Chapter 31

On the weekend, Lu Yan used every trick to finally drag Lu Zhen to the library to study together.

If it had been in the past, as his younger sister, not only would it have been impossible to make Lu Zhen study at the desk, but even getting him to the library to casually read books would have been unthinkable.

Lu Yan never expected that, as a daughter, her words would actually carry so much weight.

Lu Zhen was always mindful of setting a good example in front of his daughter. If he didn’t set a good example now, and his daughter started copying him in the future, that would be a problem.

In the library, Young Master Lu lay slumped on the table, looking at the English textbook filled with dense letters. It felt as though a swarm of flies was buzzing around his head, quickly dizzying him.

He yawned and his head thudded heavily onto the table.

Without mercy, Lu Yan yanked him up, shaking him violently while saying sternly, “Dad, focus on your studies!”

Young Master Lu let out a desperate yawn. “Little Yan, did your old man force you to study like this when you were little?”

“What are you talking about? Back then, you’d stand behind me with the sole of your shoe, and whenever I nodded off, you’d hit me.”

“Nonsense, would I ever do something like that?”

“Dad, there’s a saying: Do not do unto others what you don’t want done to yourself.”

Lu Yan laughed and patted him on the back of the head. “Good, don’t sleep. Study with me.”

“Studying is really damn hard, way harder than running a business.”

In fact, Lu Yan knew that running a business wasn’t easy for him either. She had once heard Uncle Liang Ting mention that when Lu Zhen left home during college to make his own way, he had really endured a lot of hardships—living in a basement, staying up late to drink with clients until he threw up…

It was only because Lu Zhen now had Old Master Lu’s backing and the vast Lu Corporation behind him that his life had been smooth sailing so far, without facing any major setbacks.

“Dad, think about it. This year, you’re already 18. Eighteen means you’re an adult. In the near future, you’ll meet my mom, the most important woman in your life. Do you want her to see you in your current, unmotivated state?”

This seemed to have some effect. Lu Zhen finally straightened his back and, with renewed energy, said, “Fine, I’ll study. I’m going to meet your mom looking my most handsome and cool!”

Lu Yan smiled, patted his head, and said, “Dad is so good, if you don’t understand something, just ask me.”

Lu Zhen turned his head away to avoid her. “A man’s head shouldn’t be patted, and your old man’s head especially shouldn’t be patted.”

“Tch, what’s wrong with a head pat? I’ll do it anyway!”

The father and daughter continued their playful banter, not stopping for even a moment. Fortunately, it was midday, and the library was empty except for the two of them.

In the midst of their teasing, Lu Yan turned her head and noticed a slender figure with a strong aura walking into one of the bookcase sections in the library.

She paused for a moment, then stood up and said, “Dad, you study on your own for a bit. I’m going to borrow a couple of books.”

Without waiting for Lu Zhen’s response, she walked directly toward the section where Shen Kuo was.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft, angled light on the young man by the window.

His handsome profile seemed to glow in the light, his hair at the front shining through the beams, and his deep brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight, making him breathtakingly beautiful.

His eyelids lowered slightly, and he glanced at Lu Yan before speaking softly, “Come here.”

Lu Yan felt like a thief, sneaking a glance at her dad at the table before her feet carried her toward him of their own accord.

“Shen Kuo.” She called his name softly, her voice gentle as she asked, “Are you here to read too?”

“Mm.”

Lu Yan looked at the computer science book in his hand, knowing that he had definitely heard her words.

She felt happy, lowering her head with a slight smile, revealing two small front teeth.

Shen Kuo reached out and pulled her in front of him, pressing her against the bookshelf. In a low voice, he said, “Close your eyes.”

“Huh? What for?”

“Stop talking, just close your eyes.”

Lu Yan shut her eyes and heard the sound of tape being crumpled. Then, she felt his cool fingertips touch the corner of her lips.

She shivered slightly as a sweet, sour fruit candy was shoved into her mouth.

Lu Yan blinked her delicate eyelashes, surprised, and looked up at him.

The young man’s slender neck looked pale and translucent in the sunlight, with clear veins visible.

He gave her a slight smile, so beautiful it was almost divine.

“Is it good?”

Lu Yan gently tasted the sweet and sour candy on her tongue and nodded, “It’s good.”

He pulled a few more candies from his bag and placed them all into the small pocket on the front of her shirt. In a soft voice, he said, “Zhong Kai buys imported candy for the girls he likes. I stole a few pieces from him. Almost got punched out.”

Lu Yan could hardly imagine Shen Kuo stealing Zhong Kai’s candy—it painted quite a vivid picture.

She couldn’t help but smile, reaching into her bag to pull out a piece of fruit candy, unwrapping it and offering it to Shen Kuo. “Try it too.”

Shen Kuo gazed at her intently, and, taking the candy from her hand, ate it.

“It’s sweet.”

“Yeah, it’s really sweet.”

They were so close, their breaths mixing with the sweet, sticky scent of the fruit candy.

