Chapter 177: Shall We Make A Bet? (2/2)
With everything set in place, Cheng Xi ran onto the tennis court happily. Her technique was about as good as Tian Rou’s, but she was far more fit and had higher endurance. Additionally, she had just finished resting, so the tide turned in their favor as soon as she started playing.
In the end, they won 7-5 victory; it was…… somewhat arduous, but it was a victory nonetheless.
Tian Rou was very happy to have picked up a win out of nowhere. After the match ended, she ran up to them, cheering, picked up Baldy, and then spun around in circles with him in tow. She never hesitated to praise her man, and as expected, she loudly exclaimed, “My Baldy’s amazing!”
The two of them hugged each other like hyperactive children, and Xu Po and his girlfriend were struck slightly dumb by the sight. They merely stood to the side of the court, supporting themselves with their rackets, as they didn’t even have the energy to ridicule them.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xi was so tired that she didn’t want to move a single muscle. She sat on the floor, and when Lu Chenzhou slowly ambled over, she stretched out her hands towards him, coyly complaining, “I’m tired.”
Lu Chenzhou picked her up.
The others made a loud clamor, and Tian Rou even started shaking Baldy as she demanded, “I want to be carried. Carry me, carry me!”
Baldy shouted, “Scram!” in response. Although he didn’t have the stamina for a bridal carry, he did hoist Tian Rou onto his shoulders and run around in circles.
Tian Roy’s shrill laughter filled the court.
Cheng Xi felt like Tian Rou’s exuberance had also infected her, and Lu Chenzhou even more so. He was barely able to contain the amorous feelings swelling up from deep within his heart; he rubbed his head against Cheng Xi’s face as he asked, “What did you want me to do?”
Cheng Xi’s face was smiling, but her heart was filled with hesitation. If she could, then she really didn’t want to spoil the current mood.
Xu Po, who had lost miserably, didn’t want to look at the other two couples blatantly flirting in public, so he ran over to the benches to pick up everyone’s bags.
Cheng Xi’s bag was amongst them. When Xu Po felt it vibrating in his hands, Xu Po loudly yelled out, “Dr. Cheng, your phone’s ringing,” completely unaware of Cheng Xi’s conflicted feelings.
Cheng Xi then jumped down from Lu Chenzhou’s grasp, picked up her bag, and found that she had quite a few missed calls.
All from Lin Fan.
Cheng Xi sighed lamentably.
That match marked the end for their tennis session, so everyone went to shower and change their clothes. When Cheng Xi came out, she saw Xu Po handing Baldy money. The latter was smiling so brightly that the glare seemed to blind her eyes. “Let’s go and have some fun!”
Baldy and Tian Rou started making plans, chattering away happily, but Cheng Xi pulled Lu Chenzhou aside. “You guys should go first. We have something we need to do, and we’ll head over once we’re done, alright?”
Tian Rou had originally been quite happy, but when she heard Cheng Xi’s excuse, she glared at her. “What could you possibly be doing this late? Cheng Xi, you’re not a loyal friend!”
But Baldy easily saw the rare look of arousal on Lu Chenzhou’s face, so he shielded his eyes as he said, “I really can’t bear to look at the two of you anymore! Do the two of you have to be this way? You’re already an old couple, but are you guys still unable to hold yourselves back?”
Cheng Xi looked at him superciliously; Lu Chenzhou didn’t even deign to reply, and he just dragged Cheng Xi into his car.
Baldy yelled out from behind, “Brother, do you still have enough condoms?”
It was clear that everyone had heard about Baldy’s “gracious” gift to Lu Chenzhou, as they all started yelling furiously soon after his inflammatory words.
Cheng Xi uncontrollably blushed, and she nudged Lu Chenzhou as she said, “It’s a waste to keep those things lying around. Why don’t we send them back to the fellow over there?”
Lu Chenzhou glanced at her, using his gaze to convey how childish he found her suggestion. He completely ignored it, and once they had left the tennis courts, he asked, “What’s the matter?” His tone implied that if she didn’t reply, his offer would expire and he wouldn’t ask again.
Cheng Xi’s smile faded as the delight in her heart became weaker and weaker. She rested her hand on the lowered car window. Tonight was a typical May night; the night breeze was so gentle that it felt like a lover’s caress. By comparison, the gaze of the man beside her had never been as tender.
She really wanted to delay this issue and deal with it tomorrow, but her phone rang yet again. It was on silent mode, but the vibrations seemed to ring out deafeningly in the quiet interior of the car: a loud, intermittent buzzing reminder.
A scene of a helpless Chen Jiaman relapsing flashed by her eyes. She was only sixteen years old. Cheng Xi immediately said, “Stop by the side of the road, and I’ll tell you then.”
Lu Chenzhou was very obedient, and he smoothly stopped the car once he found a suitable spot.
Cheng Xi turned to look straight at him, and he at her. His expression was as calm as ever, but his gaze and lips were noticeably softer than usual.
She could see the expectation in his eyes, and a faint happiness. However, as her hesitation continued, his emotions slowly faded away into nothingness.
And he once again returned to that cold and calm Lu Chenzhou.
“Is it a difficult request?”
“No,” Cheng Xi said slowly, “As long as you trust me, it’ll be very easy.”
He seemed to have picked up on something, because his gaze now turned icy.
Her phone started vibrating yet again, and a cold laugh emerged from his lips. “Whose call is it?”
“Lin Fan,” she heard herself say. Once that admission came out, the rest of the words seemed to spill out from her mouth easily. “Chen Jiaman’s been experiencing some abnormal moods, and she wants to see me. Lu Chenzhou, I don’t want to secretly see her without letting you know, because I don’t want you to misunderstand. So, the one thing I’d like from you is for you to accompany me and see her. Is that alright?”
Lu Chenzhou didn’t respond.