Unconventional Joy

"Hey, this basketball court looks pretty good. You can come play here when you have free time, little brother."

"Are you crazy? Why would I come all the way out here just to play ball when I have nothing better to do."

"It's not impossible. You could also let the people here witness your explosive physical fitness..."

"Sounds like a fan meet-and-greet," Su Bai grumbled. "No one wants to see that, thanks."

Xia Lin urged Su Bai to go in and play for a bit, but Su Bai flatly refused.

He didn't actually love playing basketball that much. Or rather, he could play a bit of every sport, but there wasn't a single one he particularly loved.

You could say he was universally casual about them.

Xia Lin felt a bit disappointed. She actually liked watching Su Bai run and jump on the court; it always felt so energetic. She felt that what her life lacked the most was probably vitality. After all, from childhood to adulthood, every aspect of her life had been arranged for her, which inevitably made things a bit dull.

Because of this, she tried all sorts of outdoor sports. At the very least, when people exercise, they naturally feel a sense of freshness and joy.

Exercising and soaking up the sun were great ways to fight off depression.

Since it was a commercial district selling outdoor gear, naturally it had familiar brands like Fjallraven and Arc'teryx.

These brands weren't very expensive. Of course, "not expensive" was relative to the wealthy class. Students from ordinary backgrounds generally couldn't afford them. In the past, Su Bai wouldn't have considered them at all.

Xia Lin recommended that Su Bai check out Arc'teryx's new winter arrivals. They were hot sellers right now. Although seasonal clothes had a bit of a premium, the advantage was that the styles were fitting.

"Naturally, you have to try clothes on to know if they really suit you..."

Xia Lin helped Su Bai adjust his windbreaker with great interest.

During the process, her fingers couldn't help but glide over Su Bai's perfect muscles, which resembled those of an ancient Greek hero sculpture.

The haze-blue color, paired with military-green cargo pants and a pair of dark hiking boots, made for an overall dark tone. If an old man were to wear it, he would look devoid of energy, like a cameraman in some film crew who was addicted to working overtime.

But on Su Bai, it complemented his skin tone perfectly, making him look like a professional mountaineer.

"What's professional about it? The only mountains I've climbed in my life are a few famous tourist attractions."

"Hey, no, it's a feeling. Clothes make the man, after all. For someone with a great figure like you, little brother, you'd look professional even in a wetsuit."

Ah...

Was it really that convincing?

Su Bai looked at himself in the mirror. He really was handsome. It seemed that men and women's understanding of a "professional" aura might indeed be quite different.

For instance, regarding scientists, the impressive scientists in boys' eyes were often unkempt, bearing the face of a STEM powerhouse.

But in the web dramas that girls loved to watch, those sitting in labs all wore white coats, meticulous gold-rimmed glasses, and elegant shirts underneath, exuding nobility in every gesture...

Anyone who had actually spent time in a lab would know that such a thing didn't exist.

Even someone with an incredibly good natural foundation like Chen Yusheng usually just wore a pair of warm tights, wrapped herself in a windbreaker or woolen coat, and sat there grinding out code. She couldn't even be bothered to wear makeup, relying purely on her natural beauty.

Oh well, at least he looked intimidating. Facing a group of successful alumni, it could save him some trouble.

"Speaking of which, during the lecture earlier, that senior girl actually came up to hit on me so naturally. Did I wear this watch for nothing today?" Su Bai shook his wrist, a bit puzzled.

"Haha, she probably thought you were wearing a replica? After all, your outfit today adds up to nearly a million. If someone didn't know you, they might think you were just an outrageous college boy wearing fakes to show off."

Case closed!

His thoughts flowed smoothly now. Su Bai suddenly realized why that senior, Lin Weiwei, had acted like she wanted to be a sugar mommy to a young boy.

Fortunately, Xia Lin arrived in time. Otherwise, if things had been spelled out clearly, she would have been the one embarrassed.

Xia is really considerate.

After buying the coat, Xia Lin saw that the innerwear section had new quick-dry T-shirts and wanted to buy two more for Su Bai.

"No, there's nothing on Tianrong Mountain that would make me sweat profusely enough to need this, right?" Su Bai suddenly changed his tone. "Oh wait, there actually is. After all, Xia is here, hehe."

"Smooth talker."

Xia Lin rolled her eyes at him, her pretty face blushing slightly.

Obviously, Su Bai was talking about that kind of thing, but this was a group activity. How could they be so unrestrained?

"Let me say this in advance: no fooling around during this camping trip. Don't let the alumni make a joke out of us... I saw that there are even freshmen from our department participating. I need to maintain my authority as a counselor."

"Oh, so you mean doing that with me makes you lose your authority, right?" Su Bai laughed. "Don't worry, Xia, I know the limits. I'll definitely cover your mouth so the sound doesn't get out. Yeah, we can also set up camp in a slightly more remote spot."

"Aren't you afraid of running into wild beasts if it's too remote..."

"Where would all these wild beasts come from? They're all hibernating. Beasts aren't active in this season. Besides, even if a beast really came, I'd just kick it to death."

Hearing Su Bai mention this, Xia Lin thought of the incident that happened when he was doing morning exercises with Liu Chenyang's father.

A crazed large dog had been kicked to death by Su Bai. What should have been a tragic incident of someone getting hurt didn't even cause a splash.

When she first heard about it, Xia Lin was worried for a while. Later, she figured there was probably nothing to worry about. To be able to react to a sudden emergency while in a relaxed state proved that Su Bai had a solid foundation. She just didn't know when he had practiced martial arts.

Truly a multi-talented little brother.

Speaking of which, generally, multi-talented rich guys would consciously or unconsciously love to show off their talents. Su Bai was an exception. He had no intention of showing off to anyone; he just quietly enjoyed life.

Xia Lin liked this vibe. Being with someone like this was very comfortable.

"Anyway, just don't fool around..."

"I can't do that. You know, Xia, I'm young right now, right at the age where I love to fool around."

As he spoke, taking advantage of the cover of the clothing racks and the fact that no store clerks were looking, Su Bai cupped Xia Lin's face and kissed her for a moment.

It wasn't long, but it left Xia Lin breathless, her eyes rippling with emotion.

She glared at Su Bai with a bit of annoyance, but her wildly pounding heart betrayed her true feelings.

Sneaking a kiss while shopping when no one was looking, why did it feel so incredibly happy?

It was like skipping class as a child when parents weren't paying attention. Of course, Xia Lin hadn't really skipped classes; she was a good girl. Perhaps this was psychological compensation. Because she had always been so good, she harbored a hidden rebelliousness to step out of bounds. And Su Bai could lead her to enjoy this out-of-bounds joy, all within a safe scope. After all, little brother Su Bai was a mature and reliable guy who wouldn't suddenly lose his mind and let things get out of hand.