Zhu Yiyi had been terrified of needles since she was a child. The pungent smell of disinfectant in the hospital, the stark white walls, and all sorts of cold, hard instruments made her legs go weak.

She would tough out any illness, big or small.

The only time she had been to the hospital in the past two years was for a pregnancy checkup.

She pulled her hand back, “No need to go to the hospital, I just… ate too much.”

He Shen’s hand did not let go.

One stubbornly refused to let go, the other wanted to pull away. The two of them engaged in a silent standoff for no reason.

After a while, Zhu Yiyi slowly pulled her arm out of He Shen’s hand, looked at him, and said softly but firmly, “I’m really fine, if I’m sick, I’ll go see a doctor myself.”

He Shen’s jaw tightened, his face turning cold.

Behind his glasses, his eyes seemed to have something that was about to break free.

But just when Zhu Yiyi thought he was about to say something, his clenched fist suddenly loosened, and he walked out the door alone.

Leaving behind only three words: “I’m sorry.”

Zhu Yiyi was stunned, not understanding why he apologized.

For the argument just now?

Or something else…

She slowly turned around, following He Shen’s figure as he walked away.

The man stood outside the restaurant, leaning against the wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His other hand pulled out a lighter from his pocket, lowered his head to light it, and as he exhaled smoke rings, a blue mist filled the air.

His upright posture was unusually relaxed.

Only at this moment could Zhu Yiyi glimpse a completely different kind of arrogance and badness from the gentle and refined He Shen.

But it was strangely not out of place.

It actually made his gentlemanly demeanor during the day seem like an act.

Looking at the smoke around him, Zhu Yiyi frowned.

She remembered that He Shen had quit smoking a long time ago, why was he still smoking?

As soon as it got dark in Beijing, the wind would pick up, swirling and blowing. He Shen went out without a coat, only wearing a thin black sweatshirt. He seemed to be hidden in the darkness.

The winter night was cold, his frozen red fingers were particularly prominent.

The wind blew past, outlining the man’s lean waist and abdomen.

With just one glance, Zhu Yiyi noticed.

He had lost a lot of weight.

Had he been so miserable in the month since they broke up?

Half an hour later, Li Jiu and Xu Zhishu finally arrived at the restaurant. The traffic jam made the two of them look windswept.

“Yiyi!” Li Jiu didn’t come over, she waved from the car.

Zhu Yiyi saw the half-eaten roast chicken in her hand from afar and walked over, asking, “What’s that?”

“The traffic jam was too long, I was starving, I had my husband get me one from the car, don’t say, it’s really good!” Li Jiu turned her back and reached for it from the car, “I also bought a few, do you want one?”

“You keep them, I just ate.”

Li Jiu wiped her hands and mouth with a tissue, gulped down a few sips of water, “It’s a good thing I was foresighted and let you eat first, don’t wait for us, otherwise you and He Shen would still be hungry!”

After chatting for a few sentences, Li Jiu glanced at the time, “It’s not early, we won’t eat, anyway, we’re all full, let’s go play?”

“Where to play?”

Last night, Li Jiu only said they would eat together.

“Play basketball.”

Li Jiu excitedly gestured with her hands, “I saw Beijing Polytechnic University on the way here, the basketball court behind the back gate is open to the public now, even people outside the school can go in and play. We haven’t been back to see it since graduating for two or three years, how about we go take a look tonight?”

They were both from Beijing Polytechnic University.

It was said that the school had been renovated two years ago, and the buildings and facilities were brand new.

Zhu Yiyi occasionally passed by Beijing Polytechnic University on her way to and from work, and she also wanted to take a look, but she was always delayed by various things. Now that Li Jiu mentioned it, she was a little tempted, “Okay, let’s just go to digest.”

Beijing Polytechnic University was only three streets away. This time Xu Zhishu learned his lesson, and he deliberately took a less crowded route.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the open basketball court of Beijing Polytechnic University.

