Chapter 8

"Straighten your arm, bend your elbow slightly here, support the ball with your fingers, and keep your eyes on the rim. When you shoot, your arm should be slightly higher than your head, and try to keep your body steady..."

Xi Fei’s slightly low voice sounded in his ear. Zhu Shiyan gripped the basketball with his fingertips, listening with rapt attention. Once he was ready, he said eagerly, "Can I shoot now?"

Xi Fei shifted his gaze away from the nape of his fair neck and took two steps back. "Go ahead, give it a try."

*Thump.*

The basketball hit the rim, spun around it twice, then wobbled and dropped inside. The number on the scoreboard increased by one.

"Yes!"

Zhu Shiyan cheered happily and couldn't wait to grab another ball. Xi Fei stood beside him, dutifully handing him the balls and occasionally offering a word of advice.

Successive baskets made Zhu Shiyan increasingly enthusiastic; his sleepiness vanished, and he played with tireless delight. However, this was physical labor after all, and this body was pampered and delicate; before long, he ran out of energy, and his shots became weak and listless.

"Do you want to try another game?" Xi Fei asked.

"Sure." Zhu Shiyan agreed immediately. He wiped the sweat from his temple and smiled. "But I don't know how to play anything else. You'll have to teach me."

Xi Fei walked over and neatly arranged the basketballs. "Alright."

Playing with Chu Junyuan was a different experience from playing with Xi Fei. Chu Junyuan only had eyes for scores and winning; he didn't care whether a complete novice like Zhu Shiyan could keep up, only complaining under his breath that he was holding him back. But Xi Fei had eyes only for Zhu Shiyan. He didn't care about the numbers on the scoreboard at all; even when it displayed zero, his expression remained unchanged.

Zhu Shiyan was having a great time and gradually began to grasp the fun of these games.

He spent the entire afternoon playing with Xi Fei. The last game was a dance machine. Under Xi Fei’s guidance, he tried several times but failed to succeed. This game required experience; guidance alone wasn't enough, and one was usually clumsy the first time.

After nearly tripping over his own feet for the umpteenth time, Zhu Shiyan gave up. He looked at Xi Fei, who was standing quietly to the side, and his round eyes darted around. He suggested, "You try."

"...I'm not good at this."

Because he worked part-time here, Xi Fei was adept at all the game machines, except for the dance machine. He wasn't good at it because he couldn't dance; even if he stepped on every correct tile, it still looked somewhat incongruous.

Zhu Shiyan pretended not to hear him, pushed him toward the machine, and then quickly pressed the start button.

The music began, and Xi Fei started dancing to the rhythm with a helpless expression.

When the song ended, he rubbed his nose. "I didn't dance well..."

He wanted to say that he must have looked ridiculous, but when he met Zhu Shiyan's gaze, he found his eyes shining brightly, and he offered praise without reservation: "You're amazing!"

He pointed excitedly at the "SSR" rating on the screen and exclaimed, "You didn't miss a single step!"

Although Xi Fei couldn't dance, he had hit every key correctly, directly breaking the record for that song.

This level of reaction time was something Zhu Shiyan couldn't help but envy. He couldn't resist adding, "Really, you're amazing!"

Xi Fei stared at him, stunned. A warm current spread from the bottom of his heart throughout his body. His neck and ears were stained with a crimson flush; despite the freezing weather, he felt a bit hot.

"Xiaoyan!" Chu Junyuan rushed over and draped an arm over Zhu Shiyan’s shoulder. "Come on, let’s go grab something to eat."

He ignored Xi Fei standing right next to them and pushed Zhu Shiyan toward the exit.

Xi Fei made way for them. After they left, he turned and walked back to the front desk. When Zhu Shiyan was about to leave, he turned his head and shot him a glance filled with concern.

Xi Fei gave a slight nod to indicate he was fine.

Zhu Shiyan’s friends didn't like him; he had always known that. They only maintained a veneer of peace because of their relationship with Zhu Shiyan, but they would never interact with him more than necessary, treating him like an invisible person.

However, Xi Fei didn't care about the opinions of others. As long as his young master was willing to treat him as a friend and let him stay by his side, that was enough for him.

He absentmindedly wiped the dust off the ornaments, his gaze drifting.

If he remembered correctly, the young master's birthday was coming up soon.

Zhu Shiyan’s birthday was indeed approaching; it was only a few days apart from Chu Junyuan’s.

While eating, Chu Junyuan kept asking how he planned to spend his birthday. As he spoke, a stray bit of cake frosting that hadn't been wiped off his hair stood up in little tufts, looking quite comical against his handsome, sunny face.

Everyone who came to celebrate Chu Junyuan’s birthday was a group of energetic young men. As soon as they entered the private room, they started acting up before even taking a bite of food. Zhu Shiyan quietly slipped away to the restroom to escape the chaos.

He dragged his chair aside to avoid getting cream on his clothes. "I don't know, I'll just follow my father's arrangements."

The company under Zhu’s father was a local enterprise of some standing, so the birthday of the youngest Zhu son would naturally not be a simple affair, even if he wasn't particularly valued.

"Boring," Chu Junyuan pouted. "My mom said she wanted to throw me a birthday party, but I rejected it point-blank."

