Fu Xiaoxiao didn't mention what had just happened. Instead, he chattered on about what he had done that day, shaking his head and trying to get praise for himself.
Su Huaiming ate a barbecue and drank a large cup of milk tea, but he really couldn't swallow it. So, while Fu Xiaoxiao was talking animatedly, he secretly winked at Fu Jingfan, asking him to help him finish the dessert.
Fu Jingfan wasn't interested in desserts, but looking at Su Huaiming, he couldn't refuse him.
Su Huaiming's eyes were upturned at the corners, but his pupils were rounder. He looked down at Fu Jingfan with a pleading look in his eyes. Fu Jingfan felt as if a small animal had rubbed against his feet, looking at him with its watery eyes and whining and acting coquettishly.
Fu Jingfan resisted for only three seconds before complying with Su Huaiming's request and taking the plate in front of him.
Su Huaiming's eyes lit up, and he immediately moved closer to Fu Xiaoxiao, trying to distract him with words. He also secretly winked at Fu Jingfan, signaling him to finish his food quickly.
Fu Jingfan maintained his proper dining etiquette, but he ate very quickly, finishing both desserts before Fu Xiaoxiao noticed, and then placed the plates back in front of Su Huaiming.
Su Huaiming breathed a sigh of relief and continued to chat with Fu Xiaoxiao in a relaxed manner.
Su Huaiming and Fu Xiaoxiao are very different, but their styles are surprisingly similar. Although they don't seem very friendly on the surface, their relationship is actually quite harmonious.
Fu Xiaoxiao got tired as he talked, so the nanny carried him to rest, leaving only Su Huaiming and Fu Jingfan sitting at the table.
Remembering Fu Jingfan's help earlier, Su Huaiming politely thanked him.
Fu Jingfan felt that Su Huaiming should have learned his lesson and said, "Don't do that again."
His intention was to tell Su Huaiming not to eat two meals a day, as it's bad for his stomach.
But Su Huaiming misunderstood; upon hearing this, his rebellious streak suddenly kicked in.
Fu Jingfan helped him, but he had also set many traps for him beforehand. The two should settle accounts separately, and he couldn't lose face.
Su Huaiming deliberately feigned a confused expression. "Why can't we do that anymore?"
He blinked and said matter-of-factly, "Is there a problem with an adult eating while carrying a child on their back?"
Chapter 57
Fu Jingfan was somewhat surprised by Su Huaiming's words, but he didn't press the matter. He stated objectively and rationally, "You are a capable adult. As long as you don't violate the law or morality, you have the right to do anything, including this. Besides, you paid for the barbecue; you can do whatever you want with it, and no one can interfere."
Upon hearing this, Su Huaiming was filled with question marks.
In his mind, the two would have a fierce battle of wits and words.
Fu Jingfan may appear respectable on the surface, but he's actually wicked. I thought he would find his weakness and make fun of him, but I didn't expect Fu Jingfan to say something so serious.
Meeting Su Huaiming's gaze, Fu Jingfan continued, "I suggest you don't eat two meals a night, as it puts a burden on your digestive system."
Su Huaiming froze, staring blankly at Fu Jingfan, and said hesitantly, "So, what you meant by not doing this again... is this?!"
"That's right." Fu Jingfan's expression was calm, his gaze tracing Su Huaiming's features, not missing a single emotion.
He added, seemingly unintentionally, "What do you think?"
Su Huaiming: "..."
Su Huaiming suddenly realized he had misunderstood, coughed twice, and quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened. "I... that's what I was thinking. What else could I be thinking?"
Fu Jingfan, recalling Su Huaiming's earlier words, raised an eyebrow slightly, unable to resist revealing his wicked nature, and asked leisurely, "Do you think I'm mocking you for being a parent who secretly eats behind your child's back, and telling you not to do such childish things again?"
Su Huaiming: "..." Why did you say that?!
He was in the wrong first, and if he lost his temper now, it would be tantamount to admitting guilt. Realizing this, Su Huaiming took a deep breath and forced a smile, "How could that be? I could never have such a thought."
Fu Jingfan's dark eyes were as deep as the sea, seemingly capable of drowning in them. His voice was low and magnetic, as if he were whispering, "Really?"
"Of course it's true," Su Huaiming said defiantly.
