There were two universally acknowledged moments when guys looked their hottest.
One was when they were playing sports, and the other was when they were seriously studying or working!
And right now!
A whole bunch of hot guys were playing basketball!
Yao Tao squeezed her way to the very front of the crowd, with deafening noise battering her ears from every direction.
Being young is great!
And now I'm young too!
I've still got my old speed when it comes to snagging a spot, hahahahaha!
Yao Tao held up her phone, snapping away amid the girls' screams as she openly shot from every angle she could find.
Boohoo, my boy is so handsome, boohoo.
Look at those long legs!
Look at that three-pointer!
Aaaaaah-
Holy crap, Qin Zhen jumped up for a dunk!
Yao Tao aimed her raised phone at Qin Zhen as he leaped and snapped a shot.
Three bucks a photo wouldn't be unreasonable, right?
Qin Zhen looks incredible from this angle!
As He Zhen and his teammates stopped to hydrate, he couldn't help looking toward Yao Tao.
"What are you looking at, bro? This is the first time I've gotten more energized the longer I play!" Wei Fang hadn't been this excited in ages. "Those guys on the other team are good!"
"My legs are turning to jelly," one of the boys said.
"How are you this useless?" Wei Fang smacked him. "Yue Wanqiu, I swear you're getting more useless by the day!"
Yue Wanqiu bristled. "This isn't about being useless! With the stars of both teams out there, all my attempts to look cool just make me background scenery. I've lost my motivation, get it?"
Wei Fang laughed and hooked an arm around his neck. "You little punk!"
"Says who? We're rooting for you, Yue Wanqiu!" a girl standing nearby called out.
Yue Wanqiu perked up instantly. "Let's go, boys! We've got this one!"
So much youthful energy!
Boohoohoohoohoo!
Yao Tao took the opportunity to snap several photos of Yue Wanqiu too.
If there was a market for them, she wasn't about to miss out!
With Yao Tao's phone aimed at them, He Zhen suddenly turned his head and smiled in her direction.
She fired off several shots in a burst. The lighting was perfect.
Yao Tao froze.
Holy crap, instant wallpaper!!!!!!
This one's a one-of-a-kind!!!!!!
The girls around Yao Tao erupted in gasps too. "Aaaah, did you see that? Who got a photo? Who got it?"
Everyone's eyes locked onto Yao Tao.
"I'm Team Qin Zhen," Yao Tao said calmly.
"!!!"
"Damn it!"
Yao Tao continued taking photos, quietly keeping her achievement to herself.
As if. This is for my private collection!
This special-edition shot is mine and mine alone!
"Oh my god, he smiled at you so tenderly." The ill-timed female voice drew displeasure from the others.
Yao Tao glanced over.
Oh, it's Liang Zhizhi. That explains it.
Just my luck. When did they end up standing next to me?
Damn it, I thought this was my private treasure, but it turns out that smile was for Fu Xin!
Damn it!
He Zhen, you really are blind!
Yao Tao grumbled indignantly to herself, but her hands never stopped moving!
"Who are you?" one of the girls asked unhappily. "What makes you think he was smiling at you?"
"She's Fu Xin!" A girl who recognized her tugged at the speaker.
Murmurs rose around them. "So she's Fu Xin?"
Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. What, are you going to roll out a red carpet for her?
"Boohoo, He Zhen really does have good taste. I lose."
I know this sounds harsh, but you weren't even qualified to sit at the table, my friend!
"My romance ended way too fast."
It sure did.
Yao Tao was laughing herself silly on the inside.
Puberty. I get it!
They can be girlfriend fans, and I'll be a mom fan!
Then our roles won't clash!
Oh, I'm so special!
"Zhen, what are you doing?" Wei Fang made a beautiful pass, but He Zhen actually missed it.
"Sorry, my mind was somewhere else." He Zhen wiped his sweat with his wristband, his eyes continually drifting toward Yao Tao.
You're hopeless. Looking, looking, looking-haven't you seen enough of her since you were kids?
This is exactly why you can't beat Qin Zhen!
Could you stop worrying so much about Fu Xin?
She's perfectly capable of standing here watching you guys play basketball!
Her foot might've healed ages ago!
Oh, my poor boy.
No wonder you're the second male lead!
Yao Tao was exasperated with him.
The girls all around her were already in an uproar.
"He Zhen has looked this way several times."
"Fu Xin, are you and He Zhen actually dating?"
Some of the younger girls kept asking tirelessly, desperate for an answer.
"Our Xin Xin and He Zhen are childhood sweethearts." Liang Zhizhi sounded proud for some reason, though her answer missed the point entirely.
"So it's only a matter of time?" someone persisted.
"Let's just watch the game. Don't say things like that." Fu Xin tucked back a strand of hair and smiled toward He Zhen. "Zhen has always treated me like his own little sister."
Yao Tao: ...
His own little sister? I'm going to puke.
Why don't you ask him if he needs another little sister? I'd really like to be his sister too!
Yao Tao needed only three seconds to go from girlfriend fan → mom fan → little-sister fan.
The older girls and those in Fu Xin's year wore quite a range of expressions, while the younger girls still looked eager to try their luck.
Another wave of cheers erupted nearby. "Qin Zhen!-Qin Zhen!-"
Well, damn. Qin Zhen scored off the backboard, and his team successfully overtook He Zhen's.
Qin Zhen openly held up the basketball toward Fu Xin.
The nineteen-year-old knew exactly what he wanted.
He was speaking.
"I'll win."
Fu Xin smiled.
Yao Tao actually understood.
Fu Xin was only nineteen too. On one side was He Zhen, whom she knew inside out and couldn't have been more familiar with. On the other was a dark-horse prince who had appeared out of nowhere, forceful and clear about his goal: he liked Fu Xin and wanted to pursue her.
When Yao Tao had read the novel, she'd loved watching the heroine struggle to choose. She'd adored every romantic showdown. Only after finding herself in the story did she realize.
It was frustrating and annoying!
She wanted them both!
She refused to accept it!
What am I supposed to do?
He's just so in love.
Grumbling to herself, Yao Tao moved to another spot to take photos.
Fu Xin, meanwhile, seemed to feel that this wasn't quite right. After responding to Qin Zhen, she instinctively looked toward He Zhen.
But He Zhen didn't look their way again.
"Fu Xin, are you close with Qin Zhen too?" an oblivious younger girl asked, bringing up precisely the wrong subject.
"Qin Zhen is pursuing our Xin Xin! Everyone in Class A knows!" Liang Zhizhi linked arms with Fu Xin, looking so smug that she might as well have been Fu Xin herself.
"Our Xin Xin is very popular too," she added.
"Zhizhi!" Fu Xin scolded her, though there was no real anger in her voice, only a hint of shyness. "Stop saying things like that!"
The younger girls fell silent too.
The basketball game lasted forty minutes, and Yao Tao had originally thought Qin Zhen was certain to win.
Who knew that He Zhen would suddenly get especially serious partway through and actually force a tie!
Right!
The reason He Zhen originally lost was actually that he was so worried about Fu Xin's injured foot.
This basketball game was arranged during Qin Zhen and He Zhen's first romantic showdown, when Qin Zhen proposed using Fu Xin as the stakes.
He Zhen was angry that Qin Zhen thought he had any right to use Fu Xin as a wager, and had a little spat with Fu Xin over it.
Then he lost the basketball game because he was too worried about Fu Xin.
But none of that matters now!
With this many photos, I should make quite a bit selling all the ones that aren't of He Zhen!
Yao Tao thought happily.
Money, come to me-
Before you continue