Chapter 78

It was still summer vacation, and the campus wasn’t crowded with students.

Shen Yan casually walked around with Su Yunzhe, pointing out a few landmark spots, before sitting down on the bleachers next to the playground. He patted the seat beside him, signaling for Su Yunzhe to join him. Then he pulled out some barbecue and Coke from his bag, handing them to Su Yunzhe. They ate while watching the students play basketball below.

It felt like time had rewound to years ago, before he graduated.

Back then, he often sat like this on the sidelines, eating and cheering on his classmates. As for him, unless there were not enough people and he was pushed into the game, he had no intention of joining. Basketball was just too exhausting.

Now, after years of absence, returning to this familiar place, everything seemed unchanged, but his mindset had shifted, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

He suddenly felt the urge to relive the school days, so he dropped the skewers and dragged Su Yunzhe to the basketball court. He borrowed a basketball from some of the students playing, tossed it to Su Yunzhe, and tilted his head challengingly, “Dare to have a match?”

Su Yunzhe glanced down at himself, then scanned Shen Yan from head to toe. “Isn’t this a bit unfair?”

Su Yunzhe was wearing formal attire. Although he had already removed his suit jacket and left it in the car, he was still dressed in a white shirt and suit pants, which didn’t exactly make it easy to play basketball.

Shen Yan, on the other hand, was in a much more comfortable outfit. Though he had been at Yun Kong Entertainment earlier discussing a script, it wasn’t a formal occasion, so he wore a T-shirt and shorts, making it perfect for sports.

Shen Yan grabbed the basketball from Su Yunzhe and tossed it back at him, saying, “You’re really too cautious, Su. If you don’t want to play, forget it!” Then he dribbled the ball and ran towards the basket, attempting a jump shot…

He didn’t even touch the rim.

Damn!

That was a bit embarrassing.

It turned out that he hadn’t played in so long. Although he wasn’t particularly fond of basketball back then, his roommates always pressured him into playing, so he had spent a fair amount of time on the court. His shooting skills were decent. He had hoped to show off a little in front of Su Yunzhe, but instead, he made a fool of himself.

“Haha, you’re still trying to compete with that skill?” Su Yunzhe laughed without any mercy, grabbed the ball, and with a casual throw, landed a perfect shot. He looked back at Shen Yan and taunted, “Still want to compete?”

Shen Yan suddenly realized that he had been out of his mind to think he could win against this guy. Of course, he couldn’t win! There was no point in continuing the competition.

However…

Su Yunzhe looked at him with a teasing smile, as though he was certain Shen Yan would back down. The blatant challenge was too much for Shen Yan to resist. Without thinking, he blurted, “Alright, let’s play! Who’s afraid of who?”

“Really? Then let’s add a wager,” Su Yunzhe immediately seized the opportunity, following up.

Uh…

Shen Yan felt like he had been tricked. Su Yunzhe’s confident demeanor made him suspect some hidden agenda.

But what could the scheme be? Could he possibly eat him? If that were the case… he wouldn’t mind.

With that thought, Shen Yan figured it wasn’t a big deal, and with a casual flip of his head, said, “If you win, you can ask for anything, and vice versa!”

After saying that, he picked up the ball again and tossed it to Su Yunzhe. “You start. Whoever makes three shots first wins.”

Anything?

Su Yunzhe silently pondered those words, a smirk curling on his lips.

He rolled up his sleeves, loosened a button on his collar, bent his knees, and assumed a defensive stance. He looked at Shen Yan, winking teasingly. “Watch closely!”

As soon as his words finished, Shen Yan blinked, and in the blink of an eye, Su Yunzhe had already dribbled past him and was heading toward the basket.

Holy crap!

What speed was that?

Shen Yan immediately chased after him, jumping as Su Yunzhe took his shot, trying to block the ball.

Though Shen Yan was a bit of a homebody, his jumping ability was something he took pride in. Since Su Yunzhe hadn’t expected him to keep up, he didn’t avoid him, and Shen Yan actually managed to touch the ball.

But just as it seemed like the ball would be knocked away, Su Yunzhe smoothly switched the ball to his other hand mid-air, and with precision, he made the shot.

Holy crap! This guy’s basketball skills are definitely those of a varsity player.

As expected of Su Yunzhe, it seemed like there was no sport he wasn’t good at.

However, Shen Yan had already mentally prepared himself to lose, so he didn’t feel upset. And honestly, seeing Su Yunzhe like this… he was incredibly handsome!

At this moment, Su Yunzhe spread his arms in a defensive stance, a few strands of hair falling over his forehead. His deep, focused eyes watched Shen Yan intently, gauging his next move. Small beads of sweat traced down his sharp nose.

The look was so incredibly sexy that Shen Yan felt his throat dry up. He didn’t want to play basketball anymore. He wanted to do something else—like rush over and kiss him.

If it were in the past, Su Yunzhe would’ve been thrilled, thinking Shen Yan was coming on to him, surely assuming he was dissatisfied and would dutifully fulfill his role as a husband. They would have a passionate night together, non-stop.

Shen Yan had often complained in the past about how energetic Su Yunzhe was, how good his stamina was, but now he didn’t even have the chance to complain.

Although Su Yunzhe was right in front of him, he couldn’t really tackle him and do whatever he wanted.

So instead, he could only charge forward with the basketball…

And miss the shot again.

This time, it was a bit better. He managed to touch the rim of the basket, which was at least some improvement. That little progress was somewhat comforting.

However, this improvement was nowhere near enough to win against Su Yunzhe, so the result was a foregone conclusion: Su Yunzhe won the game 3-0.