Maybe because it was night and it was the cold winter season, there weren’t many students out playing. Only a few couples were strolling around.

Xu Zhishu didn’t know where he got a basketball, he bounced it in his hand and asked He Shen, “It’s cold, warm up by playing some basketball?”

Li Jiu glared at him as soon as she heard it, “Where did you get the ball? Okay, Xu Zhishu, are you taking advantage of your handsome face to flirt with girls again!”

Xu Zhishu was both angry and amused, “It’s from a man, the security guard, I gave him fifty yuan to rent it.”

“That’s more like it.”

He shook his head helplessly, but his eyes were filled with happy and doting smiles. He handed the clothes in his hand to Li Jiu, “Hold this.”

“Don’t worry, hubby~”

The two of them were so sweet and mushy, Zhu Yiyi laughed and joked that she was fed up with dog food.

She pulled her scarf up around her neck, turned her head, and suddenly met He Shen’s deep gaze, her smile froze.

His left wrist was hanging with the coat he had just taken off. He didn’t speak or move, just quietly looked at her.

Zhu Yiyi was stunned.

Was it what she thought?

A long few seconds passed, and He Shen finally looked away first, looking elsewhere, looking for a place to put his clothes.

Finally, his gaze stopped on a wooden bench.

Zhu Yiyi followed his gaze and frowned.

The benches in the university were not only used for sitting, but also for cats and dogs to jump and play on. If they encountered students with no manners, they would even step on them with their feet.

Would he, a neat freak, dare to put his clothes there?

Seeing that He Shen really raised his foot and walked towards the bench, the scales of Zhu Yiyi’s hesitation and conflict immediately tipped over.

Without thinking, she followed him and called out softly, “He Shen.”

After they broke up, she rarely called his name.

He stopped, paused for a moment before turning around to look at her.

“Your clothes…” she stammered, “I’ll hold them for you, students often step on that, it’s very dirty.”

He Shen hummed, his voice rising, with a hint of doubt.

Zhu Yiyi suddenly felt a little embarrassed, she coughed lightly, “I mean, I’ll hold your clothes!”

“Okay,” he handed her the clothes, “Thanks.”

He Shen was almost six feet tall, wearing a black long coat, walking like a walking clothes rack, tall, straight, and very handsome.

But when he folded it up and held it in his arms, it was like a mountain.

It even covered Zhu Yiyi’s face.

She shook her head, came out from under the clothes, her nose was a little red from the wind, she whispered and complained, “The clothes are so big…”

He Shen put one hand in his pocket, the corners of his lips curled up.

His gloomy mood all night had turned sunny.

The two men warmed up on the court, Zhu Yiyi and Li Jiu went to the nearby milk tea shop to buy two cups of milk tea, they drank while sitting on the bleachers.

It was sheltered from the wind there, and the view was also wide, they could clearly see the figures playing basketball on the court.

“Yiyi, how do you think He Shen is?”

“How do you mean?”

“You’re so stupid,” Li Jiu poked her head with her hand, exasperated, “Of course I’m asking you how you felt about him when you were having dinner with him just now.”

Zhu Yiyi loosened her grip on the milk tea straw, lowered her eyes, and avoided the topic, “I don’t have much to do with him, Jiu Jiu, don’t play matchmaker.”

This matchmaker was outdated.

“So you really have no interest in He Shen at all?” Li Jiu racked her brains but couldn’t figure it out. Back in college, Zhu Yiyi had clearly told her that she liked the type of guy like He Shen.

Stable, introverted.

He would put on glasses and be a gentle gentleman off the bed, and take off his glasses and be a gentle bad boy in bed.

So exciting.

Zhu Yiyi didn’t want to talk about this sensitive topic anymore, “Let’s watch the game.”

Perhaps because He Shen and Xu Zhishu were too outstanding in appearance, they formed a mature and introverted aura in the youthful and vibrant university campus. It didn’t take long for more and more girls to gather to watch the game, surrounding the entire playground.