For some reason, Lu Yan felt her cheeks growing warmer, a flush spreading to her earlobes.

Just then, she turned her head and saw Lu Zhen.

Lu Zhen stood at the edge of two bookshelves, staring at Shen Kuo with a cold face, his eyes burning with fury.

Shen Kuo stood up straight and met his gaze, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Lu Zhen stormed over, grabbing Lu Yan’s wrist and pulling her behind him, angrily demanding, “What were you two doing?!”

“Ah, nothing at all.”

“What’s that in your mouth?!”

Lu Yan stuck out her rosy little tongue, with a piece of fruit candy waiting to dissolve on it. “Shen Kuo gave me candy.”

“He gives you candy, and you just eat it? With that kind of mouth, aren’t you afraid he’ll poison you?”

“Why would he want to poison me…”

Lu Zhen was too lazy to argue with this greedy little girl. He looked up at Shen Kuo and said, “Stay away from my girl.”

“Can you stop saying that every time?” Shen Kuo rubbed his ear and calmly replied, “It’s getting old.”

“You… I’m not joking with you! You’re still giving her candy? What are your intentions?”

“My intentions? Don’t you know?” Shen Kuo’s lips curled into a cold smile as he half-jokingly said, “I just like stealing your people.”

Lu Zhen’s eyes widened in shock, so angry that smoke seemed to be coming out of his ears. He pointed at Shen Kuo and shouted, “Scumbag!”

Shen Kuo casually brushed past him, even provoking him by bumping his shoulder, then turned to Lu Yan and said, “I’ll bring you some good food next time.”

“Okay!”

Lu Zhen shot her a fierce glare, and Lu Yan quickly fell silent.

After Shen Kuo left, Lu Zhen dragged Lu Yan out of the library and into the lobby. Like a detective interrogating a criminal, he demanded, “Give it all to me.”

Lu Yan quickly took two steps back, clutching her lacy little purse in front of her chest. “I’m not giving it to you! Uncle Shen gave it to me!”

Lu Zhen reached out to snatch it, but the little girl was quick, darting under his arm like a fish.

“You naughty girl, if you like him so much, go be his daughter!”

“Fine, I will!”

“Hey, come back! You… you’re really going?”

Lu Zhen tried to chase her, but Lu Yan had already run off.

—

At the beginning of October, the autumn basketball league kicked off in full swing at the major high schools in Beicheng.

In the final game, both Lu Zhen and Shen Kuo were selected to the final team, playing against the Beicheng No.1 High School basketball team.

The match was held at the No. 3 high school’s basketball court, under the scorching sun of early autumn. The boys had their sleeves rolled up, sweat beading on their faces and soaking through their shirts.

At that time, the school didn’t have extra money to build a basketball hall, so most of the sports fields were outdoors. However, this didn’t affect the students’ enthusiasm for cheering and shouting.

The cheerleaders were ready, performing warm-up dances on the court.

Lu Yan was dragged by her dad to the best viewing spot for the basketball team, sitting with a group of substitute boys in red jerseys to watch the game.

The basketball team from No.1 High School, wearing black jerseys, sat across from them. Behind them, Liang Ting leaned in and whispered to Lu Yan, saying that the opposing team seemed to have professional basketball players, so this match would likely be a tough one.

Lu Yan looked over at them and indeed saw a guy who was nearly 1.9 meters tall, organizing his teammates for warm-up exercises.

Judging by their confident and aggressive demeanor, it was clear that today would definitely be a hard-fought battle.

Lu Yan turned around and spotted Shen Kuo in the last row of the spectator stands.

He was lazily leaning against the chair, his long legs sprawling out to either side, clearly having trouble finding a place to put them.

He looked incredibly handsome in the red jersey, and there was a hint of ^[1]Rukawa Kaede (流川枫), a famous character from the classic basketball anime Slam Dunk.Rukawa Kaede’s charm in his eyes and eyebrows.

Out of nowhere, Lu Zhen appeared, blocking her view of the handsome guy—

“Daughter, look how cool your dad is.”

He confidently flexed his arm, showing off the muscles he was proud of.

Lu Yan’s lips twitched into a smile.

“Cool…”

In height.

When she turned to look at Shen Kuo again, the spectator seats were empty.

Shen Kuo had already gotten up and walked out into the blazing sun to warm up.

His muscles were sleek and firm, completely different from the kind of muscles you’d see from gym-goers who train with supplements.

His muscles were the result of years of natural labor, giving him an incredibly strong, athletic build.

Lu Zhen followed Lu Yan’s gaze and eventually located his nemesis. His face instantly darkened.

“Who the hell are you looking at?!”

“No one.”

Lu Yan quickly pulled her gaze away, fiddling with the ice-cold soda in her bag. She stood up to sneak off, but was grabbed by the collar of her shirt by Lu Zhen.

“Come back here.”

“Ugh…”

“What’s in your bag?”

“Nothing.”

Lu Yan tightly clutched her bag, but her impatient dad still managed to grab it from her and pulled out a can of cola.

