Chapter 14 Avoiding It

Behind her was a fire escape. Lin Zaoyi pushed open the steel fire door and hid in the stairwell to avoid facing it head-on.

Five minutes later, she reappeared in their sight, complaining without changing her expression, "The men's changing room is so hard to find, I've circled around and still can't see it."

As he spoke, he handed the phone back to Tan You, saying, "Someone called you; it must be something urgent."

Tan You took it and glanced at it. "You guys play first, I'll go reply."

Lin Zaoyi wasn't in a hurry and was about to walk towards the rest area when Tan Jiani called out to her, "Lin Zaoyi, want to play a game?"

Lin Zaoyi may not be confident in many other things, but in tennis, she can easily defeat most opponents.

He bluntly stated, "You probably can't beat me."

"I can't beat you?" Tan Jiani looked as if she had been deeply humiliated, and rolled up her short sleeves. "Whoever loses has to bark like a dog!"

"Sure."

Lin Zaoyi waited a moment to hear the dog bark.

The first ball was served by Tan Jiani, who prepared her serve and received it steadily.

At first she was dismissive, but as her stamina waned, she began to underestimate Lin Zaoyi.

No, I can't lose, or I'll have to bark like a dog.

I forced myself to tough it out.

Tan You had finished making the call. Zao Yi at the stadium looked completely different. Usually quiet, she was full of energy at this moment. No matter which version of her she was, she would make people want to take a second look.

"Hey bro."

He gestured with his chin in that direction. "Wasn't that unexpected?"

My cousin asked, "Do you like Zaoyi?"

Caught off guard by the question, he stammered "Ah," then nodded, "I like it."

Who wouldn't like such a beautiful girl?

Tan Zhaojing frowned, his gaze shifting from the healthy pinkish features to the side. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold.

Tan You was oblivious, his attention was entirely on the two girls fighting. When the sparring ended, he didn't need to ask; he could tell who won or lost just by looking at Jia Ni's expression.

Lin Zaoyi walked straight to the rest area and was about to reach for water when someone handed it to her first.

Beneath his pale, cool skin, his arms were toned and defined.

She didn't take it, but stepped past the man and took the bottle again, maintaining a polite facade, "Thank you, Brother Zhaojing, but I can do it myself, don't bother."

I don't quite understand. If you don't treat her like a younger sister, why do you show her the concern of an older brother?

Or was it just a small, insignificant thing?

After her arm hovered in mid-air for a few seconds, Tan Zhaojing naturally lowered it back down. She glanced over slowly and noticed that her ponytail, tied behind her head, had loosened due to her recent exercise. A few strands of hair were sticking out of the elastic band and hanging down to her collarbone. For a moment, she wanted to reach out and tuck them behind her ear, but she managed to hold them back.

Tan Jiani came over, looking defiant. "Lin Zaoyi, you dare to compare yourself to my brother?"

Lin Zaoyi dared, but didn't want to, "Hurry up and bark at me three times."

You have to accept the consequences of your bet.

Tan Jiani gritted her teeth and squeezed out three "Woof!" from between her lips.

Lin Zaoyi was in a good mood and gestured for Tan You to take the racket. "Let's go."

Tan You: "Why don't you compete with Brother Zhaojing?"

Lin Zaoyi glanced meaningfully at Tan Zhaojing, their eyes met for a moment, and she smiled, "Next time."

The man seemed oblivious to the obvious dismissal, saying, "Just this once."

With that, he picked up his racket and walked toward his half of the court.

"?"

Did she agree?

These siblings are both incredibly domineering.

It doesn't matter, she still has the strength.

He forced a smile at the man in a light-colored tracksuit a few meters away, "Brother Zhaojing, give way a little."

Tan Zhaojing slightly raised his lips, "No problem."

When two masters spar, the result is a draw.

Aside from being a little lacking in stamina, Lin Zaoyi's technique was in no way inferior.

Tan You admired him.

Tan Jiani silently remained silent.

After a short rest, Lin Zaoyi continued, this time playing against Tan You.

Tan Zhaojing received a work call. When he answered it, his gaze fell on the two people not far away. It was obvious that the girl was using much less force on Tan You than on him.

Tan Jiani had rested and went to call her brother after he finished his call.

"Brother, let's fight."

"Wait."

"What else do you want to do?"

Then the older brother took his racket and walked over to Lin Zaoyi, saying, "Tan You, let's play two games."

"Sure," Tan You readily agreed.

The ball was in his hands. He served it, and his cousin made a beautiful traveling step and flicked it back, but the force was a bit too strong, causing him to take two steps back.

At first, I thought my cousin hadn't mastered it, but after a few tries, I realized something was wrong.

Where did they even have a friendly competition? They were clearly just messing with others!

How did he offend him?

No, I can't connect anymore.

He let the ball thrown at him miss its mark, bouncing several times before flying out of bounds.

Gasping for breath, he asked, "Brother, are you... are you trying to kill me?"

Aside from a few more beads of sweat on his hair, Tan Zhaojing's expression remained unchanged. "Is that all the strength you have?"

Tan You: "!"

Is that human language?

They didn't stay long; they arrived at 6:30 and left at 8:00, without having eaten dinner. As they got off the elevator, Tan You asked the others, "What do you want to eat?"

Lin Zaoyi decided not to go with them, saying, "You guys go ahead, I have something to do."

Tan You: "What's up so late at night?"

"work overtime."

Tan You clicked his tongue. "Alright."

He didn't get his fill today, "We'll continue tomorrow."

Just as things were settled, my cousin came out to spoil the mood, saying, "It won't work tomorrow."

"Have you been out socializing?"

That should make sense. "Was there a charity gala? I think Solo was going too."

Lin Zaoyi, who had been listlessly admiring the nearby night view, immediately perked up upon hearing these words.

She instinctively turned her head, only to instantly meet the person's gaze.

The night was dark, and his expression was unclear, but one could tell that the corners of his lips were slightly upturned.

He was definitely laughing, but it was inscrutable.

She turned back as if it were nothing.

They quietly pricked up their ears.

A gust of wind blew in, carrying the sound, though it was only a simple "hmm".

She was overjoyed.

I truly experienced what it means to get something without any effort.

Upon reaching the parking lot, Tan Zhaojing called out to her, "Lin Zaoyi."

She turned slightly to the side. "Hmm?"

"Come here, I'll take you to the newspaper office."

She was very polite, and even when she refused, she remained courteous, saying, "No need, Brother Zhaojing, I'll just ride in Tanyou's car."

After saying that, he smiled and turned around.

Tan You keenly sensed something was amiss, hastily said goodbye to the two, and caught up with Zao Yi, asking, "Don't you and Brother Zhaojing usually chat?"

"We're not even close, what's there to talk about?"

One asked a sophisticated question, while the other gave a response lacking in emotional intelligence.

The night was quiet, and those words reached Tan Zhaojing's ears clearly from several meters away. He narrowed his eyes, a shadow passing over them.

Tan Jiani couldn't describe her feelings. She had thought Lin Zaoyi would fawn over her brother and try to get close to him, but the reality was—

Lin Zaoyi avoids her brother like the plague.