Two men playing tennis created thunderous sounds as the ball slammed the court— boom, boom, boom— like cannon fire, amplified even more by the indoor walls.
Half an hour passed in a flash.
When the match ended, Cheng Jinyu walked over to her.
She bent down to open her tennis bag and took out a clean towel.
As he approached, she handed him the towel.
Cheng Jinyu seemed momentarily surprised but then smiled and took it.
When he played with others, their companions usually brought towels or water without much notice from him.
But when it was his turn, he realized just how heartwarming a simple towel could be.
Meng Chu watched him wipe his head casually with the towel.
His short black hair instantly became tousled and damp with sweat.
His forehead and temples gleamed with moisture, and just standing there, he seemed to radiate heat.
The arm holding the towel revealed lean muscle lines and prominent veins.
There was an undeniable surge of raw masculinity.
Caught staring, Cheng Jinyu suddenly lifted his eyelids from beneath the towel.
Their eyes met.
Cheng Jinyu stared at her intently and said with a teasing tone, “Stop staring and get me some water.”
“Oh.”
Meng Chu nodded.
But as she turned to get the water, she realized how strange his words sounded.
Stop! Staring!
How could he say that so openly?
It made it seem like she was obsessed with looking at him.
Though she internally grumbled, she still picked up the water bottle from the table and handed it to him.
Cheng Jinyu twisted off the cap and drank deeply, finishing half the bottle in one go.
Though he drank fast, he did so gracefully.
Then he invited her, “Sit down.”
Coach Zheng, who was drinking water nearby, smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll take a break.”
Once seated in the rest area, Coach Zheng said, “Your ball speed is getting fiercer.”
Leaning back in the chair, Cheng Jinyu relaxed, smiling faintly. “Don’t feel the need to flatter me just because my wife is here.”
Meng Chu had been quietly listening to their conversation.
She hadn’t expected to be mentioned suddenly.
My wife.
He said it so naturally.
Meng Chu realized Cheng Jinyu seemed to have a kind of charm— he was open and genuine no matter what he did.
Not even self-absorbedness felt out of place.
“To be honest, though you’re not a professional player, you have had professional training,” Zheng Guang said.
Cheng Jinyu nodded, then suddenly asked casually, “Haven’t seen President Zheng around lately.”
Hearing the name President Zheng made Meng Chu’s eyes light up instantly.
Earlier, upon hearing the coach’s surname was Zheng, she had suspected a connection to Zheng Qifeng.
Sure enough.
He was Zheng Qifeng’s training partner.
No wonder Cheng Jinyu had chosen this coach so carefully today.
Meng Chu felt a little moved inside.
After all, this was her work, and yet Cheng Jinyu was paving the way for her.
Zheng Guang cleared his throat and said, “President Zheng usually comes on weekend afternoons now, so you haven’t bumped into him.”
“Oh, so it’s changed to every weekend?” Cheng Jinyu asked casually.
Zheng Guang didn’t suspect any hidden meaning.
This man’s status was high, and he had known President Zheng for a long time.
He thought Cheng Jinyu was just casually chatting about not having seen President Zheng for a while.
Zheng Guang said, “President Zheng’s child is now taking professional tennis courses at our club. Not bad—the kid has good physical fitness.”
“President Zheng’s little one, huh? How old did you say?” Cheng Jinyu frowned slightly.
“Eight years old. The kid had some lessons before but just started professional courses recently.”
They chatted a while longer, but Zheng Guang had other matters to attend to and excused himself.
As Cheng Jinyu returned, Meng Chu looked at him with a smile she couldn’t hide.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice soft, almost coquettish.
Even Meng Chu didn’t notice the tone she had slipped into.
Cheng Jinyu hadn’t expected such an effect; the usually calm and indifferent man found her suddenly clinging to him with a voice sweet as honey.
He just listened, a wave of sweetness washing over him.
“You can’t just say thanks and get away with it,” Cheng Jinyu cleared his throat and feigned indifference.
Meng Chu immediately promised, “Of course not. If it works out, there will be a generous reward.”
