Su Zhiyi could tell from Si Yanjing's behavior that this foolish second young master of a wealthy family had taken the bait. A hint of certainty crept into her sweet smile.
Her tone was languid as she conversed with the system in her mind. "Guess—will I introduce myself and ask for his contact info, or will he introduce himself and ask for mine?"
The system recalled how Su Zhiyi had previously connected with the cold and aloof Su Qinghuai, making him work tirelessly for her in the Su family. "Hmm... I remember Su Qinghuai was someone you actively asked for contact info, right? So I'll bet you introduce yourself first and then ask for Si Yanjing's!"
"Then you'd be wrong."
Along with Su Zhiyi's light words came Si Yanjing's proactive self-introduction.
"Um... classmate, I don't know how to address you yet. I'm Si Yanjing, just transferred to St. Desmo Academy. May I ask your name and class?"
Si Yanjing, used to being the center of attention, was probably introducing himself actively for the first time. His voice lacked its earlier confidence and swagger, replaced instead by innocent shyness.
His hand holding the water bottle tightened slightly, and the bottle gave a faint creak under the strain.
Su Zhiyi maintained her pure sweet girl persona and smiled sweetly. "I'm Su Zhiyi from Class A of the third year. Just call me Zhiyi—that's what my friends call me."
"Uh, okay, Zhi..." Si Yanjing bit his tongue and forced himself to switch to a more formal address. "Classmate Su."
Su Zhiyi didn't correct the more distant "Classmate Su" he used.
They had only just met, and Si Yanjing seemed like a pure virgin who had never been around girls. His first instinct was to keep some distance from a girl he liked.
That's okay. It could all be guided slowly.
"Thanks for the water today."
Si Yanjing took out his phone and tentatively said, "How about we exchange contact info? You treated me to a bottle of water this time; next time, I'll treat you to a meal."
"Sure, I won't be polite then~ I'll be looking forward to you treating me."
Su Zhiyi also took out her phone, added Si Yanjing as a friend, and achieved the purpose of her visit.
With a two-yuan bottle of mineral water, in just ten minutes, she had added Si Yanjing—the most powerful and influential young master in A City, whom everyone wanted to curry favor with—as a friend.
And the two yuan for the water wasn't even paid by her, so she didn't feel any heartache.
The break ended, and it was time for the second half.
Si Yanjing hadn't wanted to play the second half, but with Su Zhiyi watching, he wished he could play another dozen games.
Zhao Chengfei, who had finished scolding his teammates, walked onto the court with a red face, followed by his teammates.
Su Zhiyi said goodbye to Si Yanjing and turned to go back to the stands.
But just as she was about to reach the stands, she saw a familiar figure standing nearby.
She froze.
It was Song Lian.
Song Lian stood there, looking at her from a distance. She didn't know how long he had been standing there.
She saw Song Lian, and naturally, Song Lian saw her too. He finally moved and walked slowly toward her.
"I had to deal with something just now, so I'm late," Song Lian said with a hint of apology. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Had Song Lian seen her giving water to Si Yanjing?
Su Zhiyi stopped herself from thinking about the worst-case scenario.
Since Song Lian didn't bring it up, she would pretend she didn't know anything.
"Not at all. You're just in time."
Su Zhiyi naturally linked her arm with Song Lian's, acting warm and intimate.
"When I came down, the first half had only been going for a few minutes. After that, it was break time. Now the second half has just started. We can watch it together!"
Song Lian didn't refuse Su Zhiyi's linked arm and returned to the stands with her.
When Su Zhiyi's two best friends saw Song Lian and Su Zhiyi walking together, they gave her two knowing looks, then with mysterious smiles, they moved away to give them space.
The opponents were too weak—no challenge at all.
Si Yanjing only needed to use seventy percent of his attention to deal with them; the other thirty was focused off the court.
While dribbling, he searched the stands for Su Zhiyi.
And he found her.
He wished he hadn't.
He saw the girl he had just developed feelings for sitting with a man, their mouths moving as if discussing something interesting.
Her expressions were lively, and she was leaning closer and closer to the man, appearing very intimate.
The budding spring of a young man's heart instantly wilted.
Who was this guy? He looked somewhat familiar.
Why could he get so close to Su Zhiyi? Even he hadn't been that close to her!
How annoying... Could he throw the ball at that guy's face?
Si Yanjing felt a strange, unclear emotion well up inside him—something he had never experienced in his twenty years of smooth sailing.
Agitated and distracted, he forcefully threw the ball toward the basket.
Whether it went in or not, he didn't care.
What kind of stupid game was this? He didn't want to play anymore.
Si Yanjing's mind was now a mess, completely off the basketball game.
The expected sound of the ball hitting the rim never came.
Instead, a cry of extreme pain came from someone's throat, followed by the sound of the ball hitting the floor.
Apart from the continuous hissing of pain, the entire court fell into unprecedented silence. Even Su Zhiyi, who had been happily chatting with Song Lian, gradually froze her smile.
"..."
"Damn you, Si Yanjing..."
Zhao Chengfei's face was now a mix of red and black—an absolutely wonderful sight.
The proud young master wiped the dust off his face, enduring the pain, and roared at Si Yanjing through gritted teeth, a ball print visible on his cheek: "I admit you're good, but you don't have to humiliate me like this!"