Fu Jingfan had already enjoyed Su Huaiming's expression enough. Knowing that taking another step forward would anger Su Huaiming, he stopped himself in time and nodded slightly. "I understand."
Seeing that Fu Jingfan wasn't going to ask any more questions, Su Huaiming finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the heat on his face gradually subside and the air no longer feeling thin.
Nothing good ever comes from anything involving Fu Jingfan. Su Huaiming was acutely aware of this, so he didn't linger at the table. He casually greeted Fu Jingfan and then turned and went back to his bedroom.
*****
Sun Siyuan has been busy these past few days. He was very excited to receive such a satisfying gift for the first time and has been actively preparing for the donation, which is basically all settled.
The prize money was quite large, but it was subject to tax, so Sun Siyuan simply used his own money to cover that portion.
Money is just a number to him; what he values more is this rare experience and memory, and he doesn't want to have any regrets.
That evening, the charity foundation also posted on its official Weibo account, thanking Su Huaiming and Sun Siyuan for their joint donation. The money will be donated to left-behind children, mainly for their food, education, and daily expenses.
Topics related to celebrities easily trend on social media, and this one is particularly meaningful: the hashtag # Su Huaiming # has reappeared on the trending list.
Zhou Hanyan seized the opportunity and leveraged her fans' talents to edit together the highlights of Su Huaiming's performance over the past three episodes into a video, which quickly went viral.
What netizens remember most about Su Huaiming is his sharp tongue; they all wished they could poison him into silence. But seeing the video now, they realize just how formidable Su Huaiming.
[Su Huaiming is amazing! He can solve Rubik's Cubes, assemble robots, and even design clothes! I still remember the outfit he designed that received unanimous praise from people in the fashion industry.]
[Mingming based on his talent, but he only relied on his looks and words... I have mixed feelings. Can't he just be a handsome guy with real talent?]
[With this kind of talent, he could easily create a cool and mysterious persona and market himself like crazy. This generation of netizens loves that kind of thing. But unfortunately, Su Huaiming has a mouth, which makes him seem like he doesn't have any celebrity aura and is very down-to-earth. As a fan of Su Huaiming's career, I really want to advise him to donate his mouth so he can smile.]
[After watching the video, I realized that Su Huaiming has been underestimated quite a bit. I used to think Su Huaiming was just a handsome guy with a sharp tongue, but now I realize he really is a handsome guy with a sharp tongue. lol]
[Su Huaiming is too amazing! He's smart, full of ideas, lucky, and knows so many things. Plus, he has a special kind of aura; it's like he's about to pull out another surprise.]
[+1, I also feel that Su Huaiming can do everything, there's nothing he's not good at.]
Su Huaiming, who is seen as a jack-of-all-trades by netizens, was standing on the basketball court with a deadpan expression, looking utterly hopeless. If Fu Jingfan hadn't been there to urge him on, he would have run away the next second.
Seeing Su Huaiming's resistant expression, Fu Jingfan's gaze darkened as he recalled the words of the professionals.
After discovering that Su Huaiming wasn't interested in night running, the professionals suggested he try a different form of exercise. Many men enjoy competitive and energetic sports, which might pique Su Huaiming's interest and allow him to gradually increase his exercise and maintain a healthy physique without Fu Jingfan constantly urging him.
Fu Jingfan and college. Although he had been busy with work in recent years and had hardly touched a basketball, standing on the basketball court now, he casually dribbled the ball a few times and his feel for it returned. His body had also formed a memory for it, as if he could turn around and shoot a three-pointer at any moment.
But the protagonist of this movement was not him, but Su Huaiming.
Fu Jingfan asked, "Have you ever played basketball before?"
Su Huaiming thought for a moment before saying, "Does watching a basketball game count?"
"..."
Fu Jingfan didn't dwell on this point. Instead, he introduced him to a few simple basketball moves, planning to teach Su Huaiming how to play basketball scrimmage after he got the hang of it.
After speaking, Fu Jingfan did not ask Su Huaiming whether he understood.
Over time, he came to understand Su Huaiming very well. Su Huaiming seemed lazy and carefree, indifferent to everything and not interested in having any career, but he actually had the ability to accomplish anything in the world.
He is a favorite of the heavens, possessing ample talent and brilliance, along with a brilliant mind and impeccable comprehension; there is no situation where he cannot understand something.
