“Ah…”
Hearing Qin Nanfeng’s inquiry, the youth—who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen—snapped out of his daze. He immediately averted his gaze from the girl beside him, looking completely flustered.
The boy’s face had already been slightly flushed, but now, realizing what Qin Nanfeng had said, he was overcome with an uncontrollable sense of shame. “Uh… oh… okay…”
Talk about bad luck… getting caught red-handed peeking at someone else’s girlfriend.
Fortunately, this “Big Brother” was as kind-hearted as he was handsome and didn’t seem inclined to make a scene. The boy scrambled to his feet, scratching his head awkwardly. “Big Brother, you take the seat. I’ll head out first!”
Without waiting for a response, he vanished into the crowd.
Qin Nanfeng didn’t mind. He waited a moment for the seat to cool down slightly before finally sitting down.
Instantly, the surrounding onlookers fell silent. The gazes directed at Qin Nanfeng were filled with a mix of emotions: shock, disappointment, jealousy, but mostly, pure envy. However, most people were just curious; though they envied him, they quickly returned their attention to the game.
Lin Xinyuan didn’t want to speak—or rather, she didn’t dare to speak.
Her eyes remained fixed on the basketball court, but her mind was elsewhere. The scent of the “stinky blondie” lingered at the tip of her nose, making her head feel heavy and lightheaded. She could clearly feel the young man’s burning gaze resting on her, utterly bold and unrestrained.
“What… what are you doing…”
Her voice was soft and dry, thick with shyness. Her heart was thumping so hard against her ribs it felt like it might jump out at any second.
At the same time, she could see out of the corner of her eye that the girl on her other side was scooting her butt away to distance herself. Seeing this, Lin Xinyuan’s mouth twitched, and a surge of annoyance welled up in her heart.
Not only did she basically get me caught… but she’s abandoning ship at the critical moment? This girl…
Just wait until we get home!
With that thought, she instinctively tried to slide toward Tang Yayun, but before she could move more than an inch, the young man beside her suddenly threw an arm around her waist.
His hot, large hand gripped her slender waist tightly. Qin Nanfeng leaned into her ear, his tone dissatisfied: “What do you think? What’s with the sudden distance? Hmm?”
Being held so intimately in public by Qin Nanfeng left Lin Xinyuan at a total loss. She instinctively wanted to flee, terrified that this guy would pull something reckless. But she knew she couldn’t break free no matter how hard she tried, so she gave up.
“I was just… uh… sorry…”
She wanted to explain, but then she tragically realized she had no idea what to say! Even if she didn’t know if he had noticed her “condition,” she certainly couldn’t tell the truth.
That… was out of the question. Leaving aside the fact that they were in public, she could never say it aloud. Besides, if she actually told him… the stinky blondie would play with her until she broke.
But if she said nothing, knowing his personality, he wouldn’t let her off easily either. For a moment, Lin Xinyuan was stuck in a dilemma. Unable to find a reliable excuse, she felt a wave of panic and anxiety.
She blamed herself for being too foolish—she was so focused on avoiding him that she didn’t realize how suspicious her behavior was.
Suddenly, her mind shifted. An idea struck her, and her eyes lit up, though they dimmed slightly when she remembered how many people were around. She hesitated for a moment.
Forget it… it’s already come to this.
Feeling the various gazes from the crowd, she bit her lip and made a decision! Without giving herself a chance to hesitate further, she went all in.
She leaned her body over and collapsed directly against Qin Nanfeng. Then, with her small hands trembling and her heart filled with peak embarrassment, she gently hugged his arm and buried her head against him.
“Mgh…”
Because it was her first time taking the initiative to be intimate in public, the girl couldn’t help but feel shy, letting out a cute little grumble. But she had to admit, this move was effective—it actually stunned the young man.
Qin Nanfeng froze for a good while before snapping out of it, letting out a sudden, helpless laugh.
This girl has learned some formidable tricks…
When in doubt, act cute?
Honestly…
But he really liked it.
Even through several layers of clothing, he could feel the softness against his arm. Her presence made him feel a bit intoxicated. He instinctively reached out with his other hand to stroke her fluffy head, over and over, gently, as if soothing a kitten.
Qin Nanfeng knew exactly what was going on with the girl—and today wasn’t the first time he’d noticed. Naturally, he didn’t think her behavior was “lewd”; instead, he was thrilled.
