Chapter 77: The Game

As the door closed, the bedroom became a sealed space. Outside, Miaomiao’s footsteps echoed as he walked the dog, but the sound disappeared behind the soundproof door. In the sudden quiet, even breathing seemed loud, growing involuntarily rapid.

Chi Xiao let go of the doorknob and walked past Ming Can with ease, heading back to the wardrobe. He bent down to take out a few pieces of clothing. As he moved, the muscles in his back tensed, his waist and abdomen completely devoid of excess fat. The sharply defined lines of his physique extended downward until they disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants, sparking all kinds of thoughts.

Ming Can was momentarily dumbfounded, standing motionless by the door. He showed no intention of putting on clothes, instead displaying himself with remarkable ease.

“E-Even if this is your own room,” Ming Can muttered sullenly, “it’s the middle of the day—why are you taking off your clothes for no reason?”

“Shower.” Chi Xiao was succinct.

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but cough, his throat sounding slightly congested.

Ming Can suddenly remembered that he had accompanied her and Miaomiao to several pet stores today. The stores were full of cats—though he had stayed outside, he must have still caught the scent of them. Plus, Xiao Xiao hadn’t been disinfected, possibly carrying allergens.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Ming Can stepped closer, scanning his face, then his neck and chest. “Ah, looks like you’ve got a rash here.”

“It’s fine,” Chi Xiao said. “That’s from you biting me.”

“…”

The air froze for a moment. Ming Can stood stiffly like a statue, then slowly nodded and forced a calm tone. “I see…”

After a pause, as if to salvage her dignity, she raised an eyebrow and commented, “Nice chest muscles.”

Chi Xiao glanced at her, his gaze naturally drifting across her chest before replying, “Yours aren’t bad either.”

A flood of vivid images rushed into Ming Can’s mind. She held her breath, suddenly remembering that she still had to go out and organize the dog’s things. Now was definitely not the time for flirting. She bit her lip and forcibly dragged her thoughts back on track. “I came to ask if you have everything you need in the room. Do you want a bigger wardrobe?”

Chi Xiao: “The wardrobe is fine.”

Ming Can subtly took a step back to put some distance between them before asking, “Do you want a TV? Or a projector?”

“No need,” Chi Xiao said. “Isn’t the one in the living room enough?”

“I was worried you might want to watch movies on your own.”

Chi Xiao picked up a towel and a set of clean clothes, then walked over to her. “I have a girlfriend now. Why would I watch movies alone?”

His voice was low, carrying an ambiguous undertone. After saying that, he walked past her leisurely toward the door.

Ming Can’s gaze followed him, her ears burning.

It really felt like ever since this guy got into a relationship, he had completely abandoned all his former restraint and steadiness. Every casual sentence out of his mouth sounded like he was seducing her.

And to be fair…

She was pretty easy to seduce.

Ming Can was about to leave as well, following him toward the door. Her gaze, entirely out of her control, traced the lines of his bare shoulders and back—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, smoothly defined muscles forming a perfect inverted triangle. Strong but not overly bulky, his physique was seriously impressive. Her eyes were practically held hostage by his body, and there was no rescuing them.

Chi Xiao’s bedroom didn’t have its own bathroom, so he stepped out and headed toward the shared bathroom diagonally across the hall.

He had only taken a few steps when a sudden screeching halt of footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Miaomiao, holding Xiao Xiao, stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide as he took in his shirtless dad and her mom, whose face was impossibly red, stepping out of his room right behind him.

All three of them froze.

Miaomiao was the first to react—he quickly slapped his hands over his eyes and declared, “I didn’t see anything!”

At that exact moment, Xiao Xiao, who had remained silent no matter how much they’d teased it earlier, suddenly barked at the two adults in the hallway.

Xiao Xiao barked once at Chi Xiao: “Woof!”

Xiao Xiao: [Naked man!]

Xiao Xiao barked three times at Ming Can: “Woof woof woof!”

Xiao Xiao: [Woman who keeps staring at the naked man!]

Miaomiao was shocked. He had already covered his eyes, yet somehow, things he shouldn’t be seeing had entered his mind in another way.

