Chapter 20

After Wang Yang left, he didn’t return for the entire evening.

Xi Shi didn’t pay it much mind; their relationship was best described as distant acquaintances.

He still couldn’t understand why Wang Yang harbored such strong hostility toward him.

Perhaps it was because he was too handsome.

After class that afternoon, some classmates invited Xi Shi to play basketball. It had been a while since he last played, and his hands itched, so he readily agreed.

The basketball court at Yanda University was quite large, with many students playing.

As Xi Shi and his friends approached, they noticed one court bustling with activity, surrounded by many girls.

Usually, such scenes meant a handsome guy was playing. Xi Shi had experienced this himself, though it wasn’t only the girls who liked to watch.

The boys enjoyed it too.

Xi Shi casually glanced at the player on the court and saw Huo Siyu dribbling the ball. His steps faltered for a moment.

He suddenly remembered something he had forgotten before going to bed last night—he hadn’t replied to Huo Siyu’s message.

He had neglected the son of the richest man twice in a row—how shameful.

Huo Siyu appeared quite skilled at basketball. Xi Shi watched as he maneuvered through two defenders and executed a clean, powerful dunk.

The crowd erupted in cheers instantly.

It seemed everyone was there to see Huo Siyu.

With his sunny good looks and flashy demeanor, Huo Siyu wasn’t one to keep a low profile. Even while playing basketball, he wore a jersey from a high-end brand worth six figures and sported limited-edition sneakers costing tens of thousands.

Even if people didn’t associate him with the richest family, his appearance and attire revealed his privileged background.

His handsome looks and superior family background quickly made Huo Siyu the new heartthrob.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Xi Shi.

Feeling a twinge of guilt for ignoring the richest son, Xi Shi was about to pretend he hadn’t noticed and walk over. Just then, a basketball bounced off the rim and rolled toward him.

Huo Siyu followed the ball with his gaze, saw Xi Shi, and his eyes lit up.

“Senior!”

Huo Siyu stopped playing and ran over to Xi Shi, who was holding the basketball.

“Senior, are you here to play basketball too?”

“Yeah, I made plans with my friend. I’m heading off now,” Xi Shi replied.

Huo Siyu’s eyes sparkled. “Perfect timing—I haven’t seen you play before. I’ll cheer you on!”

Xi Shi forced a laugh. “I’m just playing for fun. Besides, aren’t you playing? You’ve got plenty of fans watching.”

Huo Siyu waved it off casually. “I’m just playing for fun too. If someone else wants to play, they’ll step in. These girls are probably just here because it’s exciting to watch—not because they’re fans.”

“But still...” Huo Siyu looked at him pitifully. “Senior, you don’t want me watching, do you?”

“Of course not,” Xi Shi couldn’t stand his pitiful, needy expression and quickly said, “If you want to watch, go ahead.”

Huo Siyu broke into a bright smile. “Great!”

Xi Shi thought it was a little odd.

He hadn’t played basketball for quite some time. Holding the ball felt like a seal was lifted, and he quickly pushed thoughts of Huo Siyu aside.

However, after playing for a while, one of the players suddenly said his stomach hurt and he couldn’t continue, so Huo Siyu took his place.

Xi Shi thought that classmate’s stomach pain seemed a bit exaggerated but shrugged it off.

Besides, Huo Siyu played much better than that student. Xi Shi’s relaxed attitude shifted to being more competitive, and by the end, it was a real contest, drawing even more onlookers.

They played until seven-thirty, when hunger finally forced everyone to disperse.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Xi Shi saw Huo Siyu extend his hand toward him. Xi Shi smiled and gave him a high five.

This gesture immediately sparked cheers from the lingering crowd. Xi Shi was used to such scenes, but Huo Siyu blushed deeply like a shy shrimp.

Xi Shi laughed and patted his shoulder, then turned to grab his backpack, unaware that Huo Siyu’s neck was still flushed red.

“Senior Xi, have some water.”

At the edge of the court, a group of girls jostled their way over to offer him water. They were clearly freshmen; the older, more experienced girls didn’t bother.

Xi Shi picked up his water bottle and waved it at them. “Thanks, but I can’t drink that much—it’d go to waste.”

The girls didn’t insist and instead playfully asked for his WeChat.

Xi Shi was about to refuse when one girl holding a DSLR said, “Senior, I’m from the Yanjing Photography Club. I just took a bunch of photos of you playing basketball. You look so cool. Add me on WeChat and I’ll send them to you.”

Photos?

Xi Shi suddenly thought of something and took out his phone. “Alright, but you can’t just give my WeChat to others.”

The other girls happily agreed, feeling honored to be included, and quickly added him.

After adding them, Xi Shi noticed more people trying to add him, so he put his phone away, grabbed his bag, and went to find his basketball friends to eat.

Huo Siyu naturally joined them.

The friendship between guys was simple; a single game of basketball was enough to have them arm in arm.

