“Xie Lanzhi’s a year older than Chu Cheng, of course he has an advantage,” Qin Shu argued stubbornly. “When Chu Cheng reaches Xie Lanzhi’s age, he’ll definitely be stronger.”
“Oh come on! What difference is there between nineteen and twenty?”
…
The two kept bickering nonstop, while Xu Ning seemed to tune them out, his gaze fixed steadily on Chu Cheng.
When Chu Cheng was running, his peripheral vision caught sight of Xu Ning by the sidelines. Unconsciously, he slowed down, his gaze glued to Xu Ning like superglue. Even when Lu Rulu shouted, “Chu Cheng, watch the ball!” he didn’t react. The ball flew straight at him, only to be intercepted in a flash by Xie Lanzhi, who then made a clean three-step layup.
The president girl screamed—she hadn’t been this excited even when Xie Lanzhi hit a three-pointer while Xu Ning wasn’t around: “Xie Lanzhi is insane!!!”
Qin Shu covered his face with a hand, mortified: “Chu Cheng’s not usually like this.”
Xu Ning’s brows and eyes curved with a smile: “I know, he’s really good.”
On the court, Lu Rulu was speechless: “It’s broad daylight, are you daydreaming?”
Chu Cheng wiped his sweat with his jersey: “My bad.”
Xie Lanzhi walked over and asked: “Need a break?”
“No need.” Chu Cheng stole another quick glance toward the sidelines. “I’m not tired at all.”
After that little incident, Chu Cheng leveled up into Chu Cheng Plus—both his speed and strength a notch higher. Lu Rulu couldn’t keep up, panting as he complained: “This isn’t even a real game, why go so hard?”
Chu Cheng couldn’t break through Xie Lanzhi’s defense, so he passed the ball: “Brother Lu!”
Lu Rulu barely caught it, but the other two defenders rushed him. Knowing he couldn’t handle a two-on-one, he quickly passed back: “Chu Cheng!”
“Got it!” Chu Cheng leapt, caught the ball, then landed with a feint, successfully slipping past Xie Lanzhi and sinking the shot cleanly.
Lu Rulu gave him a thumbs-up: “Nice one!”
But Chu Cheng ignored him, turning immediately to look for Xu Ning—only to see Xu Ning talking to a girl.
Chu Cheng: “…f*ck.”
Xu Ning, meanwhile, was asking the president why she’d called him over, completely missing Chu Cheng’s score. The president said: “Oh, I was thinking about the next club outing theme, wanted to ask your opinion.”
Qin Shu cut in dryly: “You guys just had an outing, and you’re planning another? Don’t your members have their own lives?”
The president: “It’s club business. If you want to complain, why don’t you join first?”
Qin Shu: “I’ll pass. Photography ruins three generations’ finances.”
Xu Ning said: “Qin Shu’s right. Large-scale outings two or three times a semester is about right. If members want to arrange private shoots, they can organize themselves.”
As the sky darkened, Xie Lanzhi had been playing nearly an hour, eyes never leaving the court, not once glancing at the sidelines. Qin Shu breathed a sigh of relief—good, good, no need for him to write fan content for the rival ship. The president girl, after finally getting Xie Lanzhi and Xu Ning in the same frame, still couldn’t even get a glance exchanged between them. She took the critical hit.
Qin Shu quietly consoled her: “Missy, the CP you ship is fake. The one I ship is real. Turn back now, while you still can.”
The president girl, exhausted, gave him a sideways glare and picked a fight: “You’re wearing a jacket, and holding another in your arms this whole time, aren’t you hot?”
Qin Shu looked down at the coat in his arms: “This one isn’t mine, it’s Xie Lanzhi’s.”
The president girl nearly lost it: “Why the h*ll do you have Xie Lanzhi’s jacket?!”
“He tossed it to me.”
The president girl went silent for a few seconds, then: “This place is full of knives for my CP. I’m leaving, and I’ll never come back.”
Qin Shu saw Xu Ning still had no intention of leaving, so he asked: “Ning Ning, have you eaten yet?”
Xu Ning: “Not yet.”
Qin Shu couldn’t decide whether to invite Xu Ning to eat with them. On the one hand, he wanted Xu Ning and Baby to be in the same frame giving out sugar, but on the other, he didn’t want Xu Ning and Xie Lanzhi to have too much contact.
