Chapter 22

Qin Heng had finished setting up the table-opening procedures. Carrying the necessary items, he was about to lead them to the billiards table when he noticed Chi Ning's wet hands. He tipped his chin toward the counter. "Tissues are two yuan a pack. Brother Xu put them behind the counter. Help yourself. I'll go open the table."

Zhang Qiuwen's feelings were complicated. Maybe he had been overthinking it.

Brother Qin had such high emotional intelligence and such strong initiative. If he really liked someone, he would definitely pursue them himself. How could he make someone pay for their own hand-wiping tissues?

Tissues were cheap, anyway.

But... maybe... Brother Qin just hadn't realized it yet?

After Chi Ning dried his hands and tossed the dirty wad of tissue into the trash, another group of customers entered the billiards hall.

He turned to look at Qin Heng, who was still arranging balls for customers, and Zhang Qiuwen, who was completely out of it. Kindly, he reminded them, "Wait here a moment. The boss isn't around, so I'll go get a staff member for you."

The man at the front wore loose casual clothes, his hair slicked back with wax, and every accessory he wore was currently in fashion.

His gaze paused on Chi Ning. He raised a hand to rub his chin. "What about you? Aren't you in charge of receiving guests? Do you take jobs as a sparring partner?"

Zhang Qiuwen, who had been watching Chi Ning the whole time, immediately snapped back to attention and stepped forward. "He's a customer. I'll open a table for you."

The man glanced at Zhang Qiuwen's tough-guy face and instantly looked away, turning back to Chi Ning to cleanse his eyes.

Chi Ning smiled at the man.

The man immediately averted his eyes again, his face turning red.

Zhang Qiuwen: ...

Brother Qin had better not figure it out.

Otherwise, there was no telling whether he would end up wearing a black hat or a green one.

Chi Ning's smile was way too sweet, way too lovable.

After opening the table, Qin Heng walked over and glanced at the blushing customer. "Want a sparring partner?"

The man was completely dazzled by Chi Ning's smile. "I do..."

Qin Heng said, "Ten yuan an hour. There are two of us. Do you want one or both?"

The man: ...

I don't fucking want a tough-guy sparring partner!

He gave Chi Ning a reluctant look. "No need. We have enough people. Just open the table."

Qin Heng was a little regretful.

What a pity. If they had hired a sparring partner, he could have given them psychological trauma fair and square.

Chi Ning paid no attention to their verbal sparring. He was worrying over the last black ball on the table.

The black ball was in a bad position. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't find a way to sink it in one shot.

Standing for so long was a little tiring. Chi Ning grabbed his cue and curled up on the sofa in the rest area, staring at the table while his brain worked furiously.

Ten minutes later, he stood and found an angle, then drove the cue hard into the white ball.

After the white ball struck the black ball, the black ball shot straight into the felt-lined rail, then bounced toward the other side. At this rate, it might not even sink after hitting three cushions.

The people who had come to play with that man immediately started chuckling and whispering.

One of them, a boy dressed like a student, snorted. "I thought he was so amazing."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the man who had blushed while staring at Chi Ning earlier.

When he saw that the man was still lost in thought, he pressed his lips together in frustration.

He chalked the tip of his cue and walked over to Chi Ning. "That ball definitely won't go in."

Chi Ning said, "Not necessarily."

"How is it not? With the force you used, after it hits three cushions, all its momentum will be gone. It'll stop moving."

They both spoke quickly.

Just as the boy finished speaking, the black ball stopped.

The boy lifted his chin proudly. "Well? Wasn't I right? You just don't know how to play. You sat there watching for so long, but you still—"

His voice abruptly cut off.

The black ball had stopped, but the white ball was still moving. Since the two balls had traveled at slightly different speeds, the white ball actually struck the black ball again after it had come to a stop.

It went in.

Chi Ning smiled at the boy. "See? I told you, not necessarily. No one said the cue ball couldn't hit the object ball twice."

Just as he was about to bend down to take the ball out and reset it, Qin Heng came over and did it for him.

Chi Ning murmured a quiet thank-you.

Gu Zhe's heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned to look at his senior, and when he noticed the way the other man was looking at Chi Ning, his heart went cold.

He had pursued his senior for over seven years. His senior liked boys who looked young, so he dressed that way. His senior liked billiards, so he practiced hard to improve his skills.

The more Gu Zhe thought about it, the more wronged he felt. His eyes grew wet. "I'm Gu Zhe. I want to compete with you!"

"No." Chi Ning was afraid of making him cry.

Gu Zhe stomped his foot and blurted out, "You must have relied on luck just now. Otherwise, why wouldn't you dare compete?"

"Gu Zhe, stop making trouble." The man who had been watching them spoke coldly.

Gu Zhe's eyes widened in anger.

Holding back tears, he sniffed as he set down his cue, then turned and ran out of the billiards hall.

Chi Ning: ...

He still cried.

Such a childish temper.

Chi Ning played another round by himself. When Gu Zhe still had not returned, he went to the entrance and looked outside.

Gu Zhe was squatting pitifully on the steps beside the billiards hall. The sun outside was blazing, sweat soaking through his back, and his thin imitation designer uniform clung to him.