Mom likes looking at Dad when he’s not wearing clothes? Is this some new kind of embarrassing game?

“I didn’t hear anything either!” Miaomiao quickly covered his ears, turned around, nudged Xiao Xiao’s butt with his foot, and rushed off with it in a panic.

Watching their son leave, Ming Can took the opportunity to tease Chi Xiao. “See? That’s what you get for not wearing a shirt—you scared the kid.”

Chi Xiao said, “Why do I feel like I wasn’t the one who scared him?”

Ming Can frowned. “If it wasn’t you, then was it me?”

Chi Xiao raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue with her. Instead, he reached out, rubbed her burning red cheeks, then turned and walked into the bathroom.

After that day, their lives didn’t change much. Both were busy—busy with studies, work, and taking care of their child. Every night, after Miaomiao fell asleep, they would carve out some time to sit in the living room and watch TV together. Not that either of them paid much attention to what was playing. The background noise, whether quiet or chaotic, always ended up drowned in the soft, lingering sounds of kisses, sometimes trailing down to the neck and chest, drawing out breathy sighs. Since they hadn’t been together for long, both held back, never taking things further.

One weekday afternoon, Chi Xiao had class, and Ming Can had a meeting, so they had no choice but to ask the housekeeper to pick Miaomiao up from school.

In the energy and power engineering lab at A University, Ming Can was discussing with Guan Ling Si and their senior team members about forming a group to participate in an entrepreneurship competition, laying the groundwork for a future startup. She had already learned from Chi Xiao that Guan Ling Si would be her colleague in the future. Though Miaomiao had only described a small glimpse of the world ahead, it was enough for Ming Can to deduce that she and Guan Ling Si would collaborate for a long time—and quite successfully at that. This knowledge filled her with confidence in their current plans, making her eager to dive in.

The meeting lasted nearly two hours. As the golden sun dipped westward, Ming Can and Guan Ling Si left the lab together.

“Which way are you headed?” Guan Ling Si asked as they reached the ground floor. “I’m going to watch Sheng Nan Zhou’s game.”

“I’m going to find Chi Xiao,” Ming Can replied. “Wait, has your school’s basketball league started?”

“Not yet. This is just a last-minute practice match,” Guan Ling Si said. “Chi Xiao is on the team too, right? He should be playing as well.”

As she spoke, she pulled out her phone to check the message Sheng Nan Zhou had sent her a little while ago.

Ming Can happened to catch a glimpse of the screen.

The Cutest Sister’s Baby Pig in the World: 【Sis, your little pig has finished class! Are you done with your meeting?】

The Cutest Sister’s Baby Pig in the World: 【The journalism department challenged us to a practice match at the West Court basketball gym. Are you coming to find me after your meeting? Mwah mwah~】

A long string of cutesy pig stickers followed, making Ming Can feel dizzy, as if she’d been hit by a barrage of sickly sweet sugar bombs.

She pulled out her own phone. It had been on silent for the past few hours, so she hadn’t seen Chi Xiao’s messages.

cx: 【Going to the West Court basketball gym to play.】

cx: 【Location pin】

cx: 【Coming?】

Compared side by side, her chat with Chi Xiao felt like a conversation between business partners—cold, formal, and strictly to the point.

Maybe… she should change his contact name?

They were dating now, after all. Keeping just his username felt a little too distant.

As she mulled over what to rename him, she replied: 【On my way.】

After a moment’s thought, she added a sticker of a tiny cat blowing a kiss at the camera.

Guan Ling Si checked the time. “Oh no, it’s already past five! Their practice game is probably about to end. Let’s hurry.”

Fortunately, the basketball gym wasn’t far. The two of them jogged over, slightly out of breath, arriving just as the game entered its final quarter with only two or three minutes left.

Guan Ling Si led Ming Can straight into the computer science team’s bench area. The guys all recognized her and enthusiastically greeted her with “Hey, senior!” before making space for them in the front row.

This year’s computer science team was famous for having an unusually high number of good-looking players. Their reputation preceded them, and even though it was just a practice match, the gym was packed with layers of spectators. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement.

