CM - 17

Jing He returned to the court and plopped down next to Shen Tingwen, landing right on another boy’s towel. The boy screamed at him, “Damn it, Jing He, you bastard, you’re sitting on my towel! Get off it, now!”

Jing He pulled the towel from under his butt and tossed it to him: “Here, here!”

Shen Tingwen unscrewed a bottle of water and took two sips. When he was at school, his front hair was down, making him look a bit ‘baby-faced’ to those older than him. Outside of school, his hair was usually pulled back, and he occasionally wore a headband when playing basketball.

Jing He and the others had an average relationship with Shen Tingwen. Shen Tingwen didn’t hang out with them often; his leisure time was quite packed, so he wasn’t always available.

So why did Jing He and his friends keep begging him to play? This led to the cheerleaders. When Shen Tingwen was there, more girls would come to watch the game, and they could bask in his glory, taking a few girls out for karaoke, clubbing, and late-night snacks after the game. How good was that?

Jing He told him, “Guess who I saw outside? You’ll never guess.”

Shen Tingwen wasn’t interested.

“Zhou Shuirong! She’s playing billiards out there, with a bunch of office guys.”

Hearing this, Shen Tingwen couldn’t drink his water anymore. He handed the bottle to Jing He, stood up, and walked out.

Zhao Guqing, in the spectator stands, saw this and straightened up, her eyes following his figure as he walked out of the basketball area.

Zhu Jiayi was also curious: “The second half is about to start. Where’s he going?”

Behind them, Jing He chased after him: “Wait for me!”

Seeing this, Zhao Guqing and Zhu Jiayi also left the stands and followed.

Shen Tingwen came out and saw Zhou Shuirong leaning over the billiard table, playing. She was completely focused, oblivious to the wandering eyes of the few men beside her, whose gazes were fixed on her shorts...

He walked over and stood behind her, shielding her from those ill-intentioned stares.

Someone asked who he was. Zhou Shuirong turned to look, a style of Shen Tingwen she hadn’t seen before. His hair was pulled back, making him look very strong and wild. If he had looked like this from the start, Zhou Shuirong felt she definitely wouldn’t have been deceived.

Shen Tingwen’s gaze calmly swept over the few men, then he turned and asked Zhou Shuirong: “You came over, why didn’t you come inside?”

Zhou Shuirong propped the cue stick on the ground, holding it with both hands, very confused: “I wasn’t looking for you.”

Shen Tingwen asked: “Still mad at me?”

“You’re overthinking it, aren’t you? Are we even close?”

“I was wrong. Can you stop arguing with me? I promise I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

How much did Zhou Shuirong care about him telling her everything? “Don’t bother. Your words are golden, don’t waste them on me. I’m not worthy of hearing them.”

Look how strong her learning ability was. After mingling with Beijingers for these past few days, her Beijing accent came effortlessly, and these two sentences she spoke were almost indistinguishable from a native speaker, at least the men didn’t think she was an outsider.

Shen Tingwen reached out to her, gripping the cuff of her sleeve. That obedient, sweet demeanor returned: “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

After Zhou Shuirong knew his true character, looking at him now, she just felt: How can he be such a good actor?

Shen Tingwen stepped closer to her: “You were very happy in the taxi.”

What taxi? What about the taxi? Everyone present was confused. What did they do in a taxi? Are they a couple? They must be, right? Looking at this conversation, it’s a girlfriend who’s mad and a boyfriend who’s trying to appease her.

So, she was already taken. The few men lost all hope.

Jing He, who had just arrived, didn’t witness Shen Tingwen’s stunning acting. He just saw Zhou Shuirong’s grim face, looking like she was about to kill someone. He shivered in fear, not daring to get too close to the battlefield.

Zhou Shuirong turned her neck, the murderous intent in her eyes diminishing by half. She gently took Shen Tingwen’s hand, seemingly tenderly: “Then how about we find a private place to be happy again?”

Jing He was dumbfounded, but Shen Tingwen knew he was about to get beaten.

Zhou Shuirong held Shen Tingwen’s hand, led him to a corner, then pushed him against the wall, grabbed his collar, choked him, and slapped him across the head: “Endless? What do you want to do?”

Shen Tingwen let her hit him. Then he put both hands on her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

Zhou Shuirong looked down and saw Shen Tingwen hugging her waist. Her brows furrowed. She struggled twice but couldn’t break free. She looked up and glared at him: “Let go!”

Shen Tingwen didn’t let go. His hand moved further up, reaching her back, embracing her completely. “I really didn’t lie to you. Can you stop being mad at me?”

Zhou Shuirong felt her hairs stand on end with his embrace. She pushed him away forcefully: “You’re sick! Shen Tingwen!”

Shen Tingwen grabbed Zhou Shuirong’s arm, not letting her go. Then he took off his jersey and, despite her resistance, tied it around her waist, then pulled down his arm sleeve to secure it tightly, covering her shorts: “Then, for my sake, since I’m sick, can you add me back on WeChat?”

Zhou Shuirong slapped his hand away: “Get lost!”

Shen Tingwen leaned against the wall, bare-cheasted, watching Zhou Shuirong’s retreating figure. His jersey was still tied around her waist, and her two slender, straight long legs walked with a sway...

She said: You’re sick, Shen Tingwen.

She said his name so nicely.

When Jing He came over, he saw Shen Tingwen shirtless, his waistband hanging low on his hips. The connection from his waist to his hips was simply perfect. His proportions were truly good, and his abs were enticing. Not to mention women drooling, even a guy like him couldn’t help but stare.

This was nothing. He had seen it before when Shen Tingwen lifted his shirt while playing basketball. What surprised him was that there was a full sleeve tattoo under his arm sleeve.

No wonder he always wore an arm sleeve on his right arm when playing basketball. They used to think it was for sun protection. Turns out it was to cover his tattoo. Jing He walked over, his eyes fixed on his full sleeve: “Holy moly, what did you get tattooed? Is it Gothic?”

Shen Tingwen didn’t say anything and returned to the basketball court. As he passed the front desk, the two girls’ eyes widened. That kind of young and sexy charisma was just too captivating.

Zhou Shuirong wasn’t in the mood to play anymore. She shook off Shen Tingwen and left, not even saying goodbye to the office workers. So, she didn’t see Shen Tingwen walking bare-chested all the way to the basketball court.

Saying goodbye wouldn’t have helped anyway. Thanks to Shen Tingwen, those office workers now thought she had a boyfriend and had given up.

After leaving the sports complex, Zhou Shuirong pulled Shen Tingwen’s jersey from her waist and threw it in the trash. What kind of crappy thing did he try to tie on her?

After Shen Tingwen’s true colors were exposed, he stopped pretending. Fine, then. He’d better not provoke her again, or else he’ll get the same beating he got today, and it won’t be pretty!