The Chu family’s business was also quite large; if the Zhu family hosted a party, the Chu family would certainly be on the guest list. But such hypocritical birthday banquets were far less fun for Chu Junyuan than spending a day at the game arcade.

Zhu Shiyan smiled, lowered his head to take a sip of water, and quietly steered the conversation elsewhere.

Chu Junyuan was an only child and a young master who had truly grown up pampered. On his birthday, he could choose to host a grand party or go out with friends, but Zhu Shiyan had no choice; he could only follow orders.

The system had given him the identity of a pampered young master, yet it kept him under constant constraint, making it impossible for him to do as he pleased.

He had already been warned by his father after the last incident, so he wouldn't stir up any more trouble over something as small as a birthday.

The group carried on until late at night. Chu Junyuan had drunk quite a bit and was stumbling around as they left. The others had left in cars one after another, and only the Chu family driver was still on the way. Zhu Shiyan leaned against the door, holding onto his arm to wait.

In the sub-zero temperatures, Zhu Shiyan was shivering from the cold, all while having to prop up a drunkard heavier than himself. The drunkard was still singing at the top of his lungs, and for a moment, he felt like throwing him to the ground.

As the cold wind raged, Zhu Shiyan pulled his coat tighter and decided to go back into the private room to keep waiting.

Just as he turned around, his hands suddenly felt light as someone took the drunken Chu Junyuan from him.

Zhu Shiyan was stunned. "Why are you here so late?"

Xi Fei didn't mention how long he had been waiting. Lowering his eyes, he said, "Just finished my shift. I was passing by."

Noticing he was wearing the clothes he had bought for him, Zhu Shiyan asked, "Is the coat warm?"

"Yeah."

Sensing that someone else was supporting him, Chu Junyuan struggled in dissatisfaction. "Who are you? I want Xiaoyan to support me!"

Xi Fei ignored him, gripping his arm firmly to keep him from moving, and repeated, "It’s very warm."

Warmer than any clothes he had ever worn.

Zhu Shiyan smiled. "That's good. The moment I saw this coat, I thought it suited you perfectly."

Xi Fei’s fingers curled slightly, and he said softly, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Zhu Shiyan said, lifting his chin. "This wasn't free. You have to pay me back tenfold in the future. I’m charging high interest, and you’re thanking me—you’re such a fool."

Xi Fei was born unable to smile and could barely perceive feelings of joy, but at this moment, he clearly felt his face relaxing, his adrenaline accelerating, and his brain secreting dopamine.

He was good at biology; he knew this physical reaction was called happiness.

He was happy.

Happiness should be met with a smile, but Xi Fei tried hard and still couldn't manage to pull off a grin, so he could only say it again: "Thank you."

Zhu Shiyan wanted to say something, but the Chu family’s driver arrived, and they worked together to shove the drunkard into the car.

After the car drove away, Zhu Shiyan said, "I'm going back to my apartment. Where are you going?"

"Back to school."

"...It's Saturday tomorrow. The school dorms close early."

"Then I'll go home."

"How are you getting there?"

At this hour, the buses and subways had stopped running, and he couldn't possibly take a taxi. It was five or six kilometers from his home; he wouldn't get back until the middle of the night.

Walking five or six kilometers was a common occurrence for Xi Fei, and he didn't feel it was difficult—he could even recite English vocabulary along the way—but he also knew that this was incomprehensible to the young master, so he remained silent.

Zhu Shiyan sighed. "Forget it, come back with me. Where I live isn't far from here; it's a ten-minute walk."

Xi Fei didn't want to cause him any trouble and opened his mouth to refuse, but Zhu Shiyan cut him off. "No room for argument."

This wasn't the first time Xi Fei had been to where Zhu Shiyan lived. Zhu Shiyan had kept the items he used last time, and the quilt was still neatly folded on the sofa.

Zhu Shiyan had played all day and was very tired now. He yawned and said, "Make yourself at home. I’m exhausted, I’m going to sleep first."

He took a hurried shower, and just as he was about to enter his room, Xi Fei called out to him.

"...Wait a second."

Zhu Shiyan turned to look at him, his eyes asking, "What is it?"

Xi Fei asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "Do you like ceramics?"

"Ceramics?"

Zhu Shiyan tilted his head, and after a pause of several seconds, he smiled. "I quite like them."

Xi Fei let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and said softly, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Zhu Shiyan’s birthday arrived as scheduled.

Early in the morning, his desk was covered in gifts. As Chu Junyuan expressed envy at how popular he was, he placed his own gift on top of the pile, chattering on about how precious and rare it was, telling him he must cherish and preserve it well.

Zhu Shiyan felt a headache coming on and moved his hand aside. "Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll keep it safe."

Chu Junyuan finally stopped. Just as he was about to turn back, he remembered something and turned around. "Wait for me after school. I'll go with you."

Zhu Shiyan nodded. "Okay."

While the two were talking, Xi Fei had been quietly keeping his head down and doing problems. Zhu Shiyan glanced at him, pursing his lips with a hesitant expression.

Xi Fei couldn't have failed to hear their conversation, yet he didn't ask a single word.

The Zhu family was throwing a birthday banquet for him, and the Chu family was on the guest list. As friends, Chu Junyuan could come and go with him, appearing openly at his birthday banquet, but Xi Fei... he couldn't even bring himself to offer an invitation.