“There are quite a few people.” Li Jiu commented and then lowered her head to watch a drama.

Zhu Yiyi looked up.

The man on the court was only wearing a black sweatshirt, his short hair was black and shiny, and it fluttered in the wind. He raised his arm and easily snatched the basketball that Xu Zhishu had been protecting for a long time. Then he jumped up, the basketball flew out of his palm, and with a smooth arc, it accurately went into the basket.

A perfect three-pointer.

The girls surrounding them cheered and shouted, it was a little noisy.

But Zhu Yiyi couldn’t hear anything, all she could see and think about was He Shen’s figure.

She seemed to see him from high school.

Proud, sunny, dazzling like a ray of light.

He must have been surrounded by a halo like this back then.

After a while, Xu Zhishu quickly snatched a ball, turned around and jumped up, swung his arm, and also scored a beautiful three-pointer.

Li Jiu jumped up, excitedly shouting, “Ahhhhh, hubby, you’re so amazing! You’re so handsome! I love you!”

Zhu Yiyi, who was completely unprepared, was startled: “!”

Xu Zhishu on the other side smiled, very satisfied with the emotional value given by his wife. He raised an eyebrow at He Shen, as if showing off: Do you have that?

He Shen gave him a cold glance and ignored him, instead, he looked at Zhu Yiyi on the bleachers.

He didn’t say anything.

But it just made people feel a little wronged.

Across the distance of several meters, the lights were dazzling, the neon lights were flashing, the air was humid, and the crowd was noisy. Zhu Yiyi’s heart seemed to be hit.

As if she heard him ask: Why don’t you cheer for me?

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if unintentionally avoiding his gaze, she buried her head and picked at her nails.

Every winter, Zhu Yiyi would have a lot of small, broken cuticles around her nails, and they would hurt if touched. She was absent-minded and accidentally pulled off a piece, it hurt so much that she grimaced.

“…”

What, is this the retribution for not cheering for him?

The sound of the basketball hitting the ground continued to come from the court, the competition between the two men continued.

Zhu Yiyi didn’t understand basketball very well, but she could barely tell who was winning.

She counted, He Shen was about five points ahead.

When the man snatched another ball and accurately scored, Zhu Yiyi knew – he had won.

Bang!

The basketball hit the glass frame with a dull thud.

He Shen won.

Suddenly, Li Jiu’s shout came from beside her, the same line as before, with a hint of perfunctory in her excitement: “Ahhhhh, hubby, you’re so awesome, I love you.”

The entire court fell silent because of this roar.

Xu Zhishu turned his head sharply: ?

Zhu Yiyi: ?

He Shen: ???

Realizing that the atmosphere was wrong, Li Jiu stiffly raised her head from her phone video, nervously asking Zhu Yiyi: “Wh-why are you looking at me like that?”

“Didn’t you see?” Zhu Yiyi said blankly, “He Shen just scored.”

Wife, you called the wrong hubby.

Li Jiu laughed awkwardly, “Habit, habit, I didn’t pay attention for a moment.”

Zhu Yiyi: “Huh?”

“Oh, men, you can coax them with child psychology, it doesn’t matter if they succeed or fail, win or lose, just give them enough value and that’s enough.” Li Jiu crossed her legs, spread her hands, very relaxed and at ease, as if a bigwig was talking about her own field, “That’s how I chased Xu Zhishu, no matter what he did, I just said ‘ahhhhh, you’re so awesome, you’re so handsome’, and within two months, he was mine.”

She smacked her lips, “It’s really not challenging.”

Zhu Yiyi was dumbfounded.

She slowly gave Li Jiu a thumbs up: “Wow.”

If she had known that Li Jiu was so good at chasing guys, she would have definitely asked her to be her teacher when she was chasing He Shen.

On the other side, Xu Zhishu, who had finished playing basketball, bent down and panted, glanced at He Shen, who was still standing upright, and suddenly said, “You’ve changed.”