After all… his own desire for her was many times more intense than hers. If Lin Xinyuan didn’t want him to know her secret, wasn’t he the same?
The only difference was that Lin Xinyuan was embarrassed, whereas he was… afraid of scaring her.
The young man’s gaze grew deep and dark, like a whirlpool that wanted to swallow the person in his eyes whole. His suppressed desires almost spiraled out of control.
Quickly reining in those “bad” emotions, he simply smiled tenderly, as if the darkness from a second ago had never existed. “Xinyuan is so good. Don’t do that next time, okay?”
The petting on her head felt comfortable, and her ears were filled with his lingering, gentle words. His tone sounded like he was coaxing a child, making her face flush. At the same time, her tension eased considerably.
Based on what the stinky blondie said, he probably hasn’t noticed… Was I really overthinking it?
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she realized the stares from the crowd were becoming even more intense. She felt a fresh wave of awkwardness and unease.
Those gazes felt suggestive, like tiny needles prickling the surface of her skin—not deep enough to draw blood, but itchy and annoying enough to make her want to crawl out of her skin.
Lin Xinyuan tightened her grip on his arm. She didn’t even notice that her curves were pressed firmly against his solid bicep. She was solely focused on escaping the strange looks of the crowd, completely oblivious to Qin Nanfeng’s increasingly mischievous smile.
“That was so boring. The way those guys play… even I could do better,” Tang Chengmin grumbled on the way home.
Initially, he was interested, but the further the game went, the more tedious he found it. Most of the players were just doing their own thing without any chemistry. It was just a “whoever has the ball, shoots” kind of mess.
“Tell me about it. The guys at my school could crush them!” Tang Yayun didn’t bother arguing with her brother this time; she found it dull too. She felt the boys in her class who only played occasionally were better than that group.
Suddenly, she thought of something and turned around to look at the couple behind her, who were still acting “all lovey-dovey” in her eyes. “Hey, Brother-in-law, do you play basketball at school?”
She felt that a handsome guy like him with a great physique would surely attract a crowd of girls if he played!
Wait… even she would go watch.
Maybe—aside from being familiar as former roommates—that’s how her cousin was attracted? She craved his body and then used her “proximity” to get him first? Otherwise, her cousin wouldn’t be so… cough… fond of hugging his clothes. She probably just loves his scent, right?
Heh…
The girl’s head was filled with all sorts of messy thoughts, and now was no exception. She kept daydreaming, her face turning redder by the second, her eyes full of a strange excitement.
On the other side, Qin Nanfeng kept holding the girl’s small hand, occasionally playing with her fingers. He couldn’t seem to put it down, earning him several eye-rolls from her.
Hearing Tang Yayun, he looked up and smiled. “Heh… I play occasionally. I know a thing or two.”
“I see! That’s still impressive. You know so many things and play basketball too—you must be great at making my sister happy!”
“You flatter me, Cousin Yayun… I’m just happy Xinyuan likes me…”
Hearing their conversation, Lin Xinyuan felt shy but also speechless. She knew Qin Nanfeng didn’t play as much as the other guys in their dorm; he really did only go occasionally. He spent most of his time leaving early and returning late…
So in his spare time, the stinky blondie was likely working at his family’s company?
However, as far as Lin Xinyuan knew, Qin Nanfeng had actually been a starter for the Tianbei University basketball team—and wasn’t he the captain at one point? Back then, to treasure their hard-won “brotherhood,” she had even skipped class to watch him play.
That was the second semester of freshman year, right?
Although he quit later for unknown reasons, his skill was still undeniable. It just went to show that the gap in natural talent between people could be massive. What others dreamed of achieved, someone talented might treat as just a casual hobby. Some things simply couldn’t be made up for with hard work.
Therefore, hearing him use the phrase “I know a thing or two” was hard to take.
This guy… is he humble-bragging again?
With that thought, the girl looked away from Qin Nanfeng and toward Tang Yayun, only to see her cousin’s inexplicably flushed face. Tang Yayun noticed her gaze and looked back with a strange excitement, smiling brilliantly.
That sweet smile, however, sent a chill down Lin Xinyuan’s spine.
I have a feeling this girl is thinking about something bad again…