CH 44.2

Ning Wan actually hadn't wanted to leave home today at all, but Chen Shuo had asked several times, saying pitifully that if she wasn't there he wouldn't even have anyone to cheer for him.

"Senior sister, it's okay if you something else going on, but those of us who play basketball together, like Lin Sheng, all have girlfriends or sisters to cheer for them. It's so embarrassing if there's no one cheering for me at all... I don't know any other girls, so I thought I'd ask if you were free. Anyway, we're all coworkers at the same firm, so we all know each other. After the match, maybe we can have dinner together or something."

With him like this, she felt like she really couldn't refuse. In the end, she gave up her lazy weekend couch life, donned casual clothes, and headed to the basketball court.

But unexpectedly, seeing all her male colleagues in workout clothes instead of suits at court felt quite novel. She hadn't noticed before, but now that she was looking, she found that quite a number of her colleagues were fond of exercise. Most surprising to Ning Wan was Chen Shuo, who turned out to be the type that looked thin when fully dressed, but was actually quite muscular underneath. The muscles of his legs were very defined, and he was the tallest among the other coworkers who had come to play basketball. Looking sunny and handsome, he suddenly stood out from the crowd.

At that moment, Chen Shuo, who was dribbling the ball to warm up, looked over at her. Wiping his sweat, he said brightly, "Ning Wan, please cheer me on!"

Ning Wan smiled and waved back. "I know, I know."

She felt secretly amused. Honestly, this fellow didn't have to worry at all about having no cheerleaders. The basketball court was open to anyone, and there were badminton courts and tennis courts around the area. Chen Shuo's appearance had already attracted quite a few young girls who were playing badminton nearby, and she guessed that when the game actually started, he would have quite a few spontaneous cheerleaders.

Ning Wan sat alongside the relatives and friends of her other colleagues. She had bought water in advance and brought along small towels, prepared to be a competent cheerleader. At halftime, she would ask Chen Shuo to pass them out.

The warm-up match had now started. She had to say that Chen Shuo was quite handsome when playing basketball. He seemed so gentle normally, but he was unexpectedly aggressive during a competition on the court. In just a few moves, he threw off the players of the other team, and dribbled the ball right into a slam dunk.

"How handsome!"

"What a cool dunk!"

Exclamations sounded one after another, and a few girls around the stadium took out their phones to take a photo. Chen Shuo was in the limelight for a while. After he had dunked the ball, he hung onto the basketball frame and waved smilingly at Ning Wan, giving her a victory V sign before jumping down, lifting the hem of his jersey to wipe his sweat, and running on.

"Ahhh, he has abs!"

"That guy's in really good shape."

"Look at that, he just looked over to our side and showed a V."

Chen Shuo was quite skilled, and captured the girls watching from beside Ning Wan in an instant. They chattered as they discussed him--

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"Are you going to try for him?"

"Well, I would definitely ask for his number if he was single, but if he already had a girlfriend, I wouldn't want to inadvertently butt in..."

Ning Wan listened for a while, and eventually couldn't stop herself from turning and smiling at them. "He's single, my junior at school. His name is Chen Shuo, he's a lawyer and a very nice guy." She winked at the two girls. "You should totally chase him if you want to."

Fragrance lingers in the hand that gives the rose. Ning Wan looked at the two happy little girls and couldn't help but laugh out loud in her heart. She turned back to the basketball court, where Chen Shuo was still running around, youthful and unbridled.

Soon the warm-up match would be over, and after a rest the official competition would begin.

It was also at this time that Ning Wan received an unexpected surprise. She had caught sight of Fu Zheng entering the stadium, also wearing a sports jersey. He normally gave off the feeling of being calm, aloof, and imperturbable, but whether it was his clean-cut profile or tall figure, he currently emanated a fresh sense of youth.

It was true that Chen Shuo was good-looking and in good shape, but now that Fu Zheng's light had shone down on the court, Chen Shuo seemed somewhat inadequate.

Fu Zheng played basketball on the weekend too?

Ning Wan couldn't help herself. She stood up and waved. "Fu Zheng!"

Fu Zheng saw her and paused in unexpected joy. Then he smiled slightly and walked toward her, sunny and cheerful, outstandingly handsome, his face lethally attractive. The way he smiled, never taking his eyes off her, made her almost embarrassed to look back at him.

"What a coincidence! You're here too?"

So close, Fu Zheng's breath seemed to send delicate ripples through the atmosphere. Ning Wan even felt like she could feel the tiny changes in the air from the sound waves. His existence was so strong that she felt all the elements of her body undergo subtle, complicated changes on account of his presence.

He was too close to her. Clad in loose workout clothes, his body gave off the impression of clear sunshine. However unlike other young men, he didn't smell of detergent but instead a light cologne, thin and faint and nearly imperceptible. Ning Wan thought of pine and cypress after a snow - tall and straight, clean and crisp; yet steady, mature, distinctive and unique. Though young and full of energy, he was no longer a teenager - instead he was a full-grown man, with the charm a boy couldn't duplicate.

It was just a simple question. Fu Zheng's expression was straightforward and obvious. However, Ning Wan blushed a little. He probably hadn't realized it at all, but just now he had lowered his head and leaned in to speak into her ear, so close that he broke right through her guard. Of course, Ning Wan thought responsibly, Fu Zheng must have done it unintentionally. After all, his face was as cool as a cucumber, and after speaking he withdrew quickly.

"Chen Shuo is playing. I came to cheer him on."

Fu Zheng seemed surprised. "What a coincidence." He followed Ning Wan's gaze to the court. "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find any teammates. I was just here to shoot a few hoops by myself. If Chen Shuo's here then it's just right…"

Also at that moment, Chen Shuo, resting on the court, noticed Fu Zheng. He was still chatting with Lin Sheng, but the moment he saw him, he cut off the conversation and walked quickly toward them.