Shen Yan had been mentally prepared for this and didn’t mind at all. In fact, he was exhausted, so he just collapsed onto the grass beside the court, too tired to even speak.

Meanwhile, Su Yunzhe, who was only slightly sweatier than usual, seemed completely unaffected. He went to the bleachers, grabbed the remaining barbecue and Coke, and sat next to Shen Yan. He opened a can of Coke and handed it to him. “Take a drink.”

For someone like Shen Yan, who wasn’t used to exercising, a bit of movement left him drenched in sweat. After being teased by Su Yunzhe earlier, he now felt like he was on the verge of dehydration. He took the Coke and drank a few sips, finally starting to feel better. “You won. I admit defeat. What do you want as your prize?”

Su Yunzhe sat beside him, glancing at Shen Yan, who looked like he was on the brink of collapse, and found it amusing. He handed over a skewer of grilled squid. “Haven’t decided yet. I’ll think about it and ask you later.”

Even though Su Yunzhe had already thought of a reward earlier, now he suddenly changed his mind.

Shen Yan hadn’t been hungry before, but after all that running around, even the cold barbecue smelled incredibly tempting. He didn’t care what Su Yunzhe had planned; he just wanted to eat first.

Su Yunzhe had skipped dinner and was even hungrier now. The two of them weren’t particularly picky eaters, so they dug into the cold barbecue with gusto. By the time they were down to just a pile of bamboo skewers, it was already almost eleven at night.

Only after finishing did Shen Yan realize the time. He quickly gathered up the trash and pulled Su Yunzhe to leave. “The school gates close at eleven. If we’re not quick, we won’t be able to get out.”

They rushed as fast as they could, and just as the clock struck eleven, they finally made it out of the school.

Su Yunzhe had just started his new role and had a lot of work ahead of him. Shen Yan knew this and didn’t want him staying out too late. As they reached the school gates, he waved goodbye. “It’s getting late. I’ll just take the subway home from here. You should head back too. Good night.”

Without waiting for Su Yunzhe to respond, Shen Yan dashed into the subway station.

If Su Yunzhe had been given the chance, he would definitely have insisted on driving Shen Yan home. But Shen Yan didn’t want that. The subway was more convenient for him, and if Su Yunzhe drove him back, it would take too much time. There was no need for it.

Although deep down, Shen Yan wished he could spend more time with Su Yunzhe, he didn’t want to rush it.

Su Yunzhe stood by the subway entrance, watching Shen Yan disappear into the station. He felt a little disappointed. He really wanted to escort Shen Yan home. But for some reason, he could sense that Shen Yan didn’t want him to overexert himself.

He rubbed his forehead with a chuckle, feeling a little foolish for acting so possessively. He couldn’t believe that at his age, he was feeling this way over a twenty-something-year-old. But… it wasn’t such a bad feeling.

In a good mood, Su Yunzhe found that everything seemed to go smoothly. Even when he spent the whole day in a meeting with some old board members, it didn’t feel too burdensome. Especially knowing that he would get to see Shen Yan in the evening.

But things didn’t go as planned. Right before the end of the workday, something urgent came up, and the senior management called for an impromptu meeting.

Su Yunzhe had to call Shen Yan, but before he could dial his number, he received a call from Su Zihang.

As soon as he answered, he heard the little one’s voice, sounding somewhat aggrieved. “Daddy, can you come pick me up from kindergarten? I don’t want to go with Aunt Lin.”

“Wasn’t Grandma supposed to pick you up?” Su Yunzhe asked, surprised. The little one had just returned from abroad, and his grandparents had been very doting, picking him up from school every day. Why would they let someone else take him?

“It’s not Grandma. I don’t want to go with Aunt Lin. I still want to eat with my brother. If you don’t come, I’ll call my brother, but I don’t know his number. You tell me.” The little one’s voice grew more pitiful, with a slight whimper.

Su Yunzhe’s heart ached, and he quickly reassured him, “Okay, I’ll have your brother come pick you up, alright?”

The moment the little one heard that Shen Yan would come, he immediately cheered up and obediently said, “Okay, I’ll wait for Brother in the classroom.”

After hanging up with Su Zihang, Su Yunzhe quickly dialed Shen Yan’s number.

At that moment, Shen Yan had just come out of Bi Fan’s office and was heading upstairs to find Su Yunzhe. When he received the call, he realized the little one was still waiting alone at kindergarten. He had completely forgotten about it. Without wasting a moment, he rushed to the parking lot and ran all the way to the kindergarten.

The little one had started kindergarten at the age of three, and since Shen Yan didn’t have a typical office job, he had more flexible hours. As a result, he often picked up and dropped off the little one.

There were a few occasions when he had something to do and was late. When he arrived, he found that all the other children had already left, and only the little one remained in the classroom, playing by himself. But his eyes would always be watching the door, waiting. Shen Yan’s heart would ache every time.

Right now, the little one had just returned from abroad, adjusting to a new environment. Being alone in the classroom must have made him feel very upset.

Shen Yan couldn’t bear the thought of the little one crying in the classroom, so he rushed out with a worried heart.

Fortunately, the kindergarten wasn’t far from Yun Kong Entertainment. He arrived in about ten minutes. Su Yunzhe had already called the school ahead of time, confirming Shen Yan’s identity, and the school staff led him to the little one’s classroom.

Shen Yan had expected to see the little one sitting alone in the classroom, but when he entered, he was surprised to find that the little one was surrounded by a group of people.

The little one, standing in the middle, was pouting with a look of displeasure. However, the moment he saw Shen Yan, his eyes lit up, and he happily ran over, throwing himself into Shen Yan’s arms and sweetly calling out, “Brother, you came to pick up Hang Hang? I knew you would come!”

 

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