A Game of Basketball and a Glimpse of the Richest Man’s Son

Once Wang Yang departed, he did not return for the entire night. Si Xi paid it no mind; he and Wang Yang were practically strangers. Even now, he still didn’t understand why the other party harbored such intense animosity towards him. Perhaps it was simply because he was too handsome.

After classes concluded that afternoon, some classmates invited Si Xi to play basketball. Si Xi, too, hadn’t played in quite some time, and his hands itched for a game, so he readily agreed. Yanda University’s basketball courts were expansive, and many students were already engaged in games. As Si Xi and his friends approached, they noticed one court was particularly lively, with numerous girls gathered to watch. Typically, such a scene indicated a handsome player on the court, and this was often the case when Si Xi played as well; however, it wasn’t just girls who enjoyed watching. Boys found it entertaining too.

Si Xi inadvertently glanced at the players on the court. Upon spotting Huo Siyi dribbling the ball, he paused, his steps faltering. He finally remembered what he had forgotten before going to sleep yesterday: he had forgotten to reply to Huo Siyi’s message… He had actually snubbed the richest man’s son twice in a row; he was utterly doomed.

Huo Siyi appeared to be quite skilled at basketball. As Si Xi watched, he drove the ball towards the basket, evading two defenders. With a clean, powerful leap, he slammed the ball through the hoop, scoring. A burst of cheers immediately erupted from the court. It seemed these spectators were all there for Huo Siyi.

Huo Siyi was inherently handsome and exuded a sunny disposition. Furthermore, he was not one to be understated. Even while playing basketball, his jersey was a six-figure, high-end brand, and on his feet were limited-edition sneakers, worth over a hundred thousand yuan a pair. Even if people didn’t immediately connect him to the richest man’s son, they could infer from this that Huo Siyi came from an affluent background. His striking appearance and superior family background quickly established Huo Siyi as the latest campus heartthrob. Of course, none of this concerned Si Xi.

Considering his oversight concerning the richest man’s son, Si Xi felt a pang of guilt. Just as he was about to pretend he hadn’t seen anything and walk past, Huo Siyi’s team’s basketball hit the rim and bounced out, landing precisely in Si Xi’s direction. Huo Siyi’s gaze followed the ball, and upon seeing Si Xi, his eyes lit up.

“Senior!”

Huo Siyi immediately abandoned the game and ran over to Si Xi. Noticing Si Xi holding a basketball, he asked, “Senior, are you here to play basketball too?”

“Yes, I’ve arranged to play with my classmates. I’ll be going now.”

Huo Siyi’s eyes sparkled. “What a coincidence, I’ve never seen Senior play before. I’ll come cheer you on.”

Si Xi let out a dry laugh. “I’m just playing for relaxation, and aren’t you playing already? You have so many fangirls waiting to watch you.”

Huo Siyi dismissed it casually. “I’m just playing for fun too. If I leave, someone else who wants to play will naturally take my spot. These girls are probably just stopping by to watch because they find our game exciting. They’re not fangirls.”

“Or…” Huo Siyi looked at him with a pitiful expression, “Senior, you don’t welcome me watching.”

“Of course not,” Si Xi, unable to bear his pitiful, ‘bullied spouse’ demeanor, quickly said, “If you want to watch, then come along.”

Huo Siyi broke into a bright, happy smile. “Okay.”

“…”

‘That’s odd.’

Si Xi hadn’t played basketball for quite some time. Upon touching the ball, he felt a surge of exhilaration, as if a seal had been broken, and he quickly put Huo Siyi out of his mind. However, after playing for a while, a classmate suddenly complained of a stomachache and couldn’t continue, suggesting Huo Siyi take his place. Si Xi couldn’t shake the feeling that the classmate faking a stomachache was being overly dramatic, yet he merely felt a flicker of doubt, not dwelling on it further. Moreover, Huo Siyi played significantly better than that classmate. Si Xi’s initial relaxed, playful demeanor quickly intensified, and the game almost genuinely turned into a fierce competition, drawing a considerable crowd of spectators.

