Seeing that she was about to leave, Cheng Zhen put down her chopsticks, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Hey, don't go, play a little longer! By the way, you all had a day off today and came out to play, but I didn't see Sun Qian. I sent her a message but she didn't reply."
Upon hearing this, two people at the dinner table simultaneously changed their expressions.
Jian Changnian thought to herself: Oh no.
Sure enough, Zhou Mu blurted out, "Sun Qian? She went to the training camp too?"
Only Cheng Zhen still smiled like a fool: "Yeah, she's on the same team as Shi An and the others. They train together every day, so I was wondering why I couldn't find her even though it's a holiday."
Xie Shi'an maintained an expression of indifference: "How would I know? I'm not a mind reader."
In the training camp, Sun Qian also tried to get close to her, but Xie Shi'an was a person who didn't recognize anyone except Qiao Yuchu. Firstly, she found it troublesome, and secondly, she didn't have a good impression of clingy girls.
"Why didn't you tell me that Sun Qian went to the training camp?" Zhou Mu suddenly blurted out during their conversation.
Jian Changnian's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly explained, "Because we had a little friction with her that day, I was afraid you would be unhappy. Besides, even though she's in the training team, there are so many people, and I haven't had any contact with her."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhen realized what was happening and slapped her forehead: "That day, Sun Qian also told me that she didn't mean to want you to throw the game. She really needed that money because her mother was hospitalized."
It was clear that Zhou Mu was genuinely angry; her chubby face was puffed up with rage.
"I don't care, Jian Changnian, you're on the same team as her, and you still haven't told me whether you're playing with her or not!"
“I…” Jian Changnian was both amused and exasperated.
"How could that be? I really didn't. If I were playing with her, why would I have come out with you today?"
Cheng Zhen quickly tried to smooth things over: "Hey, don't be angry, everyone. Look, I'm Shi An's friend, you're Chang Nian's friend, Chang Nian and Shi An are friends, and Sun Qian and I are friends too. In other words, all five of us are friends! Friends shouldn't fight!"
The tongue twister he recited was even more difficult than the one Zhou Mu had recited, leaving Zhou Mu momentarily stunned.
"ah?"
Jian Changnian also turned her pleading gaze to Xie Shi'an, blinking her eyes, hoping that she would help her prove her innocence. After all, the training team had to train until late at night every day, and she really didn't have time to make friends.
Xie Shi'an turned his face away, pretending not to see it even though he had.
Jian Changnian felt a little disappointed, but thinking about it, it made sense. Xie Shi'an, who was so detached from worldly affairs, probably wouldn't take such petty thoughts between friends to heart.
No sooner had she lowered her eyes than she heard a voice from above.
“The training team is very busy every day, and what Orange Juice said is true. Sun Qian’s family does have urgent financial needs, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for her to ask you to throw the game.”
After listening for a while, Xie Shi'an finally understood. So there was a match-fixing incident. Cheng Zhen hadn't told her. If she had, she probably wouldn't have helped Sun Qian play that match. With that in mind, she spoke up to help Jian Changnian out of a tight spot.
At this moment, Cheng Zhen felt her scalp tingle again. She didn't even need to look to know that Xie Shi'an was definitely torturing her with his eyes.
He hurriedly stood up and chuckled, "Boss, I'll pay for this order, how much..."
On the way to the bus stop, Xie Shi'an and Cheng Zhen walked ahead. Jian Changnian vaguely heard something say, "It was wrong of me to do this. I'll treat you to dinner, please don't tell my dad, okay?"
Xie Shi'an: "I just ate, I'm not hungry."
"How about a Jay Chou CD?" Cheng Zhen asked pitifully.
Xie Shi'an walked forward expressionlessly.
"The kind with an autograph, I had a hard time getting someone to buy it for me..." Although it hurt Cheng Zhen's heart, she had no choice but to part with it.
Xie Shi'an smiled slightly: "That's more like it. Besides, my racket has been used for quite a while now..."
Cheng Zhen nodded readily, patting his chest. As long as his father didn't know that he wasn't studying or training properly and was doing some shady things outside all day, it would be fine.
"Come to my dad's company another day, take whatever you like!"
Xie Shi'an's side was settled, but Zhou Mu was still a bit sullen. Although she and Jian Changnian walked side by side, they were worlds apart.
Just as she was about to walk into the middle of the road, Jian Changnian pulled her back and took her arm.
"Okay, don't be angry. Look, Xie Shi'an has already vouched for me, hasn't she? Our training camp is really busy, there's no time to play. Besides, I don't even share a dorm with her, we haven't even exchanged more than a few words."
Seeing that she took the initiative to pull him, Zhou Mu was quite happy, with a smile in his eyes, though the corners of his mouth were almost turned up in a pout.
"Luckily it was Xie Shi'an who spoke up for you; I wouldn't have believed anyone else."
"Then why do you trust her so much and not me?"
“She…she doesn’t seem like the type to lie.” Zhou Mu choked, then gestured towards Xie Shi’an’s retreating figure with her lip.
Jian Changnian teased her deliberately: "Then why aren't you afraid that if I become friends with her, she'll ignore you? We're in the same training team."
Zhou Mu pounced on her and tickled her, saying, "It's good that you can be friends with her. After all, she's beautiful and plays basketball great! And she even helped us today. She's so much better than Sun Qian."
"Tsk, is it because she's also Cheng Zhen's friend?"