On the court, the players wore blue and yellow jerseys—computer science in blue.

Ming Can spotted Chi Xiao instantly. He was one of the tallest on the team, his fair skin almost glaringly bright under the gym’s lights, making him stand out effortlessly. Aside from her, at least half the girls on the sidelines had their eyes locked on him, unable to look away.

This guy was unbelievably flashy when it came to dating—Ming Can had almost forgotten how reserved he usually was in public. In Beicheng, central heating had just shut off in mid-March, and there were still a few days left before it would stop completely. The basketball gym was blasting warm air, and with the excitement of the game and the enthusiasm of the crowd, the indoor temperature felt like the peak of summer. Even after taking off her coat, Ming Can still felt hot. Meanwhile, Chi Xiao, running hard on the court, was fully covered—beneath his blue jersey, he wore a black compression shirt and leggings. His arms and legs were wrapped snugly in fabric that accentuated his lean, toned build. Occasionally, he would lift his jersey to wipe his sweat, revealing just a hint of his abdominal muscles through the compression shirt. But before she could get a good look, his jersey would fall back into place.

Since it was just a practice match and not an official game, both teams played loosely, keeping the score tight even as the game neared its end.

Ming Can’s eyes followed Chi Xiao as he shifted from defense to offense. She heard someone on the court call his name, and in the next second, the ball landed in his hands. Standing just outside the three-point line, he smoothly feinted past a defender, then jumped without hesitation. A flick of his wrist sent the ball arcing through the air in a perfect trajectory—nothing but net.

Finally, they pulled ahead.

A wave of cheers erupted from the sidelines, so loud that Ming Can instinctively lowered her head and rubbed her ears. She suddenly recalled the last time she had watched Chi Xiao play—back then, the screams from the girls cheering for him had given her a headache, and she had sworn never to come again. Yet now, the next time she attended one of his games, she had become his rightful other half.

The final whistle blew soon after. The players from both teams shook hands on the court before heading toward their respective benches.

Sheng Nan Zhou was the first to walk off.

Ming Can saw Guan Ling Si casually swing her backpack to the front, skillfully pulling out a towel and a bottle of mineral water for her boyfriend—things she seemed to carry around at all times.

Sheng Nan Zhou wiped his face and hands absentmindedly, didn’t even bother drinking the water, and immediately pulled his girlfriend into his arms, kissing her without hesitation.

Their teammates were so used to it that they didn’t even bother teasing them.

Chi Xiao was the last one to leave the court. His gaze locked onto Ming Can from several meters away, as if he had already noticed her presence long ago. His steps were deliberate yet unhurried as he made his way over, stopping directly in front of her.

Ming Can stood still, unconsciously moving one hand behind her back to clutch the strap of her backpack.

She had rushed over too quickly and hadn’t brought anything with her. The only pack of tissues she had was borrowed by Xu Jiayun for a bathroom trip and never returned.

The moment felt stretched, like the world had momentarily gone silent around them.

Standing just a meter apart, Ming Can and Chi Xiao locked eyes, neither speaking, as if caught in an impromptu silent film. The surrounding chatter and noise faded into the background, amplifying the awkward tension between them.

Chi Xiao was still catching his breath, his chest rising and falling steadily. Yet, despite his apparent exhaustion, he took his time staring at her, as if he could study every subtle change in her expression.

Ming Can’s face was heating up rapidly—deepening into a shade resembling pig liver.

What should she do?

Should she borrow something from someone and hand it to him? But wouldn’t that be weird?

Or should she just admit she had nothing and tell him to deal with it himself?

Beside her, Sheng Nan Zhou and Guan Ling Si were still wrapped around each other, exchanging casual kisses like no one else was present.

An idea suddenly struck her.

If she didn’t have anything to give him, then… maybe she could just offer herself.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Ming Can stepped forward without hesitation. She grabbed a handful of Chi Xiao’s jersey, pulled him slightly closer, found a relatively dry spot on his face, and quickly stood on her tiptoes—pressing a brief, feather-light kiss on his skin.