They played until half-past seven, when everyone’s hunger became unbearable, and they finally dispersed. Si Xi wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Seeing Huo Siyi extend a hand towards him, he smiled and raised his own hand, meeting it in a high-five. This simple gesture instantly elicited a chorus of excited screams from the lingering spectators. Si Xi was long accustomed to such reactions; Huo Siyi, however, flushed crimson, resembling a boiled shrimp. Si Xi chuckled and patted his shoulder, then turned to retrieve his backpack, unaware that Huo Siyi’s flush had extended all the way to his neck.

“Senior Si, have some water.”

Just as he reached the edge of the court, a few girls from the crowd shyly approached, nudging each other, to offer him water. They were clearly freshmen girls; the older, more ‘seasoned’ students no longer bothered with such gestures. Si Xi picked up his own water bottle from the ground, shaking it at them as he said, “Thanks, but no need. I can’t drink that much, it would be a waste.” The girls didn’t insist. Instead, they giggled and asked for his WeChat contact.

Si Xi was about to decline, when a girl holding a DSLR camera spoke up. “Senior, I’m from our Yanjing Photography Club. I just took a lot of photos of you playing basketball; you looked incredibly handsome. Add me on WeChat, and I’ll send them to you.”

‘Oh? Photos.’

Something occurred to Si Xi. He took out his phone and said, “Alright then, but you can’t just give my WeChat to anyone else, okay?” The other girls, hearing the word ‘you all,’ knew they were also included, happily agreed, and quickly took out their phones to add him. After Si Xi added them all, he noticed more people rushing over, wanting to add him too. He swiftly put away his phone, grabbed his backpack, and turned to find the classmates he had played basketball with, to go to dinner with them.

Huo Siyi, of course, joined them. Friendships among boys were often simple to forge; a single game of basketball was enough to have them slinging arms around each other’s shoulders.

“You’re Huo Siyi, right? You play basketball pretty well.”

Huo Siyi replied with a shy expression, “Senior Si Xi plays even better.”

“Him? He’s a beast! He looks so harmless, but he plays harder than anyone. Not like you, who’s so straightforward.”

Another boy squeezed his arm, exclaimed, “Wow!” and said, “Look at these muscles! You’re not a sports major, are you?”

“No, I just enjoy working out. I’m a law student.”

The other boys gasped in admiration once more. The Law Department was Yanda University’s flagship program, with extremely high admission scores every year, clearly demonstrating Huo Siyi’s exceptional caliber. Huo Siyi was accustomed to receiving praise and paid little mind to these boys’ compliments. The only reason he revealed his major was to let Si Xi know of his excellence. However, when he subtly glanced at Si Xi, he saw him with his backpack slung over one shoulder, head bowed, engrossed in his phone, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. This left Huo Siyi feeling somewhat disheartened.

It was fortunate he hadn’t followed Huo Siyuan’s terrible advice and confessed impulsively. Otherwise, he would surely have been rejected outright.

While getting their food, Huo Siyi let the other boys go ahead, deliberately lingering behind, and feigned an accidental glance at Si Xi’s phone screen. But Si Xi had an anti-peep screen protector, so he couldn’t see anything clearly. He could only vaguely make out that Si Xi seemed to be chatting on WeChat.

‘Could it be his partner? Si Xi had only denied being kept by an older man, not that he didn’t have a partner.’

“Senior, get your food first, there won’t be any dishes left,” Huo Siyi reminded him, a hint of sourness in his tone.

Si Xi uttered an “Oh,” put away his phone, and looked at the serving window, where only a few dishes remained. He then turned to Huo Siyi, a surprised expression on his face.

“You’re eating here too?”

“Yes, Senior. Why?”

“…It’s nothing.”

