Chapter 17: Master of Feeding the Ball

“Is that so?”

Bai Yingchuan’s smile remained.

I don’t believe a single word you say.

Seeing Bai Yingchuan standing still, Lin Lu quickly grabbed his arm. “Come on, Geng Yu and Xie Liang are getting impatient! Hurry, or we’ll lose the court.”

In that moment, Lin Lu just wanted to whisk Bai Yingchuan away.

Because earlier in the equipment room… he saw Bai Yingchuan leaning close to Jiang Ruotang’s nape.

Bai Yingchuan’s lowered gaze, quietly approaching without Jiang Ruotang noticing—Lin Lu even suspected he might’ve wanted to kiss him.

But Lin Lu dismissed the thought. Bai Yingchuan and Jiang Ruotang had barely exchanged a few words. How could he be interested in him?

The four of them started playing tennis. Geng Yu and Xie Liang were average, and Bai Yingchuan could still catch glimpses of Jiang Ruotang on the adjacent court. His badminton game was indeed clumsy, not looking like someone who exercised regularly.

Playing with Jiang Ruotang was Jian Sha, who’d jokingly said that morning that Jiang Ruotang pulling open his collar for Lu Guifan to smell had ABO vibes.

Jian Sha served; Jiang Ruotang missed, swinging at air.

Jiang Ruotang served; Jian Sha returned, and Jiang Ruotang missed again.

“Jiang Ruotang—are you the prince of air swings?!” Jian Sha groaned.

“Sorry! I’m just too bad!” Jiang Ruotang apologized profusely.

“For your handsome face, I’ll let it slide!”

“Haha, thanks! I’ll treat you to milk tea at lunch!”

“Zero-sugar for me!”

Watching this, Bai Yingchuan on the next court couldn’t help but smile. Jiang Ruotang was actually pretty cute.

“Yingchuan—” Lin Lu’s shout snapped him back to save the ball.

Not only did Bai Yingchuan catch it, he sliced it over the net, leaving Geng Yu and Xie Liang speechless.

Cheers erupted around them, even the PE teacher clapping.

“Didn’t know Bai Yingchuan was that good at tennis!”

“Did you record it? That shot was so cool!”

“He could play a tennis athlete in a movie!”

As more people gathered, including freshmen and sophomores from their PE classes, Bai Yingchuan lost sight of Jiang Ruotang.

He frowned, fingers tightening on the racket’s strings.

Lin Lu wanted to praise him but hesitated, unsure what Bai Yingchuan was thinking—he didn’t look happy.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruotang and Jian Sha, with the crowd drawn to Bai Yingchuan, played more freely.

Jian Sha used to dislike Jiang Ruotang, finding his spoiled demeanor and blind obsession with Bai Yingchuan annoying, always needing Lin Lu to placate him.

Especially this semester, with Bai Yingchuan transferring in, classmates whispered that Jiang Ruotang might leverage his status as Director Jiang’s son to cling to him, making Lin Lu’s babysitting job harder.

Surprisingly, Jiang Ruotang seemed to have grown some sense this term, showing restraint. That morning, when Geng Yu mocked the class monitor, Jiang Ruotang had called Lu Guifan to his side, earning Jian Sha’s respect.

After a few more minutes, Jiang Ruotang finally managed to return shots, sustaining four or five rallies without the shuttlecock dropping.

But Jian Sha was exhausted. Panting, she shook her head. “Can’t… I’m done running… Find someone else to play…”

“Huh? No one’s as patient as you. I’m so bad, I’d get mobbed, right?”

Jiang Ruotang walked over, pulling a tissue from his pocket to hand to Jian Sha.

Wiping her neck, Jian Sha teased, “Wow, you know how to take care of people! Am I the first girl to get your tissue? Pretty thoughtful!”

“Isn’t that just basic?”

Under the tree, Lu Guifan, solving problems, glanced up, his gaze lingering on Jiang Ruotang.

The boy’s bright smile, sweat dampening his athletic tee to reveal a lean waist, and glistening sweat on his neck sparkled in the sunlight.

As if sensing Lu Guifan’s gaze, Jiang Ruotang looked over. Lu Guifan, expressionless, lowered his head to his problems, but Jiang Ruotang, racket in hand, walked over and sat beside him.

Without Lu Guifan leaning in, the air stirred by Jiang Ruotang carried a stronger vetiver scent.

“Monitor, how about playing with me for a bit?” Jiang Ruotang asked with a grin.

Jian Sha nodded. “Yeah, yeah, play with him! He’s still a baby—easy to handle!”

“How’s he easy?” Lu Guifan asked.

Jian Sha, dead serious, said, “Just return the shuttlecock where he can hit it. I’ve set a five-rally record. Let’s see if you can beat it!”