Cheng Jinyu chuckled, “Are you a hero from Liangshan? Last time you talked about going through fire and water for me.”
“I’m not funny at all,” Meng Chu said sheepishly.
Cheng Jinyu laughed again.
Meng Chu then said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely thank you properly.”
“How?” Cheng Jinyu challenged her on the spot.
Meng Chu was taken aback; she hadn’t thought that far ahead.
But she quickly brushed aside the topic.
She looked at him and asked, “How do you want me to thank you?”
This time Cheng Jinyu tilted his head slightly and stared straight at her.
Dark eyes shimmered with unspoken currents.
Yet he didn’t say a word.
Meng Chu felt uneasy under his gaze.
“Forget it,” Cheng Jinyu said lightly.
Meng Chu raised an eyebrow. Who just gives up like that?
She hurried to say, “Don’t give up. You said as long as I can do it, I’ll help you.”
Cheng Jinyu turned his head again.
But instead of looking at Meng Chu, he looked at the nearby tennis court.
“What I want, you can’t give me right now.”
His low voice carried something indescribable.
Falling on Meng Chu’s heart, it made her tremble inexplicably.
–
After a while, Cheng Jinyu stood up.
“Want to play with you for a bit?” he asked Meng Chu.
Meng Chu pressed her lips together. “I already told you— I probably can’t play as well as you.”
Cheng Jinyu said, “It’s just for exercise.”
His words reassured Meng Chu somewhat.
But when they actually started playing, Meng Chu realized this time Cheng Jinyu truly was just working out.
Unlike the earlier match with Coach Zheng, where he seemed intent on crushing his opponent outright.
After about half an hour, Meng Chu was panting heavily.
She waved at him from across the court, signaling for a break.
When they reached the sidelines, Meng Chu had just set down her racket when a bottle of water was handed to her.
The cap was already off.
Cheng Jinyu wasn’t sweating as profusely as before, only a few beads of sweat on his forehead.
He watched Meng Chu take the water and smiled softly. “You really are good at tennis.”
“Not as good as you,” Meng Chu said after drinking, finally catching her breath.
Cheng Jinyu lifted his eyelids slightly and looked at her.
“You didn’t just learn from a university elective, did you?”
Meng Chu nodded. “I’ve been playing consistently. Though busy with work, I make sure to exercise twice a week.”
She then glanced around and said, “But the courts I usually play on aren’t this expensive.”
The hourly rate here was six hundred yuan.
Meng Chu was seeing that kind of price for the first time.
Cheng Jinyu looked at her. “Not bad. Good health means good work.”
Meng Chu’s eyes brightened instantly upon hearing this.
Her still rosy cheeks lifted into a smile. “Do you know my life motto?”
“What?” Cheng Jinyu indulged her.
“To work hard for the country’s health for fifty years.”
Meng Chu said it decisively.
Cheng Jinyu was silent for a moment, then suddenly seemed unable to hold back laughter.
The amusement that had been trapped in his throat gradually overflowed.
He laughed louder and louder.
Meng Chu looked at him in confusion. Was that really so funny?
As his laughter grew, she couldn’t help but scowl.
After laughing heartily, Cheng Jinyu saw her cold expression and finally toned down.
“I’m not laughing at you.”
“You are.”
Cheng Jinyu turned to look at her.
Meng Chu was indeed a bit annoyed, lips pursed and clearly sulking.
She avoided his gaze and stared at the wall instead.
Only then did Cheng Jinyu realize he’d laughed a bit too hard.
He reached out to ruffle her hair and said softly, “I just think it’s adorable.”
Meng Chu was still staring at the wall, silently sulking.
After all, her favorite life motto was being mocked— she had every right to be annoyed.
But when his palm gently stroked her head, her heart skipped a beat.
“Shall we do it together?”
His soft voice whispered in her ear.
Meng Chu instinctively looked up and locked eyes with him.
This time, Cheng Jinyu’s cool tone carried a lingering emotion.
“We’ll greet the fifty years together.”
Fifty years— that was a golden anniversary.
A sudden thought flashed through Meng Chu’s mind.