“^[2]“Planning to betray your country” is an exaggerated and humorous remark. It doesn’t literally mean treason against the country.  The phrase is used sarcastically to imply … Continue readingPlanning to betray your country again?”

“Damn Lu Zhen, give it back!”

Lu Zhen tossed the can to Liang Ting behind him, then patted Lu Yan on the head. “If you’re going to take advantage, there’s no good ending for you. You should first show some respect to your own dad when there’s something good.”

Lu Yan stomped her foot, nearly seething with anger.

“You’re not lacking anyone to bring you drinks, so why steal mine?”

Around Lu Zhen, several girls were holding various cans of drinks, blushing as they tried to strike up a conversation with him.

Perhaps it was due to his natural charisma, but Lu Zhen was born to stand under the sun, always radiating warmth like a little sunbeam.

Boys like him would never lack attention.

In contrast, Shen Kuo was completely different. His aloof, cold aura instinctively made people wary and kept them at a distance.

People ultimately don’t want to be around hardship.

—

Lu Yan had just gone to the shop to buy a drink. The shop was bustling with business, filled with girls buying drinks. After struggling through the crowd of girls, she finally managed to grab a bottle of ice-cold cola, only for Lu Zhen to snatch it away.

She was about to explode from frustration.

No one had thicker skin than Lu Zhen.

Just as the little girl fumed in anger, a can of ice-cold cola was quietly passed into her hands, shaken slightly.

Lu Yan looked up in surprise and met Liang Ting’s deep gaze.

It seemed like he could see right through her thoughts. With a slight smile at the corner of his eyes, he whispered, “Hide it well. I’ll distract Lu Zhen, and you can pass it to him secretly.”

Feeling like a thief, Lu Yan quickly took the can, hid it in her bag, and her heart raced with excitement.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Liang Ting said with a kind expression. “Be careful not to get caught.”

“Mm!”

After handing over the “stolen goods,” Liang Ting walked directly over and draped his arm around Lu Zhen’s shoulder. “Let’s go to the bathroom, together.”

“Go to the bathroom together? Go by yourself.”

“Are we still brothers or not? Let’s go, don’t dawdle.”

Liang Ting pulled Lu Zhen away, and as he turned back, he threw a flashy wink at Lu Yan.

A small smile spread across Lu Yan’s lips, and she quickly stood up, heading toward Shen Kuo’s direction.

Under the blazing sun, a cool sensation brushed against Shen Kuo’s hand.

He turned around and saw Lu Yan standing behind him, nervously saying, “Here, I bought you a drink.”

“Bought me?”

“Hurry up and take it, don’t let Lu Zhen see,” Lu Yan quickly shoved the can of cola into his hand, glancing over her shoulder like a thief.

Without hesitation, Shen Kuo accepted the cola, popped open the tab, and took two large gulps.

The cola bubbled up, rushing down his throat, filling him with refreshing coolness.

Seeing him drink so readily, a sweet smile spread across Lu Yan’s face, her dimples showing.

His posture while drinking wasn’t elegant at all, with his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped, exuding a summer-like energy that was full of flavor.

Shen Kuo held the can, muttering, “Thanks.”

“Is it good?”

“Mm.”

He rarely drank sweet carbonated drinks, not because he didn’t like them, but because he didn’t think it was necessary.

Actually… it tasted pretty good.

The smile on the girl’s face grew, full of sweetness.

“Shen Kuo, I heard there’s a professional basketball player in No. 1 Middle School. Do you think we can win?”

Shen Kuo looked over at the players in black jerseys across the court, a rare spark of youthful confidence appearing in his eyes.

“We’ll definitely win.”

Lu Yan was surprised by his confidence. She rarely heard him speak with such certainty, and his aura was simply explosive.

She nodded vigorously, “Good luck!”

As long as Shen Kuo said they would win, Lu Yan had an unshakable confidence that they’d definitely come out on top.

The whistle blew for the game to begin, and Shen Kuo handed her the half-finished drink, “Hold this for me.”

“Okay.”

Lu Yan took the can and returned to her seat.

Soon, Lu Zhen and Liang Ting entered the court.

When Lu Zhen saw that the game had started, he immediately took off his jacket and tossed it onto Lu Yan’s head. “Hold this for your dad.”

“Can’t you be a bit more gentle…?”

Before she could finish her sentence, she felt her hand empty as Lu Zhen grabbed the half-finished can of cola from her and drank it all in one go.

“…???”

Lu Yan stared, wide-eyed, as Lu Zhen finished the rest of Shen Kuo’s cola, and she felt completely defeated.

Behind her, Liang Ting couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Lu Zhen threw the empty can into the trash can and turned back, giving Lu Yan a casual glance. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s… it’s toxic,” she muttered.

It’s the cola your enemy left behind.

Lu Zhen rubbed her head, his face full of concern. “My daughter looks so silly. Did I really have her?”

Lu Yan covered her face, genuinely speechless.

Her mom must have been blind to end up with such a childish man.