Sweet Encounter with Su Bai

Bai Feili had watched that famous tennis anime before. Good lord, the moves in that show were practically supernatural—players hitting smashes so hard they looked like they wanted to bore a hole straight through the Earth.

He knew, of course, that it was all exaggeration. But... Su Bai’s raw power was dangerously close to the absurd feats shown in the early episodes of that superpower tennis show!

"Ouch! Hey there, kid, I think I twisted my hip. It’s pretty uncomfortable. Why don’t you practice on your own for a bit?" Bai Feili grimaced, feigning agony.

"Alright, see you around."

Su Bai watched Bai Feili limp away, wondering where he could grab someone else to play with. But just a few minutes later, he spotted Xia Lin walking over from the direction of the hanging gardens. She was looking around, accompanied by a woman whose appearance was rather forgettable.

"Lin-jie, are you looking for a middle-aged guy who looks like he does a lot of outdoor cardio? You know, the type with the physique and skin tone that makes him look a bit like a Japanese expat?"

"Oh, that’s Bai Feili. He’s my blind date... well, I shouldn't even call him that. It’s just wishful thinking on his parents' part. I only brought my best friend along to be polite and get it over with."

Upon seeing Su Bai, a happy blush immediately blossomed on Xia Lin’s face. She introduced the woman beside her. "This is Li Honghong, my roommate from grad school."

"Hello, hello! Seeing is truly believing... Haha, oh my! Lin really does have good taste. At Jiang University, this guy would definitely be top-tier hunk material... Ouch! Why did you hit me?"

Li Honghong was slightly chubby with a round face and looked quite lively. She seemed like a boisterous girl who would be easy to get along with.

As Su Bai shook her hand, he finally recalled who that guy from earlier was.

He had seen him once in the school cafeteria. He was one of Goddess Xia Lin’s many simps. A Shanghai native, and apparently related to Chu Mingzhe somehow.

It really was a small world.

To be fair, Su Bai didn't need Xia Lin’s explanation to see that this was just a social obligation.

A real date would involve careful dressing up and a desire for some alone time. The fact that Xia Lin brought her best friend clearly showed she detested being alone with other men. She claimed she was giving Bai Feili face, but in reality, she was just showing respect to his parents.

Besides, Xia Lin was wearing only the simplest light makeup today. She was draped in a loose, long-sleeved tracksuit and sweatpants. To be honest, it looked like a school uniform.

If it were one of those tracksuits with "CHINA" emblazoned on the back, the effect would have been even more comical. Unfortunately, Xia Lin wasn't quite that avant-garde.

When a girl comes out dressed this casually, it means she doesn't take the guy seriously at all.

Su Bai suddenly understood. "No wonder Brother Bai looked like he was constipated while we were playing tennis earlier. He didn't seem too happy."

"I’m the one who should be unhappy! I came out to hang with my bestie, and he insisted on tagging along to fawn over me. As if anyone cares about that~"

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Su Bai felt that Xia Lin had a unique charm even when she was complaining. If other girls did the same thing, it might have felt affected or cloying, but on Xia Lin, it felt just right. Maybe this was the mark of a true lady from a prestigious family; every smile and frown held a different quality.

Her roommate teased from the side, "So now Linlin is the one fawning over her crush, right? Look how happy you are. Just a moment ago you were complaining about being sleepy and dragging me to get coffee. Now you look more energetic than the sales manager downstairs."

"You're asking for a beating!"

Xia Lin playfully scolded her friend as they tussled. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Su Bai. Seeing his warm smile, a sweet, honeyed sensation surged in her heart.

It was mixed with a hint of tartness, like the complex acidity in a ripe tropical fruit that brings the flavor to life, preventing it from being overly cloying. It wasn't a bad feeling.

Specifically, ever since Su Bai had taken her virginity, she subconsciously yearned to snuggle into his warm embrace. However, her dignified nature wouldn't allow her to indulge herself too much.

Being as hopelessly love-struck as those younger girls... Xia Lin found it too embarrassing.

After fooling around for a bit, Xia Lin asked Su Bai how his game with Brother Bai had gone.

"I didn't really get a feel for it. We only played one rally before he said he wasn't feeling well and bailed."

"Oh... I thought he might try to pull some dirty tricks."

"How could he? It’s just tennis."

In truth, it was Su Bai who was the danger. His swings were erratic and his ball speed was incredibly fast. If he accidentally smashed a ball into someone's face, he could easily break their nose.

And if it happened to be a surgically enhanced "Hextech" nose, that would be even more trouble.

I really can't just mess around, Su Bai warned himself, shaking out his arm. Although it had been a while since he used the Intermediate Body Modification Serum, he felt he still hadn't fully adapted to his new physique. Sometimes, he just used too much force.

It really came down to proficiency. For instance, in that particular activity, Su Bai was very experienced and trained at high intensity every day, so he adapted quickly. He never made the girls uncomfortable by being too rough there.

With that thought in mind, Su Bai said, "Lin-jie, play some tennis with me."

"Me?"

"Yeah. It'd be a waste to wear that outfit and not exercise. You should probably run a few laps around the court and maybe grab a big broom to sweep the floor while you're at it," Su Bai teased.

"Hahaha, so you think it looks like a school uniform too... Does wearing this make me look like I'm trying too hard to look young?"

Xia Lin suddenly had a worrying thought. When she walked next to Su Bai, did she look old?

It should be noted that Miss Xia maintained her appearance impeccably. However, maturity was an inevitable attribute that came with the passage of time and life experience; it had nothing to do with how well one took care of their skin.

"Trying too hard? Hardly. You look way better than those thirty-year-old actresses trying to play high schoolers."

"That's just their talent, okay? Some people just have baby faces..."

"You're not old at all, Lin-jie. That mature vibe is exactly what makes you attractive. Hmm, maybe it's just my stereotype, but in my eyes, you’ll always be the reliable big sister type."

Chatting away, they grabbed their rackets and headed onto the court.

After playing for a while, Su Bai finally remembered to ask why Xia Lin was there in the first place.

"Oh, that Bai Feili said he was planning to buy a place in this development. My dad is also thinking about buying here, so I came to take a look for him. Bai just shamelessly tagged along."

"Why does your father want to buy a house in Jiang City?"

"My master's degree will take three years, and I might even go for a PhD. Dad wants to buy a place as a long-term base so it's convenient for the family to visit me."

"...I see."

Su Bai realized he still hadn't shaken off his poor-man mentality. In his mind, if a child was studying or working in another city, you just stayed in a hotel when you visited. There was absolutely no need to buy a house.

I guess Xia Lin’s family really does have more money than they know what to do with.

"Then that Brother Bai must be pretty loaded. The houses here aren't cheap."

"What does he actually bring to the table? He has zero earning power on his own, he was a mediocre student at best, and he spent all those years muddling through abroad with absolutely nothing to show for it. If he hadn't pulled some strings, he wouldn't even have landed that temporary 'up-or-out' teaching gig... I bet his parents are only willing to foot the bill for a standard apartment in Jiangcheng; he can forget about getting into Linjiang Sky Villas."