He simply found it hard to imagine the son of the richest man, Huo Siyi, eating these cafeteria dishes that were practically leftovers…

“Actually, Senior, I’m not that high-maintenance. You don’t have to think of me as so delicate. I can even eat my dad’s cooking,” Huo Siyi said, as if he had read Si Xi’s thoughts.

Si Xi ordered a few dishes that looked somewhat palatable. His interest piqued by the comment, he asked, “Your dad can cook?”

“He actually can’t,” Huo Siyi replied, also choosing a few dishes. “During the quarantine period, my dad was uncharacteristically idle at home, and on a whim, he spent days researching gourmet cooking. He almost made our household staff quit.”

“…”

Si Xi imagined the enigmatic richest man preparing a series of ‘dark cuisine’ dishes, and his household staff, trembling under his intimidating presence, forced to eat them while silently weeping. He couldn’t help but laugh as he asked, “Were they really that bad?”

“Terribly bad, Senior. Let’s sit over here; their table is full.”

So Si Xi and Huo Siyi took a table by themselves. Huo Siyi pulled out his phone and said, “I’ll show you photos of the food he made.”

With that, Huo Siyi found the photos of his dad’s cooking and handed his phone to Si Xi. They were indeed ‘dark cuisine.’ The presentation was utterly dismal. Even through the screen, Si Xi could sense how unappetizing they were.

“Swipe down, there are many more,” Huo Siyi prompted.

Si Xi swiped down, and the ‘darkness’ of each dish surpassed his wildest imagination.

As he scrolled to an unknown photo, the silhouette of a man abruptly entered Si Xi’s vision. It was a picture taken on a snowy night. The man, clad in a long coat, walked ahead of the photographer; the streetlights cast his shadow long and dramatic, creating a profoundly evocative scene. This silhouette, he thought, seemed vaguely familiar.

Si Xi handed the phone back to Huo Siyi and said, “This photo is really well-taken.”

Huo Siyi took it, seeing the photo Si Xi had lingered on. “That’s my dad. I took a candid shot. Doesn’t he look like a male lead on a movie poster?”

“…”

‘That’s actually his dad?’ He had just thought the silhouette bore a slight resemblance to Jing Chen, but now he immediately felt it didn’t. He wouldn’t dare connect the gentle and considerate Jing Chen with this mysterious and formidable man. The mere thought was horrifying. Moreover, their ages didn’t match. Huo Siyi was already an eighteen-year-old young man, so even if the richest man was young, he’d be at least thirty-eight or thirty-nine. Jing Chen was only in his thirties; in ancient times, he wouldn’t be old enough to have such a grown child.

Si Xi remained unaware that he had just missed his closest encounter with the truth.

****

After dinner, Si Xi declined Huo Siyi’s suggestion of a post-meal stroll. Upon returning to his dorm, he took a shower. When he picked up his phone again, he saw that the girl with the DSLR camera had sent him numerous photos. They were all candid shots of him playing basketball. The girl’s photography skills were excellent; even Si Xi himself thought he looked incredibly handsome. He also wondered if this girl had previously been a fan of a celebrity, as everyone else in the photos was blurred, making the court appear to be his personal show – to the extent that posting them online wouldn’t infringe on anyone else’s portrait rights.

Si Xi selected a few photos he deemed particularly dashing and sent them to Jing Chen.

[You’re So Heavenly: I’m giving you one minute to write a 300-word essay praising the photos above.]

[Jing Chen: Then I’ll have to reincarnate and become an octopus.]

[You’re So Heavenly: (Blushing) Eight tentacles, how provocative is that?]

[You’re So Heavenly: Bondage play must be incredibly exciting, right?]

[Jing Chen: …]

Jing Chen had only just been satisfied yesterday. Initially, upon seeing Si Xi’s basketball photos, he merely found them very handsome and saved them all, without any suggestive thoughts. However, Si Xi’s single comment immediately led his mind astray. Imagining the scene of a fair-skinned, beautiful boy bound by an octopus, his body flushed red from the constriction… Jing Chen closed his eyes. ‘These university students nowadays are far too adept at stirring up trouble.’