The shoes the boy wore had a master craftsman's plaque on the heels, seemingly in Latin. He also wore an expensive watch. He was clearly either rich or powerful, completely out of place among the people he had come with.

Chi Ning searched his memories for the surname Gu but had no particularly strong impression.

Forget it. The little love-struck fool looked rather pitiful. Even though he had been so angry earlier, he had not smashed his cue. His manners were pretty good.

Chi Ning bought the cheapest bottle of iced water and carried it over to squat beside Gu Zhe. "Go back inside. It's too hot here. If you keep squatting here, you'll get heatstroke."

He pressed the water into his hands.

Gu Zhe did not want it, but the bottle was so cool that once he hugged it, he did not want to let go. He looked up at Chi Ning's face. He was his senior's type, and better-looking than Gu Zhe himself.

Gu Zhe hugged the water and gulped it down. After finishing it, he let out a relieved sigh. "I would never drink water this cheap. Who knows if it's even clean?"

Chi Ning: ...

You drank nearly half the bottle in one go. That counts as not drinking it?

He did not seem very bright.

Chi Ning held out his hand to Gu Zhe.

Looking at the pale, slender fingers and rounded nails, Gu Zhe secretly wiped his sweaty palm on his pants before placing it in Chi Ning's hand.

Afterward, he glanced at Chi Ning and whispered, "I was rude earlier. Sorry. But I won't give my senior to you!"

Chi Ning laughed. He figured saying that he liked someone else would save a lot of trouble, so he lied, "What senior? I already have someone I like."

Gu Zhe was so embarrassed his toes curled.

Chi Ning led him back to the billiards hall.

Before they entered, they heard someone inside say, "Why isn't Gu Zhe back yet? Bro, why don't you go talk to him?"

They both stopped.

Someone said, "No need. It's so hot outside, he probably went to hide in some drink shop. He'll come back on his own soon. Isn't that what he always does? He's just being dramatic. Don't worry, there'll be someone to pay."

Hearing that familiar voice, Gu Zhe's face turned pale. He tightly gripped Chi Ning's hand, then hurriedly let go. "I-I'm not going in."

So his senior had never liked him at all. He only brought Gu Zhe along because Gu Zhe could pay.

Chi Ning had lived two lives. Even at his lowest point, someone had doted on him. He had never been taken for a sucker.

Gu Zhe's emotional intelligence was low, and he did not seem very smart either.

Chi Ning felt a little fondness for him.

Chi Ning changed from holding his hand to clasping it. "Hello, I'm Chi Ning."

Gu Zhe jumped, instinctively shaking Chi Ning's hand.

Chi... from the Chi family?

Chi Ning analyzed the pros and cons for him. "If you leave now, will the people inside make trouble for you?"

Gu Zhe shuddered.

He and his senior attended the same university. If he ran off today, there really might be rumors at school that would be unfavorable to him.

Chi Ning understood. "Go in, sit at the side, and don't play. When it's time to settle the bill, say you didn't play and won't pay."

He smiled. "The billiards hall has surveillance cameras. If they try to deny it later or badmouth you, come get the footage."

Gu Zhe's eyes lit up. "I can use the surveillance footage to slap them in the face!"

Thinking of all the money he had spent on his senior now made him feel disgusted.

That man neither agreed nor refused. He had just wanted to string Gu Zhe along as an ATM!

What beloved person? What a disgusting man!

Lost in thought, Gu Zhe did not let go of Chi Ning's hand even after entering the billiards hall.

Zhang Qiuwen nearly blacked out at the sight.

What had he said?

If Brother Qin really liked Chi Ning, there was a chance he would end up with a fluorescent green grassland on his head.

Who the fuck could resist a usually expressionless, calm academic genius smiling at them?

Who would not want that special treatment to become theirs alone?

Luckily, Zhang Qiuwen was completely straight.

Qin Heng stared at Chi Ning and Gu Zhe's clasped hands.

A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind:

I looked away for ten minutes, and he attracted another one. His heart is so soft. What if he gets deceived?

When Xu Jiahao returned after discussing a business deal, he saw Qin Heng collecting payment with a stern face.

Qin Heng said, "Sir, you used the table for six and a half hours, totaling 130 yuan. Alcohol and drinks were 79 yuan. You used seven pairs of billiards gloves at 20 yuan each, totaling 140 yuan. The total is 349 yuan. Who's paying?"

The man at the front looked toward Gu Zhe, who was hiding in the rest area.

Gu Zhe turned his head away and, following Chi Ning's instructions, rattled off, "I didn't eat anything, didn't hit a single ball, and none of those gloves were mine. Even the water I drank was bought by Second Young Master Chi. The cameras caught everything, so don't treat me like a sucker."

The man's expression tightened. He walked over to Gu Zhe, lowered his head, and said, "Gu Zhe, be sensible."

Gu Zhe panicked inside. He turned to glance at Chi Ning, and when he met those gentle, smiling eyes, courage immediately rose in him.

"What does whether you have any face have to do with me? You knew I liked you, yet you strung me along for so long. Why should I care about your face?"