The next afternoon after school, Jiang Shengyan mentioned to Lin Mengke that they were going to get dinner later, and Lin Mengke readily agreed.
The two walked down the stairs arm in arm, heading toward the sports field.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the basketball court, dyeing the entire area a warm orange-red. Jiang Shengyan stood at the sideline, watching Shen Jingyan running across the court. He wore a white jersey, his back already soaked with sweat that clung to his defined back muscles.
With a powerful leap, Shen Jingyan carved a graceful arc through the air with his long arms and cleanly dunked the ball into the hoop.
With a loud crash, the basketball hit the ground heavily, and a cheer erupted from the sidelines. Jiang Shengyan saw all the girls jump up in excitement.
"Wow, I had no idea Shen Jingyan was so good at basketball!" Lin Mengke said, holding Jiang Shengyan's arm. "That dunk was cool enough." Jiang Shengyan deeply agreed.
Suddenly, Lin Mengke shook Jiang Shengyan's arm, her eyes sparkling. "Look over there. So many girls are holding bottles of water, waiting to give them to the guys."
Jiang Shengyan followed her gaze and indeed saw five or six girls standing by the sideline, each holding mineral water or sports drinks.
"I heard Shen Jingyan never takes water from girls. I wonder if that's true," Lin Mengke said.
Hearing this, Jiang Shengyan's gaze fell back on Shen Jingyan. The boy stood tall and straight, his handsome face carrying an untamed, rebellious, and utterly unbridled expression.
As expected of Shen Jingyan—he would never lack admirers. But he certainly had the capital to back it up, being exceptionally talented in every regard. Jiang Shengyan shook his head: truly, a darling of the heavens!
Suddenly, a wave of screams erupted from the field. Shifting her gaze to the side, Jiang Shengyan saw Xu Jingyu pulling up the hem of his jersey to wipe away sweat, exposing his lean waist and abdomen.
Goodness gracious, is his body really that nice? Jiang Shengyan marveled inwardly. Adhering to the principle of "what's free to look at shouldn't be missed," she thoroughly appreciated the view.
I wonder if Shen Jingyan has abs, Jiang Shengyan mused to herself, before suddenly feeling that she was being somewhat sleazy. What was wrong with her...
"I didn't expect Xu Jingyu to be in such good shape," Lin Mengke said, seeing real-life abs for the very first time; she felt rather shy as her lips moved softly.
Jiang Shengyan looked at Lin Mengke's blushing face. "What? Smitten?" she teased.
"No way! Who would be smitten with him? There are plenty of guys with good bodies; I'm definitely going to find someone with a better physique than his in the future," Lin Mengke retorted excitedly.
"Alright, alright, I'm sure you will," Jiang Shengyan quickly chimed in.
Shen Jingyan turned his head and happened to spot Jiang Shengyan and the other girl standing in the distance, staring right at them. "What are you doing? Hurry up and pull your shirt down," he said with distaste.
"Hmph, Bro Yan, don't tell me you're just afraid my spotlight will overshadow yours," Xu Jingyu said smugly.
"Are you ever bored? They're here. Let's finish up this game and get moving," Shen Jingyan said, glancing over at Jiang Shengyan's direction.
"Where?" Xu Jingyu looked around without seeing anyone.
Too lazy to dignify that with a response, Shen Jingyan gestured with his hand toward Jiang Shengyan and her friend.
Following the direction of Shen Jingyan's gesture, Xu Jingyu spotted them and waved, a brilliant smile plastered across his face.
The match resumed. Compared to the earlier part, the atmosphere on the court was visibly tenser, the competition between both sides fierce, and everyone watched the match with bated breath.
Finally, the game ended with a three-pointer by Shen Jingyan. The ball had barely touched the floor before the final whistle blew, and an explosion of roaring cheers erupted across the field.
Shen Jingyan's team won by a two-point margin. Immediately, the girls on the sidelines swarmed forward, thrusting their bottles toward Shen Jingyan and Xu Jingyu.
"Student Shen, have some water!"
"Shen Jingyan, you guys were seriously too cool!"
"Jingyan, this is a sports drink I bought specially for you!"
"Xu Jingyu, you are my god!"
"Xu Jingyu, great job, you are super handsome!"
...
Though a roguish and unrestrained smile hung on Shen Jingyan's face, it did nothing to hinder him from turning down every single girl's overtures.
Xu Jingyu projected the image of a handsome, sunny boy-next-door, winning everyone over with his smooth talk. Calling every girl "older sister," he had them glowing with delight, completely shedding the obnoxious persona he usually wore in front of his friends.
Watching the two of them surrounded by girls, Lin Mengke tugged at her arm. "Shall we head out first and send them our location later? They clearly don't have time for us right now anyway."
Just then, Shen Jingyan parted the crowd and walked straight toward them. Beads of sweat still clung to his forehead and his breathing was slightly hurried, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.
"Waiting long?" he asked, his voice a bit raspy from exertion.
Jiang Shengyan shook her head. "No, we just got here. Are we leaving now?"
Shen Jingyan nodded. "Let's go. Time to eat."
He turned back and shouted, "Xu Jingyu, stop dawdling. Hurry up!"
"Coming, coming!" Urged by Shen Jingyan, Xu Jingyu hurriedly brushed past the adoring girls, packed up his backpack, and hurried over.
The four of them walked toward the school gate together. On the way, Lin Mengke and Xu Jingyu began bickering once more about fairies who drank dew—that old joke seemed impossible to move past. Jiang Shengyan and Shen Jingyan followed close behind, laughing at them.
"Oh right, do you guys know? Among those girls just now, one of them is the campus belle! The one who handed Shen Jingyan the functional drink," Lin Mengke said, blinking as she spoke deliberately. "Shen Jingyan, weren't you tempted at all?"
Shen Jingyan was looking at his phone and didn't even raise his head. "Didn't notice."
"Really or not?" Xu Jingyu exclaimed with exaggerated shock. "I saw her, you know. She went out of her way to buy imported sports drinks, and you're just this cold?"
"If you like it that much, you can have her hand it to you next time. And I'll gift you to her as well, as a reciprocal courtesy." Shen Jingyan put away his phone and looked at Jiang Shengyan. "What do you guys want to eat?"
Xu Jingyu was once again left speechless. "Heh, never mind, never mind."
Jiang Shengyan thought for a moment. "I'm fine with anything. Whatever you guys want to eat."
In the end, the four of them chose a hot pot restaurant near the school. Once they sat down, Lin Mengke—the certified foodie—taught everyone how to mix an ultimate, peerless dipping sauce. It was reportedly a widely circulated recipe, and the taste proved indeed exceptional.
"Oh right," Jiang Shengyan suddenly remembered something. "Shen Jingyan, thanks for helping me with math problems all these days."
"Don't mention it," Shen Jingyan said, setting down his chopsticks. "Consider it a review for myself."
"Yeah," Xu Jingyu chimed in, "don't be polite. Bro Yan has been my ultimate life-saving cheat sheet for all these years, and he's never failed me once."
Jiang Shengyan chuckled. "He's that useful?"
Shen Jingyan and Xu Jingyu's families maintained close ties; they had grown up together since childhood and had always been in the same class. Although Xu Jingyu was smart, he had a mischievous streak, and his parents had specifically entrusted Shen Jingyan to keep him on the straight and narrow. In the past, whenever anyone let their guard down, Xu Jingyu's grades would slip, but he had improved significantly as he grew up, something Shen Jingyan himself found quite gratifying.