“Really?” He Shen pulled out a tissue from his pocket and wiped his sweat, every move revealed a gentle and upright demeanor.

It was as if the fierce aura he had when he was playing basketball was just an illusion.

“Of course, in high school, He Shao always did everything slowly, I haven’t seen you play so aggressively in a basketball game. I haven’t seen you in a few years, you’re really playing fiercely, your intention to beat me is obvious, who are you playing for?”

Xu Zhishu spun the basketball in his hand, patted it on the ground, and played with it for his own amusement. He shot twice and missed, the ball rolled to He Shen’s feet. He crossed his arms and looked at him, then looked around at the group of female college students, and smiled, “What, are you interested in the girls?”

“You’re overthinking.”

“Why did you break up back then?”

Xu Zhishu’s topic jumped from south to north all of a sudden, catching people off guard.

He Shen paused for a moment in his motion of bending down to pick up the ball.

He remembered the He Shen from high school, not talking about whether he liked it or not, but talking about whether it was suitable or not, he casually asked, “Is it not suitable again?”

——Not suitable.

When Zhu Yiyi first pursued him, He Shen’s first thought was also that they were not suitable.

Zhu Yiyi had only been at the company for two months at that time.

She was very thin, a little self-conscious, and she always liked to lower her head when she spoke and acted, her voice was even smaller than a mosquito’s hum.

But when everyone else was afraid of offending He Shen, the boss, and avoided him, only she did not.

Only Zhu Yiyi foolishly approached him.

She even dared to block He Shen’s car at the entrance of the company’s underground garage when no one was around after work.

It was the scorching summer, the air was humid and stuffy.

The little girl who had been squatting on the ground was sweating profusely, her fair arms were bitten by mosquitoes with several large bumps. She was grumbling and cursing the mosquitoes, while scratching the itch with a bitter face.

Suddenly, she looked up and saw him.

He Shen, who was sitting in the driver’s seat at the time, caught a glimpse of the person running towards him, started the car without any emotional ups and downs.

He didn’t even look at her.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yiyi, who was always timid, actually spread her arms and stopped his car.

Although she was doing a tough thing, her face was as red as the fiery clouds in the sky, “He-He Zong.”

The little girl who had just left the school gate was still very green, she clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, and stammered, “That, I want to…”

What she was thinking, He Shen naturally knew.

Businessmen are the smartest.

Especially a businessman like He Shen, who had been cultivated since childhood, he could see her admiration for him with just one glance.

But he just interrupted her calmly, “Zhu Yiyi.”

He Shen, with a gentlemanly demeanor that made her heart flutter, spoke cruelly and mercilessly, “I’m older than you, more rational than you, more powerful than you, and more realistic than you.”

Then he turned his head to look at her, his eyes cold, “So don’t like me.”

The little girl visibly froze, her mouth slowly pouted, as if she was about to cry.

She bit her lip tightly, not saying a word.

She was quite spirited.

He Shen didn’t react, he drove away.

Only he knew that when he saw Zhu Yiyi’s red eyes, his usually calm heart suddenly felt like it was scratched by something.

It didn’t hurt.

But the sense of presence was obvious enough.

“I’m asking you a question——”

Xu Zhishu’s slightly raised voice brought He Shen back to his senses.

Then he patted his shoulder, kindly advising, “I know your family situation is different from ours, and you’re also helpless. But I’m telling you, life is your own, you need to date someone you like to feel the taste of life, don’t just look at whether it’s suitable or not.”

He Shen, who had been lost in thought for only half a second, recovered his usual calmness. He didn’t know whether he didn’t want to say it or was too lazy to say it, but he didn’t speak.

Just when Xu Zhishu thought his silence was a tacit agreement, He Shen slowly spoke in the silent night, “How do you know I’m not dating someone I like?”

Xu Zhishu was stunned.

Then he heard him say——

“And it wasn’t her who dumped me?”