"Jian Changnian, if you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"
The two were playfully fighting when the bus heading to the suburbs slowly pulled up at the station. It was already late, and this was the last bus back to the training base. Jian Changnian realized things were going badly and quickly shook her off.
"Okay, okay, I'm going back now. I'll come find you another day!"
Zhou Mu skipped and waved at her: "Chang Nian, good luck on next week's assessment!"
Jian Changnian jumped into the car in a few steps, waved to her, and watched her face gradually disappear out of the car window.
Only she and Cheng Zhen remained on the platform. Cheng Zhen was on the phone with one hand in his pocket. After he hung up, Zhou Mu mustered her courage, moved over step by step, and started talking to him.
"Senior, which bus do you take home?"
"Me? I'll wait for my dad's driver to pick me up."
"Is that so?" Zhou Mu felt a little disappointed; she had thought she would be able to ride with him for a while.
"What about you? Do you live far away?" Cheng Zhen looked at her watch; it was past nine o'clock, a bit late.
"How about I take you there later?"
Zhou Mu quickly waved her hand to refuse, saying that she was already very satisfied to have dinner and chat with him today.
"No need, no need, my home is only two stops away."
With the bus approaching, Zhou Mu thought for a moment and then made a brave decision: she handed over her phone.
"Senior Cheng, could I have your contact information?"
Afraid that Cheng Zhen would not agree, she hurriedly explained, lowering her head further and lowering her voice as she spoke.
"I...I was thinking...like you said...we're all friends now...we can hang out together sometime...but...if you don't want to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Zhen took her phone and started typing in her phone number.
"It's just a phone number, what's there to be unwilling about?" Cheng Zhen handed the phone back to her and glanced up at it.
The boy's eyes were so bright, reflecting the stars of the autumn night.
Why are your ears red?
"No, no, it's nothing..." Zhou Mu stammered, unable to speak properly under his gaze. Fortunately, the bus arrived at the stop, and Zhou Mu rushed onto the bus. Only then did she realize that she hadn't said goodbye to anyone. She pressed her face against the bus window and desperately looked out. Cheng Zhen got into a black sedan and drove away in the opposite direction.
Zhou Mu felt a little uneasy. Would he think he was being impolite?
But when she saw the two words "Cheng Zhen" that he had just typed into her phone, a big smile spread across the girl's face.
***
The last bus on Saturday was crowded. When Jian Changnian got on, there was only one empty seat in the middle of the last row. She quickly went over and sat down. Xie Shi'an was sitting to her right, leaning back in his seat, wearing headphones, seemingly listening to music.
Jian Changnian recalled her conversation with Cheng Zhen just now.
Does she like Jay Chou?
Although Jian Changnian is not a fan of celebrities and has never heard his songs, his posters and light boards are everywhere, so it's hard not to recognize him.
She didn't usually pay attention to these things, but for some reason, she was a little curious today. What kind of music could Xie Shi'an like?
She wanted to strike up a conversation with Xie Shi'an and say "thank you," but Xie Shi'an hadn't turned around the whole way and had been resting with her eyes closed, so she didn't want to disturb her.
As Jian Changnian struggled with her decision, the bus was nearing its final stop.
She got up to get off the bus, but when she stood up, she found that Xie Shi'an had already fallen asleep.
Her sleeping face was serene, her skin was fair, there was a small freckle next to her nose, and her bangs framing her eyes.
Just as Jian Changnian was hesitating whether to call her, the car suddenly came to a stop. Xie Shi'an's head, which was resting on the seat, tilted to one side, and half of her body almost slid out. Jian Changnian rushed over and quickly caught her head.
Xie Shi'an opened her eyes, her eyes misty from just waking up. Her eyes were already large with long eyelashes, and in the dim light of the car, a sudden glance from her was quite captivating.
Jian Changnian rested her head on her hand and swallowed hard. "Um... we're here."
Xie Shi'an immediately stood up and got out of the car with a calm expression.
Jian Changnian jogged after him.
The road from the station to the training base is lined with plane trees. When the autumn wind blows, the leaves fall one after another, leaving a thin layer on the sidewalk, which rustles underfoot.
The two walked one after the other.
Jian Changnian chased after her shadow under the streetlight.
"Um, thank you for today..."
Xie Shi'an didn't turn around, and his voice was completely calm.
"I don't want to be called a piece of trash."
Speaking of this, Jian Changnian looked a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I haven't been playing well lately and I've embarrassed everyone. But Zhou Mu too, if she hadn't said I was on the training team, then..."
Xie Shi'an paused, glanced at her sideways, and then continued walking forward.
"Lack of confidence and playing poorly are two different things."
Jian Changnian pondered the meaning behind her words, then her eyes suddenly lit up, a bright smile appeared on her lips, and she ran towards her.
"Really? You think I played pretty well, right? So, after practice, can I play with you?"
She intended to run over and talk to her, but to her surprise, Xie Shi'an stopped in her tracks as soon as she finished speaking.
Jian Changnian couldn't brake in time and collided head-on with her back. Her nose hurt terribly, so she had to cover her nose and jump away.
"Ouch...that hurts...why did you suddenly stop walking?"
Under the moonlight, Xie Shi'an slightly curved the corners of his lips, a very subtle curve that went unnoticed by anyone.
"It's your own fault for not watching where you're going. Oh, by the way, I don't play ball with people who are worse than me."
Jian Changnian was about to retort: You even played with me today!
Then that person casually added, "Except for doubles."