—But there are situations where Su Huaiming doesn't want to understand.
Su Huaiming didn't want to exercise, much less sweat. He just wanted to comfortably curl up on the soft mat, read books, watch TV shows, and do things that didn't require physical exertion.
He knew Fu Jingfan was looking out for him, and that this was beneficial to him, but he really didn't exercise at all!
Su Huaiming knew Fu Jingfan well. If he turned around and left now, Fu Jingfan might use underhanded tactics against him. So, under these circumstances, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and give it a try.
After listening to Fu Jingfan's words, Su Huaiming bent down, picked up the basketball, and tried to dribble it.
Basketballs are quite hard, Su Huaiming has to use a lot of force to bounce the ball high enough, causing his palms to turn slightly red.
He's not so delicate as to care about these things; it's just that the weight on the other side of the scale has increased, continuing to tilt towards "disliking exercise."
"Try throwing the ball," Fu Jingfan said.
Su Huaiming nodded, raised the basketball, focused his gaze on the basketball court, and threw it out on tiptoe.
The movement was fairly standard, but the basketball was very uncooperative; it didn't even touch the rim before falling down in mid-air.
Su Huaiming: "..."
Feeling embarrassed, he didn't dare meet Fu Jingfan's gaze and hurriedly picked up the basketball, preparing to try again.
The problem before was that he wasn't strong enough to hit the basketball hoop. This time, Su Huaiming gritted his teeth and used all his strength, but he threw the ball too high and it fell back down in mid-air again.
Su Huaiming: "..."
He tried three times in a row, constantly adjusting his posture and correcting the problems. Although the situation improved, he still couldn't throw the ball very well.
Fu Jingfan, standing to the side, noticed Su Huaiming's problem.
Su Huaiming put his mind to it, but he didn't get his muscles working properly.
This is something that's hard to describe in words, Fu Jingfan planned to demonstrate it to Su Huaiming.
He took Su Huaiming's basketball, stood in front of the line, and said, "When you shoot, don't concentrate your strength in your wrist; use the power of your arm. Also, when you shoot on your tiptoe, your center of gravity is unstable, and it's easy to send a floaty ball."
As he spoke, Fu Jingfan raised his arm, his bulging muscles exuding masculine energy. With a light and effortless shot, the ball landed accurately in the basketball hoop—a beautiful three-pointer.
Fu Jingfan's expression was calm, as if he were a king on the basketball court, capable of dominating everything.
The coolness of this move is second only to the scene in corresponding literary works where "the protagonist casually throws a ball, turns around and leaves gracefully without even looking back, and the sound of the basketball hitting the hoop can be heard behind him."
Su Huaiming paused, then said meaningfully, "When you were in school, there must have been a lot of people coming to watch you play basketball."
Fu Jingfan held the basketball up to Su Huaiming, without showing any boastfulness or pride, and shook his head, "I don't know."
Su Huaiming thought he was just being modest and pressed further, "How could that be?"
"I really don't know. I was playing basketball, so my attention was naturally only on the basketball. Why should I pay attention to the people off the court?" Fu Jingfan's words made a lot of sense, leaving Su Huaiming with no way to refute them.
Only someone who is extremely popular would say such arrogant things.
Su Huaiming chuckled through his nose, a strange emotion lingering in his eyes as he looked at Fu Jingfan.
Fu Jingfan paused, then suddenly said, "But you're the only one here."
The topic shifted so quickly that Su Huaiming's thoughts couldn't keep up, and he gave a questioning "hmm".
Fu Jingfan continued, "Before, when I played basketball, there were probably a lot of people watching me outside the court, but now it's just you."
As Fu Jingfan spoke these words, his deep, ocean-like eyes quietly gazed at Su Huaiming, reflecting his image without anything else.
Fu Jingfan's words and actions caught Su Huaiming off guard. He was stunned for a few seconds before he came to his senses and turned to look at the empty basketball court.
The streetlights beside them emitted a bright white light. The two people stood in the middle of the basketball court, their shadows stretched infinitely long and eventually overlapped, as if they had merged into one.
The two seemed to be isolated in another world, with a gentle evening breeze carrying a faint floral fragrance.
Time seemed to slow down infinitely. Su Huaiming turned to look at Fu Jingfan, his eyes round and innocent, reflecting the other's image. They stared at each other silently for three seconds.