“Huo Siyu, right? You play basketball well.”

Huo Siyu smiled shyly. “Senior Xi plays even better.”

“That guy,” another boy said, “looks harmless but plays like a beast—nothing like you, who’s the same inside and out.”

He pinched Huo Siyu’s arm. “Wow, those muscles! You a sports major?”

“No, I just like working out. I’m in the Law Department.”

The boys all exclaimed in admiration. Law was Yanda’s top program, with a high admission cutoff, which spoke to Huo Siyu’s excellence.

Used to praise, Huo Siyu paid no mind to their compliments. He only revealed a bit so Xi Shi would know how outstanding he was.

But when he glanced at Xi Shi, he found him slinging his backpack over one shoulder, eyes glued to his phone, seemingly not paying attention.

This left Huo Siyu a bit deflated.

Thankfully, he hadn’t taken Xi Shi’s reckless idea to confess, or he would have been flatly rejected.

While getting food, Huo Siyu let the other boys go ahead, deliberately lagging behind to casually peek at Xi Shi’s phone screen.

But Xi Shi had a privacy screen, so Huo Siyu could barely see anything—only that he seemed to be chatting on WeChat.

Could it be his partner? Xi Shi only denied being kept by an older man, not having a partner.

“Senior, get your food first—there’s no more dishes left,” Huo Siyu said sourly.

“Okay,” Xi Shi replied, putting away his phone and looking at the nearly empty food counter. Suddenly, he looked at Huo Siyu, surprised.

“You eat here too?”

“Yeah, why?”

“...Nothing.”

He just found it hard to imagine the son of a billionaire eating what was practically leftover food in the cafeteria.

“I’m actually quite easy to please, senior. Don’t think I’m too picky. I even eat meals my dad cooks,” Huo Siyu said, as if reading his thoughts.

Xi Shi chose a few dishes that looked decent and, intrigued, asked, “Your dad cooks?”

“Not really,” Huo Siyu replied, picking a few dishes. “During quarantine, my dad was home for once and got interested in cooking. He experimented for days and nearly drove our housekeeper to quit.”

Xi Shi pictured the wealthy father producing one disaster after another, with the housekeeper cowed into eating them, and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Was it really that bad?”

“Terrible. Let’s sit here, senior. It’s crowded over there.”

So Xi Shi and Huo Siyu sat alone at a table. Huo Siyu took out his phone. “I’ll show you pictures of my dad’s cooking.”

He found the photos and handed the phone to Xi Shi.

Sure enough, the dishes looked like culinary disasters. Even through the screen, Xi Shi could sense how unappetizing they were.

“Keep scrolling—there’s lots,” Huo Siyu said.

Xi Shi swiped down, each photo more dreadful than the last.

Suddenly, a man’s back appeared in one photo, taken on a snowy night. The man wore a coat and walked ahead of the photographer. Streetlights cast a long shadow, creating a cinematic atmosphere.

That silhouette stirred a faint sense of familiarity in Xi Shi.

Returning the phone, Xi Shi said, “This photo is really beautiful.”

Huo Siyu took it back and said, “That’s my dad. I snapped it. Doesn’t he look like the male lead in a movie poster?”

“...”

So that was his father. Xi Shi had thought the figure resembled Jing Chen, but now he was certain it did not.

He dared not associate the gentle and considerate Jing Chen with this mysterious and formidable man.

Just thinking about it was chilling.

Besides, the ages didn’t match. Huo Siyu was already eighteen; the richest man must be around thirty-eight or thirty-nine.

Jing Chen was only a bit over thirty. In ancient times, he wouldn’t have been old enough to have such a grown child.

Xi Shi didn’t realize he had just missed the closest glimpse of the truth.

After the meal, Xi Shi declined Huo Siyu’s suggestion to take a walk to aid digestion. Back in his dorm, he showered and then checked his phone.

The girl with the DSLR had sent him many photos—action shots of him playing basketball.

Her photography skills were excellent; even Xi Shi thought he looked stunning.

It was unclear if she was a fan, but she had blurred out everyone else, turning the court into his personal stage. Posting these online wouldn’t infringe on anyone’s image rights.

Xi Shi selected a few photos he liked and sent them to Jing Chen.

You’re So Unreal: Here’s one minute—write a 300-word essay praising those photos.

Jing Chen: Then I’d have to reincarnate as an octopus.

You’re So Unreal: (shy) Eight tentacles—that’s quite sensual.

Jing Chen: Playing bondage play must be thrilling.

You’re So Unreal: …

Jing Chen had just been satisfied yesterday. Originally, seeing Xi Shi’s basketball photos, he only thought they were handsome and saved them without any inappropriate thoughts.

But Xi Shi’s remark sent his mind astray.

Imagine a flawless, porcelain-skinned boy tied up by an octopus, his body flushed red...

Jing Chen closed his eyes. Today’s college students really knew how to provoke.