Jiang Ruotang’s face darkened. What’s that mean? A contest to see who feeds me the ball best?

“Monitor, you’ve conquered Math Olympiads, so math’s no challenge. Why not try something tough—like playing badminton with me?” Jiang Ruotang quickly embraced his need for spoon-fed shots.

Lu Guifan set down his pen and workbook, with Jian Sha agreeing to watch them. He picked up the racket and faced Jiang Ruotang across the net.

A miraculous scene unfolded. Lu Guifan’s swings maneuvered Jiang Ruotang back and forth, left and right, but always perfectly placed for him to return. Meanwhile, Lu Guifan, like a pro, barely moved from his spot.

Jian Sha counted, “One, two… wow, five!”

Jiang Ruotang stepped back, sending the shuttlecock over.

“Six—new record! Monitor, you’re a feeding expert!”

“Seven, eight! Jiang Ruotang, almost ten!”

“Nine! Ten! Monitor, you’re the Feeding Ball Master!”

Lu Guifan casually played with Jiang Ruotang for half the class until the PE teacher whistled for everyone to return equipment, and Jiang Ruotang’s shuttlecock finally dropped.

Jiang Ruotang sighed, reluctant to stop. “Badminton’s kinda fun.”

Jian Sha laughed. “It’s not the game—it’s the monitor feeding you so well, so smoothly, so spectacularly!”

Across the net, Jiang Ruotang grinned at Lu Guifan. “Haha, the monitor made me feel like I’m actually good!”

Lu Guifan handed the racket back, lowering his head to remove his glasses.

His long lashes, brushing down as he bowed, seemed to sweep across Jiang Ruotang’s heart valves. Whether at twenty-eight or back at eighteen, Jiang Ruotang still held his breath at Lu Guifan’s gentle brow.

Worse, the Lu Guifan across the net was devastatingly handsome without realizing it.

Jiang Ruotang thought the greatest dilemma of his life was whether to let Lu Guifan keep his glasses, hiding his beauty for Jiang Ruotang alone, or to have him ditch them, letting others see how stunning he was.

“What’s up?” Lu Guifan asked, putting his cleaned glasses back on.

“Nothing,” Jiang Ruotang muttered, looking down. “Just an old habit acting up.”

“Hm?” Lu Guifan, across the net, saw the boy who’d been vibrant and cheerful moments ago now looking downcast.

“I’m returning the rackets!”

Jiang Ruotang picked up the shuttlecock, put it in its tube, and carried both rackets to the storage room.

At the equipment room door, he ran into Zhao Changfeng, who’d just returned a basketball.

His big, clear eyes sparkled with the joy of winning. Sleeves rolled to his shoulders, his toned but not bulky forearms were on display, and his unbuttoned shirt hem revealed a glimpse of chiseled abs.

This guy was a classic “himbo beauty.” Earlier, playing basketball, he’d drawn eyes from classmates at the windows. Last semester, a girl asked him to teach her shooting, but after ten minutes, he got bored and passed her off to a teammate.

Now, seeing the carefree yet strikingly handsome Zhao Changfeng, Jiang Ruotang worried he’d stay single by sheer talent.

“Put the rackets back for me?” Jiang Ruotang raised his arms.

“Heh, nope! Shorty, do it yourself!”

With that, Zhao Changfeng bolted.

If Jiang Ruotang hadn’t burned out playing earlier, he’d have jumped to kick him.

Short? Who’re you calling short? I’m a solid 176 cm! How dare you attack my height?

Jerk! May you stay single forever!

Inside the storage room, he bumped into Bai Yingchuan, surrounded by girls joking and asking him to return their rackets, blocking the cabinet.

Bai Yingchuan glanced up, smiling at Jiang Ruotang. “Returning rackets? Hand them over.”

His tone and demeanor were so gentle, it sparked envy in the others.

Jiang Ruotang paused. Honestly, in his past life, he’d lugged Bai Yingchuan’s suitcases, hauled snacks for the crew, and even rode a tricycle miles to deliver supplies to a remote set with no courier service. But when he fell ill, Bai Yingchuan never offered a word of concern.

Jiang Ruotang knew why.

It was Bai Yingchuan’s rejection: No matter how much you give, I won’t care.

Stay or go, your choice.

So now, with Bai Yingchuan reaching out, Jiang Ruotang realized… his warmth and response were just that—nothing special.

“You guys chat. I’ll handle it.” Jiang Ruotang smiled, standing on tiptoes to slide the rackets onto the top shelf.

Watching his effort, Bai Yingchuan’s lips still curved, but a chill flickered in his eyes—he’d been rejected by Jiang Ruotang.