Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Just then, two women in sportswear suddenly ran over and struck up a conversation with them.
“Young men, you seem to be having a great time. Would you like to play with some of us aunties for a while?”
Actually, calling them “aunties” was a bit of an exaggeration; these two looked to be at most in their thirties, and had good figures— they should be called “sisters.”
The women’s gaze swept over, first appraising Yan Han, then focusing on Lin Jianlu, clearly prioritizing the latter.
However, this didn’t stop Yan Han from standing up from his chair and saying, “Okay.”
He then pulled the two older women towards their area, leaving Lin Jianlu with only his back.
He was genuinely flustered; he had rarely been this flustered in his life. He had practically used all his acting skills, but he was still incoherent. Now, he couldn’t remember anything he had just said. He secretly wiped away his sweat, hoping that Big brother Lin wouldn’t bring up this matter again to scare him.
He didn’t care what others thought or said. To be honest, even when his father beat him with the force of breaking two rolling pins, he hadn’t been this nervous.
Yan Han wiped away his sweat again and quickly arrived at the other side’s area.
The two older women were a little reluctant to be pulled back, but they were also curious about Yan Han and couldn’t help but ask him, “…Are you friends with that classmate?”
It wasn’t that they were wrong to use “you” directly when asking the question, without a subject. They simply didn’t know how to address Yan Han.
After staring for a while, they still couldn’t figure out the person’s gender.
“He’s a classmate,” Yan Han said rather coldly.
He wasn’t usually oblivious, and he could tell that this group was after Lin Jianlu.
It wasn’t surprising that people who came to this club to play would know Lin Jianlu; they were trying to get close to him, he understood that.
He had only come out to get some fresh air to escape Lin Jianlu’s company, and Yan Han didn’t really want to play with them.
Unexpectedly, just as he was about to turn back, one of the men with the two older women said, “Hey, classmate, you’re already here, why don’t you play for a while? I think you’re pretty good, play for a bit!”
Yan Han: “…”
In an informal game, you just throw the ball around randomly, especially since the opponents were all terrible, so in the end it became a show of skill by Yan Han alone.
While Yan Han was relentlessly shooting hoops, Lin Jianlu remained seated, his upturned lips now flat. He occasionally glanced at Yan Han on the court, but most of the time his eyes were downcast, motionless, his thoughts unknown to outsiders.
Only Lin Jianlu knew how much he regretted it at that moment: “I brought this up with him, and he seemed very displeased.”
He should have just kept quiet.
But the feeling was unbearable. He wondered if Yan Han already had someone else in his heart. The thought that one day Yan Han might smile at someone else, share secrets with someone else, made his heart feel like it had been doused with lava, burning and throbbing. It was only much later that Lin Jianlu learned this feeling was called jealousy, also known as possessiveness.
A voice in his head tried to comfort him: [It’s okay, this is your first time experiencing love. Everyone has awkward moments.]
“…”
[So what are you still hesitating about? Knowing he likes boys means he might like you, why aren’t you pursuing him!]
“But he just said he only wants to study.”
[So?]
“So?”
[I never thought even a brilliant host could be so slow-witted. Love really can make people blind and irrational.]
“…”
The voice in his head continued in a hoarse tone: [Whether he wants to be in a relationship is his business, whether you like him or not is your business. Will pursuing him interfere with his studies? Do you think your relationship will interfere with his studies?]
“…”
Lin Jianlu carefully considered the other person’s words, realizing there was still a conflict.
He was confident he wouldn’t interfere with or affect the other person’s studies, but like anyone experiencing their first love, he felt nervous and apprehensive facing their beloved, he was also afraid of being rejected and losing even their friendship.
Even knowing that Yan Han wouldn’t break off their friendship because of this, and would most likely laugh it off like before, sometimes even a one in ten thousand chance, or even a near-zero probability, required careful consideration.
Even Lin Jianlu knew that probability theory didn’t apply here.
[…Then you should slowly probe and find out his feelings!]
[Silly child, didn’t you notice his reaction was strange just now?]
“You mean?”
[It was when he was explaining that long conversation to you!] the voice in his head said excitedly.
Whatever, during this time, the host has fallen in love and it was having a blast!
A host who can set rules for himself like this, where would he have ever asked for his opinion before?
Now it’s different. Asking him to go east might not actually work, but at least he’ll consider my suggestions.
Truly… a promising student!
While the system was basking in its own satisfaction, Lin Jianlu was lost in thought again. His thin lips were pressed tightly together, as if he had encountered some world-shaking problem. He hadn’t been this mentally taxed in a long time— replaying every frame of Yan Han’s words in his mind, not missing a single detail of the other’s expression, tone, or any other subtle shift.
Then he really felt something was strange.
The other hadn’t directly answered his question about his relationship with Wei Ningxin, not mentioning it at all. Instead, he repeatedly emphasized that he couldn’t be in a relationship yet because he couldn’t reveal his identity, because he needed to study… that completely evasive attitude… meant that if these factors and concerns were disregarded, he might actually already be with Wei Ningxin?!
Realizing this, Lin Jianlu’s eyelashes fluttered wildly, and he abruptly looked up at Yan Han on the court.
The carefree man had completely forgotten the slight embarrassment from before. He was playing with abandon, sweating and receiving applause, effortlessly exuding charm even among a group of men ten or twenty years his senior… Suddenly, Lin Jianlu straightened his knees and stood up.
At this moment, the two older women who had originally come to invite them to play ball but only took Yan Han with them returned, reluctantly approaching him and introducing themselves with smiles: “Hello, Mr. Lin, we are from Huayu Investment…”
“Sorry, I’m busy right now.” Lin Jianlu’s voice was cold, as if he could freeze people at any moment.
For the first time in his life, he walked past the two women with indifference and expressionlessness, striding directly onto the court.
On the court, Yan Han had just shown off a fancy pass, pulling the basketball out from under his raised leg. Before that leg could even touch the ground, Lin Jianlu grabbed him.
Because of a sudden loss of balance, he fell headfirst into Lin Jianlu’s arms in full view of everyone. When he came to his senses, Yan Han looked up at him, a little confused and a little uneasy, and asked with wide eyes, “What are you doing?”
Lin Jianlu: “Come with me, I have something to ask you.”
Yan Han: “???”
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