Before Qin Shu finished struggling, the players on the court had already dispersed. Chu Cheng was the first to run over and asked Xu Ning: “Why did you come?”
Xu Ning handed him a tissue to wipe sweat. “Looking for someone.”
“Looking for who.” Chu Cheng sounded annoyed. “When I scored I turned around and saw you talking to some girl. You came to look for her?”
Xu Ning smiled: “Yeah. She’s our club president. You saw her at the guesthouse before—forgot?”
Chu Cheng snorted: “There were so many people then, who’d remember.”
“You’ve been playing so long, aren’t you hungry? Want to eat together?”
“But I already promised to eat with Brother Lan and the others,” said Chu Cheng. “Why don’t you come with us?”
Xu Ning’s eyes curved with his smile. “Sure.”
Off to the side, Qin Shu’s lips were practically flying up to heaven. This must be what it felt like to be in paradise.
“Very happy to see?”
A cold voice sounded from behind. Qin Shu turned his head, unable to hide the smile on his face.
Xie Lanzhi’s presence pressed heavy, his words short: “Coat.”
Qin Shu froze for a few seconds before reacting, handing the jacket over. “I’ve been holding your coat the whole time, don’t worry, it’s not dirty.”
Xie Lanzhi took it and put it on, saying nothing more.
Qin Shu’s smile shrank, leaving him a little at a loss.
What was supposed to be a four-person meal became five. Lu Rulu suggested hotpot. They went to a Chongqing hotpot place near school: the pot base red with beef tallow, Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilis thrown in like they were free, beef tripe, fatty beef, pork aorta, shrimp paste—all tossed in, then fished out and dipped in the special sauce—one bite and you could ascend to heaven.
Everyone ate heartily—except Xie Lanzhi. Chu Cheng noticed he barely moved his chopsticks, and asked: “Brother Lan, you don’t like hotpot?”
Qin Shu had just finished swishing some tripe. “Senior, try this tripe, it’s pretty tender.”
“Mm, a little greasy.”
They spoke almost at the same time, leaving Qin Shu awkwardly stuck with the tripe still in his chopsticks, unsure what to do.
Xie Lanzhi glanced at him, nudged his own bowl closer. Qin Shu immediately offered the tripe. “Please enjoy.”
After hotpot, Xie Lanzhi went home; the others headed back to campus.
“Brother Lan seems pretty cold,” said Chu Cheng. “Did someone piss him off?”
Qin Shu muttered softly: “Seems like me.”
“What did you do to him?”
Qin Shu looked helpless. “I don’t even know.”
Lu Rulu laughed: “Little Love Letter, don’t overthink it. I know my roommate best—he’s always like that. Never seen him warm to anyone.”
Passing a fruit tea shop, Xu Ning said: “Want to get some juice to wash away the grease?”
“Sure,” Chu Cheng said. “I’ll have watermelon. You guys?”
Lu Rulu: “Strawberry.”
“I’ll take orange,” said Qin Shu, then thought a bit. “Make it two cups.”
Xie Lanzhi got home, rubbed Snowball (who came over begging for pets) a couple times, then went to shower. He’d sweated a lot while playing, body uncomfortable the whole time.
When he came out, he habitually checked his phone. A few new messages, and one missed call. Opening WeChat, all the messages were from Qin Shu.
【Love Letter: Senior, I bought you a juice.】
【Love Letter: Senior, are you there? (peeking.jpg)】
【Love Letter: (obediently waiting.jpg)】
Xie Lanzhi directly called back. Qin Shu must have been waiting—he picked up in a second. “Senior?”
Xie Lanzhi: “Where are you.”
“Just downstairs at your place.”
“Wait for me.”
Without even putting on a coat, Xie Lanzhi grabbed his phone and went out.
Qin Shu stood under the streetlamp, sipping one juice in his hand while holding another. When he saw Xie Lanzhi come out, he smiled. “Senior.”
Xie Lanzhi looked at him, unable to name the feeling in his chest. “Waited long?”
“No, I spent more time registering with security than waiting.” Qin Shu held the juice out. “Thank you for treating me so well, Senior. Please keep taking care of me like this from now on, too.”
Xie Lanzhi paused, then chuckled lightly, taking the juice. “Please take care of me too.”
Author’s Note: Senior is way too easy to coax, isn’t he!!!
